Chapter 124 - A Burden Too Heavy
While the 14th and 15th Regiments were fighting in the forest, the 13th Regiment was able to complete their reorganization without incident.
Once again, replacements arrived in the blink of an eye to fill the many spots left by casualties.
It almost felt as if people were being produced in a factory.
Ernest found that deeply disheartening.
People who'd each lived their own lives were now being treated like factory-made expendables.
No, not just treated as such— to those in power, they truly were nothing but expendables.
Just numbers on a chart, nothing more.
Ernest's mind drifted to memories that now felt impossibly distant.
He remembered that moment during the mock combat, when Thomas had picked up a wooden figurine and said it represented the future of every cadet about to be commissioned as a platoon leader.
"Tomorrow, we'll head back into the forest and link up with the other regiments."
Yurgen, who had gathered the platoon leaders, spoke in a steady voice.
"And at noon the day after, the entire 5th Division will charge to break through the forest."
"The 6th and 7th Divisions will be attacking with us too, right?"
At the mention of breaking through the forest, Robert stroked his rough chin and asked.
Yurgen nodded.
"That's right. Unlike last time, neither side is going to be used as bait— both flanks will push forward with a full assault.
We can't get bogged down in this damned forest any longer."
By "last time," he meant the battle in which Benzen and Hertz had been killed.
Back then, they threw the 5th Division in as bait, sacrificing countless soldiers just to draw the enemy's attention.
While Belliang was busy slaughtering the 5th Division, the 6th and 7th Divisions pushed in from the north.
But this time, things are different.
Instead of using one side as bait, both flanks will be going all-in, driving forward in an all-out assault for a breakthrough.
With the 6th and 7th Divisions about to break through after securing the northern part of the forest, and the 5th Division, thanks to the 13th Regiment's desperate fighting, having managed to push deep into the forest and establish a new front line, the situation had shifted.
As long as either side manages to break through Bertagne Forest and reach the plains, that would be enough.
Then there'll be no more need to slug it out in this cursed forest.
The Belliang Army's supply of Balt Batteries is nearly depleted, so once the Empire advances onto the plains with Balt Guns at the forefront, they'll be able to mow down the enemy at will as they march forward.
And using Balt Automobiles, they could sweep across the plains in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, they might conquer Belliang's capital.
"If we go on the offensive, it'll be dangerous…"
Jonas glanced around nervously before speaking.
Just a few days ago, even while they were simply defending and forming a front line, the 1st and 2nd Battalions had nearly been wiped out.
And now they were talking about launching an offensive in Bertagne Forest, Belliang's own territory?
Even if the enemy's Balt Battery is nearly spent, it would be almost suicidal.
Thinking back, even in the last battle, when they'd entered the forest, they'd nearly been wiped out by an enemy ambush.
If Ernest hadn't detected them in advance, probably the only officer left alive in 2nd Company would have been Company Commander Yurgen himself.
"Of course it's dangerous," Yurgen admitted calmly.
Of course attacking is riskier than defending.
All the more so when it's a forest the enemy has guarded for decades.
"The spot we went into last time was at least an area our troops had already set foot in during a previous battle. But this next time? We'll be the first. We don't know the terrain, or what's out there. There might be some huge fortress, or traps waiting for us. Actually, come to think of it, traps are a given."
Yurgen, who had started speaking as he pulled out a cigarette, corrected himself.
"You guys wouldn't know, but back when we first came here to fight, it was chaos from the very edge of the forest. With the rain pouring down, you couldn't see a thing, so how could anyone know where the traps were? We just shoved soldiers in and forced a path."
Chik! Chik!
With the cigarette dangling from his lips, Yurgen lit it, but didn't inhale, continuing instead,
"The casualties from traps themselves weren't all that high. No, wait—actually, they were. They just weren't as bad as from actual combat, that's all."
He took a deep lungful of smoke and exhaled it in place of a sigh. His eyes drifted back to those dark, blurry times.
