Volume 1 Chapter 31 The Battle for Galao Village
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The first night of the chevauchée¹ had arrived.
The regular Infantry were already trying to shove the dirty work-the slaughter of the villagers-off onto us, the Militia.
I couldn’t exactly blame them.
Sifting through the memories of the Parasite Host-specifically those of the Witch of the Black Forest, Major Hexa des Schwarzwalds-I’d seen a scene where she forced her own men to butcher useless prisoners.
Nobody wants that job.
Most people would prefer someone else to handle the slaughter of the pigs or sheep they eat, let alone a human being.
The Infantrymen were likely reaching their breaking point.
Seeing us Militia guys actually getting along and making dinner together probably set them off; the gap in our morale must have pissed them off.
We tried to handle it with a bit of courtesy, and Marx-san even attempted to talk some sense into them.
But one Soldier, fueled by pure, raw spite, swung his blade at Marx-who had already stripped down out of his leather armor.
I shoved Marx-san out of the way just in time, but the sword sheared through my shoulder guard and bit deep into my bicep.
The wound was bad.
They hauled me onto a door-panel stretcher and rushed me to the Village Chief’s master bedroom where the Mages were stationed.
I was hoping for a miracle, but a nightmare was waiting for me instead.
”Larry-chan! It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Louise, look! Your husband is finally here!”
Major Hexa des Schwarzwalds, the Witch of the Black Forest herself, was somehow there. And to make matters worse, Lieutenant Louise was with her.
”Is… is the Major going to perform the treatment?” I managed to wheeze out. The pain was white-hot, and I just wanted it to end.
”Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Do you really want me to do it?”
(She’s playing with me… I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.)
”Major, who exactly are you calling my ‘husband’?” Lieutenant Louise asked, appearing in my line of sight. Between the agony and the tears, I couldn’t even process my surroundings.
”Oh, look closer! It’s Larry-kun. The one you missed your chance to get knocked up by.”
(That was your fault for doing that demented shit to me…)
I’d inherited a full set of the Parasite Host’s memories, including the lingering humiliation of having a finger shoved up my ass just for her amusement.
”It really is him! Well, in that case, I need to have him right now!”
(Right now? Look at me! Are you actually a Lieutenant or just a psychopath?)
”No, look at him. He’s damaged goods right now.”
”You’re right. This looks… a bit messy. I’ll go fetch Marianne immediately.”
Apparently, the Lieutenant’s brain was wired just a fraction more sanely than the Major’s. She sprinted out of the room.
”Honestly, Larry-kun, you really are a laughably unlucky brat. To think you were in this unit all along… To honor that streak of bad luck, I, the great Witch of the Black Forest, shall provide your ‘pre-treatment.’ Don’t be shy, now.”
”Can… can the Major even handle medical magic?”
”Don’t be thick. I’m a Golem User-the absolute peak of Simple-type magic. There’s no way I’d waste my time with Complex-type medical spells. You say the strangest things, boy.”
”Wait… then what do you mean by ‘treatment’?”
”I said pre-treatment. Listen, do you really want me to try medical magic on you? I could, but you’d probably die on the spot. It’d certainly put you out of your misery, though.”
(Nobody asked for that!)
”To be honest, this is the first time I’ve actually tried this on a real patient.”
”Um… where is the actual healer?”
”One of the Cavalrymen took a tumble and snapped a bone, so that’ll probably take a while. Now, shall we begin?”
The Major peered down at me, her face hidden behind her Mage hood.
”Wait-can’t we just wait a little longer?”
”Now, now. Larry-kun, do you even realize the state you’re in?”
”What do you mean?”
”Your left arm is sliced open so deep I can see the bone. Do you understand that? Normally, the pain would be so intense you wouldn’t even be able to speak.”
I had no idea what she was getting at.
”Subconsciously, you’re using your own Mana to block your pain receptors. It’s actually hilarious-your Mana is almost completely tapped out.”
