Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 82. The Great Escape In The Wilderness

“What… who are you?!”

The shout came from someone inside the cell.

Six people were crammed into the narrow cell, all wearing matching hemp tunics. Perhaps due to the poor meals, they all looked pale and skinny.

“You’re not a soldier, are you? Suspicious fellow!”

I could understand their suspicion. If someone in desert camouflage suddenly appeared, I’d be surprised. Considering they’re inhabitants of another world, the surprise would be threefold.

“Don’t worry about the details. More importantly, do you want to get out?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah, of course, we want out. We want to see our families.”

They exchanged glances and murmured their agreement.

“If you cooperate, I’ll let you out.”

“What do you want us to do?”

“There’s a key to the cell here, but I have no idea which one it is. I’ll give you the whole bunch of keys. Open each lock one by one.”

“A bunch of keys?! Why do you have those?!”

“No time for explanations. Soldiers are thin on the ground now, so if you help, I’ll give you weapons too.”

“W-What should we do?”

Seeing six people crowded in this small cell, it seemed like I was receiving VIP treatment after all.

“There’s no choice but to do it! The country won’t listen to us anyway! We’ll be killed soon!”

“Yeah, and with this food, I won’t last long. I’ll do anything to see my family!”

“Alright. Here you go.”

I tossed the bunch of keys into the cell.

“Tell the same story, get their consent, and release them. And leave the weapons here.”

Saying that I started pulling out the “Pilatus Kingdom’s General Soldier’s Longsword = 36,200 yen” one after another. I didn’t take them all out at once because of container space issues.

I purchased 100 swords, stacking 101 swords in front of the cell.

My remaining balance is 4,784,901 yen.

“W-What have you done?!”

“Don’t think about unnecessary things. Just focus on surviving and escaping.”

“U-Understood.”

As the six people freed from the cell grabbed swords and bunches of keys, each rushed to a different iron grille.

Within 10 minutes, dozens of prisoners were freed, armed with swords.

“What are we going to do next…”

“What’s happening?!”

A voice from the back.

“Oh no! It’s the guards!”

“Kill them! Kill them all!”

“You! How dare you!”

“We’re going to see our families!”

Before I could say anything, the soldiers who emerged from the back seemed to be instantly stabbed. I couldn’t see much behind the human wall, but from the appearance of the corpses and the screams, I could guess.

“Head outside!”

“You guys, free the cells in the next area! There are keys in that room!”

“Which way is the exit?!”

“Hurry up and move forward!”

“Escape… Gyaaa!”

“Aghhh! I’m an ally… Gyaaa!”

“Shut up! It’s your fault for standing still!”

“Keep moving!”

“Kill them! Kill them all!”

“Where’s the way out?!”

“How dare you accuse innocent people!”

“Freeing our comrades comes first!”

“Prisoners, you say?! Inform the higher-ups! Seal the entrance!”

“Captain! But then we…”

“Enough! What are we doing against mere prisoners!”

“They’re armed!”

“What?!”

“And not just one or two… Gyaaa!”

“Enough! Damn it! Retreat! We’ll counterattack from above… Guh!”

“Captain!”

“Enough! In a place like this!”

“Gyaaa!”

“Guhhh!”

“Kill them!”

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a scene from hell.

It’s become worse than I imagined.

Though I chose this, I never thought it would become this bad.

This isn’t Japan. Killing and being killed is a daily occurrence in this world.

I suppressed the nausea. Apparently, prisoners from areas other than this one were also freed, and an incredible number of them were rushing towards the exit.

The weapons were quickly depleted.

So, there were more than 100 prisoners. However, if someone hadn’t taken multiple weapons, and since I was standing in front of the mountain of weapons, I don’t think there were any such idiots.

A crowd surged towards the exit, shouting and screaming, like a chorus of madness. Understandably, the soldiers would flee.

The narrow passage got jammed, and angry shouts filled the air from behind. Nevertheless, seeing them gradually making progress, they seemed to have somehow broken through the entrance blockade.

I had intended to take the lead, but it seemed pointless with the equipment I had.

It’s pathetic, but I felt relieved.

