The Protagonists of the Novel Escaped

The place where the huge boom erupted was a densely populated residential area.

No doubt about it.

It was an explosion aimed at mass destruction.

To tarnish the reputation of the Valtarian Empire, the mighty nation representing humanity, they committed this heinous act. As I witnessed the horrifying aftermath through the shattered windows, I drew my pistol.

“Just… I’ll be right back.”

The Imperial Palace Aldebaran.

And a custom pistol firing magic bullets.

This was more than enough.

What more could I possibly need?

I was confident I’d win against any enemy that opposed the Saintess Party.

Thus, I looked at Elizaveta, surrounded by the guards. The mastermind behind this inferno was sure to be plotting again. The explosion would definitely not be a one-time event.

“Stop, Edanant! It’s dangerous if you go out now!”

“It’s fine.”

A shout filled with concern came flying in.

I shrugged while showing the platinum princess the pistol I held.

“I’ll be back soon, kiddo.”

“Okay! Because I’m Edan, Max’s younger brother, I trust you!”

Despite being overwhelmed by the sudden calamity, Rue tried hard to suppress her fear and encouraged me to jump into the sea of flames.

What a commendable spirit.

Truly, she was no ordinary mascot of the Saintess Party.

Rue waved her hand.

I nodded in response to her support.

The flames are slowly changing to a purplish hue. That means it’s probably the magic stone bomb made from processed magic stones.

While observing the fire, which started to change color, I speculated about the terrorists behind it.

Those guys were around.

A criminal organization that predominantly used magic stone bombs for their terror acts.

But they would have certainly been suppressed by the Sword Saint, a member of the Saintess Party. They probably lost most of their members, even though they tragically missed their leader during the suppression.

Could it be that the surviving remnants were behind this?

Damn those guys.

They had a tenacity that could even astonish cockroaches. Maybe they should try doing some good for a change.

“The Bomber Gale.”

I muttered the name of the suspected villain behind it all.

And then, I jumped from the fourth-floor window.

*

Smoke mixed with soot.

Flames that seemed ready to scorch my entire body.

Countless lives were devoured by the greedy flames.

Truly horrific.

It was a scene reminiscent of hell on earth.

The mastermind, who had planned a large-scale bombing with his subordinates, must be watching the hellfire he created with a haughty laugh. Imagining his grotesque face made me want to vomit.

They placed explosives in residential areas to maximize casualties. Moreover, the epicenter of the explosion is near the slums, which must have made it easy to prepare for the crime.

I ran quickly.

The city I once strolled through with Rue was now a sea of flames.

I heard screams.

The desperate wails and cries hit my ears.

But I didn’t stop my steps.

What mattered most was to thwart the Bomber’s plans.

The Bomber Gale… where was he targeting this time? I can’t remember after so long since I read the original work.

Villains who commit crimes in succession tend to have their own inertia.

A habit,

Or a routine, shall we say.

Though it may seem like mere chaotic destruction, even villains have their own set of rules. If I can read those, I might just be able to catch Gale. So I tried to recall the original content as hard as I could.

“Damn it.”

I halted my reckless steps.

And raised my pistol.

GRRRR!!

GURK! GURURK!! AAAARGH!!

Savage beasts emerged, viciously tearing apart half-charred corpses.

Flame-Devouring Beasts.

As their name suggests, they are magical beasts with innate fire resistance.

Sharp horns and teeth.

Glowing red eyes that seemed forged from hellfire.

Equipped with razor-sharp claws, their ugly bodies bristled with spikes.

Their grotesque strategy is to cause widespread explosions with bombs while summoning magical beasts to obliterate the surroundings. Just like when the black magician forces intervened during the attack on the Hohenberc Family, it was clear that a black magician was supporting the Bomber this time as well.

Hmmm.

Just when I thought I was in hot water.

It wouldn’t be easy to escape just like that.

I’ve faced unfortunate outcomes like someone who sold their country in a past life every single time.

This time was no different.

As I stared into the glaring eyes of the relentless beasts, I muttered.

“I’ll blow your ugly head off!”

I pulled the trigger toward the beast presumed to be the leader.

TAANG—!

With the gunshot, the beast’s skull shattered.

As the beast collapsed, spilling its brain matter, the beasts that were approaching from behind lunged at me all at once. I let out a rough breath and drew my second pistol.

KAHOOOT!!

I extended both hands gripping twin pistols and aimed at the beasts.

I continuously pulled the trigger.

As the bullets rained down, the number of beasts quickly dwindled.

However, the battle was not progressing smoothly. The more piercing gunfire echoed, the more magical beasts released by the black magician swarmed in. While securing the safety of the citizens was a positive outcome, regrettably, I found myself in a predicament.

Just two pistols isn’t enough. There are way too many of them.

The beasts were surrounding me from all sides.

