NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
“Goddamnit!!!”
“First Platoon Commander! Why all of a sudden… Could it be, Lumina?”
Bella’s expression turned to shock as she quickly assessed the situation.
I clenched my teeth. The problem was that I had underestimated the penalty of the trait too lightly.
Even knowing about the terrifying trait of desertion in combat, I had just left her behind.
It was entirely my mistake.
This wasn’t intentional desertion. It was easy for me to guess that she might have panicked.
Even if she didn’t have any special trauma like Lumina, people often did under such conditions during an operation.
In a situation where bullets were flying, comrades were dying in front of them, and enemy blades were flashing, anyone could suffer mental stress or shock, regardless of gender or age.
And every time this happened, those with weak mental strength would abandon their posts and flee, whether they were soldiers or officers.
“Cursed…”
However, at this moment, I couldn’t rush after Lumina recklessly.
Even with Bella Meyer’s magic holding us together, the situation was becoming more chaotic by the second, and I couldn’t leave my position either.
Bang! Bang!!
“Gah!!”
“Die! Die!!”
Soldiers rose up and thrust their bayonets. Thieves who were pierced by the sharp blades fell to the ground, but other thieves retaliated by swinging their weapons.
Our casualties were also heavy. Lumina’s flare spell was gradually losing power and falling.
‘If darkness falls, then from that point on, it will truly become hell.’
Thanks to the flare spell, at least we could distinguish friend from foe.
If that flame that illuminated the sky were to fade, the battlefield, already in chaos, would surely plunge deeper into turmoil.
‘Then…!’
I looked at the gradually fading flames. Even though I had successfully cast Fireball, I could still do it. Doesn’t this mean I definitely have magical ability?
My stats are maxed out, especially as a Magic Officer, my combat power is also maxed out.
I pulled myself together again. First, I needed to solve the immediate problem before my eyes, and then I would deal with Lumina.
I understood the structure of the spell. I drew out the essence of elementary magic that I had read for two days straight from my brain.
“Activation.”
I awakened the dormant magic core. My heart pounded as mana surged out like a dam breaking, spreading throughout my body.
I controlled my breathing and analyzed the structure of the still illuminating flare spell in the sky.
Flare.
A red magic spell. Not explosive, but a brightly shining flame in the sky. A light to guide the way in the dark battlefield.
Whoosh!!
As soon as I recalled it, a bright flame erupted before my eyes. A distinctly different red from a Fireball.
Having successfully cast the spell, I forcefully threw the flame towards the sky.
“…?!”
As if by magic, the surroundings became as bright as midday.
“What is this!?”
Lumina’s flare was already very bright, but the one I created was not just a simple light source. The sky turned navy blue.
The dimly spread darkness was suddenly swept away, drastically changing the battlefield environment.
“This is…?”
Bella Meyer turned around in disbelief, but even the person who had deployed the magic was equally surprised.
“Solar Prominence?! You used that for lighting!?”
“We can talk later. For now, let’s support the front line!”
I had blocked the vision from being obscured.
But only that.
The Fourth Platoon led by Lieutenant Ivan was slowly pushed back by the relentless onslaught of thieves. Although they managed to hold them off temporarily, it seemed inevitable that the defensive line would be breached.
“Hahaha!! Guiding our own path! Very grateful, mage lady!”
The bandit leader’s axe felled a soldier. As the subordinate officer rushed to control the scene after witnessing his death,
Bang!!
“Guh-?!”
“Protect the captain! We’ll break through the encirclement by forging a path forward!!”
The bandits guarding him weren’t going to stand idly by. After a brief moment of panic, they approached with confident expressions. They were now at the point where they could reach us at any moment.
‘I’ve practiced magic a little bit, but… Can I really control it properly?’
Just as I was carefully weighing the risk of our forces getting involved and the need to eliminate the bandits,
“Reserve troops have arrived! Support!”
Someone’s shout echoed. Followed by a dazzling purple flash piercing through the front line.
Zap!
“These useless bastards.”
A man standing firmly with daggers in both hands appeared on the electrified ground.
“What!?”
“Why did you choose to attack a perfectly fine fortress on my leave day?”
The familiar silhouette and unique voice.
Soon, Bella Meyer’s eyebrows twisted oddly as she began to withdraw the mana she had deployed.
“Bella Sergeant? What are you doing?!”
“If that man is here, then the battle is already won. It’s disappointing, but my magic would only be a hindrance right now.”
Only then did I realize who the man in front of me was.
“Captain Claude Rain…?”
