Chapter 359: Towards Independence ②

Maxon Riny was praising his decision yesterday with all he had.

His whole platoon is currently running away at full speed.

“Captain! It really is okay to be running away like this I hope!”

“If you wanna go back, I won’t stop you! At the very least, what he has said until now hasn’t been a lie! It was nice knowing you, Ura!”

“What would it even achieve with just small splinters like us running away?!!”

“Don’t know! If you wanna ask, try asking the guys at our side that are also running away, Amilla!”

“If I survive today…”

“Shut up! Don’t say anymore than that! Rush to the wall in front with your mouth shut! That’s the only thinking you need to do, Dendo!”

Even when completely armed and running at full speed, they can converse.

If they had been slacking in their training, it wouldn’t have been possible.

While thinking ‘are you all combat virgin greenhorns?’, Maxon responded to every comment of his platoon members.

The ritual spells, that were shot matching the theatrical movements of Rembrandt’s projection, should have disappeared…but they landed instead.

These people, who had already heard the codes and signals within the speech of Rembrandt, were running at full speed to the location of the wall that they got a grasp on.

It looked like they were rushing in, but that was the sprint of deserters.

Maxon, who received a letter from Tsige, was at a loss in the middle of the march and at the ends of it, and even when seeing the wall.

Aion was leading a fearsome amount of soldiers to crush Tsige.

Putting it bluntly, this scale isn’t one you would dispatch to seize one city.

It is on the level where you would have to say it is for the decisive battle against demons, in order to finally sound believable.

Even if there’s the chance it is because they are fighting both Tsige and the revolutionary army, the platoon captain Maxon couldn’t understand.

However…he was okay till the last night before the battle.

The reality of the situation made him resolve himself to desert.

Being specialized the most in information battles, they would strip the plans of their enemies and conquer them with numbers; that’s the invincible strategy of Aion.

And yet, Maxon had been suggested to desert, and he led his platoon without being blamed or interrogated.

(He really had something set up! If he can shoot ritual magic as he wishes, it won’t even be a fight!!) (Maxon)

Maxon had seen how the cavalry that charged to the giant walls from the forefront had disappeared.

And then, one of his subordinates reported to him screaming that the mages that were readying to reflect the next volley of ritual spells had been slain.

Even though the mages had begun chanting their arias in order to fulfill their duties, the people that were supposed to be protecting them swung their assassin daggers.

It is easy to understand what happened.

Maxon also understood by just thinking for a bit.

If they can’t buy off the mages, they can buy off their guards and have them kill the mages.

It is simple.

It is a truly simple and good idea.

(But how are they going to protect themselves against ritual magic if they kill our mages?! Accepting a deal to betray us even though they themselves are going to die…is that even possible?!!) (Maxon)

There’s no strange point about the wall of Tsige aside from its scale.

It is hard to believe that the cavalry and the foot soldiers managed to slip through it, but at the very least, it looks normal.

There’re pillars that look like towers at a set distance and, between those pillars, there’re walls as if covering those spaces.

And Rembrandt must have mixed code words within his speech.

(…He must have set up things while we were marching, before we departed, and even in the response at the war council. I could only decipher a part of today’s speech! If I got it wrong, that would be so stupid! 12th wall, blue flag; I already have no choice but to go!) (Maxon)

Trump cards being revealed in the battlefield is something common.

Aion didn’t let those trump cards be flipped, and that’s how they have made it this far.

Right now Maxon is running to the Tsige side before their next card is opened.

Chanting desperately: Hurry hurry hurry!

Before they shoot the next one, before he dies, for the sake of surviving.

At the very least, their betrayal most likely hasn’t been discovered yet, so there was no need to worry about their back.

Maxon’s platoon is running away from the battlefield, but in the eyes of their allies, it looks as if they are bravely charging forth.

However, there’s no knowing what will happen once the confusion within the Aion army calms down.

“Captain!!”

“What, Amilla?!” (Maxon)

“There’s movement in the outer wall! Looks like the defense unit has come out!”

“Damn it!” (Maxon)

Actually, when Amilla asked the question ‘what would it even achieve with just a small wood chip like us running away’ just a while ago, he noticed one of the reasons.