Their sharp fangs and claws seemed ready to rip me apart at any moment.

Just with pistols, it was tough.

The makeshift defense against the savage beasts was precarious.

Recalling the days when I served as a non-regular member of the Saintess Party, I invoked the blessing I had sealed away. The lives of countless citizens hung in the balance. I pushed aside the filthy hesitations swirling in my mind along with the pistols in my hands.

Since everything around me is engulfed in flames, there shouldn’t be a concern of leaking it. Perhaps I’ll use a bit of the blessing.

I discarded the pistols.

Then, I grasped the hilt of the Holy Sword Aldebaran. It was to unleash the ‘restriction.’

A dark ink-like essence emerged.

Following that, the intangible ink transformed into muskets boasting long barrels.

TA DA DA DA DANG—!!!

The muskets lined up in unison and spat fire at once.

A deluge of bullets.

The air filled with gunfire and smoke.

The fiercely charging beasts fell like bees, riddled with bullets. Nonetheless, they kept fighting until the end, drenched in blood, but ultimately couldn’t break through the reinforced line of defense.
“Gunfire!”

“I hear gunshots over there!”

Once I finished my task of providing the musket’s blessing,

Beyond the flames, I started to hear the sharp clang of metal accompanied by shouts.

It was the Empire’s knights.

Finally, a large force was deployed to the now fiery site.

As soon as the emergency order was issued, the knights rushed in valiantly, cutting through the flames, and began engaging the magical beasts summoned by the black magician. A street battle unfolded within the flames. True to the knights defending the Imperial City, they relentlessly butchered the magical beasts.

Then, I arrived at the scene where the muskets had fired. The knights gazed at the field littered with corpses, swallowing their breaths in surprise.

“Y-You… Prince Edanant?!”

“Glad to see you made it, though a bit late.”

I grabbed the pistols I had thrown to the ground and informed the knights who joined the scene about the situation.

The Bomber Gale.

The sinister criminal was plotting a second act of terror with his subordinates.

The knights, despite their doubts, eventually nodded. Given the limited information we had, it seemed they reluctantly chose to believe me. Or maybe it was because I had a close relationship with Princess Ludmilla.

“W-Where are you going, Prince?!”

The knight, presumably the commander, asked urgently.

I answered him.

“Going to face the Bomber. I think I have a rough idea of where he is.”

I tried to guess the new target the ruthless criminal was planning.

There was no concrete basis.

It was simply a decision based entirely on intuition.

Thus, I couldn’t carelessly reveal my speculation to others.

I decided to step forward alone.

Because right now, I was the only one who could confront the Bomber.

*

Gale Doher, commonly referred to as ‘The Bomber,’ had detonated the Cathedral of the Savoia Duchy supporting the Saintess Party to threaten Beatrice.

There was no sanctity here.

That woman was merely a harlot using faith to manipulate others.

Harboring malice toward religion, he burned countless lives to cinders in a fiery inferno.

Why does The Bomber resent the goddess’s devotees so much? It was because Gale, whose face was mangled in a horrific fire, had pleaded with the priests of the cathedral for sacred magic, but was ultimately rejected.

He was left penniless.

Being of lowly status was the cause.

Thus, they didn’t even show him a modicum of mercy and turned their backs on him.

Could it be that the malice and hatred boiling inside him poured out onto the world? As he was engulfed in flames, the scars covering Gale’s face twisted in a more hideous manner.

“Yeah, I suspected you’d be here!”

As he recalled the past while fiercely scratching the scars on his face, the Bomber ordered his subordinates to set explosives when—

BOOM—!!

A fierce roar rang out as the entrance was shattered.

With flying debris, the intruder made their appearance.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Just someone here to stop your little fire play.”

Fire play.

It felt like a trivial remark aimed at making me irritated.

Gale’s face twisted in response to the intruder’s answer.

The worthy revolution aimed at toppling the hypocritical guise of the holy and devout disciples was belittled as mere fire play, igniting rage within him. Especially infuriating was how the face of the young man, adorned with pistols, kept reminding him of someone.

“Do you think you can face The Bomber alone?”

“I may only know how to mimic it… But I’ll try anyways.”

Curiously, the intruder was the only male.

This implied he was launching himself into the area filled with explosives all by himself.

Gale could hardly contain his surprise at the intruder’s reckless behavior, which deviated wildly from common sense. But soon, he revealed his hostility toward the intruder, pulling out both a sharp dagger and explosive.

“Mimic? You’re just spouting nonsense. I’ll stuff you full of explosives and splatter your remains everywhere.”

“Then let’s see how a mimic dies.”

Mimic.

Sure,

No matter how hard I try, it might just be a mimic at best.

But for now, that was more than enough.

Recalling the stoic face of the man who always led the way, I drew the hilt of the Holy Sword.

The blade of Aldebaran, imbued with rich violet hues, revealed itself.

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