CH 121

Chapter 121 – Raging Female

“Voltage good, oil pressure good, fuel good! Yoshua, we are ready to go!”

This is probably the first time for me to be in this configuration, with Myrril at the controls and me as the shooter, but Nojaloli-sensei is very enthusiastic in the cockpit of the Tiran APC.

I heard that this was the first time for her to be in this position, but she was very excited in the cockpit of the Tiran APC because she had hardly had a chance to touch the T-55 due to the over-enthusiasm of Heimann-jiisan and the rest of the tanker team.

“They put their whole heart and soul into their maintenance and training. I felt uncomfortable interrupting them.”

“Well, it’s like stealing a lover.”

“I had learned the basic operations at the workshop in case of emergencies, but I had half given up the idea that I would never have a chance to use it.”

I don’t want to point this out now, but I think Heimann-jiisan and the others will confiscate this vehicle when we return to Casemaian.

I heard that there was a T-55 pilot training session held exclusively for dwarves, but I didn’t attend it. I have no intention of taking the course because the operation is complicated and requires maintenance skills.

To begin with, the T-55 is an eastern tank designed for small soldiers. The interior is so narrow that even a short man like me might bump my head against it, and even if I had the technical aptitude, I wouldn’t want to ride in one. As for the beastman, most of them are bigger than I am, and it would be impossible for them to get into the tank. Even a skinny but tall elf would be impossible.

However, for Myrril-san and the other dwarves, this was their own exclusive territory. Nojaloli-sensei, on the other hand, was overjoyed to be able to reach the control system.

“Then, let’s go!”

Myrril-san checked the meter on the right-hand side of the cockpit and operated some kind of lever to raise the voltage and push a switch that seemed to be the starter.

After a slow and sluggish crank turn at the rear of the tank, the engine started. Immediately after, black smoke billows out from the left rear of the tank as if it were a smoke grenade launcher.

“O-oh… what’s this? All the smoke is coming this way…”

The smoke was far thicker than that of the T-55s in Casemaian, perhaps due to the difference in maintenance conditions. I was sitting on an open-air gun turret, choking hard on the diesel fumes.

Don’t the Soviets and Israelis think about air quality?

“Mm, that’s a good roar.”

After a few more spurts of smoke from Myrril-san’s gas pedal, the smoke gradually becomes thinner and whiter as the engine revs more steadily.

“It is not green or white, but a pale earth color that symbolizes the dwarves, and it was remodeled in the country that made the Wuji, right?”

“Ah, yes. But this is not a tank.”

“A female has her own willpower. It is foolish for a man to value only a big gun.”

That may be true. I think it’s phallic worship, and I still think that cannon boom is a man’s romance. Rinko, for example, is definitely a man inside.

Aside from the thrilled Myrril-san, I was perplexed by the ruggedness of the MAG general-purpose machine gun. As a firearm, it is in the same category as the RPK, which I have finally become accustomed to using, but it clearly looks heavier and is more solidly built. It seems more dependable than the M60, even if I see it as the same vehicle-mounted machine gun.

A heavy machine gun would be even better, but that’s a pipe dream… I’d hesitate to shoot a human being with a .50 caliber, considering the cost of ammo.

“Let’s go!”

Leaving my petty-bourgeois worries at the back of my mind, the Tiran APC began to move. With a slight metallic squeak, I can feel the crawler’s sure footing on the ground.

Whether it was a female or a derivative species, the roaring forward tanks were gripping my heart. There was nothing to fear anymore. That’s how it felt.

Shaking off the death flag floating in my mind, I signaled Yadar, the bear-faced bus positioned about 10 meters behind us, to advance. I told them to keep a safe distance from each other, but they were both used to fighting, maneuvering, and forced marches. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“Hahaha, wonderful! This is a great power. This one, too, is a magical beast worthy of being my servant!”

Hey, she’s starting to talk nonsense again. Can you stop saying, “This one too,” as if you’re going to roll it over and start wearing it down as soon as you get it started?

