EP.26 Resistance - 1
About a week ago from now.
The military nation suddenly assembled its troops.
The military authorities drafting soldiers to maintain public order was an everyday occurrence not even worth making the news, but this time the scale was on a different level. Leaving only the minimum forces necessary for border and stronghold defense, all available troops gathered in the city. It was as if they were going to war against the city itself. While people hid in their homes and trembled at the soldiers filling the streets, the military nation used the gathered forces to launch a massive arrest operation.
Petty criminals whose crimes were ambiguous and thus left alone, those whose names were only on wanted posters, resistance fighters hiding with the cooperation of citizens.
And quite a large number of simply unlucky and unjustly accused citizens.
All of them were trampled under the military boots roaming every corner of the streets and bound.
Canisen, too, could not avoid the checkpoints.
In the past, when the military nation was still a kingdom, Canisen served as a squire of a prestigious knight order. After the military nation took power, he lived in seclusion, but the military nation's intelligence department still considered him a dangerous figure and kept him under surveillance.
Naturally, taking this event as an opportunity, his small house was also visited by soldiers.
Up to this point, it was an everyday occurrence in the military nation. Former key figures of the kingdom era suddenly receiving visits from soldiers. And being dragged away for making a single slip of the tongue and enduring hardships.
However, if there was one thing different from usual, it was that Canisen was a real insurgent, and he was preparing a terrorist attack against the military nation in the near future.
As soon as Canisen sensed something was off, he packed only the bare minimum of equipment and fled. His comrades who were with him also fled.
Having confirmed that a single poke uncovered a gold mine, the military nation immediately pursued them.
However, Canisen, although from the kingdom era, was once a person who served in the military. Sensing something fishy in these noisy movements, instead of running away, he sneaked into the military nation's supply line. And there, he discovered an astonishing fact.
The fact that many vicious criminals had escaped from Tartaros, the grand prison that housed the worst criminals in history, and the military nation had assembled its forces to prevent the chaos they would cause in advance.
He had obtained astonishing information, but he didn't have much time left. The pursuit continued endlessly, and there were too many enemies. Resisting here would be meaningless. They would simply be swept away and perish by the overwhelming difference in troop strength.
At that moment, an escape route appeared before him like a miracle.
A supply box that should have gone to Tartaros, but was left unattended and lost its destination because the prisoners had escaped.
Thoughts flashed by like a kaleidoscope. I forcefully crammed those memories flashing like lightning into my mind to gather information in that brief moment.
My head hurts. I clutched my throbbing head and pulled myself up from the flow of thoughts.
A sudden large-scale checkpoint. And the resistance who escaped from there. I roughly scanned with mind-reading how they ended up here, and lamented in disbelief.
Military nation bastards. They usually act so incredibly meticulous, but they didn't even open that box there.
I feel like shaking the golem who boasted that the supplies would arrive right away. Couldn't they reconfirm before sending it? Don't they check the goods?
Thanks to the military nation's negligence, the five resistance fighters who had been desperately holding on by munching on food inside. Groaning in pain in a space so cramped they could barely move a finger, they jumped straight out as soon as they landed, as if they had been waiting for it.
The first thing they faced was me, and it was only natural for them, who were dissatisfied with everything in the world, to pour out hostility towards me.
Haa. The resistance.
Even if they are the resistance, most of them are just young people dissatisfied with society. No matter how much I'm at the bottom here, I have no intention of losing to mere ignorant kids. Let's give these little ones a proper education. What you kids will grow up to be is exactly me.
As I was stretching my hands, a sturdy young man shoved his gun muzzle forward and shouted sharply.
"Don't move! Hands up!"
I hastily raised my hands. Can't argue with a gun.
Phew. Thank goodness. If Aji hadn't licked my shoulder, I wouldn't have been able to raise my hands and would have died. I should thank Aji.
...No, wait.
In the first place, the reason my arm hurts and the reason I'm out in the yard at this timing is all because of Aji. If I hadn't played fetch with you, I wouldn't have faced the resistance bare-handed!
"Woof?"
Aji, who had been wagging her tail vigorously as if happy to see new humans, tilted her head when she saw my burning gaze. I glared at Aji with my arms raised.
