episode_0038

The plan was for B and C Platoons to engage one enemy each while I somehow drew the attention of the remaining three. As always, plans made in urgent situations were nothing short of poor, and I immediately realized it was a bad plan as I found myself directly under the concentrated attack of the monsters.

Even with various reinforcement techniques pushed to their limits to the point where further overlapping was impossible, I could barely evade their attacks and occasionally retaliate with weak strikes. Even those feeble strikes were easily blocked by the monsters due to their low power output.

“Sir… Ah!”

While desperately evading the monsters’ attacks, I glanced at the situation of B and C Platoons. They seemed to be doing fine, pushing back the monsters, which would soon alleviate some of the pressure on my end. The only critical concern was Cler, who, like me, had to face three monsters. As I worriedly turned my head, a sharp claw—or was it a talon?—from the monster flew toward me.

I could have narrowly defended against it, but the cost would have been high. In my haste, I blocked it with my musket, causing the only weapon I could use to transform into a piece of wood.

My momentary lapse led to disaster. What other weapons did I have? Only a bayonet that fit onto the musket. Moreover, it wasn’t a modern-style handle bayonet but a spike-type bayonet that attached to the barrel, making it insufficient to wield as a standalone weapon. I should have learned swordsmanship like Cler. As an officer, I should have known how to handle at least a saber.

“Ugh!”

I thought that hitting its thick-looking exterior with my fist would only result in breaking my bones. Now, I had no choice but to give up on attacking and simply bide my time.

However, as I kept avoiding the monsters, I gradually began to actively attack. Furthermore, knowing that I had no means to resist without weapons, there was nothing rougher for the monsters. I was avoiding fatal injuries, but minor wounds were increasing over time. Dozens of cuts on my arms, legs, and abdomen, blood seeping from them, had already stained my military uniform red, and my movements had noticeably slowed compared to before.

Thud!

“Ugh! Ugh….”

In the end, I allowed a fatal blow. I managed to block it with my right arm just before getting hit, but with the sound of glass shattering, the defensive spell was released, and the monster’s sharp claws pierced through my right arm. Not stopping there, it lightly stabbed my right chest.

At that moment, blood flowed from my nose. Ah, yes. It’s a call for praise. But the situation was too urgent to do so. It was simply impossible to recite prayers during such a battle. Moreover, my body was now in such disarray that it wouldn’t move as I wished. It seemed that overflowing golden power couldn’t heal the wounds. Was it a method where one had to experience death once to restore the body?

Leaning against the wall, the monster slowly approached me, bleeding all over. Thinking of me as its captured prey, it didn’t rush. But could I resurrect even after being devoured? Could I perhaps come back to life inside the monster’s belly? Perhaps due to the lack of a sense of danger about death, in the midst of such futile thoughts, the monster took a posture to stab me with its claws to finish me off completely. Yes, hurry and kill me. Next time, I will win after resurrecting.

“Captain!”

Bang!

Several bullets struck the head of the monster that was about to stab me, and its massive body collapsed. The other two monsters surrounding me dodged the bullets, and the monster charged towards Bravo and Charlie Squads. The timing was perfect. Looking up, each squad was killing the monsters they were dealing with and engaging in combat with new ones.

And Kilian, who had momentarily withdrawn from the battle, licked his lips as he looked at my condition. Even he realized that my condition was not normal. It was no wonder, considering my entire body was covered in blood, my right arm was pierced by the talon of a monster, making it difficult to function, and blood was constantly flowing from the pierced side of my chest.

“If only we were a little faster… Kuh. We will repay this debt with vengeance.”

“…I won’t die from this. Cough. Spare me the false comfort.”

“Huh? Are you trying to be an immortal, sir? This is a serious injury. You’re just trying to reassure me, but I’m a veteran who has been through battles too. Just stay still.”

Kilian must know that if proper first aid is applied, I can survive. I also understand that he meant to lower the tension by speaking while trembling. However, contrary to his intentions, I should have died by now. If I survive in this state, I would have to live with a useless right arm until I die next time, and I didn’t want that.

“Go. Go help the others over there.”

“Yes. Then, sir, please stay still here.”

Watching Kilian leap back into the midst of the battle, I struggled to stand up. I murmured a prayer I had memorized in advance to stop the bleeding. To others, it must have been a terrifying sight—a soldier drenched in blood, muttering prayers and walking. There’s no other sight quite like that of a fanatic.

