Bang!
Klaus’s sniper rifle spat fire. The bullet buried itself squarely between the brows of the horn-helmeted orc commanding the horde. As the massive body collapsed, a momentary crack appeared in the orc unit’s solid shield wall. I did not miss that opening.
“Charge! Hit the enemy’s flank!”
At my order, the members of Third Platoon all broke into a run. Even as they advanced and sought cover, they rapidly sprayed fire from their rifles.
Dududududu!
It was as if bolts of fire were raining down from the sky. Our position was on the high ground along the orcs’ flank. Packed tightly together with no cover, they were no different from perfect shooting targets.
“Graaaagh! They’re up on that ridge! An ambush!”
“Turn the shields! Bullets are coming from this side!”
“Lord Gortus has been taken down!”
The orcs, who had been pressing Second Platoon in a frenzy, were caught completely off guard. The flank of their solid shield wall was defenseless. The bullets were not stopped by shields; they pierced the bastards’ tough hides and tore through flesh and bone. Orcs screamed and fell one after another.
“Wh-what? …Max?”
Erika stared at us blankly, as if she couldn’t believe the sight before her.
“…It’s Third Platoon! It’s Lieutenant Jaeger!”
One of the soldiers who had fallen into despair shouted. That cry poured oil onto an ember about to go out.
“We’re… saved…!”
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements are here!”
Hope began to return to the soldiers’ eyes. Looking down at them, I shouted toward Erika.
“Get a hold of yourself, Lieutenant Stahlberg! Do you want to watch all your men die? Now is your chance to counterattack!”
“Ugh… ngh! Damn it!”
At my roar, she seemed to come to her senses and bit her lip. Even cornered in this situation, her face flushed bright red as if she still felt humiliated, but at least she could still judge the situation; she began reorganizing Second Platoon.
“Everyone, snap out of it! How long are you going to hide like rats? Pin down the enemies coming at us first, and fire properly!”
Her orders were quick and precise. From Second Platoon’s collapsing defensive line, sporadic flashes of fire began bursting out again. But morale, once broken, did not recover easily. Most of the soldiers were still terrified and unable to respond properly.
“Ah… there are too many of them…!”
“Magazine! My magazine’s empty!”
A soldier crouched behind cover, unable even to raise his head; another’s hands trembled so badly he couldn’t properly swap out his magazine. Despite Erika’s shouts, Second Platoon was still quaking in fear.
‘This won’t do.’
From atop the ridge, I grasped the state of the battlefield at a glance. Simple fire support would not be enough. First, I had to restore their morale.
‘Charming Speech.’
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Raise your heads, Second Platoon!”
Ding—
[Skill ‘Charming Speech (Lv.3)’ has been activated.]
[It is affecting multiple targets (Second Platoon members) simultaneously.]
“You are the Empire’s elite soldiers! Do you intend to kneel before mere pig-like orcs? Are you just going to watch your comrades fall beside you, bleeding out?”
[Temporarily increases the targets’ resistance to negative emotions (fear, despair) and inspires positive emotions (courage, fighting spirit).]
“If you don’t fight here and now, you bastards will live the rest of your lives branded as cowards who ran away! Do you want to be remembered as losers?”
My voice, imbued with the power of the skill, dug into the ears of Second Platoon. Focus slowly began returning to the eyes of the soldiers who had been trembling in terror. It was not overwhelming, but this much was enough.
[The morale of Second Platoon members has greatly recovered.]
The soldiers began to stand again. They picked up the magazines they had dropped in the dirt and fitted them back into their rifles.
“Yeah… that’s right… We can’t die like this….”
“We’re not losers…!”
“I’ll kill them… those pig bastards…!”
Clack! A magazine locked into a rifle. Though they staggered, the members of Second Platoon gripped their weapons again. Then they aimed their muzzles toward the front once more. They shouted.
“For the Empire!”
“They’re the ones who killed my comrades! I won’t forgive them!”
“H-how…?!”
Erika stared blankly back and forth between her subordinates and me, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The platoon that had been panicking and out of control only seconds ago had transformed into a completely different unit with a single shout from me.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Emotion: Extreme confusion and disbelief at the phenomenon before her, a sliver of awe toward Max Jaeger who revived a unit on the brink of defeat, and intense jealousy]
A sliver of awe. Was there any phrase that suited Erika less? I chuckled inwardly. She did not miss this opportunity and began issuing orders.
“Third Platoon has drawn their attention! Aim for the openings and fire! They have axe throwers, so use cover properly!”
