episode_0006

The soldiers who escaped the battlefield with me gradually disappeared one by one. No matter how seasoned a soldier might be, they would want to avoid being monster food on the battlefield. They’d probably head back home or change their profession to something like banditry. It wasn’t my concern. I wasn’t a commander or an officer. After about half a day, there was no one left beside me. Ultimately, I was the only one heading towards the 93rd Independent Alarm Battalion’s base.

It wasn’t certain if the battalion was still in its original position. The likelihood of it not being there was higher. When our company visited the battalion’s base, preparations for moving to Saint Marg were already underway.

However, after walking for several hours from Saint Marg toward the battalion’s base, there was no sign of the battalion’s movement. So, either the battalion had canceled its relocation for some reason and remained in place, or it had moved in a direction other than Saint Marg. The worst-case scenario would be if they hadn’t made it to Saint Marg and had encountered trouble, but that was highly unlikely, so I dismissed that option.

“Phew. Thirsty, legs hurt, and exhausted.”

My military uniform was already a mess from the tar-like slime of the monsters. Fortunately, it wasn’t torn, but it had been emanating a strange smell from the sweat and blood-soaked fabric for quite some time. I had also forgotten my shako cap somewhere and was barely carrying a hefty musket weighing 5kg. Since this era’s guns didn’t have slings, I had to carry it purely by hand, making it even more difficult.

Why not reinforce strength with magic? Magic isn’t something you can recover at any time like a healing potion. It’s like human stamina; it recovers well when you’re in good condition, but after finishing a life-and-death battle like mine and marching for hours, magic is as feeble as a mouse’s tail. That’s why even though the assault platoon was composed entirely of mage infantry, they all received horses for transportation.

“Huh?”

At the time when the morning sun was rising in the east, I saw the flickering shadows of people along with the intense light of the sunrise. The 93rd division? I quickened my pace with joy. Once I reached the division, I would be able to find out about Claire’s whereabouts.

Thud thud thud—

As they got closer, a foreboding feeling crept over me. Why were cavalry soldiers approaching? If it was just to deliver a message, one person would have sufficed, yet six cavalry units were charging toward me. And what were they carrying… spears? In this era of saber-wielding soldiers, the only place still utilizing spear soldiers was the Muscovy Kingdom, at least as far as I could recall. Should I engage in counterfire? No, my magic is depleted, so that’s not an option. Should I flee? It’s impossible for infantry to escape from cavalry.

“Please.”

Sending six spear units against just one infantryman indicated that their intention wasn’t merely to capture but rather to kill. It was a gamble, but it seemed to be the best decision I could make under the circumstances. I scraped together every ounce of remaining magic and channeled it into a defensive spell while carefully placing my musket on the ground. I knelt down, hands behind my head. It had been centuries since surrender techniques were taught at the training academy. I was simply mimicking a posture I had often seen in movies in my past life.

“Whoa—”

Facing a life-threatening situation without anyone to rescue me as before felt entirely different. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of my throat. Due to the backlight of the sunrise, it was hard to see clearly, but the cavalry soldiers were dressed in black military uniforms. The Muscovy Kingdom typically wore green military attire, so I had never seen black uniforms before. They surrounded me, pointing their spears at me, yet refrained from attacking.

“Affiliation.”

A person among them, speaking Frankish with a distinct Muscovian accent, asked sternly.

“I-I’m Marian Roche Mado, B Company, 1st Training Battalion, 93rd Independent Guards Division.”

“Independent Guards Division? You were part of the unit that roamed through the Black Forest.”

After that, the Moskovian cavalryman said something and another cavalryman took something out of his saddle. What is it? Are those handcuffs? The man holding the iron object immediately fastened it around my neck with such familiarity that I had no chance to resist.

A shiver ran through me at the cold metallic sensation. It wasn’t just a mere sensation on my neck; it soon felt like my defensive magic was dispersing. Even when I tried to gather it again, there was no magical energy to be felt. Not only was my magical energy not gathering, but strength seemed to drain from my limbs. What’s going on? I’ve never heard of anything like this.

“It’s a magic suppression device. Don’t the Kingdom folks have these?”

It seemed like a newly created item from the Moskovian Kingdom. Traditionally, as they had fewer individuals with magical aptitude, there was enough motivation for them to invent such a device. But not just the motivation—actually creating it. It might not be usable in combat right away, but given some time, they could potentially develop something to easily neutralize the Kingdom’s magical infantry.

Before long, the main force of the Moskovian Kingdom arrived. It was massive. It wasn’t just a single division conducting a simple reconnaissance; it was an incredibly long marching column, stretching beyond sight. This was a full-fledged invasion. At the forefront of the column was a woman riding a black horse. Was she the commander? She looked to be around Clere’s age, perhaps in her mid-20s, though I couldn’t be sure of Clere’s age, she appeared to be in her mid-20s.

