Chapter 1078: Gunshots on the Plains
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
Whether it was her figure, fashion or appearance, Queen Anna was not the most outstanding one among the witches. To keep it out of the way while she was working, she tied her smooth hair into a ponytail. Her work clothes, which were designed by Roland, focused on functionality over style. The cuffs and collar were tightly bundled and it was stained with dust as she had stayed in the wild for long periods of time. If someone met her for the first time, they would be not believe she was the Queen of Graycastle.
But Molly greatly admired her.
Because even if someone didn’t know Anna was the queen, they would understand that she was an important person. She was surrounded by high officials in Neverwinter, for example, Karl Van Bate, the Minister of Construction; Edith Kant, the head of General Staff, etc…. The route of the railway, the speed of advancement, and the construction arrangements, all needed to be discussed with her. In other words, even if she were not a witch, she would still be the focus of everyone’s attention.
Despite being completely ignorant of what they were discussing, Molly felt that Anna, who stood tall, surveying the land, holding maps, and discussing plans, was really gorgeous.
Especially when she focused on work, Anna’s lake-blue eyes shined with light like unblemished gems.
When working with Anna, both recruits and veterans would defer to her.
Molly thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to interrupt Her Highness. Instead, she directed her Magic Servant to avoid the crowd and unloaded the rails in the storage area.
Just after she laid down the rails, Shavi peeped over a pile of bricks and asked, “Did you go over to the forest again?”
Molly immediately had a bad feeling.
She ran around the brick pile and found that the other witches were playing cards.
“Hey, if it isn’t little Molly?” Andrea grinned.
Margie was also there, but looked very uncomfortable.
“How can you guys slack off and play cards here?” Molly yelled, “If you’re discovered, what will people think of Sleeping Spell? I’m going to tell Lady Tilly!”
“I was… forced by them to come here,” said Margie, lowering her head and wringing her hands.
“Who is slacking off?” Shavi retorted, “I unloaded all these bricks from the train. Otherwise, the workers would still be unloading them. I’m just resting after I finished my work. How can you say I’m slacking off?”
“You should know that tea time is as important as work. An elegant lady knows how to keep a balance between them,” Andrea said, combing her blonde hair with her fingers. “Since Margie is here, she can make sure no one will find us. After all, it’s definitely not allowed to cause trouble for Lady Tilly. Don’t worry about it. By the way, do you want to join us? For playing cards, the more the merrier.”
“Of course not—” Molly was interrupted by an alarm as she was preparing to argue with Andrea.
“Woo— Woo— Woo—!”
Three short blasts meant the discovery of hostile forces!
She quickly looked to the northeast, only to see nothing but half-melted snow and weeds across the vast plain.
“The enemy was discovered by either Sylvie or Lightning and they gave an advanced warning, so you won’t see anything yet,” Shavi reminded her.
“Oh, no—Her Highness!” Molly suddenly remembered that the Queen of Graycastle would be in harms way. She had heard more than once about Anna’s unique significance to King Roland and Neverwinter. Therefore, she should do everything possible to guarantee her safety.
As Molly started to run back, Shavi caught her.
“Her Highness is naturally protected by the guards. You won’t be of much help if you go back there,” Shavi shook her head. “Based on the speed of the flying demons, Her Highness has at least 10 to 15 minutes to take shelter before the enemy arrives. According to our orders, if there is no prior arrangement for a combat plan, the first thing to do when confronted with an unexpected enemy is to protect yourself and then go to the nearest First Army, Taquila God’s Punishment Witch or other combat groups.”
“So you don’t have to go anywhere. Stay here and protect me,” Andrea had already climbed up on the top of the brick pile with her rifle. “Leave it to me.”
Just as Shavi said, after Molly climbed onto the brick pile, she found the huge construction site was empty, as if the previous busy scene had never existed. She could faintly see heads in the trenches and some gun emplacements. The train shut down and a sense of seriousness pervaded the entire front.
“Sylvie, were you the one who spotted the demons?” Andrea took out a Sigil of Listening and asked, “How many are there?”
“… No, this warning was sent by Lightning.” Sylvie’s reply came from the Sigil after a while, “It seems that there are only four Devilbeasts with Mad Demons. The direction is on your right side. There is no trace of Senior Demons.”
“Only four? It seems like this is just an accidental encounter.”
“Probably, but don’t take it too easy.” Sylvie warned, “You should be able to see them in five minutes.”
A few minutes later, the demons arrived as expected. The four dark spots were particularly striking under the bright sky. They undoubtedly saw the railway on the Fertile Plains. What was strange was that the demons did not attack, but instead hovered at a distance.
“What are they hesitating about?” Shavi frowned, “that’s not the demon’s style.”
“Can you hit them?” Molly asked.
“No, they’re too far away,” Andrea shrugged. “Too many variable for the coin toss. Of course, there is another method—”
Molly automatically ignored the part which she could not understand and asked, “What method?”
“For example… a gun with a larger-caliber.” She smiled and pointed to the side of the brick pile, “Can your Magic Servant do me a favor?”
Until then Molly hasn’t noticed this gun of incredible size. Its barrel was over a meter long. She immediately realized what Andrea meant— she could not use such a heavy weapon alone.
“Have you… been taking this with you when you played cards?”
“Thanks to Margie,” Andrea said, shrugging. “Besides, carrying a variety of weapons is just a basic requirement for a soldier.”
Molly stopped talking and raised her hand to summon her Magic Servant. She grabbed the giant gun and placed it on top of its head. At the same time, she ordered Momota to lower its body and spread itself into an oval cushion.
“It’s a pity that I hadn’t brought you along for the last fight,” Andrea laid down on Momota. “This gun base is much more comfortable than Ashes. Raise the head a little. Right, that’s the right angle.”
“How about now?” Molly adjusted the shape of the Servant.
“Perfect. By the way, can you shrink its arms? As small as your fingers.”
“No problem… But then it won’t be able to hold heavy objects.”
“That’s okay. Perfect.” Andrea squeezed the shrunken arms of the Magic Servant into her ears and then held the gun handle. “Don’t forget to cover your ears!”
Simultaneously, she pulled the trigger.
A loud bang exploded from the gun!
A few seconds later, a demon exploded into red mist in the air.