I had gathered equipment with the intention of not killing as much as possible, but now I realized that even if I didn’t kill, they wouldn’t spare the soldiers. I felt my plan was full of holes, feeling powerless once again.

—For now, just focus on getting out alive.

As I raised my rifle and began to follow the prisoners slowly, a voice came from behind.

“You scoundrels! I won’t forgive you!”

A soldier, bleeding from his forehead, got up and shouted. It seems he had been ignored, and assumed to be dead.

Drawing his sword from his waist, he lunged at me.

I instinctively aimed my rifle and pulled the trigger, but the gun remained silent.

“Darn it.”

“Die!”

“You die!”

As I panicked with the safety on, the soldier’s thrust came towards my face.

I’m going to die!

At that moment, the prisoners beside me swung their swords down on the soldier. The clash of swords made a sharp sound. Thanks to that, the sword tip only grazed my forehead.

Three prisoners swung their swords without any skill, but it was enough to deter him.

I finally took off the safety and aimed my rifle over my shoulder.

Four consecutive gunshots echoed.

Oops, I forgot about my earplugs.

My right ear was ringing, making me feel foolish.

It’s hard to aim with single shots!

Three prisoners collapsed, sitting on the ground, looking at me.

The soldier, hit by a lethal bullet from close range, was completely unconscious. Not even twitching.

Honestly, it’s too close for comfort, so it wouldn’t be strange if he were dead. I hope he’s not dead, though.

“H-Hey… is that… an air gun?”

One of the collapsed prisoners asked. Honestly, my ears were still ringing, making it hard to hear, but I managed to make out his question.

“Well… it’s something like that.”

I replied casually while getting approval for my earplugs at the SHOP.

Earplugs = 140 yen

My remaining balance is 4,784,761 yen.

For now, I’ll just put it in my right ear. If I wear both, I won’t hear anything.

As I turn to move forward, a large group of prisoners is staring back at me, frozen.

“Ah… don’t mind us.”

I scared them with that unfamiliar weapon. Well, no wonder with the loud bang it made.

I put the safety back on and fell back behind them. They were shouting angrily just a moment ago, but now they’re quiet, occasionally glancing in our direction.

Sorry about that.

Escaping is the top priority now. Honestly, I’m not ready to die yet. I’ll ignore the fact that I might be indirectly causing others’ deaths to survive. If I think about it, I’ll freeze.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With renewed determination, I fall back to the end of the line of prisoners. Angry shouts echo through the underground dungeon like an ant nest.

There were corpses scattered around. Not just stabbed with swords, but it seems like many were kicked around, limbs twisted like dolls I used to mess up when I was a kid.

Feeling guilty inside, I press on and finally emerge into a bright area.

“Outside?”

Squinting my eyes unaccustomed to the light, I look around. Seems like a small courtyard. Come to think of it, I remember passing through a place like this when we were being transported.

But before that, we also went through the inside of the castle, so we needed to enter the castle through some door again.

The problem is, I don’t remember which way we came through.

Other prisoners are rushing through three different doors. Just when I thought that about six soldiers burst out from one of them. Seriously?!

The soldiers charge towards me with furious expressions.

“Ohhh!”

Geez!

I grab the stun grenade hanging from my chest, pull out the safety pin, toss it in front of them, and dash back with all my might, keeping my left ear covered.

Gyagyagyagya!

The deafening noise reverberates, and flashes run through the courtyard.

When I look back, everyone has stopped moving. Since it’s not indoors, I thought the effect would be weak, but it seems to be working. Well, some of them are probably just startled by the noise.

I switch the safety to semi-auto and start taking down the soldiers from the ones who seem to be in good shape. With a distance of only about 20 meters now, they fall easily.

Some lose consciousness, and some groan while clutching their chests on the ground, but I manage to incapacitate all six of them.

I throw another stun grenade into the door they came out of and quickly shut it.

Another explosion echoes. Since there are screams of people, they probably won’t come out of there for a while, being cautious.

I jump into the door that seems to be the one I passed through when I came.

Inside is a corridor about 3 meters wide. Quite spacious.

Oh right, better change the bullets.

I pull out the magazine from the M4A1, replace it with a new one, and check the load. Do I just need to release the bolt after the first cocking?

Phew. Changing bullets is such a hassle compared to in games.

