What Do You Wish For With Murky Eyes: Record of Highserk War - Chapter 29

In this world, to avoid being wiped out or a dealt a major strike from large area of attack magic, numerous skirmishers and small groups were often deployed in front of the main force. For the current defensive battle, numerous fortified zones with curve shaped earthen walls were erected in front of the fortress, created with the full effort of the Highserk Empire’s engineer corps.

In particular the sixth layer bastion, which is a castle compared to the other layers, can accommodate the personnel of two battalions. It had features such as a dry moat, anti cavalry barricades, stakes, earthen ramparts, and palisades, combined in a complex manner. Walm had never seen a fortification made with such meticulous care.

From the enemy point of view, this is a crucial point that must be eliminated at all costs as the first step in capturing the fortress. If there is an issue for Walm, it would be that one of the battalions assigned to work on the sixth layer is the Liguria Battalion. Infantry are often used as laborers or substitutes for engineers outside of combat. Walm is no exception. He compacts the earthen walls with tools or his feet, drives stakes into the ground, and sharpens their tips.

Those with nimble hands join the engineers, helping with the reinforcement of the walls and assembling of pillars. The excavated soil is packed into containers and carried into the defensive position to create even a slight elevation. Stones for throwing and arrows are also transported onto the walkway along the walls. Although the work was nearly complete, the movement of the engineer corps was most frequent near the sixth wall.

“Well, it’s quite tall and wide, isn’t it?”

The earthen wall is two or three tiers higher and wider than walls in the other bastions. Walm was genuinely curious about where they brought the soil from. As the sun set, signaling the end of the work, smoke signals rose from a distance.”

“Ah, they’re just 2 or 3 days away now,” said Jose, who was working with Walm.

“They’ll contact with the advance party, so the actual combat will be in 3 or 4 days,” replied Walm.

“That’s about right. But man, the enemy soldiers are over 50,000. The fortress looks like it’s going to be buried in corpses,” sighed the dark-skinned young man, looking around with a displeased expression.

“I hope our corpses don’t get mixed up in there.”

“No kidding. It’s early for our last supper, but it’s time for a refined dinner,” Jose remarked.

“Don’t rush. We need to wash our hands neatly, or Mom will be mad.”

“Ƒucƙ off. Let’s hurry,” Jose cursed, leading the way towards a corner where large pots were lined up.

The battalion gathered in platoon units, and all kinds of pots were mobilized to prepare combat rations. Anything edible was thrown in and boiled. Even if it’s a bit spoiled, cooking it through solves everything. All green. The ingredients are all in rough shape anyways.

When Walm checked beforehand, he found that the ingredients varied for each pot. Small amounts of chicken, pork, orc meat, beans, cabbage, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and whatever else was available were all thrown into the pot and simmered. He took out a wooden bowl from his backpack, held it out, and a soldier in charge of the cooking poured soup into it. The taste—well, it was warm which was better than nothing, and he had been working so hard that he couldn’t help but let the fatigue and hunger fool him.

Along with fragments of tough leftover bread, Walm brought it to his mouth and swallowed it down. Within the squad, Walm collected copper and silver coins and purchased fruit liquor, pouring it into a bowl. While puffing on his pipe, Walm exhaled purple smoke into the sky. Two moons rose into the heavens, beginning their chase. Unlike Walm’s former world, where atmospheric pollution such as exhaust gases are present, the starry sky of this world, free from pollution, was the best. It was one of the things Walm had gained since coming to this world. Nevertheless, he might have lost more. Especially the things he had to discard in war had changed Walm, for better or worse.

“What, you look sentimental.”

In a corner of the rampart, as Walm gazed up at the night sky, Jose approached after finishing his meal.

“Well, I was wondering how long the war would last.”

“Well, until we win.”

“Until we win, huh.”

It turned out this way because they always kept fighting until they won. In Walm’s opinion, the Highserk Empire, which had gained everything through victory, was unfamiliar with the terms of peace and negotiation. They lured their opponents, retaliated when attacked, and thoroughly subdued them—that was the Highserk Empire. The result was a war against four nations simultaneously. It’s a world where showing weakness meant being devoured. Perhaps Walm was too naive. Still, no matter how much they fought, the war never seemed to end. It felt like wartime had become the new peacetime, and Walm sensed a kind of stagnation and apocalyptic atmosphere.

“Are you feeling discouraged? Well, the enemies are numerous, but we are surrounded by sturdy fortifications and natural strongholds. I don’t think we’ll suffer a one-sided defeat.”

Walm agreed partially. What Jose said made military sense.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Walm gave a lackluster response, and Jose didn’t say anything. Walm knew that in a few days, he would have to kill to avoid being killed. He wasn’t so kind or good-natured that he would die for the sake of not killing. He sipped the fruit wine poured into the bowl. The acidity raced across his tongue and went down his throat. As Walm grimaced, Jose laughed gleefully.

