Holy War (2)
Eryk watched Valentine, who was breathing softly in her sleep, and let out a deep sigh.
He said the words, yet instead of putting a bullet hole in the sleeping vampire, he draped his coat over her.
He even held it in place from the side, worried it might slip off.
Eryk thought to himself as he gazed at Valentine, who had fallen asleep without even realizing she was leaning on his shoulder.
When the car jolted and she nearly toppled over, he barely managed to catch her head.
…She probably wouldn’t have woken up even if she hit it.
Watching Valentine sleep so deeply it bordered on unconsciousness, Eryk fell into thought.
A small frame. A young vampire who looked no different from a human.
One who didn’t want to hurt people and piled on guilt every time she drank blood.
She gave off the same feeling as a human who felt remorse every time they ate a meal. Eryk found he couldn’t raise a hand against her.
But the more that thought crossed his mind—
The memories of his family came flooding back.
His family, brutally murdered by vampires.
O…ppa…!! Save… me…!
The image of his little sister being torn apart right before his eyes still flickered vividly in front of him.
His chest began to ache. Eryk let out a faint groan and clutched at the front of his shirt.
At the same time, the hand resting on Valentine’s shoulder tightened.
"…Ugh."
"…!!"
Valentine frowned, letting out a small sound of discomfort.
Startled, Eryk quickly pulled his hand away.
…Hah.
It hurt.
He resented himself for feeling sympathy toward a disgusting vampire.
He resented the fool he had been—unable to save his family, only charging in for revenge far too late.
All of it churned inside him like nausea, turning his stomach.
Stress built up. His chest felt unbearably tight.
Why did she keep appearing before his eyes?
He wanted to ask her that.
She had a body only slightly larger than his little sister’s, yet she carried every burden no one else wanted to bear, all by herself. The sight filled him with a strange displeasure.
Maybe he had wanted to help her.
Even before she became a vampire, he wanted to ask why she kept catching his eye.
But the words never left his mouth.
The reason was obvious. It had to be because Valentine had kept an oddly strict distance from him ever since she received her commission.
That was all he could guess.
She kept catching his eye.
The sight of that small body racing across battlefields and commanding thousands felt pitiful.
What must it feel like to ruthlessly sweep away her own kind?
Eryk would soon find out.
The car they rode in was already racing toward the front lines.
As the scent of gunpowder and blood seemed to seep into his senses more and more—
Eryk muttered after hearing Valentine’s sleepy mumble.
On the other hand, he felt relieved that she had smelled his cigarette instead of the gunpowder and blood.
Because from now on, those smells of blood and gunpowder would sting her nose and seep into her bones.
She had definitely felt cold when she fell asleep.
Yet now the surroundings were warm, and thanks to that, she had been sinking into a deep, comfortable slumber—
A sharp male voice pierced her ears like a needle.
The unpleasant sound was enough to disturb even the deepest sleep. When she opened her eyes—
Eryk stood there, glaring at her as he spoke.
"…I’m sorry."
Eryk clicked his tongue at her, then gave her head a couple of light taps.
Valentine straightened her crooked cap and staggered to her feet, climbing out of the car.
The moment she stepped outside, the stinging smell of gunpowder and something burning everywhere assaulted her nose.
A vast, barren gray wasteland greeted them.
…It’s horrific.
She had heard it used to be a green meadow.
Now there wasn’t a single blade of grass in sight.
Thinking that, Valentine pulled out a cigarette and put it between her lips.
It wasn’t a high-quality one—just a cheap cigarette—but it was enough to calm her mind and body.
The hazy smoke drifted out along with the frustration weighing on her heart.
"Understood."
At Eryk’s command to move faster, Valentine nodded and followed behind him.
Maybe because his legs were so long, while she took three steps, he only needed one.
…Couldn’t you at least match your stride a little?
With a hint of complaint, she quickened her pace slightly to keep a comfortable distance.
Then, in the distance, she saw the trenches.
And in front of them stood Jenny, Kriha, and Kyle.
The golden retriever-like woman came running toward her.
Here we go again.
There was a lieutenant colonel right in front of them, yet she came running and called her “Major.”
She didn’t even salute. Was this a soldier or just some random woman?
Valentine said with a sigh.
She was starting to regret the cigarette she had dropped and crushed underfoot on the way here.
…I should’ve taken one last drag before throwing it away.
She spat on the ground.
Kriha’s shoulders slumped immediately.
Eryk looked at Kriha but said nothing.
If I had acted like that, he probably would’ve hit me for real.
Valentine thought, staring blankly at Eryk.
"I’m sorry."
Look at this guy.
…Crazy bastard.
Swallowing her internal curse, Valentine received the battle report.
There were only about two companies of troops left in the trenches.
Therefore, the operation would proceed with Eryk commanding one company and her commanding the other.
Kyle was assigned under Eryk.
If he stayed with Kriha, she would only become more distracted.
Jenny was needed as Kriha’s restraint.
The reason they were deliberately keeping Kriha around was—
Because Eryk had given that order.
He probably just disliked overly bright personalities.
Eryk tended to avoid people with sunny dispositions, so Kriha must have been too much for him.
With all preparations complete, Jenny continued her report.
Now that she thought about it, Valentine recalled how horrific the inside of the trenches had looked.
Soldiers struggling just to bail out water.
Wounded men whose injuries were festering.
Troops so starved they couldn’t even hold their personal firearms properly.
Seeing all that, Valentine once again became certain that the Empress was insane.
To take a frontline already cut off from supplies and overflowing with wounded, declare the remaining numbers “just right,” and form them into a new unit…
…Hah.
When she let out a dry laugh, Eryk glared at her as if warning her not to slip up.
"……"
Thanks to that, Valentine ended her reaction with nothing more than a dissatisfied expression.
Eryk asked while lighting a cigarette.
Jenny, looking slightly tense as she faced him, continued.
As Eryk spoke, Jenny pointed at the map.
Her finger slid endlessly downward.
"……"
Eryk’s expression darkened.
Yet he didn’t complain.
Eryk’s face was complicated.
He must know it too. That retreating was the correct choice here.
But there was nowhere left to fall back to.
This frontline had already retreated as far as it possibly could.
Just as Eryk was muttering those words—
"…!!"
"…!!!"
"…!!"
"…!!"
"…!!"
The enemy’s bombardment had begun.
The soldiers’ screams turned into death throes under the bombardment.
Endless cries began pouring out from inside the trenches.
Shaking lights. Pouring dirt.
Would this trench collapse too? The fear, strong enough to seep into her bones along with the overpowering smell of gunpowder, washed over her.
After one wave of bombardment passed—
Valentine, Eryk, and the other three quickly rushed outside.
They had to turn the soldiers into warriors who could fight.
The reason was simple.
After indiscriminate shelling always came—
The enemy’s charge.
After shouting that, Valentine hurriedly drew her black blade.
Rushing around a bullet-filled battlefield with a sword was insane.
But right now, she had no choice.
Because she still didn’t want to die.
To become happy, she threw herself into misfortune once again today.
No matter how many times she experienced it, she could never get used to it.
The terrible smell of gunpowder and the metallic stench of blood once again engulfed her.
Jenny
The front line has collapsed.
Supplies cut off. Reinforcements annihilated.
Only two companies remain. Morale critically low.
The enemy is preparing for a final assault.
We are out of time.