This is MC and Sano’s POV.

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30 mountain cannons spewed out white smoke noisily when used against thousands of enemy soldiers who came to attack the town. The sh.e.l.ls shot out killed the humans as if they were mere bugs.

I was gazing at this scene atop the north gate.

One year. It had been one year since the trade with the Kingdom of Sandra began. I had been preparing for this battle since then.

From the goods obtained by trading with the Kingdom of Sandra, the cannons at the north, east and west had increased by 30 at each side, to a total of 90 cannons. Since there was no need to worry about money, the ammunition [Long ranged explosive sh.e.l.l] were prepared such that they could be used until the enemy was annihilated.

Furthermore, the beastmen increased their proficiency with the cannons through training. In addition, I improved their martial arts proficiency.

We also cooperated with each other through the wired communication installed at each castle gate, resulting in a smooth and efficient defense.

With all these preparations, it could be said the town’s battle preparation was perfect.

Even the rough estimation of the enemy force had already been grasped.

Romatto, who was once a captive here, proudly boasted how great the Knight Orders were, so I was able to estimate the strength and limits of the human army.

The battles in this world were not very different from the medieval times of the previous world. Certainly, when compared with the humans from the previous world, there were some humans who somehow exceeded the limits of human beings. Nevertheless, they would not be able to win no matter how many weapons they had.

That is why, I think that the results before my eyes were obvious.

Then, the enemy retreated at last. They scattered in all directions like skittering spiders.

But, I won’t stop firing the cannons. I kept bombarding the retreating enemies with the sh.e.l.ls. I will strike them down thoroughly here. I will suffer losses if I don’t do it.

The cannons were still killing the enemies without any change. At such a time, the face of the man from the same country who had appeared three days ago suddenly popped up in his mind.

His name was Tsutomu Sano. Honestly, I think he was a suspicious person. I was bothered by his behaviour and words, as well as when he looked at me. Perhaps that might have just been my imagination.

At any rate, we’re enemies now. Even if the fact he’s someone from the same country as I  may bother me in the past, but now, the town is far more important.

That’s right. Even if we’re from the same hometown, he’s a total stranger after all. It is hard to compare him with those whom you’ve lived together with for several years.

Well, since we’ve met once, I’d like for him to survive. I wonder if he’s near the area where the cannons were being fired randomly.

“Stop shooting!” I ordered.

Since many soldiers already escaped the range of the cannons, I finally stopped the bombardment. I observed the situation with the binoculars first, but all I could see were heaps of corpses lying around.

The results of the battle has been decided. The casualties here were zero. Besides, thanks to the enemy who charged head on, there were no damages to the ranch, the new houses on the west side, as well as the farms on the east side. It would not be wrong to say that it was a complete victory.

I ordered the the Kingdom of to collect the ammunition, and left some people on the top of stone wall. I also ordered the others to gather behind the north gate. It’s time to loot the enemy from here on. The weapons and armors that the enemy wore were valuable items. Also, let’s treat the enemy soldiers who have been injured.

[TL: d.a.m.n fujiwara you are such a S, leaving them alive and suffer and will not let them has easy dead.]

“Shall we go?” I opened the gate after instructing the beastmen on what to do.

Since I am anxious about being counterattacked, I boarded the [type 96 armored car]. In addition, the wolfmen group were split into two [type 73 heavy duty truck].

I drove the armored car out while the beastmen advanced slowly in a group with caution.

There was the corpse of the enemy general outside the right side of the gate.

His name was Barbarodem, right? There was a big horse grieving the death of its master next to him, nuzzling his neck while whining softly.

I could feel some pain in my chest. Was this because I had Catherine as well?

As we advanced forward, I saw some of them standing up and running away out of sight. Those who stayed there were trying to overcome the cannon. There were only a few people, so I didn’t chase them.

Eventually, a miserable spectacle unfolded before my eyes. I opened the upper hatch from the driving seat, and peeped out from there. It’s a wretched scene that made me want to avert my eyes. The scene was crisply seared into my brain.

“Uuu…”

“Hurt... It hurts...”

