Volume 1 Chapter 27 The Laws of the Battlefield
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had just been introduced to my new squadmates and was heading out of the tent with everyone’s dishes to clean up when I ran into a group from the other units.
Among them was Celt-san.
”You made it back in one piece, I see,” he said, his voice as kind as usual.
”Well, one way or another,” I replied.
”When I saw that mace catch you in the head, I honestly thought you were a goner.” When I mentioned I didn’t actually remember that part, he told me that was probably for the best.
”What’s the occasion?” I asked, gesturing to the crowd.
”Squad leader meeting. For some reason, they’ve put me in charge of Second Squad.”
That made sense.
The ever-calm Celt-san was probably a much better fit for leadership than the rest of the colorful characters around here.
He mentioned that Second Squad included Clemens-san and Roberto-san from Mauer Village¹—the guys I’d done militia drilling with—but apparently, most of the unit was made up of people from Obernbach.
”Most of them are from the trade and industrial sectors. They aren’t quite as seasoned as the Strock Village crowd, but it looks like they’ve had at least some training,” Celt-san explained.
It had become clear during today’s drills that while the leaders of Fourth and Fifth Squads were veteran men from the Walden region, they were having a hell of a time.
Their units were apparently nothing but dropouts.
As the other squad leaders began filing into the tent, Celt-san gave me a quick smile and followed them in.
”Hmph. A country bumpkin from a place like Strock Village as a squad leader? What a joke.” Rudy, from Heberlich Village, had come out late and immediately started mouthing off.
Even during dinner, he’d been making a scene about how the leader of his First Squad should have been Elder Konrad-san from his own village.
Sure, Konrad-san was a village elder in his thirties and might have been a decent choice, but he paled in comparison to the presence of a former Captain like Bours-san.
”Hey, listen,” I snapped back, tired of his elitist act. “The Rock Salt Road passes right through Strock Village. We’ve got an inn and a blacksmith. We’re not exactly the middle of nowhere.”
”Hmph! Heberlich Village has three subordinate villages under it! We hold a market once a month. Don’t you dare group us with some backwater hamlet. Besides, you’re just living off the Rhodes River—a mere tributary of the Mauer.”
His logic was full of holes, but he was clearly too stubborn to listen to reason.
On top of that, despite being the same age and shorter than me, he kept trying to assert dominance.
It was starting to get under my skin.
”Fine. Tomorrow, you just try to keep up. I’ll show you what you missed while you were slacking off,” I said.
”I don’t need your help. Tomorrow’s my medical exam.”
(It’s actually a tea party with an Elf, you moron.)
”A medical exam? Tch, slacking off again. This is why I can’t stand you hicks.”
”Shut it! What time did your village even roll in the day before yesterday? Which village do you think helped you pitch your damn tents? Don’t act so high and mighty just because you did a little training!”
My temper was flaring, and as I shot back, Rudy’s arguments only got louder and more nonsensical.
”You brats! Pipe down!”
Without warning, a fist came down on my head.
The well and washing area were located right in front of the horse tents; we were scolded because if we were too loud, the “honorable horses” wouldn’t be able to rest.
”Tch… it’s because of this country hick,” Rudy muttered.
Even after getting clocked, he was still trying to pick a fight.
I decided I was done with him. I ignored him, finished the dishes as fast as I could, and headed back to the tent.
Inside, the squad leaders’ meeting was still going. Apparently, they were discussing trading members between units.
The leaders of Fourth and Fifth Squads seemed to be getting pretty intense about it.
I figured there was no point worrying about it, so I picked up my leather armor.
If I’d really been hit in the head with a mace, it probably needed some maintenance.
The sizing was off in a few spots too, so I decided to tailor it.
Since it was a military tent, they used two Magic Lamps instead of candles to avoid the risk of fire.
One lamp was being used for the meeting, and the other was illuminating the area where the rest of the squad was sitting and chatting.
I grabbed the repair toolkit assigned to each squad and picked up my helmet.
It was a simple design: a metal brow-plate with metal strips running to the crown and back of the head, all covered in leather.
As I expected, the mace had gouged through the leather covering the brow-plate, exposing the bare metal underneath.
(If that hit had been just a hair higher, it might have split my skull through the gaps in the plates. Talk about a close shave…) The damage was localized, so I stepped outside briefly to melt some glue over the bonfire and patch it with spare leather.
It was only one layer, but every bit of cushioning helped.
Back inside, I started adjusting the belt straps to make the leather armor fit my body better.
Since it was Kingdom Army surplus, the quality was decent, but I was still growing.