With black hair, dressed in dark military attire, even her horse was black, and her unit’s flag fluttering beside her was also black. Despite her petite stature, she exuded an immense sense of authority. Soon, she spoke to me in fluent Frankish.

“Captain? Why was the envoy heading east?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I debated whether to tell the truth, but soon realized that this wasn’t the situation to be nitpicking about. As I hesitated in my response, she lightly flicked my shoulder with her riding crop. Startled by the stinging sensation, I looked at her in dismay, only to be met with her same cold gaze.

“Answer.”

“I was returning to the 93rd garrison.”

“Everything east from here is occupied by the Republic’s forces.”

I didn’t hear any declaration of war. The border of the Kingdom of Francia was still a long way off. But Republic forces occupying the area?

“Judging by your attire, it seems you’ve been in combat. And what’s with this black thing?”

Her riding crop traced the blood of the monsters on my military uniform. It slid down my collarbone, circled around my chest, and then dropped from my body. Blatant harassment. I glared at her fiercely, but she didn’t even flinch. She continued without waiting for my answer.

“You mentioned you were looking for the 93rd. Any idea where they might be? They tore the Republic border patrol to shreds in the Black Forest.”

I wanted to say it was the monsters, not the Kingdom’s army, but saying so to someone who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand would likely backfire. She was right; I was indeed searching for the battalion. If they weren’t to the east or in Saint Marguerite, the only direction left was south.

“Yes. But don’t expect me to guide you. I’m not foolish enough to reveal our location to the enemy.”

“Lieutenant Marianne Madohasa.”

She leaped off her horse. I thought she was going to strike me with her riding crop, so I instinctively recoiled. However, a soldier standing nearby pushed against my back, preventing me from moving. As she dismounted, she seemed slightly taller than me.

“Ugh!”

What the—she grabbed my hair and pulled me close. Her voice was so close to my ear, almost touching my lips.

“Why are you so confident in what you believe?”

“….”

“Shall I keep rolling until you feel like dying?”

“But… I can’t just disclose our unit’s position to an enemy officer…”

“They must have gone south. Nobles just need to obey my orders. Got it?”

“Sigh… Ugh!”

As she finished speaking and stepped back, a gust of wind brushed against my ear, causing an involuntary groan to escape me. She mounted her horse again and issued commands to the officers and Moskobiyar nearby. Despite the officers receiving her orders promptly, even though they seemed to hold high ranks, the entire formation swiftly turned from west to south. She grinned at me.

“So you’ve been keeping my name from the noble. I’m Sasha Menizchi, Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Guard Cavalry. Soldier! Hand over our uniform to Lieutenant Marianne here.”

Wear the enemy’s uniform? This is really not acceptable. However, considering Lieutenant Colonel Sasha’s past actions, I couldn’t voice my dislike. I could only express my disapproval with my eyes. Naturally, my opinion was disregarded, and a neat black uniform of the Royal Guard Cavalry was delivered. Reluctantly taking the uniform in hand, I saw no place nearby to change. It was unlikely that separate tents were prepared for the marching formation. Unsure of what to do, Sasha pointed at the uniform with her riding crop.

“What are you waiting for, Lieutenant? Change quickly. Don’t tell me you forgot to change because of the mana suppression device around the noble’s neck?”

“H-Here? Right here?”

“Yes, right here. Beside me.”

If I were a man from a previous life, changing during training would have been a common occurrence, so I would have quickly changed. But now, among the hundreds of people coming into view, there were only Sasha and me, and she was amusingly watching. Even though she was a woman herself, how could she give such an order? Trembling with embarrassment and shame, I slowly removed the uniform of the Kingdom of Francia.

I felt numerous eyes around me. I didn’t whistle or say anything vulgar, but I shuddered under the sticky gaze of dozens. I had changed into a black military uniform. I hadn’t even showered and was sweating, so putting on new clothes made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, but I couldn’t even notice that. Before I knew it, a black mage similar to Sasha was standing next to me. Tara’s gesture startled me, but this didn’t seem like how one would treat a prisoner.

“From now on, you will be responsible for guiding the Royal Army.”

“No, I…”

“Of course, it’s not because of your patriotism toward the Kingdom of Franquia. Even without your guidance, I can guess where the 93rd Division is.”

“Then why are you doing this to me?”

“Hmm. Because it’s amusing?”

As she finished speaking, she abruptly pulled the restraint device around my neck. It felt as if a wound had been inflicted on my neck by the hard metal. Whether intentionally or not, Sasha muttered so softly that only I could hear her.

“When I see someone with magical potential, I want to torment them.”