In this hell, I've had to assess the value of life many times.
Lives that can be saved and lives that can't. Lives that aren't cost-effective to save and lives that are.
I feel like, without even realizing it, I've been viewing human life quite lightly.
A hopeless soldier with vacant eyes screaming for someone to save him.
I continued to deal with people like that over and over again.
"Say something, Senior!"
"…"
If I were my usual self, I probably would have decided to abandon him.
There is no benefit from healing Gomuji here.
Despite being warned that he would be abandoned if he disobeyed orders, he ended up losing both his legs. Right now he would only be a burden.
"Please don't abandon me…"
There is no reason to help. That magic is a lifeline to me. I shouldn't waste it.
I think it was because I understood this that the "rational" part of me kept hesitating until the very end.
"────It's okay, Gomuji."
After a few seconds of hesitation, I sighed and crouched down in front of him.
"Don't worry, I won't abandon you."
I'm sure no one would blame me if I abandoned Gomuji here.
The magical power I have left to cast one healing spell is my lifeline.
Whether or not I have magical power is directly linked to my chances of survival.
"Just take deep, slow breaths."
"Huh? Oh…"
"[Heal]."
Despite this, I used my last bit of magical power to use healing magic to stop the bleeding from Gomuji's leg.
Abandon this guy here. Find another way to survive.
Although my fighting power would decrease, I could try to think of something to salvage the situation and survive.
That was probably the correct decision.
"Are you feeling better now, Gomuji?"
"Uh, ah, yeah."
"Well, have you learned your lesson? I expect you to follow my lead from now on."
I was being absurdly lenient.
I remember a pang of self-mockery for letting my bad habit of helping others reach this point.
"If you promise to listen to me from now on, I'll carry you with me."
"Y-Yeah, I promise. I swear."
"Alright."
I used up almost all of my magical power treating the rookie soldier who couldn't even move his legs.
Right now, I only have enough magical power left to use one more [Shield].
Now that I've lost both my magical powers and medical resources, I was reduced to a helpless 15-year-old girl."
Was it worth paying such a price to heal him?
"In that case, please leave the rest to me, Senior."
But thinking back…
At that time, it wasn't out of conscience or compassion that I healed him. It was something else…
I think it was the result of following my intuition, or rather, the voice of "someone" inside my head.
In this extreme situation, "someone" inside me was showing me the optimal actions to take in order to survive.
Perhaps that "someone" realized that healing the injured Gomuji and borrowing his strength was the best path to survival.
That's why I used the last of my precious magical power to heal Gomuji.
***
Even after using magic to stop the bleeding in both his legs, he still looked quite exhausted.
He managed to stay conscious, but his eyes were vacant.
He's lost a lot of blood. It'll be dangerous to move him.
"Can you still move your arms, Gomuji?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Then I need you to be on standby at the corner."
With that, I lifted him up onto my back and stood up.
I can't ask a rookie in this condition to do anything difficult.
"H-Hey, what do you plan to do?"
"We're heading to neutralize the enemy by flanking them."
"Are you insane? Just the two of us?"
"We'll be killed soon if we can't get through there."
I gave him a simple, straightforward job that even a rookie could handle.
His job is to wait on the corner and shoot when the enemy comes.
"Is there no other way but to break through there?"
"Exactly. If only we had a grenade, it would make things much easier."
Unfortunately, there were no grenades among the bodies we came across thus far.
We might be able to find a grenade from the many corpses lying around the main street, but the risk of exposing ourselves there is too high.
I was wearing a blood-stained white dress. I would definitely stand out if I showed up in the main street.
The strategy of throwing a grenade in their rear and wiping them out isn't realistic.
In that case, the only option left is to launch a surprise attack from behind using the weapons we have on hand – a handgun and a rifle.
Since we managed to get behind the enemy without being spotted, we should make the most out of this opportunity.
"I'll lure out the enemies. You shoot the ones that take the bait."
"Ah, yeah."
"Just don't shoot me by mistake."
One of the surefire tactics in a shootout is to flank the enemy.
It's the most powerful tactic in FPS games: sneaking up on your enemy from behind before they notice you.
"I have no experience with shooting. You're probably the only one here who can handle a rifle properly."
"I-I've never actually shot anyone, either…"
"Well, at least you know how to shoot."
I'm just a medic; I don't even know how to handle a gun.
I probably wouldn't even be able to reload it on my own.
"And this handgun is a single-shot, right? Once I fire, it's useless."
"Y-Yeah."
To begin with, this handgun stolen from the enemy was a single-shot gun, likely a spare in case their rifle broke, or a tool to be used in an emergency close-quarters combat.
No matter how hard I try, I'll only be able to kill one person.
"You're our main force. I'm counting on you, Gomuji."
From the start, my only option to break through the front line was to rely on him to fight.
"From the sounds of things, it appears there are around 10 enemy soldiers in that location."
"Ten…"
We kept our heads down and moved towards their rear.
The enemy is probably a platoon. Judging from the presence, I estimated about 10 people.
"It's… it's impossible. We can't break through that."
"If we can't do it, we die. That's all there is to it."
