Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 93

“We somehow managed to win?”

Walm, who had remained at the supporting castle, was observing the battle situation from atop the remnants of a corner tower. The frontline that had been at a stalemate collapsed in an instant, falling apart with noise like a stack of blocks that had lost its foundation.

The Dalimarcus Family, capitalizing on the confusion and openings caused by the battle at the supporting castle, did not miss their chance. The Meizenaf Family, on the other hand, could not withstand a full-scale counterattack with all its forces.

The group left behind, turning into a suicide squad, continued to resist, maintaining enough organizational strength to prevent a complete collapse. Total annihilation was now impossible, but it was certain that more than half of the remaining soldiers would be killed, wounded, or captured.

When returning to their own territory, combined with the remaining forces, the Dalimarcus Alliance would likely be evenly matched with Meizenaf, but they could no longer launch attacks like in this battle. They would be immobilized by various reparations.

The lords of the Archipelago Countries were not mad enough to dedicate their states, territories, or families to war, nor had they lost their restraint and calculation.

The peaceful war was over. Even in such a battle, Walm had played its worst hand.

The pain in his eyes had subsided with eye drops, but he had lost a quarter of his sight. Without a doubt, the eye drops would run out within a year.

Above all, by using the Demon Fire, he had committed the despised act of killing allies, even abhorred within the northern fighting styles. Abandoning them would have been far more merciful.

For the sake of self-preservation, Walm had concealed and partially refused to offer his skills to assist his allies. It was an unforgivable act of treachery. Despite his efforts to keep them hidden to the end, his calculations had led him to scorch the battlefield for his own survival.

Regardless of the Empire’s restoration, the Highserk troops, or the young soldiers, Wurm chose who to kill. There was no doubt that it was also Walm who had led those who, despite being fatally wounded, had believed in their survival to the gates of the underworld.

After quietly glancing over the battlefield, he poured out some liquor he had carried with him and clasped his hands together. He was aware that this act was merely to alleviate his own guilt. Grabbing a pack of cigarettes, Walm lit them all at once. He believed the soldiers would’ve preferred the smoky scent to the stench of the battlefield right now.

Leaving one cigarette aside, Walm brought it tremblingly to his mouth. He could not rely on alcohol. The smoke he inhaled slowly filled his lungs and was slowly exhaled as purple smoke, which drifted into the void, merging with the black smoke from the lingering fires left by the Demon Fire.

“…I must search for them.”

With strong resolve, Walm headed towards a corner where the wounded had been gathered. Whether the boys had managed to escape from the enemy soldiers and the Demon Fire, Walm did not know.

Remaining at the supporting castle were a few dozen soldiers, along with others who had suffered severe to minor injuries. Among the lined-up wounded, many had already passed away.

Those who had lost limbs, those whose bandages seeped dark blood, the boundary between the living and the dead was terribly ambiguous, and the familiar stench was a thick odor of death that his deranged sanity forced him to suppress.

Taking a step forward, Walm felt a shock at his ankle. It was the hand of an injured soldier who had been bedridden and immobile.

“Hey you. Water… give me some water.”

His burned skin, charred hair, and soot stuck to him told the story of what had happened to him. His heart tightened, and his shoulders trembled. Walm, suppressing these feelings, took out a water flask.

“I’ll give you a drink now. Can you sit up?”

“No, just this is fine.”

He tilted the flask to the soldier’s lips, who eagerly drank its contents. Looking at his face, Walm recognized him. He was a magic user who wielded Earth attribute magic and had been in the same corner tower as Walm until the first assault.

“Do you need more?”

“Pour it over my head too, it feels terrible.”

Walm refilled the flask with water magic and poured it over the man until he was satisfied.

“How about a cigarette?”

“Yeah.”

Walm pressed the cigarette he was holding to the soldier’s lips. The soldier drew in a deep breath and exhaled vigorously, breaking into laughter.

“Hah, hahaha, I’m lucky, really. Annoying superiors, unpleasant colleagues, all killed. I was supposed to be next. The enemy soldier, his eyes gleaming, was about to thrust his sword at me when those blue flames burned everything. It was hot, seared. But for me, it was the last chance. I ran, I fled. Moreover, I got to drink the water I wanted and smoke a cigarette. It hurts like hell, but other than that, it’s not too bad.”

The soldier, having said that, slumped, his strength leaving him as he muttered softly.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah…”

Was that gratitude for the water and the cigarette, or was it for the fact that Walm had burned everything with his demon fire? Words stuck in his throat, but he didn’t dare to ask.

Staggering on unsteady feet, he finally found what he had been searching for. The halberd he was holding slipped from his fingers. He didn’t want to see it, didn’t want to admit it. They were lying there side by side, the ones he had marched with before. His eyes that should have been murky were distressingly clear. The scorched skin had been seared by Walm’s hand. Unforgettable.

“Why did you have to die?”

Had he not known them, they would have been just bodies among many. But Walm knew them. He knew what kind of people they were, what circumstances they had faced to join in this battle.

The once loud but innocent mouth did not move, nor did it weave any words. Walm collapsed to his knees. He tried to stand up, but his strength failed him.

It was hard to admit. Words of regret leaked out. He grasped at the ground, scraping away the sand. It was real. This was reality.

“Why? It just looks like he’s sleeping…”

Walm clutched his head and then discarded Saverlia. It made a high-pitched noise as it rolled on the ground, and the hip guard clattered noisily.

“Can’t you be quiet for once?”

Walm raised his voice, and as he reached to support his hips, the corpse in front of him rose up. His breath caught, and scenes of his homeland flashed before his eyes. Was he going to have to kill his acquaintances a second time?

Instinctively, Walm’s hand slipped from the mask to the dagger, and he drew it out, but then he froze again.

“Walm, what are you doing?”

The corpse spoke. No, it wasn’t a corpse. It was nothing so troublesome. Karim and Kuwen had just survived the battlefield.

This time, Walm completely lost his strength and sprawled out his limbs like a child, crying disgracefully.

“Damn it, why are you two sleeping here of all places?! Have you lost your minds?!”

“I dragged Kuwen here and had the healing mage check him out. The mage said he was out of danger. Then everyone around was cheering that we had won the battle, so I let my guard down and we took a rest here,” Karim explained the situation to Walm. While Walm understood the situation, it was still too nonchalant for his liking. It was something he couldn’t imagine doing himself.

“Eh, you thought we were dead?”

Kuwen, who had been listening, now understood the situation and asked Walm with a foolish expression and tone.

“Yeah, that’s right. Look around, it’s a mountain of corpses everywhere. It’d be weird if someone around here wasn’t dead,” Walm protested.

Karim chuckled lightly.

“It wasn’t intentional, you know.”

“Well, try doing it intentionally, and I’ll kick your ass,” Walm retorted.

The young men, true to their age, began to laugh heartily. Walm, caught by their laughter, joined in.

In the midst of war, and surrounded by a mountain of corpses, it was incredibly inappropriate, but there was no longer any room for restraint. After all, Walm felt somewhat relieved by the boys’ laughter.

Translator – Lyxxna