————-

The beginning of the battle was marked by dazzling flashes and thunderous explosions. While the basics of a siege often involved magical artillery from the Mages, when armies numbering in the tens of thousands clashed in a magical firefight, it could only be described as a fierce spectacle. Flames danced, severed limbs are flung through the air, and soldiers hit by earth projectiles collapsed. The soldiers pierced by ice flowers showered blood from their bodies, creating a bloom. Those struck in the head by earth projectiles lost their sense of balance and flailed on the ground.

The Highserk forces entrenched in their carefully constructed positions had the upper hand, but there were attackers within the Four Nations Alliance who distinguished themselves with their assaults. Likely holy attribute magic accompanied by light, it shaved away the walls and eliminated Highserk Empire soldiers hiding behind the embankments.

As successive magic spells of different attributes rained down on the fortifications, a part of the earthworks collapsed under the intense assault. The Four Nations Alliance, supported by magical artillery, began to advance, using golems created with earth attribute magic as shields.

To prevent the advance, defensive attacks started. Though archers had limited effectiveness against the golems, some soldiers with skills like «Strong Bow» or proficient in throwing had projectiles of unimaginable destructive power, successfully destroying golems. Soldiers who lost their cover tried to hide behind shields or undulations in the terrain, but casualties soared due to the overwhelming attacks. Faced with unexpected resistance, the Four Nations Alliance began building earthen walls and communication trenches, shifting their focus to capturing the outer defenses.

“Change! Move the platoon to the third bastion!!”

The position assigned to the Kozul Platoon was the third layer bastion constructed on the left wing. The ninth bastion, where the Liguria Battalion was initially stationed, occupied the central area of the layered fortification complex, serving as a hub for traffic and the accumulation of supplies. On the third day of the clash, there was a rotation between the depleted front-line battalions and the reserve force, the Liguria Battalion, standing by in the center. At the forefront of the bastion complex, 6,000 soldiers were positioned, with an additional 4,000 in reserve behind them. The front of the fortress had become a bottleneck and it was impossible for the enemy to deploy all 50,000 troops at once. The maximum limit was around 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers. The enemy had been rotating their units daily, launching intermittent attacks.

“We’re counting on you.”

Half of the retreating platoon was wounded. Expecting fierce combat due to the significant reduction in the squad’s capacity, Walm peered over the flat-topped embankment known as a “warrior’s run.” The ground was covered in transportation trenches dug in a zigzag pattern, extending all the way up the embankment to the wall, and enemies approached using earthen and placed shields. The sloped area displayed a variety of soldiers’ remains.

“Heh, so this is the soldiers’ graveyard,” Jose sarcastically remarked.

“It’s a collection of five countries here,” Noor said with a twitch in her face.

“Even Knights from Craist are rolling around down there. Guess this a bad place to get hit.”

In Barito’s gaze, the headless knight from the Rehauzen Order was partially buried in the ground.

“Must be the casualties from the simultaneous attack last night. If we leave it, he might turn into a Dullahan or something.”

While squad members laughed at Squad Leader Duwei’s words, in Walm’s opinion, what they were doing lacked any charm. Walm shot fireballs at the opponents who had struggled up the slope, and Willart fired ice spears and water bullets, creating sludge. Noor and Barito also repeated throwing projectiles, aiming for the heads of soldiers who had lost their shields and bamboo bundles.

Walm couldn’t help but feel exasperated as Squad Leader Duwei was throwing logs by himself. While the Duwei Squad and the squads on both sides were successfully crushing the enemy’s offensive, it wasn’t possible to prevent attacks everywhere.

“Walm! Is Walm here!?”

A fellow soldier, calling through a messenger, shouted Walm’s name. In most cases, such calls only brought unpleasant news, a fact that Walm had learned well. Unfortunately, something like a birthday surprise was far from reality.

“I’m here! What’s wrong?”

The messenger, having found the sought-after person in Walm, rushed over and began explaining rapidly.

“It’s an order from Platoon Leader Kozul. Crush one of the breakthrough points forming in the Eighth Squad’s position with «Ignis Fatuus» Follow me; I’ll guide you.”

“Oh, another firefighting mission?”

“If anything, it would be arson.”

While his dark-skinned comrade made the correction, it didn’t really matter to Walm.

“Is this the time for jokes?”

Although he wanted to refuse, Walm was just a lowly foot soldier with no right to do so, and had no choice but to follow the orders. The location he hurried to had already been reinforced by Platoon Leader Kozul’s reserve forces, but the enemy, densely packed like a swarm of ants converging on prey, filled the slope. It seemed the enemy had no intention of missing this excellent opportunity to create a breach.

