Isekai, Meet Machine And Magic

{Sorceress's POV}

Fireteam Bravo was occupying a side of the central campfire, while the two princesses and their "close attendants" were taking the other. Looking from afar, nothing was strange, the royalty was just trying to understand the summoned heroes better, and vice versa. Technically, it was the truth. Well, technically, my boyfriend was deliberately playing the stereotype of a military kid at the moment. A lot of vulgar jokes were told, and unless one knew history clear enough, they would miss his message.

Luckily, we were an elite class, and the upper brass of the Terran Federation might be eccentric and slightly incompetent, but they knew the value of history. Within five minutes, every single classmate of mine was riled up and ready for combat. The local princesses were none the wiser, they just thought that my boyfriend was just retelling the history. Technically speaking, they were correct. But this was not only about history.

After all, even the dumbest in our class would be able to realize the true message when their smartwatches lit up with aerial photos, the ones showing clear positions of our would-be assassins. Yeah, as it turned out, Vuong was just careful, after all, it was not paranoia when there were actually people out there after our blood.

These assassins were good, they used both mundane and magical camouflage, in fact, it was practically impossible to spot them unless one was looking for a very specific magical signal. Besides, they were just unlucky to meet us, the people who had live through a war against the worst of the magical. Such disguise and camouflage were little more than the standard by end of the conflict. Of course, Vuong was smart (and/or insane) enough to hint about it in his talks to the two princesses, even if he had to talk in a roundabout way.

For some reasons, if one wanted to talk about World War Three, he must begin with World War One.

"But isn't hiding in the trees cowardice?"

"Your Highness, it is technically cowardice, but it is also pragmatism. Besides, by our time, cowardice is defined as shying away from duty, not hiding under the bush. In fact, hiding is considered a good and ideal way to fight."

"It is strange… Why would they not advance in rank and file, welcoming the assault of the enemy? That is true bravery and honour, such should be the way of the noble and the prestige."

"Your Highness, you would be correct… if there was no way to kill on a mass scale in a short period of time. Advancing in ranks is no longer considered as brave anymore, it is simply stupidity."

"How much of a "mass" scale are you talking about?"

"Eighty thousand men on both sides."

Was that the Battle of the Somme? It was probably the last time where a mass frontal charge of infantry was launched… At least the last time where infantry was no supported by combined arms tactics. World War Two was still made of such charge, but the inter-service fire support was also introduced, greatly reducing the overall and absolute scale of the carnage.

"Well, it was not too bad for a full campaign. I have heard of my mother leading a punitive campaign against the Versaille, the war took seventy-five thousand men in six months."

"You are wrong, your Highness. It was not eighty thousand casualties over a few months, it was eighty thousand killed and crippled within a single day. Oh, and the whole war lasted for a total of five years with a total death count of… ten million, I think?"

That shut the princesses up totally. I thought that the total population count of their country would not even reach five million, so ten million was, well, a cataclysm. To be fair, the Great War was also considered like that on Earth.

"Oh, and then shit got better, your Highness. And pardon my language, but you must know that the idea of hiding was a real need in war."

Vuong gestured towards Fireteam Bravo and other "volunteers" within the class. Some people stood up, approaching the guards and asking them in hushed tones. The remaining of them was sitting still in their spots, but they were quietly packing up. I recognized this pattern, my boyfriend was about to launch a decapitation strike, and he would baptize Fireteam Bravo at the same time.

They did not need to fight, of course. But being near the action and carnage in a controlled environment would be more beneficial in the long run. That being said, the assassins still had to be brought down – and that was where the drone and the guards were for. Thanks to his political background, Vuong had an extra tool in his arsenal, a drone equipped with the magi-tek weapon. A gemstone was installed within the structure, giving him the ability to cast down some pre-loaded spells on an area. While there was a very limited set of spells and charge count, he could use the value of shock to his own end.

"What are you doing hero?"

"I'm ill.u.s.trating my point, your Highness. We had ten million died in the Great War, which was also the war I just told you about. We thought we could not have another war soon, it was too terrible to bear… Then we actually have another great war, called World War Two this time. It claimed the lives of more than 100 million people."

If the ladies-in-waiting of the two princesses were not shocked before, they would be now. After all, the echo of World War Two was so great that even a century after that, people were still talking about it. After all, it led to the Cold War, and that was definitely a shitty time to live. Who could sleep peacefully when there was a real chance that every day might be the last day of Earth?

