Chereads / the smudged man / Chapter 12 - ch.12

Chapter 12 - ch.12

I had mentally prepared myself for the chaos and devastation typical of a battlefield, I anticipated the presence of carnage—fierce clashes, raging fires, fearsome monsters, fallen soldiers, and the palpable sense of loss in the air, yet upon my arrival I found none of that.

 

A dramatic shift in the environment occurred, jolting me out of my reverie, suddenly, the deathly silence was broken by joyous yells of victory that filled the air, the scene was a stark contrast to what i expected, a tableau of death and horror, both human and Aloki bodies littered the ground, but humans emerged victors, they proudly held their weapons above the fallen Aloki bodies, their satisfaction visible on their faces.

 

I could hear the songs and yells of victory even though I was still some distance from the battle, especially since the singers were wounded soldiers.

 

"shoot"

 

I jumped from my position before a stray bullet struck me, when the injured soldier saw my bright green eyes, he aimed at me without even thinking, under the fumes, the heavy aroma of blood, and finally the exhaustion of the combat, which appeared to have been so arduous that he could no longer distinguish between me and the aloki, I can't blame him.

 

"Why are you so late, you smudged man?"

 

Oh no, I recognize that voice; she is still alive. "sigh"

 

"I apologize, Commander. The battle lasted longer than predicted."

 

A woman with long blue hair donned a military uniform that highlighted her body's curves, her outfit was highlighted by a square star-adorned cap and medals, despite being on the battlefield, she had no wounds or injuries, her military uniform remained immaculate.

 

"Is this your excuse? The battle lasted longer than predicted? Why did you go to a side battle when you were needed here in the first place?"

 

Are you retarded, commander?

 

"You ordered me to go to the shelter to protect the civilians, commander."

 

You command me and then now you blame me? If you want to blame someone, blame your brother, who certainly had no role in appointing you as commander of the Eighth Division.

 

My magnificent commander remained silent for a whole ten seconds before opening her mouth and shouting, "Then why are you here instead of protecting the shelter?"

 

"I made sure the area was safe before coming here, Commander." Commander, do you really wish to flaunt your dominance over me in front of those injured soldiers?

 

'Look, this woman was able to overcome this enormous man without fear or cowardice. I hope to be like her one day. Perhaps the 8th Division is not as awful as the rumors suggest'.

 

 Following that, the prestige of the 8th Division will rise until it reaches that of the first three divisions.

 

sorry Commander, I will not make a sacrifice for the 8th Division, and especially not for you, Commander.

 

"The battle here has concluded, a few minutes ago, the 7th Division Commander and I vanquished the Ten-Tentacle Aloki."

 

really? You?

 

"For him to be able to endure until our division arrives, the 7th Division commander must be very strong."

 

"Yes, the Seventh Division commander is very strong, he and I..."

 

"I'm confident he caused Aloki's fatal injuries before we ever arrived. We should thank him, Commander, for making our work simpler." I don't think for a second you did anything other than participate in the 7th Division Commander's final attack.

 

"Yes, since the battle is over, you will return to the base... NOW." I believe my statements upset her and eroded some of her pride in having participated in that battle. Good.

 

But sending your division's most prominent member home after only a few minutes of battle ended? You are not defending yourself against the allegations, Commander.

 

But who am I to object? I am only a minor soldier who must obey his commander's orders without protest, Commander, I was not delighted to meet you, and Goodbye may we never meet again.

 

Unfortunately, I will be unable to consume any of the fresh meat laying in front of me, a soldier stood over Aloki's body, as his fellow soldiers took photographs, hey, you filthy man, don't put your feet on it, It will be sent to me later.

 

Sounds of excitement permeated the battlefield, the soldiers resumed singing the national anthem, this win boosted the soldiers' morale after the numerous losses they had endured over the past few years.

 

However, there were, as usual, hatred-filled eyes looking at me, the fact that I arrived late made my appearance in front of them worse.

 

"Wait, smudged man." When I heard the old man's voice, I paused my steps.

 

really? Why isn't anyone calling me by my name? There are only three people like me in the world, and you say you don't know my name? Why is this difficult for you?

 

I turned to see a man who was taller than the commander, his powerful figure was obviously apparent since his shirt was torn, there was red blood mixed with green, indicating that he had also injured the enemy, he didn't wear a four-pointed star helmet, but I knew he was the commanders, the Seventh Division commander.

 

"Yes, Commander," I salute and looked down at the commander, awaiting to see what he going to say.

 

"Where are you going in the middle of the battle?"

 

"Commander said that the battle is over, so I must return to the base." Even I understand that this is a terrible decision, but well, I'm only a mediocre soldier after all.

 

"Is that true, Commander of the Eighth Division?" I believe I saw his brows twitch, Oh, this is going to be great.

 

"...I...I thought...since the battle is over, it's best to send..."

 

"You think sending one of our most powerful weapons home was a good idea? Are you an idiot?" Oh, this is better than I imagined, and it has only just begun; I'll forgive you for referring to me as a weapon solely for this show.

 

My commander stared at the ground and said nothing, I can't see her eyes from above her so I'm not sure if there were tears, I sincerely hope there is.

 

"'sigh' you're still young and inexperienced, if only we hadn't lost so many good soldiers recently." Oh, that was harsh... Please proceed, sir.

 

Her body shook; would she collapse? Will she cry in front of the soldiers?

 

"Ha ha ha chooooo..."

 

I sneezed, grabbing the soldiers' attention, good, there are enough attendees to watch the event as well, it's a good thing I sneezed accidentally, and not intentionally of course.

 

"Yes, Commander of the 7th Division, I truly did make a mistake in judgment." The tremble in her throat was audible to me, this woman will shortly start crying, I hope those soldiers stop taking pictures of my food and film this historical moment instead.

 

"But you cannot belittle me like this in front of the soldiers, I am a commander like you in this army." She gestured at the Seventh Division commander with a trembling finger, Yes, indeed, tears were welling up in her eyes and would soon fall.

 

The Commander of Seventh Division remained silent and gazed at her for thirty seconds before letting out a sigh.

 

That small sigh, which seemed to her like thunder, made her eyeballs tremble, she continued pointing her finger at him, but he turned away from her and went to see to his injured soldiers.

"stop, Commander of the 7th division, I am not done yet."

 

The man without a shirt paused and cast a sidelong glance at her. "What?"

 

"You haven't apologized yet.", yes, woman, do not give up your right.

 

"What?" He spoke, and the whole battlefield heard him.

 

"Beep beep"

 

A bothersome noise reverberated from the commander's outfit, the show that was about to continue was disrupted by this alert, which also destroyed the mood, I'm not going to dispute it, I'm upset, this tiny sound has ruined my enjoyment twice today.

 

After wiping her tears, the commander pressed the suit's chest to hear the message, looks like not a very long message, because in less than thirty seconds, she lowered her hand and glanced at me.

 

"The Emperor sent this message to all commanders."

 

How come you're staring at me then? One of the commanders standing next to you, Look at him instead of gazing at me.

 

"The Emperor ordered that the smudged man be brought as well."