The gear was designed for full-grown men; if I didn’t tailor it to my frame, the constant rubbing would probably skin me alive.
”You’ve really had a run of bad luck, haven’t you?” I heard Marx-san say to a silver-haired young man.
”Why do you say that?” the youth asked.
”I heard you came all the way from Great Norden Island just to wait for a settlement spot, only to get drafted as soon as the war broke out.”
”Oh, no, I actually volunteered. I didn’t have any money, you see,” the young man replied casually. This was Neil-san.
I’d heard he was about two years older than me.
He had cropped silver hair, blue eyes that peeked through narrow lids, and a build that was surprisingly rugged for his age.
At first glance, I’d pegged him as a dangerous type, but he spoke in a surprisingly friendly manner.
”I was supposed to start working for a master butcher, but that got pushed back because of the refugee crisis. I was wondering what I’d do for work when the recruitment call came out. I couldn’t exactly be picky when I had a stomach to fill, haha!” Normally, once November hits, the ruins of the city of Obernbach should be swarming with people bringing livestock from the surrounding villages.
However, based on the memories from my Parasite Host², the place had been completely deserted on our way here.
”That’s a tough break. So, where on Great Norden Island are you from?” Marx-san asked.
”The County of Bizan.” Hearing that, almost everyone in the tent turned to look at him.
The land we were currently in was the Viscounty of Bizan; the Earldom on Great Norden Island belonged to a branch of the same family.
Not only that, but that was the land granted to the descendants of the Second Sage³.
Furthermore, Neil-san’s silver hair and blue eyes were the exact traits said to belong to that legendary Sage.
It’s said that this Kingdom has prospered thanks to the reforms of four Sages.
The First Sage handled military reform; the Second Sage led the Religious Reformation; the Third Sage managed financial reform; and the Fourth Sage—who is actually still alive—oversaw agricultural reform.
Among them, the Second Sage was a legend.
After the First Sage expanded the Duchy into a Kingdom, the Second Sage further expanded the territory several times over, bringing half of Great Norden Island across the sea into the realm.
That Sage’s name was Karl von Bizan.
He was promoted to a Count, surpassing his original house, but he remained a “Noble of the Robe”—one without his own territory—until the day he died.
The King eventually granted his eldest son a landed Earldom on Great Norden Island, in the territory his father had conquered.
It was common knowledge among the local Viscount’s subjects that it was a wealthy domain, rich in mines and timber.
”It’s insanely cold there, though. In the winter, you have no choice but to stay huddles inside,” Neil-san said.
”Don’t you go hunting in the winter?”
”If you tried that in the dead of winter, you’d die for sure.” He explained that the weather changed in an instant; one moment it’s clear, the next it’s a whiteout blizzard.
He laughed while saying it wasn’t uncommon to find someone dead on the road inside the village once spring melted the snow, though I couldn’t tell if he was joking.
The real problem, apparently, was the latrines.
The waste would freeze as it fell, forming a literal frozen spire beneath the toilet seat.
Eventually, it would grow high enough to touch the seat itself, so a few times a winter, they’d have to take a crowbar to the mountain to shave it down.
He claimed that when you went back to your room, the tiny frozen fragments stuck to your clothes would melt, releasing a stench that was… beyond words.
As we chatted, the squad leaders’ meeting broke up.
Celt-san walked out looking a bit troubled.
”Is it finally over?” Marx-san asked, calling out to Captain Bours.
”Yeah. Well, it is what it is,” Bours replied.
He sat down among our circle.
”Tomorrow’s training… the engineers won’t be participating. We’ve been told we’re heading to the village further down the road.”
”Does that mean we’re finally heading toward the fortress?” Marx-san asked.
”I don’t know for sure yet, but a massive amount of supplies is supposed to start arriving tomorrow. We might just be there to help move it.”
”The engineers were widening the road, weren’t they?”
”That’s right.”
”Is something wrong?” Marx-san asked, not missing the grim expression on the Captain’s face.
”You know that Squads 4 and 5 have been having people drop out, right?”
”Yeah. It’s been great for us—we get to take a break while everyone waits for them to catch up.”
”Do you know what happens to those people on a real battlefield?”
I could guess where he was going with this, but about half the guys didn’t seem to get it. Marx-san was one of them.
”Do they… just get left behind?”
”If the enemy catches them, they might spill intel on our unit. Even if they don’t, they kill morale. They’re nothing but a burden.”
”Which means…”
”On the march, a superior officer is required to ‘dispose’ of any dropouts who can’t keep up.”
”Dispose? You mean…”
”Kill them,” Bours said.
The Captain’s sharp gaze locked onto Marx-san.
