Chapter 1

“Estan.”

{Dragon Tongue}

[Magic Activation Chant]

「Barbaros Language」

“Move! Unless you want your head blown off, get out of the way!”

“Shit! Donovan’s down!”

“When the hell is our air support getting here? There are wyvern riders swarming all over us!”

“It’s poison magic! Masks! Where are the masks?!”

“Medic! Medic!”

Boom!

A deafening explosion flashed before her eyes, followed by a piercing, high-pitched ringing that tore through her ears.

As her overloaded senses struggled to process everything, Aethlyn found herself wondering,

‘Am I… having a nightmare?’

Just a moment ago, she had definitely been in the ballroom.

Her father had looked her straight in the eyes and embraced her. He had told her he was proud of her, that she truly carried herself like the future head of the family.

Near the end of the banquet, she had shared two dances with Federin…

“Second Lieutenant! Second Lieutenant, can you hear me?! Get a hold of yourself!”

One had been a proper waltz in perfect rhythm, the other deliberately off-beat. Everyone had applauded as they watched them dance, and her father had hugged her again.

“Second Lieutenant? No! Stay with me! I said stay with me!”

The unpleasant voice urged her again.

It was rough and coarse.

Frowning, Aethlyn shook her head.

‘Quiet.’

“If this keeps up, I won’t have a choice!”

‘Shut up. I said shut up! Stop bothering me and just leave me alone!’

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out.

For an instant, her vision flashed white as though struck by lightning.

A split second later, searing pain spread across her cheek like it had been branded by fire.

Only then did Aethlyn realize what had happened.

She had just been slapped.

The shock snapped her completely back to reality.

She wasn’t dreaming.

She was standing in the middle of a battlefield.

Her entire company, including her platoon, had been surrounded by the Imperial Army.

Regaining her senses, Aethlyn quickly organized the situation in her head.

She was on a battlefield.

More specifically, inside a trench that had just been caught in a surprise assault by the Imperial Army.

The enemy was pouring every kind of attack into the trench where she stood—magic bombardments, artillery shells, and even wyvern cavalry.

Taken together, it was nothing short of hell on earth.

“Damn…”

A groan escaped between Aethlyn’s clenched teeth.

The situation felt so hopeless that she almost wished she could lose consciousness again.

From behind her came a voice as low and deep as the echo of a cave.

“Second Lieutenant.”

“…”

“Are you all right?”

‘Right… He was here.’

Aethlyn looked up and saw the towering man standing before her.

The very man who had slapped her moments ago.

Sergeant Gennadi Vilev.

“…”

Aethlyn instinctively flinched.

It was no surprise.

The man’s appearance was horrific.

He had always possessed an intimidating presence, but now he looked like a ghost—or a blood-starved yaksha.¹

No.

Perhaps that wasn’t an exaggeration at all.

Gennadi Vilev was, in a sense, actually a beast.

A werewolf.

A beast wearing human skin.

That was his true nature.

“Sergeant Vilev.”

Aethlyn called his name with something close to a sigh.

From within the dark shadows, the sergeant’s amber eyes gleamed sharply.

Barely moving his tightly shut lips, he asked again,

“Second Lieutenant. Are you conscious now? Are you all right?”

At that moment, a warm trickle of blood ran from the corner of Aethlyn’s mouth.

The slap had split the tender flesh inside her cheek.

Seeing Sergeant Vilev’s pitch-black pupils follow the trail of blood, she hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

“Do I look all right to you?”

“That’s a relief. You’ve come back to your senses.”

Something about the genuine relief in his voice irritated her.

“You hit your superior officer. Have you lost your mind?”

“My apologies. I’m a simple brute.”

Despite the words, he looked not the slightest bit apologetic as he gave a small nod.

He had accomplished what he intended, and that was all that mattered.

The shamelessness of it was almost admirable.

Oddly enough, she couldn’t even bring herself to be angry.

If anything… though she hated to admit it, she felt reassured.

Putting on an exaggeratedly annoyed tone, Aethlyn muttered,

“Honestly… Even for a brute, that’s something else. Do werewolves just go around hitting each other without any regard for parents, siblings, or rank?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Don’t agree so readily…

She wanted to say more, but there was a far more urgent problem demanding her attention.

Surviving this hellish quagmire.

Turning to her subordinate, Aethlyn asked,

“How many men from the company are left?”

“It’s difficult to determine right now. Please issue the order to withdraw first.”

“What about the company commander? Was this his order?”

Gennadi shook his head even more firmly.

