I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Understanding Warfare

I located Gaizen, and it appears he’s facing considerable challenges.

It might be best to let him be for the moment.

Then, my attention turned to El… It was my first encounter witnessing the use of a magical gun, a mystical apparatus, firing enchanted bullets at the enemy while maintaining a safe distance.

And every shot finds its target.

Remarkably skilled for someone merely 12 years old.

Leonardo is fighting with Kaito, and although they’re having a tough time, they seem to have a good chance of winning.

Joseph is engaged in an intense one-on-one battle as well.

I chose to bypass soldiers of higher ranks for the moment and hurried towards the lower-ranked troops.

It was brutal there.

Soldiers with missing arms, soldiers whose heads had already been taken, soldiers bleeding from their mouths…

I gritted my teeth and accelerated, rushing in between.

“What!? You’re the kid the captain was battling!? What happened to Captain Lorna?”

One of the knights shouted at me.

“If you’re referring to her, I delivered a fatal blow, and she fled… She owes one to my subordinates. I won’t allow anyone else to escape.”

The area here is denser with trees than where we were fighting earlier.

I sheathed my sword and enveloped my entire body in qi.

My body is already worn out… There’s nothing left but to give it my all.

I quickly advanced towards the enemy soldiers ahead and delivered a palm strike to the back of their necks before they could react with their swords.

“Bwahhh!!!”

Disregarding the one who was sent flying and crashed into a tree, I proceeded to unleash consecutive palm strikes to both the left and right.

Damn it… Can they really sustain their HP like this?

Having incapacitated the enemy soldiers in that area in an instant, I scanned the area and skillfully employed magic, including lightning bolts and gusts of wind, to aid our comrades in dire situations.

“Hey, Captain! Have you already defeated the enemy general?”

Gaizen spotted me and approached, swinging his large axe.

“I should have inflicted her severe wounds, but she somehow managed to escape.”

“Fleeing in the midst of battle, they’re not worthy of being called warriors.”

Gaizen grimaced and swung his axe with irritation as he spoke, blowing away the last remaining enemy.

Kaito and Leonardo hurried to my side.

“C-Captain!! You’re bleeding!!!”

Kaito exclaimed in panic as he noticed the wound on my shoulder.

“I’m fine. It’s not too serious. But we need to focus on gathering the severely injured and having those proficient in healing magic attend to them.”

“Yes, right away…”

It appears Joseph is the only one still engaged in combat…

As I looked to where Joseph was, I noticed he was carrying an enemy soldier in his arms.

“Captain. It appears this one was a vice-captain, so I incapacitated him and brought him here for interrogation.”

“Is that right? Excellent work, Joseph. Make sure to keep him restrained.”

Joseph… It’s the first time I’ve heard his voice… He’s quite capable.

Then, I gathered the remaining members.

We had lost 17 comrades, with only 13 survivors.

We have 4 severely wounded.

“Damn… That’s my mistake.”

I bowed my head in shame.

It was my first real battle, but my own overconfidence and underestimation of the enemy led to this.

It was undoubtedly my fault.

We lost 17 of our comrades.

Comrades who were laughing with us just yesterday.

“Captain, you’re not to blame. There was no way to escape in that situation.”

Kaito said, looking at me with concern as I hung my head.

“No, in fact, this is a victory, isn’t it, Captain?”

Gaizen grinned.

“The enemy consisted of the elite forces of the Demon Kingdom. Despite that, we managed to defeat them with just one squad. As Gaizen mentioned, this is undoubtedly a triumph. The sacrifices of our fallen comrades were not in vain. It’s difficult to bear the thought of their deaths, but they met their fate with valor.”

Leonardo’s perspective…

Certainly, that’s likely the truth.

Intellectually, I comprehend and acknowledge that this is the harsh reality of warfare.

Or at least, that’s what I believed.

Yet, witnessing it firsthand is a different experience altogether.

There are approximately 150 individuals from the support unit, around 120 members spread across the four squads, and 17 from our own squad gone.

A total of 287 bodies lay scattered in a pitiful state.

This is the grim reality of war.

Had it been the main force, the casualties would have been tens or even hundreds of times greater.

In the first place, if they hadn’t been riding on flying dragons, if the location had been open, if the enemy general hadn’t fled and morale hadn’t dropped…

Without such fortunate circumstances, our fate might have been grim.

Simply surviving was likely a stroke of luck for us.

I pushed down the dark feelings deep in my heart and instructed the members on the status of the support unit’s supplies, the capture of surviving enemy soldiers, confirmation of survivors, and the treatment of the injured.

By the way, the flying dragons had disappeared before we knew it.

The knights were probably trained to flee immediately if they lost.

Later, after a few hours, we returned to the command headquarters to deliver our report.

“Sergeant Leonard… Your performance has been truly exceptional. Despite allowing the enemy general to slip away, you dealt fatal blows and captured numerous prisoners, including the vice-captain, in your encounter with the Magic Kingdom’s surprise assault unit.

While the loss of your comrades may weigh heavily on you, you should take pride in your accomplishments! It’s well-known that the Demon Kingdom’s surprise assault unit rivals the strength of a platoon or more. It’s no small feat for a squad formed just two weeks ago to defeat them, is it?”

Colonel Marriott had been offering his encouragement with a serious expression.

Well, it does appear to be quite an accomplishment, but…

Despite giving it my all, I found myself unable to issue any substantial orders.

The credit for this achievement belongs to the members, not me.

After concluding my report to the colonel and leaving the room, I resolved within myself to become stronger.

It appears that reinforcements will be arriving for the Sixth Squad in a matter of days… In the meantime, we’ve been directed to rest and await further instructions.

I headed to the base where our squad’s camping tents were set up and entered my own, falling asleep right away.

The ache in my shoulder is gradually fading, but both my physical and magical stamina have been pushed to their limits.

It’s been quite some time since I felt like this… Ahh, I’m incredibly sleepy… I’m going to… sleep…