Echoes of the Bombing
The ground shook with a deafening boom as another bomb slammed down. The first had hit the residential quarters. This one struck the training grounds.
“Damn it…!!”
I spat the curse and broke into a mad sprint. That training field was where Kyle, Kriha, and Jenny had been drilling today. Even as I ran like a lunatic, the bombardment continued without pause.
“Aaaargh…!”
“S-Sergeant! My arm…!”
“Hurry! Get to cover, now!”
“Where are we even supposed to go?! Where?!”
“You thick-headed idiot! The bunker! Get underground!”
Soldiers stumbled in every direction, grabbing each other by the collars. It wasn’t a fight. They were trying to drag their panicked comrades back to their senses.
“Move! Take cover!”
I shouted at a soldier who was helping others evacuate.
“Major! It’s too dangerous over there!”
“…Shut up and get underground. That’s an order!”
I ignored his warning and threw myself into the rubble. My closest subordinates were nowhere in sight.
“…Where are you? Where the hell are you?!”
I screamed as I tore through the debris. They weren’t visible. I knew soldiers weren’t supposed to get emotionally attached in this line of work. The endless ideological training had drilled it into me: in wartime, every soldier is expendable. There was no point in caring for disposable lives.
But human hearts don’t work that way. The more you’re told not to do something, the more you want to do it.
I had watched subordinates I cared about die. I had even killed some of them with my own hands. I truly hadn’t wanted to lose any of them. Not a single one of the people who had fought beside me until now.
“…!!”
A hand. I saw a familiar hand—one wearing a wedding ring.
I dug frantically around the spot where it protruded. The stones were slick with blood, but I didn’t care. My breath came out in white puffs as the air grew colder. After clearing away the last of the fragments, an entire arm emerged. The rank insignia was that of a captain. It was clearly a man’s arm.
“…Kyle……”
It was Kyle’s arm. The familiar ring was his.
I scanned the area, but neither Kriha nor Jenny were anywhere to be seen.
“Kyle…? Is Kyle dead…?”
I stared at the cold, lifeless arm and muttered under my breath. My pupils began to tremble.
“…Ugh…!!”
Nausea surged up my throat. Even while looking at that arm, a part of me had thought, At least it isn’t me. It was disgusting. Utterly revolting.
It wasn’t even a bomb meant for me…! What the hell is “at least it isn’t me” supposed to mean?!
I had to find Kyle. Swallowing back the urge to vomit, I forced myself to my feet. My face felt wet. I couldn’t tell if it was tears or rain.
“…Kyle……”
The moment I whispered his name again—
“…You called, ma’am?”
“…?!”
Kyle appeared behind me. Soaked to the bone, breathing hard, he approached. His arm was missing from the elbow down.
“…The arm. Give it here.”
Because I was still holding it in my hands.
With trembling fingers, I passed the severed limb to him.
“Ugh… Where’s the magic medical unit?”
After tying off the stump with a pained expression, Kyle returned to his usual stoic face and asked the question. But I couldn’t answer him.
“…Haa… Haa……”
“Major…?”
“…Bermann… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry……”
“……”
PTSD crept up like smoke. Even though I had confirmed he was alive, I still couldn’t believe it.
“Kyle… You’re really alive, right? Captain Kyle, you’re alive? You’re certain…?”
I stared at him with dazed eyes. Kyle stepped closer. I was terrified he would tell me to wake up from this dream. Instead, he grabbed my shoulders and crouched down to my level.
“Major, your loyal subordinate is standing right here, alive and well. Now please—give me an order.”
As he spoke, he pulled the dog tag from around his neck and showed it to me. Only then did I manage a shaky breath and regain some semblance of composure.
“…Sorry about that……”
“Did you have that dream again?”
“Yeah. Where are Captain Kriha and Captain Jenny?”
“They both evacuated safely after making sure I was clear.”
“…I see.”
The steady rain soaked the brim of my hood where it stuck out from the raincoat. The sound of raindrops drumming against the fabric filled the air.
…Calm down.
Calm down, Valentine.
……
That’s right. It’s the same smell as before.
A familiar scent. The metallic tang of blood, the earthy smell of mud, the acrid odor of something burning fiercely. The sharp, nose-stinging smell unique to gunpowder.
“Huuuup……”
“Puhah……”
The moment I breathed it in, my head cleared as if by magic.
“Captain Kyle, from now on you will proceed immediately to the magic corps for reattachment surgery, then lead your company and evacuate everyone to the bunker below me.”
“Relay the same orders to Captain Kriha and Captain Jenny and make sure they receive treatment.”
When I finished speaking, Kyle gave a firm nod.
