Release that Witch

There was clamor outside of the tent. Nail, who lay on the ground in a daze, turned his head to see that the thick curtain had been lifted by a corner and that His Excellency Iron Axe was bending down into the tent.

”Co-commander.” He had never expected that the commander of the First Army would come to visit him. He quickly sat up straight and saluted.

”No need for etiquette.” Iron Axe walked to his bedside and sat down, crossing his legs. ”How’s your injury?”

”It doesn’t matter. Only two teeth were broken.” Nail touched his swollen cheek. ”I’m not that hurt.”

”All right.” Iron Axe then added, ”Miss Nana has been so busy these days that, and since your wound wasn’t too severe, you’ll be recovering on your own. When the rescue is over, you can inquire and see Baron Pine to repair your teeth, and the First Army will pay for it.”

”I can fully understand, and there’s no need to bother her with such a little injury. After all, Miss Nana is very tired...” Nail hesitated for a moment before continuing. ”How about Hound? He...”

Hound was the one who had grabbed a teammate’s spear and hit Nail to the ground, stunning him with the butt. Nail could still remember the moment that the other side had aimed a gun at Hound.

”Don’t worry. He’s alright,” Iron Axe said to comfort him, ”He was pulled down by the guards the moment the other side raised their gun. He attacked you because of the pure witch’s magic. So he won’t be punished and has returned to the team to train.”

”Really?...” Nail was a bit relieved. ”I thought I was dead at that moment. What about the other teams?”

According to the arrangement before the war, each bunker had been arranged with two machine gun teams and a five-man guarding platoon. So, even if the enemies approached a bunker, they had the ability to defend on site. In addition to the two or three soldiers in charge of carrying ammunition on the team, all the others wore God’s Stones of Retaliation. The seemingly perfect action appeared flawless.

”These accidents happen,” Iron Axe said with his hands outstretched, ”but, it didn’t cause much harm, or we wouldn’t be standing here.”

”Was the church forced back...?” The minute he asked, Nail realized that it was an idiot’s question. ”Um, I want to know what happened after.”

”The enemies launched their final charge but failed to cross the fourth trench. Both the God’s Punishment Army and the Judgement Army were completely defeated, leaving more than two thousand bodies at the front of their position. They fled in haste... We won the battle.”

What confused Nail was that Iron Axe was not very excited, and instead, he said all this in a neutral tone. Iron Axe did not offer the reason, and Nail was not bold enough to ask.

Then there was a long silence.

After a long while, Iron Axe sighed and clapped him on the shoulder. ”Since you’re alright, have a good rest, and I’ll go visit the other wounded guys.”

Seeing that Iron Axe was about to leave, Nail gathered his courage and stopped him. ”Your Excellency...”

”What’s up?”

”I, I want to leave the First Army.” He whispered.

Iron Axe frowned. ”Why?”

”Maybe, I can’t be a machine gunner anymore.” Nail lowered his head in shame. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the scene where that young woman in the red cape was sprayed by a machine gun. ”I wasn’t able to immediately shoot at the enemy...”

”Your target was an underaged pure witch, right?” Iron Axe interrupted him. ”Your team already reported that to me in their postwar summary. I don’t think that your idea is correct, but it can’t be wrong. So, I’ll just ask you one thing, are you going to betray His Majesty?”

”No! Your Excellency, of course not.” Nail quickly denied. ”My life belongs to His Majesty.”

”So, I’m not going to approve your request,” Iron Axe said without hesitation, ”This is currently the most critical moment for the First Army and even City of Neverwinter. I demand that everyone in the army abide by his duty and guard His Majesty Roland Wimbledon at all cost. And, we have to spare no effort to do it! You can’t be a gunner. Well, you can be an observer or a protector, but you’re absolutely not allowed to leave the army, understand?”

That last sentence from the commander was in an authoritative tone.

”Ye-yes! Your Excellency!” Nail said, punctuating with a military salute.

”That’s all.” After Iron Axe left, without looking back, Nail felt deeply startled.

”Were we not victorious? Why is the most critical moment now? And, why did His Excellency Iron Axe so solemnly command the First Army to protect His Majesty Roland at all cost...” A terrible thought suddenly occurred to him. ”Did his? Did his majesty have an accident during the battle?”

As soon as he thought this, he shuddered.

***************

”How’s it going?” Calvin Kant walked into his daughter’s bedroom to see that she was picking up clothes.

”The First Army and the witches have surrounded the castle tightly, and even I can’t get in.” Edith curled her lip. ”But, if he gets better, the news will leak, so... I guess, he was the same as before.”

”What about you? Are you ready for a long journey?” Duke Calvin Kant picked up a black veil evening dress from a mountain of dresses on the bed and looked at it carefully. ”Is this one too revealing?”

Edith rolled her eyes. ”I didn’t say that I was going to pick it, and wasn’t that a gift from you? At the time, you intended to let me wear it to attend Timothy’s dinner party.”

”Ahem... really.” Calvin put down the gown sheepishly. ”Do you think that His Majesty’s troops will withdraw to City of Neverwinter?”

”Probably.” Edith stuffed several coats into the open suitcase. ”Although the church has been totally defeated, much of the First Army’s supply was consumed. Adviser’s Department will take about a month to regain operational ability. If His Majesty Roland is fine, there’s no reason for him not to stay in the Northern Region for a while. But, if he’s unconscious, no one can guarantee the overall morale. Under this condition, Iron Axe absolutely wouldn’t dare to continue attacking Holy City, so what he’ll do shouldn’t be difficult to guess. ”

”Are you determined to follow them back?” Calvin asked with concern, ”If something terrible happens... to His Majesty, the kingdom may fall into civil strife, so it’ll be safer for you to stay in the Northern Region.”

”That’s why I’m going to City of Neverwinter.” Edith stood up and slipped her long hair over her shoulder and onto her back. ”It has become the new starting point for the kingdom there—whether Roland is there or not makes no difference. And, his coma presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the Kant family.”

Duke Calvin Kant could not help inhaling a cold breath. ”Are you going to...”

”Your thoughts are too simple.” Edith shrugged. ”The only one who can replace Roland is his sister Tilly Wimbledon, and I’m afraid that no one can connect the ordinary people with the witches except her. But, there’s the problem that she’s also a witch herself, so when dealing with the affairs of nobles, she needs greater help from the ordinary people.” She paused. ”That person will undoubtedly be me. Dad, this is the best shortcut to climb that pinnacle of power and I don’t want to miss it.”