Chapter 26 - Despair Does Not Belong to Us (2)
"This is insane."
The cadets who stepped off the transport realized that Thomas hadn't been trying to scare them—his words were a sincere warning, and this training truly was madness.
The rain had started to let up a little, but it was still heavy enough to be called a downpour.
After days of non-stop rain, the ground was so saturated with water that the falling rain couldn't soak in anymore.
Streams had formed, racing joyfully across what once was an open field. In places, small swamps had even developed, so if you weren't careful, you could drown right here in the field.
Rumble!
A flash of lightning tore through the dark sky, followed by an ear-splitting thunderclap. For a brief moment, the landscape illuminated by the strike looked just like Hell itself.
"Teacher Ernest!"
"What is it, Student Robert!"
Upon seeing that horrific scene, Robert immediately called out to Ernest. It was, in fact, the right and reasonable decision.
"Save me!"
But, overwhelmed by panic, he instinctively pleaded for his life, an action not nearly so appropriate.
"I'm not going to kill you! If anything kills you, it'll be the rain!"
"Sir! I really don't want to die!"
"Do exactly as the instructor told you!"
"What did he say again!"
"If you can't do it, shout for help immediately! And don't stick your face in the water—make sure to keep your nose out!"
"Horrible!"
"If things get bad, I'll say give up on your behalf!"
"I entrust my life to you, teacher!"
No one criticized Ernest and Robert for shouting back and forth while the training was underway. The rain was so loud that even screaming right next to each other made it hard to hear anything.
"Now you all understand what I meant!"
Even in the midst of all this, Thomas's voice was so loud and commanding that his words cut right through the sound of the rain and reached everyone clearly.
"Today, I want you to crawl on the ground like dogs, obeying your instincts in this hell where strategy and tactics—reason and logic—have no place! Drink muddy water, howl, despair, and give up!"
Everyone stared up at Thomas in stunned silence, their faces pale with shock.
"Now that you've come this far, you can't go back without my permission!"
Thomas looked absolutely delighted as he declared this. The cadets' faces, on the other hand, were the picture of utter despair.
He meant every word. To get back to Grimman from here, you had to board the transport truck. There was a road to get to the training ground, but even the huge transport vehicle barely made it through this much rain. There was no way a fourteen-year-old boy could walk back.
In other words, every cadet who had come out here, whether they liked it or not, had no choice but to do exactly as Thomas said. The instant they realized this, alarm bells rang wildly in everyone's head.
What the hell is this Mad Dog planning to do?!
At that moment, the first-year cadets finally understood the nickname for Thomas that circulated quietly among the senior students. Senior Instructor, Captain Thomas Kohler, was, in the truest sense, a Mad Dog.
"The situation's the same as last time! With this damn weather, I won't bother reorganizing the platoons or any of that nonsense! Hartmann, Ravid, Krieger, step forward!"
"Yes, sir!"
Normally, the role of Platoon Leader would also rotate. Even those without aptitude had to command at least once. This was the Imperial Military Academy, where officers were trained—of course, everyone deserved a chance.
But in this situation, no one wanted to waste time selecting new Platoon Leaders and reorganizing the platoons. Everyone just desperately wished for this damned training to end as soon as possible, so they wisely kept their mouths shut and did exactly what Thomas wanted.
"The order's the same as last time! Ravid, you take the Imperial Army first! Next is Hartmann, then Krieger!"
At Thomas's command, the three cadets glanced at one another. Most of all, everyone's eyes turned to Ernest Now, even Ferdinand and Wilfried understood that the order of this training was somewhat malicious.
"The difference from last time is that this battle won't take place in the forest, but out on the field; the flag is just a rallying point, nothing more, and this time Baltracher will be part of the Imperial Army!"
However, at least for this training, Ernest was in the same position as the other cadets. The battlefield was not the forest but the open field, and Marie Fiders, a Baltracher, was participating as a member of the Imperial Army. What's more, the flag was no longer an objective that determined victory or defeat. Just capturing it wouldn't win the day; now, the only way to win was to completely destroy the enemy.
Thomas was forcing the cadets into a fight, leaving no room for surprises or upsets. As long as Baltracher was present, the Imperial Army was bound to win—especially today, with weather and conditions like these.
Thomas had truly planned today's training so that the green cadets would be pushed to their absolute limit in this hell, and would experience firsthand the overwhelming might of a Baltracher.
"Marie Fiders!"
"Yes!"
