My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 65Vol 2. .1

We barely had time to catch our breath before we were sprinting toward the government building.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of it, but since I was the Chief Commissioner of Education, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I was allowed inside without issue.

As I moved through the flurry of activity inside, I spotted a familiar face. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Sir Gavle! What’s happening?"

"Ah, Salvia!"

Thankfully, Sir Gavle paused and turned to face me, taking the time to explain the situation.

"As you know, the Imperial Army—made up of the Empire’s nobles and bourgeoisie—has been trying to retake the capital for some time now. But every time, they’ve been repelled by the Citizen Revolutionary Army."

"Yes, I heard they’ve been holding out better than expected."

I had thought the capital would fall quickly, but to my surprise, they were still holding strong.

On top of that, revolutionary forces outside the capital had risen up and joined the fight, further weakening the Imperial Army.

"That’s right. And since they can’t seem to take back the capital, they’ve now shifted their target."

"Don't tell me...."

"You guessed it. They’re marching toward the Northern Alliance!"

"What...?"

I was so shocked that my mouth fell open.

So, according to Sir Gavle, since the Imperial Army couldn’t reclaim the capital, they were now setting their sights on us.

"But we have soldiers defending the Alliance, don’t we? How long do we have until they arrive?"

"They’ll reach the borders of the Northern Alliance by tomorrow. And their numbers are estimated to be around a hundred thousand. Every one of us will have to fight."

"...A hundred thousand."

I swallowed hard. But I wasn’t afraid.

"We have Aura Rounds on our side. Just like we defeated the Kingdom of Butein, we can gain the upper hand, right?"

"I agree that Aura Rounds will be a major advantage for us. But our enemies vastly outnumber us. This could turn into a prolonged battle, a war of attrition. And most concerning of all—we don’t have enough resources to outlast them."

"Ah...."

No matter how strong we were, if we ran out of ammunition, that was it. Game over.

"The Citizen Revolutionary Army has promised to send supplies, but the question is—how long can we hold out until then...."

"I understand the situation."

"Regardless, a general mobilization order will soon be issued for all former Border Defense Army soldiers. You should prepare yourself as well."

"Yes, sir."

I left the government building with Aquila and Ishina, our expressions grave. Dalin followed behind us, looking miserable.

"Salvia... am I going to die?"

"What? Why would you die?! Of course, we’re going to win!"

Dalin, of all people, was suddenly saying ominous things, so I snapped at her in frustration. Why was she setting up a death flag out of nowhere?!

"But didn’t they say we’re critically low on supplies? I was a company commander, you know—I understand how bad this situation is. We barely have any bullets left."

"Haaah...."

I let out a deep sigh.

Maybe Dalin was right. Fighting a battle with depleted resources was insane.

"We can’t just sit here. We need to figure something out."

I clenched my fists, trying to come up with a solution, but a miracle strategy wasn’t going to just fall into my lap.

'What we need is to use fewer resources and still win the war.'

Aura Rounds were powerful, capable of killing multiple enemies in one shot. But we needed a strategy with even greater destructive force.

But what?

I had no idea.

A few hours later, I attended an emergency meeting, still deep in thought. The officials gathered around the table all wore grim expressions.

"Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can conserve resources while achieving victory? Any strategies to end the war as quickly as possible?"

The General Commissioner’s question was met with complete silence. The atmosphere grew even heavier.

"Let’s start by taking stock of what we do have. What are the most abundant resources in this area?"

He directed the question to one of the representatives who had lived here the longest. The man hesitated before answering.

"Well, if we’re talking about local specialties... there’s oil and Cranz berries."

"Not specialties—anything useful for war?"

"Well... we could set things on fire with the oil, couldn’t we?"

The representative spoke seriously.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"We’re on the defensive, not attacking. So instead of relying on gunfire, wouldn’t fire be more effective...?"

"Oil? Fire?"

Suddenly, an idea struck me like lightning.

I shot up from my seat.

"Salvia?"

"I have a plan!"

That’s right. There was something I had completely overlooked until now—we had elemental Aura users on our side!

Not just among the people I knew personally—many Arkons had gathered here, and some of them would undoubtedly be able to use elemental Aura.

And Aura Rounds, which could be infused with Aura before being fired...

If we combined that with the oil the representative mentioned...

If we could unleash a single devastating attack that would terrify the enemy, we might be able to break their morale and make them run.

Excitedly, I began explaining my idea to the room.

