What Happened That Day (7)
Amid a series of erupting ergencies,
the cold pupils above an inverted triangle mask stared at the two young geniuses.
"Have you forgotten the battalion commander's instructions? Defense, not advance. Weren't we supposed to fight while holding this position?"
It was Schutmann stopping the rampage of Hank and Lantz.
Yet, sothing about the scene looked slightly awkward.
'Why is he stepping in so actively?'
His sches are pitch-black,
but he wasn't the type to ddle, usually just observing whatever we did.
There's no way he's stopping the two company commanders just "to uphold the battalion commander's will."
Still, sothing has beco certain from Schutmann's actions today.
'He's not in league with the beastkin.'
In the past, Jeros had confidently entered the Nest of the Red Rooster and got caught by Legion.
No, it wasn't getting caught—he "let" himself get caught.
Anyway, Jeros, squire of the White Fang, had a cozy relationship with the beastkin.
But it didn't look like Schutmann did.
'Schutmann didn't even know the Heroni could use a curse artifact.'
Also, he seed unaware that the beastkin had now launched an all-out offensive.
His attention was solely on the two company commanders.
'Why is he really doing this?'
As much as I wanted to know the squire's murky intentions,
for now, I felt grateful to him—if only by the dirt under my claws.
After all, he was cooling down the two company commanders' hot tempers.
"One mont!!"
I dashed across what felt both near and far,
and quickly managed to stop between Schutmann and the two company commanders.
"We have to follow Schutmann's lead, company commanders."
At last, my voice seed to reach them, and Lantz and Hank looked at .
Of course, Hank's gaze was anything but gentle.
"Get lost, outsider. This is not your place."
At Hank's low, suppressed voice, I almost threw Black Vein without realizing it,
but luckily, Lantz grabbed Hank's shoulder to restrain him.
"Platoon Leader Ian, I suppose your stance is not to advance either, in accordance with the battalion commander's wishes. I respect your thinking—"
I quickly cut off Lantz's mistaken assumption.
"No. That's not it."
"... Huh? What do you an?"
Pointing behind Lantz and Hank, I answered.
"The Heroni have redirected all the forces and supplies that were retreating. The remaining beastkin are already prepared to deploy."
"What? How do you...?"
Ralph, who had been watching from the side, answered for .
"Feeling sothing suspicious from the beastkin's garrison, I threw Ian up high, and he checked with the Mana Scope."
Lantz's brow furrowed deeply at that.
"They put a curse on the battalion commander and were going to attack as soon as it succeeded, taking advantage of our inattention, huh. Damn."
Lantz ground his teeth in frustration,
but Hank curled his lips into a sinister grin.
"Perfect. Even if a lot of beast bastards gather, they're still just beasts. All we have to do is kill them!"
Hank's voice brimd with such confidence it bordered on arrogance—likely a result of their recent string of successes.
"Company Commander Lantz! Let's go together!!"
Hank's voice rang out, thunderous.
The charging soldiers drew closer and closer.
Only Ralph's 3rd company remained, anxiously lingering in indecision—unsure whether to sortie or stay.
Just then, it seed Lantz regained his composure as he spoke.
"Platoon Leader Ian. And you, Schutmann. The reason Granfen and the spirit stone quarry have remained in human territory was because of the battalion commander. Had it been any other commander, this land would have already fallen to the beasts."
As his words ended, sothing about Schutmann's presence grew even more foreboding,
but a golden glimr shone ever more fiercely in Lantz's eyes.
The will to fight was elevating his consciousness to another level.
"If the battalion commander falls, this war ends in defeat anyway. We'll head for the enemy's base."
Having said that, Lantz looked not at Schutmann, but at Ralph,
as if wanting him to join.
Ralph, however, hesitated and looked at .
"I......."
I shook my head.
'From the start, we've been fighting a losing war with far fewer troops. Our victories so far were thanks to terrain and my cooking buffs. But if we throw all our troops into the offensive, the frontline will collapse.'
I tried to send this thought through my gaze, instead of Brain Voice,
but he simply clamped his mouth shut.
'Please, Ralph.'
I found myself clenching my fist in frustration, when—
"1st Platoon of Company Hank reporting: battle preparations complete!"
The vanguard of Hank's company had arrived.
They departed from the garrison amid shouts,
though they had fallen silent upon approaching here.
