125 – Liquidation of the Past (2)
Fughak!!
Red blood welled up in front of Claude’s eyes. He slumped to the floor, pouring water from the scar that had lined his neck.
The Shamans of Azov.
They were still disgusting even after 10 years.
The smell of blood, the smell of rotting corpses.
The twisted faith felt in the empty eyes, and the patterns and phrases full of english language all over the body.
At least the mercy to be shown to them was not left to Claude.
“Conquering trench #6 complete!”
“We captured the reserve battery too!”
As much as Claude was running wild, pretty good results were arriving one after another from each platoon in the 1st Company.
“The 1st Platoon?”
“I lost contact with him after he said he would occupy the ballista battery.”
“When was that?”
“An hour ago.”
I felt something uncomfortable for a moment.
As for the ballista battery, it’s just an old-fashioned siege weapon that has been slightly retouched.
At the point where a large-scale attack on the Azov Islands is being posted right now, it would not have been possible to deploy so many troops in the battery that was created to simply intercept the airship.
This is also the front line right now, but it was a little far away from the main batteries that would be intercepting the enemies landing on the shore.
If the defense line there was thicker, it would have been thicker.
‘If it was Hilton’s platoon, the occupation report should have come in a long time ago.’
A thought passes through Claude’s intuition.
“… ….”
And another one.
The old man of Alamut was nowhere to be seen.
The old man of Alamut that Claude Lane knew was not the type of person who watched the battle with his arms crossed in the depths.
He was a predator that roamed the battlefield like a single soldier, fearlessly preying on those who aimed their guns at him.
If there are shamans belonging to Alamut here, they must be here too.
Furthermore, the idea of applying the magic of ‘unquenchable fire’ on top of the oil of the ballista needle.
It was a strategy that only the old man of Alamut could not come up with.
He has always been Azov’s wild card, turning even unfavorable war situations with surprise attacks and strategies.
“Orders from Command.”
“For now, please wait at your current location. They said let’s make the distance between the ranks a little closer first, and then pioneer it.”
“How far did you advance?”
“We already have 40% of the highlands in our hands.”
Forty percent?
Claude didn’t like the way the wires ran. He had already occupied 40% of the hill in just a few hours since he descended.
At least the panoramic view of the highlands he saw from above was by no means flimsy.
Trenches were dug everywhere, and many were fortified with stone walls or piles of sand.
If only this was going to break through so quickly.
There were only two possibilities.
The Azov bastards prepared ballista batteries and failed to build a defensive line in the trenches.
A well-calculated trap.
“Bring the tactical map.”
“Yes!!”
The soldier hurriedly ran and took out a map from his military uniform. Claude quickly grasped the terrain, and he immediately identified where he was.
Then, recalling his memories of descending, he drew a true arc on the map.
The vanguard, Claude’s 3rd Company, is located right in the center of the battle line. The left wing was expanded by the 1st and 2nd companies, and the 4th and 5th companies were responsible for the right wing, which had a relatively thin projection.
‘The right wing is rather stable. It’s left wing to catch me off guard.’
The 1st and 2nd companies were virtually irrelevant even if they were regarded as the main forces of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Combat Team.
From the beginning, the 4th and 5th companies were close to the reserve company, and if Claude, the 3rd company, opened the front line, it was only the 1st and 2nd companies’ roles to expand the area.
If the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd companies suffer serious damage.
The combat power of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Combat Team will be drastically reduced.
Besides, it was clear that any old man from Alamut that Claude knew would aim for such a defeat.
On the contrary, aiming and blocking the enemy’s main attack, causing the entire front to become agitated.
Even in the last war, the Ukrnian army, which was completely caught up in the operation, lost sight of the enemies it had driven right in front of it.
Awesome.
Claude’s teeth were grinding in the past he didn’t want to recall.
“…… Call the 2nd Platoon Commander.”
“Yes? All of a sudden?”
“From now on, the 3rd company will be commanded by the 2nd platoon leader.”
In the middle of a battle, a soldier is greatly embarrassed by the company commander’s unexpected words.
“What are you talking about! What about on-site command!?”
“I am going to support the 1st Platoon.”
“Aren’t you doing well in the 1st platoon? Even so, he is the best of our company…… !”
“How can you be sure of that?”
The soldier was silent.
It is impossible to be certain. Because he wasn’t the excellent commander Claude or Enoch Levandel.
“Furthermore, the command told me to stand by at the current location… ….”
The moment I heard that.
Claude’s consciousness recalled memories of the past that he had been ignoring, which he had buried in the dark depths of the sea.
-Command tells you to wait!!
– Then, our corps members!! What do you mean Lilia!!!!
-Don’t worry, Claude. A message has just arrived from the 42nd Regiment. I mean it’s holding up well. Isn’t it the regiment that is classified as the most elite in our division?
A flimsy lie to reassure yourself.
-If we hold out a little longer, we should be able to join our reinforcements and drive them out.
An absurd hope that clouds your judgment.
-That, then…… Please allow me to support!! Captain!!!
-I can’t do that. You are the backbone of our attack. At such a crucial moment, if there is a gap in the battle mage power, the defense line will collapse!
From noble mtl dot com
‘Command’ that stimulates one’s sense of responsibility.
Ten years ago.
It was like that then too.
