Humans Die Someday
Humans Die Someday
"Brigade Commander! A telegram has arrived from 3rd Company, 1st Infantry Battalion, stating they do not require support! They also report the successful destruction of three enemy tanks! With no casualties reported, the initial damage report may simply have been an error!"
The radio operator at the mortar position spoke, unable to hide his excitement.
Daniel, who had been surveying the battlefield, let out a breath of relief at the operator's report.
'Looks like Frien is in action over at 3rd Company.'
The fact that multiple casualties had been reported and then suddenly disappeared meant that Frien had used her ability.
The healing magic of this world amounted to little more than rapidly staunching a wound.
But the healing magic possessed by Frien—said to be cursed by God—was beyond compare.
It was potent enough to heal most wounds on the spot, instantly.
Moreover, because she could perform area healing by scattering her own mana, to the soldiers on the battlefield, she would appear as a miracle-working woman.
This ability was one of the reasons why, in the future, Frien would be exalted as a Saintess of the Empire.
'But still...'
It felt like Frien was awakening her abilities earlier than expected.
Originally, at this point in time, Frien never demonstrated area healing.
'As for the reason...'
He suspected it was the result of Frien honing her abilities while torturing numerous people.
On top of that, she had been constantly accompanying combat operations and treating the wounded, so she would naturally have contemplated and mastered her own mana.
'...I have to conclude that history has changed.'
Though unintended, many things had shifted once Daniel Steiner began intervening in this world.
The Empire's original history was to be toyed with by the Allied Nations, dragged into war by great powers, and ultimately collapse.
Yet now, the Empire had successfully repelled every Allied attack and, despite the Republic's entry into the war, showed no sign of losing momentum.
The incidents and accidents Daniel had caused were altering history like a kind of butterfly effect.
'After all, it was originally impossible for the Imperial Army to attack Penbark.'
The history of the world war was gradually twisting.
Although Daniel, who stood at the very center of it, personally preferred a patisserie displaying bread and desserts to a battlefield teeming with steel and blood.
Of course, the radio operator, having no way to know that, considered it a great honor to assist Daniel and continued his report.
"Brigade Commander! 2nd Infantry Battalion requests artillery fire be adjusted 300 meters forward!"
Setting aside his thoughts, Daniel answered immediately.
"Artillery adjustment approved. The reserve force is to stand by for 1st Defense Line support and response in case of enemy breakthrough. Also, redeploy one tank company to the flank of the front line."
At present, the 1st Defense Line was holding up better than expected.
The reasons were complex, but the largest contributing factor was the enemy's low morale.
Having heard that communications with their command had been severed, the enemy had not only executed a forced river crossing but had also pushed a forced march with little sleep—so their bodies and minds had to be in utter ruin.
In that state, unable to break through Daniel's brigade, which had already formed defensive lines, they fell into a stalemate, and a sharp drop in breakthrough power was an inevitable outcome.
If he launched a surprise attack on the enemy breakthrough unit's flank at this moment, he could not only halt the enemy but also greatly boost his own troops' morale.
The radio operator, reading Daniel's intentions, relayed the message verbatim, and the troops—whose trust in their commander had peaked—moved with perfect discipline.
But no matter how flawless the operation, it could not completely offset the difference in troop numbers.
As both sides ground each other down in a repetitive war of attrition, enemy forces occasionally managed to break through the 1st Defense Line and advance.
Each time, Daniel urgently plugged the breached front with artillery adjustments and the reserve force.
Thus, roughly 18 hours later, the enemy division had stalled before even breaking through the 1st Defense Line.
Thanks to the fighting devolving into localized engagements, the sound of artillery could be heard intermittently around dawn.
Beside Daniel, who had been listening to those sounds on site without a single meal, the radio operator received a transmission.
Setting down the radio set and kneeling, the operator exchanged a brief conversation, then soon brightened and looked up at Daniel.
"Brigade Commander! The Magitek Armored Brigade reports they have just arrived! They relay that they will join the battle effective immediately and request support!"
It was welcome news to the ears.
Daniel, who had been agonizing over how to fend off the enemy's attacks the next day, let out a sigh of relief.
"They came quickly. Tell them to radio in when they're ready to commence combat. And..."
