How are prisoners of war treated in this world?
Are there any humanitarian considerations, such as not being allowed to abuse prisoners?
…At the very least, I haven't heard of any such treaties.
Once you're captured by the enemy, your life is in their hands.
Even though I'm still young, as a female soldier, there's a possibility I might be kept alive for "that" kind of reason.
I trembled in fear as the enemy approached me.
I will bleed to death if I can't receive treatment right now.
But how do I explain this to someone who doesn't speak the same language?
For a mage to use magic is essentially an act of hostility.
I wouldn't be surprised if they blew my brains out the moment I cast [Heal] on myself.
Ideally, I would ask an enemy medic for treatment, but… will the enemy really treat me? If they have time to treat a prisoner, they will likely prioritize treating their own soldiers.
"■■■■!!"
"■■"
"■■■■■■!"
They pointed at me and shouted in loud voices.
They're speaking in a foreign language. I have no idea what they're saying.
But it was clear that their attitude was not friendly.
My abdomen started to hurt, and my breathing became difficult.
Soon, they ran straight toward me as I lay there, and then—
"■■■■■!!!"
They ignored me and ran after Major Renvel.
***
"Haa, haa… [Heal]."
After making sure that there was no one around, I quickly administered first aid.
Then, I crawled down the street into someone's house.
"…!"
Fortunately, the bullet had passed through, and I only needed to close the wound in my abdomen.
However, I had been shot in a pretty serious place. It was difficult to walk even after using healing magic.
I had lost quite a bit of blood and was feeling pretty dizzy.
On the other hand, this may have been the reason why the injury was deemed fatal and they left me to die.
Certainly. It certainly would've been fatal if I wasn't a medic.
It's a good thing I didn't get shot in the head.
"Ugh, hah, hah…"
That said, I haven't received proper treatment.
I could definitely feel that I was developing peritonitis.
To be honest, I wanted to open my abdomen to clean and stitch it up, but… if I did that, I probably wouldn't be able to stay conscious.
Though it might be a bit rough, I'll use healing magic to push through and heal myself.
After healing myself with my remaining magical power, I drank down the elixir and ate the rations that were in my backpack.
It was a good idea to bring the elixir with me. If it works well, it'll ease the pain and restore my magical power, killing two birds with one stone.
I took a break for about half an hour in the empty house.
I felt bad for the homeowner, but I took the liberty of cutting the bed sheets to use as bandages.
Even though it still hurts a little, I think I can manage to run like this.
Peeking out the window, I saw flames rising up here and there.
I need to escape from here to the rear without being spotted by enemy soldiers.
I think it would be possible to manage by taking advantage of my small size and move around sneakily while staying hidden.
Guerrilla warfare is currently taking place throughout the city. I'll take advantage of the confusion and retreat to safety.
"■■■■■■■■!!"
As I strained my ears to search my surroundings, I suddenly heard the angry shout of an enemy close by, and my shoulders trembled in shock.
There are enemy soldiers just outside this house right now.
"■■■■!"
"P-Please, don't! H-Help me…!"
Looking past the wall, I could hear the voice of a friendly soldier pleading for his life.
It seems they are in a firefight, and it looks like our side is losing.
I feel bad for the man begging for his life, but there's nothing I can do even if I rush in. I should just stay hidden until they leave.
"■■■■"
"P-Please, please! Come on, I'll lick your shoes, ehehe!"
Whether it's luck or not, he didn't get shot immediately and still had a chance to be taken prisoner.
I feel a bit of respect for his willingness to throw away his pride to survive.
I hope he can make it out alive.
"Now's my chance!!"
"■■■■!!"
"You idiot, who's going to get caught? I'm not gonna get tortured!"
Right after I idly thought about that, a man with a droopy, pathetic face burst through the window of the house where I was hiding.
"Ahhhh!! Ouch!!"
He got his foot caught in the window frame and crashed face-first onto the floor.
Blood gushed from his nose, staining the floor.
....
"■■■!"
"Hiyaaaaaah!! No, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to run away!"
The soldier who had failed his escape immediately raised his hands as a rifle was pointed at him.
He then began to grovel toward the enemy soldiers with a pleading expression.