"Within World War Two, a league of evil and renegade countries banding together, forming their own block and silently dividing the world among them. They were winning and winning… even a few successfully counter-attack of their enemies failed to bring them down. Then, it was the Battle of Kursk, the most infamous country of that evil league planned to wipe out a salient of their most dangerous enemy. Eight hundred men were gathered for a total flanking manoeuvre. Do you know what happened then, your Highness?"

"It was a great struggle?"

"It was a struggle, your Highness, it was a great battle. But I'm not sure if it was a great struggle. For one, the evil empire failed to detect a massive amount of defending troops. They assumed their enemy had about 1500 iron elephants, this number was in fact 5100. They assume their enemy had something like five hundred thousand, I think… the real number was one million more than that. From those two numbers alone, you could see how well the battle was for them."

"Hang on, that was seriously underestimating the enemy, how could the scouts not know about… Oh…"

"Yes, your Highness, oh. The defenders had already mastered hiding and camouflage tactics by then. They made the evil empire to pay for their mistakes by blood, literally. And after this battle, the evil empire totally and forever lost their initiative on the battlefield, they could no longer launch any attack. Their only option left was to defend, and hoped for the best. That was the supreme power of hiding, your Highness."

"So what does it have anything to do with your action just now? You said that you want to ill.u.s.trate something for me, didn't you?"

"Yes, your Highness. The battle I just said saw a total defeat for the spies of the evil empire, and I will show you how it happens here, right now, again."

Vuong just flick his wrist, and just a blink of an eye later, explosions were seen dotted around the perimeter of the camp. There were eight of them in total, and the power after each was definitely lethal and hazardous for health. The two princesses and their ladies-in-waiting were shaken up, but the bodyguards were simply raising their eyebrows at us.

Let's be honest, how could Vuong pull off that trick without telling them first. He could be dramatic and horny sometimes, but stupidity was never a part of his package. If he had not told the bodyguards, they would have simply assumed him as hostile and killed him in the process. "Blue on blue" was probably something he hated having on his tombstone.

The screen on his wrist was lit clearly, showing troop movements on the ground. Peaking over his shoulder, I observed the chaos unfolding. There were eight locations tagged and eight groups of friendly guards were sent after the assailants. Each would-be assassins had to deal with more than twenty counter-attack force, and Vuong simply distributed Fireteam Bravo and the volunteers in those numbers. Sure, it was a bit of a d.i.c.k move to simply outnumber the assassins, but then, it was war, and everything was fair in war.

A few more buttons were pressed, and a new wave of explosive spells was launched. The few stubborn assassins were attacked again, this time, their magical shields went down for good. On the other prongs, the garrison had been able to kill or capture three assassins. Two more were being chased real hard in the jungle…

But one assassin was cutting his way into the centre. OK, he had not even reached the camp yet, but the arrow waves launched upon him had little effect in slowing him down. If no one did anything, the assassin would be able to reach the wall, and there would be a massacre afterwards.

"Yukino, you have command."

OK, he was… What? He was putting me in charge? Seriously, that was simply wrong on many levels. For one, I was supposed to be his ward, and putting me in charge was against the principle of "keeping me down". Besides, I had no experience in leading men. Hell, I even had a single battle only – and that time I was so livid and depressed that I did not even plan my escape. It almost ended with me and Vuong dying on that day.

"Honey, you are the only one thinking like me here. Besides, these two princesses need to know about our way of war."

"But…"

I was worried, he was deliberately risking his lives here. Hell, every woman would feel worried when her men went to the front. Vuong was competent and dangerous in his own right, but nothing was guaranteed on the battlefield. Besides, the Terran armed forces prioritied combined arms doctrine for a reason, and even the Security Bureau taught their agents to be cooperative. Yet, Vuong was neither a full-fledged soldier or agent, he lacked the training of both. It meant that the risk of him being injured, or worse, was even eve higher, so how could I not get worked up? We did not even have s.e.x with each other, and we were both V.I.R.G.I.NS! I was pretty sure that there were few deaths worse than being a v.i.r.g.i.n…

Then, I suddenly felt something tender on my lips… Vuong kissed me… Then it sank in me again: Vuong had kissed me. He was a quiet and shy, rarely showing any kind of emotions, yet, he was here, publically showing his love and care to his new girlfriend. It was practically his way of saying he was deeply and totally in love with me, which sent a surge of adrenaline and other happy hormones straight to my brain, waking me up. Well, that, and the sudden distraction from the dread helped a lot.

"Wait for me, and I will come back."

