Chapter 277 - Chapter 276: The Domain Army's War Cry
The southwestern region of the Gronoir Empire.
A small town located roughly thirty kilometers from the Daburandoru Plains.
Even here, a soup kitchen run by the state and the Church was being held.
Until a little while ago, such soup kitchens were held throughout the Empire.
But now, they are only being held in the Empire's southwestern region.
Because the people of the Empire who are alive should no longer exist anywhere else.
"Eat up!"
Something mushy made by boiling wheat in some kind of milk.
A salty soup with a massive amount of beans added.
And red wine.
At the soup kitchen, food was being provided to the surging crowds day and night without pause.
This is better than just being given bait.
Compared to the distant past when people fought and killed each other over meager scraps of food, this place is like heaven.
Just by walking around, one can get food.
"Fire" scoops up the mushy something with a ladle and dumps it onto a tray with a thud.
The trays aren't washed one by one.
Once finished eating, he hands them off to whoever is nearby and goes to sleep.
Then he starts walking again.
Heading for the Daburandoru Plains, and the protective wall deep within it.
"Guh... nice. Nice, nice."
"Fire" scoops up more with the ladle and serves it onto trays one after another.
Here, just by being present, one can absorb quite high-quality Voluntas.
Rage and hatred toward Ektrem.
Reverence, joy, and love toward the gods.
Grief and shame toward oneself.
Harsh trials, pain, and hardship.
Various Voluntas overflowed, boiling like a pot.
"I'll leave this to you."
"Fire" hands over the ladle and walks away from the soup kitchen through the town.
Houses are overflowing with people, and everyone is sleeping haphazardly on the roadside.
Seeing that sight, he feels nostalgia.
The era when people were desperate just to survive.
If you want it, you take it by force.
That was the era when that was the norm.
That is what I think is the true form of humanity.
Foolish people increased, and before anyone knew it, they forgot how humans ought to be.
At the limit of the bait.
They created trivial things like God's Miracle and arrogantly rebelled.
Ignoring their own incompetence, they call the chosen ones "Imprecated Children" or something.
On top of that, they went around burying absolute superiors with the filthy [Dispel].
The fist clenched by "Fire" trembles.
With eyes burning with flames of hatred, he glares at the group that looks like a family before him.
But from within that family, an old woman walks toward "Fire".
"...Your Eminence. Please guide us."
Kneeling before "Fire", the old woman begins to pray.
"Fire" looks down at the old woman with cold eyes.
But then he squats before her and puts on a carefree smile.
"Grandma, just a little more, okay?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
To the old woman praying with all her heart, "Fire" nods vigorously.
Standing up, he waves to the old woman and walks through the town again.
"............Just a little more. Just a little more..."
"Fire" distorts the corner of his mouth and mutters those words.
■■■■■■
Kingdom of Ektrem, Marquis Leventein's Domain.
Training was being conducted at the border's protective wall every single day.
Rubalwarus looked down from his horse at the knights and soldiers lined up before him.
Seven thousand knights, forty thousand soldiers.
This amounted to half of the Domain Army possessed by the Marquis Leventein's Domain.
Though depleted in the previous two wars, only the Marquis Leventein family among the Kingdom's nobles could still maintain an army of this size.
Of course, he couldn't abandon security activities within his domain, so he couldn't summon the entire army.
It is an unprecedented crisis, but he cannot help but think ahead.
The Empire has already collapsed.
If one didn't have to worry about tomorrow, one could make do with that.
But the Kingdom cannot be like that.
They must win first, and then consider tomorrow.
According to reconnaissance reports, it was learned that crowds from the Gronoir Empire were surging from the north and east, day by day.
However, their marching speed was extremely slow.
Well, considering the numbers, it was obvious that these were just commoners who had received no training whatsoever.
Rather, one couldn't help but be impressed that so many people managed to get this far.
Though one certainly couldn't say that out loud.
As Rubalwarus advanced his horse before the knights, the mounted Knight Commander Magnus joined him side by side, as expected.
"I can hardly wait, Your Excellency."
Oozing with suppressed killing intent, Magnus said with a strained smile.
Seeing that, Rubalwarus gave a bitter smile.
"Calm down, Magnus. If you're like that, the soldiers will get restless. It will still be a week."
"In that case, shall we go meet them? They seem to be coming to die, dragging their feet all the way to the Emperor."
The Pope who usurped the throne and destroyed the Empire in the blink of an eye.
Intelligence from the Military Affairs Ministry's spy division had caught word that the main culprit himself was making a special trip.
In other words, this ridiculous death march was, in form, a personal campaign.
"It seems to be some kind of animal. Something about a group diving into water or whatever."
"There are such things? Why would they do that?"
Magnus shrugged when asked by Rubalwarus.
"I don't know? I have no idea what animals think, nor what dead people think."
"Hmph... indeed."
Rubalwarus ended his banter with Magnus and took his designated position.
And there, he gazed upon the valiant warriors of the magnificent Domain Army.