Daniel looked down at the radio operator.
"Contact the enemy division using the frequency we seized from the Penbark command post."
"...You mean contact the enemy division, sir?"
"Yes. They wouldn't be too fond of dying like dogs either, I imagine."
Daniel, raising his head, pictured the enemy commander somewhere in the forest.
"So we ought to extend a surrender offer as humanely as possible, don't you think?"
*
Meanwhile, the command tent of the Allied Penbark assault force.
"What in the world is going on!? I'm asking why we haven't been able to peel off a single layer of the enemy's defense line!"
Colonel Sampe, who was leading the division as the senior commander, roared furiously.
But none of the staff officers gathered before the operations table could answer.
As the silence dragged on, the operations staff officer, gauging the room, quietly opened his mouth.
"The defensive line formed by Daniel Steiner's brigade proved to be much more solid than anticipated. Additionally, I believe the severe drop in our soldiers' morale due to the excessive forced march also played a significant role."
"Are you trying to tell me now...! Are you suggesting we could have made a different choice while cut off from headquarters?"
"No, sir. However, if we continue like this, it will merely be a repetition of a war of attrition. Moreover, in terms of casualty ratios, we are at a severe disadvantage."
The operations staff officer swallowed dryly and continued.
"Even if we were to defeat Daniel Steiner's brigade at this rate, our forces would suffer near-annihilating damage. And whether we can even defeat Daniel Steiner's brigade remains unknown at this point."
"The operations staff officer is not wrong."
The intelligence staff officer, who had been listening, chimed in.
"Furthermore, strange reports are coming in. It's said that enemy companies positioned on the left ridge from our main force's perspective, even when shot, get back up and fight again after a few minutes."
"..."
"I'm told they keep getting back up unless you aim for the head. Some are calling it the Witch's Company and are paralyzed with fear."
Sampe furrowed his brow.
"Intelligence officer. Are you telling me to believe such absurd nonsense right now?"
"I also consider it a bizarre rumor, but I believe it reflects just how far our troops' morale has fallen. Even now, perhaps negotiating with Daniel Steiner is..."
At the intelligence officer's defeatist words, Sampe clenched his fist.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting! Look at the troop numbers! By simple arithmetic, we outnumber them two to one! And yet you suggest we bow our heads and negotiate!? Are you saying the honor of the Allied Nations is worth so little!"
At Sampe's bellowing, everyone had no choice but to lower their heads.
Thus, a heavy silence hung in the air just as the sound of footsteps approached from outside the tent.
The communications officer, who threw open the tent entrance and burst in, saluted toward Sampe.
As Sampe, still scowling, returned the salute, the communications officer urgently spoke up.
"Division Commander, urgent report. We have detected a large-scale movement of enemy brigade troops 3 kilometers to our rear. Estimated troop strength is over 4,000...!"
At the communications officer's report, not only the staff officers but also Sampe could only open their mouths vacantly.
Sampe, who had been frozen as if struck on the head, stubbornly forced his mouth open.
"...An additional enemy brigade is coming here?"
"Yes, sir."
Feeling dizzy, Sampe felt the strength drain from his legs and collapsed into his chair.
'Since when...'
If an additional enemy brigade had arrived now, Daniel must have requested reinforcements from headquarters long ago—all for the purpose of devouring the Allied provisional division advancing on Penbark.
After already having been deceived by Daniel Steiner into crossing the bridge, he had once again been outmaneuvered.
Thinking that he had once more danced in the palm of that bastard's hand, he found it impossible to breathe properly.
Just as he concluded his life as a soldier was over, the communications officer spoke up.
"Additionally, Daniel Steiner requested that a message be delivered to you, Division Commander."
Sampe, who had been catching his breath while seated, slowly lifted his head.
"...What message did he ask to be delivered?"
The communications officer, meeting his gaze, bit down hard on his lip.
"All men must die one day."
His voice trembled.
"No different for any of you."
The communications officer, having taken a short deep breath, continued with a face gripped by terror.
"But it doesn't have to be today. Doesn't it?"
Amid the stirring of the staff officers, Sampe's complexion grew pale.
'Those words, in short...'
Were tantamount to saying that if they did not surrender, every last one of them would be killed.