episode_0037

The corpses I had seen as I fled Sangmar were no longer visible. The buildings that had been pummeled by the artillery shells of the impious box were still standing. The only change was the mucus covering the outer walls of the buildings. The horses were tethered near the city entrance, and we entered.

At the head of the column was Company C, with Company B and the intelligence bureau at the rear. I, on the other hand, was at the forefront of Company C, proceeding cautiously.

Even as we passed through the city entrance and approached the central square where Jang and Alphonse had fallen while serving in the assault battalion, there was still no sign of the enemy. However, as we drew closer to the towering wall of the massive “impious box” that filled our field of vision, its overwhelming size loomed over us.

“It seems rather uneventful, sir. If we follow the intelligence bureau’s advice and bring a barge, we might be able to approach the box without much trouble,” Kilian began to chat as the tension eased, even before we reached the center of the city. Without me saying anything, Wigo acted first. As I glanced at Kilian, he too fell silent. I felt at ease, but a strange emotion crept in. It seemed these guys were more afraid of Wigo than of me.

“Let’s take a short break here. I should ask the major if we should proceed further.”

After a brief time for a drink, the rest of the group, including Claire, arrived at the central square. Seeing the central square where she had almost died, Claire seemed to have a new perspective. However, her contemplation was interrupted when she approached me and said, “I know why we’ve been waiting here. You want to ask if we should get closer, right? The answer is ‘no.’”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Claire’s response. We had already taken enough risks coming this far. Instinctively, my body resisted getting any closer. Apart from the intelligence bureau person who was gleaming at the sight of the huge impious box, probably everyone else felt the same way.

“So, are we returning to the Delpine Legion?”

“Okay. After establishing a front there, we will proceed with a general offensive with the support of additional reinforcements.”

“Understood. Then let’s prepare to return….”

At that moment.

“Commander Mado! You need to come here!”

I wondered who the idiot was shouting in the middle of the enemy territory, but the urgency in the voice calling for Claire made me head towards the building where the voice was coming from.

“Why are you making such a loud noise… Oh?”

The owner of the voice was the newly arrived commander of Unit F. He had certainly introduced himself, but I couldn’t remember his name. What was more shocking than my poor memory was the huge hole in front of me. A cave big enough for one, two, or even three adult men to enter at once.

“Is this the only cave here? What about elsewhere?”

“Our Unit F members are currently checking.”

Soon, news of the discovery of caves by the unit members started pouring in. Damn it. We claimed to be on a reconnaissance mission, yet we almost missed something like this by simply walking along the road. If Unit F hadn’t gone inside the buildings to search, we would have missed it.

Claire immediately ordered all Mado members to thoroughly search the buildings around the central square. Without fail, every building the Mado members entered had a cave. After a brief search, the Mado members gathered in the central square, all wearing serious expressions. Even Jeremy from the intelligence agency seemed uninterested in the disrespectful box anymore.

“Where do these caves lead?”

“We won’t know unless we go in and check, but I can guess. It seems plausible that there isn’t a single beast in the eastern plains now.”

“The problem is where they go through the eastern plains. Above all, we don’t know what these beasts are aiming for by digging these caves on such a large scale. And whether this is their instinct or some kind of strategic thinking is also a problem. It’s a problem from all sides!”

It was quite amusing to see Claire, who rarely showed such frustration, pulling at her hair. Colonel Auguste may have seen him briefly, but he wasn’t like this. Wait a minute.

“Commander Claire. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but…”

“Anything is fine right now. Speak up.”

Thinking of Colonel August, I couldn’t help but think of the Delphine Legion. Cler’s strategic thinking was certainly not new. I remember that during the Battle of Delphine River, simultaneous attacks hit all fronts of the Delphine Legion. That attack wasn’t instinctual either. It might have provided a starting point in the battle against the national army, but the simultaneous onslaught was definitely not instinctual. So, it’s safe to say they are once again targeting the Delphine Legion.

“Perhaps they are targeting the Delphine Legion.”

“Why?”

“I thought about how the monsters appeared simultaneously across the entire Delphine River during the previous battle. It couldn’t have been instinctual. It seems the same this time.”

“So, is there a separate reason why the monsters are targeting the Delphine Legion? Instead of targeting a powerful military force, wouldn’t it be easier for them to plunder a city like Gran Bière?”

Certainly, Cler’s counterargument made sense. In terms of cost-effectiveness, targeting an undefended city made more sense than attacking a military force. As I pondered for a moment, Lieutenant Max of B Company continued the conversation.

“The monsters of Saint Marg spread mainly through the sea and rivers. If these creatures chose land, doesn’t that mean the sea is blocked?”

Unlike the monsters of the Black Forest, Saint Marg’s monsters spread throughout the entire Frankia Kingdom via the sea and rivers. But what exactly could have blocked the monsters?

“We’ll have to ask Captain Jorjue about what happened at sea after everything is over. For now, let’s resolve things here.”

“The cause of what happened should be studied by scholars, not soldiers. Madode, we need to head straight to the Delphine River. Jeremy, we’re withdrawing from here. What will the intelligence agency do?”

“If Madode is withdrawing, the intelligence agency can’t just sit here and wait. We’ll also head to the Delphine River.”