Everyone gathered here had been people who knew nothing of war just a year ago.
Rubalwarus was no exception, nor was Magnus.
So what?
What is this surging fighting spirit born from merely two experiences on the battlefield?
Rubalwarus nodded at the confident faces of every single knight and every single soldier.
Sharin...
Slowly drawing his sword, a crisp sound rang out.
He raised the beautiful blade, reflecting the sunlight, high into the air.
"My brave knights! My brave soldiers! It is time for battle once more!"
Rubalwarus looked up at the clear sky and spoke to all the knights and all the soldiers.
"The foolish Empire has destroyed itself and is now nothing but a flickering candle!"
He tightened his grip on the hilt and raised his voice.
"But! Because they are foolish, they do not understand!"
He raised his sword even higher, as if striking the heavens.
"They have been defeated twice already, yet they come to be defeated again! They come to be killed by us! Then! Let us grant their wish!"
He lowered the sword he had raised and pointed it toward the heads of the knights.
"I would like to tell them to die on their own, but it seems they desire to be killed by us! Then let us kill them!"
"Roaaaaaaah!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"We'll crush them to death!"
The knights raised their fists and let out a roar of cheers.
Rubalwarus slowly moved his sword and pointed it toward the heads of the soldiers.
"Do not let the madmen step on the land of Ektrem again! Wipe them all out!"
"Wipe them all out!!!"
"Roaaaaaaah!!!"
The soldiers stomped the ground, booming like an earthquake.
Satisfied with the high morale, Rubalwarus nodded.
He raised his sword again and shouted.
"We are the shield of Ektrem!"
"We are the shield of Ektrem!!!"
Following Rubalwarus's war cry, all the knights and all the soldiers continued.
"Iron and blood are our glory!"
"Iron and blood are our glory!!!"
Vibrating the atmosphere with a tingling sensation, overflowing with spirit.
"Honor to the Leventein Domain Army!"
"Honor to the Leventein Domain Army!!!"
"Uooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
Simultaneously with the final war cry, a roar ascended to the sky.
Seeing the Domain Army charge at once and take their positions, Rubalwarus trembled.
Sheathing his sword, he slowly turned around and glared toward the other side of the protective wall.
"......Come whenever you like! We'll exterminate you!"
Rubalwarus muttered those words and spurred his horse to run.
■■■■■■
Mika flew over the Gronoir Empire, monitoring the crowds on the ground using his Telescope.
In response to the Emperor-Pope's call for the Holy Crusade, forty million citizens responded and actually began a great migration.
Mika no longer knew how many there were, but he monitored from above and searched for targets.
"............Hm? These guys."
He increased the magnification and checked carefully.
A group of Temple Knights.
In other words, there was a high probability that a group of healers was nearby.
If they had come solely to grant [Heal] to the people, he would hesitate to attack, but these guys were users of [Divine Wrath].
They were the targets that should be crushed first.
Normally, one wouldn't use God's Miracle or Divine Wrath against a protective wall swarmed by such a crowd.
Because it was obvious they would hit their own allies.
However, if they were a bunch who didn't care about human lives, they would fire without hesitation.
Seeking proper thought from those who would shout things like "pile corpses upon corpses" would likely be futile.
Mika decided to crush the Gronoir Empire's healers and mages as much as possible before the battle began.
Just by their presence, the number of casualties would skyrocket.
Also, since they were holding soup kitchens in various places, he was going to crush those too.
If you crush their supply lines, people will starve to death before reaching the protective wall.
It is quite a demonic deed, but if the enemy is a demon, does that make oneself a demon too?
Or, since one is killing demons, does it become the work of gods and angels?
The idea that any cruel act can be justified under the name of justice feels strangely uncomfortable.
While thinking such things, Mika activated Blast and Low Gravity.
He shifted to freefall and moved to annihilate the discovered healers.
It was lower altitude than his previous high-altitude drop with low-altitude parachute deployment, but still a fall from a considerable height.
Probably around three to four thousand meters.
He had done this many times before, so he was used to it.
Mika adjusted his falling speed and position with reverse thrust from Blast.
He also twisted his body orientation and fell feet-first.
He grabbed the fluttering hood and pulled it deep over his head.
Thump...!
Having sufficiently decelerated and using Tiptoe to eliminate sounds around him, a slight impact was transmitted to the ground he landed on, but it was enough that even someone right next to him wouldn't notice.
"Huh...? Eh?"
"...Hmm?"
Even seeing a black-robed figure fall before them, the healers stood there gaping.
Mika quickly drew Namakura-sama from his waist and dashed through with speed invisible to the eye.
"Gyahh!?"
"Gyaaah!"
He killed nearly a hundred healers with Namakura-sama and leaped up instantly.
(This took only zero point five seven seconds...)
He imagined such narration in his head.
Well, in reality, I think it took over ten seconds.
The reason Mika was deliberately using Namakura-sama was, of course, for a reason.
Simply put, it was deception.
