I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: 2nd Division, 5th Platoon

The war between the Southern Continent’s Human Realm and the Demon Kingdom had been raging for several months already.

Despite the Rosen Kingdom’s numerical advantage, the pressing situation persisted due to the high morale and training of the demon forces, turning the frontlines into a sea of blood.

“Damn it! I don’t wanna die! My son was just born!”

“I’ve got a daughter myself!”

“I’ll make it back alive, for Haru’s sake!”

The soldiers on the frontlines were nearing their physical and mental limits, confronted daily by the fear of death as they witnessed their comrades perish before them, overlaying their own futures with those of the fallen.

Every day, hundreds of lives vanished on the battlefield.

Yet, reinforcements from the rear had yet to arrive.

Among the various battlefields, the soldiers fighting on the frontline strained every sinew against the enemy before them, eagerly awaiting the reinforcements.

Amidst this, one of the soldiers in the rear noticed something.

“Hey, something’s coming!”

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

A regular rumbling echoed through the earth.

And as the soldiers in the distance caught sight of the scene, they felt an overwhelming sense of joy surge from the depths of their hearts.

“Reinforcements are here!! Reinforcements have arrived!”

Responding to the unknown soldier’s cry, they turned one by one to look towards the rear and confirm it.

Over ten thousand reinforcements were heading their way from the rear.

The current demon army on this battlefield numbered around thirty thousand.

In contrast, the forces of the Rosen Kingdom had dwindled from an initial fifty thousand to thirty-five thousand.

But now, with the arrival of reinforcements…

The soldiers of the Rosen Kingdom, faced with an unimaginable number of casualties, saw a glimmer of hope with the arrival of reinforcements.

Their morale surged.

“Hey, what’s that unit? They’re charging in with incredible force!”

The surrounding soldiers also followed the gaze of their comrades towards a unit that had dashed out from the rear reinforcements.

Judging by their numbers, it seemed to be the size of a platoon.

The platoon surged past the frontline troops from the rear and headed towards the enemy forces.

“Oh no, they’re goners. They’re all gonna die.”

Everyone thought the same.

However…

The moment that unit clashed with the enemy forces, they began mowing down enemy soldiers with tremendous force.

“What!! What’s happening? Who are they!?”

Ignoring the wide-eyed frontline soldiers, the unit showed no signs of slowing down, and before anyone knew it, they had created a pile of corpses numbering in the hundreds in an instant.

Among them, a petite man at the forefront and several soldiers around him displayed incredible strength.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they were single-handedly turning the tide.

Perhaps bewildered by what had just occurred, the enemy forces hastily began to retreat.

Without pursuing them, the unit turned back towards the frontline soldiers.

“Alright!! We’ve scattered those bastards from the Demon Kingdom!!”

A particularly large, giant-like man raised a massive axe towards the sky, letting out a thunderous roar.

Hearing this, the other soldiers joined in with their own shouts.

“YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

As the approaching unit drew nearer, everyone was dumbfounded.

What on earth… Who are they…

I’ve never seen a platoon this strong before…

The soldiers racked their brains trying to figure out their identity, but no answers came.

Later, at the frontline where the units from the rear reinforcements had merged, the commanders from both fronts gathered for a discussion.

Leading the frontline was Lieutenant Colonel Tolzman, while the rear commander was Colonel Marriott, who had been entrusted with the role of deputy commander in this war.

“Lieutenant Colonel Tolzman, you held out admirably! Your performance was outstanding.”

“Colonel Marriott… Are you sure it’s safe for you to be here? Who’s in command at headquarters…?”

Tolzman’s expression was slightly tense.

“I’ve obtained permission from the Supreme Commander… In fact, the Marshal himself has taken the field and is waiting at headquarters. In light of that, I’ve also come to the battlefield.”

“W-what, the Marshal himself? Hasn’t he retired?”

“He mentioned it was a whim, but there’s nothing more reassuring than his presence.”

The Marshal… If he’s here, then perhaps… there’s hope for turning the tide of this war.

“And what about that unit from earlier?”

“Hah, that one!? That’s our secret weapon.”

“Secret weapon?”

“Yeah, they’re something else. In just a few months, despite being only a temporary second lieutenant, they’ve risen through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant and from platoon leader to company commander. Their achievements are incomparable to anyone else’s. They single-handedly defeated the Demon Kingdom’s surprise assault unit with just a squad of thirty people, you know?”

“W-what, they took down the surprise assault unit with thirty people!? Who’s the leader of that unit?”

“Looks like they’ve just arrived! Why don’t you go see for yourself?”

