Chapter 463: Courage

Inside the tent of the Bolvat army. Eileen Ray Rakiador wrinkled her nose, looking unusually angry. The messenger was startled by his Vice-Commander’s behavior and instinctively lowered his eyes to avoid meeting her gaze.

The messenger knew that Eileen would react this way. The orders were not what his Vice-Commander would expect, meaning that she wouldn’t fulfill her duty.

After hearing everything from the messenger, Eileen paused for a moment and then asked rhetorically.

「…Turn my back and retreat? Who gave such a ridiculous order? 」

Eileen’s sharp fingertips danced aimlessly in the air. Her tone was still calm, but her facial expression and unsettled behavior clearly expressed what was going on in her mind.

In short, she didn’t like this order.

The veteran soldiers who had been with Eileen for a long time thought this was bad news. She was exceptional and poised, but she had a bad habit of losing control when she didn’t like certain things.

And she would always say the same thing at times like that. It was no laughing matter.

The messenger looked frightened as if he had been shot to death by Eileen’s gaze and replied.

「Ye…Yes. Its the direct orders from His Excellency the Sorcerer General…」

「…That’s a lie. Messenger, you are wrong. 」

Eileen spoke coldly with her eyes sparkling. The inside of her tent became frozen and silent as she spoke alone. The soldiers outside the tent must have sensed the atmosphere as well. Her voice naturally went quiet, and the surroundings were silent.

For a moment, the messenger didn’t know what Eileen was trying to say.

It wasn’t a lie at all. The messenger had received the message from the Sorcerer General Mastigius himself. Since it was his job as a messenger, he could remember every word and even the tone of Mastigius’ words.

The Sorcerer General said they had to retreat. He also ordered Vice-Commander Eileen to prepare for the retreat. It was all the truth, without any errors.

But sadly, the role of a messenger was to inform Eileen, not to persuade her. And if Eileen, as Vice-Commander, judged the contents of the message to be incorrect, the only one who could correct it was her superior, Mastigius.

Even if Eileen was just a Vice-Commander, she had an army and was like a ruler on the battlefield. It was up to her heart to decide whether this report was true or false.

And so, as long as she achieved success, even if she disobeyed the orders of her superior, her sins would be forgiven.

In this particular battle, Eileen’s mind had already decided a long time ago. She clenched her fist and said, making the soldiers tremble.

「The siege will continue. I will join the battlefield once more. After a short break, we will charge again. This time, we will take it. 」

It was as if that was all she could see.

Eileen’s Infection Magic infected the surroundings with extreme heat, making them stride towards death without hesitation. But now, as if Eileen herself was affected by that heat, she advanced towards the battlefield without looking back.

It was for the sake of the ambitions of the Rakiador Family. And for the long-cherished wish of the Bolvat Dynasty.

If they could take Garoua Maria, the core of the city-states, the Bolvat Dynasty would soar to become the rulers of the continent, once merely a powerful eastern dynasty.

The opportunity to overthrow the Gharast Kingdom, which had established an unshakable position, was right here. If they could achieve this, Rakiador’s name would become immortal.

Eileen’s cheeks were flushed with anticipation as she smiled faintly. The heat emitted by Infection Magic consumed her thoughts and her body.

「Now, let’s conquer the West. Glory is already on our sight. 」

—

The garrison commander’s scream yelled loudly. The sobs of wounded soldiers echoed. The smell of blood and iron spread. And the ominous word “defeat” lingered around.

That was all there was to it at the rear gate of Garoua Maria. The enemy attacks halted for a moment, so the sound of the injured people was all the more palpable.

It was a sight that should’ve made one want to burst into tears, but Hayes was surprised that he didn’t cry.

Of course, Hayes wasn’t unscathed either. He had wounds, which he had received several times when the enemy soldiers had tried to destroy the castle gate. Those wounds were making him throbbing with pain.

He didn’t have time to get a medical officer to look at those wounds. There were literally countless soldiers more seriously injured than Hayes, and the fact that he wasn’t receiving treatment meant that he wasn’t close to death.

Hayes took a deep breath. He could taste blood, probably because he had a cut inside of his mouth. His tongue was numb, and he couldn’t move it properly.

「Are you scared, young soldier? 」

Ziz, a veteran soldier, asked for the umpteenth time. Hayes hadn’t seen him for a while, so he thought he had died, but it seemed he had been away from his post for a little while.

His gray hair had a strange shade of blood, which made him unrecognizable at first.

「I’m scared. I’m really scared. I want to run away. 」

Hayes was surprised that such words had come out of his mouth so naturally. Perhaps humans had a tendency to become honest when things got to the point where they were in a pinch. Or perhaps he was dazed by the temporary cessation of the enemy’s attacks.

In any case, the extreme tension he had felt during the previous battle had vanished, and all that remained in his mind was a mysterious calmness.

Ziz lowered his eyes for a moment, then placed his hand on Hayes’ shoulder and said the following.

「…Hayes. I’m scared too. And I want to run away too. But listen. A person’s worth is determined when they face fear. Don’t look away, and don’t pretend you’re not scared. That’s just recklessness. 」

Hayes couldn’t help but laugh when Ziz said those words with an unusually serious face. Hayes didn’t know that Ziz could say such serious words until now.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that side of him for the first time on this dying battlefield.

Seeing that face, Ziz looked at him straight in the eye and continued. His expression and words were also sincere. Ziz no longer called Hayes a young soldier.

「You have value because you know fear and still don’t look away. That’s what people call courage. Remember this, Hayes. 」

At this point, Hayes realized that Ziz was trying to tell him something implicitly. They hadn’t known each other for long, but it seemed that Ziz wasn’t good at hiding things.

His expression and mood were clearly different from usual. All of his frivolity had disappeared, and only solemnity remained.

If a soldier’s mood could change this much, then it meant that he was on the verge of death.

「I’m going to fight a bit longer, Ziz. You’re going to fight too, aren’t you? 」

Hayes’ words were quite sudden. It didn’t feel like a conversation, and it didn’t lead to anything. He probably could’ve just pretended not to know what he was talking about.

But Ziz’s expression was contorted as if he had obviously given up. He put his hand over his mouth, and his eyes wandered as if he was about to say something. As expected, he wasn’t good at hiding things.

Ziz tried to save the situation’s mood by saying a few things, but for some reason he didn’t feel like lying. Hayes knew that Ziz wanted to say what his heart told him to say, as if it were a necessity.

Ziz sighed loudly and said the following words.

「…I’ve talked to the garrison commander. We’ll leave the castle gate with the reserve troops and launch a counterattack on the enemy forces. Look. I don’t know if they’re taking a break or not, but they’re not even fully camped outside the gates. They don’t think we’ll come out. 」

In fact, the enemy soldiers and magical beast soldiers were sitting down to rest. If Hayes and his fellow soldiers charged now, they would be able to inflict some damage.

But they wouldn’t definitely come out unscathed. Besides, the enemy soldiers were exposing themselves so blatantly that it could be considered an invitation. Yes, a deadly one.

In any case, death was definitely close by. No, a counterattack would mean throwing oneself into death.

It was scary. Hayes shivered and let out a deep breath. It felt like his heart had dropped to his stomach. It was so, so frightening.

Hayes took a few seconds before responding.

「Well, okay, let’s go together, Ziz. It’s scary, but I’m a soldier after all. 」

Hayes stood up with a crooked smile on his face. His legs were shaking, but strangely, he didn’t feel like sitting down again.

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I truly like Hayes, he’s a brave kid.

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