Chapter 443: Running Soldiers

The Heraldic soldiers marched on, leaving footprints here and there on the silver-colored road covered by the death snow. The snowfall was much softer than it was before, but it was still annoying.

The annoying snow spread through your shoes and onto the soles of your feet. Hayes, a child soldier of the Heraldic Order, distorted his expression with disgust, but didn’t say it out loud.

It would be even more annoying to say it out loud. This march wouldn’t end even if it got tougher. In that case, it was better to look ahead and just move on.

His breath turned white and rose into the sky. Around what time would the walled city of Garoua Maria come into view? It should be soon.

There, they would join forces against the elite soldiers of the Bolvat Dynasty from the east. They were prepared to clench their teeth and fight for their lives.

Thinking about it, Hayes felt something unpleasantly cold down his spine. It was different from the shivering caused by the real cold.

「What’s wrong, young soldier? Are you scared? 」

Apparently, Hayes’ trembling body was noticed by the soldier walking next to him.

The soldier who spoke was old and had gray hair. He carried not only a spear but also a bow and a sword at his waist. Hayes could tell that he was an expert at wielding multiple weapons. Perhaps, he amassed enough experience on the battlefields to be able to use them.

This old-looking soldier was Ziz, one of the soldiers that Hayes was familiar with.

「No, I’m not scared. I’m a soldier too. 」

Well, it felt like he was boasting. Hayes himself was aware of that fact.

However, soldiers were troublesome people. They could be ridiculed if they easily expressed words such as being scared. People could imply the lack of courage or lack of a soldier’s character.

It was a terrible insult to a soldier to be called coward.

Sensing what was going on in Hayes’ heart, Ziz said with a soft smile. It was a rare smile for a veteran soldier.

「I see, but it’s scary. Their numbers exceeds 30,000, right? We’re only 2,000 at best. 」

Hayes rolled his big eyes involuntarily. He knew it was Ziz’s joke, but he didn’t think he would say it out loud. After all, he was someone extremely skilled.

However, it became even more real when Hayes heard it. Fear was starting from his feet and rising to his chin. He would like it to stop there if possible.

After all, as Ziz said, the Bolvat army was powerful. It was true that they had a large number of soldiers, but most of them were elite. On the other hand, the Heraldic side was a combined force of volunteers and mercenaries.

Moreover, some of the Heraldic soldiers were still following Saleino’s ideals. They even pointed their spears at Lugis just the other day.

Hayes didn’t understand why these people were marching together. If Largud Ann, the regent, said so, then there were no complaints, but Hayes couldn’t help but wonder if he could really trust them.

「It would be nice if the city-states were able to coordinate their efforts…but how? They don’t get along well. It’s the worst. 」

「I know. I’m from a city-state too. The only agreeable city-states I can think of are the Entertainment City and the Ironwork City. 」

A group of city-states. The region, which existed between the Gharast Kingdom and the Bolvat Dynasty, had created a unique culture over its long history, even though it sometimes suffered from invasions as a tight zone between the two nations.

The walled city of Garoua Maria and the mercenary city of Belfein were owned by the Heraldic Order. Several other cities, such as the entertainment city of Deenheim, the ironwork city of Portas, and the temple city of Seton, formed city-states, uniting smaller cities and villages.

Even though the major city-states formed an alliance, they were constantly competing for influence and thus creating tension between them. It would be fair to say that they even had a sense of hostility towards one another.

However, they couldn’t wage war against each other since they had formed a coalition to compete with the great powers. Summing up, they were trying to get along on the surface.

Therefore, once born, criticisms would continue to persist.

Over time, criticisms turned into dissatisfaction, dissatisfaction turned into resentment, and resentment turned into hostility.

People wondered how many city-states would join forces against the Bolvat Dynasty’s invasion. City-states with a strong sense of independence could think that the alliance had collapsed. They could start to focus solely on the defense of their own cities.

Even if that wasn’t a rational move, there weren’t enough people in the city-states to hold it back and lead it.

The current state of the city-states was so chaotic that even Hayes, who was a commoner, could understand. That’s why fear and anxiety were so deeply rooted in their hearts.

Maybe, just maybe, they would be unable to do anything at all and end up being swallowed up by the Bolvat Dynasty.

「Well, we can’t go home now. Young soldier. Why did you volunteer? 」

He whispered about death as if it was nothing. Hayes knew that there was something like that among the veteran soldiers. He had watched many people die, so the combination of life and death was not exactly foreign to them.

