TSNF 15

Chapter 15

“Yaaahhh!”

Sssheeeek—thud!

With a dull impact, one of the charging Kar warriors collapsed straight to the ground.

A long arrow was lodged in the creature’s neck.

“Is that really the best battle cry you can manage?”

“Huh? Why?”

“…Never mind.”

As Jalbarog panted and asked, Graphil turned his head away.

He hardly looked like the cowardly Graphil he used to be.

Surely…

Despite the fairly large number of enemies charging straight at them—

I’m not afraid.

It felt as though something solid, like a sturdy shield, was firmly protecting him.

But then—

“Jalbarog, raise your shield higher. You need to bring it up to your shoulder to defend properly.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

At Arteon’s voice from beside him, Jalbarog hurriedly lifted his shield.

This was a battlefield where even a moment’s carelessness was unforgivable.

And within that battlefield—

Swish.

Arteon and Squad Four were putting in a surprisingly meaningful performance.

And then…

“…What the hell are those guys?”

One man watching the scene—

Fourth Platoon Leader Hendris—couldn’t hide his astonished expression as he looked at Squad Four.

At first, he thought they were abandoning their assigned position and had even considered cursing them out.

But not only had they not strayed far from formation—more importantly, their performance stood out.

The strange thing was—

How are they able to keep fighting in a formation like that?

It didn’t look particularly special.

It was too ambiguous to call it a combined technique, yet—

They’re thoroughly compensating for each other’s weaknesses and maximizing their strengths.

Especially Squad Four, with its small number of men.

That made them especially vulnerable if isolated.

And yet they’re defending with shield-bearers on both flanks… and that guy in the center is coordinating the gaps…

Hendris’s gaze shifted to Arteon.

This precarious balancing act had become stable solely because of him.

He’s reinforcing the weak points at exactly the right moments.

Whenever a squad member made even a small mistake, Arteon moved like a ghost to cover it.

But…

“Huff… huff…”

At this very moment, the most shocked people were the members of Squad Four themselves.

…Huh?

We’re winning…?

What is this situation…

They had survived two or three battles so far—but not because of their own skill.

They had lived only because of their comrades’ deaths, or the enemies’ mistakes.

They couldn’t say they had survived because they had done something right.

But then—

Crack!

The moment Burt’s axe smashed into the Kar warrior’s skull, the enemy’s body collapsed limply to the ground.

Thud.

How many was that already?

At the very least, it felt like over twenty enemies had charged at them.

“Pl-Platoon Leader.”

“Well done. But don’t let your guard down. The moment morale rises like this, one careless mistake can get you killed in a single blow.”

“…Understood.”

Arteon spoke while looking at Burt, who wore a dazed expression.

Arteon himself was newly surprised by their ability.

He had only hoped they would barely manage to hold out.

To think they’d adapt this quickly…

Of course, there were moments when they got swept up in the atmosphere and loosened up—but that was something he could keep correcting.

Arteon tightened his grip on his spear shaft.

If things continued like this—

We might be able to break through here.

The situation at the First Defensive Line was extremely simple.

The Kar warriors were attacking them, and they were merely holding the line.

The terrain played a role, but more than anything, they were outnumbered—making proactive combat impossible.

But if they could break through here—

We could strike the center from behind instead.

The Kar warriors had never once imagined being attacked from the rear.

They had never experienced such a thing.

Swish.

Arteon looked toward where the platoon leader was stationed.

Advancing forward at this level was still within his authority.

But breaking through here and aiming for the enemy’s rear is a completely different matter.

Moreover, after one major wave of attacks, the situation had loosened slightly.

Arteon spoke.

“Everyone, pull the formation back slightly and wait.”

“What? Suddenly?”

“We can still fight.”

They tried to sound calm, but—

Raymon… he’s fired up.

Seeing Raymon actively assert himself, Arteon said,

“It’s necessary to cool down for a moment. Raymon, you’re putting too much force into your thrusts. If you fight like that, you won’t last long.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Everyone, pull the formation back. I think we may have something to do.”

Arteon immediately approached Hendris, the Fourth Platoon Leader.

“Platoon Leader.”

“What is it, in the middle of combat?”

As Arteon approached under his watchful eye, Hendris asked.

Is he about to ask to be pulled from the battlefield after a bit of shallow success?

Hendris looked at him with a hardened expression.

But what came out of Arteon’s mouth was completely unexpected.

Arteon pointed toward the left formation where Squad Four was fighting.

“What if we break through here and immediately strike the center from behind?”

“…What?”

Hendris looked out over the battlefield.

He had been too focused on the enemies directly in front of him to see clearly, but—

…The enemy numbers have already dropped significantly.

There had been nearly a hundred Kar warriors densely packed here alone.

When had this happened?

Seeing that fewer than half remained, Hendris’s eyes flashed sharply.

