episode_0016

The number of monsters was substantial. It could have been due to the vast number of corpses strewn across the field, drawing them in, or simply the accumulation of vile energy over time. Along the river, the merfolk, emerging one by one from the water, had swelled considerably.

“Except for Alpha Company, I delegate command authority to the company leaders. Alpha Company, come with me!”

This was not a controlled human military battle. Claire, who had already realized at Saint Marguerite that conventional combat methods were ineffective against monsters when facing them as magical infantry, granted autonomy to each company. I agreed with Claire’s thinking. Although it came with the condition of not venturing too deeply alone and maintaining a loose formation.

“B, C Companies, always stay where the unit flag is visible! Don’t go too far, understand?”

Claire had also devised a plan for that. Autonomy was primarily given to Alpha Company, carrying the Lily Banner—originally called the Royal Banner, but since there was a lily on the unit flag, it was decided to call it the Lily Banner—allowing freedom of action only within its view. It would be convenient even when joining later if the unit flag was visible. The unit flag was unexpectedly utilized in an advantageous way.

Under Claire’s direct command, Alpha Company moved to the most intense area, while Bravo Company headed further than Alpha Company.

“We’re heading toward the most dangerous place where the unit flag is, Captain.”

“If we’re a unit bearing the proud Lily Banner of the Kingdom of Francia, it’s natural to charge into the most perilous place! It’s common sense for the Guard, you know.”

“We’re not the Guard, though!”

Between Mia and Kilian’s banter, the flag was already fading into the darkness. Claire felt somewhat concerned about heading to the fiercest battleground, but this was different from Saint Marguerite. They seemed much weaker compared to the burly figures tearing through magical infantry in the Black Forest of Saint Marguerite. Moreover, the allied forces outnumbered them significantly. With confidence that they could win this time if they only had to deal with the monsters in sight, they pressed forward.

“Stop the nonsense and let’s follow suit.”

They swiftly moved, placing various strengthening spells. As they drew closer, the pungent scent of blood grew stronger. It was an overwhelming bloodlust that wasn’t felt in simple battles between front-line infantry. The smell was so overpowering that it could almost paralyze one’s sense of smell.

The combat style of those who viewed humans as prey brought rapid morale degradation to the front-line infantry who lacked mental defense spells. Following the battle with the Moskovi army, they were now facing dreadful creatures rushing to devour them. It was tough to withstand without a steel-like mentality. The formation of the front-line infantry was currently at a precarious level.

As they approached Baekhapgi, the battle scene became clearer. The front-line infantry, filled with terror, engaged in continuous shooting. Fortunately, this time the bullets seemed to have some effect on the creatures. Those hit directly in the fish-like heads spilled black liquid as they fell, causing the others hit on their bodies to pause momentarily, seemingly feeling pain. While the front-line infantry reloaded, the mages were dealing with the approaching creatures one by one.

“…But there are just too many enemies.”

The fragmented battle situation favored the Frankia Kingdom’s army. The majority of the creatures died from magic before reaching the front-line infantry. What mattered was that they died “from magic.” Certainly, regular bullets could also penetrate them, but the muskets of this era had poor accuracy, making it difficult to precisely aim for the head. As a result, a large number ultimately had to be handled by the mages. However, magic power was not infinite. Perhaps it was due to the sheer number of monsters, but at least from what was visible, there were far more creatures coming than the remaining magical reserves of the mages.

“Pay attention to your magical reserves! Don’t waste your mana by getting too excited and overusing your spells!”

From a little distance away, Claire’s shout was heard. The mages of Baekhapgi were indeed skilled, but encountering monsters from an unexpected source was a first. When encountering these creatures for the first time, it was easy to end up wasting more mana than necessary for the spells.

“C Company, did you hear the platoon leader? Don’t go overboard with your spells and remember the Earth Defense!”

“Ah, we didn’t sign up to give advice to a newly appointed platoon leader for a week.”

Emma replied with false confidence, though her voice was slightly trembling. Not only she, but the other members of the platoon were also shocked by the horrifying scene. It was understandable, witnessing a collective cannibalistic show of monsters that seemed fit for the legends of eerie savagery. Moreover, the fact that they were the targets made it even more unnerving.

As the reload finished, the precise shooting of the magic infantry continued on the surviving ogres, dodging bullets. Initially, it was an inefficient shooting, with multiple bullets hitting the same target simultaneously, but after a few repetitions, implicit shooting zones were established for each squad, gradually transforming into an efficient combat. Yet, covering the ogres, who were part of the magic infantry included in Claire’s magic battalion and two infantry divisions, was difficult with a number that did not exceed 50, and the number of frontline infantry began to decrease.

“Marianne, we need to retreat!”

Even if it wasn’t Mia’s urgent voice, the monsters had almost reached the forefront of the infantry formation. Some of those at the rear had already started fleeing, the initial signs of formation collapse. They thought they could win this time… Even if they hadn’t just fought the Moscow Army, they could have faced them head-on with full force from the entrenched position.

She turned her head to look at where Claire was. Although her figure wasn’t visible among the frontline infantry, the white flag was still there, in its place.

“Don’t retreat! The battalion flag is still holding its position!”

Damn it. She muttered curses under her breath. Was there no new support coming from across the river? Suddenly, even the bombardment from the howitzers had ceased. Damn it!

“Sergeant Wigo! I’ll temporarily hand over the platoon command, you can hold the line, right? I need to go meet Lieutenant Claire.”

Wigo nodded silently. Having seen him for only a few days, based on his actions so far, he seemed trustworthy. He must be better than the fake lieutenant who has been in charge for a week, whatever happens.

