Correct Choice

The world becomes a grid of white.

"Eleven hostiles…"

Two figures in red hold bows with arrows nocked, two hold wooden staves, six aim with spears, and one points a sword. I'm surrounded, but that isn't any different than a usual day on the job.

"Sir Clement!"

The one with a sword charges straight for me. His attack is easy to read and there is no real strength behind the downward swing.

I step to the side and drive my pistol between his eyes. A spear comes around from the side, so I throw the stunned body and send the both to the ground. Meanwhile, my hand reaches out and fires a bullet through the heart of one archer.

"Fatal, one."

The cylinder rotates.

Another spear charges forward, his screams accompanied by unintelligible chanting from the mages. I spin in place, accepting a light cut in my waist. My left hand slams into the face of the knight beside me and my right delivers a bullet into one mage.

"Fatal, two."

The cylinder rotates once more.

"Ice burst!"

Unlike Hessa, this mage must chant the name of her spell. This allows me the time to pull the armoured man in front and deflect the oncoming shards of magical ice. A chill stings on my shoulder as one of the stray shards tears at my flesh.

"GAH!"

This knight was first impaled by the magic of his ally, and now he is struck by a shot at point blank from my gun. The trail drills through his body and strikes the mage's stomach along its trajectory.

"Fatal, three. Critical, one."

The barrel rotates as I kick the dead soldier towards the next oncoming spear. Two more spears come in from behind, but they strike out of sync.

I grasp one of the metal rods and use it to block the other. While holding the spear, I twist my body to the side and allow an arrow to fly past my chest. One knight receives a kick to the chest while the other is given a bullet to the face.

"Fatal, four."

By the time the cylinder rotates again, the sword and a spear have returned to their feet. A metal tip blows just past my face as the last remaining spear charges from behind.

I grab the long spear and pull its wielder into the path of the sweeping blade. The strike wasn't enough to deal serious damage, but the bullet through his chest was. A red streak travels through two bodies, causing both to fall to the ground.

"Fatal, five. Critical, two."

The knight that had received my kick grasps his bearings, but quickly is struck by my boot once more. A dirt print remains on his face as I flip him over my back just in time to block another arrow. I fire one bullet at the last archer, emptying my gun.

"Fatal, six."

I need only wish for it and it arrives. A quick burst of light shines in my hand and I'm equipped with six more bullets. The last uninjured knight struggles to reach me through the bloody obstacles on the floor, allowing me to shoot him without issue. The knight struck by an arrow attempts to stand, but I kick his face back to the ground.

"Fatal, seven."

I fire a quick burst of shots, one to the knight at my feet, one to the knight just finished pushing a freezing corpse, and one to the mage barely breathing.

"Fatal, ten. Critical, one."

Just like that, my battlefield screeches to a halt. Compared to my previous fights in this world, I feel the most comfortable now. The knight I should recognise as Bran still draws breath, but the hole in his chest should lead him to death soon.

"Unhand me, beast!"

Thorsten finally frees himself from the girl's grasp. Blood continues to run down his shoulder as he points the magic blade at her.

"Divine—"

He stops when he realises the silence surrounding him. Normally removing eyes from your opponent is the quickest way to die, but nobody can blame him this time. How is the general supposed to stay focused on the beast when a traitor stands over a field of his dead followers?

"Y-YOU!"

A copper point is directed in my direction. At this point, he must not even care that he's surrounded.

"Do you realise the weight of your actions!? You betray Melior and her people, killing those you swore to protect! Have you no shame!?"

His rage turns into power for his blade. His entire body is turned into a conductor for the current flashing beneath a canopy of leaves. Sparks bounce around his body and burn his skin, but he doesn't even flinch.

"You die here, Blessed Knight! A fiery execution awaits once I burn you to ash. In the name of the House of Aufrey and Melior itself, this is the end—"

BANG

The energy dissipates and the forest returns to a tranquil green. Thorsten's body is late to realise the bullet in his head, but eventually the sound of crashing metal announces his end. The cylinder rotates with only a single bullet remaining.

"W-Why…"

Bran stirs from a spot amongst his fellow knights. He is unable to muster the strength to raise more than his head.

"Why have you done this…?"

His life is coming to an end, but that isn't the reason for his tears. Those youthful eyes only stare at the one he had once believed to be his hero. I've betrayed many these past couple of minutes, Bran more so than any. My actions are not what Clement would have done, but I'm not Clement.

"I chose the life I wanted to save. That is all."

My eyes don't even look at the young man as I deliver an answer he would never accept. He can only see my back as I check the girl's condition. She is obviously injured as she crouches against the dirt, but her wounds should not pose a serious threat to her life.

"You chose…YOU CHOSE THAT!?"

Blood flies from his mouth as he spits those words.

"You always protected us…always did the right thing…"

The pain in his twisted face is far more than any sword or arrow could ever inflict on a man.

"You always fought against evil! The Clement I know stood for justice! How can such a man make such an incorrect choice!?"

"Was it incorrect?"

Colour fades from his already pale face. Wide eyes bulge from their sockets when met with this simple question.

"When beasts pillage your farms and kill your citizens, it's an act of evil. When you destroy their village and kill their tribe, it's justice?"

I turn and narrow my eyes at the knight. Bran flinches from the sheer intensity of my glare.

"Such a convenient fantasy. Considering all of your actions justified simply because you perform them. You don't want to do the 'right' thing, you want to do whatever you please."

"T-That isn't true! These beasts have killed many! It's only right that they be hunted for their sins!"

Bran attempts to raise his body further, but the man of justice can't even brace his wrists. The girl behind me simply watches as he coughs blood onto the soil of her people.

"Did the beasts ever justify killing your people? Why is it that you require excuses for your actions?"

I raise my gun to my chest. The knight has a perfect view of its untarnished silver and mysterious red.

"I killed your people because I wanted them dead. You killed her people because you wanted them dead. Complain as you wish, but we are the same."

"N-NO! We fight for what's right!"

"Who is 'right'?"

Despite his strong opinions, there is no bite behind his childish wails. Everybody believes so strongly in correctness while none can ever describe it.

"I-It's the best for the most people!"

"Whose people? Yours? Mine? Hers?"

"T-The majority!"

I exaggeratedly looked around the area where only three living souls remain.

"We are two and you are one. That makes us correct under your rules."

"N-No, that's not…"

"I see nobody here to support your cause. Without power to back it up, your claim is nothing but rambling."

Dust kicks into the air as I step forward. Bran's determination is gone, only fear remaining as he stares down the barrel of my weapon.

"In your defence, my actions are a crime under Melior law. Contract demands that my head roll, but I don't intend to allow that."

The young knight freezes in place, but I have not the pity to spare him. This choice isn't something meaningless like 'correct' or 'incorrect', it's a means of survival. I cannot care for any other life if I don't first hold onto my own.

"That means no witnesses."

BANG