“Well then, where should I go to die?”

When it came to dying, I had one condition. That was that no one else should know about my death. It wasn’t because I followed the words of a hero from a past life, but because I didn’t want anyone to find out that I would resurrect. Just the thought of someone discovering that made me shudder at what might happen.

As the prayer ended, the bleeding from various wounds did not stop, and it seemed like I might bleed to death soon even without being killed by the monster. Walking through a deserted alley, leaning on the wall with my uninjured left hand, I heard a familiar but now unwelcome voice behind me.

“Marianne!”

It was Claire. It was the worst possible situation for her to see me like this. I couldn’t die now. Unlike me, Claire, whose military uniform was stained with the black blood of the monster, had spotted me and was running towards me with wide eyes. Seeing no sign of red blood, she seemed to have caught the three monsters that had rushed into the building almost unharmed.

“Oh, Lieutenant.”

“What in the world…?”

She couldn’t continue speaking as she looked at my tattered right arm. Her face turned pale, as if she herself had been injured.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a rest.”

“Is this what you call ‘fine’? You’re still bleeding. Good grief, Marianne. Where were you going?”

“I was just looking for a quiet place to rest for a moment.”

“You should be thinking about treating your wounds, not looking for a place to die like a stray cat… Marianne?”

Whether it was my expression changing at the mention of finding a place to die or not, she immediately realized where I had been heading, even though I hadn’t said anything. I couldn’t lie to Claire.

“Don’t be foolish and think about living. Just because your right arm is like that, where did you get the idea to end your life?”

In reality, in this world, without the power of resurrection, receiving such a wound would be fatal in my current state. My right arm would be severed, I wouldn’t be able to shoot a gun, and I would be discharged from the army. And then, what could I possibly do?

“Marianne, answer me! You didn’t think like that, did you?”

When I saw Claire, who was about to sob, I felt that I had to tell her the truth. The Magic Corps and the Intelligence Bureau were now concentrating their firepower on the last remaining fiend. There was no time to hesitate in the atmosphere that would be concluded in less than a minute. I had to create as dramatic an atmosphere as possible so that there would be at least a slight chance that she would believe the absurd story of resurrection. With my blood-stained left hand, I firmly held her face towards me and spoke with a deep voice.

“Lieutenant Claire, I have something to confess.”

“C-Confess? All of a sudden?”

Her face turned slightly red, and she couldn’t look me in the eye. This posture didn’t seem like she was ready to listen to my story properly. Regrettably, I grabbed Claire’s chin and made her meet my gaze.

“L-Lieutenant Marianne, why are you suddenly… especially when Marianne is badly injured right now…”

“This is something I need to say now. If not now, there won’t be another chance. The truth is, I…”

Even though I forced her to meet my gaze, Claire couldn’t look straight at me. Did she have a reason to avoid my gaze?

“The truth is, I need to die now.”

“What?”

She was surprised by unexpected words and was further shocked by the fact that I needed to die. Now that I had started speaking, I had to finish it without stopping to prevent any misunderstandings.

“Only you, Lieutenant, must know. I don’t want to be donated as an experimental subject to the Royal Science Association.”

“Uh, okay.”

“I don’t know what kind of enchanting power it is, but it has that golden magical power. Since I gained the ability to use it, I’ve been able to come back to life.”

“What? Wait, Lieutenant. You’re saying you can come back to life?”

“Yes. And with a perfectly restored body. I don’t know the principle, but that’s how it is.”

I don’t know the principle, but I know the cause. It’s the power given to me by the being I call “God” in my mind.

“So I planned to go to a place where no one would notice and resurrect. As long as it’s before catching the attention of the Commander.”

Clare looked confused as if she had suddenly heard my story. Well, who wouldn’t be surprised after hearing that someone died and came back to life? Even as I talked to her, blood continued to flow from my body, and now my vision was getting blurry.

“Lieutenant, we don’t have much time. Please just roughly explain it to the soldiers.”

Leaving the stiffened Clare behind, I hurried my steps. Once again, I cast a strengthening spell with magic and moved as fast as I could. With excessive use of magic, my blood was flowing even faster. Before my vision completely darkened, I could hide in an alley. Yes, I can relax here. In the fading consciousness, one worry suddenly arose. Surely, I won’t resurrect with a tremendous radiance, will I? Nah, no way.