I could still hear the groans from the surviving people. But, I will not avert my eyes. I will not close my ears. Because, if I lost this battle, the ones who suffered would the beastmen and I.

“Humans from the Kingdom of Sandra! If you don’t want to die, don’t resist! We will treat the wounded! If you resist, we will kill without mercy!” I shouted with all my might.

Of course, when I discussed about this with the beastmen before we set out, everyone had strongly objected. Since the humans had attacked one-sidedly, they appealed for me to just ma.s.sacre them.

It was reasonable, I thought. However, I also had some counter-arguments for the beastmen.

One, many of the soldiers who came here were drafted. They didn’t come here to attack by their own will. They could never go against the orders of their King or Lords. They didn’t have any right to make their own decisions. That is why it could be said that the militia were victims.

Two, if we captured the knights, they might be able to be ransomed. However, not all the knights could be ransomed. For example, Sano was a knight, but he wasn’t a n.o.ble. But, there might still be some n.o.bles like Romatto amongst the survivors.

Three, by nursing the wounded humans and saving their lives, it might be possible to create a bridge between the beastmen and humans. In fact, Romatto became friends with the beastmen after being held captive here. It might be a superficial relations.h.i.+p, but it was a relations.h.i.+p where they could laugh with each other.

Four, when they returned, they might be hara.s.sed by the kingdom because of the after effects of battle. I think that when they return after suffering a wound that hindered their lives, such as the loss of limbs, they will become a burden to the country. Unlike in modern society, there was no social welfare system here. Also, there were very few things which disabled people can work on. They will have to depend on someone to live. Both the injured and the people around them will start to have arguments and feel dissatisfaction. Where will all those negative feelings go? Perhaps that would be more cruel than killing someone.

After hearing all these considerations, the beastmen reluctantly agreed.

Thus, the looting and rescue operations began. After applying simple first aid on the injured people, they were placed onto a cart that was pulled by camels, and brought to the new residential area in the west. Meanwhile, the armors and swords that were stripped from them were stacked in the truck.

I think I can leave everything here to the beastmen without worrying.

The next thing to deal with would be the enemies who ran away. We’ve already located the enemy camp. I planned to launch a night attack when they’re asleep. Even if they’ve already moved from the camp, we will still chase and attack.

I don’t intend to let them off easily. The consequences for invading this land... I will engrave them onto your body and soul.

◆

On the battlefield where the thunderous roar and scream echoed, there was a person who was holding their breath. It was Tsutomu Sano of the Red Dragon Knight Order.

Sano hid himself under the shadow of a dead horse as he closed his eyes and trembled. An intense explosion sound was heard again nearby. Each time he heard that, it made him twitch and curl up tightly.

What was that, he thought.

An intense sound echoed, and someone died. He thought that it was magic or something, but he couldn’t collect his thoughts together from fear. He only hoped for this to end sooner.

Eventually, the sounds stopped and it remained silent for a few minutes. Sano raised his face quietly. Numerous corpses and injured people were lying around. There were several people who were still standing, but they appeared to be barely standing.

At first, Sano thought that all the soldiers of the Kingdom of Sandra Kingdom had died, but the number of those who had fallen was too small. So, he concluded that they probably escaped.

Sano laid on his back. He did not have the energy to move anymore. Only a satisfied feeling of having successfully survived occupied his heart.

While watching the sky while lying in that pool of blood, he thought.

　(I am alive.)

[TL:*highlight on your own risk ‘For now’][TLC: *kick this guy’s a.s.s to the sky] [ED: I hope you choke on your own s.h.i.+t, Sano.]

Survived. He survived that h.e.l.lish world. He could still hear groans full of suffering around him. He guessed that they had suffered severe wounds to the extent that they couldn’t move.

However, when Sano moved his hands and feet, he found that he still had a healthy and normal body. Inside his mind, the feeling that this was expected for someone special started to well up.

Then, there was a change in the surrounding noise. It’s the sound of despair.

In curiosity, he raised the upper part of body and saw that the faraway gate of the beastmen town was open. What emerged from there were...

