Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 22

After escaping from the jaws of death, Walm spent three weeks away from the front line until his shoulder wound healed, spending his time at a requisitioned church at the foot of the mountain. The Highserk Empire army, appropriate for the times, did not harm the church people.

The wound on his shoulder was deep and reached the bone, breaking his collarbone. Surface and bone were connected with recovery magic, but he had to rest for a while, leading a life unrelated to war.

The Felius soldiers holed up in the mine were cut off at the outskirts and slowly self-destructed.

Although the Felius soldiers could have held out in terms of provisions and soldiers, they succumbed to the endless battle and pressure, and finally surrendered to the Highserk army.

An envoy sent to deliver the ultimatum threatened that if they didn’t surrender immediately, they would kill everyone, soldiers and civilians alike. Those among the Felius forces who yielded to the final warning descended from the mountain mine one after another.

Not all of them were emaciated, but they all had dark circles and bad complexions. Some were trembling all over, and others kept talking to themselves endlessly.

Without any entertainment town and until his wounds healed, Walm spent his time watching prisoners and soldiers pass by, but that also ended today.

“You look well.”

Greeting Walm, who returned to his original unit, was Jose.

“Recovery magic is amazing. Wounds that would take several months to heal were healed in a week.”

Walm proudly rotated his connected collarbone.

“Ah, welcome back. You’ve returned.”

The voice belonged to Nohl. Her armor had more scratches, and her face was more confident than before.

“It was tough after that. The squad was also deployed to take down a few ramparts, but Barrit…”

Nohl cut off her words and looked towards one of the tree shades. Walm followed her gaze, and there was Barrit, but the height of his proud rooster crown hair had been halved.

“Ha ha, what happened to the rooster crown. Did you change your hairstyle?”

Barrit protested.

“I didn’t change it. I got hit by an enemy magic user!!”

“Barrit was running up the slope when he was targeted by the enemy, but his shaking rooster crown probably threw off the aim of the fire spear. He was safe, though. But his hair took a hit.”

Remembering the scene, Jose started laughing too.

“Well, the rooster crown wasn’t useless after all. Everyone seems safe, but what about the squad leader?”

Wilart was sitting a little farther away, but Walm couldn’t see Duwey.

“He was called urgently by the Platoon leader Cozul.”

“It’s all settled here, so we’ll finally invade inland.”

Initially, the Highserk army had focused on weakening Felius’s national strength, but the enemy might have been more depleted than expected. The war might even end early. Walm couldn’t help but hope.

An optimistic atmosphere flowed through the Reglia battalion that had captured the mine.

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“But these guys don’t put up much of a fight, do they?”

A soldier belonging to the Highserk Empire Army’s Saria Battalion muttered disinterestedly. At the edge of the village, piled up were the bodies of Felius soldiers and villagers who had resisted when the village was occupied. In contrast, there were extremely few dead Highserk soldiers.

Felius prisoners, beaten to the point of being unrecognizable, were occasionally jabbed in the ribs, forced to continue working without rest.

“The decent soldiers died in Mayard. The remaining ones are probably in major cities or at the borders of other countries.”

The soldiers had entered Felius territory, and the Saria Battalion had experienced five major and minor battles, winning them all. It was said that the total death toll for the entire battalion was less than 100.

The battalion, now divided into company-sized units, was systematically plundering the surrounding villages, stripping Felius of its national strength. Naturally, the Saria soldiers were enjoying their share of the spoils.

“It’s great, thanks to that, we can take whatever we want. We couldn’t get our hands on decent stuff or women in Mayard. In Felius, plundering and taking women aren’t punished.”

The man stroked the surface of a ring, one of the looted items. Since they invaded Felius, the Saria soldiers’ meals had become richer, and many soldiers were wearing luxury items not befitting their status.

“I remember when some guys in Mayard couldn’t hold back and got whipped. Stupid fellows.”

The soldier sneered.

“The food here is good, and the women they have are so pleasant to hold.”

In Mayard and Highserk, skinny women were common, and many had rough skin and hair. The women the soldiers got their hands on in Felius were superior in comparison.

“That’s right. I get too carried away sometimes. It hurts from doing it too much.”

The man rubbed his groin, eliciting ridicule from his companions.