“And what will you do, Major?”
“I’m going to find my superior.”
With those words, I gripped the black blade in my hand. I had to find Eryk. I’d join that special forces unit, no matter what it took.
Join the founding of the Special Forces unit and participate in the story of Glory of Victory 2!
I frowned at the message floating in my status window.
……
Eryk stood beneath the drizzling rain, staring blankly as he waited for someone.
“…What am I even worried about.”
Shells were still falling outside. The magic troops and artillery crews were shooting them down one by one, but entire sections of the base had already been turned into wastelands. It didn’t matter much since the unit was scheduled to be disbanded soon anyway.
“Valentine… To think I’d end up worrying about a vampire.”
Umbrella in hand, the other buried in his coat pocket, Eryk spat on the ground. His mood was foul. The fact that he was personally keeping alive a race he had hated for nearly his entire life disgusted him. He hated himself for feeling even a shred of sympathy toward them.
He had been certain that no matter what those filthy, hideous creatures showed him, he would never be swayed. And yet—
…Save me… I don’t have enough blood…
He hadn’t been able to refuse the small body that had clung to him while saying those words.
…Is this really the time to be saying something like that?
When he had snapped at her, he had felt ashamed of himself. If you looked past the label of “vampire”…
“Can I really separate the vampire from the major…?”
Eryk was confused. The other party was a vampire. A creature that had shamelessly sucked the blood of fallen comrades on the battlefield just to prolong her own worthless life. And yet at the same time, she had become an idol to those very same fallen soldiers. The Empire’s hero. The war god of the battlefield. The Blood Sword Saint. Those titles followed her everywhere.
Caught between those two sides of her, Eryk could not hide his inner turmoil.
“What are you doing here?”
“…!”
“I’ve been looking for you for a while.”
The vampire lowered the hood of her raincoat and wrung the water from her wet hair. Looking at her, Eryk forced his thoughts back under control.
…As expected, she’s unpleasant.
Indeed, the woman named Valentine was unpleasant. Her hypocrisy made him sick.
“…Where have you been all this time?”
“I went to rescue my subordinates……”
“How am I supposed to believe that? Aren’t you a vampire? Answer me.”
“…That is correct.”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
Valentine bowed her head without resistance. Eryk stared at her, then spat on the ground beside her.
“It still disgusts me that I took you on as my adjutant.”
With those words, Eryk walked past her. Valentine called out after him.
“…One more time…!! I will offer my life and glory to the Empire one more time!”
It was the answer to the question Eryk had thrown at her during the first bombardment. Hearing it, he turned back to look at Valentine, who was standing at attention in salute.
“I look forward to it. I look forward to the day your filthy vampire life is snuffed out as quickly as possible.”
Eryk spoke with a deep scowl. Valentine answered with a perfectly blank expression.
“Don’t get your hopes up… I’ll survive in the most disgusting, wretched way possible…!”
Hearing that reply, Eryk said nothing. He simply put a cigarette between his lips.
The moment I stepped into the bunker, that familiar stale smell stung my nose.
Gather the members of the Special Forces unit!
A status window that had been silent for five whole years floated before my eyes. I hung my soaked raincoat on the drying rack and stared hard at the message.
“It’s blatantly talking about our kids.”
Kyle, Kriha, Jenny. Exactly three spots left. It looked like Eryk had no intention of bringing anyone else in particular.
I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“…Haa.”
I never imagined the opening of part two would begin so dramatically. I realized all over again that the talk of a holy war hadn’t been empty words.
For now, let’s gather our kids first and think later.
With that thought, I got up from the bed, grabbed my black blade, and stepped out into the corridor. I located Kriha, Kyle, and Jenny and called them all to one place.
“Everyone is assembled, Major.”
Kyle—his arm already reattached—spoke in his usual quiet tone.
“Kyle, Kriha, Jenny.”
When I called their names, the three subordinates looked at me. I stared back at them with an expressionless face and said,
“I intend to take you all into a new special forces unit.”
It would be incredibly grueling. They would have to handle every dirty job on the front lines.
“…It will be very difficult, so I will fully understand if you wish to refuse.”
I let out a small sigh before continuing.
“Those willing to follow me, this major, into the new unit—raise your hands.”
Immediately—
“I will follow you wherever you go, Major…!”
“How could we send you alone, Major?”
“My nickname has been ‘the Major’s Mad Dog’ from the start. How can a dog live without its owner?”
Jenny, Kyle, and Kriha answered in turn. Looking at them, I let out a tiny laugh.
Well done.
Join the founding of the Special Forces unit and participate in the story of Glory of Victory 2!