Chapter 7

In the territory of Dalimark, including the city of Kopeck, residents were obligated to participate in group military training once a month, and the level of group operation was higher than Worm had anticipated.

"More competent than I thought."

As a group of about a hundred people advanced to the sound of drums and the commander's shouts, they completed a change of direction and simultaneously thrust their spears downward. In form, they could be counted as a combat unit.

For newly conscripted, inexperienced soldiers, this was a good performance. After all, Worm's first battle was a mess, filled with the stench of vomit and bitter memories. He couldn't remember the first time he killed an enemy soldier. Only the unforgettable sensation of twisting through the enemy's innards with his spear remained, and the enemy soldier had ended up dead.

"Prepare to launch!"

Worm, who had been observing, received the call to work. Worm refined his magic, concentrated it in his palm, and manifested a fireball.

"Make sure you hit it!"

Another regular soldier put pressure on Worm.

"I won't hit it."

"Launch!"

On the commander's command, Worm made the fireball land to the side of the small group. Of course, he had no intention of hitting them. If he did, he would be brutally killed by his enraged comrades.

By firing what amounted to a fireworks display to announce the start of the drill, the combat novices became fixated on Worm. The order was to launch fireworks to greet the advancing group to reduce the soldiers' fear of magic.

The shock wave that struck their eardrums and the heat wave that pressed against their skin disrupted the soldiers' concentration. While no one wet their pants, the disruption in their steps and spear tips led to harsh reprimands and punches from the accompanying regular soldiers.

As a magic soldier, Worm was separated from the infantry and thus did not have to participate in the "playtime." He was deeply relieved, feeling as if he were in an amusement park. In a sense, Worm was like a cast member welcoming guests.

Distracted by the blue flames, a young soldier, who could almost be called a boy, stumbled. A regular soldier grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and slapped him hard on both sides.

"If you fall in battle, you'll be crushed to death. Do you want to be trampled to death by hundreds of feet!? If you mess up, you'll get others killed too!! If you want to die, die alone!! Focus!!"

"S-Sorry!!"

The young soldier, his face swollen, raised his voice and returned to the formation. Worm fired another fireball near the young soldier.

The ground was dug up, and soil rained down from the sky, fanned by the heat wave. The young soldier managed to stay on his feet, gritting his teeth and enduring. On the other hand, other inexperienced soldiers who had let their guard down, thinking it wouldn't happen twice, fell like dominoes.

"It's like bowling."

The regular soldier, veins bulging with anger, scattered his fury. Worm muttered, "Poor guy." He almost died of frustration before the battle with the Meizanaf family.

The regular soldiers were desperate. If the conscripted soldiers broke ranks, their own lives would be in danger. Worm did not pity the struggling conscripts.

In training, mistakes could be punished harshly, but in battle, a mistake could mean death. Out of respect for the regular soldiers who were trying to give the conscripts a fighting chance, Worm continued to fire fireballs without holding back.

◆

Kuwen was born as the fourth son of a farming family and was about to turn fifteen.

His family was a typical farming household. After filling the family's stomachs and paying taxes, there was no extra money left. His clothes and shoes were hand-me-downs from his older brothers, and the worn-out items, repeatedly patched, were almost rags.

Although it sounded like a complaint, he was grateful to his parents for raising him and to his brothers for taking care of him. Still, Kuwen was not satisfied with his current situation.

As time passed, the land would be inherited by his eldest and second eldest brothers, as was customary. Kuwen had no intention of complaining about this.

There were few options left for Kuwen, the third son and younger. One was to stay at home like a servant. His brothers would not remain unmarried for life. When they brought in wives and had children, Kuwen's position would become even more precarious.

The other option was to join a settlement group that would clear the demon-ruled territory and turn it into habitable land. It was a path of hardship. Surviving the sporadic attacks of monsters, cutting down trees, removing roots, and clearing weeds and pebbles would continue indefinitely.

