episode_0007

The invasion of the Moscovian Republic was sudden. There had been no prior declaration of war. Normally, the reconnaissance battalion within the republic would have been the first to detect any signs and swiftly retaliate. The exact number of infiltration battalions within the borders of the republic was classified information, but at least one, if not more, of the battalions, including the one I belonged to—now likely disbanded or annihilated—was present.

If it hadn’t been for that box falling from the sky, the infiltration battalion would not have needed to retreat, and the large-scale border violation by the republic would not have gone unnoticed. However, due to the unforeseen circumstances, not only did the infiltration battalion have to relocate, but even the 93rd Independent Guard Battalion stationed at the border had to move, leading to the current situation.

It wasn’t a full-blown war. Following Major Sasha, there were personnel moving, including what seemed to be members of the Imperial Guard Regiment and several infantry divisions, but according to Sasha, it was labeled as a large-scale armed reconnaissance. But where could such a massive armed reconnaissance, involving nearly thousands of personnel, be taking place?

Slap!

“Ugh!”

I was startled by the pain striking my lower back. It was Sasha’s riding crop hitting me. After the Saint Marg Battle ended, I had been walking all night, and it had been 12 hours since I was captured by the republic forces, almost like a prisoner of war. Exhausted, unable to catch a proper breath until the sun rose again, my fatigue was overwhelming. Yet, whenever my eyes dared to close for even a moment, the riding crop came down without fail.

“Did the 93rd Battalion’s little rats manage to escape?”

Whether I winced in pain or not, Sasha murmured while caressing the riding crop. Indeed, the 93rd Battalion seemed to have moved quite a distance. They had traveled south for over ten hours from their previous base, yet we still hadn’t come across them. Perhaps we had taken the wrong direction.

Sasha decided that further pursuit today would be difficult and opted to establish a temporary camp at our current location. Under Sasha’s command, the soldiers of the republic quickly organized the appearance of the temporary camp, showing decent training.

She grabbed my collar, the magical suppression device, and sniffed at my scent. Probably reeks of sweat and blood. My nose had already adapted, but her action just now made my throat tighten again. She must have really been injured.

“After you finish eating, come to my tent. Make sure to come separately for meals.”

What is she up to now? The urge to escape grew stronger.

#

Just before the battle of Saint Marg, having finally arrived at the 13th Infantry Division’s base with Marian’s support, Claire received basic treatment at the infirmary. In this era, infirmaries were generally harsh places where limbs were often amputated, but fortunately, Claire’s injuries were mostly minor cuts and abrasions, so there was no need for drastic measures. Furthermore, once her magic had somewhat recovered, magic-sensitive individuals like herself tended to have better recovery abilities than others, so with sufficient rest and stability, scars would fade, leaving smooth skin.

The officer’s saber could be supplied by the infantry division, but her torn military uniform could not. Not only were the uniforms of the front-line infantry and magical infantry different, but also the main unit of the 93rd Independent Guard Battalion had not yet arrived, so she couldn’t get a replacement. Claire draped a makeshift green cloak over the torn areas and ventured outside the base.

The Royal Artillery Battalion was still shelling. In the dead of night, the flames spewing from the cannons were even more visible. The sight of the front-line soldiers forming ranks in their companies looked grand in its own way.

She had almost wiped out the small creatures, all on her own. But could she be certain that the massive monsters she had seen in the dark forest wouldn’t appear here? And if they did, could she truly defend against them? With these doubts in mind, Claire headed straight for where the front-line soldiers were stationed. Despite needing to recover her magic, she couldn’t stay still due to her personality.

Even though her rank was a lieutenant, the majors of the infantry division raised their military hats and saluted. The Montua family was a renowned viscount family in the Kingdom of Francia, and unless it was a case of the magical infantry or special circumstances, it was still an era where female soldiers of officer rank were treated like ladies. Claire, as if accustomed to it, returned the salute and observed the expressions of the soldiers.

The citizens leaving Saint Marge probably only vaguely heard about the dreadful scenes, which might be the extent of the information they knew. At that moment, the headquarters suddenly moved abruptly.

“Take one artillery unit from the artillery battalion and deploy it to the front, followed by the magical infantry and the pike battalion… What is it, Lieutenant Claire?”

“Colonel Auguste, what’s happening at the front?”

Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to enter the headquarters so casually, but Claire was making good use of her position—the position of the beloved daughter of Viscount Montua and the fact that her brother, Auguste Montua, was the commander. Auguste frowned as he replied.

“A report came from the reconnaissance unit. It seems more of them are emerging from the cursed box.”