(Is that true? I knew the blade went deep, but…)
”Oh? You didn’t even notice? Well, I’m going in. You’re okay with that, right? Of course you are.”
I couldn’t trust a single thing about her, but I had no choice but to nod.
”This little trick was actually inspired by an idea from your Parasite Host.”
The Major placed her right hand on my neck and her left hand just below my chest.
”GUAAAAAAAGH!”
An explosion of raw, agonizing fire ripped through me.
”Ooh, that looked like it hurt! My bad! I just mixed up my right and left hands. Don’t let it get to you!”
(This bitch… she did that on purpose.)
However, once she adjusted her grip and tried again, the pain vanished almost entirely.
”It… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
”Offering? Right? I had to experiment quite a bit to get the flow right. My subordinates stopped coming anywhere near me because of it. Isn’t that cruel?”
(No, I’m pretty sure that’s just because you’re a monster…)
”What was that!?”
Shit. I forgot her hands were still on me. She had read my mind.
”Maybe I should just flip the flow back the other way… what do you think?”
(Please, anything but that pain again.)
”I thought so. So it really did hurt that much, huh?”
I couldn’t see her face, but I could easily imagine the sadistic grin she was wearing.
’You know, your Parasite Host is fascinating,’ she suddenly projected directly into my mind. ‘This pain-blocking method… it came from the Host’s desire to cure a girl’s illness back in your old world.’
Now that she mentioned it, I remembered the Host thinking about going to the Royal Capital to treat Yutia. There were other complicated thoughts mixed in there, but they were beyond my understanding.
’Anyway, why do you think Lieutenant Louise and I are assigned to this specific unit?’
(What are you saying? You’re the top-tier Golem Users in the country.)
’Exactly. The two best in the nation are both here. Don’t you find that suspicious?’
When she put it like that, it did seem odd. If the goal was recapturing Vod Fortress, the heavy hitters should have been sent there.
’Furthermore, a chevauchée is a tactic the Kingdom hasn’t used in over a decade.’
(So there’s something dangerous going on.) Her mental voice had shifted into something chillingly serious.
’Spot on. I’d say the odds are fifty-fifty. Don’t do anything reckless. Make sure you come back alive.’
If the Major was being this serious, then we really were in trouble.
’Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not necessarily about you, Larry-kun. My honest feeling is that I just can’t afford to let the Parasite Host die. A Sage candidate is worth a thousand of you.’
She hit the nail on the head. Compared to the Parasite Host, a common boy-soldier like me was a drop in the bucket.
”Oh, my! Haven’t you realized it yet? Your thought patterns are starting to merge. I’d call it a personality fusion. Before long, the two of you might just become one and the same.”
In a heartbeat, she snapped back into being the insufferable Witch of the Black Forest.
”Marianne! Faster, faster!”
I heard Lieutenant Louise’s voice followed by the heavy thumping of boots coming up the stairs.
”I hear you! Honestly, if you pull my hand that hard, it’s going to hurt!”
”I’m sorry! But my husband! My husband is-!”
(I really don’t recall ever becoming her husband…)
”Well then, time to put you under,” the Major said.
”Wait-“
I felt the Mana being sucked out of my head by the Major’s hands. It was the exact same sensation as when Lieutenant Louise knocked me out back at the hospital.
(What… so I still had… plenty of Mana left… you… liar…)
* * *
When I came to, I was lying in a tent. I checked my arm. The wound seemed to be closed, but it was still throbbing, and I had limited mobility from the elbow down. Still, it looked like I could at least handle a carriage.
”You’re finally awake,” Rudy said from the next cot. The others quickly gathered around.
”I’m sorry, Larry. For shielding me,” Marx-san apologized. To be honest, I just wanted to tell the man to pick his battles more carefully next time.
”The Mage said you’ll have some lingering pain and numbness. She told us that once we’re back in Linto, you should see the Mages there-apparently they’re top-notch and can fix you up properly,” Edmond-san explained, relaying the message from the real medical Mage, Marianne.
