Running Away From The Hero! (Remake)

Evade the Hero CH 281 TL (325)

Side Story – Memories of a Princess (54)

#69 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Soldier

“Damn it! Are we all going to die here? I heard there’s no way to block the Empire’s magic!”

It was a voice filled with frustration.

Everyone probably felt the same.

“Don’t say that. What do you want, to admit defeat before we even fight?”

But as the squad leader, it was my job to deny that. That’s my role.

“But still…”

“Enough. One more word, and you’ll be disciplined.”

“…Yes, sir.”

At times like these, you have to speak firmly.

Complaints like that spread like wildfire. One person voices them, another agrees, and soon enough, others chime in.

“Hold it in for now. You can complain all you want once we make it back.”

It wasn’t necessarily bad behavior.

Soldiers always talk behind their officers’ backs. It’s almost a daily occurrence. Sure, you’d be in trouble if caught, but the army is an institution with a long history.

If soldiers use the tricks they’ve learned over the years, they can resolve things quietly.

So feel free to complain all you want.

“Surviving comes first.”

And once we’re back…

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I understand.”

We had been sent out suddenly. Even if it were just training, the situation was frustrating enough. But this was a real situation—a war.

In this situation, it’s no surprise that people were worried about losing their lives at any moment, especially since we were being sent into combat so suddenly.

And all because of one man.

“Don’t forget our objective. We have to clear the way for Duke Laisha.”

“…Understood.”

I couldn’t stop them from showing how much they hated it.

Every soldier knew about Duke Laisha, and that was exactly why we had been sent into Imperial territory so abruptly.

“It can’t be helped. Damn it!”

I barely held back a curse.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen a noble screw things up out of ignorance.

Unlike us common soldiers, who start from the bottom, nobles are born into command.

Some get specialized training or recognize their weaknesses and rely on their subordinates, but most nobles treat their soldiers like expendable pawns to build their own glory.

Duke Laisha was one of the worst commanders in the history of Merdea Kingdom.

And we were experiencing that infamy firsthand.

The invasion of the Karian Empire.

Even after failing once, Duke Laisha had recklessly attacked again.

We were ordered to hold our ground until the army found a way to defend against the Empire’s magical bombardment.

Everyone in Merdea Kingdom knew by now: the Empire’s magical bombardment couldn’t be blocked by the same magic.

Their spells could kill us, but we couldn’t stop them.

Fighting would just be a pointless death. Our only chance was to use the terrain to block as much of the enemy’s magic as possible, while trying to intercept their Sorcerers or magic users before they could strike.

But Duke Laisha ignored the military’s orders and led his troops into an assault. Perhaps even the Imperial army didn’t expect such a reckless charge.

Who would attack when death was certain?

If Duke Laisha had planned this, he’d be hailed as a genius. Overcoming the fear of death to launch an attack for his country.

But Duke Laisha was different.

As soon as he failed and found himself in danger, he immediately used communication magic to demand reinforcements, disregarding even the threat of interception.

(“Come save me! Right now!”)

The higher-ups must have agonized over it.

The war had begun across the continent, and Duke Laisha was already losing.

Not once, not twice, but every time.

It was rumored that the number of soldiers who had died under Duke Laisha’s command was equivalent to that of an entire army corps.

Some might think it would be better for the Empire to kill Duke Laisha for the Kingdom’s benefit.

But the higher-ups chose to save him.

It wasn’t just about his rank as a Duke; it was also about the political ties associated with Duke Laisha.

His predecessor had been an exceptional general and politician, and his loyal followers still held considerable influence in both the military and politics.

And unfortunately, they were unwaveringly loyal, adhering to the late Duke’s dying wish: “Take care of my foolish son.”

It was truly unfortunate. If they hadn’t been so loyal, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

If Duke Laisha had been a wise man, he could have used their support to lead the Merdea Kingdom to greater heights!

“Damn it.”

But reality was just as one of my men muttered under his breath.

Damn it.

Why was the late Duke Laisha’s only child born such a fool?

If only he hadn’t been, we wouldn’t be suffering like this.

“There are footprints here.”

But it was too late now.

We’d been given a mission, and as soldiers, we had to carry it out.

“Let’s move.”

Our only option was to complete the mission as quickly as possible and get out of here.

“Looks like someone fled in a hurry…”

The flattened grass and the occasional broken branches showed clear signs that someone had passed through here in a hurry.

“Damn it…”

I had hoped we wouldn’t find anything and someone else would take care of it.

“There’s a good chance it’s one of our own. Pursue.”

Now, there was no choice.

We had to find Duke Laisha quickly and hope the enemy didn’t find us first.

“Understood.”

Ten of us moved swiftly, keeping an eye on our surroundings.

Before long, we found the body of one of our soldiers.

“Damn it…”

The dead soldier, eyes wide open in death, told us a lot.

“Judging by the condition of the body, he hasn’t been dead long…”

“No more than a day, at the most.”

It seemed that the situation had been so urgent, they hadn’t even had time to retrieve his identification tag.

We wanted to bury him, but this was enemy territory.

All we could do was close his eyes and take his tag.

“Let’s hope we don’t end up like him. You all understand that, right?”

