What Do You Wish For With Murky Eyes: Record of Highserk War - Chapter 20

Three days had passed since the conversation in the tunnel. Facing the continually lowering morale of the Ferrius army, a large-scale operation was about to be executed.

This mine had multiple fortresses, forming a deep and well-defended complex of defensive facilities. In the midst of this, the Highserk Empire army aimed to seize one of the enemy’s vulnerable points, the southern fortress wall.

While that was a sensible plan, Walm was currently not satisfied with the situation he found himself in.

“Shit, why do I have to sneak into the fort and go around setting fires? I’m not a damn arsonist.”

Due to the location of the mine and the limited deployment possibilities in the fortress, overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers was difficult. Therefore, Walm received orders to launch a night raid with a small force, and set fire to the fortress wall to create confusion.

“It’s an honor to be directly appointed by Battalion Commander Liguria.”

The squad leader’s words felt more insidious precisely because they weren’t sarcastic or mocking.

“Don’t worry, a wind attribute user will be assigned to escort you.”

Operations that rely solely on individual capabilities were hard to consider a properly functioning organization. Unfortunately, Walm couldn’t voice this argument as a mere foot soldier with no rights to refuse.

Although a wind magic user will be added to the team for support and can endure actual combat, there were still only 20 troops being deployed. In contrast, the enemy forces easily exceeded 200 soldiers. After causing chaos, Walm was told to break through with the combined forces of two companies, including the Duwei squad. However, if there were any delays, enemy reinforcements would appear.

Despite having no enthusiasm for the mission, time and superiors were not waiting for Walm. Farewelled by his squad members, he headed to the assembly point. The destination was the tent where the usually elusive company commander was stationed. After exchanging greetings with the guards at the entrance, Walm stepped inside. About 30 soldiers had gathered.

Even though it was a large tent, it felt quite cramped. Normally, Walm received instructions on operations and policies from Squad Leader Duwei, and this was the first time he directly participated in a military council.

A temporary platoon leader had been dispatched from the Liguria Battalion. Walm recognized a few familiar faces among the group.

“Everyone’s here.”

The one who spoke was the platoon leader from the Liguria Battalion.

“The plan is simple. Break through the fortress wall with the wind attribute magic user, then occupy a portion of the wall. The target is a corner of the defensive tower on the right.”

The platoon leader conveyed the specific location by tracing it on the map. Walm lowered his gaze. The brand-new map detailed the defense facilities of the mine. It seemed to be a product drawn by prisoners or scouts.

“After securing the ramparts near the side defense tower, we use Walm’s ‘«Ignis Fatuus»’ to burn down the defenders of the side defense tower. Create the entrance centered around that point. Until then, defend the tower at all costs. Walm, block the entrance with your «Ignis Fatuus». The fire will stop the enemy and reveal their figures from the darkness. Make sure not to burn our allies.”

Dry laughter echoed at the platoon leader’s last words. Walm also wanted to laugh, but if he did, he would undoubtedly attract disapproval. He closed his mouth obediently.

“If you’re noticed before the infiltration, immediately retreat. We will provide support for the withdrawal. That’s all. May fortune favor us in battle.”

After a few additional exchanges, the first military council ended in less than 10 minutes.

Walm wrapped cloth around his equipment to muffle any sudden sounds, and crawled towards the city gate.

Clothes and armor were getting dirty with mud and the juice of pungent weeds. Even dirt stuck to the face, but it was left as it would get dirty anyway before reaching the target.

The lights that illuminated the distant ramparts were getting closer. There were various diverse sources of light, such as magic stones, luminous moss, and black water¹, but it was sufficient enough to identify approaching objects.

The distance was over 100 meters, but there was a fear of individuals with sensory skills or night vision. Walm’s nerves were severely worn out by approaching this close. Faintly, he could capture the shadows of enemy soldiers. Some of them even yawned.

