I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~

Admiral Telzen, Commander of the Imperial Navy’s Southern Fleet, was dead. Now the Emperor could sleep soundly.

It was the end of the world for an emperor to assassinate high-ranking military officers, but this might have extended the Empire’s lifespan by a few years. Or it might have shortened it.

In any case, it would be troublesome if the Admiral revived, so we needed to keep strangling him for several more minutes.

But the sudden break in conversation might make the guards outside suspicious. An admiral-class officer should have guards outside his door.

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was frozen staring at us, I sent her signals with my eyes.

—Could you moan?

—Eh, moan!? Now!?

—It’s camouflage. Hurry.

—How should I do it!?

—Just use the voice you make when you’re alone.

—Ah, I see.

For some reason, Second Lieutenant Crimine bowed deeply to me before producing sultry sounds.

“Haahn… nn! No, no… hiu! Aahn…”

Huh… so that’s how it sounds… Thank you very much.

Second Lieutenant Crimine’s face was bright red as she glared at me, but she needed to continue for a while. I handled sound effects by making the bed creak.

Captain Yugi was laughing silently while still strangling the Admiral. What kind of scene was this?

“Don’t look… nuuu! No, it’s embarrassing…”

Second Lieutenant Crimine writhed and squirmed while moaning with surprising enthusiasm. This girl really wasn’t ordinary.

“Ah, no good… help me, Wong-sama…”

Even the situation was perfect. As expected of a quasi-noble daughter, she apparently had theatrical training too.

But I hadn’t asked her to improvise that far.

At least this should prevent anyone from entering the room. There shouldn’t be anyone reckless enough to disturb the Admiral’s “entertainment.”

Captain Yugi had been listening carefully, but eventually opened the hallway door casually.

“No one’s here.”

“Oh, I see…”

Admiral Telzen had apparently cleared everyone out. He seemed to have a rather nervous personality. I was relieved he wasn’t the type to go “Wahaha, let me show off to my subordinates!”

When I turned around with relief, Second Lieutenant Crimine was glaring at me with a bright red face.

“Ahn ahn ahn ahn.”

“Sorry, that’s enough now. I’m grateful for your cooperation.”

As a superior, I’d only ordered actions necessary for mission execution, so there was really no need to apologize, but as a human being, I should apologize properly.

Captain Yugi gave orders with a wry smile:

“Second Lieutenant, please change clothes. Dress as lightly as possible so you can swim if necessary. Lieutenant, please carry the corpse outside through the balcony. If the body is discovered at this stage, the alert level will rise.”

“Understood.”

Due to the Ceremonial Battalion’s duties, I was used to carrying corpses.

The method was the same as the Self-Defense Forces or fire departments—first lift them up, then turn sideways and carry on both shoulders. This way, even a limp corpse wouldn’t slip off the shoulders. Of course, it was quite eerie, but I’d gotten used to it due to work.

I placed the corpse in a corner of the balcony and tied Captain Yugi’s decorative sash to my waist belt. Since it was sturdy fabric, it should be able to suspend one corpse.

I tied the sash to the balcony railing and adjusted the length so it wouldn’t drop all at once. The sound of a human falling was quite loud, so I was careful not to drop it.

“You’re very skilled, Lieutenant.”

“I suspended Second Lieutenant Crimine the other day.”

“You seem close, I’m envious.”

What kind of conversation was this?

When I gently lowered Admiral Telzen’s corpse, it hung nicely near the ground. Truly, humans should experience everything. I’d gotten good at hanging people.

Captain Yugi lightly mounted the balcony railing.

“I’ll go down and recover the body. You two come down afterward using the decorative sash.”

Since it didn’t have the strength to suspend two people’s weight, the corpse would be lowered first, then we’d follow.

Captain Yugi fluttered the hem of her cheongsam and landed soundlessly, carrying the corpse with practiced movements. We followed after.

Admiral Telzen’s corpse was hidden in the outside bushes. If searched during daylight, it would be found immediately, but it was night now. It couldn’t be found with just lantern light.

Second Lieutenant Crimine said quietly:

“Can’t we sink it in the sea?”

I answered while hiding the corpse:

“There’s danger of it being found on the way, and if the corpse drifts with the current, it becomes troublesome. Besides…”

“Besides?”

I smiled at the curious Crimine:

“When corpses decay, they swell up and float. A little weight won’t be effective.”

“How do you know something like that…?”

There was a game where zombies swollen with decay gas crossed the sea to spread infection. From my previous life, of course.

Captain Yugi, who was watching our surroundings, whispered:

“The area around the coast is noisy.”

When she mentioned it, I could indeed hear people’s voices. They sounded urgent.

Second Lieutenant Crimine said fearfully:

“Don’t tell me they found out we killed Admiral Telzen…”

I shook my head.

“If that were the case, the building side would be noisy. They might have discovered our boat.”

“If so, that means our escape route has been cut off.”

Captain Yugi showed signs of thinking.

“It’s a small island, and no matter how we hide it, the Admiral’s corpse will be discovered quickly. Us too, of course.”

Hiding on an unfamiliar isolated island was unrealistic.

On the other hand, swimming to escape was absolutely impossible. The currents here were strong, and the distance to land was considerable. Long-distance swimming in clothes wasn’t realistic.

“Should we force our way through?”

“Yes. The assassination mission is complete, so it’s fine as long as we can escape.”

Captain Yugi put away her iron fan and pulled a carnelian hairpin from her tied hair. The main part was an extremely thick needle. This was also a concealed weapon.

“Please capture a rowboat in the bay and escape. If worst comes to worst, I’ll stay here and draw the enemy.”

“That’s no good, Company Commander!?”

Second Lieutenant Crimine frantically grasped Captain Yugi’s hand.

“I can’t let the Company Commander who came to rescue me die.”

“But you wouldn’t even serve as a diversion, would you?”

That was true.

I patted the dejected Crimine’s shoulder and smiled:

“I have an idea. It’s a bad gamble, but Company Commander can cut through the deadly ground after we lose the bet.”

Then Captain Yugi chuckled.

“You seem to have thought of something interesting again?”

“Yes, fairly so. Ah, that carnelian is very nice.”

“E-eh. Thank you.”