Chapter 49: Suppression
“…First one.”
The hole I had opened emerged at the perfect spot—directly behind a lone night watch guard.
Without making a sound, I slipped out of the darkness and stood at his back, so close I could feel the faint warmth of his body through the cold night air. Before he could even register my presence, I clamped a hand over his mouth, cutting off any chance of a cry escaping.
Then—
A sharp, precise motion.
A dull, sickening crack.
His neck snapped cleanly in my grip.
Carefully, almost gently, I lowered the lifeless body to the ground, making sure not to let it thud. Even in death, silence was everything.
“…Haha.”
A quiet, dry laugh slipped from my lips.
In the end… it wasn’t so different.
Killing with a gun.
Or killing like this.
“There are two more. They’re grouped together a short distance away. Follow me.”
I spoke in a low whisper to the soldiers who had emerged behind me, then began moving deeper into the gate’s interior.
Each step was measured, deliberate. The air was thick with tension, the kind that made even breathing feel too loud.
“…Found them.”
I halted.
Ahead, near the mechanism used to open the gate, stood two guards.
The area was open, offering a clear line of sight in every direction. Sneaking up undetected would be difficult.
And since this section was elevated—situated atop the gate itself—it wasn’t exactly a place where I could simply pop up from below using earth magic.
No—
This would have to be done fast.
I raised my right hand, extending three fingers.
One by one, I folded them down.
“Who goes there!?”
The moment the final finger dropped, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Lunoa burst forward.
The guards reacted instantly, shouting as they turned—
But that was all they managed.
“Ah—!?”
A sharp crack split the air.
At the same time, the guard reaching for the alarm trigger had his right hand blown apart by a shot from my pistol.
“Gah—!?”
“Uwah—!?”
Before either of them could recover, the soldiers closed the distance in an instant.
They were tackled to the ground—
And their necks were snapped without hesitation.
“Good work.”
That was the last of the awake guards.
Lowering my pistol, I walked toward the soldiers who had engaged them directly.
“Well done.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“That secures the immediate area. First objective complete.”
“All thanks to you, Brigadier General Willard. Though… that pistol of yours—its sound is unusually quiet, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah.”
It was a specially developed suppressed handgun, designed for covert operations like this. Its power had been sacrificed for the sake of near-silence—but in situations like these, that trade-off was more than worth it.
“That said… it’s not completely silent. There’s still a chance someone might wake up. Stay sharp.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
The guards stationed elsewhere were still asleep—for now.
But even a faint sound could disturb their rest, leaving them half-awake… and sooner or later, that could lead to full alertness.
We couldn’t afford complacency.
“Three of you stay here. Open the gate and light a signal fire for the troops waiting behind. Do it when you hear gunfire.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
“The rest of you—come with me. We’re taking out the sleeping guards. Conveniently, they’re all gathered in one place. This should be quick.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
“Let’s move.”
I split the unit in two and advanced toward another section of the gate.
“…Here.”
Moving as swiftly as possible while maintaining silence, I stopped before a single door.
“They’re still asleep. We end this in one go.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
This time, I didn’t draw my pistol.
Instead, I raised a submachine gun.
With my left hand, I held up three fingers once more.
“Go, go, go!”
The moment my fingers dropped—
The soldier at the front kicked the door open.
It burst inward with a violent crash as he stormed inside, his submachine gun roaring to life.
He wasn’t alone.
One after another, soldiers of the Kingdom of Lunoa flooded into the room, their weapons blazing as they overwhelmed the small sleeping quarters in an instant.
“Fuuu…”
The screams—brief, panicked, desperate—were swallowed by the storm of gunfire.
Then—
Silence.
As it settled, one of the soldiers exhaled deeply, lowering his weapon.
“You missed one.”
Stepping into the room behind them, I raised my submachine gun and unleashed a burst at the lone survivor they had overlooked.
“AAAAAAH—!?”
The final scream echoed—
And then vanished.
Complete silence fell over the room.
“W-What!?”
“M-My apologies, Brigadier General Willard! I didn’t realize there was still one left—”
“Looks like he got lucky,” I said lightly. “Don’t let your guard down.”
Lowering my weapon, I turned my gaze back toward the gate.
“Now then…”
A faint smile touched my lips.
“With this, we’ve fully secured one of Warmir’s gates.”
The long siege.
The drawn-out encirclement.
It was over.
“Let’s lift the blockade… and crush them in one decisive strike.”