By Zephyria Thanks to the dense vegetation lining both sides, the open road in the center felt particularly desolate. Across the wide-open land, chaotic wheel tracks all converged on one point.
Originally, there was no checkpoint here. The flimsy barricade, which could probably be broken through by ramming it, was proof of that. Beyond the hastily arranged obstacles lined up in two rows, the serene forest path seemed like a separate dimension.
Amidst all this, one of the knights spotted them, raised his arm high, and beckoned them closer. The arrogant gesture was clearly reflected in the dark car window.
The driver swallowed hard and glanced at his lord in the rearview mirror. There was no significant change in his expression, but the blue veins on his jaw were prominent.
Beep—
—My lord, shall we retreat?
Hugo’s blue eyes scanned the number of people and the atmosphere 50 meters to the left. He wanted to determine if the five knights who had been chasing them earlier were among them. If so, they would have already witnessed the vehicles escaping, making the current confrontation pointless.
However, horses couldn’t outpace the escort vehicles, and since they had been traveling almost in a straight line, there were unlikely to be any shortcuts. Moreover, Hares’ knights had been spreading jamming signals from the moment the convoy departed to disrupt their communications. Only secure radios, unaffected by the jamming, were the sole means of communication in this area.
In other words, there was a high probability that they didn’t know the identity of this vehicle. That alone made the gamble worthwhile. Hugo consciously lowered his body temperature to slow his heart rate.
He gestured to the front seat, as if telling them to press the transmit button.
“No, proceed as is. Slowly.”
“Yes?”
The two in the front seat looked back in surprise. The person in the passenger seat had just pressed the button, so the voice from the radio hadn’t returned yet. However, a similar emotion could be felt in the shadows visible through the rear window of the lead car.
Hugo calmly added,
“This road is used by the Council’s southern branch support troops. It’s not unusual for a few escort vehicles to pass through. Act naturally, as if you’re transporting the deceased to headquarters.”
“But, my lord, what if they insist on inspecting the interior―”
“They have no justification to inspect the Council. If they wanted to inspect, they would have had to send a request for cooperation to a superior officer in advance, and if they had, I, as the highest authority, would know. If not…”
‘They would have to bring an imperial decree.’
But it was unlikely that they had come with a decree. If their purpose aligned with the Emperor’s will, the imperial order would have been issued to me first, before they bothered to come all the way to this remote area.
He didn’t know what their purpose or justification was, but their abrupt pursuit of the vehicle fueled his suspicion that they were looking for the pitiful one in his care.
Hugo took Leonardo’s limp hand. At this moment, the Imperial Royal guard were enemies to be shaken off.
Even if a situation arose where they clashed with force, he would step in, but he would never let this hand fall into their hands.
“…If they pressure us with a justification or lie, we’ll have to resort to deception as well.”
Hugo continued in a subdued voice. The two in the front seat exchanged glances.
Just as they understood his meaning and nodded, a signal sounded from the radio.
Beep—
—Understood.
The stopped lead car slowly began to move.
The sound of tires grinding on the dry dirt gradually grew closer. Two knights on horseback dismounted. Following their gestures, the two approaching vehicles stopped in front of the barricade. Soon, one of them approached the driver’s seat of the lead car and politely knocked on the window.
“We’ll be conducting a brief inspection. Your cooperation would be appreciated.”
The sound was muffled because the window was closed, but it was close enough to understand what was being said outside. The driver of the lead vehicle didn’t open the window. His nose and the entire lower half of his face were covered by a gas mask.
The radio’s transmit button was fixed in the pressed position.
The driver replied to the knight politely, but in a hurried tone.
“What’s the matter? We’re a bit busy right now.”
Speaking without opening the window would imply a refusal to cooperate. Perhaps because of this, the knight’s expression subtly hardened. However, he didn’t forcefully open the window like someone who had blocked the northern convoy.
The knight, whose face was half-hidden by his helmet, explained the situation again.
“We received a report that a suspect in a heinous crime that occurred in the Barmot central area stole a black military vehicle and fled.”
—…stole a vehicle and fled.
The conversation was being relayed through the radio in the rear car. Hugo scoffed in disbelief.
Barmot was located on the northern side of Fidele, quite a distance from here. Moreover, if someone had really stolen a vehicle and fled, there would be no reason to come south, closer to the branch office. In the first place, if there had been a heinous crime, it should have been transferred to the Council. But for the busy Imperial Royal guard to personally conduct inspections to catch a single criminal, their insincere lies were infuriating.
