I unfastened the braces and began to move.
As I tried to stand, someone shoved me back down and forced me onto a stretcher.
My head and neck were still locked tight with safety belts.
Since I couldn't move my head, all I could see was the ceiling. However, I could hear the voices of the boys from the Imperial Officer Academy all around me.
"Leo’s coming through! Clear the way!"
The guys cleared a path for my stretcher to pass.
"Hurry up! Come on! Pile up more sandbags!!! Alright, set up the gun mount! Let's go! One, two, three!"
The urgency in their voices was palpable. Warning beeps from reversing vehicles echoed from every direction. This place was in serious trouble.
"Ren! Get in the ambulance with Leo!"
"Yes, sir!"
The stretcher was slid into the back of the ambulance, and Ren climbed in after me.
"My Lord, are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yeah... my life hurts."
"You're fine, then. We’re transferring you to another hospital in the Imperial Capital now."
"Roger. What about Walter's forces?"
"They’re right on our doorstep. With everyone injured, it seems they thought this was the perfect chance for a coup d’etat."
"I have a feeling they’re going to regret that later..."
The local lord armies would arrive soon. I figured they’d just be slaughtered on the spot; I doubted they’d even get the luxury of a trial. Were they really that desperate for a 'three-day reign'?
"The only people smart enough to realize that are already dead."
"Ah. Right. I totally get it now."
It was questionable if the Empire could even function as a nation anymore. The scars of war were etched right into the census data. For the next few years, things would be rough—if not a full-blown recession, then certainly a major drop in the quality of life. Still, with fully automated factories, it could be worse.
I’d definitely had my fill of war, though.
"Moving out!" the driver shouted.
The doors slammed shut and the ambulance lurched forward.
Well, I couldn't do a damn thing this time, so I just hoped we’d be okay. I could tell from Ren’s expression that this was no drill.
"Ren, how are you holding up?"
"I just have a hairline fracture in my hand from when the aerial battleship went down. Between the nanomachine treatment and the recovery gel, I'm almost healed."
"That’s good. I'm glad. What about the others? Where’s Wifey?"
"Since this is an emergency, I’ll forgive you for asking about another woman while we’re alone. Her Highness was evacuated first via helicopter. Melissa is supposed to follow us later."
It was obvious why Wifey went first, but Melissa being behind us made me a bit uneasy. And Ren... she was surprisingly jealous. I actually felt a little thrill from it.
"Ren... is your family’s house doing okay? I heard people haven't been too kind to the dukes lately."
Public sentiment toward the ducal houses was currently at an all-time low. People were setting fire to their mansions in the Imperial Capital just for being high-ranking nobles. It was a mess.
"Our family is more famous for being the home of one of Leo Kamishiro’s wives than for our title, so we’re fine. If anything, the household is being flooded with marriage proposals from people trying to become your distant relatives."
Ren’s family was an old ducal house with countless relatives. If they married into the family, they’d become my relatives too... Or maybe they were just members of the Duke Association trying to claim they’d been on my side all along to save their skins.
"Is that okay? You sure they won't betray us?"
"If they become a nuisance, I’ll just cut them loose," Ren said with a dazzling smile.
God, she was scary. The world of high nobility was terrifying. Could I really survive being a duke?
As we drove, a dull ache started to throb in my head.
"What’s this? My head hurts..."
"My Lord... should I activate the nanomachine pain mitigation?"
"Better not. I might need to move if things get ugly."
I shouldn't have said that. The driver screamed suddenly.
"Suspicious vehicle approaching from the rear!"
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! They’re seriously trying to kill me?!"
"Rest easy, My Lord. We have a military escort—"
Boom.
A literal explosion. I couldn't see it, but the sound of the blast was unmistakable.
"My Lord... please wait here."
Ren gave me a sweet smile. How elegant. Then, I heard the heavy clack of a weapon being readied right next to my stretcher.
"You absolute morons!!!"
The back doors of the vehicle swung open, followed by a thunderous thud.
Ah... that sound. The Anti-materiel Rifle Mode of a pulse rifle.
"We finally have some time alone, and you ruin it?! I’ll slaughter you all!!!"
Another boom echoed. Hahaha. That was my wife for you. She was terrifying when she lost her temper. Now that I thought about it, Ren had taken the sniping qualification, hadn't she? Despite her usual gentle demeanor...
"Die! Die! Dieeeeeeeee!"
The dom-dom of the beams fired, followed shortly by the sound of explosions. Her kill rate was impressive.
"Helicopter closing in from above!"
"Just stay dead!"
"Wa-Wait! Their range is longer than—"
The ambulance was blown sky-high. I pulled Ren close a split second before the impact.
The stretcher was catapulted out of the vehicle. By some miracle, the folded wheel-legs snapped open and locked into place. We hit the ground with a heavy clonk.
My neck screamed in pain! The blast must have destroyed the brakes or the stopper, because the stretcher immediately began barreling down a slope at high speed.
"Fuhyoooohhhhh!"
I couldn't see anything! I had to rely on my gut. Then, my tasteless, irreverent brain started blasting In-brain Eurobeat inside my head. Was I an idiot? Was I really a complete idiot?!
A premonition of danger struck me.
"Whoa! Missiiiiiile!!!"
I dodged the missile by shifting my weight on the stretcher. The explosion sent the stretcher airborne, but I managed to keep it level through sheer willpower and more weight shifting!
Screeeeeeech!
I drifted around a curve! I didn't actually have brakes, so it was just for show, but I was feeling the rhythm! A second later, my intuition warned me of another crisis.
"Ack!"
A premonition of gunfire. I dodged the incoming shots by swerving. The In-brain Eurobeat reached its peak. A curve! I cleared it! Now for the straightaway!
"My Lord! I’ll cover you!"
Ren dropped to one knee on the moving stretcher and opened fire.
Ah...
Wait... Ren’s foot was pressed right against my... special place! Her foot! There I was, rejoicing like a total moron.
"My Lord! The hospital is at the bottom of this hill! Just hold on a little longer!"
Ren fired again with a heavy thud. The recoil rocked the stretcher, but I fought to keep it under control. The chorus played on repeat in my mind. Then, the roar of engines reached my ears.
"Allied tanks! I see helicopters too! We’re saved, My Lord!"
Wait... I just realized something very important.
"...How are we supposed to stop?"
"Oh..."
An allied missile streaked across the sky. I heard the enemy helicopter go down in a ball of fire. And then... we were airborne.
I can fly!
We soared over the tanks, smashed through the glass of the lobby, and crashed into the hospital interior. We slammed into the lobby wall and finally came to a halt.
"Gyahhhhhh! Captain Leo! Someone, get over here now!"
I heard a nurse screaming.
"Ren..."
"Fumyaaa!"
As my consciousness started to fade, I saw Ren land gracefully after kicking off the wall. That’s a Beast Race for you... she was stronger than me. Gah.
The In-brain Eurobeat finally stopped.