“The company commander’s current status is unknown. We don’t know whether he’s alive or dead.”

It took Aethlyn about a second to process what she had just heard.

“What did you say? Captain Gordon…”

“There’s a high chance he’s dead.”

“…The battalion commander?”

The man answered without hesitation.

“The battalion commander as well.”

“…”

Her mind threatened to go blank again.

Barely holding onto her fading consciousness, Aethlyn reassessed the situation she was in.

If Gennadi was right, then she was now the highest-ranking officer here.

The one with command.

In a situation like this, the correct course of action was obvious.

Retreat.

If they fled in complete disorder, they’d only be picked off one by one. They had to conduct an organized withdrawal.

To be honest, under the current circumstances, that was nearly impossible.

With a sense of hopeless resignation, Aethlyn muttered,

“Then… we’ll fall back to Etal Pass, the nearest high ground…”

And at that very moment—

Gennadi, who had been listening intently to every word of her orders, suddenly threw his massive body toward her.

He moved with lightning speed.

Aethlyn couldn’t even react before she was knocked flat onto her back.

When her senses caught up, she realized Sergeant Vilev was on top of her.

Bracing himself with all four limbs, he lay over her as though shielding her.

Yes.

Shielding her.

Aethlyn stared up at him in a daze.

Nothing could be read from the man’s expressionless face.

Suddenly, a childhood memory surfaced.

A dog she had raised more than ten years ago.

She couldn’t even remember its name anymore, but one thing remained vivid.

Its eyes.

Eyes filled with unwavering resolve to protect her from every danger in the world.

She couldn’t understand why that foolish gaze had come back to her at this very moment.

But this was no time for sentimentality.

Just as Aethlyn struggled to push him off—

Sergeant Vilev’s pupils suddenly widened.

With one rough hand, he clamped it firmly over her mouth.

“…!”

“Just stay still…”

His palm, as rough as sandpaper, covered her soft lips, leaving her unable to take even a single breath.

Then, as the two remained pressed together—

A blood-curdling shriek swept over them.

Fwoooooosh.

Even amid the deafening chaos of the battlefield, the horrifying sound rang out clearly.

It was the unmistakable sound of a wyvern unleashing its acid breath.

Only then did Aethlyn understand the sergeant’s sudden action.

If he hadn’t thrown himself at her…

She would have ended up just like the other soldiers—

Reduced to a puddle of dissolved flesh.

She would have died.

“…”

The hissing sound of the wyvern gradually faded into the distance.

Apparently deciding the danger had passed, Gennadi quickly removed his thick hand from Aethlyn’s face.

At last, the air trapped in her lungs rushed free.

“Haa… Ha… Damn it… Damn…”

As Aethlyn struggled to catch her breath, the sergeant’s amber eyes wavered like ripples across the surface of water.

The look lasted only a moment.

His gaze sharpened once more as he said,

“Lieutenant, please give the order to withdraw.”

Aethlyn let out a hollow laugh.

“…Right. That’s exactly what I was trying to do earlier. Retreat. The problem is how we’re supposed to make that happen.”

“…”

Looking up at her subordinate with a pained expression, she continued,

“Let’s say I give the order to retreat. Do you really think it’s even possible? It won’t change anything.”

“…”

Dozens of wyverns were still circling overhead.

A crushing sense of helplessness threatened to suffocate her.

In that despair, Aethlyn finally accepted one undeniable truth.

“We’re going to die here.”

Yes.

They were all going to die.

Here in this wretched mud.

Without anyone ever recovering their bodies…

‘So this is how it ends.’

Such a miserable…

Such a pitiful end.

She felt no regret.

She couldn’t even summon a bitter laugh at her own fate.

Everything simply felt empty.

Endlessly, unbearably empty.

Still…

At least she wouldn’t be dying alone.

She hadn’t wanted to face her final moments in complete solitude.

‘To think that, after everything, what I fear most is being left alone.’

Only at the very end of her life did she realize it.

How weak she truly was.

How unbearably lonely.

Her eyes began to sting.

Aethlyn quickly lowered her gaze, forcing back the tears threatening to spill.

At the very least…

She wanted to preserve what little dignity she had left before Sergeant Vilev.

In a quiet voice, she said,

“Sergeant Vilev… It was only for a short time, but it was an honor serving with you. At least… I’m glad it’s you who’s beside me in my final moments…”

Just as Aethlyn solemnly began what sounded like her final farewell—

A rough, gravelly voice cut her off without ceremony.

“One moment. I have an idea.”