Chapter 3: A Brilliant Idea

Volsini City, St. Peter’s Hospital, second floor, special care ward.

Robin lay in bed, feeling not a shred of the joy one might expect from surviving a disaster. Instead, he was pondering: what now? Regardless of the circumstances, he was currently a prisoner of war—their enemy. As things stood, Vincent intended to let him recover so that he could be defeated in a duel at his peak.

Even if they actually fought, Robin knew he would be a dead man, even with his master-level sniping skills. After all, on enemy turf, there was no such thing as a fair fight, and they certainly wouldn’t sit by and watch him kill the son of Lord Sid. For all he knew, the moment he pulled the trigger, an enemy transcendent could influence the trajectory of the bullet, making it curve away.

Robin spent the entire night thinking, and finally, he found a way forward. It seemed he would have to find a way to leverage the situation.

Knock, knock, knock...

A dull rapping sound echoed at the door.

"Come in," Robin said from the bed, his tone calm.

Creak.

A nurse in uniform entered carrying a metal tray. "Time to change your dressings." She walked over to Robin and set the tray on his bedside table. She was about 1.6 meters tall, her hair tied in a simple ponytail. She looked somewhat cute—better looking than the average girl, but not exactly a stunning beauty. Her face gave off a friendly, approachable vibe.

[Jennifer Swan]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 23]
[Strength: E-]
[Durability: E]
[Agility: E-]
[Spirit: E-]
[Transcendental Trait: Unawakened]
[Background: One of Vincent’s mistresses, a dedicated nurse in the special care ward. Somewhat boy-crazy and dislikes the elderly. Hobbies: makeup, celebrity gossip, enjoys thrills, attracted to strong men, loves watching men fight over her, and craves the feeling of being the center of attention.]
[Weakness Analysis: Easily swayed, tends to trust the men she likes, unable to keep secrets, likes to talk about everything. She has been reprimanded many times for spreading gossip from the special care ward.]

Robin felt rather speechless regarding Jennifer. A gossip-monger and a loudmouth—that she could work in the special care ward was likely due to Vincent’s influence. The fact that Vincent had his mistress look after him showed how much importance he placed on this. If he were to hold this woman hostage in an attempt to escape... as a hero awarded the Silver Wing Medal, he would be rightly executed for such an act.

Therefore, surrender was not an option either. Even if he could surrender, Robin wouldn't choose that path. He had watched his own comrade, the soldier who always led him, get sniped down right before his eyes!

As Robin took off his shirt, Jennifer’s eyes lit up, and she struggled to suppress the urge to swallow hard. During his new recruit training, Robin had shown an incredible capacity for learning, and his physique had visibly improved on the battlefield. His body was covered in solid muscle—not the kind built in a gym, but the kind that emanated a rugged, sturdy toughness.

"Do you have any newspapers?" Robin’s gaze shifted to Jennifer. "It’s too boring just lying here."

"Newspapers? Hmm..." Jennifer’s eyes rolled as she thought. Vincent hadn't forbidden Robin from reading books or newspapers; in fact, he had told her to accommodate his requests whenever possible. However, Jennifer had her own little agenda. It had been a long time since a handsome young man had been in the special care ward, and she wanted to chat with him.

"There aren't any on hand, and it would take a while to go buy one... Is there anything you want to know? You can ask me," Jennifer said, naturally pulling up a chair by the bed. She picked up an apple from the tray and began to peel it for him.

"Nothing in particular, just bored," Robin replied, closing his shirt after she finished changing his bandages. Seeing this, Jennifer felt a twinge of disappointment.

"What kind of person are you?" Jennifer asked softly. "It’s been a long time since we had a patient as young as you in this ward."

"Didn't Vincent tell you?" Robin looked genuinely surprised.

"No~pe." Jennifer’s voice sounded almost like she was pouting. "He and I aren't that close."

Robin was left stunned. Not close, even after sleeping together? Was this a "betrothed but no boyfriend" situation, or was she just a single woman who hadn't divorced yet?

"I’m a man who is about to die," Robin said, sounding unburdened and casual.

"About to die? That can't be right. You were treated for your gunshot wounds, and your natural recovery is quite good. You should be fully recovered in half a month, right?" Jennifer recalled the doctor's diagnosis.

"I’m not a soldier of Lord Sid. I’m a soldier of the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke Benito, and I have a duel with Vincent coming up."

