The American In Another World
Chapter 69: Glory to Leifor

February 28, 1640

Leiforia, Leifor

The rumbling sound of engines shook nearby buildings as long rows of tanks walked down the Leiforian Promenade from the port. The wide road that the Gra Valkan traveled was strong enough to withstand the weight of tanks. As such, they had no desire to open it, or remove the debris and obstacles that had accumulated during their invasion and occupation. Unbeknownst to the columns, these piles of trash and debris are perfect for hiding the latest weapon among the arsenal of the Leiforian Resistance - an improvised explosive device.

Cables invisible to the naked eye run all the way to a single store. Thankfully, the streets were free from civilian activity, as all the locals were afraid of hiding because of the strict curfew imposed by the Gra Valkans. Patrolling soldiers are also known to treat civilians cruelly, making them rapes and bandits.

The thought of vengeance overwhelms the mind of a bearded young man, who gazes at the tank column from a small crack, a finger ready on the trigger. His fingers were trembling, trembling in anticipation. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

No need to be nervous, Vaneerial, said the person behind him with a different accent unlike the luxurious Muan people or the haughty Mirishial.

"I'm not nervous" Leiforian said, feeling a little humiliated. Keeping an eye on the tanks, he continued, “I'm just excited. This will be the first big win we see over Gra Valkans.”

“Do not worry, there are many more to come. Be patient, and wait until you see the last tank.”

Leiforian nodded slightly, waiting in silence for a few minutes until the tank line finally reached its tail.

"Light it up" said the man behind her.

"Praise Leifor!" He said while lighting the explosives.

A brilliant flash of light enveloped the first tank, followed by the next tank, and the next, and so on quickly. The current of doom flashed like lightning as a series of eruptions exploded, chasing the head of the convoy a mile away. Rumbling explosions smashed windows of nearby buildings, creating a storm of dust and debris in the process. The entire Gra Valkan convoy was obscured by black smoke, making the fruits of Leiforian's hard work inaccessible until a gust of strong wind blew away most of its smoke.

All that was left of the convoy was a trail of chaff burning as far as the eye could see. Leiforian froze in shock for a moment, unable to understand how quickly, efficiently, and easily the Leiforian Resistance had just crushed a power that had long been considered invincible. As the shock subsided, his open mouth turned into a crazy grin, euphoria flowing from a sense of victory.

“Hah... Hahahaha!” He laughed, taking a glimpse of the newfound hope. He turned to face the man behind him. His gaze met the American man's sunglasses, which did not hide much of his surprise. “For the gods, Wileman! The Leiforian Resistance is right to trust you! I can't believe I thought you were an intruder of the Valkan Gra, ” he said, a little embarrassed.

“This is just the beginning,” Wileman straight to the point. “I'm glad this is enough to prove myself, but we have to go now. Gra Valkans won't miss too far; let's get ready for reinforcements.”

Now convinced by Wileman's judgment, Vaneerial followed without question. "Understood."

Somewhat deafened by the explosion and traumatized by the invasion of the Valkans Gra months earlier, most continued to hide in their homes and businesses. However, some brave souls ventured to seek answers. These curious civilians started celebrating, cheering and shouting as they recognized the scene before them. Soon, more people began to emerge from the buildings and join in the celebration, chanting "Glory to Leifor!"

——

Warned by a puff of smoke in the distance, the occupying and landing forces of the Valkan Gra quickly left their positions in the harbor to investigate. Shouts emanated from the Gra Valkan base as the alarm went off and the vehicle was turned on. They ran towards a place of chaos with an unwavering purpose, their eyes failing to see the shadows around them.

Sneaking through the dark alleys, Vanerial and Wileman continued to push towards the harbor. Along the way, they joined a group of nearly a hundred resistance fighters, all armed with captured Valkan Gra weapons. In a large warehouse near the pier, Wileman meets and shares a briefing with their leader, a former Leiforia general named Malero.

Malero walked up to Wileman with his head held high and extended his hand in gratitude. “Thank you for your knowledge and effort, Wileman. You have done a lot in helping the Leiforian Resistance.” His stature was much higher than those around him, and even belonged to Wileman.

Wileman shook the general's hand. “No problem at all, General.”

“The people of Leifor owe you a great debt for your service. How can we reply you?”

Wileman humbly brushed it off, giving off an impression of selflessness among the Leiforian warriors present. “You can pay me and my government by taking back your country from Gra Valkans, starting from the port. The only other thing I might need is access to the Gra Valkan document you found.”

Without showing any surprise, Malero gave an appreciative smile. “Small price to pay. It is settled then; once we secure the port, you will get your documents. He then turned to face his men. “Leifor Liberator! We are a spirit of resistance, a defiance against the tyranny of the Gra Valkans! For months we have endured not only humiliation, but also the oppression and domination of our people. For months, we suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of the almost invincible Gra Valkans. Today, this series of defeats has ended! Today, we annihilated hundreds of Gra Valkan vehicles very easily, and now we will start to reclaim our territory!” He raised his fist in the air and shouted, "Glory to Leifor!"