The driver of the lead car, who was talking face to face, didn’t show it, but he was also dumbfounded. However, he tried to gloss over it somewhat gently, while expressing a slight displeasure.
“A heinous crime, you say? You’re doing a good job. The branch office hasn’t been able to pay much attention to that area lately…. We haven’t seen any suspicious vehicles while coming here. If we find any in the future, we’ll immediately report it through headquarters.”
The driver replied as if the matter was unrelated to them and they wanted to pass. Then, he grabbed the steering wheel and moved the vehicle closer to the barricade, as if telling them to remove the obstacles. But perhaps they saw it as a signal to escape, because the knights who had been blocking the way suddenly moved quickly.
Clank—
They shouldered the muskets hanging on their backs and aimed the barrels at the driver. The two people in the lead vehicle were taken aback by the sudden aiming. The driver widened his eyes and questioned the knight at the window.
“W-What are you doing?”
“We have been instructed to check the faces of all occupants and search the interior if we see a similar vehicle, as the suspect may be disguised or hiding inside. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we ask for your cooperation in the investigation. If you move the vehicle without permission, you may be fired upon.”
The knight spoke politely and calmly, but didn’t hesitate to say rude things. As he finished speaking, another knight standing behind him circled the vehicle. He prowled around like a hyena, pulling the door handles several times, then returned, aimed the gun at the driver’s seat, and said,
“Get out, or open the back door yourself.”
It was a clear threat. The driver stared intently at the blade attached to the end of the gun.
It was an old-fashioned bayonet, so even if he pulled the trigger, it wouldn’t fire as long as the blade blocked the barrel. Thinking it was just for intimidation, he found it laughable. The driver shook his head.
“We are transporting bodies recovered from the peninsula. We need to get to headquarters quickly before the bodies decompose further due to the high temperature and the temperature inside the vehicle. I understand the situation, but this kind of forced execution is―”
“Open it.”
At that moment, the knight who had been speaking politely changed his tone and gave a cold command.
“……”
“Don’t waste time, open it.”
Hugo, who had been gauging the situation only through the radio with the curtains drawn, felt a vein throbbing in his forehead at that moment. He didn’t know if they were doing this because they didn’t know he was here, but such actions could lead to inter-agency disputes and were extremely rude.
Hugo, who had been gently stroking his lips, slowly reached for the door lock. He mentally organized how he would have to handle the situation if he revealed himself to them here.
But just then, the driver, sensing his movement, turned around and silently shook his head. Then, he closed the curtain between the seats, completely obscuring the back seat, put on dark glasses, and stared straight ahead, advising.
“Please wait. I’ll take care of it.”
Even in the midst of all this, the driver of the lead vehicle simply stared at the other party without taking any action. He gazed at the eyes inside the helmet with an ambiguous look, then reached back and opened the car door lock.
Click—
As soon as the sound of the lock being released was heard, the knight who had been aiming the bayonet lowered his gun. The knight grabbed the handle of the back door and yanked it open, grumbling with a mix of annoyance.
“It’s easier for everyone if you do it quickly, why did you hesitate for so long―”
He grabbed the long curtain and pulled it halfway, almost tearing it off. At that moment, the knight who had been holding the bayonet dropped it and staggered back in shock.
“U, ugh―!”
The heavy body in armor lost its balance and fell to the ground.
Pale and trembling, he flailed his legs, grabbed the dirt, and crawled backward. Then, trembling like a foal, he stood up, threw off his helmet, ran towards the edge of the forest, grabbed a tree trunk, and collapsed.
“Ugh, ugh, cough―.”
Kneeling in the undergrowth, he leaned over and retched with a reddened face. Vomit mixed with stomach acid splattered onto the ground. The disgusting remains were mixed with gastric juices and splattered everywhere.
His back heaved grotesquely, trembling like an aspen.
The air in the area became noticeably colder due to his comrade’s unusual reaction. In the middle of the tense road, only the rattling engine and the sound of retching lingered.
“…What is it?”
The knight in front of the car, sensing something was wrong, immediately drew the sword from his waist and held the hilt upside down. He took a stance, ready to strike down whatever came out, and slowly walked towards the back seat.
He cautiously grabbed the curtain, which was swaying in the wind, and glanced inside.
“Shit―!”
He cursed and slammed the car door shut. It was closed so hard that the car shook slightly.
He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, but a gruesome sight was visible through the car window. A form so mangled that it was hard to believe it was a person was sprawled out on a stretcher.