By “top-notch,” I wondered if she was referring to Chulpan. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
”So, what happened with the situation while I was out?”
”Well,” Edmond-san sighed, his expression darkening. “Captain Bours and the other officers had a meeting. The guy who slashed you is going to face a military tribunal when we get back, but he’ll probably get off with nothing more than a pay cut.”
The mood in the tent grew somber as Edmond-san took a breath.
”And for the next village-Garao Village-they’ve ordered us to help with the slaughter. We have to kill half of them ourselves.”
”It’s war,” someone muttered. “It can’t be helped.”
I didn’t have an answer for that.
While I was out, the camp had been in chaos.
Apparently, some prisoners had tried to escape around midnight.
Because of that, the 4th Squad was joining our 3rd Squad tomorrow.
We were told we’d set out at dawn rather than in the dead of night to wait for their arrival.
”At least we get a little bit of rest,” someone said.
Since leaving Linto, none of us had gotten any real sleep, so that was one small mercy. I had woken up just in time for lights out.
”Injuries, sickness… you really are a magnet for bad luck. Don’t you dare pass it on to me,” Rudy teased.
He was just trying to reassert his dominance, but honestly, if I could have passed this luck onto him, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
Still, the Major’s words haunted me.
Why were the two best Golem Users in this unit?
What was coming for us?
I stayed awake for a while, but eventually, the rhythm of snoring and deep breathing around me pulled me under.
* * *
The following day, just before noon, the 3rd and 4th Squads arrived with replacement Infantry, and our unit departed Owens Village.
The snow had mostly melted, leaving the roads a muddy, grueling mess.
Peaks to our right were still capped with white.
As we pushed forward, the mountainside leveled out briefly before rising again, and a river began to hug the road from the left.
Squeezed between the mountain and the water, we finally spotted a small settlement.
Unlike the previous villages, this one had almost no farmland.
A circular fence straddled the flat ground and the hillside-a flimsy thing that looked like it wouldn’t stop a single monster.
But something was off.
The Cavalry scouts rode ahead, but there was no sound of combat. The Infantry marched in without resistance. We, the Militia, followed the engineering wagons inside.
”The word got out,” Bours-san grumbled.
He was right. The village was a ghost town. No people. No livestock, even though the stables were still full of fresh fodder.
”Pairs! Search the houses!”
I entered my assigned house, but there was nothing of value left behind.
Instead, there was a single loaf of bread sitting on the table, as if it had been left there specifically for us to find.
”Whoa, that looks delicious.”
”Don’t touch it,” I snapped. “We were told not to eat anything we find. Leave it alone.”
Rudy shot me a resentful look, but I wasn’t about to die for a box of supplies.
We left the house empty-handed.
Next door, I saw the eldest, Marx-san, and the silver-haired Neil-san, who had come from Great Norden Island².
They were hauling a square wooden crate out into the yard together.
”What’ve you got there?” Bours-san asked, his voice laced with irritation.
”Just flour,” one of them replied. “There wasn’t anything else.”
”I told you not to touch the food or drink, didn’t I?”
The moment Bours-san barked the order, Neil-san’s entire body went rigid. He slammed into the dirt, his limbs locking up in a violent convulsion.
”Damn it! What did he have?”
”There was… some… ale…”
Then Marx-san went down too, twitching just like Neil.
Neil’s eyes had rolled back completely, and white foam began bubbling from his lips.
He wasn’t breathing. It only took a glance to know he was already gone.
Bours-san shoved his fingers down Marx-san’s throat, trying to force him to purge, but it was too late.
”Get moving! Tell everyone immediately—not a single drop of water or a scrap of food is to be touched! Spread the word!”
Rudy and I sprinted through the ranks to deliver the warning.
Luckily, most of the squads had listened to Bours-san’s earlier caution, and no one else had succumbed to the poison.
