Explosion!

[Target: Gunpowder Crates Captured from the Imperial Army]

[Grade: Consumable]

[Status: Unstable. Due to a minor mana disturbance, the internal structure has been altered. There is a high likelihood of a chain reaction from even the slightest impact.]

[Special Information: This gunpowder was used by the Imperial Army's magical engineering corps and contains unstable substances that react with mana to increase its explosive power.]

'…If this is it.'

I swallowed hard. The source of the dead space Hanna had sensed was a stack of gunpowder crates. Those stupid orcs had piled a heap of explosives right inside their encampment.

I raised my binoculars again and surveyed the camp. Then I marveled. The gunpowder pile was in a perfect location. Right beside it was an armory where weapons had been piled carelessly, and beside that were several warehouses packed with provisions.

If we blew that up, we could cause far more chaos than simply destroying the command center. The orcs would panic after losing both their food and weapons, and we could slip away while they were distracted.

I lowered my binoculars and called the squad leaders over.

"We're changing the operation's objective."

The squad leaders' eyes all turned toward me. I pointed at the crates holding the gunpowder.

"That's our target."

"What is that, Lieutenant…? Isn't it just a box?"

Sergeant Gunter tilted his head. To the naked eye, it looked like an ordinary box.

"That's a pile of gunpowder."

"……!"

The squad leaders' eyes widened in surprise at my words.

"D-did you say it's a pile of gunpowder?"

Corporal Kurt asked as if he couldn't believe me.

"They piled it so carelessly in the middle of the camp? No matter how stupid orcs are, they wouldn't do that…."

"Not because they're stupid. Because they don't know what it is."

I handed them the binoculars as I explained.

"Orc civilization has no concept of gunpowder. They probably think those are just strange-smelling black sand used by the Imperial Army. That's why they can leave them piled up so carelessly."

I spoke as I recalled the setting of the game [Heart of the Empire: Eagle Chronicle]. In reality, orcs primarily used shamanism and melee weapons; unlike the Empire, they had never developed gunpowder technology.

A flicker of doubt crossed the squad leaders' faces, but it soon vanished. They had absolute faith in the abilities Hanna and I had demonstrated on the way here, so they did not question my words.

"Good heavens… Then if we just blow that up…."

Gunter's voice trembled with excitement.

"That's right. It's a far more reliable method than attacking the command center. We'll blow that up, cut off their supplies, and turn the entire camp into chaos. If that succeeds, we'll win without even having to fight."

Realization dawned on the squad leaders as I explained. Then Corporal Kurt asked a question.

"But how are we supposed to make it explode?"

"I have a good way."

I turned to Private Klaus.

"Can you hit it with a sniper shot?"

Klaus checked the target through his scope, then answered after a brief hesitation.

"The distance is manageable. But the gunpowder crates are covered by thick wooden boards, so I don't know whether they'll explode."

"I thought so."

I nodded as I unfastened my pack. Then I carefully took out an item. It was a new-model round I had received as a reward from the regimental commander last time. It had been issued to me first for testing, before being distributed to the entire platoon.

"This should do it."

"Th-that is… the new-model supply round I'd only heard about?!"

"Good grief, I didn't even know something like that existed…."

Sergeant Gunter nearly jumped out of his skin. Kurt put a hand to his head and looked sheepish.

What I had taken out was a newly developed mana round. A fine mana circuit had been etched into its warhead, causing it to explode on impact and produce an effect like an incendiary round.

"Here, Private Klaus."

I held the mana round out to Klaus. The mana circuit etched into its surface gave off a faint blue glow.

"I… I'm to use this?"

Klaus put on a surprised expression. I wasn't merely giving him such a precious item; I was entrusting him with the decisive shot that would determine the success or failure of the operation. But I did not miss the momentary gleam in Klaus's eyes.

I patted his shoulder and placed the round in his hand.

"The lives of our entire platoon are in your hands, Private. Can you do it?"

"…I'll complete the mission, even if I have to stake my life on it!"

Klaus accepted the round with a solemn expression and, without the slightest hesitation, loaded it into his rifle's chamber. A metallic clack rang out as the mechanism locked into place.

Klaus took up a position on one side of the ridge. It was the most stable sniping position. Soon, he slowly lowered himself into a prone position, adjusted his scope, removed the suppressor, and began gauging the wind direction.

It was a suffocating wait. The orcs in the camp continued milling around the campfires, completely unaware, while the members of 3rd Platoon focused on Klaus in silence.

