The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

Battle of the School Hallways (Part 2)

The Academy had four school buildings, each was connected to the other by 'wings', located at the end of the hallways of every floor. Three of the buildings had five levels, while one was built with three. The smaller building—serving as the main lobby of the school, was out of the picture. The sniper couldn't possibly had a good vantage spot at that place. That left us with the three same-level buildings to search.

"..."

The 'main' school building (where Maddie got shot) was located to the west of the school. It's impossible that the sniper was from there, so we got the east and south building remaining. I was not an expert on ballistics, so I couldn't determine the actual direction of the bullet's origin; I could only surmise based on what I observed earlier, and hope that I was correct.

In any case, judging from what happened, Maddie was grazed on the left side of her stomach, just as she was facing the east building. The sniper couldn't shoot her if he was on the south building, since the bullet would have to make a significant and deliberate turn to the left just to hit that spot. Even if I factor in the 'Coriolis effect', it's still impossible for a bullet to make that trajectory...if it was fired from the south building.

But, I may be mistaken on that one...

Good thing the sniper tried another shot, which hit and broke a clay pot near us. That confirmed my suspicions that he was in the east building, for the clay pot was well hidden behind a set of garden stones facing the south. Though it was stray hit, any sniper wouldn't be able to aim in the direction that pot from the south building, unless his bullet was a 'homing' one.

And there's no such thing as a 'homing' bullet, not even in my world...

So yes, with those evidences in mind, I led Lily and the Lady Henristone on the east building.

"Milady," a paladin squad leader reported to Lily the moment we reached one of the checkpoints on the uppermost floor. "Lady Nedeline and Lady Greye's squads have also setup barricades on the wing opposite our position, and the stairs near it."

"Good work, Lady Jacques," the Paladin Captain told her. "No one had come past your checkpoint so far?"

"None, milady," the squad leader replied. "It's been pretty quiet in this place, though we haven't checked the rooms and the rooftop yet. We just remained guarding the exits, just as the Lord Kuro instructed."

"We cannot afford to incur casualties," I explained. "The guy we're up against is armed with a powerful gun—I mean, demon weapon."

"And the Lord Kuro is the one who knew how to deal with it," Lady Henristone added with an excited smile, as if she was bragging about me in front of her paladins. As a result, I could feel everyone's gaze and expectations being projected on me.

Seriously, guys, don't get your hopes up—

"!!!"

Every one of us froze when a couple of shots rang out. The paladins quickly formed a shield wall, chanted a magic shield spell and drew their matchlock guns. Lady Henristone and Lily immediately went behind the shield wall to command the squad, and I instinctively hid in the room nearby.

"Guys," I told them, "your shields are useless against the weapon of our enemy, once you lift the magic shield to shoot. The best way to get protected is to hide behind something sturdy, like a wall."

The paladins were shocked, though they did disperse their formation and hid behind the walls like I suggested.

"..." The exchange of shots went on for a while; it was continuous, as if multiple guns were being fired and in quick succession. As I listened, I suspected—based from my experience—that those shots were not from matchlock guns or the sniper rifle, but a different type of gun. Good thing the firefight was not on our spot, so I could peacefully plan our next steps.