Chapter 76
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Bait
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A faint ray of light descended upon the misty battlefield. The illumination, having pierced through the dark clouds, shone upon the soldiers huddled in the trenches, but none of them had the luxury of looking up at the sky.
Their eyes were fixed outside the trench, on No Man's Land, while their senses of hearing and smell constantly scanned their surroundings for new information.
It was suffocating.
They didn't know when or where the next spell would come from. If not magic, it might be a lump of flesh filled with poison, or perhaps a sharply carved bone fragment.
The battlefield was, in every sense, a place where one could die for any reason. The soldiers, skilled and experienced enough to have survived to this point, knew this better than anyone.
Even the liquor and cigarettes that had briefly soothed their minds were of little help to the soldiers fending off an unprecedented offensive.
No matter how strong the drink or how refreshing the smoke, neither could kill the enemies before them.
The air on the battlefield settled heavily. A thick fog, made of blood, hung over No Man's Land. Green and red blood spread wide over the mounds of mud.
They couldn't get used to it. It was impossible to ever get used to.
Not the mages, not the archers, not the infantry.
The same went for the officers who gave orders and controlled the soldiers.
To me, everything around us felt like a never-ending nightmare, and it was likely the same for them.
“You’ve arrived.”
Seeing me and my escorts, an officer gave a light salute. I nodded in return.
The words wouldn't come easily. The heavy air of the battlefield had unknowingly sealed my lips.
“I heard you’re taking over for Lord Bel starting today… We’re counting on you.”
The officer seemed unaware of the detailed operational plans. He simply assumed I was on the battlefield as a substitute for Bel, whose mana had been depleted.
“How is Lord Bel’s condition?”
The officer asked me with a worried expression.
“Not good. His mana is almost completely gone. He’ll probably need to rest for two days.”
Alter answered the officer’s question in my stead.
It seemed this crafty old man was quite skilled at lying.
“…I see. Understood.”
In truth, Bel’s condition wasn’t as dire as Alter had described. He had saved a small amount of mana for today.
Of course, he was suffering from dizziness and nausea, but he had enough strength to appear on the battlefield and cast a barrier, and he was scheduled to join the fight if necessary.
The reason Alter had lied about Bel’s condition being critical was simple.
This battlefield needed a sense of despair.
To deceive the meticulous Overlords, the soldiers’ eyes had to reflect ‘true hell.’
As planned, I began to walk toward the trench closest to the enemy line. The soldiers all had the eyes of fish on the verge of death. They didn’t seem to have the energy to greet me, merely nodding their heads slightly, and I returned their greetings with a simple nod of my own.
“…Hoo.”
The very front of the front lines.
As soon as I stood before No Man's Land, a sigh escaped me.
The air was thick and humid, filled with the stench of blood and chunks of flesh, yet a distinct chill crept up my body.
I could feel the tension hanging among the soldiers—the knowledge that the smallest mistake would lead directly to my death, the death of my comrades, and the loss of the war.
No matter how veteran a soldier, none could endure this with their sanity intact. The soldiers wore faint, bitter smiles, their eyes were broken, or they muttered curses under their breath.
“Something in the shape of a human is crossing No Man’s Land!”
It happened just as I had found a spot in a corner of the trench and was steadying my breath.
Someone shouted, as if in anger. Some of the soldiers thought nothing of this scream. The number of soldiers seeing things had been increasing. These were… among the more optimistic of the men.
“…The hell, a person? A person!? Are you sure?”
However, some soldiers reacted with abnormal sensitivity to the report. These were the ones suffering from paranoia and delusions of persecution after the long war.
“Crazy, who gives a damn! If it’s walking through No Man’s Land that calmly, it’s an enemy! Prepare to fire!”
“Impossible to identify due to the fog. It’s still only one individual, so there’s no need to rush. Do not fire until we have complete identification of friend or foe!”
Fortunately, an officer who still had his wits about him shouted loudly at the mages who had begun to chant their spells indiscriminately.