Called by Thomas, Marie swayed as if she might get blown away by the wind, but stood her ground and answered. Her voice was very small, but the uniquely high pitch of a young girl carried sharply enough that it rang out clearly, even over the sound of the rain.
"This is your first mock battle! Follow Wilfried Ravid's orders! And—!"
Thomas, peering down at Marie who seemed swallowed up by her oversized raincoat and was buffeted by the wind, issued a stern warning in a heavy voice.
"Don't kill anyone! You're here for training, not to fight enemies on a real battlefield!"
"Yes!"
Marie shouted back in response to Thomas's warning. But for the first-year cadets participating in the training, the already miserable weather wasn't the only thing weighing on them—the thought that this small but fiercely aggressive Baltracher might actually try to kill them was even more unsettling.
"..."
"..."
For the first time seeing a Baltracher up close, Ernest studied Marie carefully. He saw the fierce glint in her eyes, shining with hostility from beneath her raincoat hood, as if she could pierce right through him. When Ernest blinked and tilted his head slightly, Marie twisted her face with open annoyance.
"Marie Fiders! Catch!"
"...Yes!"
When Thomas tossed the Balt Battery to Marie, she hesitated for a moment, startled, then replied energetically and caught it. Her gaze seemed almost drawn to Ernest as if she couldn't help looking at him.
Marie pushed the Balt Battery inside her raincoat. The coat was so big and stiff that she struggled quite a bit. After a considerable struggle, she finally managed to fasten the Balt Battery to the belt attached to her cadet uniform shirt.
With the Battery mounted on the belt, it pressed directly against her skin. That was why the shirt had a hole cut into it for the belt—because the Balt Battery could only be activated when in contact with skin.
Previously, people either held the Balt Battery in their hand or strapped it to their forearm. But too often in battle, someone would drop it, or if an enemy ambushed and severed an arm, the Baltracher's power would be lost in an instant. That's why now it was secured to the chest. It was now common knowledge that the Alliance Army operated a team of specially trained assassins whose sole purpose was to cut off the arms of Baltrachers.
While Marie struggled, the training instructors handed out crossbows to the first-year cadets. But in weather like this, there was no way these training crossbows firing wooden bolts would be much use.
"Once the mock battle is over, return here! Move out!"
As soon as Marie finished equipping the Balt Battery, Thomas gave the order.
The cadets grit their teeth and started running across the field, following the training instructor.
Squelch!
"Ahhh!"
"Damn it! Get up, quick!"
As soon as they began running through the field, now turned completely into mud, the cadets toppled over en masse. The boys from High Noble Families had no experience running under conditions like this. Even Ferdinand, who had seemed to be keeping up well, went sprawling and ended up covered in muddy water.
"Ernest! Save me!"
"You're fine!"
"I said, save me!"
"I said you're fine!"
"Maybe you are, but I am NOT fine! Save me!"
"No! You're fine too! Just hurry and get up!"
Robert tried to get up from the mud, but he fell three more times before finally managing to stand on his own two feet. Rainwater was streaming like a river, carrying the dirt away. Grass roots kept catching his feet, dragging him down again and again.
"You heartless jerk!"
"Stop talking nonsense and move! You can stand on your own legs!"
Robert raged at Ernest, but since he could actually get up by himself without Ernest's help, he couldn't really justify whining any further.
Still, Ernest was the only Alliance Army cadet who hadn't fallen down, so he probably could have spared some time to help Robert out. Even the training instructor had staggered and nearly fallen several times, but Ernest, though a bit slower, was moving calmly and steadily.
While the Alliance Army cadets were nearly wiped out just trying to move, the Imperial Army cadets were having a comparatively easier time. It was thanks to Marie, the Baltracher, who was shielding them from the rain and wind.
"Amazing…"
A faint, flickering blue Balt Light. It stretched out in a dome shape, blocking the harsh wind and rain entirely.
Although it couldn't stop the rainwater from flowing along the ground—so walking was still tough—just being sheltered from the wind and rain made everything much more bearable.
"Fiders. How long can you keep this up?"
Wilfried, the Duke's son, had already experienced the power of a Baltracher before, so even as the other cadets gaped in awe at Marie's abilities, he could stay level-headed and calmly work out tactics. Since Marie's Balt Psychokinesis was blocking the storm and made it possible to talk without shouting over the wind, Wilfried asked her the question in a composed voice.
"...Not for very long..."
Marie stared Wilfried straight in the face but somehow let her voice trail off into a mumble.
"...Would you prefer I call you Marie? And you can call me Wilfried too, if you'd like."