"The real problem was fear. We were so terrified, we couldn't move forward. What if my ankle got cut off just walking past that thicket? What if I stepped on the ground there and fell, getting impaled on a skewer and dying? What if the enemy was hiding and attacked from behind? What if that tree fell over and crushed us?"
"..."
"You might not believe this, but after a while, people started freaking out over traps that didn't even exist. You'd swear you saw something, but when you went and checked, there was nothing there. It drove you nuts."
"No, I believe it. Yes."
"It makes perfect sense."
Robert and Jonas wholeheartedly agreed with Yurgen.
Then, from either side, they started playfully punching and kicking Ernest.
"I'm not really interested in earning any medals."
Standing tall and strong, Ernest easily blocked and pushed away the attacks from his smaller, weaker friends, then turned to Yurgen.
"Well, I feel the same way, but as soldiers, when the higher-ups give orders, we just have to follow them."
"It's not easy to advance in formation and charge through a forest."
"That's true."
"If the formation breaks and you fall a bit behind during the charge, well, there's not much you can do about it."
"That's true enough."
"And it's not really strange for everyone to get confused when moving through unknown ground full of enemy traps and ambushes."
"That's also true."
"If you just… subtly make it look natural…"
"Yeah, do it subtly so no one notices."
Yurgen burst out laughing at Ernest's spot-on remarks.
A puff of smoky air broke off from his cigarette and quickly faded away.
Maintaining proper formation for a charge in terrain like a forest is nearly impossible.
As you zigzag around trees and bushes, the idea of keeping any formation just disappears from your mind.
If the formation falls apart during the charge and you quietly pull back to regroup, you could then stroll along the path cleared by other units—units whose soldiers died charging straight into enemy ambushes and traps, all because some officer was desperate to earn glory.
The officers in the rear would never be any the wiser.
"Shouldn't we coordinate with the other company commanders in advance?"
Ernest thought it would be best if the company commanders talked and reached an understanding before going into battle.
"No. Not with your friend around."
But Yurgen couldn't allow it.
And that was because of none other than 1st Company Commander Lieutenant Ferdinand Hartmann.
If Ferdinand heard about this plan, he'd report it immediately to Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Levin Ort.
The only reason Ferdinand had obeyed Yurgen's orders during battle was because it led to victory.
But this kind of cautious, self-serving behavior—finding ways to avoid combat—was something Ferdinand, as a soldier, would never accept.
"Ugh, that Ferdie, he's such a pain. He needs to have a sly and cunning side like our Fox Platoon Leader, but he's just so uptight."
"..."
Ernest Krieger, the sly and cunning Fox Platoon Leader, quietly glared at Robert.
Then, suddenly, Ernest realized something incredible.
"Wait, I'm a lieutenant now."
"Huh?"
"Second Lieutenant Robert, is that any way to speak to your superior?"
It hit Ernest—he could finally fulfill his long-held dream from his cadet days: grilling Robert as his superior!
"I mean, damn it, not only am I your superior, I'm your direct commanding officer, and this cheeky little brat—"
"..."
However, since Ernest acted overly familiar even with Yurgen Vendermere, who was a company commander ten years into his military career and about to turn thirty, he didn't dare grill junior officer Robert in front of Yurgen.
Yurgen gave Ernest an angry look and pretended to take a swing at him, prompting Ernest to back off nervously.
If Ernest wanted to grill Robert, he'd first have to endure Yurgen's grilling—the same one he'd been sparing the platoon leaders from for the past twenty days.
"So this is why you're supposed to maintain the military hierarchy…!"
"No, it's exactly why you're not supposed to uphold it!"
Watching what happened when hierarchy collapsed, Jonas had an epiphany.
At the same time, Robert, also realized with relief that he no longer had to suffer his superior's bullying.
If the chain of command breaks down, you can act up toward your superiors without getting chewed out.
As a lowly second lieutenant, Robert decided to treasure this realization.
"Geez, look at them go. They're really having fun… they're having a blast…"
Yurgen muttered as he watched the seventeen-year-old platoon leaders carry on.
If only the kids weren't worrying about dying all the time—if they could just keep joking and laughing like that, how great would that be.
