CH 24

Chapter 24 – Brute Gun

I pushed the gas pedal all the way down to 120km/h, which was close to the limit for driving on flat but bumpy soil. The dented suspension bounced as it bottomed out, and the car creaked violently.

I don’t care if this car breaks down or not; as long as we make it in time, that’s all that matters.

“I can see it. That’s her!”

A small figure came running out of a break in the forest. I can’t tell if it’s an elf or not. The figure was limping and holding one arm as if wounded.

I saw three lightly armored cavalrymen running after the figure. They were slowly encircling her, holding their spears and shouting something to their companions. It was obvious that their goal was to torment the fleeing elf child. There was no weapon in their hands. They must have thought that they could kill her at any time and that they would not have to worry about getting hurt if she fought back.

The grinning face tightened as they looked at us.

“Bear!”

While honking the horn, I passed through the middle of the enemy with the momentum of hooking a horse. It’s just a poor idea to hit a horse because it will probably break the car’s body.

Oh well. The cavalry had scattered and taken their distance, so I had achieved my goal.

“Milka! This way, run!”

There was no response from the elf as if she had run out of energy and strength. As soon as I stopped the car, Myrril ran out the door. She forcefully drags the slumped elf child up, lifts her on her shoulders, and instantly rushes into the car.

“Okay, Yoshua, let’s go… whoa!”

“Mugiiii!”

A spear pierces the accordion door that has just been closed. Myrril, who was trying to protect her, threw the elf onto the floor and covered her, and the elf looked up at her with red, resentful eyes as if she were suffocating.

It was a close call. Aside from the car’s body, you will not be safe if you get hit by it.

“Are you trying to run away, you filthy subhuman!”

“Don’t hide in that strange vehicle; come out!”

“No, I think it’s best for you to hide in plain sight, subhuman.”

“Hey, give us the kid, and I’ll spare your life! That kid’s ours, and I still haven’t plunged my spear into her yet!”

Outside the car, a sneering laugh echoed. A coward who can only bully the weak is talking nonsense.

“Yoshua, our first priority is to get out of here!”

“Is that kid okay?”

“Oh? Yeah, no problem. She has some wounds, but they’re not serious.”

“Okay. Well then, just give me a minute.”

I moved the car into reverse and opened the door on the side blind to the cavalry. With the engine running, I show Myrril the open/close switch.

“When I get out, close the door using this one. When you do that, take care of the kid.”

“Hey, wait up. Don’t take unnecessary risks just because of your feelings.”

“Oh… No, they’re scouts, right? We can’t let them leave unharmed.”

“You just thought of that, didn’t you?”

Yeah, I think they already know. Well, I guess they do. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Myrril.

If she really stops me, I might waver a bit.

“Ah, geez… it can’t be helped. Don’t let your guard down, okay?”

“Don’t worry. As long as I can see them, I’m fine.”

Seeing me come down, the cavalrymen began to grin again. Two of them were holding hand spears, and the other one had let go of his spear, so he slowly drew his sword from his waist.

“Wow, he looks like a human.”

“Isn’t it possible that his parents mixed with subhumans? If so, it’s rare. It might fetch a good price if we sell him.”

“I’m not joking; I don’t want a subhuman man. I’d rather have the kid from earlier.”

The man who drew his sword, perhaps underestimating that I was unarmed, swung it wide and closed in on me.

“Di…”

Maybe he was going to continue with ‘e’, but I pulled a huge pistol-like thing out of my storage and point it right at the cavalryman’s nose. It was an extra service item I had just received from Simon. It’s probably a cheap gun, but it’s pretty handy. …It should be.

There is a thunderous sound, and the cavalryman freezes, missing everything above his mouth. His lower jaw shivered, his tongue darted, and he tumbled from his horse. In the background, I see two horsemen with their mouths open and their eyes wide.

Wow… what a mess. I’ll do my best not to use it as much as possible.

After shooting the gun myself, I was amazed at the power of the gun in my hand.

It’s a sawed-off shotgun made by Simon. It’s a simple shotgun with two barrels lined up horizontally with the floor and barrel cut down to the size of a large handgun.

Even in my former world, this kind of gun is only made by criminals, and of course, it is illegal in normal countries. In fact, this gun has no use except for criminals.

Since there is no aperture in the barrel to control the dispersion of the shotgun shells, the shotgun shells suddenly spread over a wide area. While the effective range is devastatingly low, the damage to the enemy in close quarters is as bad as a machine gun.

It’s like a beehive with one shot. It has a two-shot capacity, though.

“What are you going to do with me now?”

I shot the cavalryman in the stomach as they came to their senses at my voice and tried to lift their spears unsteadily. This is the man who proclaimed that he would spear the elf kid ― and he would do it with something other than a spear.

I would not kill him just like that. At best, he should struggle and die in the field.

He rolled and screamed, and his pleas for mercy, inaudible to God or to me, soon dwindled. The shotgun wounds seemed to be more deadly than I thought.

I don’t check to see if he’s dead. It’s impossible to fight back anyway, and there’s no way he’ll make it back alive.

I point my gun at the last one, who is pale and shaking. It’s a horizontal double-barreled shotgun, so there are no more bullets, but there’s no way he can tell.

“After the count of ten, I’m going to shoot you. Run for your life. Whether you survive or not depends on you and… your horse’s efforts. …10”

I look quietly at the cavalryman who has turned his horse around to escape.

“Nine.”

I’ve seen this kind of thing in the movies. My actions were those of a villain, though.

“…8, …7, …6, …5, …4, …3.”

The cavalryman who was frantically driving his horse was a scout and was quite good with the reins. He’s quickly breaking the distance and is about to enter the shadows of the forest.

“…2, …1, …OK, it’s time.”

I don’t know if he can hear me, but I announce and fire one single shot from my AKM.

After a brief pause, the cavalryman tilted, and the horse fell, rolled over, and stopped moving.