Isaac 100

“Sores! How dare you!”

The captain bellowed, and everyone immediately ran for the airdock, disregarding whatever tasks they were on beforehand. Isaac too walked with them, grinning with glee at the sudden entertainment.

The airship was the only way to escape from this place. Sores, the man Isaac had rendered unconscious earlier, instigated his men to steal the airship the moment he regained consciousness.

Although they were in exile, these agents of Central were combat agents. The sailors of the airship were only field agents, so there was a huge disparity between their combat capabilities. The sailors were immediately subdued, and the garrison troops who realised Sores was attempting to escape clung on to the airship with their dear lives.

Sores, however, ignored his comrade’s pleas and quickly made preparations to take flight, even kicking away some of the agents who persistently clung onto the airship. When the ship gained sufficient altitude where no one could reach him, Sores heard the Commander’s enraged voice. He and his men panicked, but they had passed the point of no return.

They were well aware that their lives were gone the moment they landed the ship here. Those on the ground were as good as dead anyway, so Sores justified to his subordinates that they might be able to get past the interrogations by lying that the commander sent them to ask for assistance with the intention of defending the garrison to his last breath. If not, Sores explained that they could make a run for it and rally his subordinates after passing through the mana storm.

Although all of them were aware of Central’s information network and its deductive capabilities, his subordinates had no choice but to believe in Sores. They were on the same ship now, and it was impossible to think Noxvil, the man who followed rules and principles as his motto, would forgive them. Desertion before battle was punished with death, both in this world and the other.

“This is some beautiful sight you’re showing me. I thought Central was pretty great, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. I’ll need to reevaluate you guys. The commander decides to leave his post to play, and the vice commander decides to ditch everyone to save his own skin. How did you guys manage to fend off the Expeditionary Forces up to now?”

“You dare! Do not mock the honour of those who have sacrificed their lives to protect this land!”

Noxvil refuted loudly, but Isaac pointed at the airship and smirked mockingly.

“If saying a few words are a mockery to them, then what of the brave souls’ actions aboard that airship?”

“Kuuk…”

Noxvil could only twitch in silence shamefully, unable to speak back at Isaac’s sarcasm. Isaac talked to the despondent Mazelan this time, whose eyes had been closed.

“Did they really meet the qualifications to join Central? Or did you only accept them because of their families?”

“Sigh! To think a disgrace like Sores would come from the Cage family, given their reputation for bravery…”

Everyone could see with their eyes how the group was struggling to keep the ship in flight, what with all the sailors kicked off from the ship. The group of deserters remained at the gondola, unable to figure out what they needed to do. Mazelan muttered glumly as he looked at Sores in the bridge, and everyone around him dropped their heads in agreement with Mazelan. Isaac looked at this disheartened lot scornfully and slowly snuck his way to the back of the group.

“I have brought it here…”

Rivelia handed the object to Isaac. It was something Rivelia and Saints had taken from the warehouse as ordered by Isaac, and Rivelia spoke with a voice full of worry. Isaac replied to Rivelia not with words – but with action.

“Hi hiik!”

Saints screamed in terror, and some of the agents standing at the back of the group turned back to see what the commotion was about. When they saw Isaac, they panicked, and the wave of panic spread through the entire group like dominoes. Noxvil and Mazelan were the last to hear the screams, and when they saw Isaac, they shouted out with great surprise.

“Wait!”

“W, what?”

Even before Mazelan and Noxvil could react, Isaac stabilized his aim and pulled the trigger. With the sound of gushing wind, the rocket flew toward the airship, hitting the gondola.

With a giant explosion, the airship faltered. More explosions followed, and the airship was quickly engulfed in flames and began plummeting toward the ground. All of the airship’s sailors screamed while the captain of the ship fainted.

In the midst of everyone watching the scene with a blank, disjointed look on their faces, Mazelan and Noxvil approached Isaac with faces so stupefied by what had happened.

“W, why…”

The two couldn’t even finish their sentence as they spoke with faltering voices. Isaac threw the smoking launcher away and took a deep puff of his cigarette. He then spoke to Rivelia who also stood blankly.

“Back in my world, all deserters were punished on sight. Is it different in this world