It was likely due to the tense mood among us officers
and, of course, the battalion commander's absence.
Then—
Jiiiiing! Pop!
A magic array appeared and disappeared, bringing the battalion commander with it.
"Ba—Battalion Commander!"
"The battalion commander appeared out of nowhere!"
"Loyalty shines upon you!!"
A trace of exhaustion was evident on the battalion commander's face,
but he forced a smile as he took in the situation that had changed so quickly.
"Goodness. Can't catch a break even for a mont."
The battalion commander approached us, surveying the surroundings as he muttered,
"Hm. I see."
He took stock of the troops ready for combat, bursting from the garrison,
and the two spirited young company commanders,
then shook his head, as if he understood the whole picture—yet I knew there was sothing he didn't realize, so I spoke up.
"The Heroni are preparing for an all-out assault. They've turned around their retreating forces, and all remaining troops are ready to deploy. Battle is imminent."
"Hmm. Is that so? Well, be that as it may, that doesn't change much."
The battalion commander shot a glare at Lantz and Hank.
"Well? Why aren't you redeploying the troops?"
Spin, spin, spin.
A 4 ca up.
The battalion commander deflected the shadow pikeman's attack as he spoke. Clang!
"Hank. Lantz. I am very disappointed in you both. Is the life of a single battalion commander worth all of Granfen's lives? Of course not. No. That's not what I taught you."
At that, Lantz hung his head in sha, but—
'... Huh? Has he truly lost it?'
Hank didn't.
In fact, he only grew more fiercely determined.
"I don't care if you're disappointed. Haven't I always been an inadequate company commander for you anyway?"
I swallowed hard without aning to.
I'd seen him acting out toward plenty of tis, sure,
but to even go against the battalion commander—?
'He really is crazy.'
I wasn't the only one thinking that,
the soldiers flinched, and Lantz, standing right beside Hank, jolted and then grabbed Hank by the nape, saying,
"Hank. Mind your manners. Apologize imdiately!"
Lantz tried to force Hank's head down,
but Hank wouldn't budge and declared,
"I will save you, battalion commander. If only you survive, I will gladly be a greater disappointnt to you in the future. I won't let you die in pain from so damn curse!!"
No sooner had he finished shouting than—
Spin, spin.
"Hahaha. Today, my luck seems unusually poor."
A 10 ca up again.
A magic array appeared.
"Ian. Please, stop Hank—"
Pop!
The battalion commander vanished,
and the soldiers watched the scene in a murmur.
After hearing both the battalion commander's words and Hank's twisted logic up close,
even the dullest dievalers would not fail to grasp the new current.
As a result—
'This is a disaster.'
The fighting spirit of Hank's company soared sky high.
They were now ready to follow Hank to the ends of hell.
At last, the scrawny Sergeant Pab spoke up.
"Company Commander Hank, we'll follow your lead. Please, give the order."
I thought I'd grown accustod to these dieval fools' irrational, emotional choices,
but I still felt so stifled, I was about to go mad.
'This is driving nuts.'
At last, Hank declared, determination blazing,
"Thank you, Pab. Let's go. To save the battalion commander."
Beneath green eyes, mad with fervor, clear tears rolled hotly down.
anwhile, Lantz frowned as if tornted,
as though the battalion commander's reprimand had reset his previous resolution.
In that interval, Hank shouted loudly and set out.
"Company Hank! Deploy!!"
"Deploy!!"
With Pab's calling up behind, the soldiers advanced, platoon by platoon.
There was no hint of hesitation in Hank or his subordinates' steps.
So I grabbed Lantz and shook him.
"Lantz, company commander! Are you going to let Company Commander Hank just go like that?! Well?!"
Yet even at my outcry, Lantz just stared in panic from to Hank and back,
his eyes out of focus.
"Company Commander! The battalion commander ordered you to stop too!!"
I scread until my throat was raw, but no answer ca.
Up to now, I'd thought Lantz, for a dievaler, was smart and mature,
but it turned out he just had talent for swordsmanship—he was still just a twenty-sothing dieval youth.
'Damn. He's totally lost it.'
Between his values and the orders from above, his mind had frozen.
In the end, I decided to entrust Lantz to the only sowhat sensible person left—Ralph.
"Ralph! Take care of Lantz for ."
"Huh? What about you?"
