Fanaticism and Superstition (2)

“So, so pointlessly, kaugh.”

The regiment commander collapsed sideways with a hole in his chest, making a deflating sound.

Thus the forest battle ended.

The shouts and gunfire shaking the forest subsided as if it were a lie.

Through the thick gunpowder smoke, only terrible bloodstench and silence settled.

Swish.

As smoke gradually cleared, a horrific scene emerged.

Three thousand Partisans had become piles of corpses strewn everywhere.

Not a single survivor was visible.

“Stubborn bastards.”

A corps soldier clutching his musket muttered with disgust.

His comrade beside him nodded in agreement.

“They wouldn’t surrender even in that situation? Were they really brainwashed?”

“Seriously…”

The soldiers murmured uneasily about their fanatical resistance that refused surrender until the end.

Just then, a commander’s resounding shout echoed across the battlefield.

“Spread out by unit and search the battlefield!”

Following orders, corps soldiers dispersed to organize the battlefield.

They confirmed and executed any possible survivors, moved corpses aside, and salvaged usable equipment.

Tap.

Loen landed on the forest path watching this.

“Operations Staff. Friendly casualties?”

Bern approached to report at Loen’s question.

His voice mixed slight excitement with reverence toward Loen.

“Seven wounded total, no other casualties!”

“Cause of injuries?”

Loen asked briefly.

“They were outside the barrier and caught in enemy mage attacks. Fortunately no serious injuries. Besides that… no other damage, Corps Commander.”

Staff Officer Bern couldn’t contain his amazement even while reporting.

Three thousand enemies in ambush.

Seven wounded against suicidal fanatical attacks?

This exceeded miracles.

Before expedition, they’d felt the corps reorganization’s effects through small engagements, but even he hadn’t imagined this extent.

‘Honestly, it’s embarrassing to even call this a battle…’

Such an overwhelming victory.

Bern looked at Loen with sparkling eyes.

Field commanders were no different.

“New weapons’ power exceeds expectations.”

“This battle seems to have proven their usefulness in large-scale combat.”

Commanders exchanged admiration.

Seeing enemies fall like autumn leaves shocked even them.

Similar conversations occurred among soldiers.

“War is ultimately equipment competition, right?”

“Exactly! If we’d crossed swords with those madmen, our casualties would’ve been insane!”

“Without magic engravings, I’d already be dead from bullets.”

While feeling chills from enemies’ mad charges that knew no retreat,

they were relieved by new weapons and armor creating overwhelming victory.

And naturally.

Respect and loyalty toward the young corps commander who brought all these changes blossomed from deep in their hearts.

Given imperial military’s reliance on knight and mage forces,

little attention was given to soldier supplies and equipment.

Their lives were always cheap.

Whereas Loen.

She distributed high-quality magical armor and new weapons to soldiers, improved supply quality, and vastly improved their treatment.

Of course, Loen’s past life military experience greatly influenced this.

Even on Earth with advanced weapons, infantry investment wasn’t spared – why would here be different?

Anyway.

This battle proved reorganization was the right choice to everyone,

now no soldier wouldn’t pledge loyalty to her.

The once peace-dulled Southern Corps, through complete reorganization followed by Western expedition…

Armed their spirits firmly with steel, gunpowder, and faith in their corps commander.

The vanguard leaving the forest path began marching north again as planned, rejoining follow-up forces.

Their steps carried stronger confidence and discipline than before.

How much further they advanced.

When a small village of dozens of households appeared in the distance,

a cavalry scout returned hastily to report to Loen.

Confusion and anxiety marked his face.

“Corps Commander! The village… is completely in ruins!”

“What?”

Operations Staff Bern furrowed his brow.

“Partisan bastards’ doing?”

“Doesn’t seem so. This is… you should see it directly.”

Loen exchanged glances with her staff and immediately ordered the corps to stand by.

Then she rode toward the village with only companions and several staff.

“Might bandits have swept through?”

“They wouldn’t reduce a village to ruins.”

“I see.”

Seraphine and Psyche whispered following behind Loen.

The moment they reached village entrance.

Everyone including Loen lost words, gasping.

The scene before them was hell itself… far exceeding imagination.

“Insane.”

Someone cursed in a low voice.

“My god…”

Even Seraphine, who’d seen countless horrors beside Loen, spoke with trembling voice of disbelief.

Her face had turned deathly pale.

“Good heavens. Surely Partisans?”

“Doesn’t seem so. Even they wouldn’t commit such merciless slaughter.”

The knight commander denied a staff officer’s words.

At village entrance, countless wooden poles stood like flagpoles, with men, women, young and old hanging torn to death.

Caw. Caw.

Crows circled corpses pecking flesh while disgusting stench assaulted Loen’s party.

Loen hardened her face and entered deeper into the village.

‘Situation more serious than expected?’

Central square.

Hundreds of half-burned corpses piled like massive sacrifices.

“Urp.”

Behind Loen came sounds of someone unable to contain vomiting.

“Miss Loen! There’s something written over there!”

Just then, Psyche spotted a wooden sign next to the corpse pile and shouted.

Letters scrawled as if with blood. The content:

[ In the name of His Imperial Majesty ]

[ Death to heretics ]

Staff Officer Bern, deeply loyal to the Empire, glared at the sign expressing anger.

“Who would dare! Using His Majesty’s name to commit such atrocities!”

Loen fell into thought.

