Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: No Man Left Behind
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“Youngest, take point.”
“Me?”
Wilson trusted Carlyle completely and asked him to lead the reconnaissance team.
After all, wasn't it thanks to Carlyle that everyone had returned safely during the last retreat?
“I don't think that'll make much of a difference right now.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They're crawling all over the place.”
Carlyle said, tapping the incessantly vibrating Grimungandr.
“Still, it's better than us going in blind.”
“Well, I guess you're right.”
It was an undeniable fact that Carlyle, with Grimungandr and the Whispers of the Earth, had a much higher chance of choosing a safe path.
“Enough talk. Just get to the front.”
“Alright.”
Carlyle took the lead and guided the reconnaissance team.
And the effect of [Guide of the Earth] was beyond imagination.
*Ting!*
A green arrow indicated a safe route, allowing the reconnaissance team to move outside the perilous fortress while encountering 'almost' no enemies.
'There's a pattern to this.'
Carlyle realized he needed to pay close attention to the arrows displayed by [Guide of the Earth].
'A deeper green arrow means it's safer... so a deeper red arrow must mean it's more dangerous.'
Being able to choose the safest possible path, or at least the least dangerous one, was a tremendous advantage.
Of course, since the area was teeming with enemies, it was impossible to avoid them entirely.
“Valhallaaaaa!”
“I'll kill you all!”
The reconnaissance team occasionally ran into groups of four or five barbarian warriors, but they never faced a major crisis.
Thanks to [Guide of the Earth], they could secure tactically advantageous positions. Coupled with the exceptional combat prowess of not just Carlyle but every soldier, they were able to win skirmish after skirmish and press forward.
It was about thirty minutes later, as they moved along the presumed retreat path of their allies.
“Kill them all!”
“Argh!”
“Hold on, just hold on!”
“Valhallaaaaa!”
The 3rd Engineering Platoon and the Butcher Tribe's barbarian warriors were locked in a fierce battle.
“Let's go!”
“Yes, sir!”
The reconnaissance team led by Carlyle urgently joined the fray, supporting the beleaguered 3rd Engineering Platoon.
“You're here!”
“Kyang kyang!”
Kudo shouted with a wide grin.
“Grrrr!”
“Sha, shaaa!”
Russell and the Forest Madman, both in a berserker state, were too frenzied to even notice the reinforcements, continuing their rampage.
'We need to wrap this up quickly.'
Carlyle felt a sense of urgency.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more enemies would swarm them, and there was a high chance they would reach a point where retreat became impossible.
'I'll go all out.'
Carlyle's hand tightened around the hilt of Grimungandr.
*Chwaaaaa!*
The Chaos King's blade drew a black arc.
“Va, Valhal—Gack!”
“Aargh!”
The tide of battle turned the moment Carlyle began cutting down every barbarian warrior in sight.
The Decaron forces, who had been on the defensive, finally had room to breathe and launched a fierce counterattack. They seized the momentum, pushed back the barbarians, and slowly began to gain the upper hand.
Five minutes later.
“Keoheok!”
The last barbarian warrior collapsed, spitting blood.
“What about the 1st Platoon? Is everyone safe?”
“The guys from the 1st Platoon already returned to the fortress. We were redeployed.”
“That's a relief.”
Kudo looked relieved at Wilson's answer.
“The 2nd Platoon, any news about them?”
“We don't know.”
“Dammit...”
Wilson bit his lower lip.
The red flare had gone off in the direction where the 2nd Engineering Platoon was conducting their mining operation.
That meant the fates of not only the 2nd Engineering Platoon but also the remaining reconnaissance soldiers were unknown.
Begman, Marder, and several other reconnaissance members.
And...
'Of all platoons, it had to be the 2nd.'
Carlyle thought of Gwen and bit his lower lip.
“What should we do?”
“Shouldn't we first get the 3rd Platoon back to the fortress and have only the reconnaissance team redeploy?”
“Yeah, let's do that.”
Kudo and Wilson came to an agreement.
As much as they wanted to go search for the 2nd Platoon right away, the safe retreat of the 3rd Platoon's soldiers was the priority.
***
The 3rd Platoon had a much rougher time than the 1st Platoon before they finally reached the fortress.
As time passed, the number of enemies in the area increased, forcing them to fight several more skirmishes on their way back to the fortress.
“Permission denied.”
Helen would not permit the reconnaissance team's second redeployment.
“Sir Helen!”
Wilson raised his voice.
“You know full well what's happening out there! Our comrades are dying!”
“Stand by. It's too dangerous right now.”
“Are you telling us to abandon our comrades? Huh?”
“You know better than anyone that the situation is more dangerous than before. Besides, you and the other reconnaissance members are physically exhausted. How can I approve another deployment?”
Helen's expression was as cold as ice as she spoke.
“I pride myself on understanding your feelings better than anyone. But if I permit another deployment in this situation, even you all might...”
“Goddammit!”
Wilson exploded in frustration.
“Who said we want to live? Huh?”
“...Corporal Wilson.”
“If we die, we want to die with our comrades! We can't just abandon them and save ourselves! They're out there waiting for us, how can we just ignore that?! Huh?!”
Wilson wasn't the only one.
“If it gets too dangerous, we'll turn back immediately. Please, won't you let us go?”
Kudo also requested redeployment from Helen.