Basically, they are not an important component that would affect their plans. They were selected simply because they are part of the battlefield.

If they survive, they are welcomed with open arms; if they die, that’s a shame. That’s all the worth they are being seen with.

Such an unimportant factor in fact…that they didn’t even contact them at all and stretched the decision till the actual day.

How Tsige was acting even with the difference in power did make him feel vexed, but it is now that Maxon was biting his lips.

(‘You guys are a bit diligent and practice hard, so we will at least send a letter to you guys’, is the kind of feeling you had, right?! Aah, damn it damn it damn it! …? Oi oi oi oi oi! Is there no strategist with a heart in Tsige?!) (Maxon)

If he had responded to the letter a bit faster while considering the risk of still having doubts, the treatment they received might have been a bit different.

While holding this regret in his heart and cursing it, what Maxon saw was…Aion soldiers that have prepared equipment for long range attacks.

They are standing on the outer wall and looking over here.

“?! On occasions like this, what happens to the Blessing?!”

“…That thing normally doesn’t disappear till the time runs out. In other words…”

“Fighting between Blessing holders then?!”

“And our goal is visible now. Looks like the personality of our new home is several times worse than our higher ups!”

There’s no doubt that the soldiers who can do long range attacks are being ordered to deal damage to the Aion army from there till their Blessing runs out.

Maxon felt a chill from the very depths of his body.

Bad personality and underhanded were the words that surfaced, but they were cheap words that were far from describing the true nature of all this.

It is as if they are saying ‘whether it is things or people, we will use them effectively despite the means’.

Methods that one can’t feel emotions from, counting the plan of making the guards of the ritual mages turn.

‘I don’t want to make an enemy out of them’.

The true feelings in Maxon’s heart leaked out.

“If they begin attacking now, it will be a gamble to even try to reach them!”

“What are you talking about?! It has been like that since the very beginning! We talked about that last night! Even if we get out of this safely, there’s the possibility of us getting assassinated by Aion spies! We were putting our lives on the line the moment we made our decision, so don’t think about gambling or whatever!”

‘It is okay. If we can get through the first volley, we will make it in time. Just one last push’.

He says this as if trying to encourage himself, and increases his speed.

It is the last push.

““!””

Arrows and spells passed right overhead the many groups that were running parallel to them and the ones coming after.

Relief came over the people that were giving their last push for an instant only.

And then, Maxon and his group resolved themselves and crossed the wall.

They don’t know what lies on the other side of the wall.

But now that they have crossed the walls, it is settled now. They have safely succeeded in deserting.

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“Ooh, good work! Sorry for asking you as soon as you got here, but can you let go of your weapons only?”

“Haaah haaah haah haaah…”

“Even when having the Blessing, it was still rough to run all the way here, huh. Uhm…Maxon Riny. Platoon Captain. Got it.”

Without even having the leeway to respond, Maxon lets go of his weapon while wheezing.

The chief members, seniors, and newly joined soldiers followed the action of their captain and let go of their weapons.

The fact that they don’t tell them to take off their armor must mean that they will be ordered to attack their comrades, is what the people who still had the leeway of thinking understood.

“To think that…you would know the name…of someone like me… I am surprised.”

“Of course we would. If you were to enter here without us having previous knowledge, we would have to dispose of you.”

“…Right.”

Maxon looks around the place.

There were Tsige soldiers with clearly better equipment than them in battle position.

Even though Maxon had the big advantage of having the Blessing, Maxon had no motivation to do anything…

(Of course you would be killed if you weren’t called.)

Now that he looked properly, he could see the corpses of Aion soldiers.

That must be how they are being disposed of.

Maxon felt a chill, reminded that these bunch are thoroughly unpredictable.

And then, he caught the mountain-like amount of food at the corner of his vision.

“? Why is there food at a place like this?”

“It is the share of you people. We are comrades from today on, right? We also have good quality tents for you guys -though you will have to set it up yourselves.”

“…Aren’t we going to be made to attack the Aion army from on top of the walls?”