The command post told them to stand by and defend the defense line, and while they were just pushing and pulling without meaning, their unit members who were besieged by Azov met a terrible end.
He finally succeeded in pushing the front line with his follow-up troops.
Claude hurriedly returned to the place where his unit was and saw his wife lying naked in his trench.
Lilia.
A mage officer of the 3rd Battalion who was in charge of the left wing of the annihilated 42nd Regiment.
On her chest.
As if the heart had been harvested alive, there was a huge hole that was violently split.
– Claude. I will only believe in you come to her
That was the last conversation Claude Lane had with his wife.
If the superiors had allowed Claude to go out at that time.
My wife would have lived.
After being insulted by the Azovs, I wouldn’t have met a terrible end.
Besides.
The damn officers were the problem.
The 42nd Regiment requested a ‘request for support’ from the upper level several times.
I sent a telegram and dispatched a dispatch.
In the first place, the upper management, who regarded them as ‘throwaway words’, intentionally ignored their request for support.
Yes.
The Azov puppies are also a problem.
It’s the same problem with officers whose heads are stuffed with poop.
All of them were responsible for Lilia’s death.
Claude’s murderous intent, which had been blunted by the sudden memory, began to return.
At that time, I was only a sergeant. The former sergeant had no strength, but it was different now.
He was a company commander, and was guaranteed discretion over the troops under his command.
What if I gave an order?
Since then, Claude has been plagued with guilt all his life.
For him who decided to make today’s battlefield his tomb, tomorrow’s rebuke was nothing to think about.
“f*ck me.”
“Yes?”
“f*ck it. I’m going anyway.”
It is too late to report to the superiors and wait for an answer.
If this sense of oneself is just a gimmick, just listen to one thing and say it.
Only if it were the other way around, this time too, Claude would lose the people he had a crush on once again.
Besides, Hilton Kalia.
Her 1st platoon had her.
Because she possessed her twisted side as much as her finite appearance.
Claude paid a little more attention than the others.
Maybe it’s because he resembles himself.
Or is it for some other reason?
I don’t know about that, but it was clear that I wouldn’t really be able to forgive myself if I lost the Hilton Kalia.
Than to be praised as a war hero, or to be told that he is a butcher of lightning.
It was more worth it to save the one person he treasured.
Wouldn’t it be better in many ways for him to lead a child with a bright future than himself who has already been broken?
A life that will crumble anyway.
Claude had no reason to cling to the lost meaning.
“I will temporarily transfer command to the 2nd platoon leader. You stay here At least I need someone to deliver the message.”
“Squadron commander!!!”
The senses that had not yet dulled were warning of a very bad future.
Now that this has happened, not even a minute or a second can be wasted.
Claude left his subordinates behind and started galloping towards the front line.
***
“The 3rd company commander suddenly left the front line alone! I’m going to look at the 1st Platoon…… !”
“The 1st Platoon?”
Boom!
I hurriedly hid in a trench when a shell fell at close range.
On the contrary, Azov’s artillery stationed on the hill seemed to have no zero angle for the approaching troops, and they were constantly hitting the headquarters where I was located.
“Now is the time for the 3rd company to push back the enemies from the center, but the most important company commander has left his seat?”
As you can see, I didn’t go there for inspection purposes.
In the first place, when the offensive is in full swing, isn’t it funny for a commander, even a company commander, to inspect the field?
“What should I do?”
At the words of the messenger of the 3rd Company, who seemed troubled, I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about it.
The overall situation of the war is drawn in my head. Some of the ballista batteries still haven’t been subdued.
The 1st platoon jumped in to overpower the battery at the forefront of the center.
And Claude Lane left the front line alone to save the 1st Platoon.
“… ….”
The Captain Claude Lane I knew was impulsive, but he never behaved like that on the battlefield.
At least since I fully adapted to the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Combat Team.
Claude Lane has never shown his characteristic rebellious temperament.
But that’s not it, he disobeyed orders at this critical moment when he was dealing with the Azov guys?
Not good.
I didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“Rumia, how many troops are available under direct control of the headquarters?”
“This is Lieutenant Bell Meyer’s medical platoon.”
It’s actually a mix of blue mages and medics. Although it is called a ‘duty platoon’, its combat power should not be inferior to other platoons.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“This is Utah!”
“Okay, Utah. Tell the 2nd Platoon, who is in command of the 3rd Company. The entire 3rd company should move to the location of the 1st platoon to support Claude Lane.”
“Okay!!”
As soon as the messenger heard my order, he rushed towards the place where his troops were.
“Lumia, maintaining the central front line is the responsibility of our headquarters.”
“Yes!? Then who is in command of headquarters!!”
At my words, Chief of Staff Eisen Hoover, who had been leaning in the trench for a while, got up from his seat in fright.
“Rumia, tell Bell Meyer to move his platoon up to 1500 in front.”
“Okay!”
“Lieutenant Colonel!!!”
“Please, Chief of Staff. Think of this opportunity as gaining command experience, and let’s go for it.”
“What a crazy sound!!”
Major Eisen Hoover’s exasperated voice came from behind, but now it was first to move quickly.
Was my hunch correct, or was it simply a misjudgment?
We’ll only find out after the gunfire on this damn highland has stopped.
The fishy smell of blood that engulfed the battlefield and the scent of separation were terrifyingly clear.