***
"Instead of studying things like that, you'd do better to think about how to kill the enemy Baltracher."
At Isaac's cold words, Bruno looked up at him.
"Isn't distinguishing yourself and getting promoted the whole point?"
Isaac glanced at what Bruno had been reading and writing so diligently.
He was reviewing what Ernest had taught him.
"Oh, moving up in the world. Of course, that's important. It's just… my thoughts have changed a bit lately."
With a smile, Bruno gestured for Isaac to come over.
After a brief hesitation, Isaac took a seat across from him.
"Here, Isaac. Look at this."
Bruno turned the paper around to show Isaac.
Some of it was written by Ernest.
Then, Bruno showed him what he himself had written as well.
"What do you think?"
"…What are you asking about?"
"The handwriting. And the content too."
"..."
"Oh, uh… I'm sorry."
Bruno realized Isaac couldn't read and offered an awkward apology. Like most of the Fiders, Isaac had only learned to write his own name so he could sign army documents.
"Isaac, when I look at Lieutenant Krieger's writing, I can't help but be impressed. His handwriting is so neat, and everything he writes is so clearly organized and well-structured. But my own writing is a mess."
Bruno gently stroked the paper containing what Ernest had written during rhetoric class, then waved around the paper he himself had written without much care.
"For a commoner, just being able to read and write at all is impressive enough. But honestly, the difference in level is so huge that it feels shameful even to compare. Why do you think that is?"
Isaac had no idea why Bruno was asking questions like this.
Still, since there wasn't much for someone like Baltracher, stuck with a bunch of clueless Fiders, to do until they headed into the forest tomorrow, he figured there was no harm in humoring him for a bit.
"It's because we're different from birth"
"Oh, Isaac! Don't say things like that!"
Bruno responded to Isaac's cynical comment with an exaggerated tone and gestures, clearly distressed.
"There's no denying that Lieutenant Krieger isn't an ordinary person."
"…That's true. You're right. Lieutenant Krieger is special."
But what Isaac said next was something even Bruno couldn't bring himself to disagree with.
"But think about it, Isaac. Imagine if Lieutenant Krieger had been born into a poor family like us and hadn't received any education."
"Thinking about nobles of the Empire that way is…"
"I'm just saying, let's pretend for a moment. We're just talking among ourselves—what's the harm?"
Isaac felt a bit concerned that, thanks to this Belliang-born Baltracher, he might end up getting himself into trouble.
"If that had been the case, do you really think Lieutenant Krieger would be able to write such neat handwriting and such well-organized writing?"
"…I'm not sure…"
"Maybe it would've been possible. But I can say for sure, he wouldn't be as good as he is now, would he?"
Bruno gave a faint, somewhat bitter smile, yet there was still a glimmer of hope in it.
"How far could someone like me actually rise? Even if I get promoted, as a Baltracher who's already devoted my life to the army, the best I can hope for is to get a few medals if I'm lucky. But if I study hard now, maybe I could give my child a great education from a young age."
Bruno gently caressed Ernest's writing, almost whispering, his touch resembling that of a priest reverently tracing sacred scripture.
"If I could do that, then maybe my child—someone who wasn't a Fiders—could go even further."
For a commoner, achieving the rank of Fiders was already a meteoric rise.
After all, it meant not only becoming a noble but also an officer in the military. But once you became a Fiders and assumed your post, you realized something—the journey ended there.
A Fiders was neither truly noble nor truly a noble's equal, neither quite an officer nor fully an officer.
No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't rise any higher.
Depending on your perspective, a commoner might actually have it better.
At least there, if you had some talent or skill, you had a shot at success—whether in business or something else.
Bruno had come to this realization after the last battle—in other words, after his very first battle.
Everyone had fought their hardest. They had fought with every ounce of strength left in them.
Bruno had done his best, so had Isaac, and so had all the soldiers
However, after the battle ended and people began discussing achievements, neither Fiders nor the soldiers were mentioned at all.
Everyone simply accepted it as a matter of course.
Regardless of how well the officers had performed, the idea of Fiders or soldiers receiving medals or prizes wasn't even considered.
