Chapter 76

A dim light pierces through the mist-covered battlefield. The light, breaking through the dark clouds, briefly illuminated the soldiers crouched in the trenches, but none of them had the luxury to look up at the sky.

Their eyes were fixed on the no man’s land beyond the trenches, while their hearing and sense of smell were constantly scanning the surroundings for any hint of new information.

It was suffocating.

They couldn’t predict when or from where the next magic spell might come. It might not even be magic; it could be a chunk of flesh filled with poison or a jagged piece of bone flying their way.

The battlefield was a place where one could die for any number of reasons. Those soldiers who had survived this long knew this all too well from their experience and skill.

Neither alcohol nor tobacco, which had briefly comforted their minds, were of much help in facing the unprecedented assault.

No matter how potent the liquor or how refreshing the tobacco, they could not kill the enemies before them.

The air on the battlefield grew heavy. The no man’s land was shrouded in a fog of blood. Green and red blood had spread widely over the muddy ground.

It did not get easier. It was impossible to get used to it.

Whether mages, archers, or infantry, or even the officers commanding and controlling the soldiers, none of them were immune.

I felt as if everything around me was an endless nightmare, and I was sure they felt the same.

“Have you arrived?”

Upon seeing me and my escort, an officer gave a quick salute. I nodded in response.

My mouth was dry. The oppressive atmosphere of the battlefield had unknowingly silenced me.

“I’ve heard that you’ll be taking over for Arthur starting from today… Please, take good care of the situation,” said the officer.

The officer seemed unaware of the detailed operational contents. He merely thought I was there as a substitute for Arthur, whose mana had run low.

“How is Arthur doing?” the officer asked, his face tinged with worry.

“Not very well. He’s almost out of mana. He’ll likely need a couple of days of rest,” I replied.

Alter answered the officer’s question for me.

This cunning old man was quite skillful at lying.

“…I see. Understood,” the officer replied.

Arthur’s condition was actually not as dire as Alter had made it seem. He had reserved a bit of mana specifically for today.

Of course, he was still experiencing dizziness and nausea, but he had enough strength left to erect a barrier. He was also prepared to participate in combat if necessary.

Still, there was a reason Alter had exaggerated Arthur’s condition as being at its worst.

This battlefield needed despair.

To deceive the cunning Grand Marshals, the soldiers needed to see a ‘true hell’ with their own eyes.

I began to move towards the trench closest to the enemy lines. The soldiers all had the look of those at death’s door. Some barely acknowledged our presence with a brief nod, and I returned a slight bow in greeting.

“…Hmph.”

The very front line.

As soon as I stepped in front of the no man’s land, a sigh escaped me involuntarily.

The surroundings were sticky and humid, filled with the smell of blood and chunks of flesh. Yet, the chill of a sudden threat crept up my body.

The tension among the soldiers was palpable—an awareness that the smallest mistake could lead to my death, the death of my comrades, and the defeat of the war.

No matter how seasoned a soldier might be, none could remain sane under this pressure. Some smiled bitterly, others had vacant stares, and some continuously muttered curses.

“Something shaped like a human is crossing the no man’s land!”

Just as I settled in a corner of the trench to steady my breathing, someone shouted loudly.

A few soldiers disregarded the warning, assuming it was another hallucination—an increasingly common occurrence among soldiers. These were, perhaps, the more optimistic among them.

“…The fuck, a person? A person, are you sure?”

However, some soldiers reacted with unusual sensitivity. These were those who suffered from paranoia and excessive paranoia from prolonged warfare.

“Screw that, who knows! If anyone can walk through the no man’s land like that, they’re the enemy! Get ready to shoot!”

“It’s impossible to identify through the fog. Since there’s only one figure for now, there’s no need to panic. Do not shoot until the figure is fully identified as ally or foe!”

Fortunately, a rational officer shouted at the mages who began to mutter incantations hastily.

The mana gathered on the tips of their staffs and the tension in the bowstrings gradually dissipated. The soldiers, breathing heavily, focused their eyes on the shadowy human-like form emerging slowly from the fog.