I also replenish two more stun grenades.

I proceed towards the direction where there are traces of blood and corpses scattered. Around here, not only soldiers but also corpses of prisoners are visible.

I’m truly sorry.

I hurry forward with my boots clanking.

I quickly hit a fork in the road.

Uh oh, I don’t remember this area at all.

I can hear angry shouts in the distance, coming from both left and right, and there are signs of a struggle in both directions. Which way is the right way to go?

I take out a 5-yen coin and flick it with my thumb.

“Tails… left then.”

With that, I started running in the opposite direction from where I came from.

“Form up!”

“Push through!”

“Die, you bastard!”

“Why don’t you charge in, damn it!”

“Don’t mess around!”

“Squads 18 and 19, advance!”

Unsettling angry shouts can be heard from up ahead. It seems like the path ahead turns to the right, and the shouting is coming from deeper inside.

When I reach the corner, I peek out.

“Fool! Don’t come this way!”

“We outnumber them! Charge!”

“No, they’re… gyaahhh!”

“Hey! Don’t push! You idiots… gahh!”

“Wait, what the… Gah! It hurts! It hurts!”

“What about Squad 23!?”

“They’re going to support the west passage!”

“Understood! Squads 18 and 19, keep eliminating the prisoners!”

“”””Yes, sir!””””

“They’re coming! Get back!”

“My family… my family!”

“If you want to die, go ahead and charge!”

“Go back and find another way!”

“Got it! Retreat! Retreat!”

“Run!”

Instantly, the momentum of 40 to 50 prisoners collapses, and they start running towards me.

In pursuit, soldiers surge from behind.

This is bad.

I throw a stun grenade towards the soldiers, then hide inside the wall, covering my ears and eyes.

Even with them covered, the deafening roar and flashes resonate, overlapping with the wailing of despair.

When I peek out from the corridor, most of the soldiers are covering their eyes and falling over. Most of the prisoners are also covering their ears and groaning. Their ears are probably ringing from the loud noise.

I push through the prisoners and charge forward.

I manage to break through the blockade by shooting down the obstructive soldiers and the slightly well-dressed ones who seem like leaders.

Luckily, there were no reinforcements, so I just kept running down the corridor.

But soon, the corridor splits into three.

What should I do?! Which way should I go?! Dammit! At least put up some signs!

As I mutter curses, two soldiers come running towards me from the front and the right.

“Hey! You there! Stop!”

The soldiers notice me and shout angrily. Without time to choose, I can only escape into the left passage.

Concentrating on my aura, I push my physical abilities to the limit and run with all my might.

I quickly reach a T-intersection. Since it’s been left-right-left so far, I instinctively turn right.

Then, two soldiers are standing right in front of me.

“Whoa?!”

“Huh?!”

With the momentum, I deliver a powerful kick to one of the soldiers.

“Gahhhh!”

He goes flying more than I expected, surprising even me. As I look up, my eyes meet the other soldier’s.

“Whaaat?!”

“Whoaaah!”

Reflexively, I aim the rifle, remove the safety, and squeeze the trigger. As a result, all the remaining bullets in the magazine are unloaded.

The soldier is also sent flying and bounces off the wall, falling flat on his face.

Did I… kill them?

Since these two were wearing slightly better armor than the other soldiers, they might have been lucky enough to survive, but being at such close range might have been too much.

“You bastaaaard!”

The soldier who was kicked away draws his sword and gets up.

I hurriedly insert a new magazine and immediately squeeze the trigger.

The gunfire echoes through the corridor, and most of the bullets are absorbed into the soldiers’ bodies. It’s a relief they didn’t hit their faces.

“Gyagagaa?!?!”

The soldier on this side didn’t faint, but he was writhing in pain while clutching his chest.

The hit rate drops drastically with just a little distance. Well, I’m just glad I hit him at all, considering I’m an amateur.

But I’m running out of bullets soon.

Buying them is easy, but I need more time to reload the magazine. I wanted to make more, but this was the limit for sneaking bullets in without being caught by the guards in the cell.

At that moment, I hear the voices of soldiers from behind. Those guys are chasing after me.

“Damn it!”

Don’t think now! Just find the exit!

I start running again with all my strength.