“Alright, then it’s settled. Withdraw!”

Everyone seemed to want to leave the place where a repulsive stench and an overwhelmingly large, obscene box were looking down at them as quickly as possible. Leaving the city was much faster than entering it.

“Ah…”

It was good that we left quickly, but the situation waiting for us was the worst. It was clear that these monsters were intelligent beings. We had spared unnecessary words in searching before entering the city, but unfortunately, they had all become pieces of meat. Just the thought of walking to the Delphine River was dizzying enough, but we were met with around a dozen monsters upon reaching the Mado Fortress. Were they hiding underground?

“That one!”

Moreover, the monster right in front of us. It was the one that had slaughtered the Mado Infantry and Pike Infantry in an instant during the Battle of Sang Marge. With its dark, tough-looking exterior, reverse-jointed legs, enormous muscles, and a face resembling a demon, it was terrifying enough just to see it. Even the B and C Platoons, who had fought many battles with monsters, were visibly tense, so what about the others?

“This one is different from the monsters we’ve encountered so far! It’s incredibly fast, so keep your defense techniques at the highest level at all times!”

Having already faced it twice, I warned everyone loudly. I didn’t want to run away from a third battle with it.

“Intelligence Division, D, E, F Platoons, fall back. Max and Marianne Platoon will hold them off! Move quickly!”

The only fortunate thing was that while we were hastily rearranging our ranks and fortifying the buildings for some semblance of preparedness, the monsters remained still. They were solely focused on eating horse meat.

As the newly formed platoon and Intelligence Division took positions in the building, and the B and C Platoons aimed at the monsters on both sides of the road, I went to Cler and said,

“It’s better to start by hitting them with maximum output mortars when they’re gathered. We need to minimize their numbers as much as possible.”

“I agree. Tell Marianne to relay to the B Platoon. I’ll tell the rest.”

In the first volley, it was necessary to minimize the enemy’s numbers as much as possible. Max nodded, knowing that. The remaining personnel who had taken positions in the building where the roof had been blown off by the shells also tightly gripped their muskets with determined expressions after receiving all of Clair’s words.

“Madode, aim! The shooting follows Madode Captain Matan. Targets are from Unit B, from left to right. Increase the output as much as possible!”

Madode 23, including Jeremy of the Intelligence Bureau, all began to shine with the power of 24 magic stones. Among the blue magic stones, only mine shone golden. I tried not to use it if possible, but I couldn’t save my strength in this crisis. Even if it damages the soul, it would be cheaper than the value of the lives of others who have only one life.

Clair said to increase the output as much as possible, but I couldn’t do that. I had fired at maximum output in Valtigrask and had to immediately get a new musket because it broke. This time, if I wasted all my shots in the first volley, I wouldn’t be able to fight properly.

Bang – papapapapang!

The condensed air burst simultaneously, and the blue beams approached the enemy in the blink of an eye. Before the trigger returned to its original position, I fired again. If I couldn’t use maximum output, I just had to do more than others.

“Ah.”

I thought I could reduce at least half. It wasn’t like all of the enemies’ heads were visible, and if Matan’s power wasn’t enough, I might not be able to kill them with one shot. But the result after the first volley was worse than that.

Only five. Clair, Max, and I each definitely took down one. But the enemies were not ordinary. The speed at which Matan reached them was different, and when the enemy died, they didn’t immediately turn to dust; they gradually turned to dust, making it possible for the dead bodies of three to serve as shields and block the Matans that arrived a little later. In addition, the Matans I fired in succession only managed to kill two more.

“Increase the magical proportion in the defense spell! With ordinary defense spells, the enemies… cough!!”

With an immense pain in my chest, my feet left the ground. I had been facing forward just a moment ago, but suddenly my sight was aimed at the sky. What did I get hit by?

“Cough, cough.”

As my head hit the ground, my head rang severely and my vision blurred. Did I get struck by the torso of a monster? The image of the artillery officer who had vanished like a fountain of blood during the Battle of Saint Margaux came to mind. Thanks to my defensive technique, it didn’t seem as severe, but it hurt like hell.

The ringing in my ears was so intense, as if a bomb had gone off, and it was difficult to stand up again. The shouting around me echoed like the sound of someone yelling in a bathhouse, and I couldn’t make out what was being said.

I reached out for the musket I had missed, but I couldn’t grab it. If I didn’t regain my senses quickly, we would all die.

“Captain! Pull yourself together!”

With those words, the ringing faded. It was Sergeant Mia. She handed me the musket and said, “Your orders!”

The attack I suffered wasn’t a direct blow from the monster. Blood splattered on my military uniform. The head of a horse lay at my feet. They had thrown the head of a horse that they had been eating at me like a grenade.

Three monsters leapt into the building. The squads that had gathered in the building were suddenly engaged in close combat. Five of them were fighting B and C squads on the ground along the road at the city entrance.

The situation was not good. There were only reliable fighters like Claire in the building, and even this place, where the average level of fighters was high, was no exception. Without support equivalent to throwing the body of a Pike battalion, defeat was inevitable.

“Each squad is responsible for one of them!”

“What about the rest?”

“I’ll take care of them!”