59. Chapter 59
Even though the twin moons expelled the sun, the temporary walls had not yet fallen, as the soldiers were still doing their best to expel the monsters.
The Highserk soldiers, barely recovered from the turmoil, continued their bloody battle, including Walm. Even corpses were treated as good material here.
A large number of reserve troops were lost, and with them some wall defense capabilities. Thus, a number of civilians with no military experience were deployed in the ramparts to secure more head counts.
They were fighting hard against monsters with a long spear from a distance. Three normal people could kill one low-class monster. Naturally, the militia was also gradually exhausted, one after another.
“It’s an “Owlbear”!!”
“Push it! Don’t let it get too close!”
The Owlbear pushed away the spear with its thick skin and feathers, jumped into the gap, tore the calf with its claws, and bit the windpipe. The militia cried out in pain, but still managed to thrust the spear into the torso, although it wasn’t fatal as the owlbear wasn’t on the ground.
“Uhhhhhhh!”
The Owlbear tilted its head 90 degrees and extended its bloodied strong arm as it spotted the damned pest, but a Highserk soldier crept up from its blind spot and chopped off its hind legs with a halberd.
“Die! You damned half-breeeEEEDD!!!”
The Owlbear, though losing its posture, bent its neck straight back and tried to deal with the Highserk soldiers. Not that the others gave up. One by one the militia plunged the sword and spear in their hands into its torso.
“Kill, kill it, kill iiIIIITTT!!!”
“Ahh, aaa, aaaaAAAAHHHH!!!”
“Good, raise your voice!! Vent your anger! It’s a rare chance!”
The troops struck the convulsing owlbear repeatedly in rhythm with the halberd. Citizens who had been baptized with bloodstains followed the style of the Highserk soldiers.
OJT (On-The-Job) training, Highserk soldiers were good at giving field education. They could turn innocent citizens into crazed soldiers. This was the reality inside the temporary walls where people did their best to confront the monsters.
The only surviving Battalion Commander had taken over the chain of command in the castle and reorganized the army, but with a third of the personnel lost, a chronic shortage of personnel everywhere was inevitable.
Walm slashed the halberd from above and split the orc along with the armor it wore. Although he failed to split the orc in half from exhaustion, the orc, the inside of its stomach exposed, rolled silently and died.
The air around suddenly changed. It was a “Wraith” that had turned its mana into an <Ice Lance>. Seeing the ice lance coming towards him, Walm momentarily spat out flames and melted it.
When the blue flame reached the wraith without diminishing, it enveloped the wraith’s entire body. It let out a shrieking scream, though didn’t last long.
Other monsters wouldn’t be killed without more firepower, but 《Demon Fire》 had a tremendous effect on the undead, and in terms of power alone, it was comparable to the holy attribute 《Purification》.
At the moment, Walm didn’t want to consume mana if possible. He had consumed a lot of his mana due to the battle that had been going on since morning, and even using his other skill, 《Strike》, would have been dangerous for him.
The time for swallowing a portable meal and pouring drinking water between fights felt like a luxurious time. Of course, his mana didn’t recover as quickly, as mana never had been so fast to recover, so it often happened that he continued to engage in a battle without mana, just like when he was a recruit.
The tip of the halberd was inserted into the Kobold’s eye hole, and the sword held by the lizardman, which was next to the Kobold, got hooked by the claw-shaped blade of the halberd.
Walm moved his halberd to send the sword flying and caught it with his other hand. The lizardman stretched its neck and tried to devour his flesh. He guided the sword back into the lizard’s mouth. The sword rubbed against its fangs, piercing its throat and scraping its spine.
“Who wants to die next!?”
The first reply was intimidation by a huge monster, “Cyclops”. A tree together with its roots was approaching Walm.
Walm barely avoided the vertically thrown tree. The poor Kobold caught in the attack exploded, spreading fluids from the whole body all over the place.
The Cyclops lifted the giant club (tree) and confirmed the results, but when it confirmed that only the small green bug (Kobold) was crushed, it went to hold the tree back and it seemed to want to swing it sideways.
It’ll swing the tree sideways.
Convinced of the Cyclops’ next move, an option came up in Walm’s mind.
《Demon Fire》 was, out of the question since it would be dangerous, only mana-efficient wind-type magic. Walm was ready, but a meteor-like arrow fell from the sky and pierced the only eye of the Cyclops.