There's not even a shred of pride left…
"…Hmm?"
"…"
Fortunately, at this time I was in the enemy soldiers' blind spot so they didn't notice me.
However, the soldier without any pride caught sight of me hiding behind the wall.
He stared at me intensely.
…Please don't look at me like that; I'll be noticed too.
Please just pretend you didn't see me…
"Sir, sir, behind that wall! Someone is hiding there!"
As soon as the soldier noticed my presence, he exaggeratedly pointed at me and started making a fuss.
....
"Look, over there! I thought this house looked suspicious! See, there were enemies hiding here! Praise me, sir!"
"…"
"■■■■…?"
"…"
Before long, the enemy soldier leaned in to look at me.
And then our eyes met perfectly.
"■■■."
"Ah."
I have no idea what he's saying because I don't understand their foreign language, but I quietly raised my hands and stood up since he's pointing a gun at me.
This guy… he doesn't care about his allies at all.
Soon, we were made to stand against the wall with our hands raised, backs to the soldiers.
"■■■."
"Y-Yes, I understand."
The other Austin soldier seems to be able to understand the enemy's language to some extent.
He obediently placed everything he was holding on the ground and began to remove his equipment.
It looks like we are about to be taken prisoner.
"■■■■!"
"…Uh, um?"
"Hey, what are you spacing out for?! Don't provoke him, you little brat! He's telling you to disarm! Take everything off, including your clothes!"
"Y-Yes!"
Shouted at by the male soldier who was removing his gear, I hurriedly began to take off my clothes.
Of course, prisoners must disarm. That makes sense. But if you know what they said, please tell me…
…But still, disarming?
"I've taken everything off! Please spare my life!"
"…"
So that means I'll be completely naked, right?
Not wanting to be killed, I obediently took off all my clothes like him and put my hands up.
…Ahh, I have a terrible feeling about what's about to happen.
"■■■■■."
"…"
How are female prisoners of war treated?
If that's really how it is, I'm at least somewhat grateful because it would help me survive in some way, but…
"■■■..."
As I stood there trembling, the enemy soldier began to touch my body as if it were natural.
Rather, he was kneading my breasts with very strong hands.
"■■■■?"
…As I thought, this is how it's going to be. It looks like I'll be experiencing some unpleasant things until I'm released.
There's a possibility I could be treated as a slave even after the war ends…
"Hey, kid, he wants to know your gender. Are you a boy or girl?"
"…I'm a girl."
"Umm, …she said ■■!"
"■■■■!"
The enemy soldier looked at me with an expression of surprise and then understanding.
It seems he confirmed my gender by touching my chest.
And just a moment ago, after touching my chest, he was looking at my face with a subtle expression.
"■■■■!"
"Yes, yes, um…"
…Oh, come to think of it, I had a bandage wrapped around my lower abdomen that covered my private parts, so it remained hidden.
"Kid, take off the bandage, face forward, and spread your legs."
"…"
I guess now they're going to check there.
"…"
"■■■."
"..."
In the end, I followed the enemy's instructions.
It's such a humiliating feeling.
I tried to maintain my composure, but honestly, I felt a mix of emotions and was on the verge of tears.
"Come on, sir, there's no one else here. There's no one watching."
"■■?"
"Isn't it better not to fight for your life in a place like this? Why not have a little fun? Look, if you look closely, she's cute!"
Then the man, who was also naked, began to grin and fawn over the enemy soldier while rubbing his hands.
…Is this guy serious?
Although we're supposed to be allies, he's only thinking about throwing me under the bus.
I can't say I don't understand that feeling, but…
"■■■■■■."
"Yeah, she's probably a virgin. Hey!"
"…"
I'm allowed to be angry, aren't I?
"■■■."
The enemy soldier grinned and pushed me down onto the floor.
…It seems he's really serious about this.
"■■■■■■!"
"■■■■."
Just like that, several enemy soldiers gathered around me.
There's nothing I can do now that things have gotten to this point.
I'll just have to behave obediently and hope to keep my life.
"Hehe, that's right. Even on the battlefield, this kind of entertainment is necessary, hehe."
"■■..."
