Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 23 Thank you, bad guy
Morin slowly pulled out his bayonet. The lieutenant colonel battalion commander, who had just been thankful for his survival, collapsed to the ground, his face frozen in disbelief.

He used Juana's relatively clean military uniform to wipe the sticky blood off the bayonet, then sheathed it.

From taking action to wiping the bayonet, the entire sequence of movements was fluid and natural, without the slightest hesitation.

Throughout the entire process, Maureen did not feel much discomfort.

Perhaps because his target was such a scumbag, he felt no psychological burden whatsoever, only a sense of peace after cleaning up the trash.

"We obtained some very valuable items on this trip; we gained a lot!"

Morin turned to look at Corporal Bowman, his voice very calm, not at all like someone who had just killed someone.

"But now, we need to think about how to get back."

The two turned and went back to the empty room next door.

The three rescued girls were still huddled together. When they saw them come in, they shrank back involuntarily, their eyes filled with lingering fear.

Maureen could completely understand their fear at that moment. After all, they didn't look very old, and it would be strange if they weren't afraid in this situation.
Fortunately, Morin and his men acted quickly, and the officers didn't have time to cause any more serious harm; the girls were only greatly frightened.

Morin slowed her pace and crouched down a few steps away from them, trying to make her tone sound as friendly as possible.

"Don't be afraid, we've dealt with all the bad guys, no one will hurt you anymore."

The three girls were silent for a moment after hearing his words. One of them, who was a little bolder, raised her head and asked timidly, "Are you... part of the National Army?"

Morin shook his head.

The girl seemed to pause for a moment, then mustered her courage and asked again:
"So you're the International Brigades that the adults were talking about, the ones that came from other places to help?"

Morin shook his head again.

The girl hesitated. She looked at the unfamiliar military uniform on Morin, and then at Corporal Bowman, who stood behind him as silent as an iron tower.

Finally, in an almost inaudible voice, she asked, "So, are you a good person?"

This question surprised Morin.

Morin laughed at this, and asked in return, "What do you think?"

The three girls looked at each other and nodded slightly.

The girl who was in the lead whispered, "You look fierce, but you're probably good people."

"Do not."

Morin continued shaking his head, but the smile on his face didn't fade: "Actually, I'm not a good person either."

This answer completely stunned the girls. They couldn't understand why this person, who had saved them, wouldn't admit to being a good person.

Corporal Bowman and his men were also stunned, because they didn't understand what was being said at all.
Only Bowman heard the words 'good guy' and 'bad guy'.

"Then why did you save us?"

“Because I can’t stand seeing these things happen,” Morin said seriously. “And I want to live up to the red scarf and party emblem I once wore.”

The unfamiliar words that Morin uttered left the three girls even more confused.

But for some reason, his strange, deliberately serious answer actually eased their fear, and their tense nerves gradually relaxed.

"Alright, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

Morin's joking expression vanished, and he said seriously:
"What you need to do now is to quietly return to your families immediately! Then try to leave this city with your families, or find a safe place to hide!"

He paused, then emphasized, "Although those bastards are dead, I reckon their accomplices will be coming to cause trouble soon. Staying here will only put you in more danger, understand?"

The girls nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Morin stood up, walked to the window, and carefully lifted a corner of the curtain to observe outside.

On the streets, the citizens who had been driven back by gunfire had long since dispersed, and the soldiers of the Kingdom Army had returned to their posts.

They gathered in small groups to smoke, chat, play cards, and dine and dash, and no one paid any attention to the two-story building anymore.

After confirming that it was safe, Morin turned around and extended his hand to the four soldiers besides Bowman.

"Give me two grenades each."

Although the soldiers were somewhat puzzled, they immediately took the eight ball grenades from their belts and put them in Morin's hands.

Under the curious gaze of everyone, Morin began to get busy.

He found some sewing thread in the room and several thin wires from the damaged furniture. He then carefully hid the grenades under the two corpses in the stairwell and the middle room. He cleverly connected the pull rings of the grenades to the stair railings and even the corpses themselves with the thread and wire.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Corporal Bowman approached, his face full of confusion.

Without looking up, Morin said, "Leave a little surprise for those who come after."

After arranging everything, Morin and his group, along with three still-shaken girls, quietly left the two-story building through the back door.

Using the 'full map view' provided by the system map, they easily bypassed the sight of all the nearby Kingdom soldiers, and after winding through several alleys, they delivered the girls to a relatively safe neighborhood.

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

The three girls nodded when they heard what Morin said.

"Alright, remember what I said, hurry home and go to a safe place with your families," Morin instructed the girls.

The girls bowed gratefully to them, then helped each other walk to the other side of the alley.

The bolder girl turned around, looked at Morin, and finally a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, bad guy!"

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

"Sir, why is she thanking the 'bad guy'? Or did I mishear?"

As they were about to leave the city, Corporal Bowman finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked.

Morin: "After all, to the common people of Aragon, we foreign troops are theoretically invaders as well."

Corporal Bowman was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a response.

After a moment, he asked hesitantly:

"But didn't we come to this country to fight in order to 'break Brittany's energy monopoly and allow all countries to share the progress of industrial technology'?"

"Yes, you're right, maybe that's true."

Morin nodded, then, seeing Corporal Bowman's somewhat conflicted expression, smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, why are you thinking so much? As a soldier, your duty is to obey orders and complete tasks. Don't overthink things."

After answering Corporal Bowman's question, the group quickened their pace, but a complex expression appeared in Morin's eyes at this moment.

A typical imperialist country, for its own national interests, uses force to intervene in other countries and interfere in their internal affairs.
For Morin, it was naturally difficult for him to endorse such a military operation, as it had too much of a 'just cause' and was nothing more than a power struggle between big shots.

Of course, to a large extent, this is also a manifestation of 'where you sit determines where you think'.

All Morin can do now is try to survive this war with his people.

Thanks to the Kingdom Army's virtually non-existent road blockade and vigilance, their evacuation was exceptionally smooth. Before long, the group returned safely to the hillside where they had hidden their bicycles.

After pushing the bicycle out of the bushes, Maureen did not immediately order them to leave.

"Bowman, come up with me and take another look."

The two quietly climbed to the top of the slope again. Morin raised his binoculars and scanned the enemy positions in the distance one last time to confirm whether the enemy had made any new moves.

This time, Morin's gaze once again locked onto the high ground where magic crystal cannons were deployed.

There seemed to be a few more people on the high ground than before.

The six-fold telescope in his hand only allowed him to see that they were some high-ranking officers of the Kingdom's army, and a few people dressed in simple robes with very different demeanors.

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

Key target detected

Commander of the 24th Infantry Division of the Kingdom of Aragon: General José Sanhuljo

[Highland Mage Order of the Holy Britannian Empire: High Instructor - Eldridge]

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

[24th Infantry Division Direct Staff Officers x4]

For a split second, Morin's heart skipped a beat.

This isn't just a few more people; it's practically a Manchu Han Imperial Feast!

(End of this chapter)