"You're out of your mind! Don't tell me you're planning to use me as bait so you can escape alone!"
"If that were my plan, I wouldn't have used precious magic power to save you."
I'm not like you.
"I'm going to rush in alone. But with this single-shot handgun, I can only take down one person at best."
"R-Right."
"So your job is to wait in the alley for the soldiers chasing after me and then shoot them."
After giving him these orders, I gripped the small handgun in my hand.
Just one shot with a live firearm I'd never fired before.
I don't necessarily need to hit the enemy with this. It's enough to make them feel threatened by my presence.
I'm just the decoy. The main player is waiting around the corner ready to shoot any pursuers.
Though, if I can be a little greedy, I'd like to take someone down with this one shot.
"Well, I'm counting on you."
After glancing at Gomuji sitting in the dark alleyway…
With my blood-stained dress fluttering in the wind, I quietly walked towards the enemies' position.
***
The strong scent of gunpowder was blowing in the wind.
I boldly stepped out, making no attempt to hide my presence, right into the enemy's view from behind.
"■■■ー"
Just off the backstreet there was a large house.
The enemy is stationed in the garden of the house. There are… seven of them?
Peeking over the wall, I saw that none of them seemed concerned with guarding their rear.
Well, I don't think anyone would expect an enemy to suddenly appear from behind in this sort of situation.
After all, the main street behind them is already under the control of the Sabbatian Army.
"■■■!"
"■■■■-"
The soldiers were using the house's stone wall as cover, exchanging gunfire with the Austin troops across the street.
It appears they're using the garden of a wealthy person's house as a firing range.
It was actually an ideal setup. The walls were just the right height for taking cover and gave them a perfect view for shooting in all directions.
"Alright."
The four-sided walls were also to my advantage.
Just by lying down, I can avoid their bullets entirely.
Quietly, I took out my handgun and aimed it at the man who appeared to be in charge, barking orders to the others.
"…How much recoil should I expect?"
The wind gun I was given previously has almost no recoil since the recoil is controlled by magic.
However, this is a real gun. Considering my lack of strength, it would be best to aim lower.
Whether it hits the target or not, it's all good.
I aimed at the heart of the enemy soldier who was giving out orders and…
"───!!"
I fired a real gun for the first time in my life.
In conclusion, I hit the target pretty well.
While I didn't manage a clean heart shot due to the recoil, I did land a solid hit in the enemy officer's left shoulder.
With any luck, it likely pierced his lung. Unless they had a medic close by, he'd have no chance of survival.
Not bad for my first shot.
"Now then…"
All the enemies snapped their heads toward me, their expressions twisted in shock.
They realized that I was an enemy.
"This way."
Immediately, as planned, I crouched down and ran toward the back alley.
Will they take the bait and follow me into the alley?
"■■■■, ■■!!"
I could hear their frantic shouts echoing into the alleyway, and before long, I sensed several enemies pressing up against the alley wall.
Of course, they wouldn't just thoughtlessly follow me into an alleyway.
Then all I have to do is make it so they have no choice but to pursue me.
"■■■!!"
The instant I darted into the alley, the enemy threw a grenade my way, exactly as I'd predicted.
On the Western Front, we'd also use grenades when an unexpected enemy appeared behind us.
It'd be one thing on a spacious battlefield, but I'll teach them the risks of using a grenade so carelessly.
"[Shield]."
I used all of my remaining magical power to make a [Shield] appear right in front of the soldier who had thrown the grenade.
There are two types of grenades: timed grenades that explode after a set delay and impact grenades that detonate on contact.
It seems the grenade the enemy threw was the latter.
"■■!?"
The grenade thrown by the enemy hit the [Shield] I had deployed while hiding in the alleyway and caused a huge explosion.
The explosion wasn't intended to kill the enemy outright; rather, it was to destroy the wall between us and their stronghold.
Yes, due to the enemy's careless grenade, they ended up collapsing the crucial "wall of the house" that had provided them cover.
Now, there was nothing left to block the alley and the enemies' base.
As a bonus, I noticed one of the soldiers who had been caught in the blast was gravely wounded.
Now there are five enemies remaining.
This was the scenario I wanted.
From their perspective, they now had an enemy with a gun at their backs, hiding in an alley, ready to ambush them at any moment.
It would be insane to continue firing at the Austin soldiers in front when your rear is compromised.
But they'd also learned the hard way not to use grenades in the alley.
My guess was they'd decide the only solution was to come in after us.
"■■■■!"
The enemy's decision was quick, and two soldiers immediately charged towards us.
They didn't realize I was just a useless soldier who'd already run out of ammunition and magic.
It seems they properly viewed me as a dangerous enemy.
"…Over here."
I found myself facing the Sabbatian soldiers head-on in a narrow alley.
My magical power is depleted now so I can't even put up a [Shield].
I put on a brave front and smiled innocently at the enemy.
The outfit I'm wearing right now is a pure white dress.
Stained red with blood in places, it stands out conspicuously.
If I were to stand boldly at the end of the alley, smiling at them, where would the enemy's gaze go?
───Would they even notice the rookie soldier at the corner of the alley, leaning against the wall without a leg?