“Yours is too soft, man. Look at mine.”

“Ha, where is it? Can’t see it, it’s so small.”

“Put that filthy thing away already.”

A soldier, a bit removed from the conversation, spoke up.

“It’s about time we move to the next village. We’ve taken everything we can here.”

“When Canoa fell, I wondered what would happen to us, but victory is the best. I’m glad I joined the Highserk army.”

The soldier had been a prisoner of the Highserk army during the Canoa campaign, spared from being killed, released after four months of physical labor, and enlisted in the Highserk army.

The surrounding soldiers had similar backgrounds. Soldiers who had only known defeat were now intoxicated by the sweet taste of victory.

While the soldiers continued their banter, they were abruptly silenced. A blinding flash of light followed, and a huge explosion occurred in a corner of the village.

When the dust cleared, a watchtower and a shed where soldiers had been staying lay in ruins.

“What was that light?!”

“The Talus squad and the tower were blown away.”

As relaxed as they were, the frontline soldiers reacted quickly. They put on their highest priority armor and investigated the cause of the explosion.

“It’s an attack!! There’s a magic user using large-scale magic!”

From a corner of the village, voices alerted to the situation.

“Damn, they’ve even gotten inside the village…”

The soldiers who had been chatting rushed to engage the enemy.

“Some decent soldiers were left after all.”

From the faintly visible shadows, the soldiers realized that the enemy was well-equipped. Fully armored from foot to head, these were not roughly assembled militia but well-trained regular soldiers.

“Be careful of friendly fire.”

“These guys are different from the soldiers we’ve faced before.”

After their vanguard was swiftly defeated, the experienced soldiers of the Highserk army found themselves in an extraordinary situation. Despite being taken by surprise, it was unusual for them to be overwhelmed so quickly.

“Damn, Tarkin’s squad got wiped out.”

“These guys… they’re not Felius soldiers, they’re from Crest.”

“What’s happening? Even for Crest, this is too one-sided.”

Crest was one of the mid-tier countries in the vicinity. Having never bordered Highserk before, they were an unknown and inexperienced enemy. However, the Highserk soldiers cursed as they saw their comrades fall one after another.

“It’s no joke. They’re the Crest’s Rehazen Knights. They’ve joined forces.”

Crest had two armies: a militia composed of part-time soldiers and a knight order comprised of warriors who had served for generations. In the Highserk region, the existence of knights was known, but Crest’s knights were feared for their exceptional strength among neighboring countries.

“It takes more than ten of us to bring down just one knight.”

One soldier, who attempted to strike a knight, was sliced along with his shield, while another was gutted by a war hammer.

“Their physical ability and magical power are on a different level. And there are too many with skills.”

Facing the knight order in direct combat put the well-renowned Highserk soldiers at a disadvantage even with equal numbers. Furthermore, with the element of surprise, coupled with consecutive large-scale magic attacks, their formation and command system had been completely disrupted.

“We’re abandoning the village. Leave everything except what you can carry.”

An experienced platoon leader decided to retreat independently, assuming that their company commander had already been killed in the initial assault.

“Damn, just when we gathered all this loot.”

“Death is a worse alternative. Leave the knights to the Jeyf Cavalry Battalion or the Reglia Battalion.”

The mentioned units were among the strongest in the Highserk Empire Army. They played key roles in the victory over Mayard, including defeating Winston Mayard.

Once the direction for retreat was set, the platoon charged towards a section of the encirclement. The number of knights was limited, and the regular Felius soldiers were not much different in capability.

A Highserk soldier, who killed two Crest soldiers with a spear, was confident they could break through the siege. Suddenly, a young man with black hair and eyes appeared in his path.

“Resistance is futile. Give up.”

“Get out of the way, kid.”

The young soldier seemed inexperienced, and his ornate armor felt out of place. The Highserk soldier, trying to intimidate him, aimed his spear at the boy’s throat.

“Wait, he is—”

Before his comrades could warn him about the heightened magical energy they perceived, the young man’s sword burst into light.

“What, the light—!!”

Engulfed in a brilliant explosion, the Highserk soldier lost consciousness and never regained it.

The Saria Battalion suffered a massive blow, with three of their detached companies decimated while foraging for supplies, resulting in 700 missing or unreturned soldiers.