The Place Where He Was Reincarnated Was Hell - The 300-Year-Old Frontier Defense Line of the Margrave Family - Episode 12

The sun never rises on the battlefield.

Even though the eastern sky was beginning to lighten slightly, the light shining on the area around Frontline Fort was murky and faint. The Eclipse that filled the far reaches of the Great Forest continued to grow, heedless of dawn, and surged forward in countless black waves.

The soldiers on guard duty at the fort are extremely fatigued.

The smell of bl00d and sweat wafted from the seams of the armor, and the smell of rotting and rusted iron mixed with the wind that blew through. An air of despair enveloped the area around the fort, as if the night would never end.

Even so, the Vanguard army is barely holding on.

It has been occurring more frequently for a year and a few months.

Eclipse launched an offensive more intense than ever before. Around that time, the military made major changes to its organization, concentrating its forces on the front-line base (Frontline Fort). Originally, 5,000 knights and 20,000 soldiers were stationed at Frontline Fort, but to deal with the growing number of Eclipse troops, an additional 15,000 were moved from Middle Line Fort to the front line.

As a result, Frontline Fort currently has a force of approximately 40,000.

Meanwhile, only about 8,000 soldiers remain at Middle Line Fort. In addition, there are 5,000 trainee knights in Vangarde Castle, but they are too young or lack the skills to be deployed in actual combat. There are also about 2,000 soldiers sent from the royal family and other territories, but they are mainly in charge of rear support. Since they have no fear of resistance to Eclipse, they are engaged in supplying supplies, providing medical services, and sending messages, and do not participate in direct combat on the front lines.

However, even with this mobilization, the war situation shows no signs of improving. One of the reasons for this is the “attrition rate” of soldiers. Until a year ago, the annual death rate was 5% (about 2,750 people), but now it has ballooned to 12% (about 6,600 people). If we include the wounded, twice as many people are away from the battle lines, and even if we increase the supply of healing magic and medicine, it is impossible to keep up.

And best of all, these numbers are clear.

It meant “countdown to collapse.”

If this trend were not stopped, within five years, the fort would no longer be able to hold, and Vanguard territory itself would collapse.

This meant that the entire southern part of the kingdom would be overrun by Eclipse in the future.

“…I have no choice but to make a decision.”

Even as he commands the front lines of Frontline Fort, he finds time in his spare time to read through a report compiled by the excellent observer soldiers dispatched to the field by the royal family titled “On the Current State and Sustainability of Frontline Fort.”

Darius, Margrave of Vangarde, took a deep breath, holding the document in his hand. Shadows of fatigue were etched deep on his cheeks, but the light of his will had not yet disappeared.

The documents are full of gloomy reports…

More Eclipses, a sharp rise in wounded soldiers, and a shortage of supplies.

All it says is, “If things continue as they are, collapse is inevitable within a few years.”

Darius closed his heavy eyelids and looked down at the note.

The report outlines issues to be considered regarding “changing the age limit for conscription” and “hopes for the next generation.”

With that in mind, Darius thinks

An unconventional strategy —

“Should I send my 10-year-old son to war?”

“Victor…”

Darius bit his lip as he murmured his son’s name.

The Vanguard family’s son makes his debut on the battlefield at the age of 14, which is normally considered too early.

Even his eldest son, Raven, was on active duty from the age of 12, which many lamented as “unusual.”

But the current situation is even more dire than that.

A thunderous boom echoed from the grey sky. Perhaps it was an explosion of fire. Darius felt as if he could hear the constant sounds of angry shouts and screams.

Instead of the light that should have signaled dawn, the smell of bl00d and the shadow of death filled the air.

“…Unless we make some extraordinary moves, we won’t last another five years.”

He clutched the report in front of him, the damp air clinging to his skin and making the oppressive feeling of breath even more intense.

But there’s no turning back. Going forward is hell, retreating is hell – that’s why he has no choice but to take his final gamble.

“To protect Vanguard at all costs.”

Darius’ eyes were filled with determination and sadness.

The sun never rises on the battlefield. But he reaches out for a glimmer of light. Even if it means sacrificing his son’s future…

Right now, I had no choice but to believe that I had no choice but to choose it.

________________________________

Frontline Fort Headquarters–

At first glance, it appeared to be a sturdy stone command post, but the interior was damaged in many place,s and the cold air leaking in from the ceiling was increasing the fatigue of the soldiers.

Supply containers and medicine boxes were piled up in a disarray in the hallway, and medical personnel and supply personnel were rushing around busily. Darius was using one of the rooms as his office.

In the corner of the room, the latest reports and battle maps from all over the country were piled up, towering like a sickly tower. Darius sat down at the half-broken desk and, ignoring the whiteness of his breath, quietly unfolded the paper on which he would write his letter.

“…I’ll send Victor to the battlefield at age 10.”

Those words were also the conclusion of the document I had just compiled.

It was only a very short sentence, but to Darius it was like a weapon aimed at his own heart.

I have repeatedly explained my logic as a lord to myself.

–His fatherly instincts refuse to accept it.

That would be a normal human sentiment.

Staring intently at the paper on the desk in front of him, he presses down on the tip of his trembling pen.

