Chapter 23: Thank You, Villain

Morin slowly withdrew his bayonet. The lieutenant colonel, who had just been rejoicing at his survival, slumped to the ground, a look of disbelief still frozen on his face.

He wiped the viscous blood from the blade using Juan’s relatively clean uniform before sheathing it. From the initial strike to wiping the blade, the entire sequence of movements was fluid and natural, devoid of the slightest hesitation.

Throughout the process, Morin did not feel any significant discomfort. Perhaps it was because his target was such scum that he felt no psychological burden whatsoever, experiencing only the calm that comes after clearing away trash.

"We’ve secured something of great value from this trip; the harvest is quite substantial."

Morin turned to Corporal Bowman, his voice remarkably steady, sounding nothing like a man who had just taken a life. "But for now, we should consider how to get back."

The two turned and returned to the adjacent empty room. The three rescued girls were still huddled together. Seeing them enter, they instinctively shrank back, their eyes filled with lingering terror.

Morin could fully understand their fear. After all, they did not look very old; it would be strange if they weren't terrified after encountering such a situation. Fortunately, their team had acted swiftly; the officers hadn't had the chance to inflict worse harm, and the girls were merely severely traumatized.

Morin slowed his pace, squatted down a few steps away from them, and tried to make his tone sound as gentle as possible.

"Don't be afraid. We've dealt with the bad guys; no one will hurt you anymore."

The three girls remained silent for a moment after hearing his words. One of them, slightly bolder than the others, looked up and asked timidly, "Are you... are you with the National Army?"

Morin shook his head.

The girl seemed startled for a moment before gathering the courage to ask again, "Then are you the... the International Brigade that the grown-ups mentioned, here to help from other places?"

Morin shook his head again.

The girl hesitated. She looked at the unfamiliar uniform Morin wore, then at Corporal Bowman, who stood silent as an iron tower behind him. Finally, she asked in a voice that was barely audible, "Then... are you a good person?"

This question caught Corporal Bowman and the others behind Morin off guard.

Morin, however, smiled. He countered, "What do you think?"

The three girls exchanged glances and nodded slightly. The girl who had taken the lead whispered, "You look very fierce... but you should be good people."

"No."

Morin continued to shake his head, the smile on his face undiminished. "Actually, I’m not a good person either..."

This answer left the girls completely bewildered. They could not understand why someone who had saved them would refuse to admit to being a good person. Corporal Bowman and his men were equally stunned, their confusion mirroring that of the three girls.

"Then... then why did you save us?"

"Because I cannot bear to see such things happen," Morin said solemnly. "And I have to live up to the Red Scarf and the Party emblem I once wore."

The strange terminology flowing from Morin's lips left the three girls even more confused. Yet, for some reason, his absurdly serious, eccentric answer managed to dilute the fear in their hearts, and their tense nerves gradually began to relax.

"Alright, listen closely to what I’m about to say." Morin put away his playful expression and said sternly, "What you need to do now is return to your families quietly and immediately! Then, find a way to leave this city with them, or find a safe place to hide!"

He paused, emphasizing his tone. "Although these bastards are dead, I expect their accomplices will come looking for trouble soon... staying here will only put you in more danger, understand?"

The girls nodded, seemingly only half-understanding.

Morin stood up, walked to the window, and carefully pulled back a corner of the curtain to observe the outside. On the street, the civilians who had previously been driven back by gunfire had already dispersed, and those Kingdom Army soldiers had returned to their respective posts. They gathered in small groups to smoke, chat, gamble, and dine without paying, with no one paying any further attention to the two-story building.

Having confirmed it was safe, Morin turned around and reached out to the four soldiers besides Bowman.

"Each of you, give me two grenades."

Though the soldiers were somewhat puzzled, they immediately unfastened the spherical grenades secured in their portable clips from their belts, handing all eight to Morin. Under the curious gazes of the group, Morin began to busy himself.

He found some thread used for sewing in the room and dismantled a few thin wires from the damaged furniture. Then, he carefully hid the grenades beneath the two corpses in the stairwell and the middle room. He cleverly connected the grenade pins to the stair railings and even the bodies themselves using the thread and wire.

"Sir, what are you doing..." Corporal Bowman leaned in, his face full of confusion.

Morin did not even look up. "Leaving a little surprise for those who come after."

After finishing the setup, Morin and his team, accompanied by the three still-shaken girls, left the two-story building silently through the back door. Relying on the "full-map vision" provided by the system, they easily bypassed the sight of all nearby Kingdom Army soldiers, navigating through several alleys to deliver the girls to a relatively safe neighborhood.

"Alright, there are no Kingdom Army soldiers around here. Do you all know how to get back?"

Hearing Morin's words, the three girls nodded.

"Good. Remember what I said: hurry home and get to a safe place with your families," Morin instructed.

The girls bowed to them in gratitude, then, supporting one another, walked toward the other side of the alley. The bolder girl turned back to look at Morin, a faint smile finally appearing on her face.

"Thank you, bad person!"

...

Silently watching their retreating figures, Morin waved his hand and led his squad toward the outskirts of the city.

"Sir, why did you say you were a bad person?"

As they were about to leave the city, Corporal Bowman finally couldn't hold back the question.

Morin replied, "After all, to the civilians of the Kingdom of Aragon, we foreign troops are, in theory, invaders as well..."

Corporal Bowman was taken aback, clearly not expecting such an answer. A moment later, he asked hesitantly, "But didn't we come to this country to fight in order to 'break Britannia's energy monopoly and allow all nations to share in the progress of industrial technology'?"

"Hmm, you're right. Perhaps that is indeed the case."

Morin nodded. Seeing the conflicted expression on Corporal Bowman's face, he smiled and patted his shoulder. "Oh, why think so much? As a soldier, obeying orders from superiors and completing various tasks is your duty. Don't worry about all these other things..."

After resolving Corporal Bowman's doubts, the group quickened their pace, though a complex look flickered in Morin's eyes.

A typical imperialist nation intervening by force in another country for its own national interests, meddling in its internal affairs... For Morin, it was naturally difficult to identify with such military operations. It was, after all, nothing more than a game of chess between big players. The only thing Morin could do was lead his people and find a way to survive this war.

...

Thanks to the Kingdom Army's practically non-existent blockade of main roads and poor vigilance, their withdrawal went unusually smoothly. Before long, the group returned safely to the hillside where they had hidden their bicycles.

Pushing the bikes out from the bushes, Morin did not immediately give the order to depart.

"Bowman, come back up with me for a look."

The two climbed to the hilltop again. Morin raised his binoculars, scanning the distant enemy positions one last time to confirm if there were any new movements. This time, Morin’s gaze locked onto the high ground where the magic crystal cannons were deployed.

There seemed to be a few more people on the hill than before. The six-power binoculars in his hand only allowed him to see that they were high-ranking officers of the Kingdom Army and several people wearing simple robes with distinctly different bearings.

However, the system map in his field of vision was flashing wildly at this moment, and a series of highlighted icons and information popped up.

[Key targets detected...]

[Commander of the 24th Infantry Division of the Kingdom of Aragon: General José Sanjurjo]

[Holy Britannian Empire Highland Mage Corps: High Mentor — Eldritch]

[Holy Britannian Empire Highland Mage Corps: Mage Apprentice x3]

[Staff Officers attached to the 24th Infantry Division x4]

In an instant, Morin's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just a few more people—it was a full-course feast!