And as for the man who had put me in this predicament…
"…There's my chance!! Now!!!"
"■■?!"
While I was about to be assaulted, he found an opportunity and made a run for it.
"Yahooo!!"
Taking the soldiers by surprise, he ran towards the entrance alone while completely naked.
"…Huh?"
"...■ー"
Both me and the enemy soldiers could only stare at the door in shock.
I'm sure my feelings are exactly the same as those of the enemy soldiers.
"…"
"…"
Being so disgusted to the point of speechlessness.
It's amazing that he can do such a thing by using the chastity of a girl who's much younger than him as bait.
"…"
Perhaps feeling their spirits drop, the enemy soldier kept his gun aimed at me but silently moved away.
There's a slight look of pity on his face.
….Okay.
"Ugh, sniff…"
"!"
Now, let's try crying.
Fortunately, it looks like the enemy soldiers were so astonished that they refrained from being violent with me, indicating that they might have at least a minimum level of compassion.
Since I'm quite underdeveloped, I look like a pure and innocent child.
Taking advantage of my youthful appearance and abandoning all pride, I appealed to their emotions while begging for my life.
"…..?"
"Waaaah, waaah…"
I began to sob as the tears started to flow one after another.
By the way, I'm not just pretending to cry.
I'm crying from the bottom of my heart. I've been holding it in for a while now, but I've been holding it back for a long time.
"■■…"
Just as intended, the enemy looked very flustered.
Yes, please feel guilty.
And if possible, please treat me with respect as a prisoner from now on.
Eventually, an enemy soldier handed me a piece of cloth he had found nearby.
It was a leftover piece of the sheet I had cut up to make bandages earlier.
I gratefully accepted it and wrapped myself up in the sheet in the corner of the room while still sobbing.
Phew, I'm glad the enemy has some morals.
I heard rumors that Sabbatian soldiers brutally murdered non-combatants without any regard for their age or gender…
That was probably a bit of an exaggeration.
"...■■■."
That said, I still can't let my guard down.
Considering the trouble of detaining me as a prisoner, it's possible they might kill me and move on.
I need to stay alert and survive by any means possible.
Even while crying, I was calmly thinking about these things in my mind.
Rrr Rrr Rrr.
A round object suddenly rolled into the room.
Huh, a grenade?
"A-Ah, [Shield]!"
I'm deeply familiar with the terror of grenades.
Time and time again, I've faced the horrors of this dreadful weapon.
"■■■!?"
"…■■!!"
I reflexively put out my [Shield] and turned my head away while dropping to the floor.
Immediately afterward, I sensed the enemy soldiers panicking, and then—
────A tremendous explosion filled the room with a shockwave.
"Urgh, ugh!"
Luckily, I survived the blast.
Thanks to quickly deploying my [Shield], I managed to deflect the blast and only suffered light burns.
However, the enemy soldiers who took the direct hit likely didn't fare as well.
They were right in the blast radius, and I imagine they must be in a terrible state.
"…Cough, cough."
But who threw that grenade?
To suddenly toss a grenade into a house with multiple enemy soldiers inside is incredibly reckless…
"Whew! Haha, how do you like that, you pathetic losers! I'm getting my stuff back, ah-ha-ha!"
....
"Also, I don't know who it was, but I salute the little brat who sacrificed herself for me! Wow, she was the best decoy ever."
"…"
"Even though you're just a brat, you were so embarrassed that it made it easy to rile up the idiots. Just go on and have an orgy in the afterlife, ahaha…"
"…"
"Oh…"
He came into the room laughing loudly, and I met his eyes with a very cold look.
"…Whew, hey there, girl. You made it, just as I planned."
"…"
"I may have said some terrible things, but please forgive me. I had no choice but to say those things in order to get through that situation and save both of us."
"...."
"Well, don't dwell on it too much. It's the duty of adults to protect children. You don't need to feel too indebted just because I saved your life."
"...."
Saved my life, huh?
…In the first place, if you hadn't gotten me involved, my life wouldn't have even been in danger.
"Well, well, let's get dressed for now, partner. We don't want people to get the wrong idea about us like this."
".…"
"Now, my uniform… ugh! My clothes are burnt!"
".…"
…..