”No way…”
”In the stretch between here and Obernbach, we can afford to wait a little or put someone on a wagon. But at Vod Fortress? That won’t be an option.”
The tent went dead silent.
Even those who had known fell quiet alongside those hearing it for the first time.
I remembered the records from my Parasite Host—during the ambush the other day, this man, Captain Bours, was the one who had given the order: “Kill anyone who can’t move.” I knew he wasn’t joking.
This was a place where lives were traded.
I had already almost died, and—by sheer accident—I had already killed.
Was the squad leaders’ meeting really just about switching members, or was it to hammer this reality home? Like Marx-san had guessed, the day we head for Vod Fortress is likely very close.
”One more thing,” the Captain added. “There’s something you absolutely must be on guard for.”
”What else is there?”
”Yesterday’s attack.”
”What about it?”
”Kiridal is moving their troops at night.”
Everyone leaned in, waiting for his next words.
”On the Western Front and the Anti-Rus Defense Line, armies rarely move at night. And yet, Kiridal did.”
”It’s unusual, certainly,” someone muttered.
”There’s a high probability,” Bours said coldly, “that they have a military advisor well-versed in Eastern tactics.”
”Just because they attacked once at dawn? You’re really going that far?”
”There’s one more thing that doesn’t sit right,” Bours said. “Last month, when we first hit Vod Fortress⁴, the enemy retreated far too easily, then turned right around to reclaim it. More importantly, they went straight for the Prince’s throat. Usually, you’d take a royal hostage for the massive ransom, but they just butchered him.”
”They’re certainly ignoring the local customs of war,” Konrad-san replied.
”Our army doesn’t have much record of Eastern warfare, but I read a bit about it back in school,” Bours explained. “Night marches and raids are standard for them. Besides, the nomadic tribes from the central continent use feigned retreats. They lure overeager pursuers into terrain that suits them, then snap the trap shut.”
”Sounds like a massive pain,” Emil muttered. “If our common sense doesn’t apply, we’re in trouble. Can we even win this?”
”In any age, in any land, the army with the tightest chain of command wins,” Bours stated firmly. “First, you follow the orders of Second Lieutenant Patrick. After him, you follow me, the leader of the entire Militia. If I go down, you look to the second squad leader, Celt. If Celt falls, you look to the third squad leader, then the fourth, then the fifth. That’s how it works.”
The veteran warrior didn’t blink as he drove the point home. “On the battlefield, if you can’t follow an order, I’ll cut you down myself. In fact, an officer has to be ready to execute a subordinate like that on the spot.”
There was an intensity in Bours’s eyes that suggested he wasn’t just talking tough; he’d actually do it.
”And if we listen to your orders, we actually get to live?” Emil asked. The man rarely spoke, but his voice was tight with suppressed fear.
”It’s your only shot. Listen, if you turn tail and run, you’re doing exactly what they want. They’ll hunt you down like dogs. So, what’s the alternative?”
”What if we all just scatter?” Emil countered. “If everyone runs their own way, someone’s bound to make it.”
”If two men run and one chases, sure, one might get lucky. But we’re the ones on the back foot here, and they usually have us outnumbered.” Bours leaned in, pinning Emil with a stare. “Think about it. What are you going to do when two of them are chasing just you?”
Emil didn’t have an answer.
”If you stay in a group, you can fight while you retreat. A real commander doesn’t wait until he’s forced to run; he pulls back while he still has the chance. Only a leader can make that call.”
”So, you’re saying people don’t usually fight until one side is wiped out?”
”Usually, no. But in the last defense of Vod Fortress, our side was almost completely annihilated,” Bours said.
”Then we’re screwed regardless!” Emil barked.
”That happened because the commander, Fourth Prince Oscar⁵, was killed early. The chain of command shattered. Like I said, no one expected them to ignore custom and kill a royal right out of the gate. People bolted, others charged in without a plan—it was a slaughter. That’s why I’m telling you: if the commander dies, you follow me. If I die, you follow the next leader. Do you finally get what I’m saying?”
”Yeah, I get it,” Emil-san muttered, looking frustrated.
”Just so we’re clear, if I die, Edmond takes over this squad—even if he isn’t here right now.”
”Is that really a good idea?” Marx interrupted. “The guy’s probably off chasing skirts.”
”Celt is the same way, but I’ve trained Ed well. I’ve trained Larry, too.”
Suddenly, the spotlight was on me.
”Rudy, do you know what Larry’s doing right now?” Bours asked.
”Wasn’t he fixing his gear after that run-in with the big woman the other day?” Rudy guessed. “The leather armor?”