Wilfried, ever sensitive to matters like this, quickly realized why Marie was hesitating. Fiders was a surname given to Baltrachers who had no family name; there were over twenty Fiders just at the Imperial Military Academy alone. For them, using their given names was surely preferable to being called "Fiders."
He also instantly understood that this small, young, and clearly non-noble girl was uncertain how to address the Duke's son.
"Alright."
The moment Wilfried gave permission, Marie began speaking to him informally, truly as if it were nothing at all. Wilfried himself was a little caught off guard, because he could sense a faint hint of hostility flickering in Marie's eyes as she looked at him.
"When you say you can't keep it up for long, you mean when you're covering such a wide area like now, right?"
Wilfried had no intention of getting hung up on something he'd already allowed and wasting everyone's time. And just as Thomas had said—once they were sworn in and wearing their Second Lieutenant insignia, Marie was sure to be a Captain already. If you let little things like this hurt your pride, you weren't cut out to be a soldier
"That's right."
"...Alright."
At Marie's reply, Wilfried seemed deep in thought, then gave a short answer and said nothing more. Marie, who had expected Wilfried to tell her to conserve her strength, narrowed her eyes and studied him.
But Wilfried didn't say anything else to Marie. He simply walked forward, staring straight ahead with those fiercely burning blue eyes.
Even though Marie, as a Baltracher, was wielding tremendous power, she was still the one moving herself forward step by step. She stumbled several times and nearly fell countless more. By the time she stood before the Imperial Army's flag, she was battered and gasping for breath.
However, Marie didn't ask for help, and no one offered it to her.
"So what's the plan?"
"Let's keep it simple."
Wilfried looked at the cadets waiting for his orders and spoke, as gently as always.
"We have a Baltracher on our side. We'll push through with force and crush the enemy outright."
Wilfried hadn't bothered to devise a strategy. Or, rather, using overwhelming force to overwhelm the enemy could be called a strategy in itself. And right now, that was the best tactic Wilfried could come up with.
"Marie, can you use the Balt Wind?"
Wilfried asked Marie, since she was the key to their tactics. Balt Psychokinesis can be employed in endless ways depending on the Baltracher. The barrier surrounding us right now is just the most basic way to wield it.
Balt Wind, true to its name, is the technique of continuously generating Balt Psychokinesis as a steady stream, like the wind. If you can use it skillfully, you'll be able to defend against bullets fired by the enemy while accelerating bullets shot by your own allies. It's considered the top technique in firefights.
"...I'm not that good at it. I can manage defending, but that's about it," Marie said, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at Wilfried. The fact that someone as young as Marie could even use Balt Wind showed just how gifted she was. Still, it was clear that Marie was bothered by her inability to fully control Balt Wind.
"As long as you can do it at all, that's good enough," Wilfried replied coolly, unfazed by Marie's inexplicable hostility.
"When the mock battle starts, we'll move forward while keeping the barrier up. Once the enemy is within range, start using Balt Wind."
At Wilfried's instructions, Marie silently glared at him for a moment, then gave a single nod. And thus, the Imperial Army's preparations for battle were completed in an instant.
"What are we going to do!"
"We're charging as soon as the battle starts! Spread out as wide as you can to the left and right!"
"What did you say!"
"Damn it! Everyone, stick together!"
Meanwhile, the Alliance Army's preparations for battle were plagued with difficulties right from the start.
The first problem was delivering Ferdinand's orders amid the pouring rain and wind.
Ferdinand ended up screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking in a way he absolutely hated, just to make himself heard.
"Our opponents have an inexperienced Baltracher! They won't be able to use their power skillfully! While they maintain the barrier, we can't attack them, but they can't attack us either! And there's no way they can put holes in the barrier just for shooting!"
As the eldest grandson of the Corps Chief of Staff, Ferdinand had already been thoroughly briefed on how Baltrachers operate. He didn't know about Marie's individual power yet, but she was still a younger girl than they were. There was no way she'd be able to create small openings in the barrier for shooting, or handle such delicate control.
"Ferdinand! Marie Fiders might be able to use Balt Wind!"
It was Ernest who shouted this to Ferdinand. He, too, had learned about Baltracher abilities and techniques from his father, Haires.
"I know, I know! That's why we absolutely have to take their rear!"
Ferdinand nodded as he spoke If they could seize the enemy's rear, the Balt Wind would be useless. That's because any gunfire from behind would penetrate and tear through their allies' backs as it sped up.
