The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent

The battle in the original work is an ordinary JRPG combat system, if we’re being honest.

Of course, it’s not completely identical to other games. Within the framework of turn-based combat, it has its own variations to establish a bit of uniqueness.

However, because of the combat system, there were significant restrictions on storytelling through battles alone.

For instance, expressing a ‘huge battlefield’ is impossible.

Even if it were a turn-based RPG made in Japan, if it were an SRPG genre, capturing the essence of the battlefield wouldn’t be that difficult. Especially when describing the trench warfare of World War I, it might be the perfect genre to depict moving from trench to trench. In fact, there are games that do similar things.

But perhaps to maintain the identity of the series, this game adopted a relatively traditional JRPG-style combat system, which gave rise to challenges in depicting situations solely through battles.

Well, whatever.

So the method chosen by the developers was ‘consecutive battles.’

After finishing one battle, you would transition to the next after an event scene, and then another event scene leading to the next battle… If you win all three battles, it ends with the temporary capture of the trenches, but if you lose at any point, you’re out. The downside is that you won’t receive the items that come as rewards.

In fact, those items are only helpful very briefly at the beginning. Their importance is low, but…

Still, the thought of someone else taking it didn’t sit well with me. Right? In a game, such items were all mine. If I couldn’t take the benefits while having some vague memory of what would happen in the future, then there would be no reason for me to have crossed over into this world.

Well, I didn’t come over because I wanted to, though.

Moreover, it could negatively affect the image I’ve built up in this world. I’ve established an image of ‘I can handle anything,’ and I didn’t want to create an image of ‘Ah, he can’t even handle this.’

…Maybe I should have built an image of ‘I just don’t do annoying things’ instead?

And there were a lot of other things I wanted to verify. Especially the items obtained ‘systematically’—like, ‘You received ●●● as a success reward,’ I was curious how that would work in reality. There wasn’t exactly a status window or anything in this world.

I knew that if it were something already systemically blocked, then if it could be done realistically, everything would be possible. What about the parts that ‘the system intervened in’ outside the world or the story?

To check that, I needed to win here.

“Light…?”

Upon hearing my words, Mia Crowfield fell into thought for a moment but soon seemed to understand what I was thinking.

“But if you emit such bright light, it would obscure your vision, wouldn’t it?”

I could understand why Mia Crowfield was quite suspicious.

After all, light isn’t visible only to specific people. If someone didn’t see it, that means there was a serious issue with their optic nerves or brains.

There are magic related to hallucinations, but casting such a wide area spell on dozens of people would be impossible. At least, I’d never seen such magic throughout the game.

…I have seen magic where a giant hand emerges from the sky and shoots lasers, though.

“…Why do you look at me like that?”

As I stared silently at Mia Crowfield, she took a step back and asked.

Yeah, it was just a visualization made to look ‘as cool as possible’ in the game. Like the techniques from the Super●●● Wars series. Techniques that could be used without regard to whether you’re indoors or out.

But what happens to those skills or spells in reality?

This was something I’d have to check eventually.

And I had to remember that those spells could fly toward me if I wasn’t careful.

“Is that possible?”

It should be possible. It was in the original work.

Mia’s specialty was magic related to ice and water, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t use other spells. In the game, there were ‘basic spells you could use’ and ‘spells that required additional equipment.’ Just because it was a specialty didn’t mean it was especially stronger, but because of the basic magic she could use, it allowed for more flexibility with other spells.

And her base ‘magic attack power’ was exceptionally high as well.

If the right equipment was matched, other characters could use the same spells, but since they wouldn’t have any magic to use as a baseline, their options would be limited, and their magic attack power wouldn’t be great, leading to reduced damage or effects.

At this point, the only character who could use such ‘magic’ was Mia Crowfield.

“…”

Mia Crowfield’s expression showed she didn’t like my silent questioning, but in the end, she nodded.

Yeah, it’s how it should be.

She may have radiated a bit of hostility in the student council, but ultimately, she was the one who said she wanted to join if I was in the student council. Regardless of whether we became friends or not, she had to be around me to find proof that I killed her father and possibly take revenge if the opportunity arose.

It was impossible to clear up misunderstandings with Mia Crowfield after revealing what her father had done. The atmosphere was what it was, but I had already attempted this once. Even if I spoke calmly in a private space between us, there was no way she would believe me.

Who would want to believe that their dad was a drug addict and a pedophile?

It would be better to give her time to process it.

“But that magic wand…”

“As it’s not intended for killing, there shouldn’t be major issues. Just sending out ‘bright light’ as far as possible will be enough.”

“…”

In the original work, everyone blindly charged forward with their eyes covered. They succeeded in the end, but both Leo and Jennifer, having witnessed it, said, “You did great at succeeding, but don’t do that in real combat.”

But what if there were variables involved here?

‘Inevitability’ rather than ‘coincidence.’

Of course, what I was trying to do was also totally reliant on coincidence.

Well, it would appear inevitable to those facing me.

When I briefly turned my gaze, I noticed Jennifer watching me closely. Her face was full of interest. It seemed she’d developed a bit of interest in me since our last duel.