At first, the officials looked skeptical.

But as I spoke, their expressions slowly brightened.

***

A massive war drum echoed across the battlefield.

Rows of soldiers, clad in full uniform, marched in perfect formation, rifles in hand, their footsteps kicking up dust with each synchronized step.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

In the distance, the fully armed Imperial Army came into view.

Sponsored by nobles and the bourgeoisie, they were well-equipped—just at a glance, I could tell they were carrying high-quality rifles.

Damn, even I haven’t had the chance to handle those latest models....

As I marveled at their weaponry, the Imperial Army finally reached us. A man who seemed to be their commander stepped forward and shouted at us.

"Rebels! Open the gates and take responsibility for your treason against the Empire!"

It was a warning, but none of us so much as flinched. Instead, jeers erupted from our side.

"Go to hell!"

"The ones who ruined the country were you!"

"Get lost, you noble dogs!"

It seemed the Imperial Army had expected this response, as their commander didn’t waste time arguing. Instead, he roared,

"Begin the assault!"

At his command, the enemy raised their rifles.

And so did we.

Except, what we aimed at them was—

"A... water gun?"

Confusion flickered across their faces.

But then, someone among them realized that what was coming out of our "water guns" wasn’t water.

"This is oil!"

Yes, we were shooting oil at them.

And we had a very good reason for it. Because in the next moment—

Bang!

A bullet infused with fire-elemental Aura was fired.

Standing at the front, Aquila and several other soldiers capable of using fire-elemental Aura had taken their positions. The bullets they fired were engulfed in flames.

The moment the flaming bullets struck the oil-soaked enemy lines, a deafening explosion rang out.

BOOM!

"AAAGH! FIRE!"

The Aura Rounds ignited the oil instantly, sending flames spreading wildly.

The front lines of the Imperial Army were thrown into chaos as flames engulfed their bodies. Soldiers screamed, stumbling and flailing in a desperate attempt to put out the fire.

"Dammit! Don’t retreat—continue the attack!" their commander shouted.

But the front ranks were already rendered useless, writhing in agony as the flames consumed them.

They scrambled to pull their injured comrades back and replace the fallen ranks, but we didn’t give them a chance to breathe.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

We continued our strategy relentlessly—spraying oil, then lighting it with fire-infused Aura Rounds.

This worked because we had meticulously planned the most efficient and rapid way to douse them with oil and set them ablaze. We had even trained for this over a short period to execute it flawlessly.

Fire-infused Aura Rounds were vastly superior to regular fire arrows. They covered a much larger area in flames. More importantly, we were able to conserve ammunition while still causing massive destruction.

The battle raged on.

Due to the overwhelming difference in numbers, we suffered casualties as well, but our strategic advantage ensured that the Imperial Army suffered far worse.

After a prolonged clash, a decisive moment arrived.

"Retreat!"

The Imperial Army, now fully recognizing their defeat, turned and fled, abandoning even their wounded comrades.

We erupted into victorious cheers.

"We won!"

"The enemy is retreating!"

A soft smile formed on my lips as well. Several soldiers, knowing that this victory was thanks to my plan, ran up to embrace me, but I simply allowed myself to enjoy the moment.

Of course, we had no intention of just letting them flee.

Soon, our commander gave the next order.

"Pursue the enemy!"

"YAAAAAH!"

Our soldiers, riding the high of victory, charged out of the fortress and gave chase.

We closed in on the retreating Imperial Army rapidly. Not only did we have far superior physical abilities, but we had also preserved our stamina better during the siege.

As soon as they were within firing range, our commander gave another order.

"Commence fire!"

A few soldiers stepped forward and pulled their triggers.

Bang!

"What... what is this?!"

As soon as the Aura-infused rounds exploded in midair, the enemy forces faltered.

Because the ones who fired just now were dark-elemental Aura users.

Just as Dalin wielded light-elemental Aura, there were soldiers who specialized in darkness.

The bullets they fired created a temporary field of absolute darkness, cutting off all visibility.

The Imperial Army, now completely blinded, stumbled and panicked, unable to discern friend from foe.

And in that confusion, we quickly unleashed another wave of regular Aura Rounds.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The screams of the helpless Imperial soldiers rang through the battlefield.

But we weren’t finished yet.

Our commander called out once more, signaling the final phase of the attack.

A group of soldiers stepped forward.

"Dalin!"

It was the light-elemental Aura users—including Dalin herself.