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37-1. Chapter 37 (Part 1)
Gerard Berger was inside one of the rooms with a strong wall in the Sarajevo Fortress and was indulged in the thought.
” ”The Three Heroes” of Craist, they’re more dangerous than I thought. I didn’t think that the Liguria battalion would be destroyed.”
The most combat-experienced Liguria battalion that had been polishing their combat skill since the battle with Liberitoa, was one of the most skilled infantry units of the Highserk Empire. It had survived endless battlefields of field battles, siege battles, maneuver warfare, and defense battles, and was now regarded as both wings that support the direction of Ferrius front along with the Jaff Cavalry Battalion.
An excellent handpiece equivalent to gold or even magic silver was lost. The enemy’s firepower was underestimated, and the instruction to retreat was delayed, resulting in the Liguria Battalion having hand-to-hand combat with more than double of their number. Battalion Commander Liguria died, and some of the remaining key members retreated backward, but it wasn’t perfect and reconstruction wasn’t easy.
“Even if I activate the trap, there’s no once can be used as a diversion. As expected, the battalion should be preserved at the rear from the beginning.”
Even if he was praised as a war god, he misread the enemy army and lost one of the battalions equal to the treasure. Gerard couldn’t help but cursed his own stupidity.
“This isn’t good. Even if want them to come back, they can’t. It’s too late, but I can’t afford to give up.”
Gerard switched his thoughts. Even if he were to activate the trap, if no one could maintain the last U-shape layer, the enemy couldn’t be pushed out. An assassination of VIPs required a platoon-based suicide squad, it wasn’t impossible to do, but the result wasn’t guaranteed. Sabotages could be put in, but considering the time of withdrawal, at best, it would only be sleep disturbance of enemy soldiers and cause loss of some breakfast foods.
“As per the second plan, I have no choice but to bleed them as much in Sarajevo Fortress and devote the army to delay them with scorched earth tactics in the land of Myard.”
If that were to happen, Gerard’s status would be stripped by the Imperial Diet.
“While the empire is being scraped away, perhaps I should shut myself in the countryside? I’m sure I’ll be bored and frustrated to death.”
The question was where the enemy would stop. For sure all countries in the Four-Countries Alliance were appealing as a good country, both inside and outside, but for Gerard it sounded just as a funny story. On the surface, the relationship might seem good, but behind the scenes, conflicts had begun, betting on concessions, battles for the leadership, and the position in the alliance.
“What Myard will do is easy to guess. The problem would be, how far will they try to get back their land?”
Tracing the map with a finger, the old general indulged in thoughts. He blew out purple smoke and dropped ashes. The window shook slightly as he reached for the lamp to light a new cigarette.
“What happened?”
“I will go and check”
Gerard stopped the attendant from leaving the room.
“No, I’ll check it myself”
Gerard left his room and headed for the military room where the staff officers were waiting, with his servant.
“What’s happening?”
Gerald entered the room and stopped the nearest staff officer. It was clear that something unexpected had happened from the atmosphere of the room.
“A big explosion occurred at the Ferius camp in the 3rd layer, and the 6th layer, which is subsequently established as the main camp of the Four-Countries Alliance, is also on fire.”
“Fire? Did the black water of Liberitoa ignited by someone?”
An infantry battalion was attached to the last U-shape layer, but Gerald didn’t order them to take any action at night. He couldn’t conclude whether it was an accident or some kind of camouflage.
“Get the whole army ready for battle, including reserves. Jaff’s battalion too.”
“Your Excellency, where are you going!?”
“I need to see from a better place. I’ll go to the ramparts.”
Gerald skipped the cobblestone stairs two or three steps, running up to the ramparts. Leaving the stunned guards behind, he entered one of the fortified towers and leaned out of the top arrow slit. The enemies’ camps were certainly on fire. It also covered a wide range from the 3rd layer to the 6th layer in which the trap was installed. The screams that arrived in his ears by riding the wind must be those of enemy soldiers in the camp. But, above all, there was one thing that thrilled Gerald. That was, the blue flame.
“Haha, AHAHAHA!! They’re on fire. That blue flame, it must be 《Demon Fire》. It must be Walm from Duwei’s Squad!!
Gerald told the staff officers who were catching up.
“It’s time for a sortie!! I’ll use the trap. Let’s mobilize the reserves. Tonight, is the decisive battle!!”
“Y-your Excellency!?”
Hit the shoulders of the stunned staff. Gerald shouted.
“Move, now!! Speed will never betray. What have you all learned at military school? Time will decide everything. So, Run!! Now! Run!!!”
The ramparts were wrapped in a frenzy. The staff officers rolled down the stairs and sent a messenger to each battalion. The inside of the fortress was as if the microorganisms in a human body trying to awaken the body.
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Walm’s flank was hurt, it had been stabbed after all. The sensation of his fingers was disappearing. As he kept running, his legs were also screaming. As he continued to lose blood and mana, his vision was even beginning to distort.
The reason why he started such a thing was that he himself, who was so full of himself with a reason and morality from a modern world, left himself to the emotions, the death of his friends made him meaninglessly sprinkle death to the surroundings.
I’m sure, they’re laughing from hell.