As Tolzman widened his eyes and leaned forward in astonishment, the rumored platoon appeared from behind.

Swords, spears, axes, bows, staves, magic guns, heavy armor, light armor—everything seemed mismatched and far from balanced in this unit.

Tolzman gazed at the boy walking in the middle of them. Wait, is that a child!?

And he’s supposed to be the leader?

“Arus! This is Lieutenant Colonel Tolzman, the frontline commander. Make sure to greet him.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Second Division, 5th Platoon’s Lieutenant Arus Reynard.”

※Due to the change in the situation, the Rear First Surprise Attack Unit has been significantly reinforced and renamed to the Second Division.

Tolzman swallowed hard.

“R-Reynard. Colonel Marriott, is that true!?”

“Yeah, it is. He’s the son of Count Keires Reynard, the War Demon… the strongest warrior of the Rosen Kingdom, General Keires Reynard.”

Indeed, despite his appearance as a child, he exuded a weighty aura that didn’t match his looks at all.

This boy… he’s undoubtedly strong.

Hearing that he’s the general’s son, it’s not surprising at all.

“I’m counting on you, Lieutenant Arus.”

At that moment, Tolzman still didn’t know.

That this person would become the man he’d swear allegiance to, known as the ruthless and fearsome “Cold-Blooded Unrivaled.”

“Meat!! Captain!! You’re amazing! Catching this many rabbits in such a dense forest! Could it be that you’re more suited to be a hunter!?”

Gaizen held roasted rabbits in both hands, eagerly praising Arus as he devoured them hungrily.

“Could you at least be quiet while eating? You’re a corporal now, even if it’s temporary. Show some awareness.”

Kaito glared at Gaizen.

It was just another ordinary day.

“But for us to become corporals in just… a few months…”

Leonardo sighed deeply.

“Indeed, a few months ago, I couldn’t have imagined it.”

El nodded vigorously in agreement with Leonardo’s words.

“But our captain is really something. It’s wartime, so it’s temporary, but to go from sergeant straight to lieutenant all of a sudden… Even if you’ve attended officer school, it’s customary to start as a second lieutenant after graduation… And for us to go up a rank as well… It’s truly appreciated.”

Kaito praised me at every opportunity.

Gaizen did too, but Kaito was more talkative and frequent.

It’s heartwarming, but also somewhat embarrassing.

“Well, you know, we’ve put in the work, haven’t we? These past few months…”

Gaizen’s words suddenly silenced the room.

After skirmishing with the Surprise Assault Unit, they had engaged in numerous battles with the demon forces that came to occupy nearby towns.

Every time a town was attacked, orders came to go here, go there, and with each mission, they lost more and more comrades in exchange for victory.

Days of combat, with casualties replenished upon returning to headquarters.

Certainly, everyone had undergone rapid growth amidst the perils of the battlefield.

But those who survived those days had their spirits considerably worn down.

Not just from losing comrades, but even among the survivors, every single one of us, including me, had suffered major injuries not just once or twice.

Some of our comrades couldn’t bear the brutality of the battlefield and fled.

However, despite our inner turmoil, the number of soldiers replenished with each victory continued to increase, and before we knew it, our squad had become a platoon, and Kaito and I had been promoted, albeit temporarily.

As our unit grew larger, we were sent to the battlefield more frequently, often joining forces with other units.

We gradually grew accustomed to the daily reality of conversing with comrades one day and witnessing their heads being severed the next.

Amidst this, those of us who survived had been repeating days of training and battles, each lost in our own thoughts.

We all shared the same belief.

That without strength, we could protect nothing.

Not our comrades, not even ourselves.

Though no one had said it aloud, everyone had desperately strived to become stronger.

What exactly that meant, we couldn’t say.

But we knew we had to become stronger.

That much was clear.

“When will this war end…?”

El muttered, voicing the thoughts of everyone.

Currently, the Rosen Kingdom was divided into three major battlefronts, all in a state of deadlock.

While other nations faced similar situations, unlike the three major powers capable of deploying legion-sized soldiers to multiple locations instantly, smaller nations had already been decimated.

Handling a single battlefield might have been manageable, but with multiple fronts and neighboring towns and villages being ambushed, overturning this deadlock was proving difficult.

“At least for the sake of our fallen comrades, we must win.”

“We’ll follow the captain. If the captain says we’ll win, then we will win.”

“Of course! There’s no option but victory.”

“I’ll do it too…”

“Let’s do this.”

“…Without fail.”

For now, the goal is to ensure that as many of our comrades as possible make it back alive.