I'm going to get caught because of you, so handle this yourself!
I sent a message with all sorts of facial expressions containing this meaning. Aji, who was staring at me, sparkled her eyes and nodded as if she understood. Yes, King of Dogs. Finally earn your keep.
"Dog girl, you put your hands up too!"
"Woof!"
Aji barked cheerfully and raised her hands following me.
Yeah. What else to expect from you. You're a frivolous fellow who immediately welcomes anyone who comes.
The young man looked slightly suspicious after seeing Aji's overly bright face. I was hoping he might attack Aji.
'...For a dirty dog demi-human, her attitude is quite docile. She looks a bit lacking, but she doesn't seem dangerous for now, so stay still...'
It seems her outer appearance influenced his judgment. What a pity. If he had recklessly fired his gun and fought Aji, he would have taken a dog-punch each and broken something somewhere.
The young man swung his gun threateningly and shouted.
"Now! If everyone has their hands up, kneel just like that on the ground...!"
"Alpha. Stop."
A middle-aged man appeared soundlessly from behind the box. He stepped forward naturally and placed his hand on the shoulder of the man called Alpha. While Alpha caught his breath, the middle-aged man grabbed his gun muzzle with his hand and slowly lowered it.
Alpha asked, panting.
"Captain?"
Whether looking at his age, his skill, his experience, or even his appearance and presence.
A man who could only be seen as a captain no matter who looked, Canisen walked forward to stand before me.
His solid footsteps conveyed his strength. Even if the world collapsed, it felt like he would collapse just a little later than it. Despite crouching inside a box for days, his body and mind remained unyielding, as if not a single scratch had been made.
The leader of this resistance group, Canisen, reproved Alpha.
"We still don't know about this place. I know you're stifled and anxious, but what we need to use now is not a gun, but our tongues."
"...I'm sorry. I was hasty."
"That can happen. I understand. We were locked up for too long."
Canisen stroked his rough beard and swept his cold eyes over me and Aji once. Then, after glancing at Tartaros, shining its searchlights in the distance, he approached me with a calculated smile.
"Excuse me. Were you very surprised?"
I actually was surprised. Nodding my head, I shouted, mixing in some sincerity.
"No, well, of course! W-who are you people? Pointing guns out of nowhere!"
"Don't be on guard. We are enemies of the military nation, and your allies. I apologize on our behalf for pointing the gun at you. And you are...?"
Canisen trailed off, asking for my introduction.
While being polite, he demanded an answer with an appropriate burst of spirit. His naturally digging into my identity was so exemplary that it wouldn't be a problem to call it a model. And yet, he didn't stop thinking.
'Young. Shirtless. Seeing as he's wearing neither a military uniform nor an instructor's uniform, he doesn't seem to belong to the military nation. His body is lean and agile, but he doesn't look strong. I heard most of the prisoners escaped, so if he came out first to receive supplies in this chaos, he's highly likely to be a laborer. If so, I can obtain what we lack the most... information about this place.'
The resistance didn't make a hollow shell their leader for nothing; his thinking is rational and his judgment is fast. Even though he fell into the legendary prison, the Abyss Tartaros, and this was his first time outside after enduring three days in a tiny box, he didn't lose his composure.
He's the type I like. It's clear what attitude I should take.
The single image the opponent drew in their mind. That defines me. If he thinks I'm a laborer, I become the most perfect laborer he can imagine.
Posture a bit slanted, not hiding the exhaustion, mixing a little fear and bewilderment in the voice. Thank goodness there's no instructor uniform. I don't need to make excuses. I deliberately shook my powerless gaze, mimicking the reaction a laborer would have when meeting intruders.
"I, I'm a person who was dragged in here about a week ago. Soldiers suddenly burst in, arrested me, and threw me in here without a single word, telling me to work. I, I don't know anything. I don't have any money either."
"What work were you assigned to?"
"Chores like cooking and cleaning!"
"Indeed, you were dragged here by the wicked military nation."
"That's right. I'm unjustly accused."
Canisen nodded in satisfaction and held out his hand to me.
"As expected, we are comrades. We also have a grudge to repay the military nation."
"Pardon?"