“Fucking hell, let’s just shoot already! Lieutenant!”

One of the archers who didn’t release the tension in his bowstring yelled at the officer. His hands were trembling uncontrollably with anxiety and uneasiness, making it doubtful whether he could hit anything accurately in that state.

“Shut up! There’s a possibility it could be an ally. It’s not too late to deal with it after identifying if it’s an ally or an enemy, so don’t rush! We can’t waste our already insufficient mana and arrows on mistaken shots!”

The officer, maintaining his composure despite the overwhelming sense of unease, yelled at the archer. Only then did the archer lower his bow.

“About 170 centimeters tall… carrying a longsword at the waist. Judging from the armor, it seems to be an ally. The slow walking pace is due to a limp from what appears to be a wounded leg. It looks like a survivor from yesterday’s battle.”

One of the elf archers with sharp eyes described in detail the figure he could see.

“Is he a survivor? So he was lying flat in that no man’s land, pretending to be a corpse this whole time?”

“If he has been in that toxic swamp for hours, I highly doubt anyone could still be alive. Lieutenant! Fire order, please!”

“I already told you to shut up, Sergeant! How can you possibly waste your already scarce mana and arrows on an ally? Everyone, lower your staffs!”

The officer shouted even louder to the soldiers.

“…Fuck.”

The mage who had persistently requested the fire order from the lieutenant finally swore and put away his staff.

A moment of silence settled over the battlefield.

The figure in the fog gradually drew closer, its vague silhouette becoming clearer.

“…Teru? Is that you, Teru?!”

The figure turned out to be human.

One of the soldiers, recognizing the sight of blue hair, cried out with excitement. The revealed figure was completely drenched in bright red blood, and a large branch was piercing through one of his legs.

It was hard to understand how he managed to navigate the treacherous no man’s land with such an injured leg. In fact, it was hard to comprehend how he even survived the toxic no man’s land in the first place.

“He went missing two days ago! Second Private from the 2nd Infantry Division! He was my replacement! He’s an ally! Don’t shoot! An ally!”

A soldier standing near the officer loudly announced, reattaching his sword to his belt.

Two days?

Two whole days, you say?

Rationally speaking, this didn’t make any sense. This place wasn’t a battleground where an infantryman left alone without any support could survive for two days. If infected by the toxic mutation of the marauders, a common human could experience paralysis of the extremities within a few hours, and death would occur within three hours of exposure to the poison of a high-ranking marauder.

And regarding the poison of a Grand Marshal…

Let’s not even go there. The mere contact could probably cause immediate melting of the flesh.

So, rationally speaking, this situation was implausible.

It was a trap. This had to be it.

“Wait, Teru! I’ll help you!”

However, it was difficult to expect such rational judgment from soldiers pushed to the absolute limit. Especially so when they were faced with a fellow soldier who shared their life and death.

“No! Stay in position!”

The soldier who called out “Teru” climbed out of the trench and started running across the muddy battlefield toward the approaching figure before the lieutenant could stop him. He seemed incapable of rational thought, his mind having reached its threshold due to the extreme conditions.

“It’s a miracle, Teru! This is a miracle! Holy Astellara must have watched over you!”

The soldier running toward the wounded one shouted loudly, laughter ringing out so boisterous it might even lift the spirits of those who heard it.

A miracle.

That’s what he called it as he laughed loudly. In this battlefield, where despair mercilessly crashed down, this soldier found hope in the return of “Teru,” the missing soldier.

If this were a movie, there’d be a touching soundtrack playing about now.

The sun, appearing for the first time in nearly two weeks, breaking through the dark clouds and shining on the two of them, a brief stillness followed by the crowd bursting into cheers.

But this was reality.

“…Teru?”

The soldier who had quickly rushed out and draped the wounded one’s arm over his shoulder belatedly realized something was off, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“I want to… want to live…”

The Private named Teru, with blue hair, mumbled incoherently, his eyes devoid of focus as if his brain had been severely damaged.

