Surviving as a Low-Ranking Soldier in a Trash Game

Chapter 86 : Chapter 86

Chapter 86

War creates many refugees.

And for refugees in the Mergan Kingdom, reality is harsh.

People who fled the terror of war are handed a worn-out weapon and pushed back onto the battlefield.

Most of those driven to the front lines fight to survive, only to meet a miserable end.

Even if they survive today, there is no guarantee they will live until their mandatory service period is over.

The only compensation they receive for living in fear day after day is a meager salary.

Even a beggar in a damp alleyway is likely better off than a refugee soldier.

And yet, it is absurd how, upon death, they are hailed as heroes who saved the nation and treated as citizens.

If there is a silver lining, it is that soldiers who die on the battlefield, whether native citizens or refugees, are enshrined in the national cemetery.

And Theo, who lost an arm in his first operation and his life in the second, was also laid to rest in the national cemetery.

"...There are so many people."

It was wartime, so there were bound to be many casualties.

With many casualties, there were bound to be many bereaved families visiting the national cemetery.

I had thought there would be fewer visitors today because of the pouring rain, but it seemed a downpour of this magnitude could not stop the hearts of people who missed their departed families.

A middle-aged woman in a black suit, holding a black umbrella, passed by and gave a nod.

I returned the nod and checked my own attire.

My usual military uniform.

If I had known, I would have worn a military dress uniform.

At the cemetery entrance, children with grimy faces were selling white flowers.

I bought a flower from them and made my way through the crowd to a grave located in a corner.

"..."

This was my second time here.

Every time I came, the image of his back as he sacrificed his arm to save me came vividly to mind.

Two flowers were placed in front of the tombstone.

Judging by the different conditions of the flowers, it seemed either one person had visited at regular intervals, or two different people had come and gone.

I neatly placed another flower next to them.

I felt grateful, but I did not know what to say.

In the first place, I had never mourned anyone before.

I just stood there blankly for about ten minutes and then turned around.

Only then did I feel the hunger.

Remembering that I had not eaten anything today, I thought I should grab a bite to eat first. I had walked a few steps when I saw a familiar face.

"...Lirisa?"

She was standing blankly in front of a tombstone, looking up at the sky.

Why was she here?

I was curious, but the atmosphere was such that I felt I should not speak to her.

‘Come to think of it, Lirisa said all of her family died while fleeing, and only her younger brother was left. So, this must be the grave of her departed family... No, that doesn't make sense.’

Only soldiers who died fighting for the kingdom could be enshrined in this national cemetery.

Those who died while fleeing could not be.

My breath caught in my throat.

Lirisa's noticeably strange behavior recently flashed through my mind.

A cold drop of water that had seeped through the cheap umbrella touched the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

Lirisa, who had been standing blankly in front of the tombstone, wandered off somewhere, just as she had when she first left the airship.

Like someone possessed, I headed toward the grave where Lirisa had been standing.

I looked at the white flowers placed in front of the tombstone, then raised my head and read the name inscribed on it.

"Karsa Johan..."

Karsa.

It was the name of her brother, which she had told me once.

* * *

"Rian, you're back?"

"...Yeah."

"I saw some nice gloves while I was shopping earlier. I checked them out, and they felt good and had good anti-slip properties, so I bought a pair. Here, take them."

"...Thanks."

It was uncomfortable.

This situation was so uncomfortable that I wanted to run away.

It had been like this for a few days now, but Lirisa was pouring her heart and soul into me, to the point where it seemed excessive.

At first, I did not know why, but now I had a vague idea.

Lirisa's brother was also a refugee, so he was conscripted as a soldier and died on the battlefield.

After her brother, the driving force that allowed the kind-hearted Lirisa to endure the harsh battlefield, died.

I wondered if she was projecting her brother onto me, who was two years younger, so she would not break down.

"I'm back!"

Just then, a savior appeared to change this unbearable atmosphere.

Selina, in a more energetic state than usual, jumped onto the deck with a powerful leap.

When our eyes met, she smiled brightly and shouted.

"All members of Unit 917, assemble on the deck without exception!"

"..."

Lirisa and I stared at Selina in silence.

The crew members who were passing by also glanced at Selina out of the corners of their eyes.

That was it.

The rest of the unit members were nowhere to be seen.

Only then did she seem to notice something was wrong, and her face turned slightly red as she made an awkward expression.

"Um... Isn't today the last day of vacation?"

"That's right."

"So..."

"They'll all probably be back late tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"Then... what should we do?"

Selina looked around, as if in a difficult situation.

I wondered what on earth she was doing, but it did not take long to realize the reason.

"Senior... I really...! I'm going to die at this rate!"

A young woman I had never seen before climbed onto the deck, sweating like rain.

The woman, who leaned against the railing with a pained expression and panted for a long time, glared at Selina with resentful eyes.