”Wrong. He’s tailoring it. Rudy, didn’t your armor slip during training today? That’s because it doesn’t fit. You can bluff your way through a drill, but in a real fight? Loose armor is just dead weight. It won’t protect you, and it might even catch underfoot when you’re trying to haul ass. It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that keeps you from dying for nothing.”
That was all it took. Everyone except Neil-san scrambled to pull out their leather sets and get to work. Rudy kept pestering me for help, but since I’d already finished my own adjustments, I told him to figure it out himself and went to sleep.
The three who had gone out to buy some “company” returned before dawn. Apparently, only Martin-san had any luck; Edmond-san and Getz-san came back empty-handed, and they were in a foul mood because of it.
After breakfast, the column began to form. Between the missing engineers and medics, we were under a hundred men, but the sight of so many armed men gathering still felt imposing. Six cavalry and sixteen infantry took the lead. Behind them came a carriage followed by the five Militia squads. Eighteen infantry and four cavalry brought up the rear. The commander galloped from the back to the very front to set the pace.
As I was seeing them off, an infantryman told me to lend a hand. I tried to tell him I had house-sitting duty and medical rounds, but he just told me the sentries would handle the house and that he’d have me back by noon.
We headed back into the forest. There were quite a few engineers in the mix today, so as the junior member, I spent the morning just hauling the cart back and forth. Storing firewood might have been the excuse, but the real goal was road construction. You could tell the difference—yesterday’s path was all over the place, but the road the pros built today was straight as an arrow.
Around noon, I headed to the building near the west gate to ask about Yutia’s treatment. I passed the ward and knocked on the door marked “Consultation Room.”
”Come in,” a voice answered.
I slid the door open to find Chulpan-san in her white coat, swiveling toward me in her chair. She had been talking to two women in unfamiliar military uniforms.
”Oh, you might know her,” Chulpan said. “This is the Commander of the Golem Battalion⁶. Though she’s probably more famous as the Witch of the Black Forest⁷.”
(This little runt is the legendary Witch of the Black Forest (Hexa des Schwarzwalds)…?)
—
Summary:
While the camp settles into a routine of drills and bickering, Captain Bours reveals the brutal reality of their upcoming deployment to Vod Fortress. The protagonist learns about Neil’s noble lineage and the strategic anomaly of the Kiridal army’s night movements. The chapter ends with a chilling revelation about the ‘disposal’ of soldiers who fall behind.
Bours provides a lecture on military discipline and the unusual tactics of the Eastern enemies who targeted Fourth Prince Oscar. Larry focuses on gear maintenance, highlighting its survival importance to his peers. The chapter ends with Larry meeting the legendary Witch of the Black Forest, who is unexpectedly small in stature.
—
Trivia:
- Strock Village is strategically located on the Rock Salt Road.
- The ‘Parasite Host’ stores memories/data from previous locations.
- Karl von Bizan (Second Sage) was a ‘Noble of the Robe’ (territory-less).
- Night marches are considered an ‘Eastern tactic,’ implying a foreign threat or influence.
- The enemies ignore the custom of sparing or ransoming royalty.
- Nomadic tribes use ‘feigned retreats’ to lure enemies into traps.
- Larry is highly meticulous, tailoring his armor for a perfect fit while others’ gear slips.
- The ‘Witch’ is actually a high-ranking military commander of a ‘Golem Battalion’.
- The road construction by professional engineers is significantly more efficient than amateur work
—
Character Insight:
Captain Bours shows his true colors as a seasoned, ruthless officer who prioritizes mission success over individual lives. The protagonist is forced to confront the fact that he has already lived through Bours’s ‘kill’ order once before.
Larry demonstrates maturity by prioritizing maintenance over leisure, while his skepticism of the ‘Witch’ shows he is grounded in reality rather than being awestruck by legends.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘frozen poop mountain’ is a common trope in pioneer or arctic-themed survival stories, used here to ground the high-fantasy Sage lore in crude reality.
The author uses Bours to explain the world’s shift from ‘ritualized’ war to ‘total’ war where leaders are targets.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Celt – Modestly dressed tenant farmer in simple work clothes, level‑headed militia member who questions war’s civilian toll and seeks tax relief to buy land; skilled sandal‑maker, observant translator of Bours’s jargon, banquet observer admiring Teressa‑san’s competence, village gossip source, now leader of Second Squad with a calm, kind demeanor.
• Clemens – Recruit from Mauer Village, he looks nervous and trembles before authority figures such as Bours. Quiet and taciturn, he seldom speaks but often shows worry about the Charlemagne Empire.
