episode_0015

To the lively rhythm of a march, they advanced one step at a time. The ground shook with tremendous impact as the projectiles from the Frankia Kingdom’s artillery hit the earth. The C Platoon was positioned on the far right of the Mage Infantry Battalion, aligning their right shoulders with the regular infantry division and moving forward.

Although the sun had completely set, the moon tonight was exceptionally bright, nearly as full as a mid-autumn moon, providing decent visibility even in the dead of night. Glancing to the right, tense faces of the soldiers were visible. It was natural for everyone on the battlefield to be on edge, perhaps recalling the allies brutally torn apart by Muscovian artillery at Bridge 7. A sense of impending confrontation loomed from the dark expanse beyond their sight, where it felt like the spearhead battalion could charge at any moment.

The Muscovian anthem gradually grew louder, a signal that battle was imminent. The drumbeat from the allied military band changed, indicating a slower pace. As their advance speed decreased to nearly half its original pace, the drumbeats of the enemy forces also shifted. Not being a military musician or having undergone officer training, they didn’t precisely understand the significance, but it was evident that the Muscovian forces were accelerating their advance. Their formation stretched incredibly thin.

“Do they really think they stand a chance?”

Muscovian soldiers, clad in turquoise or green uniforms, were arranged so thinly that they were almost in a second line. Even with the vulnerability in endurance due to potential gaps after just one round of shooting, if their marksmanship was superior and their firing rate faster than the opposing forces, they could possess an immensely powerful striking force over a vast surface area.

In contrast, the Frankian infantry division maintained a traditional four-line formation. This allowed for a balanced structure while still being compact enough to swiftly change the unit’s direction.

The overwhelming thin front line being executed by the Moskovi army was a tactic that only the Welsh Union across the sea could handle. It was common knowledge that the training of the Moskovi Kingdom was considered far inferior to that of the Frankia Kingdom, so it was natural to have doubts when seeing the thinly spread green line in front of us.

I looked around. Could this be another trap? However, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary within the range of my vision. On the spacious field beyond Bridge 7, there were two infantry regiments and one mage battalion from the Frankia Kingdom, and three infantry regiments from the Moskovi Kingdom. Simply counting numbers, the other side had more, but considering the chronic lack of magic-sensitive individuals in the Moskovi Kingdom, the number of mage infantry responsible for the impact of the battle would be overwhelmingly on our side.

The Frankian army stopped first. In accordance with the halt order for the front-line infantry, Cler ordered the mage battalion to stop as well.

“Battalion! Coordinate your fire signal with the infantry regiment!”

Soon after, the Moskovi infantry entered our shooting line. Due to the wide front line, the Frankian army had to shoot first to make as many holes as possible in the enemy’s front line, as the Moskovi army, with its widely spread front line, could produce overwhelming firepower compared to our army. The commander of the infantry regiment seemed to have the same idea, as the sound of muskets being raised to aim was heard.

“Fire!!”

One of the commanders of the infantry regiment shouted with a booming voice. Among the 4,000 soldiers of the two infantry regiments, hundreds of muskets at the forefront spewed fire. It was a far cry from the dozens of musket shots I had heard at Saint Marg.

The mage infantry, including myself, also fired simultaneously. The bullets were just ordinary lead projectiles like those of the other front-line infantry. Amidst the hazy smoke, a considerable number of green-uniformed soldiers could be seen falling.

“Reload! Reload!”

A man who appeared to be a sergeant of the infantry regiment was shaking his halberd and shouting. He was faithfully following the routine of firing, reloading, and firing again. There was also a method where the rear row would move forward to fire while the row that had just fired would move to the very back, but it wasn’t an easily employable method.

The Moscovi army did not wait for the reload. The first shot was fired when the soldiers who had been shooting were now taking out the ammunition cartridges. Overwhelming firepower from three infantry divisions forming a two-row horizontal formation. It was more like crushing the friendly infantry with fists than shooting.

Tee-tee-tit!

Numerous bullets blocked by defensive spells proved this. The first row of the infantry division was almost annihilated.

“Magic Infantry! Advance 10 steps! Then switch to magic bullet fire!”

The method of using the magic infantry as the shield for the front-line infantry was an old and effective tactic, learned in training school. The enemy couldn’t ignore the advancing magic infantry and ended up wasting firepower on defensive spells. Meanwhile, the friendly infantry regrouped and resumed shooting. Repeating this a couple of times would inevitably lead to the enemy’s defeat. That’s why gaining the upper hand in the battle between the magic infantry was crucial.

“!”

The expectation of a reload was overturned as the second row of the Moscovi army came forward and once again unleashed a concentrated volley. The firepower was focused on the front-line infantry, who were much closer than the magic infantry. Only one or two bullets grazed my defensive spell, but they didn’t shoot at us. The second row, which was preparing to shoot right after the first row had almost died, was completely exposed to the concentrated firepower. Some battalions had only their commander left.

“Battalion, fire!”

Even though they hadn’t even walked ten steps, Claire gave the order to fire in haste. The magic infantry was responsible for the shock power, but even that required the support of the friendly infantry division. The battalions that had been at the forefront of the ruthless Moscovi army’s concentrated fire were almost melted away. The battalions and companies waiting in the rear were hurrying to move, but if the Moscovi army completed the reload for both the first and second rows, it would be of no use. They needed to reduce the number of soldiers as much as possible before they regained their attacking capability.