The mana gathering at the tips of their staves and the taut bowstrings slowly lost their tension. Breathing heavily, the other soldiers also focused their gazes on the human-shaped shadow slowly emerging from the fog.
“This is insane, damn it… Shit, for real! Let’s just shoot! Second Lieutenant!”
An archer who hadn't yet relaxed his bowstring shouted at the officer. His hand was trembling so much with anxiety and unease that it was doubtful he could hit anything properly in that state.
“Shut up! It could be an ally. It won’t be too late to deal with it after we’ve identified if it’s friend or foe. Don’t be hasty! We can’t waste our already scarce mana and arrows on friendly fire!”
The officer, maintaining his reason amidst the pervasive anxiety, yelled at the archer. Only then did the archer lower his bow.
“About 170 centimeters… wearing a longsword at his waist! Judging by the armor… looks like an ally! His walking speed is slow because he’s limping on one leg. Seems like a wounded survivor from yesterday’s battle.”
One of the elf archers with sharp eyes described the figure he was seeing in detail.
“Wounded? You mean he’s been lying in No Man’s Land all this time, pretending to be a corpse?!”
“He’s been in that poison pit for hours. As if he’d still be alive, sir! Permission to fire!”
“I told you to shut up, Sergeant! Are you telling me to shoot an ally when we’re low on mana and arrows?! Everyone, staves down!”
The second lieutenant’s voice grew louder, suppressing the soldiers.
“…Shit.”
The mage who had been persistently requesting permission to fire finally spat out a curse and lowered his staff.
A brief silence fell over the battlefield.
The figure beyond the fog gradually drew closer, its faint silhouette becoming clearer.
“…Teru! Is that you, Teru?!”
The shadow’s identity was human.
As blue hair became visible, one of the soldiers shouted emotionally. The figure that emerged was completely covered in bright red blood, and a large tree branch was embedded in one of his legs.
It was incomprehensible how he had managed to walk safely through that treacherous No Man’s Land with such a leg. No, it was impossible to even guess how he had survived in the toxic expanse in the first place.
“He’s the one who went missing two days ago! Private, 2nd Infantry! He’s my junior! It’s an ally! Don’t shoot! It’s an ally!”
A soldier standing next to the officer sheathed the sword he was holding and yelled at the top of his lungs.
Two days?
Two days?
Not even one day?
Thinking about it rationally, it made no sense. This battlefield wasn't lenient enough for an infantryman left alone without support to survive for two days. A normal human would have their limbs paralyzed within hours if infected by the poison of a regular mutant or a demon, and they would die within three hours if infected by the poison of a high-ranking demon.
The poison of an Overlord… was beyond mention. The moment it touched you, your body would probably melt.
So, from a rational standpoint, it was impossible.
This is a trap.
“Wait, Teru! I’ll help you!”
However, it was difficult to expect such rational judgment from soldiers who had already been pushed to the absolute limit. Especially when the wounded soldier before them was one they had shared life and death with.
“No! Hold your position!”
The soldier who had called the approaching wounded man Teru climbed out of the trench and started running across the muddy battlefield.
The officer couldn't stop him in time. It seemed the soldier, his mind exhausted to its breaking point, was incapable of proper thought upon seeing the miraculous return of his comrade.
“It’s a miracle, Teru! This is a miracle, you bastard! Hahaha! Astella has watched over you!”
The soldier shouted loudly as he ran across No Man's Land toward the wounded man.
A miracle.
He laughed loudly as he said it. A laugh so big and hearty it made the listener feel good.
On this battlefield where only despair rained down mercilessly, that soldier had seen hope in the returning soldier named Teru.
If this were a movie, some touching music would have started playing by now.
The sunlight, revealing itself through the dark clouds for the first time in nearly two weeks, would shine down on those two, and after a brief silence, people would burst into cheers.
But this was reality.
“…Teru?”
The soldier, who had quickly run out and slung the wounded man's arm over his shoulder, belatedly realized something was wrong and spoke in a smaller voice than before.
“I want, want to live… to live.”
The private with blue hair, named Teru, stammered with unfocused eyes, like someone whose brain had been damaged.