「It’s not young soldier, it’s Hayes…I mean, I wanted money, and besides…」

Besides…what? Hayes was at a loss for words for a moment. And then, he looked ahead. A green military uniform was visible in his field of vision. There was no need to ask who that person was in this particular army.

Yes, of course. Hayes wanted to be by that hero’s side. Hayes wanted to be part of the story if he was going to die.

It was a boyish admiration for strength and heroic tales. At the same time, Hayes felt a feeling of rejection towards his own life, which was not typical of a boy.

Hayes’ parents died of illness at an early age. They died waiting for a hero. Many of his friends either starved to death or died on the battlefield. Even the girl he liked passed away from the epidemics.

Somewhere in his heart, Hayes thought that the same thing would happen to him. It was a feeling close to resignation.

If so, then he wanted to die next to a hero.

Hayes was suddenly slapped hard on his back while thinking about this. Its force made Hayes stumble on his feet and take a few steps on the ground. Ziz said with a wild laugh that befitted his age.

「Don’t give up. If you’re a man and if you’re a soldier, just say something like, “I’m here to take down the enemy general!” Don’t say gloomy things even if you think you’re going to die someday. If you die, you won’t have anything to eat. You won’t even drink. That’s why you have to live. That’s why I’ve lived until this age even though I’m a soldier. 」

It was true that, at Ziz’s age, even if his skills were a bit weak, he could easily become the captain of a small unit. Maybe this man really did whatever it took to survive.

Hayes said while rubbing his sore back.

「Sr. Ziz, why did you volunteer? If you don’t want to die, then you shouldn’t volunteer, even if it’s unpatriotic. 」

Ziz replied quickly.

「For something more important than life. 」

Hayes tilted his head while Ziz laughed again. Ahead of their vision, the walled city of Garoua Maria was finally beginning to appear.

—

Bolvat Dynasty and its Western Expeditionary Army.

Its majestic army made it different from other countries’ forces. The uniformed military of the Gharast Kingdom couldn’t compare to it, even down to its equipment.

The magical armored soldiers’ strange presence and amount of magical power seemed to transform the whole atmosphere. Moreover, the sight of the magical beast soldiers, who were able to communicate through magic, seemed to deviate from the common military forces.

This diversity was the strength of the Bolvat army, and it was also its weakness.

However, today, the Bolvat army looked different than usual.

Tension, disgust, hatred. These repressed emotions were shared by generals, unit commanders, and soldiers all the way down. The overwhelming number of emotions seemed to tremble even the earth.

Only one woman monopolized all the emotions. The woman was beside the supreme commander of this army, the magical general Mastigius.

「Magic General. Our speed is so slow. Make your soldiers run faster. Immediately and promptly. 」

Mastigius said with disgust in his dark eyes. He didn’t seem to be trying to hide his feelings. Magical power radiated slightly from his large body.

「…It’s impossible. Some soldiers have already perished. If we continue like this, our fighting strength will decline even further. 」

「Magic General. 」

The woman had non-living eyes. Her eyes had a beautiful amber color, but they didn’t look like they belonged to a living thing. If anything, it would be more appropriate to say that she looked like a doll.

The woman spoke with her silky hair bouncing.

「When did I ask you for your opinion? I order you to respond immediately. 」

The sound of Mastigius’ clenching teeth echoed. Magical lightning flashes appeared, and Mastigius’ eyes bled. The surrounding commanders widened their eyes at the fury state of their general.

However, no matter what happened, Mastigius was a man worthy of being a general. He now knew how foolish the results could be he got swayed by his emotions.

More so if the opponent was a subordinate of the great demon Vrilligant, who had sunk his fangs into the neck of the Bolvat Dynasty.

「…Let’s increase the marching speed. 」

The woman, Vrilligant’s demon companion Rabel, looked dissatisfied while speaking. Then, she explained to Mastigius without showing much emotion.

「It’s fine. Listen carefully, Magic General. We have never worried about humans. So do it immediately. 」

Once again, lightning rays burst around them. It was proof that Mastigius had an abundance of magical talent, and proof that he had an inexhaustible number of emotions in his heart.

The Magic General, Mastigius La Volgograd, said while opening his dark eyes.

「Yes. I’ll make sure I’ll remember those words. 」

The words sounded like the roar of a beast. The magical devilish being Rabel was just staring ahead as if she didn’t care about the feelings of the Magic General.

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