Chapter 61

As is the case with almost all wars.

This war left an indelible scar on Ahinlab Fortress.

Numerous airships were destroyed to the point of being unusable, there were countless casualties, and the wails of those who had lost their husbands and fathers echoed day and night.

The castle walls had crumbled, the supplies needed for battle had run out, and the fields ripe with golden grain had been burned.

And the guardian of Ahinlab Fortress, Derak Dman, had fallen in battle.

They had won a great victory, but all that was left in their hands was ashes.

This was the brutal reality left by the war.

However, it was also impossible not to honor Derak Dman, who had sacrificed himself for Ahinlab's victory.

Scraping together what little resources they had, a grand funeral was held for the fallen, including Derak Dman.

Even though it was late at night, the streets were filled with light, and dirges honoring the fallen warriors played ceaselessly.

Sergel, who was personally burying the empty coffin because they couldn't even find a body due to the explosion, had a face that was forcing back tears.

It seemed that if someone were to nudge him from the side, he would burst like a broken dam.

There was no one beside Sergel.

Not to mention me, a lowly soldier, even Selina, the commander of a unit, did not have the right to stand by the new Count Dman's side.

From now on, Sergel would have to fight a lonely battle.

That was the responsibility given to those who stood above others.

Sergel did not shed a single tear until the very end.

And the next day.

Sergel came to the barracks of Unit 917 with a surprisingly composed face.

“First, I must apologize to the commander. Because of me, a vacancy has once again opened up in Unit 917.”

“An apology is out of the question. In this chaotic war, it is very common for the members of a unit to change.”

Selina's expression, as she said that, was not bright either.

Still, one could say that Sergel had graduated from the unit in a rather ideal way.

To put it bluntly, at least he wasn't sent to the funeral home in a cart with a two-rank promotion.

“I heard you are leaving for the capital today.”

“That's right. We can't keep draining Ahinlab's food and supplies forever.”

“I would like to say that you are welcome to stay as long as you like…. But the reality that I cannot is so sad. I can only thank you for your consideration.”

Still, Unit 917 had suffered relatively little damage.

In severe cases, some units had their airships half-destroyed and had to stay in Ahinlab for at least a month for repairs.

To those who had risked their lives to fight for the endangered Ahinlab Fortress, it was impossible to say, "Fix your broken airships with your own supplies."

Ahinlab's economy, which had to be responsible for their accommodation and food, as well as the repair of the airships, would be in a major slump for a while.

“If I get the chance, I will ask the nobles in the capital to support Ahinlab.”

“Thank you…. Since the commander is being so considerate of me, I cannot just accept everything you give. Commander. From now on, Ahinlab will sponsor Unit 917.”

“Sponsor?”

“Yes. Of course, we cannot give you much until Ahinlab's economy stabilizes…. The Trace of the Dragon Vein. If you just request it, we will provide it to you at the wholesale price, and with the highest priority. I would like to provide it for free, but I hope you understand my position in not being able to do so.”

“That alone is enough.”

Selina said with wide eyes.

A person who didn't know much might think, "Is that all?" but as the commander of a unit, Selina was well aware of the value of Sergel's offer.

The current war between White Hero and the Alliance was not only a power struggle at the forefront, but also had quite a few local battles occurring nationwide.

The biggest reason for the local battles was the source of mana.

The more mana sources one acquired, the stronger one could nurture their units, and the more units with great power, the stronger the faction's power would become, and the tide of the war would turn.

Mana had a very wide range of uses.

First, it was needed for mages to use magic, in the case of large cities, mana was used for most of the infrastructure, and mana was also needed to nurture not only heroes but also knights.

As a result, it was common for supply to not be able to keep up with demand.

Although the supply price was somewhat fixed due to the Empire's policy, for that very reason, a mana source was an item that could not be obtained even with money.

Being able to receive a stable supply of that mana source would lead to the rapid growth of the unit.

“I won't refuse your kindness. I'm a greedy person who wants to grow Unit 917 into the best unit in the Alliance as quickly as possible.”

“It will surely happen.”

Sergel, who nodded to Selina who was smiling broadly, unable to contain her joy, gave me his gaze.

A slightly more serious gaze than when he was dealing with Selina stared straight into my eyes.

“I have something to say to the field commander.”

Despite being a person who would soon become Count Dman, he still called me a field commander and did not spare the honorifics.

“What is it?”

It seemed that changing my attitude now would make the picture strange, so I answered as usual, and a slight smile formed on Sergel's lips.

“Field commander. It was a short period, but I learned a lot from you.”

“……?”

“Did you know? When a battle occurred, I never once saw the field commander's face. You always showed us only your back.”

“……”

“Come to think of it, my father was like that, and my brother was like that too. I also want to become such a commander. Although I cannot meet the other two, I would like to show you my grown self someday, field commander.”

I thought he was just a blunt person who was not good with words, but he had this side to him too.