“Vehicles..?” He muttered.

(What... What does this mean?!)

Sano was dismayed.

Three vehicles were advancing towards him slowly. Behind them were beastmen with weapons in their hands.

(I will be killed if I stay here..!)

Sano thought so, and unconsciously pulled out his sword.

Of course, that sword was Suzunose’s [Considerably Good Sword].

But then, he felt a sense of uneasiness for a moment. Sano looked at his sword, and was surprised. When he unsheathed the sword, it was broken at the middle.

(Why?)

He wondered. However, upon looking at the sheath on his waist, he understood immediately. A piece of iron fragment was stabbed into the sheath.

“What the h.e.l.l is this?!” He grunted.

When the sh.e.l.l exploded, the fragments pierced through the corpses and hit Sano. However, this [Considerably Good Sword] protected Sano from the fragments.

“s.h.i.+t! This piece of junk!” He growled.

Sano threw away the [Considerably Good sword], removed the sheath from his belt, and ran. On the way, he also took a sword from a corpse, and headed north.

“Haa... Haa... Haa...” He panted furiously.

No matter how painful his lungs felt, he did not stop running. Eventually, when his body hit its limit, Sano fell down on the spot.

(What... Was that?! Wh-What was that?!)

He thought while adjusting his breath.

What Sano saw was obviously a vehicle. It was a military vehicle to boot. Now, he understood. The enemy’s attack was not magic at all, it was a weapon from his previous world ― a cannon.

(s.h.i.+t! That f.u.c.king Fujiwara! He deceived me!)

Sano was furious. He was deceived, and upon remembering that n.o.buhide had weapons besides guns, his anger became even more violent.

However, n.o.buhide didn’t deceive him in particular. He merely did not say anything.

“I will never forgive him...” Resentment acc.u.mulated inside Sano’s heart.

But, there was no way to clear that resentment now. Anyway, his top priority now was to live. However, even this was quite difficult.

Sano understood that he could not return to the Red Dragon Knight Order. The day when he returned from the town as surrender messenger, Sano told the commanders that there were only a few guns, and even those were not worth talking about. The enemy was weak, he said. There were no special weapons beside the guns.

(How could I have known that there was a cannon! Isn’t that cheating!?)

Sano’s anger flared up once more.

(What is his card in the first place?! [Guns], [Cannon], and [Car]? Just how many did he get?!)

What he received from G.o.d was [Sword Talent] [Small] [★]. Only that. Sano cursed n.o.buhide and G.o.d inside his heart about this unfairness.

After a while, Sano intended to return back to the north. Regarding food, he wait for when there was no army in the village before stealing it. Regarding the horse, if he walked along the riverside, he should be able to find one or two horses that strayed away from the herd.

Sano slowly walked in the desert. Even though he was not hurt, his body felt heavy. Even so, he would die if he did not walk. So, he kept walking.

Before long, it was night time. As he rested his bottom on the ground, he searched the bag on his waist. There was half a day’s worth of food in the bag.

Sano gnawed at the dried meat he took out. Until he could get more food, he needed to ration it. Hunger further amplified his hatred toward n.o.buhide.

(Fujiwara, I will never forgive you... I will definitely kill you...)

No, it was not only n.o.buhide. The G.o.d who sent him to this world and gave him such low grade card, even the commander who naively attacked head on and lost... His anger was also aimed at the kingdom, including the king who planned this war.

[TL: the birth of anti hero mc?]

[TLC: nah. only anti-hero at least. I really...realllly hope he died though just died without anything more. This guy annoy the h.e.l.l out of me]

[ED: If this guy becomes anti-hero MC, I swear I will drop this book. Trash like this should die early on.]

Blaming someone else for his current misfortune. That was the man called Sano.

At such a time, Suzunose’s unreliable face appeared in Sano mind.

(That is right, I should return to Suzunose’s place.)

He will show favor to Suzunose. It was thanks to himself that Suzunose could be alive in this world afterall, Sano thought seriously.