A skilled Baltracher could freely control the Balt Wind and protect even the rear, but there was no way Marie could handle the Balt with that level of finesse. In other words, as long as they captured the enemy's rear, they would at least have a fighting chance.
"Krieger! Can you infiltrate their rear without being spotted?"
It was only natural that Ferdinand wanted to entrust such a crucial mission to Ernest. Instead of answering immediately, Ernest turned and looked out at the field that would become the battlefield, the place where the storm raged and the rainwater flowed through the swamp like a river.
"If I go alone!"
"Damn it! We're changing the plan!"
Even if Ernest attacked the enemy's rear by himself, it wouldn't yield any meaningful results. Ferdinand quickly revised the strategy.
"Wilfried will attack the moment the battle begins! Krieger! You lie in ambush and assassinate the Baltracher!"
"Understood!"
Ferdinand skipped all the nonsense about dishonor and assigned Marie's assassination to Ernest without hesitation.
Ernest also replied without a second thought that he understood.
Even if Ernest succeeded in his mission, he would die. There was no way Ernest could assassinate Marie, who was being protected by nineteen Imperial Army cadets, and get away safely.
Therefore, after assassinating Marie, Ernest would throw himself into hand-to-hand combat at the center of the Imperial Army just as he had during the first mock battle, causing as much chaos for them as possible before falling heroically.
"We'll spread out as widely as we can and act like we're trying to encircle them! But we won't attack recklessly until Krieger moves! The weather is chaotic! In this weather, even the enemy's crossbows will be hard to use properly!"
Ferdinand spoke coolly, assessing the situation.
"The moment Krieger moves, we all launch a simultaneous assault! In close combat, our numbers will give us the advantage!"
Ferdinand's tactics were bold and highly practical for someone who was only fourteen years old. He had even seen right through Wilfried's intent to force his way through with sheer strength. If everything went according to plan, Ferdinand would achieve the remarkable feat of leading the Alliance Army to victory over the Imperial Army, Baltracher and all.
However, there were two main problems with this plan.
The first was the chaos of the battlefield. With the wind and rain, it was almost impossible to even recognize the face of the person right in front of you, and every step risked slipping and falling. There was no telling if the first-year cadets would actually move according to the plan. Even Ferdinand himself was uncertain.
The second problem was that Ernest's chances of successfully assassinating Marie were far too low. Wilfried wasn't an idiot; he would surely go to great lengths to protect Marie. Could Ernest really break through all that and assassinate her?
'It wouldn't be bad even if he just manages to throw them off a bit.'
Ferdinand privately thought Ernest would probably fail. That's why he believed it would be enough if Ernest's ambush could rattle Marie, even just a little, and open up a small gap they could use for a flanking attack.
"Then I'll go first!"
Once their tactics had been finalized and communicated, Ernest said this to Ferdinand and, without warning, suddenly took off his raincoat. As if that weren't enough, he then stripped off the cadet uniform jacket he was wearing underneath. Finally, he pulled off his shirt, now thoroughly soaked and clinging to his skin, and shrugged the raincoat back on over his bare torso.
While everyone stared in stunned silence, wondering what kind of crazy stunt he was about to attempt this time, Ernest sprawled flat on the field—now a muddy swamp with rainwater streaming through it—and crawled rapidly away, quickly vanishing from sight.
His oil-soaked raincoat was murky and yellowed; with the weather the way it was, and Ernest crawling along the muddy, waterlogged ground, he was completely impossible to spot. The fact that he'd shed his drenched cadet uniform jacket made his movements even less restricted. He probably would've been better off taking off his pants too, but even for Ernest, that was a bit too embarrassing.
"…"
"Wait, is that maniac actually going to pull it off?"
They were sure he'd fail—yet now, there was a real chance he'd succeed.
"For crying out loud, what the hell is wrong with him?"
Grumbling, Robert managed to pin down Ernest's cadet uniform jacket with his foot before it floated off in the rain, then staggered over and stashed it securely under the flag. Still worried it might get lost, he hesitated for a moment, then helpfully piled some dirt on top to hide it.
"You little rascal! Trying to hide Ernest's clothes, are you!"
"What did you say!"
"No! Good job!"
"Huh!"
There was a minor misunderstanding, but it probably didn't matter.
Bang...
A moment later, faint gunfire could be heard through the rain. It was a Balt Gun. In this weather, it was unthinkable to use a powder gun. The blue Balt Light couldn't be seen at all.
"Begin!"
This time, things were genuinely dangerous, so the training instructor, who had been sticking close to the first-years, announced the start of the mock battle.