• Roberto – A weary recruit, his face still marked by last night’s turmoil, sits beside Larry, a fellow trainee and spearman. Nervous and trembling, he is a village youth dreading war, his posture and shaking hands betray his fear, while as a militia member he voices dread of the enemy’s snipers.
• Mauer – A stout man from the Rosen family with thin, downy white hair. He wears a beige dalmatica.
• Rudy – A young man from Heberlich Village, highly competitive and elitist regarding his hometown. Black-haired squad member who acts superior and looks down on Strock Village. Larry’s acquaintance who struggles with armor maintenance.
• Konrad – Elder of Rudy’s village with some knowledge of history.
• Bours – Tall, scarred, in a faded Royal Army uniform, he is a former captain turned militia instructor — stern‑tempered, training village youth in archery, tactical Heal magic, orc‑hunting and survival. Married to Sheeta‑san, father of a son in the Imperial border division, now conscripted; veteran of the Western Front, Elders’ Council member, and commander of cavalry/infantry during the Kiridal attack.
• Marx – A fifty-something laundry owner from Obernbach and a refugee from Laland. A member of the Obernbach second unit and Larry’s squad mate. A member of the protagonist’s squad who often initiates group conversation.
• Neil – A silver-haired, blue-eyed volunteer from Great Norden Island with ties to the Second Sage’s lineage.
• Emil – A man from Heberlich Village who rarely speaks and is skeptical of military survival.
• Patrick – A Second Lieutenant who takes responsibility for Bours’ lethal orders to maintain discipline.
• Edmond – Second son of a farm, tall, lanky, and wiry, he arrived late to the academy until Bours-san’s harsh lesson on punctuality; now a militiaman from Mauer Village and Mary’s brother, he teases Martin and Larry, mocks manual labor, and plots village celebrations—all while dreaming of the Officer’s Academy. He recently visited Larry to explain the battle’s aftermath, his restless energy still untempered, his ambition burning brighter than his discipline.
• Ed – A lanky village youth in simple farmer’s garb, Larry’s close friend and soon‑to‑be conscript, fiercely protective of Larry’s interests, now serving as a militia member assisting in spear‑wall training.
• Larry – 14‑year‑old third son of the Strock headman, reddish‑white skin, bronze eyes, curly bronze hair, now hosts a 40‑yr‑old former manager’s mind. Level‑3 Mana user, he battles PTSD and memory leaks from a modern Japanese past, diligently maintains militia gear, acts as medic/house‑sitter, hides fire magic, admires his sister‑in‑law, and trains to become Village Head.
• Martin – Mar, a young recruit from a neighboring village, wears Shinto‑inspired armor and fights in a Shinto‑linked style. Loud and boisterous, he’s a Mauer militia member obsessed with erotic themes, flirts with Ferris‑san, proposes to Felice, pursues the elf Granny Ferris, and trains with Larry. As a militia member, he proposed to Ferris‑san without knowing her true age.
• Getz – Rugged Mauer Village militiaman with short, unkempt hair and a scar across his left cheek, clad in a worn leather jacket over a faded uniform; he keeps distance from most but shares a close, quiet bond with Larry, his fellow militiaman. Respects Bours’ authority, embodies tense defiance mixed with reluctant loyalty, scouts the village, spreads gossip, and forgets politics and religion—relying on others to untangle them. His confusion masks a quiet, stubborn integrity, and though frustrated as a spearman, he stands firm in his own way.
• Yutia – A hunched, muscularly abnormal servant girl with a severe speech impediment and lingering fever scars, once Teressa’s maid, now feels emotional distance as Larry’s status rises. Yet she remains dexterous, quietly serving Larry’s household with loyalty despite isolation. A village girl who gives Larry a braided hair charm for battle, she eats at the manor and is intimidated by Hans.
• Chulpan – A short elf with long ears who resembles Granny Ferris. Wears a white lab coat under a mantle.. A medical professional wearing a white coat. An Elf doctor and junior disciple of Ferris. She is a skilled mage capable of Telepathy and complex bone-setting.
• Tim – A 14‑year‑old village youth, the eldest son of the Dvorak family, has just ‘graduated’ into adulthood. With short dark hair, a lean build and thoughtful eyes, he recently traveled to the riverside town of Obernbach accompanied by his father.
• Al – Alberto, a massive red‑haired man recently married to Mary, just finished his village wedding. He is a companion of Hans, helping intimidate and gather elders as a villager and leader working alongside him.
• Witch of the Black Forest – Commander of the Golem Battalion; described as a ‘runt’ by Larry upon first sight.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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