Frieren 11

Title: The True War

Compared to his teammates, Ash appeared the calmest.

Though the war and hatred here didn’t belong to him, and he was truly just a passing stranger, he was now reluctantly entangled in the conflict.

In the past, he had experienced the law of the jungle in the forest and small battles in the village, so he was far better off than others caught up in this war.

Perhaps because of his composure, he became the leader of the four-person team in the carriage.

“Haah… I hope this war ends soon.”

Or better yet, find a chance to escape this awful place? —Ash kept the second half of his true feelings to himself and slightly lifted the carriage window’s curtain.

Outside the carriage window stretched a vast, endless snowy plain. The distant forest, like small emeralds embedded in the snow-covered ground, shimmered under a faintly bright sky.

During the monotonous journey, time seemed to slip into midday, but the scenery outside captivated Ash unconsciously.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of snow, but unfortunately, the dense sound of hoofbeats ruined the view.

After a while, at the edge of the endless snowy plain, a quiet small town’s streets appeared before his eyes, looking utterly desolate.

As the army gradually approached this scene, old houses and scattered conscription notices filled his entire view, instantly making him feel bored.

“It’s already noon. After eating, we should reach the front lines soon.” He muttered, then closed his eyes.

The southern countries typically didn’t see snow, but this place was in the highlands, covered in snow all day. The two nations were fighting for control of this snowy plain.

Not far from the small town, a scene starkly contrasting the earlier beauty emerged: two armies lined up neatly.

However, the enemy’s front line seemed slightly disorganized, but… that was understandable.

Because at the front was a group of children, averaging no older than ten. Boys and girls alike, with blank eyes, held longswords in their hands. Clearly… they were cannon fodder and mental shields at the forefront.

“…Don’t their parents mind? Aren’t they afraid of sparking a riot? Or are they all orphans?” Ash couldn’t help muttering softly.

Beside him, the middle-aged woman from his team, who had been sitting across from him earlier, showed a complex expression upon hearing this: “What parents? They’re all war orphans…”

“Is that so? Then our side’s pretty decent?”

“…It’s the same. We still have strength for now, but who knows later. So, Captain, if I die, can I ask you to look after my daughter? I don’t want her to…”

“Wait, we’ve only known each other a month. Why are you talking about this?”

“…Because right now, only you, Captain, seem the calmest, so…”

“I’m the only one you can ask?” Ash nodded silently but couldn’t help sighing: “Even if I make it out of this war, I won’t stay here. So, I can’t take your request.”

“…You’re really too much. You should’ve agreed to my request, even if just to comfort me.”

“I don’t like lying, so you’ll have to find a way to survive on your own.”

After that, Ash ignored the grim-faced middle-aged woman and focused entirely on preparing for the impending conflict.

After their side made brief preparations, the sound of war drums echoed across the open plain. The army began marching neatly, attacking the enemy’s cannon fodder with a rain of arrows.

The mages followed behind. Waving their staves, they began chanting powerful magic.

In this tense atmosphere, Ash stood among them, symbolically contributing by hurling a fireball at the dense crowd.

Initially, he only wanted to blend in and find a chance to escape… but the situation was far graver than he’d imagined.

As the two armies clashed fiercely, a group of cavalry, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly attacked from the side. Like a sharp blade, they pierced through the support troops protecting the mages and charged at them with drawn swords.

Mages in this era were generally slow at casting spells. They lacked ways to counter sudden attacks, which was why they were given swords initially.

In an instant, screams erupted around him. A horrific hell descended.

Before he realized it, the world was stained red with blood. His former comrades fell one by one. Yet… his gravity magic made Ash shine amid the chaos.

After a battle lasting several hours, most of his teammates were gone, their fates unknown. The only one still alive beside him was the middle-aged woman who had read her daughter’s letter, fighting desperately until the end. She knelt on the ground, gasping for breath…

“…You’re really impressive. Does that legendary conviction really boost someone’s chances of survival?”

Seeing the woman, her neck slashed by a knight’s sword, blood flowing endlessly, yet still fighting while clutching her wound, Ash couldn’t help but marvel at her survival as a priest rushed to her aid. However…

As the priest provided emergency treatment, Ash scanned the corpse-strewn surroundings and realized only the two of them from the entire team had survived. But this was incredibly lucky, as from their company of over thirty, fewer than ten remained.

This left him a bit dazed, staring at his blood-stained hands once again.

As he shifted his gaze from his trembling hands and looked up,

In the wind- and snow-covered place, only corpses buried by falling snow remained.

Snow and blood created a beautiful yet cruel painting.

“Is this… the true war?”

Ash muttered, unsure if he was grateful to be alive or moved by this shocking scene, stirring deeper emotions.

But in any case, for this war… none of that mattered much.