Still, losing two men from our own unit hit our morale like a physical blow.
When the Militia³ was called to assemble, a heavy silence hung over us.
No one could find their voice.
Not for Marx-san, who never stopped talking, or Neil, the handsome silver-haired heartthrob everyone envied.
I don’t think anyone expected them to die.
Usually, I was the one landing in the infirmary; everyone probably assumed I’d be the first in a casket.
”The situation’s changed,” Bours-san snapped. “Larry, take Rudy. Start at the western stables and put them to the torch. The rest of you, get the canvas and struts off the wagons—I want arrow-screens ready at a moment’s notice. Ed, with me. We’re turning these carriages around.”
The command had barely left his lips when a roar of war cries erupted in the distance.
”Move!”
We bolted toward the westernmost house. Near the West Gate, the Cavalry and Infantry were already snapping into formation. Three hundred meters out, I saw them: a dark mass of the enemy.
”How are we supposed to start the fires?” Rudy panted.
”I’ve got it.”
The Major had drained the Mana⁴ right out of my head last night, but I felt recovered enough.
We ducked into a stable packed with dry straw.
Normally, I’d have gone through a full sparring session with my sister-in-law before trying anything like this, but there was no time for a warm-up.
Even a small spark would do.
I extended my palms, conjuring a pair of fist-sized fireballs.
”You… you can use magic?”
”A little. Pile some kind of kindling on this, then I’m onto the next one,” I said.
I didn’t wait for an answer before sprinting for the next building.
A sharp thwip bit the air, and an arrow buried itself in the dirt at my heels.
They were firing from the mountains.
”Rudy! Arrows from the ridge! Watch yourself!” I ducked behind a house and screamed.
”On it!”
Rudy came charging toward me, holding a heavy wooden door like a makeshift shield.
The guy had better instincts than I gave him credit for.
I hit the next stable, ignited the straw, and we kept moving, with Rudy using that door to cover our flank.
”Hey, this is bad! Things are popping off behind us!”
I didn’t need him to tell me. The rhythmic clang of steel on steel was already echoing from the West Gate.
(If we can just keep firing the houses along the mountain side, the smoke will act as a screen against the archers. That’s our mission right now.)
By the time we hit five houses, the first stable was a roaring inferno, and the flames were leaping toward the main roof.
The smoke drifted thick against the mountainside, providing the cover we needed.
Our Cavalry was already pulling back, using the fire to maintain a safe distance from the enemy advance.
Suddenly, the rain of arrows stopped.
We kept the door-panel up just in case, but as we broke for the next house, a volley hissed through the air.
Several arrows slammed into the wood, and a few even punched through the grain.
They’d read us. They were ahead of us now, sniping from a closer vantage point.
”Now what?” Rudy asked, his face pale.
”We keep going. We don’t have a choice.”
”Right.”
While I prepped the next flame, Rudy scavenged another door from a nearby frame.
He stacked it on top of the first and lashed them together with a length of rope.
”Two layers ought to hold, right?”
I helped him tighten the knots, and we made a break for the next yard.
We cleared the gate and sprinted for the neighbor’s house.
I couldn’t see the mountain through the smoke, but the arrows had stopped again.
(We’re going to make it.)
Then, a massive impact shuddered through the wood.
The double-layered door didn’t just splinter—it snapped in half.
The force of the blow sent both Rudy and me flying backward into the dirt.
I groaned, pushing myself up onto my elbows.
A man, as large as my brother Hans-niisan, was closing the distance.
He was smirking, dragging a longsword through the dirt with one hand.
Behind him, a handful of others were charging in.
He must have been the one who smashed the door.
(I have to get up. I have to run. Where’s Rudy?)
”What a cute little red kitten,” the giant growled, his eyes locking onto mine. “How about you be the first to die?”
He raised the longsword with both hands. He was right on top of me. If he took one more step, I was dead. I threw myself to the left, rolling through the grime.