The emerald green uniforms of the Moscovi army were precisely pierced by a dozen azure magic bullets. And again, once more. After about three rounds of magic bullet fire, there was a response from the Moscovi army as well. Though it was only a few, magic bullets flew in our direction too.

Pak!

A different sound from when a lead bullet ricochets off a defensive spell formation was heard. The magic bullet that failed to penetrate the defense left no trace and disappeared, but the magic infantry who deployed the spell could be discerned. They could gauge how much strain their spell formation had endured from the recent attack. Having taken a hit, I thought it was manageable.

“Charlie Company. Prioritize firing on the enemy magic infantry.”

Alpha and Bravo Companies were steadily reducing the number of enemy frontline infantry. The field was now filled with azure magic bullets. Not only our battalion but also the magic battalions belonging to the infantry division had joined the battle.

Our company, commanded by Claire, conducted magic bullet fire only in the direction from which the Moscovi bullets were flying. The Moscovi army definitely had fewer magic infantry than us. It seemed that the number of bullets flying from the enemy’s position was gradually decreasing. Whether they were dead or had retreated, thinking that the defensive spells couldn’t hold, it was good news for us to rapidly diminish the Moscovi frontline infantry.

However, the rearward Moscovi infantry’s reloading speed was subtly faster than the speed at which our friendly frontline infantry advanced.

With intense gunfire, once again, the Frankia army’s front line was being wiped out. However, this time, the commander seemed more tenacious, or perhaps it was inevitable due to the fact that the reserve forces from the rear were all brought up. He was advancing over the corpses. No, in terms of speed, it was almost at the level of a charge. It was a clear fact that if they were hit by gunfire once more, they would be completely routed.

The second line of the Moscovi army had not yet finished reloading. It seemed that their proficiency was lower than those in the front line.

“Magic battalions! We also charge at full speed! Run to the edge of the Moscovi bastards!”

All the way to the edge? As we were on the far left of Jinhyung’s battalion, it seemed like if we just turned a bit, we could be at the edge of the horizontal formation of the Moskovi Army. I was so consumed with that thought that I could almost sense what Claire was thinking. It seemed like she was planning to display the tremendous magic shooting she had shown in Saint Marg.

The advance of the Francia Army ended before the Moskovi Army’s second line could shoot. Just before the enemy fired, there was a single furious volley after closing the distance as much as possible. The thin formation of the Moskovi Kingdom’s army was too fragile to withstand that.

Shooting at a closer range inevitably inflicts greater damage. More holes were punctured through the green dotted line than in the previous volley, and the inexperienced soldiers of the Moskovi Kingdom soon abandoned their shooting and began to flee.

“Company, cease fire!”

It was regrettable not to witness Claire’s sincere magical shooting, but ultimately, it was a good thing as it allowed us to conserve our magical power. The battle temporarily ended, giving us a moment to survey the company members.

The reconnaissance company I originally belonged to was not a place for indecisiveness. Except for some of the magical infantry, the limit for magic shooting was within 10 shots. However, in this battle, the company members must have fired dozens of shots. They all seemed fine except for sweating a little. I definitely need to revise my evaluation. It seems that not only were personnel difficult to control sent to the Corps’ direct control magical infantry company, but also individuals with a certain level of skill.

And me too. Just a week ago, five shots seemed to be the limit, but now it’s nothing. Is this ability bestowed upon me by the mass of light?

I locked eyes with Claire as I surveyed the company. I smiled slightly and gave her a thumbs-up sign to indicate that everything was fine. Although our infantry division suffered significant losses, the magical infantry company was unscathed for now. Claire seemed to hastily avert her gaze. Why is that? I looked behind me, wondering if something was there, but there was nothing.

“But the Kingdom’s spear infantry doesn’t seem to be moving.”

It was the voice of Sergeant Wiego. If Sasha’s Spearhead Battalion moved, the battle in front of Bridge 7 could end in defeat. Did everyone move towards Bridge 8? This battle was a straightforward power struggle between the frontline infantry and the magic infantry. The artillery had only been used in the preliminary skirmish, and neither side had employed cavalry.

Gunfire sounded from close range. It seemed like the enemy was still there, but it was actually the sound coming from behind. Right now, the reserve forces had all charged, leaving nothing behind. If anything remained, it was just the bodies torn apart by Muscovian rifle fire. When I turned my head, I heard a noise coming from the rear of the frontline infantry.

“What’s that?”

As I focused my sight, it became clearer. They were there. Monsters. Those creatures with fish-like heads and human lower bodies that I had seen before facing my first death. As I slowly turned my gaze, I could tell where they were coming from. One by one, they had climbed up from the river, disgustingly feasting on our allies’ corpses. The battle was so intense that we hadn’t even noticed them eating the bodies from behind. And yet, unsatisfied, they had now begun to attack our frontline infantry.

“…Company about-face! The target is those fish creatures over there!”

Finally, it was the moment when the Corps’ directly controlled Magic Medium Company could fulfill its original mission.