A chill ran down my spine, and my limbs trembled.
The soldier who had slung Teru’s arm over his shoulder froze, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
“Please save me, save. Save me…”
The soldier named Teru shed tears. His voice was cracked and broken. He begged the soldier holding his arm for his life.
Soon after, his left eyeball fell out with his tears and dropped into the mud.
Realizing that something was terribly wrong, the mages hurriedly raised their staves and aimed at him.
“…Wait, wait! He’s an ally! Cease fire!”
“Ally my ass! Can’t you tell from his voice and condition? He’s a mutant! He’s already dead! Get away from him, you crazy bastard!”
Seeing the mages and archers aiming at him, the soldier named Teru cried even louder. It was a cry that sent a chill down the spine of anyone who heard it.
I remained silent, unable to make any judgment. The officer watching this, as well as Rex and Alter who had extensive battlefield experience, also kept their mouths shut.
However, they seemed to have noticed the strangeness of the situation and were scanning the surroundings, preparing for what might happen next.
“Let’s just try to save one! Just one! The Saintess might be able to heal him! Has a single one of the missing soldiers ever come back alive?! Has anyone ever brought back even one alive…?!”
Atop No Man's Land, the soldier shouted at his comrades who were aiming their bowstrings and staves at him.
He shouted desperately and began to slowly lead the soldier named Teru toward the trench.
But then.
*Rip.*
A sound, like something tearing, echoed.
Where I turned my head, lay the torn-off arm of the soldier named Teru.
“…Huh.”
The soldier’s face turned pale as he saw his own arm torn off as easily as a wet piece of paper.
“Ha, ha…!”
Soon, the soldier named Teru let out a hideous laugh and collapsed to the ground. As his face plunged into the poison-filled mud, the back of his head revealed a mess of stitches, as if someone had torn it open and sewn it back together.
“Shit… It’s all over.”
A small voice burst from the mud. It was the voice of a man who had lost his soul. The voice, shrouded in immense fear and despair, made those who heard it feel the very same emotions.
“Everyone’s dead. The private first class, the captain, me… We never should have set foot here, never. Never…”
The voice faded weakly, like the flame of a lamp that had burned all its fuel. His body slowly sank into the mud, and a clear terror settled in the eyes of the soldier who had been supporting Private Teru’s shoulder.
It comes every day.
Every single day.
Someone’s comrade, brother, friend, fellow soldier.
They return in that state.
Hardly a day goes by that they don't become ghosts, weighing down the shoulders of those on the battlefield.
This is a warning.
A warning that we will soon become like that, too.
“Damn it, multiple demons spotted at 1 o’clock! Snap out of it!”
Without even time to mourn the soldier’s miserable death, the officer’s scream-like shout roused the trench.
Soon after, demons with massive wings appeared in the sky, backlit by the light.
They silently raised their fingers and pointed at the soldier standing on No Man's Land.
“If you manipulate the brain delicately, you can create a mutant in a ‘half-alive state.’ A creature in that state can’t think properly and moves its body driven by the instinct to live. This method is most efficient for finding where you all are hiding.”
A low voice echoed through the silent trench.
The mages and archers hurriedly prepared to intercept, but it was already too late.
They should have noticed them before they flew over No Man's Land and approached this side.
But our attention had been drawn to the bait named ‘Teru,’ and our detection was delayed by a few seconds.
And on this battlefield, a few seconds is enough time to decide the course of the battle.
A red light began to gather in their hands, then shot out in unison as straight beams of light, aiming for the head of the soldier standing blankly on No Man's Land.
Death completely enveloped the area around the trench.
As a result, most of the soldiers froze in panic and despair, but I, with my [Calm] trait, moved my body with composure to do what needed to be done.
I pushed off the mud with my thin arms, laboriously pulling myself out of the trench, and started running into the heart of the bombardment.
Some people, seeing me leave the trench, screamed in shock, but some others belatedly came to their senses and began to move, looking for what they could do.
It was time to retrieve the fish trap.