"I have to stop Company Commander Hank!"
"You think you can do it by yourself?"
For a mont I considered leaving Lantz and going with Ralph,
but I judged it wouldn't help much anyway;
besides, 3rd company troops were still at the garrison.
"I'll try sothing. And if the battalion commander returns, just tell him I went after Company Commander Hank!"
Before I could even hear Ralph's reply, I turned and set off in the direction Company Hank was heading—
"Platoon leader!"
Zaiya's voice rang out,
"Are you okay, platoon leader? What's going on?"
Ricky also appeared with her.
Seeing my subordinates in this lonely struggle, relief surged within ,
but there was no ti for personal talk or explanations.
"Just follow , both of you!"
"Yes!"
Reading my expression, the two of them ran at my sides without a word.
We were moving much faster than Hank's bulkier company.
We'd catch up easily in under a minute.
So I threw in all my strength and raced forward, when—
soone ca speeding from behind.
Wind rushed by.
"?!"
It was Schutmann.
Living up to his standing as a squire, he passed us third-ranks in a flash and sped ahead.
'What the?'
A chill of tension crawled up my spine.
Leaving Zaiya and Ricky behind, I picked up the pace and shot forward.
Dadadadat.
Running with all I had,
I quickly caught up with Hank's unit.
But—
'They're just standing still?'
Just a mont ago, they'd been marching with so much bravado, but now,
they were standing dead still, staring at one man.
All ranks, from platoon leader down, knew him as Granfen's secret weapon—
the mysterious masked swordsman.
"Step aside."
In front of the unit, Hank glared up and barked.
But the masked swordsman showed no sign of yielding.
Srrrrng!
He drew his sword.
All of Hank's company tensed, adjusting their weapons.
"......."
It was a peculiar, still mont at the center of the battlefield.
In that fleeting instant,
Schutmann suddenly looked off into the distance.
My instincts made snap my gaze in the sa direction he was looking.
'Toward the three mountains?'
A chill ran across my skin—a bone-deep, eerie feeling.
Why was Schutmann checking that way?
Just as the thought passed through my mind,
Pab stepped forward and shouted.
"Step aside, masked swordsman! We know you an well helping us, but we can't forgive you for hindering us like this!"
"......."
But Schutmann, his hollow, unreadable eyes drifting shut,
let out a—
Chaak!
A transparent wave burst from the tip of Schutmann's sword.
Instantly, the dirt split open and stones crumbled to powder, scattering to the wind.
A long scar crossed the ground.
'To think he can do that just by radiating Sword Energy.'
The soldiers watching instinctively held their breaths.
A razor-sharp aura, as if it might flay their skin, spread through the air.
Then Schutmann's voice ca.
"Cross this line, and you die. It's not a warning. You will really die."
There was no emotion,
no rise or fall in his flat, monotone voice.
That, if anything, made everyone—myself included—realize just how deadly serious he was.
'But why is Schutmann this desperate to stop Hank's advance?'
He has a reason, undoubtedly.
Let's think.
The spot where Schutmann is standing is—
'The very frontline of Granfen's defenses.'
We had never fought any further ahead than where Schutmann stood.
Beyond this point, the land opens up and our nurical inferiority would be too exposed.
And, coincidentally, from this location, you can't see the three mountains that symbolize the labyrinth.
Which ans—
'If you cross this line, the Stack Labyrinth's death counting doesn't go up.'
Reaching this realization, I saw a new connection.
While supposedly aiming to destroy Granfen,
Schutmann was stopping any advance to a disadvantageous location for us—insisting, "absolutely not" go further—
'Wait, is he deliberately trying to kill people *within* the Stack Labyrinth's effective range?'
If this guess is right, Schutmann's strange behavior makes sense.
If it's true—
does that an there is an outsider among the White Fang's higher-ups?
'Soone from the sa Earth as ?!'
At the very mont I completed this thought—
Flash—!
Flesh and blood severed at the neck, spraying in strands.
The severed head of a colleague I knew well spun through the air.
Not only I, but the soldiers were too shocked to even gasp.
But Schutmann did not move.
Thunk. ... Thud.
As the silence broke, the sounds of blood and head hitting the ground rang out.
Watching the face, sunken deep in one cheek, roll across the ground, Hank muttered.
"... Pab?"
Since I joined,
this was the first ti an officer had died in battle.
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