Somehow.

It was embarrassing.

It wasn't that I took the lead to be an example to them.

It wasn't that I fought the enemy at the very front to protect my subordinates.

It was just my own way of surviving, but to think it would be evaluated like this.

I felt like I had committed a fraud and couldn't help but avoid his gaze.

Sergel extended his hand to me for a handshake.

My conscience hurt.

But I couldn't ignore it, so I took the hand he offered.

“Please be sure to visit Ahinlab someday. I will protect Ahinlab safely until then.”

* * *

At Selina's suggestion, Unit 917 decided to stay in the capital of the kingdom.

There were two reasons.

One was the replacement of the airship.

Unit 917, which had made a considerable contribution in this war, received a lot of support funds from the kingdom, and Selina, after much deliberation, chose to upgrade the airship.

“We can't get mana sources just because we have money. Ahinlab won't be able to supply us with Traces of the Dragon Vein until it stabilizes to some extent. But we can't just let the money sit and rot, so let's invest in an airship.”

…That was Selina's argument, and I thought it was a fairly reasonable one.

Since the parts they already had were new, it was meaningless to upgrade to a higher version.

Therefore, they decided to sell the existing ultra-small airship and use the money to purchase a small airship.

The construction was carried out by attaching the parts used in the existing airship to a general-purpose small airship of the Alliance, not a custom-made one, so the expected construction period was about 2 weeks.

And another thing.

The second reason was that as they upgraded the airship to a small one, the maximum capacity for personnel had increased, so they needed to recruit additional soldiers.

“Rian.”

“…At this point, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?”

As before, Selina clearly had a poor concept of time.

Early in the morning.

Even before the first rooster crowed, Selina appeared, knocking on the door with the force to break it down.

Byan, who was using the same lodging as me, was startled and sat up, causing a disaster where he rolled off the bed.

But Selina, who opened the door and burst in, said what she had to say without a hint of apology.

“Please get ready to go out. There is a place we need to go now.”

“…I'm sure there is.”

By now, it was too much of a bother to even explain to her about etiquette.

It seemed that no matter how much I talked, it would just be like reading the scriptures to a deaf ear.

In the end, I just threw on some clothes and was dragged out like a criminal being taken away by the police.

If there was one thing different from usual, it was that Byan had suddenly become an accomplice and was being taken away with me.

“What is this…. I need to do my morning training….”

“Give it up, Byan. This is our commander, impulsive, unplanned, and dragging her soldiers into it.”

“……”

Byan, with a shocked face, and I walked for about 30 minutes and arrived at the bustling eastern part of the capital.

Although it was wartime, it was still the capital of the kingdom, and since it was in the rear, the faces of the people passing by were full of life.

Young children spotted us and saluted with a full of mischief.

Selina also smiled and returned the salute.

At her more energetic smile than usual, a question slipped out of my mouth without going through my brain.

“Do you like children?”

“Um…. I don't.”

I had expected a positive answer, of course.

The answer was unexpected.

As the children burst into lively laughter and moved away, Selina gave a bitter smile and quickened her pace.

“They're loud, they act as they please…. And most of all, they are forgiven for everything just because they are children.”

“That's natural because they're immature.”

“…Still. I really hate it.”

Selina's expression as she muttered that was hard to describe, but it looked very complicated.

After walking a little further down the street, I saw a long wall.

And people lining up in a long line along the wall.

Every one of them was dressed in shabby clothes, their skin was chapped, and they had gloomy faces.

The kingdom's soldiers stood around them with indifferent faces.

“…Ah.”

A forgotten memory came to mind.

“I'm about to get PTSD.”

“What's that?”

“…There's something. Something that Selina, the noble, and Byan, the volunteer, wouldn't know….”

“……?”

Even with a look of incomprehension, Selina did not stop walking.

We didn't stand in line and went straight to the entrance.

It was cutting in line, but no one stopped us, and they didn't even show any signs of discomfort.

It was a matter of course.

Because everyone here was not standing in line because they wanted to.

“Why am I in a place like this….”

“I ran away because I hated the war. But it ends up like this.”

Just listening to the murmurs made my energy drain.

People who cursed the war, White Hero, and the kingdom.

Their identity was refugees.

I too was in the same situation as them until recently, so I could fully understand their feelings.

“This way.”

Selina passed through the main gate and headed to a room inside the building.

There were two men in the room.

One was standing at attention with a sharp military discipline, and the other was leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed.

His short red hair seemed to be engulfed in flames, and although he had a slender build, I could tell that he had quite a solid muscle hidden under his military uniform.

His eyes were sharp, but one was covered by an eyepatch.

“…Hmm?”

The man who had been sitting raised his head.

Naturally, his eyes met ours, who were standing at the entrance.

“Uh….”

Selina was very flustered.

Selina, who was fidgeting with her side hair as if embarrassed, opened her mouth.

“Brother…. Why are you here?”