"Birth isn't something you can easily change," Isaac said, frowning slightly.
He understood what Bruno was saying, but it ran counter to his beliefs, so he couldn't accept it.
Bruno's eyes sparkled as he gave a big grin.
"Not everyone started out as an emperor or a noble, right?"
"You…!"
If someone overheard that, it wouldn't be surprising if he was hanged on the spot.
That was how dangerous his words were.
"It's a joke. Just a joke. Don't take it so seriously," Bruno deflected, putting on an exaggerated air as he watched Isaac, who had gone pale and fallen silent.
But Isaac only continued to glare at Bruno with a frosty expression.
Somewhat embarrassed, Bruno gave a sheepish smile.
"Of course, you have to survive first to achieve anything. So, Isaac, while I'm working hard at studying rhetoric, I bet you've come up with a brilliant way to deal with that monster, Baltracher, right?"
"..."
When Bruno changed the subject, Isaac was finally able to relax his expression.
However, he couldn't answer the question.
If it were possible, he would have done something about it long ago.
"Let's figure it out together. We have to protect our company and survive, right?"
"Ha… Yes."
Bruno smiled as he spoke, and Isaac sighed before nodding.
They put their heads together, pondering how they might kill that monster.
As Isaac began sharing ideas in earnest with Bruno, he realized just how clever Bruno was.
Isaac thought that maybe Bruno had a point.
If only Bruno had grown up with the education and upbringing of a noble, he might have become someone truly remarkable.
'Come to think of it, didn't the Company Commander say he was originally the son of a fisherman…?'
Isaac recalled Yurgen's background, but quickly pushed those thoughts away.
Even if Yurgen was born a fisherman's son, he must have possessed exceptional talent from the start—unlike Isaac himself.
Morning dawned as the 1st Battalion returned to the forest.
And this time, it really was bright.
"Looks like the rain might finally stop?"
The dark clouds that had poured down rain ever since the war began seemed a lot thinner now.
Although a steady drizzle still fell, sunlight broke through the clouds, as if the whole world had been bathed in light. No, the truth was, the world really was drenched in sunlight.
"It might still rain for a few more days, you know."
"But isn't this a good thing?"
"It's bad. With a dark sky and rain, at least we could attack a bit more safely. Plus, the Belliang bastards will be able to use their powder guns now."
"Damn. You're right. You're pretty sharp—are you some kind of genius?"
"It's not that. I just know because I fought and survived. Honestly, I wish I didn't know."
The soldiers, who had been so happy to see sunlight for the first time in nearly two months, fell into gloom again at the words of the experienced soldier.
The truth is, for a regular soldier, it's pointless to get worked up over the weather.
All they could do was follow orders and fight.
So really, it would have been better for everyone if they had just let themselves enjoy the sunshine, even if just for a moment.
"Oh man, what good could possibly come from the higher-ups wanting to go into such a dangerous spot themselves…"
In other words, it would probably be good if the officers spent more time worrying and unable to relax.
Yurgen had been chain-smoking since early morning, rattled by the sudden message he'd received last night.
It wasn't just the Battalion Commander—no, the Regimental Commander himself had decided to go directly into the forest, set up a command post, and lead the fight there.
And it wasn't just the 13th Regiment; the 14th and 15th Regiments were doing the same.
So either the regimental commanders were competing for glory, or orders had come down from division or corps command to do it this way.
Frankly, Yurgen hoped it was the latter.
It would be great if the higher-ups wanted the regimental commanders to get some real field experience and see just how ugly things could get.
But if it was rivalry between regimental commanders, then honestly, maybe the best thing for everyone would be to just put a bullet in each regimental commander's skull.
"We're doomed."
"Hey, Ernest, you can't just declare we're doomed already," Robert said, trying to deny reality even though he knew it was pointless.
"No, we really are doomed," Yurgen replied.
But when Yurgen brought him back to reality, Robert had nothing left to say.
Either way, in this situation, soldiers had no choice but to follow orders and charge headlong into the fight.
The plan Yurgen had carefully crafted with Ernest's advice would never even get started.