“Commander, take a look. This man acts recklessly, yet he hasn’t been discharged from the military.”
Claude gripped the dagger tightly.
“That bastard!!”
A thief who had just killed a non-commissioned officer lunged with a bayonet, but it was actually the thief who bled, not Claude.
“Guh, guk-!!”
The thief collapsed, spewing blood, while a faint electric current lingered on the blade of the dagger.
“Partizan!”
“Romain!!! You bastard! I won’t let you get away with this!!”
The giant bandit leader roared in anger over the death of his subordinate, swinging his axe. The deafening roar echoed across the night sky, and at the same time, Claude’s figure vanished from view.
“…huh?”
Without realizing it, I blurted out a stupid remark. The bandit leader froze in place, axe raised.
Like a toy doll separating, his large head rolled down along his shoulder.
“Damn, his annoyingly loud voice is filthy.”
Claude, who had suddenly appeared, wiped the blood from his hand with a scowl.
Even after sending two people off in the blink of an eye, he acted as if it was no big deal.
‘The Thunder Killer.’
One of Captain Claude’s titles that I could confirm from the unit management screen.
I wondered what it meant… but now he was showing a frightening side that suited the nickname perfectly.
“The boss was taken out in one blow…?”
“T-Tartulk brother!”
With the boss dead, the morale of the bandits plummeted. The Okhrain army did not miss this opportunity.
Bang! Bang!!
“Pursue relentlessly! Don’t let a single one of those bandits escape!!”
Furthermore, reinforcements that entered alongside Claude were joining in one by one from the rear.
“Third Platoon! Now is the time! Push them hard!!”
Lieutenant Ivan’s platoon also began to strongly pressure the bandit group, quickly turning the tide of battle.
Bandits scattered like fallen leaves, losing their center of gravity.
Even those who had broken through the defensive line were falling one by one as they were hit by bullets.
‘We’ve won.’
I let out a sigh of relief, but then I remembered something I had forgotten.
“Right! Lumina…”
I hurriedly turned my head to check the direction she was in. Although it was clear a moment ago, I could see traces of someone rushing through the bushes.
“Sergeant Bella, I entrust the cleanup to you!”
“What? Commander?!”
“We need to bring back Sergeant Lumina!”
A flustered cry came from behind, but I don’t even have time to respond. With the boss gone, the bandits would be easily defeated in no time. It was only natural that they would be surrounded and eliminated after being stopped when they tried to break through with determination.
So, during this time, I had to put Lumina back in her place before any other support troops or even the main force arrived.
Desertion during an operation?
That’s absurd.
‘This is a major incident that could cost me my life!’
I poured out my bitter thoughts and started racing through the forest in the middle of the night.
*
My head felt like it was about to explode. Everything in front of me was white, and I couldn’t tell where I was going.
Lumina Blue.
She was simply running. Until the sound of gunfire faded away. Until screams and desperate cries no longer reached her ears.
Thump!
“Aah!!”
She was stopped by a branch sticking out of the ground as she fell into a panic. She hadn’t noticed it as she ran recklessly.
Lumina tumbled onto the grass, tasting the bitterness of dirt in her mouth.
Even after falling, she couldn’t regain her composure. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the sky.
It was so bright that she momentarily thought it was daytime.
A huge flame floated in the air.
It wasn’t just a simple flare. It felt almost as large as the sun.
“Oh my God…”
There aren’t many people in the Third Battalion, which is full of talented individuals, who can manifest magic at this level.
And even less so in the midst of a battle raging on the front lines.
“Could it be, Captain Enok?”
As soon as she thought of that name, Lumina realized what she had done.
Unauthorized departure during an operation.
Depending on the circumstances, it could be punishable by summary execution, a serious crime.
Her mind, which had been flipped just moments ago, went cold. Goosebumps ran up her spine.
“Ah, ah…”
Panicked, she couldn’t make proper judgments. Lumina Blue quickly got up from her seat.
The battle was still raging. If she returned quickly now, it might not be a big problem.
However,
“What is that? Wait…? Hey, wait a minute.”
She turned her head reflexively at the voice coming from nearby. Her purple eyes focused on a suspicious black-robed group.
“…”
“………”
The eyes of the person standing at the farthest back met Lumina’s directly. His eyes were not the gaze of an ordinary person.
The eyes of a killer who has taken lives.
Amidst the silence that followed, Lumina froze like an animal that had encountered a predator.
“Who are you…?”
She forced herself to speak, but the robed figures did not respond.
They exchanged glances briefly.
“Seeing us means you must die.”
“Leave it to me.”
They charged directly at Lumina.