He just wordlessly sent me the control over the drone before dashing away, right into the thick of the action. The girls were squealing, madly jealous, or both. The boys were dumbstrucked, though I was not sure because of which – the part where he kissed me, or the part where he pulled out a gun from nowhere. Right, he had not told anyone about his part-time job.

Yeah, he was a student, and he was a part-time intelligence operative. I felt like there was a joke or two over there.

"What… what is he doing?"

The elder princes hesitantly asked fear and doubt were evident in her voice… Right, I forgot how gingerly I became every time we held hands, and more recently, every time we kissed. I thought I had already passed the main stage of puberty – turned out I had not… damn my hormones. And I thought I had spent too much time with my boyfriend because I simply did not say anything, I simply activated my holographic projector and showed everyone the feed from the drones.

Vuong had already reached the perimeters of the camp where the archers were stationed. They had been reinforced by the magicians, but there was little progress there. The assassin was still standing tall and strong against the onslaught. Sure, he was slowed down, but he was still advancing. Even a sudden explosive spell from the drone barely had any effect, so I withheld from attacking. Clearly, a sudden strike at his weakness was more effective than just peeing on his shield.

The distance between the assassin and the wall was just two hundred meters. It was already outside the effective range of ordinary bows and arrows, and the archers here had to use the enchanted ones to push the limit. Even then, they were still pressing the limit because of the extreme range and the sheer brute strength of the assailant. The low light condition had little help here, and I had no way to show the night vision to every defender. Tsk. Speaking of low-tech…

Then, Vuong made his move. He used the wall as a support for his gun before snapping a few quick bursts at the target. With no tracer ammunition used, I could not see any "light streaks" on the screen. However, the effect of the attack on the shield could be seen easily… By which I mean we were in great trouble. Standard ammunition set up failed to penetrate a magical shield after more than fifteen rounds?

Yeah, that was either bullshit, or we were in another world. I grimaced, I had no idea how to counter that, short of building an anti-magic zone… but it would take time and resources, both of which were not available.

Suddenly, the assailant was peppered with explosions of light… Was that exotic ammunition? Because if not, there was no way that such a result could be achieved. On the one hand, using "exotic" ammunition was banned by Geneva Accord (revised), on the other hand, Security Bureau had legal means to get around the problem, and well, this is another world. The most important point was simple enough: his tactic worked.

It was simply brutally effective. The assassin was stopped dead in his track, and if my eyes were not deceiving me, I had seen Vuong using his gun to tear down his target's limbs. Some gagging sounds were heard around, and I was pretty sure that the two princesses were not the only ones affected. My boyfriend was getting a bit enthusiastic here… or he was simply using shock therapy to force his classmates to face reality.

Either way, he had stopped the most dangerous assassin around, effectively saved everyone here. It was just in time too, all other seven assassins were either captured or killed. Among eight attackers in total, three was killed, four were captured, and the last one was about to die soon.

The fight was quite anti-climatic, barely two minutes long in total. Many people were hoping for a more action-packed move, but then, this was real life. Or to be more specific, this was how military operated – 99% boredom and 1% of "What the f.u.c.k is going on?". The modern armed forces had departed from the model of attrition warfare. Sure, they knew the way to fight a prolonged war, but they hated it. So they made was as efficient as possible, the shorter it took, the better.

It might be boring to an outsider – just a tiny flash of light in the darkness and not a full array of Erika Multiple-Rocket Launcher System… But it was practical. War was wasteful in the first place after all.

Then, Vuong had surprised everyone again – he ordered the drone to zoom in on him approaching the assassin… and everyone had a clear view of him trying to save the attacker. Well, trying was a word a bit too strong. Saying he eased down the pain was probably more correct. Still, the part where he lifted up the assassin on his back and picked up the cut off limbs was a surprise to everyone…

Everyone was relieved, the worst had already been over. I did not think so. I had no idea what the fallen assassin had spoken to Vuong, but he was pissed… No, it was probably an understatement, he was mad.

And shit would happen if he was mad.

Like, for example, why was he asking me to gather everyone around the main campfire, along with the prisoners? I had a bad feeling about it.

I had not even reached the destination, and the commotion had already reached my ears:

"What are you peasants doing? Do you know who I even am?"

"Put your hands off me you filthy pig! This hood of mine is worth five of your sisters!"

Remember the part where I said I had a bad feeling? I changed it to "I just killed John Wick's dog" now.