When I reluctantly reached out my hand, Canisen snatched my hand and shook it vigorously. His strength was disgustingly strong, enough to make my whole body stagger.
"We are the friends of the people, the Resistance. Those who seek to defeat the wicked military nation and find freedom and peace."
Now is the time to be surprised. I shouted with an exaggerated attitude.
"R-Resistance?!"
After the military faction drove out the royal government and took power, harsh labor, low wages, thorough control, ruthless punishment, and rapid urbanization brought about the collapse of the existing order. Those who lost their property or families to the military nation slipped into the shadows and formed organizations to resist it.
However, the unorganized rebel groups couldn't stand against the military nation's elite soldiers. They sprang up sporadically only to be suppressed in an instant time and time again. The rebels also felt the need for a systematic leadership and united under outstanding leaders.
That was the largest rebel group, the Resistance. Those who cry out for liberation from military rule.
Of course, now that a long time has passed since military rule took power, the public perception of the Resistance isn't very good. Let's mix in a little wariness here. That will be more natural.
"If you're the R-Resistance, then, t-terroris...!"
I deliberately stopped saying the word terrorist and feigned covering my mouth. Then I looked at him with completely terrified eyes.
It's a bit rude, but it's a normal reaction for an ordinary person.
As expected, Canisen didn't harbor any particular suspicion seeing my attitude.
"I understand. You must have only heard bad rumors about us. The military nation must have agitated, saying we are ruthless terrorists."
"Ah, um. Yes."
"But please know this. The cruelty of the Resistance spread by the military nation... most of it is actually committed by the military authorities and framed on us. Essentially, we are just like you, framed by the military nation."
Perhaps because he was once a knight, his grave words carried weight. If I were an ordinary person, I might have unconsciously trusted those words.
Furthermore, after putting me at ease by saying we were on the same side, he was skilled at building a rapport by asserting you and I are no different. It showed quite a bit that he had once ruled over people.
"Trust us. We came here to help you."
This guy.
He has quite a talent for deception. If he hadn't been a knight, he would have been a con artist in the back alleys.
But the opponent was bad. Of all people, it was me, the greatest con artist in the back alleys, so most of his words became useless.
I answered, acting as if my fear was gradually fading away.
"You came to help me?"
"Of course! Helping those unjustly oppressed by the military nation. That is the Resistance! We will help not only you, but all the unjustly imprisoned people here!"
"Aah."
I let out a slight exclamation as if admiring. Canisen laughed vigorously at my reaction, which didn't betray his expectations.
Taking his eyes off me for a moment, he turned his gaze to Aji, who was still standing with her hands raised.
"Then, who might this beautiful demi-human young lady be?"
At Canisen's question, Aji shouted brightly.
"Woof! I, Puppy!"
"Puppy? That's a unique name. How did a young lady like you end up here."
"Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!"
Aji suddenly jumped and started running in circles around Canisen. It was so fast and unexpected that even Canisen, a former knight, couldn't react in time. It was when a startled Canisen reached for his waist.
A swirling hostility wafted from inside the box. Turning my head, I saw a female resistance fighter who had been guarding this side from inside the box aiming her gun at Aji.
"Captain!"
The voice of a young woman, filled with clear wariness.
Hearing that voice, Canisen's face twisted.
"Sto—!"
'Don't shoot!'
However, before his words could even begin, the trigger had already been pulled.
Bang!
A bullet spewed from the muzzle. The iron jacket bullet, slightly ahead of the gunshot, aimed precisely at Aji and flew in. It was an instant. At this close range, it didn't even take a split second for the bullet to reach Aji.
Meanwhile, Aji, who had been circling around Canisen, stared blankly at the iron jacket bullet flying towards her.
And right before it hit her body, she caught it with her teeth.
Crunch.
A bizarre sound was heard. The sound of teeth digging into steel. The sound of metal mercilessly crumpling. And that was the end of it.
The short journey of the bullet that started from the muzzle ended between Aji's teeth.
Chomp.
No one really witnessed this sight properly. At most, Canisen quickly understood the situation.
'She caught an iron jacket bullet fired at close range? With her teeth?'