A series of explosions were heard nearby, signaling the destruction of the Gra Valkans reinforcements. Unrelenting gunfire erupted soon after, symbolizing the start of the operation to seize the port. The Leiforian people dressed in camouflage-patterned clothing charged forward from the warehouse, breaking through the weak defenses on the side of the enemy base. While the Valkan Gra was interrupted by the battle near their front gate, the elite Leiforian group was able to infiltrate the base, shooting at the Valkan Gra from behind.

Malero and Wileman remained, along with a group of Leiforian tacticians. With the man gone, Malero felt it appropriate to finally say, “Wileman, although I greatly appreciate all that you have done for us so far, I feel that you have ulterior motives. The United States crossed civilizations, and had little influence in this part of the world. What do you really want?”

Wileman shrugs, “As you say. We have little influence here in the Second Civilization Region, and my superiors hope to change that. While we may not yet be able to establish or maintain our influence here, we believe that in our best interest, at the very least, reduce the spread of the influence of the Valkan Gra. My government does not want to do this directly, instead choose a more refined method.”

"Like sending 'advisors'?" Malero asked.

“That's right,” Wileman smiles. “I'm here to show your people how to fight effectively. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any material like ammonium nitrate or polystyrene here, but the magic gem powder has proven itself to be an amazing substitute.”

Malero would not agree, “Why, yes. Your strategy of combining powder with Gra Valkan ammo is more than I expected. I never considered the possibility that we could destroy the entire convoy, even though now that we have done so, I fear the retaliation of the Valkan Gra. I am not afraid of the retribution they will give me and my fighters; I fear the reprisals they may take against the citizens of Leifor.”

“My government managed to get the Valkan Gra to agree to a set of rules of war not too long ago. This includes categorizing certain acts as war crimes, such as targeting civilians. We have not yet established a supervisory committee to enforce these rules, but we will be setting them up soon. Gra Valkans will not dare to touch the good people of Leifor, if they want to continue trading with us and the whole of Elysia.”

Malero remained somewhat unconvinced, but considered Wileman's guarantee quite good. "That's .. acceptable."

Switching the conversation, Wileman introduced something new. “My government also has reason to believe that the Valkan Gra began to move to conquer the Hinomawari Kingdom and the Sonal Kingdom. The convoy we just destroyed is heading south, towards the border of Sonal.”

Malero's eyes widened in shock. “Yeah... Are they trying to conquer the entire continent?”

Wileman nodded in silence. "I hope not, but all the facts lead there."

“So, did you help us delay their war plans? Or do you really want to see Leifor freed?”

“Can't both? We tried to kill two birds with one stone. If Leifor is released, then we won't have to worry about the Gra Valkans and we'll get a lot of grateful people. That would be the ideal scenario.”

Malero crossed his arms, stood upright and chose to investigate further the true intentions of the Americans. “Then, why don't you stop the Valkan Gra? We have heard of your exploits against the Parpaldian Empire. You can definitely guarantee the pro-American government here if you send a liberation army.”

"We know." Wileman thought about the restrictions that currently prevent such operations from happening, such as the lack of bases in the region for logistical purposes and the potential threat of Gra Valkan atomic attacks. Not wanting to reveal the information, he dodged the suggestion. “Unfortunately, this politics is rather complicated. We just found out about Gra Valkan recently, and people at home are a little cautious.” After a brief pause to catch his breath, Wileman recognized the manipulative odds. "We don't want to start a war with a country we know very little about."

The American's closing statement was shocking, and Malero immediately understood his point of view. “I completely understand,” he said, seeing the parallels between Wileman's prudence and his own government's failure to adequately secure information about the technologically advanced Gra Valkans. “Discrete, then. After all, you have greatly helped our cause. It is a blessing we received help from the beginning, considering other countries are now afraid, or subservient to the Valkans Gra.

Wileman is reminded of the Magikareich Community, which is currently severing ties with Mu. “Community Magikareich..” murmured.

"Hm?"

“If the Magikareich Community is allied with the Gra Valkans, then.” That consciousness hits Wileman, surprising him. “It won't be long before the Valkan Gra begins to incorporate magic into their technology. If it was as simple as combining magic dust with explosives, then this could be a catastrophe for the next victim.”

The implications of the magically enhanced weaponry of the Valkans Gra are very serious, especially if they decide to combine the powerful hybrid technology of the Magikareich Community with their own. “We cannot prevent Gra Valkan from acquiring Magikareich technology,” Malero offers, “But I can issue an order to evacuate the Leiforian witches to prevent their arrest and interrogation. However, this will greatly affect our ability to fight back. This is something I cannot do, unless you have a way to equalize with the Gra Valkans?

Faced with a difficult decision, Wileman backed out. The government is unwilling to deploy too much advanced technology, especially with regard to insurgency and guerrilla tactics. IEDs and homemade mines can become more dangerous when embedded with magic, and the United States certainly does not want such information to be spread across Elysia. "I .. have to ask my boss about this."

A magic signal flare surged from the direction of the port as the muffled gunfire stopped. “I appreciate it,” Malero smiled. "Praise Leifor," he saluted.

Wileman responded well, returning with an American greeting, "Glory to Leifor."