"Ah?" Jennifer’s hand paused while peeling the apple. She only knew that this man was under high-security watch, but she hadn't realized he was an enemy! Grand Duke Benito’s forces had reached Volsini City, occupied half of it, and were later defeated by Lord Sid’s army, forcing a temporary withdrawal.

"A-a duel..." Jennifer swallowed hard. So, this man was really going to die? What a pity for such a handsome man.

"Why does he want to duel you?" Jennifer couldn't help but ask.

"I killed nine second lieutenants, two first lieutenants, one captain, and I don't know how many soldiers. Grand Duke Benito awarded me the Silver Wing Medal for it." Robin smiled. "I suspect that before long, he will contact the newspapers, bring in reporters to interview me, and make this duel known to everyone."

"Killing me fair and square in a duel will boost his prestige within the army, raise morale, make the civilians worship him, and simultaneously strike a blow to Grand Duke Benito’s morale."

"Hmm..." Jennifer swallowed again. The Silver Wing Medal! That was something even she knew about! Her gaze toward Robin shifted. She had thought he was a rich kid or some noble’s descendant. She never expected him to be a war hero! Even if he was a hero in the enemy's army, that didn't change the fact that he was a hero! Killing so many people—how impressive!

"So, do you want to live, or do you want a fair and square duel? You..." Jennifer suddenly thought of something, her blood beginning to rush. "Will you take me hostage to escape?" If that really happened, would it be thrilling?

"War has nothing to do with civilians. I will only shoot enemies on the battlefield; I won't bully a young girl like you," Robin said, his large hand gently patting Jennifer’s head. "I am a soldier, and a soldier should die with honor on the battlefield! To run away would be to deny my own glory!"

"Besides, even if he is a transcendent and I am just an ordinary man, it doesn't mean I will lose."

"Don't forget, I've sniped one of his kind before!"

"Even if I die after winning, if I can take one enemy down with me, I’ll have lived up to my Silver Wing Medal."

Listening to Robin’s words and feeling the warmth of his large hand, Jennifer’s pretty face flushed red. Is this what a real soldier is like? How handsome... The ones she usually met were all pampered "master-soldier" types; one of them had even come to the special care ward because he chipped a fingernail. Luckily, his admission paperwork had been processed quickly—if it had been any slower, his hand would have healed on its own.

...

After leaving Robin’s room, Jennifer went to the nurse's station. She wrote a note, put it in an envelope, and dropped it into a metal tube.

*Hum!*

A device above the metal tube hissed with steam. It took nearly half an hour for Jennifer to receive a reply. She had written: 'Darling, why didn't you tell me the man in the special care ward was an enemy? What if he takes me hostage? Do you not love me anymore...'

'Don't worry, he’s a hero; he wouldn't do something so shameful. Be good, I'll take you out for cake tonight,' was Vincent’s reply.

Because there were no things like telephones, real-time communication in this world was very inconvenient. For very short distances, pneumatic tubes were used to transmit messages, which allowed for near-instant communication. For medium-range communication, letters had to be sent through underground pipe networks, which usually covered only a single city and required many relay stations.

For longer distances, one had to rely on special machinery that utilized sound wave frequency resonance. This could only receive simple information, similar to Morse code, and also required relay stations. The advantage was the existence of portable relay devices. Such communication was easily intercepted, making codebooks of the utmost importance.

Transcendents and transcendental items capable of mental links to assist in remote communication were highly coveted. After all, in war, whoever controlled information transmission controlled the power of speech.

'I also want a set of Blue Sea cosmetics! Otherwise, you won't be able to soothe me!'

'Fine, fine, I’ll buy them for you.'

Most people would try to fill a letter to the brim before sending it, but these two treated the system like text messaging—the indulgence of the wealthy. The two spent over an hour on this simple character-based communication; by the time they were done, Jennifer had already returned with the newspapers.

'Heehee, you're the best... By the way, he said reporters would come to interview him later. When are they coming?' Jennifer noted that she would need to do her makeup properly for that.

'Reporters?'

'He said you would make this duel known to everyone and then kill him fair and square. That way, you can boost your prestige in the army and among the people, strengthen public confidence, and deal a blow to Grand Duke Benito’s morale.'

Vincent: ???

I wanted to duel him to give a hero a dignified curtain call, and perhaps gain prestige in the army and earn my father's recognition.

Bringing in reporters for a massive propaganda campaign? Striking a blow to the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke’s morale? Boosting public confidence? How the hell did I not think of that!

This... this was a brilliant idea!

With a massive propaganda campaign, it could even make the enemy soldiers feel that we respect heroes. Who knows how many soldiers might defect to our side then?