Walm wasn’t trying to defend the enemy soldiers, but the harassment attacks had been continuing for an hour that evening, and the soldiers were most likely distracted and unfocused. Otherwise, Walm might have been the one discovered midway and have had to haul-ass out.

He slowly wiped the dirt off his face with his hands and put on the mask. The mask trembled slightly as if expressing joy. It seemed to be eagerly anticipating the upcoming battle.

“Be a good kid. It’s about to start.”

Terrifyingly, the mask with a will was also intelligent enough to respond to Walm’s persuasion and stopped vibrating. After admonishing the intense vibrations, and minimizing the exhalations of his breath, he kept his body to the ground as much as possible.

The prearranged signal was given. Walm discarded the previous disguise and accelerated to the wall using wind attribute magic.

“«Burst»”

Soldiers, accelerated by the wind, simultaneously descended onto the fortress wall. A soldier who noticed the unusual sound peeked over the wall in front of Walm. His eyes widened, and his throat moved as if trying to shout, but Walm’s longsword swiftly severed his head before he could utter a word.

“En――”

The soldier next to him tried to scream in a panic, but he was forcibly silenced by a comrade’s war hammer.

The ambush was progressing much more smoothly than anticipated. Quietly spreading death to the insufficiently guarded soldiers with a single hand, Walm infiltrated the side defense tower. Right near the entrance was a waiting room, where six soldiers were resting.

“Enemy――aaaahhhhhhh!”

There was no need for stealth at this point. The words signaling the night raid quickly turned into screams. The room transformed into a hellish cauldron due to Walm’s activated «Ignis Fatuus». Soldiers enveloped in flames writhed on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire, but the all-encompassing inferno did not allow it.

Avoiding the fire, Highserk soldiers struck down the wriggling enemy soldiers. On the rooftop, they were a beat too slow to notice the commotion below.

Walm raced up the stairs and unleashed fire on the rooftop of the defense tower. The fire, with nowhere to go, was pushed out by the wind, spewing from gaps in the narrow parapet and roof.

Soldiers caught in the flames fell to the ground to escape the inferno. The human torches and the blazing fortress ramparts provided sufficient firepower to announce the battle throughout the area.

“Enemy attack!! Wake up, get into position!”

“The third side defense tower is on fire. What’s with that blue flame?”

“Why is the stone side defense tower burning!? Is it Liberitoa’s black water?”

From the buildings inside the fortress, soldiers swarmed out like a disturbed hornet’s nest. Walm marveled at how they managed to cram so many soldiers in there.

“Walm, they’re coming from below!”

One of the soldiers shouted. It was the platoon leader of the special mission platoon. On the rooftop of the side defense tower, he shot arrows, and cast spells to eliminate the enemies. To avoid involving allies, Walm stopped using his skill and descended the stairs smoothly. He rushed passed his bow-bearing comrades on their way up to the roof.

“In position. Go!”

The platoon leader’s signal was given. The difficult part was cleared. Now it was just a matter of maintaining it. Walm unleashed «Ignis Fatuus» towards the two doors leading to the fortress ramparts and the descending staircase inside the fortress.

“Hii―!?”

“Fall back, fall baaaackk!!!”

The Ferrius soldiers who attempted to rush in were now hastily retreating. The pitiful ones were the soldiers who couldn’t escape in time. Although they screamed for a few seconds, they were deprived of oxygen and had their lungs burned by the fire, ultimately succumbing.

Walm continued to activate «Ignis Fatuus». Though only for a few dozen seconds, it was a deadly time for the defenders. The massive smoke and bonfires signaled the success of the operation to friendly forces.

The voices of his company waiting outside the fortress in the dark night echoed. Normally, Walm would be mixed among the group, and couldn’t grasp the overall sound, but being on the enemy side, he now understood.

The volume and murderous intent directed to Walm were higher than any enemy he had faced before. It was reassuring that they were allies. The only problem was whether the friendly forces might mistakenly attack Walm.