Jennifer would have heard at least some rumors about ‘the Emperor’s children’ and the questions surrounding Count Crowfield’s death.

“Well then, over here.”

As I turned my body back to my original group, I heard Mia Crowfield follow just a moment behind me.

Seeing Mia Crowfield leave without anyone stopping her made it seem like I was that intimidating.

Or perhaps it was that Mia Crowfield hadn’t truly fit in among people.

*

“Well, putting us aside.”

Alice, having heard my plan, asked with a serious expression.

“What about you? If you can’t see, you won’t hit anything with a gun.”

“I can provide suppressive fire.”

“…You’re confident you won’t hit us?”

“I’m confident.”

“…Well, fine.”

Since Alice didn’t harbor any doubts about my abilities, she eventually agreed to my words.

“But still, since you can’t see…”

“Sylvia says so.”

Leo’s doubtful comment was immediately intercepted by Claire.

…Originally, this was your suggested strategy. But, back then, there probably wouldn’t have been anyone willing to shoot from behind.

Claire seems to have gone beyond merely trusting in my ability to a kind of faith…

But putting that aside.

Charlotte was narrowing her eyes at me.

Her gaze seemed filled with suspicion, and conversely, it also contained a strange sense of certainty. She definitely must have learned something from her father.

“I’ll agree. There’s no other way.”

Eventually, Charlotte said the same.

“Then when should we head outside?”

Confirming everyone’s opinions aligned, Alice asked me.

“The timing is—”

I was about to speak about the timing I was considering, when—

“Doolhyeoruhhhh!”

A sound echoed from a spot slightly distant from us.

It was the group where Mia Crowfield had just been.

“Now.”

As I said that, glancing at Mia Crowfield, she seemed a bit flustered at first but then began to cast her spell—

“Mia Crowfield! Elimination!”

—Only to get shot mid-incantation.

…Again.

*

“Now!”

I said that and immediately turned to face the enemy. As I aimed at the opponent with only their face visible, I pulled the trigger, and soon enough, they received an elimination notice.

“Luxina!”

Let there be light!

It was quite astonishing to hear the original language of the game combined with the language of people.

Thinking back, this was the first time I’d seen magic actually being cast in a world where magic operates as an important element.

In an instant, my vision was filled with blinding white light, and I could see that glowing mass flying away into the distance.

It felt not like a flashbang but the sensation of viewing an extremely bright floodlight. It was like staring directly at the high beams of an approaching car.

But unlike car high beams, the incredible thing about this light was its ability to spread in all directions.

Given the circumstances, I could tell that the light was also brightening up the nearby area, and even from here, I couldn’t fully see the silhouettes of those people over there.

Sounds of Alice, Charlotte, Claire, and Leo leaping over sandbags reached my ears.

Each of them wielded a shotgun.

Well, fine.

Either way, the operation had begun.

Then, I had to do my part.

With swift movements, I pulled back the bolt, ejected the spent shell, and loaded the round. The process felt quite exhilarating.

As for the enemy’s position, I had seen it several times before.

Click!

Though hitting them was another matter.

Even pulling the trigger didn’t produce the sound of ‘elimination!’

Then—

Again!

*

The reason I jumped over the sandbags was that the people who rushed ahead had nearly become invisible in my line of sight.

Of course, it wasn’t that they were too far away to see. It was because of the enormous light floating in the sky.

Regardless of my feelings, Mia Crowfield faithfully followed my instructions, sending that mass of light into the sky several times over.

In that time, I had taken down several opponents. Seven? Eight? I don’t quite remember the numbers; I shot so quickly. But I switched to another gun after taking down at least six opponents one by one.

With one shell in my chamber, I had a pump-action shotgun in hand and was about to spring into action again when I addressed Mia Crowfield.

“Please stay here and use your magic one more time.”

She nodded with a somewhat stiff face at my request.

After going this far, she would likely listen to me.

Well, even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t matter much. I could find a way myself.

By now, the rest of the group probably reached very close to the trenches.

Thinking that, I immediately sprung into action and leaped over the sandbags.

“Ugh!”

And tripped, falling forward.

“…”

There was a brief moment of silence.

I thought perhaps the whole battlefield fell silent momentarily, but that wasn’t it. It was just my feelings playing tricks on me.

Probably… only Jennifer looking down from above or Mia Crowfield watching for danger behind me saw that.

How embarrassing.

Again!

*

Fortunately, this time I didn’t fall. Looking back, there was a small stone right in front of the sandbag, and I must have stepped on it and tripped.

Alright.

With a sense of accomplishment for having jumped over with a decent style, I immediately started sprinting forward.

I kept my gaze downwards to avoid looking at the light in the sky, zigzagging my way forward.

During that time, no gunfire was directed at me.

There had to be other successful students from the other noble group crossing over as well. From beyond the sandbags, I could hear sounds of movement and someone swinging something, indicating they were also in a panic state.

As I ran hard, I saw the sandbags piled high in the brightly lit gymnasium, more radiant than during the day.

With all my might, I leaped into those sandbags.

---