"…May I fire?"

Klaus, having finished preparing, asked one last time.

"Fire."

The moment I gave permission, Klaus's finger pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—Bang!

With a sound that tore through the air, the mana round was fired. Tracing a blue trajectory, the bullet struck the exact center of the pile of gunpowder crates.

KWA-BOOOOM!!

With a roar that shook the earth, a pillar of flame shot into the sky. The gunpowder crates exploded in a chain reaction, swallowing a quarter of the camp in an instant. The shockwave reached the ridge, making the trees sway as though they were about to snap.

"Kraaagh!"

"W-what is this?! What's happening?!"

"F-fire! There's been an explosion in the warehouse!"

The orcs fell into utter confusion. But the flames continued to rise without mercy.

Bang! KWA-BOOOOM!

The flames quickly spread to the armory and the food warehouse beside it, triggering second and third explosions. The surviving orcs ran screaming between the burning barracks, unable even to think about containing the disaster.

"Kraaagh! The ancestor gods are angry!"

"It's a curse! The spirit of the earth is enraged!"

"Damn it, where's the shaman?! Get them to put out this fire!"

Apparently, they did not even know what had befallen them. They could not imagine that this was an attack by the Imperial Army and believed instead that a supernatural disaster had descended upon them. Some threw themselves to the ground and prayed in unintelligible words, while others began running blindly out of the camp in terror.

"Now! Everyone, retreat!"

I shouted. Without a moment's hesitation, we retraced the path we had taken and began running like mad. Behind us, chain explosions and the orcs' screams continued to echo. We had succeeded. It was a perfect success.

"Signal flare!"

When we were almost out of the area, I ordered the signal flare gunner to fire. He pulled the trigger without hesitation, and a red signal flare rose into the dawn sky in a graceful arc.

It was both the signal that we had completed our mission and the signal for our allies to launch their all-out attack. As expected, before long, battle cries began to rise from the eastern side of the forest.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

Along with the battle cries came the rattle of machine guns. The frontal assault by 1st and 4th Platoons had begun. I glanced at the green dots on the minimap as they began moving in earnest and kept running.

We ran without stopping and soon reached the nearby rendezvous point. The soldiers staggered along, breathing heavily. Some stared at the center of the forest, where smoke and flames were still rising, their faces filled with disbelief.

"…Good heavens. We… we did that?"

Private Hans muttered blankly, his face smeared with ash.

"That wasn't just a bomb going off. The whole forest shook! Those orcs probably don't even have bones left to pick up by now."

A veteran soldier chuckled. With trembling hands, he opened his canteen and gulped down water.

"I still can't believe it. We wiped out all those bastards… without even firing a proper shot."

"That bastard Klaus became a hero today. How did he make it explode from that distance?"

"It must have been thanks to that strange round the lieutenant gave him. Did you see it glowing? It looked like magic."

The soldiers all chattered as they replayed what had just happened. It was absurd. A difficult mission that required a mere platoon to infiltrate enemy lines, and far more enemies than expected—everything had been stacked against us. But a single gunshot had turned it all around.

Sergeant Gunter came running toward me, overcome with emotion.

"…We did it. We did it, Lieutenant!"

Unable to hide his excitement, he grabbed my shoulder with a hand covered in dirt and dust. His eyes held something beyond respect, a gleam bordering on worship.

"No casualties! Everyone returned safely! A perfect operation like this… I've never seen one in my entire military career!"

"The operation isn't over yet, Sergeant. Don't let your guard down."

I patted his shoulder and surveyed the battlefield. Unlike the excited platoon members, my mind remained cold under the influence of the [Strong Mind] skill.

On the minimap, the red dots were charging eastward before becoming entangled with the green dots representing our main force, flashing violently amid the clash. The battle was turning in our favor.

It was then that my brow furrowed. An anomaly had appeared in the western part of the minimap. A far greater number of red dots had begun surging toward that area.

Twenty, thirty… They were not mere scattered stragglers. A huge group comparable to the main force was trying to avoid the fighting in the east and force its way toward the west.

"Damn…!"

The red dots continued moving west until they eventually disappeared beyond the minimap's range. But I knew where they would end up.

'It's the western ridge assigned to 2nd Platoon….'

I recalled Erika before we set out for battle. She had been furious that her mission to block the retreat was being treated as mere window dressing. Regardless of her competence, she could suffer heavy losses if caught off guard.