"Still, let's try to get by as carefully as we can. It's not like the Battalion Commander himself is going to go charging with us, right?"
Ernest rubbed his face, which looked nearly twenty-seven from worry and stress, as he spoke.
For reference, Yurgen looked almost forty, and with Robert and Jonas not shaving, they both looked well past thirty as well.
The war was thoroughly destroying them, and they all looked as if time had worn them down far longer than their actual ages.
"If we pull out alone, it's going to cause problems—not just for us, but for the battle as a whole."
Yurgen had to treat this problem with utmost caution.
With even the Regimental Commander personally joining the fight, if 2nd Company tried to avoid participating and got caught, there would be no getting away with it.
More than anything, if 2nd Company—supposed to be guarding the flank—disappeared, what would happen to 1st and 3rd Companies?
Of course, my own survival is most important.
But even so, I can't just let 1st and 3rd Companies get slaughtered fighting without the 2nd Company.
2nd Company is the backbone of 1st Battalion.
If they abandon their position, the center of the 1st Battalion will be wide open.
If the enemy breaks through there, it'll be far worse than just "not fun."
Also, there are friends of the 2nd Company's platoon leaders in 1st Company.
"Company Commander."
Listening with a pale face, Jonas called out to Yurgen in a steady voice.
"Let's go convince the 3rd Company Commander together."
"Are you sure you're up for it?"
At Jonas's calm words, Yurgen scratched his head and asked again. Jonas still looked deathly pale, but somehow managed a confident smile.
"Adlers were born and raised in Grimman."
The Adler family had originally lived in another region, but during the First War of Conquest, they read the situation and quietly settled in Grimman.
And even after the war ended, the Adlers continued to flourish in power, living comfortably amid the constant infighting of Grimman.
For Jonas Adler, who thrived in such an environment, persuading a company commander struggling on the front lines—someone lacking in political savvy—using his impressive way with words was hardly a challenge.
With friends, Jonas might come across as a kind and sheltered young noble, naive to the ways of the world.
But in society, he was shrewd, cunning—truly a fox-like man.
In truth, Jonas wasn't unique in this regard; most hereditary noble cadets attending the Imperial Military Academy were much the same.
That's how they had been educated and raised.
There was simply no need to act that way around friends, so they didn't bother maintaining such guises.
"If you're confident, then."
With a shrug, Yurgen agreed to go along with Jonas's plan. Now, there was only one thing left to do.
"Robert, Ernest. I'm leaving it to you two."
Jonas addressed Ernest and Robert.
Persuading Ferdinand was up to them.
"Ugh... do you think it'll work?"
Robert, to be honest, had no confidence in convincing Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was a man who cared deeply for his friends.
But he was also a soldier, and once he set his mind to something, he followed through.
"There's no point worrying about that. We have to do it."
Ernest spoke in a firm voice.
Whether we can do it or not, we have to try. He knew that as soldiers, what they were about to do was completely out of line, but he couldn't just stand by and let his friends get slaughtered in some senseless, suicidal charge by a commander clearly not in his right mind.
"Let's go."
Yurgen and Jonas were already off to try persuading the 3rd Company Commander.
Ernest and Robert headed towards the 1st Company.
"So what's the plan?"
Robert asked, scratching at his beard. He realized he was overdue for a shave.
For hygiene's sake, he'd have to remember to do it properly next time.
"If there's no opportunity, we'll make one. You know what I mean?"
"Hmmm… Yeah, I know exactly what my role is. But if cute little Ferdie gets embarrassed and tries to smack me, you'd better run interference."
"I'll do my best."
"Don't just try, actually do it."
"I told you, I'll try."
"You bastard."
"Well, whose fault is it for teasing Ferdinand so much? The problem is, you're just a bad bastard."
"Ah, can't you just let it go for once?"
"Fine."
The two troublemakers of the Imperial Military Academy quickly hurried along, conspiring together as they went.
There was no time to waste—a charge order would be given any minute now.
Before that happened, they had to convince Ferdinand, who was no doubt already preparing to throw himself valiantly into the enemy camp.