But I can’t find the words.

Should the text be a “notice of convocation” or a “request to march into battle”?

Either way, it’s probably not something a 10-year-old should watch.

“…Damn, what should I write?”

The soft, muttered voice sounded as if he was cursing himself.

Soldiers risk their lives every day fighting Eclipse, and it’s only natural that Darius, who commands them, should be on the front lines.

However, this time things are different.

My son, who was a toddler just a few years ago

He throws Victor into this hellish maelstrom of bl00d and flesh, splattering everywhere.

Who would do such a thing?

–Well, it’s true that there is already an example like Raven.

The eldest son, Raven, was sent into battle at the age of 12, and he continued to win with his swordsmanship that was like a storm.

However, this was possible only because of his extraordinary talent and physical ability. Even at the time, many knights and soldiers cried out, “It’s too fast.”

Besides, at that time, Eclipse’s offensive wasn’t as abnormal as this, so even in that hell, there was certainly time to train Raven at leisure.

But that luxury simply doesn’t exist this time.

With no time to spare, they are now sending off a 10-year-old.

“…I know that child probably has natural talent.”

Victor’s aptitude for lightning magic and the speed at which he learned swordsmanship are extraordinary, unparalleled in any previous journal.

Using the silly technique of magic, he has reproduced the skills that previous heads and knights of Vanguard had honed over the years, and has already demonstrated the strength to fight on equal terms with former Knight Commander Garland.

With this many “nuclear weapons,” perhaps a ray of hope could shine on a hopeless battlefield.

I can’t help but think that.

However, the lord’s intentions and his feelings as a father are completely at odds.

Darius felt as if his heart was being torn in two.

“… Who would be happy with such a crazy decision? Who could accept such a decision?!”

He yelled in frustration.

There was a sound of wet drops hitting the floor, as if there was a water leak somewhere in the corner of the room. An oppressive silence crushed his ears. Staring at the text he was writing, his thoughts went round and round.

What had driven him to this point?

It was a tally of the war dead that had arrived the day before yesterday.

The rate of attrition up to now was already extraordinary, but over the past month, the number of dead and wounded has increased sharply, and soldiers on the front lines are unanimously voicing their pessimism, saying, “At this rate, we won’t last another six months.”

The supplies provided by the royal family (Flame Magic Stones, Magic Crystals, etc.) were unable to keep up with demand and might run out in a year.

“At this rate, Vanguard will truly be destroyed.”

Darius holds the pen in his hand, his hands shaking. Sending his son off to war would be madness.

If nothing was done, the territory would collapse along with its 250,000 citizens.

The Eclipse will devour them and kill them mercilessly. There is no way I can accept such a future.

“Going forward is hell, and retreating is hell.”

A deep sigh shook the cold air of the office.

Images of Victor as a child came back to him.

In a position like this, there was no way I could play with him. All I could do was make him hold a sword from a young age, just like Raven, and make him keep swinging it.

____However, an image of her wandering around my feet, pretending to have a sword with her small hands, comes to mind.

Who would have imagined that he would now display such monstrous talent, able to learn incredible magic and swordsmanship in an instant?

“Sorry, Victor…”

As a father, I didn’t want him to have a sword until he reached adulthood. I wanted him to live a normal life.

However, those born into Vanguard do not have such luxuries.

Soldiers are still bleeding today, and Raven is running to his death. He can’t afford to be the only one protecting his son.

The ink smudged slightly onto the paper, blurring the letters. He pretended not to notice, picked up a new sheet of paper, and began writing.

“To Victor.

When you reach the age of ten, join the battlefield–“

But then the words stop. “I want you to fight for your life” is too cruel to write to a child. But this is an order.

It will not be official until the lord’s signature and seal are left behind.

I grit my teeth and dip the dry tip of the brush into the ink once more.

I don’t want to write this, but it’s the only way.

“Hhhh………”

Darius noticed that the ink had mixed with something else and was wetting the paper, but he didn’t bother to wipe it off.

I wrote an order to Victor and also a letter to my wife, Katarina.

Another roar rang out from the glass window, and Eclipse’s roar could be heard faintly overlapping with it.

–I don’t know which is hell anymore.

Pretending not to notice the tear stains on the paper, Darius put his pen down with a stern expression.

The summons order was rolled up and sealed, and given to a rear support messenger to be sent to the castle.

“I have no choice but to fulfill this duty as a lord… as a lord…”

But his heart was in agony, as if pierced by a thousand stitches.

The heavy, stagnant atmosphere in the fortress and my own decision weighed on my chest.

Still, if he was to find light in the next five years, this was the path he had to take. Believing this, Darius left his office. His feet sank heavily, and the regret he was clinging to flickered behind him.

As I stepped out into the chilly corridor, soldiers hurried past me, saluting. I should have gotten used to the smell of bl00d, but today it was stronger than usual. Oh dear, it’s not even morning yet, and the battlefield is already bursting into flames.

Now in his hands

There is an invitation to “invite your son to hell.”

Having embarked on a path from which there is no turning back, there is no choice but to move forward.

As the lord who shoulders the weight of Vanguard, and to protect the lives of many,

–He continues walking forward, suppressing the violent throbbing in his chest.