“Looking at how things are going, we'll die whether we go or stay, won't we? Just send us!”
“That's right!”
One after another, the reconnaissance members stepped forward, demanding to be redeployed.
“It might be a bit dangerous, but I think we can handle one more trip. Please give us permission.”
“You too?”
“It feels wrong to just sit here...”
Carlyle answered awkwardly.
“Redeployment... is approved.”
In the end, Helen gave her permission.
“However, if the situation becomes impossible, you are to return immediately. Also, no one is to die. That is my order.”
“Yes, sir!”
The reconnaissance members bustled about, scrambling to re-equip.
“Private Carlyle.”
“Yes?”
“Our comrades... I'm counting on you. In a situation like this, I have no choice but to trust you.”
Helen averted her gaze slightly.
Asking a favor of someone she once despised seemed to be a considerable blow to her pride, and she looked embarrassed.
If her comrades' lives weren't on the line, it would have been an unimaginable scene.
“Yeah, well. I'll do my best.”
Carlyle let out a small smile.
***
After a quick resupply, the reconnaissance team immediately left the fortress and entered the enemy-infested forest.
“...”
No one spoke as they moved.
Normally, they would have chatted and joked around, but given the circumstances, unnecessary talk was forbidden.
This was wartime.
They needed to maintain strict silence and concealment.
'This is a real death trap.'
Carlyle was on high alert.
*Vrooom!*
Grimungandr vibrated nonstop, and red arrows appeared everywhere, glowing menacingly.
In other words, enemies were lurking in every direction.
“Over here, here.”
“...?”
“I said, over here.”
Marder suddenly revealed himself.
“How long have you been there?”
Kudo frowned as if he'd been one-upped.
To think that even the sharp-eyed Kudo hadn't noticed Marder hiding...
That's how effective the camouflage of the [Mutation Camouflage Suit] was.
“That's not what's important right now.”
Normally, he would have responded cheerfully, but given the situation, Marder's reply was stiff.
“What happened?”
“There was an attack by an undead army.”
“...!”
“We fired a flare as soon as they appeared, but then the Butcher Tribe bastards showed up too. We fired another flare right away.”
“The 2nd Platoon is...”
“Wiped out.”
“...!”
“A battle couldn't even break out in the first place. The difference in strength was like heaven and earth.”
“So... are they all dead?”
“We scattered to fend for ourselves, so some of them must have survived. I hope so, anyway.”
Marder's testimony caused the reconnaissance members' expressions to darken drastically.
They had expected the situation to be serious, but to think it was an undead army and not just the Butcher Tribe...
“You know what the captain's like. You think a man who survived ten years rolling around in this place is dead? Don't be ridiculous.”
“The other guys must have survived somehow, too. They're not a bunch of weaklings.”
Kudo nodded in agreement with Wilson.
“Let's hurry.”
The hot-tempered Wilson immediately started walking.
“They must be out there somewhere, waiting for our help. We can't just go back. We'll save as many as we can and return.”
“Right.”
With senior soldiers Wilson and Kudo in the lead, the reconnaissance team resumed their search.
“Let's go this way. That way is dangerous.”
Carlyle thought to himself as he guided the team.
'Everyone, just hold on a little longer.'
That wasn't just Carlyle's thought.
At this very moment.
The only thought in the minds of the reconnaissance team, redeployed time and again, was the resolve to bring their comrades home.
***
*Ssssk...*
Begman slowly slumped down, his back against a massive tree.
His condition was beyond gruesome.
His left arm was half-severed and dangling, three arrows were embedded in his chest, and his intestines were even spilling from his abdomen.
And toward this very Begman, barbarian warriors were closing in.
“Grrrr!”
A beastman with the head of a wolf growled at the barbarians.
The beastman was also heavily wounded, but not as badly as Begman, and still seemed to have enough strength to fight.
“Let's fight togeth—Keoheok!”
*Thud!*
Begman tried to force himself up, only to vomit blood and collapse.
Despite this, Begman did not hesitate to try and get up again.
“Hah, I'll take at least one more of you with m—Ugh!”
The barbarian warriors clicked their tongues in admiration at Begman's fighting spirit.
“For a mere soldier, not even a knight, he is truly a warrior.”
“Impressive.”
“So there are real men on the continent after all.”
The barbarians had a culture of revering exceptional warriors, so Begman's display of fighting spirit until the very brink of death was enough to earn their high praise.
But even so, there was no chance they would spare Begman.
Granting an enemy an honorable death in battle was also part of their culture.
“Alright, we will let you close your eyes with honor.”
“You were a fine warrior.”
Just as the barbarian warriors rushed toward Begman and the transformed silver wolf.
*Shashashak, shashashak!*
A volley of Marder's rapid shots rained down on the backs of the barbarians' heads.
*Thwip, thwip!*
Marder's arrows pierced through the barbarians' skulls.
“These sons of bitches!”
“Where do you think you're going?”
Wilson and Kudo unleashed a fierce assault on the barbarian warriors.
*Chwararak!*
The rusted sword.
The Grimungandr wielded by Carlyle slaughtered the barbarians in the blink of an eye.
The battle, which began with the reconnaissance team's surprise attack, was over in an instant.
[Notification: The progress of has reached 80%! (8/10)]
“Captain, Captaaaain!”
Meanwhile, Wilson clung to Begman and screamed in anguish.