[Location: Battlefield]

The distance to the lily pad was barely a hundred meters, or perhaps even shorter. Positioned between two regular infantry companies, A and C platoons were separated. The lily pad was firmly planted in the ground, while the members of A platoon, their faces drained of color, were exerting themselves to the point of exhaustion, squeezing out every bit of magical power they could muster.

“Captain!”

Clare seemed to be in relatively good shape, despite strands of sweat-drenched hair sticking to her face. A platoon had only fought for a minute or two longer than C platoon—how could there be such a difference in physical stamina?

“Marianne, what about C platoon being left alone here…”

“We can’t hold out any longer. We need to consider a retreat.”

“A retreat… the path to Bridge 7 is already blocked.”

“Then what about moving towards Bridge 8 and joining forces with that unit? There’s a Changgi battalion in the center, but they’re unlikely to attack us.”

“Sure, you might not have known since you’re on the far right of the division, but things get worse if you go left towards Bridge 8. The Madokyeongdae here has held out so long because their skill is exceptional, but the infantry’s magic power is depleted, and they’re fighting like regular infantry! This is the safest place we’ve got!”

Clare spoke without pause, her tone growing increasingly intense. Her disappointment didn’t seem to stem from my suggestion of a retreat. Instead, it conveyed the sense of defeat, the feeling of having lost to these bastards once again. I bit my lower lip and spoke.

“Then let’s retreat in a hundred steps.”

“No. There will be no retreat tonight, Marianne.”

“This is not the time to be stubborn!”

“Marianne Roche, return to your position as a Madosowi!”

Clare’s expression was resolute. Damn it, are we going to die here after all? Even if I manage to hold out until the end standing here, I won’t die, but she will. She definitely won’t survive if she stays here. She won’t last an hour. In that case, I thought, maybe I could at least cover her with my body and save her from the clutches of those monsters.

“If you’re not going to retreat, at least let me stay by your side.”

“What about commanding C Company?!”

“Sergeant Wie will do well. She’s capable.”

“As a commander, you’re a failure, Marian.”

It felt strange. I had barely seen Claire for a few days. Yet, compulsive thoughts of needing to protect her kept swirling in my head. If we were to compare strength, she was the stronger one. In my past life, I wasn’t someone with a devoted personality. Harshly speaking, I was a typical bourgeois who only cared about self-preservation. Was it because she was from the Montuart family? Or was it my desire for advancement that made me want to grasp onto her somehow?

The Montuart family held immense influence in the Kingdom of Francia, but as an orphan who went straight to military school, it was a distant story and not a name occupying my mind. It took a long time after hearing the name Auguste Montuart for me to realize that Claire Montuart was related to the Montuart family.

Even before realizing this, I was drawn to her.

“Marian! Snap out of it!”

I was lost in thought. I pushed away the face of the enemy that had appeared in front of me and shook myself back to reality. To be lost in thought during combat was foolish. If Claire hadn’t shouted, I would have experienced a senseless death. In a short time, the enemies had come so close that they were engaging the first line infantry and musketeers. Now, only C Company and Claire were firing; no other flashes of blue light were visible elsewhere.

One of the A Company members, who had been guarding the Lily Flag until now, finally got injured at the end of the melee. The flag, planted in the ground, was slowly starting to fall, and despite urgently looking around, there was no one to support it. The entire first line infantry had already engaged in the melee, and the magic infantry, though occasionally firing their muskets, were in a situation similar to the first line infantry. There was no trace of the reconnaissance troops that were part of the infantry division; perhaps they had been swept away at the beginning.

“Phew!”

Supporting the weight of the sturdy flag with my body, I raised it with one hand. In front of me, Claire was engaged in close combat with a saber infused with blue magic, but she seemed precarious. The difficulty of close combat was indeed different from the small creatures we fought at Sang Marg.

Is there really no allied forces across the river? They say the troops sent across bridges 7 and 8 have become two divisions, but the corps headquarters being nearby, there should still be one division on the other side.

It’s an absurd corps commander who ordered us to protect the Madoc Reconnaissance Unit and repel the enemy. Does he not know about the battle unfolding here? I even thought, “Let it be as it may.” I began to wonder if only Claire and I might survive. And when the thought of possibly losing to these guys crossed my mind, I unconsciously infused magic into the Lily Banner and drove it into the ground.

Aaaargh!

Bright golden light began to spread in a semicircular shape around the flag. The spreading light was so fast that it covered all the troops fighting beyond bridge 7 before they could even reload their ammunition.

“Are you injured? It’s healing!”

“My magic is recovering!”

“This light…! It’s holy light! Sacred light!”

Numerous cries proclaiming miracles were heard everywhere. Even the monsters touched by the light seemed to pause in astonishment at this strange phenomenon.

Bang!

It wasn’t a demon bullet but a regular musket shot, and it didn’t hit the head. Nevertheless, the monsters, the demons, were gradually crumbling like dust, centered around the hole left by the bullet in their thigh. Witnessing this, the morale of the front-line infantry instantly recovered. It was a turning point in the battle.

“Marianne!! This light… Marianne, was it you?”

Claire’s pallor had now returned to a healthy hue. Her magic was rapidly recovering. Meanwhile, I had no strength left in my body. My vision was blurry, and my breathing was labored. Did God really give me this ability? I couldn’t stand any longer and leaned against the flag, dropping to my knees.

The infantry and the magic infantry pushed back the monsters and advanced. The creatures touched by the light I emitted could no longer be seen in their previous state of slaughtering the soldiers of the Frankia Kingdom. They crumbled away rapidly like dust.

And Claire was running toward me with a bewildered expression. Though there was no strength left in any of my muscles, the faint smile on my face seemed to be etched at the thought of saving Claire safely once again. Ah, so sleepy. Just for a moment… I should sleep… and then get up…