It might actually be possible, just as Arteon said, to break through here and target the center’s rear.

It was a dangerous operation, but—

If it succeeds…

It could cut allied casualties by half.

Hendris clenched his fist.

“Wait here. I’ll report and be right back.”

It wouldn’t be an easy operation.

But it was certainly possible.

Hendris hurried to report the situation to the company commander and waited for orders.

At Hendris’s report—

“Can you pull it off? If you fail, the entire platoon could die.”

“We’ll try.”

“…Very well. Then I’ll entrust full authority over this operation to Third Company’s Fourth Platoon Leader.”

“We’ll do our utmost!”

Having received permission, Hendris immediately assembled all of Squad Four.

The squad members looked puzzled by the sudden call.

“…What?!”

“Y-You want to break through here and head to the center?”

“Pl-Platoon Leader! That’s far too reckless!”

The other squad leaders, except Arteon, reacted in shock and tried to dissuade him.

“Even just holding these enemies back is already costing us significant casualties. Attacking first is too much.”

“That’s right, sir. If we could hit the enemy’s rear in the center, it would be a huge achievement—but breaking through here itself is impossible.”

The western side of the First Defensive Line.

Even the Kar warriors deployed here alone outnumbered them nearly two to one.

Just defending with two squads was barely manageable—breaking through and targeting the rear?

If they pushed too hard, casualties could increase instead.

But then—

“Squad Four Leader.”

“Yes, Corporal Arteon!”

“Can you open the way?”

He was the one who had proposed the operation in the first place.

With that confidence, the answer was expected.

“Squad Four will take the lead.”

“…?”

“What?”

“…That guy’s insane.”

At Arteon’s words, the other squad leaders clicked their tongues.

Was he serious?

But Arteon spoke without hesitation.

“We’ll prepare immediately. Squad Four will break the path—please issue the rest of the orders, Platoon Leader.”

“Fine. Everyone, prepare.”

Hendris steeled himself.

This wasn’t a decision made on Arteon’s confidence alone.

It was because he had witnessed Squad Four’s valor with his own eyes.

Arteon immediately gathered his squad.

They all understood how the situation was unfolding, and their faces were tense.

“…Is it possible?”

Raymon, who always maintained his composure, asked.

The others seemed just as curious.

Meeting their gazes, Arteon spoke.

“Honestly, at first I couldn’t even consider something like this. I thought that with your skill, just surviving and returning would already be impressive.”

Arteon returned to the demeanor of a platoon leader from his past.

He continued.

“But the strength you’ve shown on this battlefield… frankly—my apologies. I underestimated you. And…”

The squad members tensed up, focusing intently.

“With the skill you’ve shown now, you can absolutely break through those barbarians. No—more than that, you’ll move to the central battlefield and strike the enemy’s rear.”

Arteon clenched his fist.

“There, for the first time, you’ll grasp not mere survival—but glory on the battlefield.”

Earning merit.

That could completely change the circumstances they were trapped in.

Arteon pointed toward where the enemy warriors stood.

“There’s danger, but there’s glory there. And there is light.”

Arteon’s eyes flashed.

“I’m going to seize that glory and light, and climb higher from here. Is there anyone who will follow me? If not, say so now—I’ll have you reassigned to the rear immediately.”

At Arteon’s resolute words, the squad members swallowed hard.

Then—

“I’ll follow you.”

“I will too.”

Burt and Raymon spoke.

After them—

“I-I will too…”

Graphil raised his hand cautiously.

“I’ll follow as well.”

“We didn’t come this far just to turn back.”

Raphelson and Jalbarog said firmly.

Arteon curled his lips into a grin.

At the moment Moldrek betrayed him and he died, he thought he was the unluckiest person in the world.

But now, reborn—

Is luck finally on my side…?

To meet comrades like these.

We can do this.

It felt like he was stepping one pace closer to what he had planned.

Arteon nodded.

“Then follow me. I’ll take you to where glory awaits.”

Arteon lifted his spear.

Iglis, now returned to its true form.

Mana infused by Arteon overflowed through the weapon.

“Burt, from the moment I give the signal, don’t stop—keep advancing.”

“Without exception?”

“Yes. Smash every bastard blocking the way. I’ll hold the rear.”

The Kar warriors positioned ahead numbered roughly a hundred.

But the number they had to directly face was less than half that.

If they could break through just that—

“We can immediately strike the enemy’s back.”

Arteon tightened his grip on the spear.

All the soldiers of Squad Four hardened their resolve, tension and determination burning in their eyes.

“Let’s go.”

At Arteon’s signal—

“Hraaaaah!”

Burt roared like a raging bull and charged toward the Kar warriors.

And then—

Boom!

Like a single armored chariot, they began their charge, smashing through the Kar warriors as they surged forward.