"Charge!"
Following Ferdinand's command, the Alliance Army bravely began their assault.
"Spread the ranks wider! We need to encircle the enemy! Pass it on!"
Ferdinand shouted at the top of his lungs. Fortunately, the order was relayed properly, and the Alliance Army cadets were able to advance, keeping enough distance between each other to fan out around the enemy.
"We're advancing."
Wilfried, too, began to move the moment the mock battle started. However, the situation was clearly different from that of the Alliance Army.
Thanks to Marie's Balt Shield, the Imperial Army cadets were able to march forward in perfect formation, protected from the driving rain. To ensure Marie's safety, Wilfried positioned the troops in a circle around her, placing her at the center. For the sake of maximizing the barrier's effectiveness, it made sense for everyone to stay clustered close to Marie anyway.
The Imperial Army's advance was extremely slow. They had to match Marie's pace. It was slow enough that even Marie herself was starting to get frustrated. Still, Wilfried simply strolled along as if he were out for a leisurely walk.
Squelch.
"Ugh!"
"Halt."
One of the cadets slipped and fell in the mud. Rather than moving on, Wilfried stopped and patiently waited for him to get back up.
"Sorry."
"It's all right. Anyone could slip in conditions like this."
Wilfried offered a mature smile as he responded to the apologetic cadet. Their pace slowed even more. But since the Alliance Army was sprinting and suffering just as many muddy falls, in the end, both sides were advancing at about the same speed.
"There's water pooling up."
"Let's go around."
Wilfried decided to avoid the pool of standing water. The rain was pouring down so hard that runoff was turning into streams. Even if it looked shallow at a glance, it could be much deeper than it seemed. It was safest not to approach it.
"Over there, the enemy."
The cadet leading from the front spotted the faint outlines of Alliance Army cadets through the driving rain and issued a warning.
"Stop. We'll fight the enemy right here."
Wilfried chose to engage the enemy next to the puddle, whose depth they couldn't determine. Using the pool to protect their flank made this the perfect spot.
"It's the enemy!"
The Alliance Army was able to spot their opponents before the Imperial Army could. Marie's Balt Shield was emanating a blue Balt Light that was clearly visible even from a distance.
"Don't get too close!"
"Just keep the formation! Formation only!"
The Alliance Army cadets recalled Ferdinand's instructions and moved with as much composure as they could muster.
They tried to surround the Imperial Army while maintaining a safe distance.
"Looks like they're trying to encircle us…"
"This is a mess."
But visibility was so poor that you couldn't even see the person next to you—some barely knew where they themselves were standing.
The Imperial Army cadets could clearly see that the Alliance Army cadets were moving about in total disarray, their formation far from organized.
"Balt Wind."
Wilfried gave the order to Marie in a low, firm voice.
Marie shot Wilfried a glare, lips pressed tightly together, then focused her mind on the Balt Battery pressed to her chest.
Whooosh!
"Ugh!"
"Stay low!"
As the Barrier disappeared and the Balt Wind started to blow, the Imperial Army was struck by the wind and rain as well. Marie was still unskilled at controlling Balt Wind, so the gusts pummeled their backs so violently that a few cadets even fell over.
"Keep it going!"
Wilfried shouted his next command to Marie before readying his own crossbow, loading it, and aiming toward the front.
"Aim!"
At Wilfried's order, the cadets leveled their crossbows forward. In weather like this, the light wooden bolts from the training crossbows wouldn't fly properly on their own. But with the Balt Wind, that changed everything.
"Fire!"
At Wilfried's command, the cadets began to shoot. Through the rain-streaked, blue-tinted air carried by the Balt Wind, the wooden bolts were sucked forward, accelerating at astonishing speed until they vanished from sight.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
An Alliance Army cadet who was struck by a wooden bolt straight on gasped in pain from the sudden impact. The wooden bolts, accelerated by the Balt Wind, packed a serious punch. If he hadn't been wearing that stiff raincoat, it would have left more than just a sting.
"Balt Wind…!"
Ferdinand bit his lip in frustration as he watched the blue Balt Light surging in one direction.
That small, young Baltracher cadet could already wield the Balt Wind—what a remarkable talent.
But for that very reason, an opportunity finally presented itself to the Alliance Army.
While using Balt Wind, it was impossible to completely defend one's surroundings.
Only the Imperial Army cadets were guarding Marie Fiders' flank and rear—Marie's Balt Psychokinesis was only protecting her front.
Naturally, Ernest didn't let this chance slip by.