Even after all that, success was not guaranteed. There was no assurance that the land would be suitable for crops, and the costs of maintaining low-level adventurers and regular soldiers, as well as the initial funding for the settlement, would have to be repaid to the lord.

Sometimes, powerful monsters would wipe out the settlement group. Kuwen had heard this repeatedly from his third brother. The light at the end of the tunnel for the troubled Kuwen was the war between the Dalimark family and the Meizanaf family.

War. Of course, it meant risking his life. Still, it was the only way to change his current situation. Kuwen and others in the village with similar circumstances responded to the conscription. Given a copper coin as a promissory note, Kuwen was now a conscript, and the excuse of being a farmer no longer applied.

Pre-battle training began abruptly. Kuwen was fortunate to be in the same line as his friend, Karim, from the same village. Karim was usually a laid-back and easygoing person who didn't even bother to fix his bedhead.

Kuwen tried to keep his steps in line. He was confident in his arm strength from farm work, but his arms screamed from holding the spear. Still, he could manage.

"It's doable."

Kuwen said proudly. His chestnut-haired friend agreed.

"Yeah."

They managed to change direction and, with a shout, simultaneously thrust their spears downward. The spears cut through the air, leaving a whistling sound in their ears. It was impressive. They had practiced with a dozen or so people from their village, but a hundred was a different level, and it felt reassuring.

Kuwen felt his presence had grown stronger. He was about to step forward in high spirits when the ground exploded. The deafening sound shook his eardrums, and the heat wave stimulated his skin.

He couldn't understand what had happened. The leading regular soldier shouted.

"Focus, don't break the line!"

Even the towering fire column rising to the sky was part of the drill, Kuwen realized belatedly. His thoughts became scattered, and he started thinking about unnecessary things.

His foot caught on a small depression, and his vision flipped. When he realized he had fallen, Karim, unusually quick, said,

"Kuwen, get up."

His heart was pounding like a drum. He calmed his mind and picked up the training spear. Before he could fully stand, a regular soldier who had slipped out of the group grabbed him by the collar.

"What are you doing?"

Pain shot through him as he realized he had been slapped on both cheeks. Kuwen, still in a daze, was met with the regular soldier's fierce glare, who shouted as if to burst his eardrums.

"If you fall in battle, you'll be crushed to death. Do you want to be trampled to death by hundreds of feet!? If you mess up, you'll get others killed too!! If you want to die, die alone!! Focus!!"

"S-Sorry!!"

The previously high-spirited atmosphere had turned cold.

"Are you okay?"

Kuwen clenched his teeth to show his determination in response to his friend's concern.

"I won't make a mistake again."

Soil, dug up by the explosion and thrown into the air, rained down. He wasn't being complacent, but perhaps he had underestimated the drill.

He could feel the heat on his skin. As he refocused on walking, another shock hit him. It was the same fireball as before, but this time it was closer.

This time, he wasn't alone; four or five of his comrades fell in a chain reaction. The enraged regular soldier rushed over and started throwing punches.

Kuwen looked at the magic soldier who had scattered the blue flames. The worn armor was not from the island nations. Kuwen guessed it was a mercenary or one of the former Haiselk soldiers who had been in the news recently.

Despite the distance, Kuwen's gaze met the magic soldier's. The golden eyes seemed strangely dark and murky.

A chill ran down his spine, and Kuwen looked away from the man. The man continued to launch fireballs, landing them around the group. The optimistic atmosphere had vanished.

Several more people made mistakes, and each time, the regular soldier's fists whistled through the air, and more faces swelled. The tension remained high until the end of the drill. Kuwen threw his exhausted limbs to the ground and opened his mouth like a dog seeking water.

Even in training, they were in this state. Kuwen shivered, feeling a chill at the thought of what would happen in a real battle.

"Let's do our best."

His carefree friend said as usual. Determined not to show weakness to Karim, Kuwen tightened his stomach and responded.

"Sure."