"Now, Gomuji!"
"O-Ohh!!"
Before the enemy could aim their guns, Gomuji fired his rifle at them.
This guy has a nasty personality.
Since this was a matter of life and death, I was confident that he would give it his all.
"Got him! I hit him!"
"■, ■, ■!!"
Coughing up blood, the wounded enemy soldiers glare at Gomuji.
In the final moments of the Sabbath's winning battle, they end up dying in combat.
Surely, they must harbor tremendous regrets.
Facing this fierce enemy…
"Sorry, but you're gonna die for me!"
And without hesitation, he pulled the trigger again.
With this, there are only three enemy forces remaining. If we can just defeat them, we can take control of the base.
Our fighting force consists of just Gomuji and me. The weapons and ammunition we have were borrowed from the Sabbatian soldiers we killed earlier.
Although our force consisting of a rookie and a medic is miniscule, it's more than enough, because…
"Oh, look at that, the enemy just keeled over!"
"An Austin soldier from across the way. Now, their remaining forces are almost wiped out."
We have the Sabbatian soldiers surrounded.
A situation in which you must pay close attention to both front and rear is a dire predicament that even the best troops can be annihilated in.
"…Now, while both of them are facing forward. Take the shot."
"Got it!"
Perhaps shaken by the sight of their comrades being shot dead right in front of them, one of the remaining Sabbatian soldiers carelessly let down his guard toward us.
Seizing the moment, I urged Gomuji forward to shoot him down.
Now, only one enemy remains.
They can't possibly watch their front and back at the same time. This is the harsh reality of being surrounded.
Well, then…
"Gomuji, it's about time we charge into ally territory. Keep firing while I cover you."
"Huh?"
"We're running out of time. Sabbatian reinforcements will soon be pushing towards us from the main street."
"What?!"
The Sabbath has control of the main street behind us, which means we're also surrounded.
Once word reaches their rear command that the frontline troops are in danger of being overrun, reinforcements will be on the way.
I've had a strong feeling of impending doom for a while now, and it looks like I'm reaching my limit.
"Please, Gomuji, charge in and take down the last enemy at the base. If you don't, we'll have to run through the front lines with bullets flying around us and enemy soldiers at our backs."
"Hey, are you out of your mind?"
"Gomuji, you're my human shield. I'm counting on you to take those bullets from behind. If you don't want to get shot, do it."
"Ah, damn it all!"
The plan I set up worked well, but we're still just one step short.
I have a feeling that Sabbatian soldiers will be gathering here soon.
We need to rush out immediately and engage the remaining Sabbatian soldier in front of us.
Although this is currently the strategy with the highest survival rate, I feel like there's a 90% chance that we'll die.
"Let's go!"
"Alright, alright!"
As we fled the looming enemy presence, Gomuji and I burst out of the alleyway.
The enemy turned towards me with a startled look on his face and pointed his gun at me.
"Hiiii!"
A bullet grazed my stomach and pierced through Gomuji's arm.
We were lucky that it wasn't a fatal blow to us.
However, the bullet that pierced Gomuji's arm was the one holding the rifle.
"You idiot, what are you doing?!"
"I got shot! It hurts like hell!"
There was a loud clang.
With a loud clatter, Gomuji dropped our precious lifeline—his rifle—to the ground.
Obviously, I don't have the time to go and pick it up.
"…■■■!!"
The enemy had already aimed their gun at us again.
And this time, it was right on target. With Gomuji on my back, I had no way of dodging.
Looks like my escape plan has failed. I thought I was putting up a decent fight, but…
Well, the conditions were practically impossible from the start. Next time, I'll have to strategize better.
Ah, no.
There won't be a next time for me.
This war isn't a game. The smell of gunpowder, the pain of burns—they're all real. The bullets the enemy shoots at me are very real too.
I was a fool until the end.
Thinking I could survive a real war using experiences from a video game was beyond presumptuous.
I tried my best to survive in my own way, but I guess this is as far as I can go.
I'm sorry to everyone for wasting the life that had been supported by so many people.
Before I die… I at least wanted to know if everyone from the orphanage was safe.
"Keep running, Touri."
Just then, as I had accepted my death—
I heard the voice of a soldier as fearsome as he is strict, someone you can rely on more than anyone on the front lines.
"Ah…"
"Let's get out of here."
With a sword nearly as tall as me, he sliced the enemy soldier aiming his gun at me clean in two.
Despite blood flowing from his shoulder and bandages wrapped around his abdomen, he stood there calmly.
"Platoon Leader Garback…"
"Hmph, you're lucky you survived."
I hurriedly ran toward him
I have no idea why he's here or why he came to save me.
The one thing I can say for sure is that, as long as I'm behind Platoon Leader Garback, there's no safer place on this frontline.
"Why are you…"
"The Major ordered me to support the evacuation of wounded soldiers and hold the line. If it wasn't an order like that, there's no way I'd come save you, idiot."
With that said, the Platoon Leader silently ran off.
"Ah, um—"
"…"
"Thank you very much, Platoon Leader!"
His back was incredibly reassuring.
Exhausting the last of my strength, I followed behind the most reliable man on the battlefield.