A chill ran down the spine, and the body trembled.

The soldier who had draped Teru’s arm over his shoulder froze like he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to see.

“Please, save me… save….”

Tears streamed down Teru’s face. His voice was hoarse and broken as he pleaded for his life with the soldier supporting his arm.

Before long, his left eyeball fell into the muddy ground, rolling out with the tears.

Realizing something was fundamentally wrong, the mages hastily raised their staffs, pointing them at him.

“…Wait! He’s on our side! Stop shooting!”

“That’s insane! Can’t you see? Look at how he’s speaking and behaving—this is no ally! It’s a mutatned creature, already dead! Step away from the lunatic!”

Seeing the mages and archers pointing their weapons at him, Teru cried even louder, his wail chilling to the bone.

I remained silent, not forming any judgment. Neither the observing officer, nor Rex nor Alter, who were experienced in battlefield matters, spoke either.

Instead, they seemed to notice the unusual situation and carefully looked around, bracing themselves for whatever was about to happen.

“Even one, just one! We must try to save just one soldier! The holy maiden might be able to heal him! Any of the missing soldiers have ever returned alive?! Has anyone come back with even one survivor…?!”

Above the no man’s land, the soldier yelled at his comrades who aimed bows and staves at him.

With desperation in his voice, the soldier slowly started leading Teru back toward the trench.

But then…

Snap.

A tearing sound echoed.

At the sound, the soldier turned to see Teru’s arm torn off as easily as wet paper.

His face turned pale upon seeing his companion’s arm torn off so effortlessly.

“Ha, ha…!”

Soon after, Teru collapsed to the ground with a grotesque laugh. His face pressed into the toxic mud, his scalp revealed strange stitching and tear marks where it had been repaired.

“Fuck… it’s over.”

A small voice erupted from the mud, utterly devoid of any energy. It was the voice of someone whose spirit had been completely drained, consumed by tremendous fear and despair. Listening to it filled others with that same overwhelming desolation.

“Everyone’s dead. The Private, the Captain, me… We shouldn’t have stepped foot here… from the very beginning.”

That voice faded weakly, much like the flame of a lamp that has burned out all its fuel. His body gradually sank into the mud, while the soldier who’d attempted to support Teru’s shoulder froze, a sharp terror taking root in his eyes.

It happens every day.

Every single day…

Somebody’s comrade, brother, friend, or fellow soldier comes back like this.

Every single day, the ghosts return, heavy on the shoulders of those still fighting in the battlefield.

It’s a warning.

A warning that we too will soon become like this.

“Damn it! Multiple Marauders spotted at the one o’clock position! Get back to your senses!”

Before there was time to mourn the tragic death of the soldier, the lieutenant shouted loudly, nearly screaming, to wake the troops in the trenches.

Soon, the Marauders, cloaked in the light and bearing massive wings, appeared in the skies above.

With quiet gestures, they pointed their fingers at the soldier standing on the no man’s land.

“By carefully manipulating the brain, you can create a semi-living mutated being. Such beings, driven purely by the instinct to survive, can’t think properly and are effective at finding hiding spots like yours.”

A low voice echoed across the trenches now cloaked in silence.

Mages and archers scrambled to prepare intercepting attacks, but it was already too late.

We should’ve noticed their approach across the no man’s land before they flew over to reach us.

But our focus had been drawn by the bait named “Teru,” and we realized their presence just a few crucial seconds too late.

And here, a few seconds on the battlefield was enough to shift the tides.

A red light gathered in their hands, transforming into straight beams of light that shot precisely toward the head of the dazed soldier standing on the no man’s land.

An overwhelming presence of death engulfed the trenches.

Most of the soldiers froze in shock and despair, but I, due to my “Calmness” trait, remained composed and moved my body to perform the necessary task.

With my frail arms, I pushed through the mud and awkwardly climbed out of the trench before starting to run toward the center of the bombardment.

Some watched me leave the trench in disbelief and shouted out, but others came to their senses and began moving to do what they could.

It was time to retrieve the throwing nets.