In this era where melee combat was prevalent, mass assaults in a tight formation were indeed potent. However, individual fighters with powerful area-of-effect “Magic” or “Skills” existed, making timing crucial. If Walm’s magical power were depleted or relief didn’t arrive in time, the melee could become a chaotic mix of friend and foe, making rash attacks impossible.

Yet, the enemy had not quite breached yet, and the formation was as dense as it could get. Despite their defenses with shields and bamboo bundles, it was an ideal situation for Walm’s «Ignis Fatuus».

“Give me two shields.”

An observing soldier handed them to Walm, understanding his intention. Walm rotated the halberd to his back, checked the state of the round shield, and donned his mask taken from his pouch. The oni mask trembled slightly, perhaps anticipating the events to unfold. Walm took a deep breath through the mask’s gaps as spear and sword clashes occurred on the fortified slope.

The soldiers who had been engaging in close combat until then, like receding ripples, simultaneously moved away from the embankment. Watching this, Walm activates «Ignis Fatuus». The ones taken aback were the enemy soldiers. Back at the Refun Mines, Liberitoa soldier’s battled them everyday and were quick to react, and the effect was halved. However, today’s opponents were ordinary soldiers from Craist. Reactions varied, with some observing the mask and preparing themselves, and others attempting to charge. The instantaneous transition to an attacking stance looked impressive to Walm, but it was no different from a self-immolation.

“Gyaaaa!!”

“It won’t get off! Get it off!”

“Outta the way!!Get outta the way!!”

The instantly erupting blue flames clung to the enemy soldiers as if it had viscosity, quickly spreading to cover a wide area. A choir of screams was born from the spreading «Ignis Fatuus» centered around Walm in a fan shape. Insults, shouts of anger, and screams—all are incessant on the battlefield, but the screams rising before Walm now have the loudest volume he has ever heard during his time at war. Within a radius of 10 meters, individuals had varying resistance based on their magical power, but one after another, they turned into living torches. Those who rolled down the embankment were considered fortunate.

“Retreat, just retreat for now!!”

Due to the dense formation restricting their movement, the burned ones were left in agony. Muscles charred and stiffened, inhaling fire into their lungs, unable to breathe, they writhed on the ground.

“Wait… pleease!”

“Ah…ahh…”

It’s strange how wearing a mask allows one to remain surprisingly composed. Perhaps because the face isn’t visible to the opponent, or the ability to play a different role. The masked Walm changes the spread of «Ignis Fatuus» from a fan shape to a linear one, extending its range. The entire sloping area around him begins to blaze. If not for the earthen walls, the fire might have spread further.

“«Ignis Fatuus», it actually exists. It’s the one those Liberitoa guys were talking about!”

Leaping out onto the slope, he continues to spread intense flames and hot air around him. Some of the soldiers, regaining their composure, attempt long-range attacks. Arrows rain down, but the strong wind causes them to deviate, making it difficult to visually target amid the heat. Various magical attacks are endured against the explosions and hot air. Even those that manage to reach are blocked by round shields, and, with concentrated efforts, fire is scattered towards places where magic soldiers and archers are presumed to be. In 40 seconds, before his magic completely depletes, Walm returns to the earthen walls. Rather than joy at driving away the enemy, everyone is speechless in front of the scorched bodies scattered across the entire slope.

“Haa, haa, fuu…”

Having consumed most of his magical power, Walm, out of breath, received words from someone.

“Well done, Walm. Thanks to you, the earthen walls weren’t breached.”

The Platoon Leader Kozul, whether he had been watching from somewhere or not, greeted Walm with applause. In the face of this tragedy, among frozen soldiers, a good leader doesn’t forget to praise the efforts of his subordinates.

“Thank you.”

Removing the mask and expressing gratitude, Walm was met by other soldiers who, having switched gears, welcomed him. The damage caused by the «Ignis Fatuus» that hit directly during the dense formation was immense. Over 100 enemy soldiers died, and an equal or greater number suffered injuries, causing them to retreat significantly, even reaching the communication trenches. The smell of burning flesh lingered in the nasal cavity for a long time. The mask had ceased its vibrations, seemingly satisfied.

————–

TL Note:

Trying to describe these fortifications, ugh… Author is using the term 曲輪 (Kuruwa) to describe the areas they built in front of Sarajevo Fortress. Its a word very specific to a type of Japanese castle wall formation and the areas around them, and there are also different types of Kuruwa formations. It doesn’t have an exact translation, but well, its a defensive zone with walls stuff. As for the actual wall part itself the term 土塁 (dorui) is mostly used meaning earthwork, earthen wall, or embankment. Hopefully it made sense, but, well, its all just walls walls and more walls really. ╮( ˘ ､ ˘ )╭