“Hoh, you have a somewhat decent head there. But your turn is still a few ways ahead. Once your turn comes, we will call you, so go ahead and finish setting up your sleeping quarters before that. You can get food if you go over there and tell them your numbers. Can you prepare the water yourselves? If you can’t manage to obtain enough for a platoon, we can provide some assistance…”

He was decently frank, and also business-like.

The man told them the methods of contact.

“You…seem to be pretty strong. Are you an adventurer of Tsige?”

‘Don’t think of adventurers that challenge the wasteland as people. They are already half demonic beasts at that point’, this is what the people of Aion whisper about them.

The person standing in front of him with a wooden binder in hand wasn’t giving out such a lukewarm feeling like that.

He felt like, even if his whole platoon were to surround him, they wouldn’t be able to win at all. That’s the kind of bottomless power he was feeling from him.

It couldn’t be helped that he would end up thinking about the adventurers who challenge the wasteland and are crazy in the head.

“No, I am a hired one -a mercenary from a minor rural place.”

“…I see.”

‘What a load of bull’, is what Maxon thought but didn’t pursue the topic.

Not telling him now means that he has no intention to.

“Oh, the uninvited pattern, huh. I shouldn’t be getting happy, but it makes me feel relieved that the plan of that man has slipped a bit. Well then, see ya, Maxon. Take a nice rest and prepare for battle.”

The sounds of battle began to resound slightly further away.

The man gave the binder to the woman by his side and ran to the place where the sounds came from.

Comparing the sprint of Maxon and his group to the speed of his run would be insulting.

“For now, we managed to stay alive. But I don’t know if I should say that we are safe now. What do you think?”

“Who knows. Battles are at times tipped by luck. We are currently on the advantage, but we don’t know about what it will be like later. I think you should cooperate with all your abilities in order to actually think you are now safe.”

“Clashing people who have Blessings, huh. Counting the hit with the ritual magic as well…today’s battle is definitely your win.”

There’s no way a war of this scale will be wrapped up in one day.

It is true that there’s no knowing what will happen in the future, but it is clear that the winner of the first strike was Tsige.

Maxon thought that the winner of the first day was already clear.

“…Just that…”

“?”

“You people are without doubt lucky that you safely managed to get here in this phase.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My superior said that ‘tipped by luck’ means that you must deal with the irregular factors of the battlefield.”

The woman that had been given the binder was in truly lightweight equipment.

She doesn’t look like an adventurer or a soldier.

The judgment of Maxon told him that she is a merchant that has been hired for the battlefield.

“Irregulars, huh. Well, it is true that that’s one thing.”

“Yes. All other factors can be controlled to a certain extent and be predicted, so the only thing that’s scary in the battlefield are the irregular factors, is what he said.”

“…”

“In this time’s war, our superior proclaimed: ‘The biggest irregular factor of this war has already been held back. As for the other slight swings…we can manage with preparation’.”

The woman speaks indifferent as she glances at the direction that has now gone silent.

Even if there’s no knowing if it was a platoon or a squad, they still managed to suppress them way too fast.

Maxon and his group could only show wry smiles as if they didn’t understand what was going on anymore.

“…”

“It is far above my capabilities, but it seems like our top has already seen the conclusion of this battle. I may be speaking out of line here, but he almost never misses in his predictions, so I am sure there will be a good future for you guys as well. Depending on the work you do, that is.”

“By the way, who is your superior?”

“The representative of the Rembrandt Company, Patrick Rembrandt.”

“…Aah, I see.”

“Also, Aniki-sama seems to have forgotten to say this, so I have one thing to add.”

“Yes?”

“A second betrayal won’t be forgiven. If you are going to betray Tsige, prepare for the consequences.”

“Understood.”

A person who has betrayed will betray again.

There’s that notion, but it seems like Tsige is tolerant of the first one.

Even if it was just lip service, it is true that their hearts after betraying the Aion army got slightly lighter from those words.

“Now then, the first thing we will have you do is take a good rest.”

The cool woman and the Tsige soldiers that were semi-encircling them disperse.

Maxon was surprised without end at the unbelievable treatment they are being given in the good meaning of the word.

“You heard them. We are gonna eat and rest first!”

The words of the captain resonated in all the survivors of the platoon, and cheers were raised.

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