“They aren’t going to attack us by mistake are they?”

“…Probably not.”

Walm called out to the soldiers on the rooftop, but the response he received was unreliable.

“Reclaim the side defense tower at all costs before the enemy’s main force arrives!!”

Below, the enemy commander was furious but desperate to regain control. From Walm’s perspective, he wished they would just keep running around on the ground.

Already over thirty seconds had passed, and maintaining the skill was becoming difficult. Walm stopped the activation of the skill. In addition to the residual heat, the remaining fire still continued to burn.

Walm, heaving with each breath, picked up an unbelievable sound. It was multiple agile footsteps running up the stairs.

“Enemy soldiers are coming up!!”

“Your joking right!?”

Walm called out to the platoon leader, but skeptical voices returned. If it were a joke, how happy that would be— the footsteps approached, and their identities were finally revealed.

It was a trio of men. Walm, facing them, realized that each of them possessed some skill and magic. Probably one was skilled in enhancing physical abilities through magical power, another had resistance to fire with a similar magical attribute, and the last one was a water magic user.

Walm didn’t want to believe it, but the one who had run up while extinguishing the fire had protected the other two with water. Prioritizing maintenance over firepower had also influenced the situation.

“Give me some support!”

“In that fire? Don’t be ridiculous. We’re getting scorched from below, and it feels like we’re about to collapse.”

Around Walm, there were no friendly soldiers who could avoid the fire. He felt like complaining about the point of having an escort. The enemy soldiers had already managed to invade the room, and Walm struck the leading soldier with his halberd.

Accompanied by a sound like cutting wind, it was a blow from «Heavy Strike» but it was easily intercepted with a two-handed sword.

Walm thought he had become stronger, but these guys were no joke. Facing skilled opponents in a three-on-one situation was like performing a dance on a minefield where a single misstep could be fatal.

Squeezing out his remaining magical power, Walm activated «Ignis Fatuus» once again.

The soldier skilled in body enhancement intercepted «Heavy Strike», but refused to take a direct hit from «Ignis Fatuus». The remaining two did not attempt to block «Heavy Strike» but managed to intercept «Ignis Fatuus».

Rebounding the two-handed sword, a long sword and water attribute magic rushed in from the side. Walm deflected the long sword with his gauntlet and intercepted the water attribute magic with «Ignis Fatuus», but his magical power was momentarily depleted.

Facing him, the soldier skilled in body enhancement took the lead, while the soldiers with fire and water attribute magic provided support.

If everyone excelled in swordsmanship, Walm would likely have been defeated by now. Magic users seemed to specialize in medium to long-range combat and weren’t necessarily adept at close-quarters combat.

The remaining time was less than 4 seconds. It was evident that fighting as usual would lead to Walm being overwhelmed by magical power exhaustion.

Aiming at the soldiers with the same attribute, Walm unleashed «Ignis Fatuus». Despite shielding against the fierce flames with a round shield, they managed to endure, but Walm continued to increase the firepower.

“Ugh, agh, aaaaah!”

It seemed like a failure, but facing the escalating flames that even engulfed stone floors and ceilings, «Ignis Fatuus» finally surpassed the soldier’s fire resistance, wrapping around his body.

“Wagner!?”

One soldier shouted the burning comrade’s name and rushed to stop Walm’s «Ignis Fatuus». The enemy coordination faltered slightly at that moment.

The water attribute magic user, who had been spreading water to protect allies from the blue flames, doused the burning soldier with water. While being considerate of his comrades, he couldn’t be considered a good soldier. In fact, that turned out to be his downfall.

The soldier skilled in body enhancement, had his fingers most closely exposed to the flames and they reached their limit. Despite the arm swinging down forcefully, the two-handed sword flew in an unintended direction.

The man tried to retrieve the two-handed sword, but the tip of Walm’s halberd is quicker to catch the man’s heart. Only one man remained.