The heavy iron blade bit into the earth exactly where I’d been a second ago. I scrambled to keep moving, but I slammed into a limp body.
Rudy? This guy… he was on his back, eyes glazed and unconscious.
”Perfect,” the man laughed, his voice cold and confident. “I’ll take both your heads at once.”
Then, I heard it. A familiar, high-pitched whistle. I looked up just in time to see an arrow sprout from the center of the giant’s face.
He collapsed in slow motion, the smirk still frozen on his lips. His cronies skidded to a halt, eyes wide. Another thwip rang out, and a second man caught a shaft right in the eye.
We were saved. It was Bours-san. I recognized that shot—the same one that had dropped the Al-miraj⁵ during our drills.
”Rudy! Wake up!” I grabbed him by the tunic, hauled him up halfway, and slapped his face as hard as I could.
”Wha… is it dinner time?”
”Don’t be an idiot! Move!”
I kept a grip on his collar and hauled him toward the wagons. “Can you run?”
”Yeah! I’m good!”
Rudy finally snapped to his senses, and we bolted. Another arrow from the mountain grazed my cheek, burying itself in the ground beside me.
”Faster!”
We dove under the carriage bed of the nearest wagon, hearts hammering against our ribs.
The arrows stopped. The men weren’t following.
We were alive. I looked over at Rudy, and he was staring back at me.
He looked… happy? I was too.
Laughter started bubbling up in my chest, unbidden and hysterical.
”You okay?”
”Yeah. You?”
”Fine.”
We couldn’t help it. In the middle of a literal war zone, we just lay there in the dirt, laughing our heads off. But as we gasped for air, the sound of footsteps approached the wagon.
”I hate to interrupt the fun, Larry-kun, but I could really use your help.”
The voice was cold, sharp, and instantly killed our laughter. It was the Witch of the Black Forest—Hexa des Schwarzwalds—whispering right into my ear.
—
Summary:
Larry is injured while protecting Marx-san from an infantryman’s assault.
He is treated by the sadistic Major Hexa, who uses a pain-blocking technique derived from the Parasite Host’s memories.
The unit later moves to Garao Village, finding it suspiciously empty and potentially trapped.
A group of militia members is poisoned after scavenging for food, resulting in two sudden deaths.
Amidst the chaos, an enemy ambush begins, forcing Larry and Rudy to ignite stables as a tactical distraction.
They narrowly survive a giant attacker thanks to Bours-san’s sharpshooting, only to be confronted by the Witch of the Black Forest.
—
Trivia:
- Hexa reads Larry’s surface thoughts while her hands are on him.
- The ‘pre-treatment’ is actually a mana-flow manipulation to block nerves.
- Garao Village has a circular fence designed for defense against monsters, not humans.
- The Militia is now ordered to participate in the slaughter of villagers.
- Larry’s personality is slowly merging with the Host’s.
- Larry is surprisingly proficient in fire magic despite having his mana drained recently.
- The enemies are strategically using the mountainside for high-ground arrow volleys.
- Bours-san had previously warned the group about the food/ale, proving his cautious leadership.
- The Al-miraj mentioned refers to a horned rabbit beast from previous training arcs
—
Character Insight:
Larry demonstrates selfless protective instincts but remains cynical and wary of the Golem Battalion’s elite. Major Hexa reveals a hidden seriousness about the war’s oddities, showing she isn’t purely a chaotic agent.
Larry demonstrates a shift from a ‘hospital regular’ to a proactive combatant, showing growth in his magical utility and battlefield awareness. Rudy shows loyalty and quick thinking by using an improvised shield.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the ‘seed’ dialogue to reinforce the setting’s broken moral landscape where human life and dignity are secondary to military utility.