Something pitch black falls and many people die in an instant.
Even if you examine the dead bodies, they are just torn apart or crushed.
People in this world would normally think this was the work of a monster or a demon beast.
If they saw marks of sharp cuts, they would think they were cut by something, but Namakura-sama is a bludgeoning weapon.
It would only look like they were beaten to death by a demon beast or something with brute force.
Even if they found out, it wouldn't matter much, but he chose this method because it was better to make it look like a strange phenomenon or the work of a demon beast.
If it were thought to be the work of the Kingdom, it might boost morale.
If it were just an accident, morale would decline.
It would be a blessing if they thought it was a curse, but let's not expect that much.
I just hope they feel vaguely uneasy that something bad is happening.
In other words, it was harassment.
"I'm back. Now, let's go to the next one."
Fee, waiting in the sky, flickered dimly.
Then she landed on Mika's left shoulder.
"No matter how many I crush, it never ends."
He repeated this about thirty times for now and couldn't help but grumble.
As expected, with twenty or thirty million gathered, it's no wonder.
He has been doing this harassment every day, but he doesn't even know if it's effective or not.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Mika's mind.
"............Imprecated Children."
Searching for them from among this crowd would not be realistic.
Even if one or two were found by luck, not knowing how many there are is quite a troubling situation.
Still, he had actually confirmed how powerful the curse was by attempting to dispel it.
He had also devised a secret strategy for that.
"Next time, I will definitely finish them."
As he muttered that, he found a location where a soup kitchen was being held and moved to attack again.
When evening came, Mika returned to the protective wall.
Just as he took out a communicator from his Magic Bag, he noticed a Mage Division waving at him on the ground.
Spotting a familiar face among them, Mika descended.
"Salomrassa-san!"
"Ah, Mika-kun. Long time no see."
Salomrassa, covered in sand from training, showed a tired smile.
"Good work on the training."
"That's what I should say. Is this a power reconnaissance... or rather, a surprise attack operation?"
"I don't know. I just think of it as harassment."
Well, crushing the Church's healers and mages was important to reduce the Kingdom's casualties.
Reporting the number and type of targets crushed, how close the crowds were pressing, etc., to the communication command room before ending the day was Mika's daily routine.
"Salomrassa-san, that robe is the first time I've seen you, but it suits you."
Salomrassa was wearing a black robe, the uniform of the Kingdom Army Mage Division.
Though covered in sand, it gave off a rather stylish vibe.
But Salomrassa dropped his shoulders in a playful manner.
"I had planned never to wear it again, though... As expected, I was prepared since the war started."
Having finished a long ten-year term of service and finally rejoicing that he had fulfilled his duty, he was forced to wear the uniform again.
Mika could only give a bitter smile.
"Well, please take care of me, Senior."
He saluted Mika.
Mika widened his eyes.
"What is that?"
"What? Aren't you the senior here, Mika-kun? Above all, we are all virgin boys who haven't even seen their first battle. An ace with two Silver Medals is on a different level."
"Hey, hey! Stop it, don't say things like that!"
"Please teach me everything, Senior!"
"Salomrassa-san!"
While being teased by Salomrassa, they laughed together.
Their grim hearts relaxed a little.
"By the way, where are you assigned, Mika-kun?"
After laughing for a while, Salomrassa asked such a question.
However, Mika tilted his head.
"Assignment? Well...?"
"Eh, it's not decided!?"
Salomrassa let out a surprised voice.
"I didn't care at all about which unit I belonged to. I just did what I wanted whenever I felt like it."
"............Is that how it is for a soldier?"
Even if you say that, no one told me.
"Where are you assigned, Salomrassa-san?"
"I am in the 527th Squad of the Kingdom Army Mage Division. I heard that squads in the five-hundreds are a collection of retired reservists."
It seemed to be a unit of mages gathered by the reserve mobilization order.
They were dispatched from the Mage Division and placed under the command of a field army originally stationed in the Marquis Leventein's Domain.
"Of course, the squad leaders are active duty, but... there are even uncles who retired twenty years ago and were running a restaurant? I felt sorry for them."
Indeed, that was pitiful.
If they retired twenty years ago, they would be in their mid-forties now.
Running a restaurant without using God's Miracle for twenty years and then suddenly being hunted out to the battlefield was too miserable...
"In that sense, Salomrassa-san is still better off, right? Being an adventurer, fighting was daily life, and you're young so you can still move around, right?"
"That might be true, but I can't judge if I'm better off until I survive."
That was certainly true.
Surviving would be lucky.
Not surviving would be unlucky.
If one lost their life while young, one couldn't say they were better off.
(......As expected, I can't just go help out on the battlefield.)
Even caring a little bit was difficult.
Mika had his own role.
If the protective wall was breached, the damage to our side would increase exponentially.
It had to be plugged immediately.
"Let's both try to survive somehow."
"Yes. This war is too foolish to lose one's life."
Salomrassa scrunched his face and extended his fist.
Mika matched his fist to that fist.