As Walm shifted his focus to the last soldier, the one whose heart had been pierced grabbed him, hugging him while pressing the halberd against him.

“Do it!!”

Spitting out pitch-black blood from his mouth, the soldier screamed.

The last one was the water attribute magic user. Unlike his previous supportive actions, he now made a clear move to finish off Walm.

“Let go!!”

Walm spat out villainous lines and struck the face of the soldier turned corpse with the gauntlet part, delivering an elbow strike. However, the restraint only slightly eased.

The man, who raised a triumphant roar, continued to advance towards Walm without stopping. Walm instinctively tried to block with his gauntlet, but the momentum of the sword swung down from above couldn’t fully be blocked and cut deep into his shoulder.

“That huurts!!”

The soldier skilled in body enhancement, witnessing the single strike, fell to the ground as if satisfied.

“Die! Just dieeee!!”

The man tried to drive the sword in further, but Walm, collided with him, and embraced him. In this close contact, the enemy couldn’t swing the sword effectively.

The sword hit Walm’s gauntlet and torso, but he managed to avoid vital hits. Rolling on the ground together, it turned into a messy scuffle.

It was a complete mud fight. With bleeding from his shoulder, Walm couldn’t muster much strength. The man tried to gain a mount position, leaning forward to put his weight into the attack.

The air in Walm’s lungs was forced out. On impulse, he used his side and arm to grab the man’s neck, applying a choke-hold technique.

“Guuuh!? Uuuughhhhh”

Walm struck the man’s abdomen, entwined his legs around the man’s waist, and pressed even closer. Whether it was seconds or minutes, it was impossible to tell at this point.

He carefully twisted the neck. Even the man whose heart he had pierced had subdued Walm with extraordinary strength. It wouldn’t be strange if someone survived a broken neck.

Fortunately, Walm’s concern turned out to be unnecessary, and the man completely stopped moving.

“Haah, haa, damn.”

Walm regained his breath and rolled the corpse onto the ground. He was on the verge of death. With no magical power or physical strength left, and having moved forcibly while bleeding, he was suffering from severe dizziness. His entire body was stained with his own blood and the blood of others.

Warriors and soldiers with abundant magical power often created pseudo-membranes with magic, fighting like berserkers while containing bleeding and exposed internal organs. However, for Walm, who had run out of magical power, there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly feeling a presence behind him, he turned around to find a man swinging a longsword.

“Wha–?!”

The first soldier of the same attribute he had burned was still alive. Despite being burned all over, only a quiet murderous intent remained unchanged.

Walm was unable to lift his arm anymore. He clenched his teeth, bracing himself for the pain, but the man just fell forward onto him. Walm struggled desperately, trying to twist out from under him.

“Are you alive?”

The voice belonged to the platoon leader with whom Walm had exchanged words on the stairs. An arrow was deeply embedded in the back of the enemy soldier’s head.

“Yeah, you saved me. You could’ve come a bit sooner. I was almost turned into minced meat…”

Walm cracked a joke, but he had already lost his composure.

“No one’s given up on being human enough to charge into such intense flames.”

The soldier looked alternately at the lifeless enemy soldiers and Walm. Although he wanted to voice a protest, he was seriously bleeding.

“…Looks like you’re really on the brink of death. Lean on my shoulder. I’ll get some treatment up here. We’ll handle the remaining time.”

Soldiers who had evacuated to the rooftop of the side tower descended one after another, fortifying the entrance. Allied forces had already rushed to the front of the city wall, ready to enter the rampart.

Next to where Walm was laid on the floor, the first soldier he had burned was lying. Unlike the other soldiers who became airborne human torches, he had not fallen from the rampart since they were indoors.

“Ah, sorry about that. Bear with your temporary roommate for a while.”

The soldier administering treatment threw out a dark joke. There was no room for complaints. After all, Walm was the one who had burned him to death.