There were only a limited number of people who could use 《Strong Shoot》, and there was only Amy, one of the adventurers with whom he had a connection. Still, it still was a great help, and Walm raised his hand to thank her.
The Cyclops, which had become an eyeless giant, screamed loudly and shook the atmosphere, wriggling its limbs and collapsing on the ground. The Cyclops had fallen into a state where the monsters in the surrounding would kill it if left alone, but suspicious steam could be seen through its crushed eyes.
Cyclops had an extraordinary ability to regenerate while it was still breathing. It pulled out the arrow and tried to regenerate the eyeball.
Quickly, Walm used wind magic.
Walm, approaching as if gliding, kicked Cyclops’ swinging arm and knocked down the halberd.
The blade, entering from the head, cut through the strong skull and let out spinal fluid. It reached the lower jaw and throat before the Cyclops finally stopped moving. The first giant lay on the ground.
“He killed that giant with only a halberd!!”
“We haven’t lost. We aren’t losing.”
The giant and the tree became part of the new walls. The sight of the crushed monster would definitely boost the morale of the troops. The giant was a really good monster. Walm’s efforts were fruitful indeed.
A friend called out to Walm, who was shaking off the sticky liquid that clung to the halberd. Looking back, he saw four Platoon Commanders.
“Walm, I mean “Wartime” Battalion Commander.”
“Hah? What are you talking about?”
Being called in a rank that was unfamiliar to him, Walm made a stupid voice despite the battlefield, because the rank sounded stupid.
“The Wartime Brigade Commander, Justus-dono, gave Escort Captain, Walm, the rank of Wartime Battalion Commander.”
Walm was tired, his brain couldn’t process things like usual.
Wartime… once this is over, my rank will return? That’s fine. But why is it a Battalion Commander?
“Battalion Commander is it――”
Speaking of his squad after he was promoted to be an Escort Captain, the members were limited in number, and even if it was expanded, a platoon size would be the limit. And now, he was told to be a Battalion Commander, jumping over platoon and company. Of course, he was shocked.
“――Are you serious!? Do you think I can command 2000 soldiers?”
Walm didn’t care about his rank now, and vomited what was in his heart.
But, the Platoon Commander only tilted his head to Walm’s word.
“What are you talking about? Aren’t you good at giving a command?”
Walm gathered Highserk soldiers lost in direction with a roar and full of spirit. He gathered the shortage from Myard soldiers and citizens. He gave the armor stripped from the corpse to the citizens. In short, he managed to stabilize the situation that was about to collapse completely, more than that, he actively fought off the monsters and used the adventurers to the fullest.
To be honest, Walm had been waiting for someone of higher rank to take command. But the Platoon Commander just told him that the group of people he had barely gathered into a battalion size, and that he should be the Commander.
Crazy. They must be crazy.
“Ku, kukuku, this is the battalion of the Highserk Army you say!? Even half of the key members aren’t regular soldiers.”
“A company-size of regular soldiers has been gathered under the command of the Wartime Brigade Commander, Justus-dono. Although, it’s a mix of various units.”
The troops Walm most wanted to gather were now within his reach, which included veteran Highserk soldiers. But if he chose to do so, the group, mixed with militia and citizens, would be treated as a battalion, and Walm would be the commander.
Walm was arguing with himself. He had the confidence to lead soldiers to platoon size. His essence was demonstrated by leading a small group on the front line.
But commanding 2000 people while being on the front line? That certainly wasn’t easy, even for an experienced Battalion Commander, let alone Walm.
At this rate, I might die from overwork rather than being killed.
“I don’t have any knowledge and the know-how to operate a battalion.”
“If you operate a regular battalion, it’ll be extremely difficult, but this is a defensive battle where all you have to do is defend. The hurdles are much lower than that conventional battalion. We’ll also do our best to assist you.”
“I’ve other choice but to accept that, do I?”
“Yes, no choice but to accept.”
The pathetic Brigade Commander wanted the same kind, and his choice fell on Walm.
“I see. Alright, I’ll take the position of Wartime Battalion Commander. But be prepared. You guys, whether you vomit blood or expose your viscera, I’ll abuse you until you’re dead. If you’re okay with that, follow me.”
With these words, Walm welcomed four Platoon Commanders and the troops.
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Thank you very much for the chapter