It is common to endure a bullet hit. If you learn a little Qi, wear sturdy clothes, or are just born with a robust constitution, you can easily withstand a bullet or two. That's because guns are useful, but they aren't that powerful of a weapon.
But catching a flying bullet? Even a master would find it difficult, and even if they could, they wouldn't attempt it with their teeth. If they failed, their fragile inner skin would be torn apart by the bullet.
But Aji did it.
Aji chewed the steel bullet once with a chomp and spat it out with a scrunched face. The crumpled bullet bounced on the ground. Aji shouted with an expression of dissatisfaction.
"Hot! Hard! Tasteless!"
The crumpled bullet, and the teeth marks on it.
It was then that the other resistance fighters, finally grasping the situation late, raised their muzzles in unison.
"Cease fire!"
At Canisen's sharp command, they all dropped their muzzles in surprise like students scolded by a teacher. Canisen shouted with a twisted face.
"Who told you to fire at will? Beta, didn't I say never to fire until I give the order?"
The young man called Beta hastily lowered his head.
"I, I'm sorry."
"If you know, then stay still!"
Canisen roared like that, then respectfully put his hands together and bowed his head towards Aji.
"Please forgive our rudeness. We are ignorant and do not know what esteemed person you are. Could you tell me your name, noble one?"
'That dog demi-human is no ordinary foe. If a fight breaks out... we're all dead!'
Oh, he not only knows his place but even apologizes first. It's refreshing since it's the first time I've seen such a normal and ordinary person since coming down to Tartaros. Being in this underground, even I, a model citizen, felt like I was becoming abnormal.
Of course, it takes two hands to clap, so just because he acted normally doesn't mean he'll get a normal reaction.
"Woof! I, Puppy!"
"Puppy? I hope you'll excuse my rudeness, but is that a title?"
"Name! Woof! Woof! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!"
Canisen stared blankly at Aji with a dumbfounded face. Having momentarily lost the direction of his actions, he looked at me as if clinging to me.
"Um, this noble one is..."
"Ah. She's a trainee who stayed here. Says her name is Puppy. She's strong, and maybe because she's like a real dog, she listens well, so I hang out with her sometimes like this."
"The King of Dogs, only spoken of in legends? No, even in Tartaros, such a being..."
Correct answer. He's even smart. Seems he knows a lot of various things he's heard.
Polite, knows to fear his opponent, knows his place, and is knowledgeable. If there were trainees on this land, I wish there were only people like them.
Haa. That's why it's even more regrettable.
That I have to kill such a person.
Canisen, regaining his senses, asked urgently.
"Are there any soldiers or other prisoners... no, trainees left here?"
"Uh, there are no soldiers. Instead, there are two or so more trainees. But they're busy sleeping or doing their own things. Unless a bomb goes off, they won't come out?"
"I see. That's a relief."
'My spine is chilling. There are at least two of those beings... No, considering the prison break happened, there must have been far more locked up. How on earth did the military nation imprison such monsters?'
Canisen fell into deep thought for a while. Thoughts flowing by the second. With a face that knew nothing, I calmly read his thoughts.
'This isn't a place to take lightly. If we don't hurry the plan, we might be stopped by the other prisoners of Tartaros. We must finish the job as quickly as possible.'
The Resistance is the enemy of the military nation.
The prisoners are also enemies of the military nation.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Especially if my enemy is mighty.
Normally, when it comes to the Resistance, they choose the tactic of recruiting prisoners or releasing them to place a huge burden on the military nation.
However, Canisen, for some reason, had no intention of asking the prisoners of Tartaros for help. As if that wasn't his purpose from the start.
Why did Canisen, a terrorist and a resistance fighter, come to Tartaros? Why did he sneak into a supply box heading to Tartaros while fleeing?
To the Abyss Tartaros, cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess, a land from which escape is impossible?
'Since we've come to Tartaros, we can't get out. The only equipment we brought while fleeing in a hurry are bombs for terrorism. With this, the way to deal a meaningful blow to the military nation is...'
It's simple. I muttered cynically.
What else would a terrorist do, other than terrorism?
'To completely destroy Tartaros, the symbol of oppression, and sink it beneath the Abyss.'
Those guys just came here to blow this place up. Without caring if they die too.
My eyes sank coldly.