The four captured assassins were forced on their knees. There were little injuries seen on them, minus a cut or two. The soldiers were keeping them on the ground, refusing every single chance of the captured to stand up. Clearly, the assassins were thinking about some special privileges that were granted to them. I had some nostalgia about that…

From the corner of my eye, I saw Vuong silently and wordlessly stepping in. Behind him was a small escort group, about six people in total. They were the same people rushing out with Vuong after the last assassin was brought down. Again, just like Vuong, they looked extremely mad. And somehow, every other soldier instantly knew the reason why.

My boyfriend gently laid down the crippled assassin next to tree bark, letting him facing his teammates. His hood was then, again, gently removed and… HOLY SHIT! Was that a girl? I was shocked, though I was not sure which part should I feel shocked about. The part where a girl could become this talented in the age of early Renaissance, where s.e.xism still ruled the day? Or the part where she was very beautiful?

Her flocks of curly blond hair stuck to her round and pink cheeks because of sweat. The suit, soaked with sweat, dirt, and blood barely hid the well-endowed figure of her body, even if she was missing a leg and an arm now. And her eyes… they were blue, crystal blue, filled with both pain, sorrow, and for some reasons – relief.

"Hero, what y…"

"My name is Nguyen Minh Vuong, Agent Level Two of Security Bureau, Section Six, of Terran Federation. As my authority of highest ranking personnel of Terran security force in the area, I'm declaring this case fell under the umbrella of our jurisdiction. Do you have any objection, Your Highness?"

It was bad, really bad. Vuong was getting formal and utterly void of any emotion. He only became like that when he was extremely pissed off, and the only thing stopped him from massacring was his grip on reality. I was pretty sure it was slipping quite fast. Of course, he may not notice this, but all of my classmates within the group travelling to the Empire of Gorgonia had gasped. Well, like any good wife, I would deal with the minor problems so that he could focus on the big picture.

"S… Sure, go ahead, hero."

"Thank you, your Highness."

Wordlessly, he just flicked his armed again, and this time, he pulled out a small black box… within it was four syringes filled with some kind of transparent pink liquid. A short and crisp order saw the soldiers around restraining the captives before he plunged the syringes into their blood. As usual, he gave no f.u.c.k about everyone else.

"I want answers and I can use torture to force the answer out of you. However, I lack the gut and the skill to do so, therefore I use this, truth serum. Don't worry, they are not poisoned, and because of their severity, they were both fast acting and fast fading. If your will is… sufficient, you would be able to resist some of it. Probably."

He stood up and walked to Fireteam Bravo, and his voice was still emotionless:

"Last chance, anyone wants to back down? Remember, if you are in, you are in. War is hell, and I gladly take that baggage down to Hell with me if I have to."

"Is it true? Are the rumours about our assassins true?"

"Yes."

"Then we're in."

How? How could the news reach them so fast? The two princesses, their ladies-in-waiting, along with a few others and I had no idea on what was going on. Of course, by the look of it, I had a few hunches, none of which was pretty. After all, it took a lot to shook a well-composed guy like my boyfriend.

Vuong reached the row of captives, who were getting sedated at the moment – the truth serum had finally reached their brain.

"For the record, speak your name and your position."

Then, the interrogation began in earnest. All four captives were in fact nobles, they were not on the top of the food chain, but they still had their own weight in the court. They believed that because of their titles, they could not be trialled – at least by "commoners". While they paid respect to the two princesses, they did not really respect them because their mother, Third Consort, was originally a commoner. So why did they plan to sneak in and assassinate the princesses? Well, technically speaking, it was not them to kill the princess… it was the slaves.

Yes, "slaves". All four other assassins were just slaves, originally very bright commoners being tricked and/or kidnapped into this fate. Yes, even the powerful assassin, the one that was anti-climatically brought down by Vuong, was also a slave. It would explain why he did not immediately execute (or killed) her on the field. She had no choice on this matter, the "slave magic" forced her to carry out the order, no matter what. According to the plan, the corpses remaining behind would be the "proof" the nobles needed for more rights and powers. It was a classical trick, but then, it was still highly effective.

Of course, even when busted, they still believed in the power of the nobles. Case in point, they were planning to enslave the common-born summoned heroes, practically all of us. And they had the gal to admit it out loud without a single trace of guilt. It might explain why Vuong was so pissed. No one touched me and got away in one piece, it seemed. I was a magical myself, I knew what kind of f.u.c.k.e.d up shit a slave would have been forced to do. Keeping it short, it was not pretty at all.

A lot more details were unearthed, and interestingly enough, Vuong was able to make them confess a few more crimes. The list was quite… comprehensive, and it could be summed up in a single word: treason. They did send classified and s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e information oversea for money, after all. Vuong could not dig out the name of their fellow crime partners – the effect of the truth serum was already fading away – but the confession of guilt was completed.