Demons’ doing? Or traitors?

While everyone was contemplating, the knight commander suddenly spoke as if recalling something.

“Heretics… to my knowledge, that term is primarily used by the Solar Church.”

“Solar Church?”

Loen searched her memory.

The Empire’s only religious group.

Originally a sun-worship religion that evolved to survive oppression,

eventually deifying the Emperor.

In Solar Church, the Emperor was god and sun.

To hear that name here.

Loen inwardly clicked her tongue.

‘Neither in past life nor here have I ever seen anything good involving religion.’

The knight commander carefully added.

“If Solar Church priests are responsible, likely the entire village actively aided traitor forces, or was involved in forbidden demon worship. Otherwise there’s no reason for such terrible massacre.”

His words had merit.

Though Solar Church showed fanatical tendencies, they weren’t a group for groundless slaughter.

They moved according to their own justice and beliefs.

“Perhaps these villagers… truly committed serious crimes.”

“Even so, isn’t this too cruel?”

Seraphine frowned in objection.

As voices seemed about to rise, Loen intervened.

“For now.”

After considering various hypotheses internally, Loen said.

“We’ll bypass the village to prevent soldiers from being disturbed.”

“Yes, Corps Commander.”

Villages the corps passed afterwards presented devastating scenes.

Dried twisted corpses hanging from crosses, villages burned to ash for no reason, bodies carelessly piled in squares…

Scenery evoking death lands continued.

Finally reaching an intact-looking village, residents consumed by extreme anxiety and hostility refused the corps’ approach.

“We, we absolutely cannot open doors to outsiders! Leave immediately!”

An old village chief shouted trembling from wooden barricade.

His eyes held deep distrust alongside fear.

“What will you do?”

“Can’t we just break in?”

At companions’ questions, Loen silently turned her horse.

She could force entry, but didn’t want to waste time arguing with terrified people.

Seraphine following behind muttered with anxious face.

“Is this truly imperial territory… When I visited the West with father as a child, it was vibrant and peaceful…”

The knight commander with frontline experience answered Psyche who interjected shaking her head.

“Anyone would think West was the frontline, right?”

“Even the East facing frontlines isn’t this bad.”

Very different atmosphere from South.

Then, inspectors struck first before traitors and demons could grasp the situation, preventing extreme chaos.

Because Loen’s corps crushed the Southern Alliance before they could act.

The West was opposite.

After failing early suppression, numerous rising traitors and demon forces,

brought deep darkness to lands once called prosperity and abundance.

The corps advanced northward without rest.

The path was never smooth.

Partisan ambushes followed inevitably at terrain favorable for ambush.

In forests, narrow ravines, ruined villages, they charged desperately.

Before corps armed with powerful firepower and solid defense, Partisan resistance was mere futile struggle.

Instead, it only built corps soldiers’ practical experience substantially.

“Gaack.”

“Monster bastards…!”

When even Partisan shadows no longer appeared,

the corps finally arrived at Haven’s outskirts, major city in Empire’s southwestern region.

Loen immediately issued orders after establishing camp in vast plains.

Haven was a strategic point between gateway and corps fortress.

Therefore thorough intelligence gathering and stabilization were top priorities.

“Divide cavalry units to quickly and accurately assess the situation in this region, including Haven!”

“Yes!”

Later Loen entered Haven city with only Psyche, Seraphine, and the knight commander.

To confirm West’s reality firsthand.

And upon entering the city.

They again faced shocking scenes.

Central city square.

Boiling with madness and hatred emanated from countless crowds.

At square center… stood a temporary execution platform, where large-scale public executions were being conducted under an elderly priest in snow-white vestments.

“In the name of His Imperial Majesty, great and august.”

The white-haired priest raised a wooden staff high with bony hands and shouted.

His eyes shone clearly.

“We shall execute the heretic purification to cleanse the defiled Empire!”

Crowds gathered in the square erupted in fanatical cheers.

“Kill them!!”

“Judge all traitors!!”

“Drive away demon minions from here!”

Ear-piercing shouts shook the entire square.

City guards merely watched with folded arms.

As if accustomed.

Dozens of people of all ages huddled together in terror on the execution platform.

“I truly committed no crime!!”

“Please, just spare my life..”

Their desperate wailing and pleas scattered futilely, buried beneath fanatical shouts covering the square.

“Wow~ truly a mess here.”

Psyche shook her head watching this scene.

Seraphine bit her lip, unable to hide disgust.

Loen’s party too had directly performed numerous executions.

Countless necks were severed by their hands during Southern Alliance elimination.

Therefore aversion to executions themselves was nonexistent.

But this was different.

Inspection Corps executions always occurred under thorough investigation and proper procedures.

Summary executions targeted only those with clearly proven crimes.

Even the Internal Palace purge walked a somewhat fine line, but still had justification.

However, this scene unfolding before them…

‘Anyone would see this as witch hunting.’

Loen’s gaze briefly rested on a young girl crying and trembling in one corner of the execution platform.

Others too. At least to Loen’s eyes, many seemed far from traitors.

Having executed more traitors than anyone, Loen knew better.

She was nearly an expert in this field.

Of course, those on the execution platform might all be traitors.

Then the ongoing execution would indeed be righteous judgment.

But what if not?

“Verification needed.”

“I’m thinking the same.”

Seraphine responded to Loen’s words.

After briefly signaling companions, Loen advanced resolutely through crowds toward the square center.