(It has been a while, so that guy should have calmed down―)

Suddenly, the sound of something stepping on the ground echoed. With his heart jolting anxiously, Sano held his sword and jumped up. He turned to face the source of the sound.

There were countless s.h.i.+ning eyes. They were large cats called Lynx.

[TL: the first test to become anti hero mc starto!]

“It seems like I do not need to worry about meals from now on.” Sano grinned and pulled the sword from its sheath.

Although it was dark, he could clearly see the appearance of the lynxes clearly. Their unique ears identified them as lynxes.

He did not hold the sword vertically, but sideways instead since there were multiple enemies. Sano’s instincts from [Sword Talent] told him that it was important to counterattack from the side.

Four lynxes gradually moved closer. However, Sano had plenty of room to maneuver.

He had slaughtered hundreds of animals up to this point. Sano had even killed a bear. Thus, Sano thought they were nothing to worry about.

“I will give you names. You, you, you, and you too... All of you are Fujiwara. I will kill you.” He laughed maniacally.

At that moment, the four lynxes attacked at once.

“Small fries!” He yelled.

Along with that, he swung the sword horizontally from left to right. It sliced through the paw and then the throat of the first one, and broke the skull of the second one. As for the third one...

“...Eh?” Sano raised his brows disbelievingly.

The sword didn’t break through the skull of the second one, and stopped after ripping into its head.

With the weight of second Lynx at the end of the sword, even with both hands holding it, Sano was still swayed by its weight.

At this time, the third lynx b.u.mped into him from the side of second lynx and broke his balance.

Then, the fourth lynx jumped on Sano fiercely, and bit his left upper arm.

“GuaaaAAA!!” He screamed.

Sano, who was bitten by the lynx, bent over, breaking his posture. With the shock from the pain, he let go the sword without thinking.

“These pieces of s.h.i.+t! Get the h.e.l.l away from me!” While falling down, he desperately tried to peel the lynx off with both of his arms.

But, the lynx stuck to Sano closely, and refused to let go even if he bashed it with all his strength.

Blood flowed rapidly from Sano’s arm. He gradually lost his strength. Then, Sano could see the third lynx is approaching from the edges of his field of vision.

“Are you serious...” He mumbled, still in shock.

The third lynx ran, aiming at Sano’s neck. Sano tried to protect his neck with his free right hand, and ended up handing his forearm straight into his opponent’s mouth.

Time pa.s.sed while he was being bitten by the two lynxes. Once a carnivore bites its prey, it will not let go. He knew he would die if he kept bleeding without being able to stop it. That was the cruelty of nature.

Even after being bitten by two lynxes, Sano refused to die this easily. However, he still felt death approaching slowly.

“This is... A lie. I don’t want to... I don’t want to die... In a place like this...” He gasped, life fading from him quickly.

Although Sano was an amateur swordsman, he was able to kill a boar and bear. He could break through their thick flesh and bones. Normally, even a skilled swordsman found it difficult to kill a wild boar, not to mention a bear. Then, why was Sano able to do it?

Everything was because of both the [Considerably Good Sword] and [Sword Talent] [Small] skill.

Sano’s sword style was too dependent on the . A swift style relying on the quality of the sword - that was Sano’s sword style.

For that reason, when the sharp [Considerably Good Sword] was switched to the blunt normal sword, Sano‘s swordsmans.h.i.+p was reduced to a third rate swordplay that was only fast but had no power.

“Someone... Help me... G.o.d...” He looked at the stars floating in the sky as he muttered. He prayed to G.o.d for one more chance.

[G.o.d: not today][Other G.o.d: you just dissed me][Death G.o.d: Come to Papa...]

“Fuji... Wara... Suzu... Nose...” He gasped.

Anyone’s fine, as long as they could help him.

(I will not think about revenge anymore.)

Thinking so, he called out n.o.buhide’s name desperately.

(Please help me this time.)

Thinking so, he called out Suzunose’s name pleadingly.

“...He... ...lp...” But, his fading voice did not reach anyone.

[TL: does he fail to become anti hero mc? Find out at the end of the novel]