And that was what mattered.

They were found guilty by Terran law, though I was pretty sure that Vuong was just shitposting on the "section – subsection" part. He had a good memory, but the Criminal Code was not something he could remember so easily. Even then, the judgment was clear. On the account of Terran Federation's Law, these nobles were found guilty, punishable by death. The two princesses, sensing pressure from their own court, accepted the verdict. The only group having trouble was a bunch of ladies-in-waiting. A glare from Vuong was more than enough to shut them up.

Of course, by this time, the nobles had already woken up from the truth serum, and they were crying out for injustice and inequality. Their cries were ignored by everyone in the camp… Vuong just turned to the dying blond assassin, and all he received was a nod and a bitter smile. She had already faded away, but at least she had seen her vengeance carried out. The ones who enslaved her would have to face death, and there was simply no way around it.

A soldier closed her eyes and wiped the blood sticking on her face away… To be fair, she looked peaceful, just like an angel getting sleep. Too bad that her mangled limbs and the collar broke that image. These… nobles had said it. She was originally a bright and prospect commoner student, and she was forced into slavery simply because she was too bright. Her owner was bragging about it now, the shit he had done to her, and the shit he would do to us because us "filthy peasants" dared to hurt him.

A blade suddenly plunged right into his neck, abruptly cutting off his rant. Vuong was standing right next to him with the right hand right around his neck. The bastard quickly collapsed under his own weight a few seconds after that. This time, everyone was stunned. It was one thing to judge someone guilty of death, but it was another thing to actually carry it out.

"My original plan was to shoot you f.u.c.ks in the back of the heads. It would be quick and painless… But then, as this pig has proved it, you guys were not worth the price of a bullet, which was a small breakfast by the way… No, you guys will die by the blade. Do you guys even know that back in my home, the healers have found out that even after being cut off, the head is still capable of feeling?"

That scared off the nobles, they tried to stand up, but the soldiers were quicker and forced them down again. Besides, how could they run well when being tied with ropes? What happened next was carnage. Vuong jumped in the middle and quickly stabbed their necks with his knife. It took him less than a minute to kill every single one of them.

Blood of the nobles splashed on his body, sticking on everywhere, on his hand, his suit, and even his face. Yet, among that much of red, his face was still hard, utterly clear of any emotion. Heck, he even calmly wiped his blood-soaked blade on the robe of a dead noble before silently sheathing it back. He then just stood there, watching the carnage he just made.

Everyone thought they were watching a demon. But I knew it better. He was just a salty cynical guy, he did what he must, and he took no p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in killing those men. Sure, he might kill them in a highly brutal manner, but then, one should remember that he was a part of the Security Bureau. They were the ones standing guard and sacrificing their own innocence to protect others. The truth of the matter was hitting Vuong very hard. His right hand was shaking, and it was pretty evident when he had to use his left hand to hold it afterwards. He might be able to fool others, but not me.

He threw a grenade – with its safety on, obviously – to Fireteam Bravo

"That is a thermite grenade, capable of generating a lot of heat, enough to burn a few bodies clean. Don't ask how and if I had tested that. After looting the corpses, pull the pin and drop it on the bodies, turning them into ash. Traitors do not deserve proper graves."

Then, he simply walked out, without speaking anything else. He looked just like a scary Blood Knight… When he had disappeared after a tent, the elder princess turned to me and asked with fear clearly evident in her voice. She knew who I was to Vuong, and she had just seen what he had done. Being afraid was extremely normal. Still, I would be… mindful if she actually felt aroused for multiple reasons.

"Is he always that bloodthirsty?"

"Actually, your Highness, he is not bloodthirsty. He simply does what he has to do. In fact, he hates this one a lot, and he is actually in shock now."

"How do you know?"

"This is the first time he personally kills and executes someone at this close. And if you want to know how much shock he is in now…"

I raised my hands off, showing all five fingers, then I silently and wordlessly counted down with my hand only. The moment my last finger closed down, there was a thump, and it was quickly followed by the sound of something crashing. A quick check had confirmed my belief: Vuong was lying unconsciously on the ground.

He had fainted already.

"Remember one thing please, your Highness, he hates his job, but he stills follows his oath to protect his people to the end. That is his honour, nothing more, nothing less."

"But how comes he takes such a brutal way to… execute those fallen nobles?"

"Simple, because it is his trial by fire. If he cannot pass it, how can he trust himself to support your empire in the upcoming wars?"