Walm had no choice but to ridicule himself. One magic-user soldier from Highserk Empire, who was counted as dead, was attacking a sleeping enemy soldier from behind on the eve of the great offensive. Walm, who continued to struggle with meaningless actions, couldn’t hear the cheers from the ramparts at this time.
When Walm hit the halberd against a soldier who stood in the way, the soldier collapsed like a broken thread without raising any voice. Without a glance, Walm advanced his foot. His goal was to go to a place with a lot of supplies. After all, in the warehouse, only things that burn well gathered, it would for sure be a great bonfire. Even if it had been robbed, it still could still be used. The Four-Countries Alliance would have used the existing facilities for convenience.
Two soldiers jumped in. Unable to properly move his left finger, Walm slid his halberd with only his palm and launched a deadly blow into the throat. The tip of the halberd was dodged, but the left side of the tip of the Halberd was an ax, and the right side was a claw-shaped blade. Even if the soldier avoided the tip, the soldier couldn’t avoid the claw-shaped blade.
Cut the throat and wrapped around the right side of the soldier, leaving only the other person. The remaining soldier attempted to rush at Walm with an angry expression, but at the moment when Walm and the dead soldier’s bodies crossed, he did a small stab. The tip of the spear, which extended from the back of a dying comrade, couldn’t be evaded, and resulted in the soldier collapsing from the knees to the ground after a small groan.
Walm kept running with the sound of bubbling water on his back.
In this short period of time, Walm felt his growth. He had a muddy left eye that shouldn’t be able to see anything, but he didn’t feel crippled. Rather, he felt that the six senses were sharpened.
A large number of soldiers were on guard in what appeared to be a corner of the warehouse. Soldiers from many countries were there.
“Don’t let him step into the warehouse!!”
One of the soldiers shouted perhaps it was to improve morale or to inspire himself, but for Walm, it was good news.
“The frequency of him using《Demon Fire》 has been decreasing. Surround him and exhaust him!!”
There was a soldier who used his head. The idea of the soldier in command was generally correct, but there were still some mistakes. Along the way, Walm didn’t use the skill to preserve his mana, for when he met the “Three Heroes” and the Order of Reharzen. He still had some spare mana and energy because he didn’t have to control the skill.
Walm prepared himself and activated 《Demon Fire》. Hot air blew and blue flames overflew from the body.
Walm was faintly realized that there were no companions to protect or shield to protect, that there were only enemy soldiers to kill. So, the thought that it would be more efficient to use the skill indiscriminately in the enemy’s territory, rather than for defensive purposes.
“It’s 《Demon Fire》, eeeaaaahhhHH!!”
“Wait. Run ―― aaaaAAAHHH!!”
“Move away!! Keep a distanceeeEEE!!”
The soldier who had even only one experience in seeing it, had abandoned everything at the moment when the blue fire came out from the body. Those who chose a thorough fight and those who were late in responding were all dragged into the sea of blue flames.
Walm walked slowly through it. In the end, neither the “Three Heroes”, who seriously injured Walm and killed his squad, nor the main unit of the Order of Reharzen, appeared in front of him.
Walm didn’t know if the camp was burned down and the influential soldiers and knights were so involved that they couldn’t do a sortie in a short time.
When Walm opened a corner of the burning warehouse, it was a warehouse for provisions. For Walm, who had been in a state of asphyxia and hadn’t eaten anything for nearly a week, the sweet smell ran through his nasal passage in an instant.
If only there is no dead odors

“Should I change clothes?”
The bonfire, should be enough for guiding them to hell.
Walm dragged one of the corpses he killed into the warehouse and stripped off his equipment. Thinking that he might be exposed fast if wearing the equipment of hostile Craist soldiers. Walm chose the Ferrius soldier, as he was quite familiar with their behaviors. He was familiar with the behavior of the Liberitoa soldier too, but he talked to the POWs of the Ferius soldiers more. Also, there was a fact that Ferrius did an emergency call, so the army had a lot of militias, so it would be easier to blend.
Regrettably, he made the dead Ferrius soldier wear his equipment and threw him into a burning warehouse. Walm was worried about what to do with the mask, but it vibrated violently and so, he gave up on throwing it.
It’s basically a harmless living mask, but if I throw it away carelessly, I don’t know what will happen.
Walm put the mask in the bag and moved away from the warehouse with the equipment he borrowed, mimicking the injured. After all, Walm himself was already seriously injured. He forcibly put the broken fingers in a good arrangement and suppressed his bleeding wounds by cauterization.
Right now, Walm looked like a soldier who was ambushed. He wouldn’t look like a rampaging demon. Sitting in a corner of a clay wall mixed with dead and seriously injured people, he became one of the Ferrius soldiers with burns injuries.
“Sh*t, it’s a strong flame, take the seriously injured to the treatment center!!”
“Don’t relax your guard. The warehouse and command post has been attacked after all.”
“Come on, stand up, fast, or you’ll get swallowed by the fire.”
One of the Ferrius soldiers grabbed Walm’s shoulder and stood him up.
“It’s a terrible injury. Let me take you to the treatment center. There is a lot of security there.”
It was a proposal that Walm couldn’t hope for. In the territory that continued to burn, the search for the user of 《Demon Fire》was still in place, while most of the soldiers kept extinguishing the fire. If carried as an injured Ferrius soldier, it would be easy for Walm to heal his injuries and escape.
Walm was dragged to the treatment center.