Глава 13

No one can be told what a battlefield is. You have to see it for yourself.

My friends and I spent a lot of time in Norport's video shop watching old movies, many of them war movies. There were story of heroes, but also stories of terror, depicted by directors with a sadistic streak.

I remembered that the four of us all had nightmares that night.

Even now, I seem to be drifting in a dream.

We took on a few soldiers who were still breathing when we passed through that valley. Oh, and the survivors have caught up to our column.

They're all Infected. As they should be, after spending a night in a corpse-filled crater.

You did disinfect properly, didn't you? You could have gotten Active Originium dust on you.

Where are we, Hannah?

I'm a little...

Don't worry, I have experience with large-scale Active Originium zones from my time in County Hillock.

We undertook the cleanup according to SOP.

The soldiers were conscripts under the Duke of Ashworth. They said that their company simply pulled out after the battle, without rescuing the wounded or cleaning up the battlefield.

Horn? Is Hannah angry at me because I acted on my own?

Why is she ignoring me?

He said he had a friend who had been crying for help by a shallow puddle all night. Couldn't turn himself over because his legs were injured.

He had drowned by the time we found him.

The puddle was ankle-deep. He would have survived if someone had just flipped him over.

I examined the area. Looks like they marched into a Royal Court trap. Some Sarkaz mercenaries must have sacrificed themselves by acting as bait.

There's something on my chest?

I can't breathe... Morgan... Morgan?

I feel something hot roiling in my chest.

But... how could they have gone down without a fight?

That's not surprising. Other than the strongest dukes, professional soldiers make up only a quarter of the armies of the other ducal armies, at best.

Most Victorian soldiers are conscripted, sent into battle after only a few months of basic training on how to use a crossbow or Arts Unit.

Frankly, if not for this war, the officers and soldiers may never have spoken to each other their entire lives.

Vina wouldn't like to hear it.

I hate this. How could you trust your back to someone whom you don't trust?

Why does nobody hear me?

I feel the taste of iron in my mouth, something boiling, rushing up my throat.

Mother never answered my questions. She said I would find the answer, someday—

*Cough*... argh!

Vina!

Take it easy, Morgan... my neck... I can't breathe...

Sorry, got excited. You had been unconscious for two days.

You were running a fever. At least the wound on your chest was healing well, otherwise we would have been even more worried.

Where are we...? We aren't in Chetleigh anymore, are we?

They are silent. What happened?

Ahem... Maybe I should explain.

We pulled out two days ago. We're back to our original encampment.

At Horn's advice, we pulled out as quickly as possible before the Duke of Gododdin's fleet entered Chetleigh, avoiding direct contact with the reinforcements.

...Horn?

We have a lot of... complicated circumstances. It's going to cause a lot of complications if we establish official communications with the dukes' troops.

I've talked about this with Misery, and the others support what we're doing.

While we still have troops formerly under the command of Duke Windermere, their military ID has expired, and there's a high risk of 'friendly fire'.

Well, not so much expired as no longer recognized...

No need to mince words about the nobles' dirty deeds.

It's the same deal as gangs fighting for territory.

Indra's right.

Since when did the war become like this?

We could give help to where we can see, but what about the places beyond?

...What's the situation?

Some have chosen to join Duke Gododdin's forces and continue the fight. Gododdin's officers didn't even say anything about the Infected. The majority have chosen to stay with us, however.

They trust us. Or should I say, they trust you. We won! Morale is really high right now.

They're even joking about the old conflicts now.

We did it.

Your plan worked. We made it. It's very possible that no one will ever know the sacrifices we made...

It's just one small victory in a greater war.

I look at Delphine's tired face. A great burden has weighed upon her heart ever since she was left behind by the battleships.

But now, I see a rare smile on her face.

But we saved Chetleigh, Vina.

Yes, we did.

My brain tells me that I should be relieved or happy.

But I can't do it. I'm afraid to know how many stayed behind in that building, never to leave it.

Everything that happened there seems like a dream.

Is this what victory feels like? It's so weighty.

Would things have gotten so bad if everyone was fully committed to fighting for Victoria from the very beginning?

No, they all firmly believe that they are fighting for Victoria.

It's the other way round. Things have already spiraled out of control. Therefore...

We're fighting for ourselves now.

Siege, one of the survivors from Chetleigh has brought us a surprise.

His family collected Gaulish artifacts, and his father once picked up a little Victorian object from Lingones's former route.

It wasn't anything valuable, so it has been sitting in a warehouse for a long time. He gave it to us before we left as a gift of gratitude, and Horn recognized it immediately.

Here.

This is an IFF beacon used in IFVs. It emits a signal that allows Victorian armies to identify the bearer's affiliation.

It contains a military identification code?

Yes. This black box belonged to the Victorian Army. I'm familiar with the symbol on it.

But I thought that the unit that it once belonged to no longer exists, lost in the ruins of Gaul—

—the Exemplars.

A unit of legend, predecessor to Tempest Platoon. This thing took a long journey back to Victoria.

Back to us.

'The Exemplars'...

The present dukes may not recognize this ancient unit. At best, it might prevent direct artillery strikes.

But the more important thing is...

The mission of the unit was inscribed inside the box.

<i>The Exemplars</i>

<i>'We make miracles.'</i>

...Hah.

Consider it a gift from fate.

What's this...? The beacon that Lieutenant Shearer left us has picked up a signal.

Shearer?

Lady Delphine, there has been a change of circumstances at Irnclad Galavae...

We are approaching your position now. ETA in one hour.

Be prepared for unhappy news... and a guest who insists on seeing you.

Your wounds! What a shoddy work of first aid!

It may look like the wounds have closed, but the inflammation wasn't effectively treated, which explains the fever.

With serious wounds like these, it's important that they're treated by a doctor and all vital signs monitored, reducing the chance of lingering after-effects.

You're fortunate that it was a piece of metal, not Originium crystal. When you're dealing with Sarkaz witchcraft devices, even the slightest touch could be infectious.

Even if it wasn't directly caused by Originium, there was a high risk of infection given the circumstances. It's incredible that your blood Originium levels still remain at normal levels.

You really should thank your lucky stars.

Well, it was a chaotic situation, Lieutenant.