(1) Halbert

"Hold your chest high! The captain is arriving!" 

Snowy wind flowed, whistling past the soldiers who held their heads high with frosty eyes, filled with calmness. 

While on the other side, the team on the right side held dark faces, hiding their despair. This team had younger soldiers which was apparent at first glance. 

Walking before the soldiers who were divided into two teams, Halbert, the captain breathed out a wisp of white smoke almost as if sighing.

"Are we not going to receive any reinforcement from the capital? We have performed feats at least worth some support, no?" Halbert spoke to the man standing beside him with a contempt-filled voice. 

"It seems we won't sir." The man, Galven, could only say this with a bitter look. 

"We are not being abandoned, so most likely..." 

"Yes, the empire is planning on attacking two places simultaneously. No more reinforcement can be spared for us to use." 

Both of them looked at the remaining soldiers with hardened faces. 

Even without any words, everyone understood that this was their end. However, the two teams showed different reactions. 

The group with younger faces was filled with gloom, their faces almost overshadowed in darkness. 

Whilst, the other group who had experienced the war with Halbert from the beginning — grinned slightly, with madness flashing in their eyes. 

The four men who stood foremost of the older team, symbolizing their status as leaders of their respective platoons, looked at Halbert. 

Halbert's face broke into a grin matching his comrade, the feeling of their death standing right beside them just didn't bother them anymore. 

Galven sighed and laughed the nervousness off: "Are we going to die here?" 

Halbert pushed his hair back and stared at Galven: "Of course not, how are your family going to live if you die? Well, that is if you have any in the place." 

The nation does not have the capital to provide something like a pension anymore. It had already reached the point of total annihilation. 

The soldiers could only take care of their families through the wages they receive monthly. It wouldn't be long before that was cut off too from how the situation was progressing. 

'So you are planning on dying here...' Galven looked at Halbert with a complicated face. 

From all the people he had ever seen in the military, Galven found Halbert to be one who was shrouded in death more than anyone. He had spent almost five years on the battlefield with him after all. 

"They are here at last." 

Halbert's voice broke Galven out of his daze. The other platoon leaders followed Halbert's gaze too, looking past the snowy winds. 

There, a lone truck with a large container moved forward, brushing past the snow on the ground. 

"Those are?" Galven questioned what was in everyone's mind. 

Halbert responded while taking out a cigarette from his breast pocket: "We won't receive any reinforcement, but it seems like the higher-ups are at least willing to provide arms and rations."  

The sight of Halbert puffing out smoke made Galven ask involuntarily: "Will there be cigarettes in the ration?" 

"Of course not." 

Halbert's answer caused Galven to smack his lips with dissatisfaction. 

Looking at Galven's rueful expression from the corner of his eyes, Halbert tossed a pack of cigarettes to him. 

Catching the cigarette as if it was the most important thing in the world, Galven broke into a wide grin. 

"I knew it was the right decision to follow you, sir! I won't ever leave your side-" 

"Shut up and share some with the other platoon leaders, it might as well be your last." 

Galven shut his mouth close after hearing this, nothing could be certain on the battlefield. It has been like that for a very long time, comrades can die even in the easiest mission. 

The truck passed by the half-destroyed building and reached the place the soldiers gathered at. 

Nothing but deserted buildings and malls were surrounding the group of soldiers. The beautiful and admirable sight that the city once had was nothing but a shadow of the past now. 

Halbert moved to meet with the driver of the truck, while Galven began distributing cigarettes to his old comrade. 

It was very rare to find cigarettes in their current situation, as most of the groceries were looted clean. 

Halbert only had some on him as he got it from the dead bodies of the soldiers that were deployed here before him. They were a bunch of deserters who were executed by him, it was a warning to everyone who had similar intentions.

Finding a familiar person sitting beside the driver, Halbert frowned slightly. 

The person sitting beside the driver got out and walked before Halbert. There was no sound in her movement, it was as if he were looking at a ghost. 

But, Halbert knew that was not the case. He saluted classically and greeted her with a slightly unwelcome voice. 

"Greetings, Miss Nevelli."

Nevelli smiled at Halbert's reaction, brushing it off as if nothing. 

"The headquarters decided to fulfill your request after a very heated discussion. And they told me to tell you this, 'We shall trust your decision, but keep it in moderation.' that's all." Nevelli spoke in a calm voice.

"How stingy of them. Even though all the things I asked were useless to them." Halbert bad-mouthed his superior with no hesitation. 

"The discussion occurred because it was useless. Normally they would have rejected such a request even if the weapons were useless. They only accepted because it was you." Nevelli stared straight into Halbert's eyes which had no living traits like any experienced soldier. 

'Those dead eyes...I can't get used to them no matter how many times I see them. Especially this guy...' Nevelli felt goose bumps but she hid it. 

Halbert kept his mouth shut, letting Nevelli continue speaking. Many soldiers glanced at her, as it was rare seeing such a young girl who wasn't even twenty. 

"In the end, the old and experienced officials supported you. It was all thanks to the feats you and your team accomplished in the past..." Nevelli's face hardened as she continued speaking. 

While Halbert smiled, remembering some of the glory in his past. 

He was deployed on a battlefield at the foremost out of nowhere in the middle of his career. It was a living hell where no one could get out. 

The enemy was the soldiers coming out of the portal, the empire. They used swords and spears, but they were still far superior to the soldiers of Earth, as bullets were useless against them. 

They could guard against artillery easily with magic too. 

There was no way of winning, only rescue missions could be carried out at that moment. 

In the middle of all that, Halbert along with his squad did something no soldier or official expected. 

They directly took the captives of the enemy stored in the storage and negotiated their way out of the battlefield. 

Well, such feats or treachery were just unending in Halbert's record. 

"The demon who drowned the enemy to death...don't you think destroying a whole dam like that was going too far? Do you know how many problems that would cause in the future..." 

"If there is any future, that is." Halbert cut Nevelli off and walked to the container instead. 

This incident occurred recently, its notoriety had already spread across the surviving people. 

Destroying a dam could be considered a heinous crime but Halbert escaped the consequences with just a demotion to captain. 

The dam was a territory taken over by the empire, so it was skeptical as to how the judgement was to be passed. And more than anything, the soldiers present firmly said that the destruction of the dam was caused by the stray magic of the enemy, most of them were Halbert's comrades. 

However, the upper officials were keenly aware of what Halbert did. 

"You can leave the container and go now. We can talk again if I am alive." Halbert opened the container and smelled the nostalgic fragrance. 

"I have been ordered to stay behind and see the result of this battle before returning." 

"I see." Halbert's eyes flashed with a sharp light. 

"What are you going to do with those explosives anyway? They won't be of any use against the soldiers of the empire." 

"No need for you to know," Halbert spoke curtly and began ordering the soldiers to unload the container.