"You know my stamina is weak, so if you run like that, what am I supposed to do?"

"Ah, I'm sorry."

When Selina smiled awkwardly and bowed her head, the woman's heart seemed to soften, and she smiled faintly.

I wondered who she was and was staring at her when our eyes met in mid-air.

She seemed very flustered and fidgeted, but then she composed herself and bowed her head.

However, she did not introduce herself separately.

I do not know if it was because of her personality or for some other reason, but Selina spoke up on her behalf.

"This is my junior, Liaran. I called her because of the Leviathan's Tooth we got this time."

"Ah... right. You wouldn't be able to bestow mana on yourself."

What magicians can extract from a mana source is only mana.

However, the most valuable part of the processed Leviathan's Tooth is not the mana, but the trait called Consciousness Connection.

To receive this benefit, the fostering system is mandatory.

In Selina's case, she is a magician and a hero who benefits from the fostering system, so she could awaken the Consciousness Connection Authority if she wanted to.

However, since she cannot bestow mana on herself, she requested help from another magician like this.

The problem was that Selina, in her excitement, had miscalculated the date.

"What should we do? Should I assemble the unit members?"

"...Liaran, can I ask you again tomorrow?"

Selina spoke cautiously, as if she were sorry.

Then, Liaran shook her head so violently that I wondered if she would collapse from dizziness.

"No way. Absolutely not! I have to leave for the Empire later today for work. Why don't you find another magician instead?"

"Liaran, I don't have any friends."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

It seemed that finding a magician to bestow mana was not an easy task.

Well, magicians are few in number, and even those few would be wandering the battlefields.

It would not be easy to meet a magician whose vacation date and location happened to overlap.

Even if they did meet, there was no guarantee that the other person would willingly bestow mana.

In a situation like this, Selina should make a bold decision, but the Selina who cherished her soldiers so much would choose to hire a new magician, even if it meant not disturbing their vacation and spending time and money.

As someone who had received a lot of help from Selina, it was not difficult for me to play the role of the bad guy once.

I activated the communicator.

"This is First Squad Field Commander Rian Kaltz. The vacation is suspended as of this time. All personnel, return to the airship."

"Rian?!"

Selina, startled by my sudden action, jumped and screamed, but an affirmative answer had already come from the communicator.

"It's a rare vacation... It's too mean to the soldiers."

"A vacation is good, but this is more important."

"That's... true."

Selina, although her heart was uncomfortable, knew what should be prioritized, so she just fidgeted and did not say anything else.

Time passed.

Starting with Latia, who was enjoying a meal nearby, the soldiers began to gather one by one.

When everyone had gathered, Selina brought the Leviathan's Tooth that had been carefully stored in the warehouse and handed it to Liaran.

"Senior, I'm suddenly nervous. This is my first time bestowing magic on multiple people at once. What if I make a mistake?"

"Liaran, just do as you learned."

"Okay..."

She began the ritual hesitantly, as if she had no confidence.

First, she began to draw a large magic circle on the floor.

She kept glancing at a piece of paper she had taken out of her pocket, so I suspect it was a cheat sheet with the correct answer written on it.

All the members of Unit 917, including myself and Selina, stood on the completed magic circle.

Liaran focused her mind and began to guide the flow of mana.

The mana, which began from the Leviathan's Tooth in her hand, flowed through the magic circle and rotated, sweeping through the bodies of the Unit 917 members.

'...?'

I felt a strange sensation that I had never experienced before.

A sensation that tickled the inside of my head, not unpleasant, but not entirely pleasant either.

I was not the only one feeling it; everyone was silent, but they all had similar expressions.

A little more time passed.

The Leviathan's Tooth completely shattered.

"Um... it's over."

Liaran spoke cautiously, watching our reactions.

She did not seem to be able to tell if she had succeeded or failed.

"Ugh...!"

Selina closed her eyes, frowned, and groaned.

I had a rough idea of what she was doing.

She was probably trying to use the Authority once to check for success or failure.

However, Selina could not use the Authority.

Liran's expression, which had been anxious watching Selina just groan without producing any results, gradually darkened.

The other unit members were the same.

They tried hard to use the Authority, but no one succeeded in telepathy.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Liaran, thinking she had failed, bowed her head with teary eyes.

I closed my eyes.

And I concentrated.

An Authority, unlike a skill in an online game, is not activated just by shouting its name or clicking a hotkey.

It can only be used if the user knows exactly how to use it.

And I knew how to use this telepathy.

[Can you hear me well?]

"...!"

"Wh-what!"

"Kyaa!"

The unit members showed their individual reactions and focused their attention on me.

A total of eight people, including Selina.

Seeing that no one was missing, it seemed there was no need to use the Eye of the Dragon to check each one in front of a magician from another unit.

They just did not know how to use it, but the telepathy Authority was applied properly.