The author uses the silver-haired Neil’s death to establish that ‘handsome’ characters aren’t safe from the gritty reality of the setting.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Witch of the Black Forest – Hexa Death Schwarzwalds, the runt‑like commander of the Golem Battalion, is first labeled ‘runt’ by Larry. Known as Hexa Death Schwarzwalds, he appears at the chapter’s end, leading golems and gaining wary respect from his troops while Larry watches with cautious curiosity.
• Hexa des Schwarzwalds – Hexa des Schwarzwalds, also known as Hexa, is the Witch of the Black Forest—a powerful mage and healer with high authority, wielding strong magic and leading the Golem Battalion. She is sadistic in her golem use and has a past connection to Larry.
• Hexa – Hexa des Schwarzwalds, also known as Hexa, is the Witch of the Black Forest—a powerful mage and healer with high authority, wielding strong magic and leading the Golem Battalion. She is sadistic in her golem use and has a past connection to Larry.
• Marx – Fifty‑something laundry owner from Obernbach, a Laland refugee, militia member serving in the Obernbach second unit. He is Larry’s squad mate, the squad’s eldest, often sparks conversation, and now battles a painful leg injury after being nearly attacked by a regular infantry soldier.
• Louise – Tall, voluptuous Second Lieutenant of the Schuberitz army, formerly a Corporal in forced memories, serves under Major Sonya as vice‑commander of the Golem Battalion. She is obsessed with Larry for procreation; after an arrow wound she was replaced by him.
• Larry – 14-year-old third son of the Strock headman, with reddish-white skin, bronze eyes, and curly bronze hair, hosts a Parasite Host containing the memories of a 40-year-old Sage candidate and former manager; militia member of Unit 303, demonstrates exceptional mana compatibility for Golem synchronization, secretly wields fire magic, treats injuries as medic and house-sitter, battles PTSD and mana-induced inflammation, admires his sister-in-law, trains to become Village Head, knows the Legend of the Sky Heroes, and carries the weight of a killing he committed.
• Marianne – A medical Mage summoned to treat Larry’s wounds.
• Maria – The three-month-old second daughter of Ifens and Therese.
• 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.
• Rudy – Black-haired 14-year-old militia member from Heberlich Village, formerly of Garao Village, who fled with the protagonist; grandson of a hunter, he possesses deep knowledge of forest creatures. Bunkmate and self-proclaimed brother-in-arms to Larry, he mocks Larry’s condition yet visits him daily. Elitist toward Strock Village, struggles with armor upkeep and horse handling, excels at math, and battles severe war anxiety.
• Edmond – Second son of a farm, tall and lanky with wiry frame, he missed 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, plots village celebrations, and dreams of the Officer’s Academy. An experienced scout with grim insights into enemy movements, he recently rescued wounded near a broken carriage, delivers updates on military law and orders, and still burns with restless ambition—his discipline untempered, his drive fiercer than ever.
• 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.
• Chulpan – A short‑eared elf who looks like Granny Ferris, wearing a white lab coat beneath a mantle, serves as a medical mage at a field hospital. Skilled in telepathy and intricate bone‑setting, she’s a junior disciple of Ferris and introduced Larry to the military officers, approaching healing clinically and experimentally.
• Bours – Tall, scarred, in a faded Royal Army uniform, captain‑turned militia instructor — stern, cold, tactical, iron‑fisted, broken moral compass. Married to Sheeta‑san, father of a son conscripted on the Imperial border, veteran of the Western Front, Elders’ Council member, commander of cavalry and infantry during the Kiridal attack. As militia leader and expert marksman, he mercilessly saves Larry and Rudy from ambush.
• Neil – Silver‑haired militia member from Great Norden Island, blue‑eyed and of Second Sage lineage, dies from poisoning.
• Hans – Larry, the rugged, wild‑eyed ‘Mad Dog’ of Strock Village, is the second son of the Fee family, a chronic alcoholic with assault and extortion convictions. As the older brother and heir to the Kessler estate he abandons his duties, returning to crash a ceremony. His brother is aggressive, decisive, pragmatic, known for strength and violence, and refuses the headship.
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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