Following her orders, the soldiers hid behind fallen trees and rocks, then began returning fire against the onrushing orcs.
Dududududu!
Second Platoon’s machine gunner pulled the trigger. The riflemen did not waste their remaining bullets and fired carefully from the shoulder. The hail of gunfire accurately drove into the orcs’ openings.
The tide of battle reversed in an instant. Having lost their commander, and faced with killing fire pouring in from two directions, the orcs could no longer resist and began scattering in all directions.
“They’re running!”
“Pursue them! Don’t leave a single one alive!”
Erika and the members of Second Platoon shouted and leaped out of the trench. From atop the hill, we looked down on the scene and mercilessly drove bullets into the backs of the fleeing bastards.
When even the last orc fell, the tension drained away as if it had been a lie. The surviving members of Second Platoon sank down where they stood, or embraced one another and let out sighs of relief.
“…We’re alive. Did we… survive?”
One soldier muttered in a dazed voice. The comrade beside him supported him and spat out a curse.
“Damn it, if it weren’t for those guys from Third Platoon, we’d be orc food by now. Did you see? The moment Lieutenant Jaeger showed up, it was over in an instant….”
“Quiet! Confirm the dead and take care of the wounded!”
Erika shouted in a trembling voice. But while the soldiers watched her expression, they kept glancing toward Third Platoon. My platoon members were triumphantly changing magazines.
“Nothing much, really. If our lieutenant had been in command, this fight would’ve been over ages ago.”
Sergeant Gunter said loudly. At those words, Erika’s shoulders flinched. She whipped her head around and glared at Gunter, but when she saw me standing calmly behind him, she said nothing. Instead, as if taking it out on them, she screamed at the hapless members of Second Platoon.
“Don’t just stand there staring! Check the wounded first and establish a perimeter! The battle isn’t over yet!”
The members of Second Platoon flinched and began moving.
Watching them, I also gave a quiet order.
“Third Platoon, maintain security and support Second Platoon in evacuating their wounded.”
“Yes, sir!”
And so the battle ended.
*
By the time even the gunfire from the east had died down, dawn’s light rose over the ashen forest. On the battlefield, where smoke, the smell of gunpowder, and the stench of blood mingled, only orc corpses lay strewn about.
As soon as we returned to the encampment, all officers were ordered to assemble. The location was the company command tent. I merely brushed off the dust and headed for the tent.
The air inside the command tent was filled with the post-battle smell of gunpowder and dust, and with a taut tension that did not befit victory. The platoon commanders who had already arrived were all standing in their places. Lieutenant Walter and Lieutenant Franz stood with their mouths shut, their expressions stiff.
Erika, in particular, looked dreadful. Her hair was in disarray, and her combat uniform was torn and scorched in places. With both fists clasped tightly behind her back, she had her head bowed low. She was trying to act composed, but her shoulders were trembling faintly.
‘…….’
When I took my place last, Seraphina, who had been standing with her back to us in front of the operation map, slowly turned around. Her gaze swept over us once, then fixed on Erika.
“Lieutenant Stahlberg, report first.”
“……Second Platoon, reporting the results of our western ridge defense mission.”
Erika answered in a cracked voice.
“We engaged and successfully repelled a large number of enemy stragglers. However… we suffered casualties. Two killed in action, five seriously wounded, eight lightly wounded. Ammunition expenditure, based on individual firearms, seventy percent.”
While she continued her report, I quietly activated my skill.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Erika von Stahlberg]
[Status: Shame and anger over her own misjudgment]
[Emotion: Humiliation at owing an unwanted debt, fear of Captain Seraphina]
‘Humiliation at owing a debt, huh….’
It was a status window fitting of Erika. The report continued.
“…Had it not been for Third Platoon’s support, there is a high possibility our defensive line would have collapsed. That is all.”
Erika finished her report in a voice that seemed to crawl into the ground. For a moment, silence flowed through the tent. Seraphina simply stared at Erika. Under that soundless gaze, Erika’s shoulders shrank even further.
“It sounds to me as though your misjudgment put your entire platoon in danger, Lieutenant Stahlberg.”
Soon, Seraphina opened her mouth. Her words were as cold as her voice.
“You could have retreated sufficiently and preserved your strength, yet you did not. Why? Was it because of that meaningless pride again?”
“……I apologize.”
“You should not be apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to the subordinates of yours who died.”
The words pierced Erika like icicles. She bit her lip so hard that blood was about to seep out. Then Seraphina’s gaze turned to me.
“Lieutenant Jaeger.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Report.”
I began my report at once.