“……”

No one replied. They just gave slight nods.

“Glad you get it. Let’s move.”

We left a small mark on a nearby tree and continued.

The sun was starting to set.

If we didn’t find our forces soon, things could go very wrong.

“Squad leader, I’m detecting magical signals.”

“Are they enemy signals?”

“They’re friendly.”

A small bit of luck, perhaps?

As the sun dipped lower, we finally found our allies.

Unfortunately…

“You idiots! What took you so long?”

We had run into the very person we didn’t want to meet.

“What’s this? Only ten of you? Where’s the rest?”

The man responsible for all of this chaos was shouting at us.

I wanted to punch Duke Laisha, who was berating us for something that was entirely his fault, but…

“We split into smaller groups to locate you, my lord. Now that we’ve found you, the rest of the forces will regroup here.”

What else could I do? I’m just a common soldier, and he’s a Duke—a general, no less.

No matter how incompetent he is, the army runs on rank.

As a soldier, I can’t challenge that.

“Damn it!”

Duke Laisha kicked the ground angrily, glaring at us as if we were pathetic.

“Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of you?”

He was saying what we all wanted to say.

“I apologize.”

But all I could do was say the words Duke Laisha should have been saying to us.

Damn it! Why am I still a soldier?

As soon as this war is over, I’m quitting and becoming a farmer.

Assuming I make it out of here alive.

“The signal’s been sent. Our forces will gather here.”

“Hmph! Of course, they will. I’m here.”

The more he spoke, the more nonsense he spewed.

Could we really survive under this man’s command?

That was the question running through my mind when…

(Calling all allied units… This is Black Bear, this is Black Bear! We are currently under attack by Imperial forces.)

(This is Red Snake. We’ve been ambushed by the Empire and are retreating.)

(Red Bear, currently engaged in combat.)

(This is Black Dragon. We’ll provide support for Black Bear.)

A voice came through the squad Sorcerer’s communication tool.

“What’s this?”

Does this idiot even understand what’s happening?

“Our forces are being attacked by the enemy.”

“What?”

He really didn’t know.

By now, the souls of the soldiers who had died under Duke Laisha’s command must be wandering the earth, cursing him, waiting for the day he dies.

“It seems the forces gathering here have been intercepted by the enemy.”

“Intercepted?”

Black Bear was the code for our regiment. Red Bear was another regiment in the same corps, while Red Snake was an intelligence unit under Red Bear, and Black Dragon was our division.

In other words…

“We’re surrounded.”

If it were just the regiment being attacked, that would be one thing, but the fact that even Red Bear, stationed far away, had been ambushed meant we were in trouble.

“What did you say?”

Duke Laisha was panicking, but I couldn’t respond.

(This is Blue Dragon. Blue Bear and Blue Wolf have been wiped out. Blue Dragon is regrouping with the remaining Red Dragon.)

Our corps was made up of four divisions, one regiment, and two independent units.

This operation involved four divisions.

The divisions were codenamed after dragons, and the regiments under them were named after bears, wolves, and hawks.

The message we just received meant…

“What’s going on? Wiped out? What’s been wiped out?”

“One of our divisions has been cut in half. Blue Dragon refers to the 40th Division, which was responsible for the eastern front.”

In other words, one of our escape routes had been cut off, and they were warning us to be cautious.

“What?”

“The eastern retreat route is blocked, and our forces there are moving south.”

“Useless idiots!”

He had no right to call anyone useless when he didn’t even understand basic codes.

“You need to make a decision.”

But it was our mission to get this idiot back alive.

As much as I wanted to leave him for dead, disobeying military orders would mean execution for me, my comrades, and even our families.

So I had to do everything I could to keep this bastard alive.

Even if it would’ve been better for the army if he were dead, I had to choose survival!

“A decision?”

“Yes. If we stay here, our forces won’t be able to reach us. They’re struggling just to fend off the enemy.”

“Useless…”

It seemed he didn’t realize we were in this mess because of him.

With that kind of memory, it’s no wonder he couldn’t remember the codes.

“So, we have to escape on our own. You need to choose our escape route, and we’ll break through.”

The east was now under enemy control.

Our forces were moving south, which meant the southern front was getting reinforcements.

But it also meant the enemy might attack the south with any spare troops they had.

In that case, retreating west, where we hadn’t seen much fighting, might be our best bet.

“W-wait. I need to consult with my officers.”

It seemed this idiot couldn’t make a decision even now.

“Understood, my lord.”

What kind of idiot gets to be a general?

Maybe the army isn’t for me after all.

As I mentally drafted my resignation letter, thinking about quitting and going back to farming, I heard him speak again.

“Alright, we don’t need the help of those fools!”

With an absurdly confident look, Duke Laisha declared,

“We’re retreating east!”

He was suggesting we retreat right into the area the enemy had already captured.

“My lord, the eastern front…”

“I know! It’s enemy territory. But think about it. No commander would chase after a retreating force that’s already been cut in half!”

Only idiots obsessed with personal glory would do that.

“So the enemy must’ve already moved south. We’ll take advantage of that and escape to the east!”

Watching Duke Laisha spout his nonsense with such confidence, I could only curse myself for not quitting the army sooner.