“More, you say?”

Claire gazed at a mass of troops at the forefront under the hill of the headquarters. Among the things she had heard upon entering the headquarters, there was certainly something about the magical infantry being at the forefront. Then, she turned to look at Auguste, wondering if Marianne was also among that mass.

“Of course, Marianne Madohasa is at the forefront. If she’s a loyal magical infantry of the Kingdom of Francia, she should be doing what is expected of her.”

As for Claire, she hoped her squad member, Marianne, would be as safe as possible. It wasn’t just because they were in the same squad. Although the ratio of male to female magic adepts was similar, strangely, no female squad members had entered her B-squad. While there were female magical infantry in other squads, due to her background, it had become inadvertently difficult to deal with them, almost leading to unintentional exclusion. She had been strongly hoping for a fellow female colleague in the squad to open up and feel comfortable with, and then Marianne had transferred in.

“Marianne, I wish she had been exempted. Going through battles back to back, she won’t be able to demonstrate her true combat ability.”

“Clare, don’t mock the Madogyeong who jumped back into battle to save you. As a fellow Madogyeong, don’t you know better?”

Clare didn’t have a chance to say more. The sound of shelling came from the front. The gun emplacement that had been at the forefront fired just once before being almost completely wiped out, followed by a rapid barrage of Madogyeong rifle fire. They were the massive figures seen in the dark forest. In an instant, the frontline Madogyeong and pikemen found themselves surrounded, struggling to hold their ground. Augst thought that if he continued to neglect them, they would be annihilated, so he ordered the frontline infantry to advance all at once. No, he tried to order them to advance.

“Look, from the sky!”

As the command tent was lifted, the frontline infantry on the hillside were already in chaos. The sky was filled with crows. Unlike ordinary crows, they made no sound and flapped no wings. They simply flew, freely maneuvering up and down.

“Fire at will in the air! Rapid fire!!”

Despite the controlled rapid fire, the crow-like creatures fell like rain, but compared to their total numbers, it was just a handful. And there was only one opportunity for a rapid musket fire. The soldiers reloaded as quickly as possible, but the creatures did not wait for them to finish reloading.

The feeble defense of the infantry helmets was no match for the crow’s attack, which plunged almost vertically. The majority of the soldiers fell with serious head injuries in just a few seconds. The losses among the frontline infantry due to the aerial attack, something they had never trained for nor even imagined, were severe.

“Damn it!”

Claire urgently conducted a mana bullet barrage in an attempt to reduce their numbers, but it was futile. The light of the mana bullets, gathered from the depleted mana on the ground, dimmed and vanished like smoke before reaching their targets. Gradually, the cloud of crows was approaching the command post. The vanguard infantry and alarm troops were on the verge of collapse. Although there were still many soldiers remaining, those who had fallen into panic were beyond control and could not be utilized as effective soldiers.

“Lieutenant Claire! Retreat! There’s no time to argue or even receive a counterargument!”

Colonel Augustus had mounted his horse and was scanning the surroundings through his spyglass. Claire, too, was forced onto her horse by the soldiers.

“Colonel Augustus! What about the soldiers…!”

Before Claire could finish asking what would happen to the soldiers, Augustus and his soldiers, along with senior commanders, swiftly began to retreat at full speed. Claire might not have realized that panic had also gripped him in the face of death from the sky, a sight he had never witnessed before. As they moved away, Claire turned around to look back.

The royal artillery battalion remained abandoned. They couldn’t flee carrying those heavy things. The vanguard infantry almost completely perished right where they stood. The alarm troops suffered the same fate. The only difference was that their bodies were scattered more sparsely. When Claire looked further away, she saw a small group of soldiers surrounded by a large monster. Marianne must be there. Is she already dead? Is she still alive? If she is alive… should I go to save her?

“You must go, Lady Claire!”

Augustus’s attendant, who was still by her side, urged her. He referred to Claire as “Lady Claire,” not as a lieutenant. This could imply that being addressed as a lady of the manor rather than a lieutenant, she should prioritize preserving her life as a noblewoman, not as a soldier. Claire also sensed the hidden meaning in his words and smiled wryly.

“Hah!”

With a whip of the reins, he quickened his pace. He felt despicably cowardly for leaving Marianne, who had saved him in the city of Saint Marg, behind. He realized that, unconsciously, he still placed more importance on his role as a Montague scion rather than as a soldier.

“If, if Marianne survives, I will definitely beg for forgiveness.” He made that vow, but it did little to ease Claire’s mind.