Anyway, a tank is a completely different kind of ride from a car. It feels like a mass of super-heavy, super-dense steel rushing forward. There is no “gliding” feeling like a vehicle running on tires, so the acceleration and deceleration are 100% transmitted to your body.

The sun began to rise soon after the start of the ride, and the area became brighter.

No one comes close to the huge steel monster that is roaring forward, emitting a strange smell and a lot of smoke. I don’t know if it was a magical beast or a wild animal, but I only caught the occasional glimpse of something fleeing deep into the forest.

“It’s a good day for hunting. Shoot to your heart’s content!”

Myrril looked back with a smile on her face as she said something disturbing and sped up the Tiran even more.

“Yoshua, are you ready?”

“Y-yeah.”

The body of the tank, aside from its armament, is the T-55 itself, which is a mainline tank, so its defensive capabilities are extraordinary. The arrows of a long bow are nothing to worry about. The mage’s attack is not much of a threat either.

The problem is when the gun turret is hit, but Minya applies the blessing of the wind. It is not strong enough to repel arrowheads or attack magic, but it is effective in deflecting them.

“It’s a good luck charm.”

It was just like Minya to leave an unsettling comment at the very end.

“Half a mile ahead, behind the bushes, is the enemy! They are scouts! They don’t have the guts to come at us, but it will be troublesome if we bring them into our own camp, so let’s take them out!”

“Yeah!”

I set the sights of the MAG on the gun turret, and at 800 meters, it’s still out of range, but I see what looks like a figure in the position Myrril indicated. Two scouts lie down in the shade of a tree. They allow us to approach, dumbfounded by Tiran’s huge body and mysterious power as it approaches.

Perhaps believing they could escape if push came to shove, or perhaps overconfident that their hidden positions would not be exposed, the two men remained motionless until a point-blank shot from a MAG was fired at them, killing them head to butt with 7.6mm NATO rounds.

“Okay, next, two miles ahead, heavy cavalry, 14, coming at us!”

“Eh?”

The road, though almost straight, was winding through the forest. And it is hard to see the enemy at a distance of more than three kilometers.

“Isn’t that the same type as the “M60″? Couldn’t it reach them by now?”

“No, no, no, it might be possible with Minya. She is practically a magician with such special abilities.”

As we continued to approach the armored figures on horseback, and there were more than 10 of them in a tight group, I gradually began to be able to see them at least somewhat in the area.

Nevertheless, if I were not careful, I would miss the target, and if my view were blocked by trees, rocks, or undulations, I would lose sight of their position.

When the distance between us was less than one mile and less than one kilometer, it was finally possible for me to catch them in my sights.

“We’re almost half a mile away.”

“No, my gun is out of range, but not my eyesight. So I need a scope…”

Nevertheless, I managed to shoot down all the cavalrymen by adjusting the impact with point-blank fire and aided by the proximity of the tanks.

The bear-faced bus that follows has Minya on the gunnery seat. I trust her shooting, but we are in the front with an armored vehicle. I don’t want to let the enemy get behind us as much as possible.

“Yoshua!”

Myrril-san, who was communicating with me via some sort of communication device, looked back at me and shouted.

“Can you see the hill about three miles ahead? The one with the giant tree leaning to the right!”

“Yeah, I can vaguely see it… I think.”

“I think at the top there is the blockade line for the Imperial Army! They have placed a mountain of ambush troops on both sides from the entrance to the top of the hill! We’re going to overrun it!”

“Y-yeah!”

Five hundred men. I don’t really understand how big that is. But if I can’t destroy that many enemies, I probably won’t be able to protect my friends from now on.

“Two miles away, even out of range, the bullets will reach them! Let’s send them in once!”

That’s right. I must do it. If I don’t do it, we’ll be killed. In this world, you have two choices. Kill the enemy, or your friend will be killed. I raised the barrel of my MAG and started shooting at full elevation.