Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It’s Quite Late Now - Chapter 124

Chapter 124. Mercenary Dreams

“Well now, look at that! We’ve got some guests barging into our home with their shoes on! For such ill-mannered visitors without an invitation, give ’em a taste of lead, boys!”

“”” “Ooooohhhhhhh!” “””

Even without understanding a word of the Hao tribe’s language, I could tell that this must’ve been the gist of Commander Kobako’s rousing order to her troops.

The usually calm sister of Toshi-nii suddenly wore the expression of an unyielding fortress commander and began firing off rapid instructions to her soldiers.

“Ah, my apologies. I almost forgot about our original guests.”

“No need to worry; combat takes priority. Does this kind of invasion happen regularly?”

It seemed she was now able to spare us some attention, having finished the initial round of orders.

“Yes. Clumsy enemy soldiers keep showing up. It’s the price they pay for relying too much on their ‘assault girls.’”

Commander Kobako chuckled, watching the battlefield through her binoculars.

“On our side, we’ve gained plenty of experience fighting girls who charge headfirst into landmines and machine-gun fire without fear of death. Compared to them, these soldiers are slow, and it’s frustrating because their lack of speed dulls the skills we’ve worked so hard to sharpen.”

“It’s complicated for me… The fact that my presence here has helped increase the enemy’s combat proficiency…”

Misuzu looked troubled by Kobako’s strangely triumphant lament, as if the berserker-like commander was almost enjoying the absurdity of it.

There’s a good reason the Eastern Union troops are hesitant to attack.

Behind and to the sides of the fortress flows a raging river, which also marks the border with the Euro region. This geography makes it impossible for the Eastern Union to deploy mortar teams or move troops across the river.

With mines buried in the open terrain before the fortress and machine-gun fire waiting to cut down anyone advancing, even amateurs could tell that a frontal assault would be suicide.

And in a battlefield where death is all but guaranteed, Misuzu’s clones—who could be replaced without a hitch and whose deaths required no pension payouts—were the Eastern Union’s salvation.

Frontline soldiers didn’t want to die pointlessly, and officers didn’t have to fear getting accidentally shot from behind by disgruntled subordinates after ordering them to charge.

Thus, the battlefield at Junker Fortress became wholly reliant on Misuzu’s clones.

“And once Misuzu fled the country, cutting off the supply of her clones, all that was left were troops used to leaving the fighting to others.”

“My presence ended up robbing these soldiers of their courage to fight… How frustrating.”

For once, Misuzu seemed genuinely down. She probably had some sentimental attachment to this battlefield, where she’d once been able to showcase her abilities.

“Still, it’s not as if we’re getting off scot-free here… Oh! Looks like they’re making their move!”

(Thoomp!)

“Hayami-san!”

At the sound—reminiscent of a firework launch—I tackled Hayami-san to the ground beside me.

“Kyaa! Yu-sama, you’ve finally given in to my overwhelming motherly charm, and now you’re—”

“This is no time for that! It’s a mortar!”

(BOOOOM!)

The blast shook Junker Fortress.

I glanced over and saw Toshi-nii and Misuzu curled up on the ground, minimizing their exposed surface like seasoned frontliners. Their reactions were lightning-fast, as expected.

“Mortars are tricky to handle… It’s their turn to act now. Let’s get into the trench.”

Commander Kobako, lying flat alongside us, pointed to the staircase leading down into the trench.

The Hao tribe’s lieutenant, crouching beside her, was carefully guiding a soldier to the ground, shielding him as they ducked.

Unlike my subordinate, who has peculiar inclinations, Kobako’s lieutenant was clearly competent.

“So after this mortar barrage, the enemy will charge, right?”

I asked Commander Kobako while crawling toward the trench entrance.

“Yes. Their attacks are always the same pattern. Once the mortars stop, they’ll likely charge. Nyalang, escort them to the camp beyond mortar range.”

Commander Kobako gave the order to the male soldier standing beside her.

It seemed this soldier’s name was Nyalang. Despite his cute name, he was a burly member of the Hao tribe with a tough build.

“Got it.”

“Huh? Japanese?”

“Nyalang is my right-hand man. He can speak Japanese.”

Now that she mentioned it, this lieutenant had reacted when we discussed returning to Japan earlier.

So that’s why. He’d understood the language all along.

“Once we reach a safe spot, I’ll teleport us back temporarily. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“Sure. If we survive until then.”

“Don’t jinx it, Sis…”

“It’s just a battlefield joke. See you tomorrow.”

With a playful laugh, Commander Kobako returned to the frontlines, and Toshi-nii gazed after her, looking a bit wistful.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Is this the campsite?”

We had been brought by field jeep to Nyalang, a refugee camp located 2 kilometers behind the fortress.

In this rare, cleared flatland carved out from the jungle, makeshift shacks were crammed together in every available space.

“It’s beyond mortar range, but right under the nose of the Junker Fortress.”

Being so close to Junker Fortress also meant we were near the front lines.

If the fortress were to fall, the camp would inevitably fall into enemy hands.

“Yuu, I can’t see ahead. Hold my hand.”

“Got it.”

Just before reaching the camp, Misuzu had been given a hooded cloak by Nyalang, the lieutenant, which now obscured her view.

“Ugh… The brat’s taking advantage of this.”

“Come on, Hayami-san. We can’t afford to expose Misuzu’s face here.”

“There are a lot of people here who lost family or friends fighting the Assault Girl.”

Nyalang supplemented my words in fluent Japanese.

“There are children here too, huh?”

“Yeah. Even soldiers from the Junker Fortress usually live here with their families.”

As we walked, Hao children, likely curious about us foreigners, approached through the echoing mortar sounds, chattering excitedly.

“””Waaaah! Waaaah!!”””

Surrounded by kids speaking in Hao, I couldn’t understand a word.

Judging by their faces and energy, though, they didn’t seem hostile.

“What are they saying, Nyalang?”

“They’re asking why you’re in uniform but not heading to the fortress.”

A girl, around seven years old, stared up at me with puzzled eyes.

“Sorry, kid. We’re soldiers from another country called Japan. We’re not your enemies—we came here to see your leader.”

I crouched to meet her gaze as Nyalang translated my words.

The children’s faces lit up, and they began excitedly chattering again.

Among their rapid words, I could make out “Sara,” “Japan,” and “Japanese” being repeated.

“They’re really excited. What’s going on?”

“They all love Commander Kobako.”

Though usually stern, Nyalang’s expression softened just a bit.

It was clear he was pleased that the commander was beloved by the children.

The kids kept gesturing wildly, eagerly speaking to us.

Though I still couldn’t understand, it seemed like they were sharing stories.

“They must be telling us all about Commander Kobako’s heroic feats.”

I thought, their vibrant expressions making me smile in return.

“See, Toshi-nii? Everyone loves her.”

“Yeah. If I thought they were just using her, I’d have dragged her back by force. But I guess that was unnecessary.”

Toshi-nii seemed reassured, seeing the children’s innocent smiles.

(BOOOOM!!)

Our peaceful moment was shattered by an explosion, forcing everyone—including the children—to hit the ground.

“That was close!”

Looking toward the source of the sound, we saw black smoke rising.

It came from the road we had taken on our way here from the fortress.

“This doesn’t make sense… The enemy’s mortars shouldn’t have this range.”

As Nyalang muttered to himself, even the kids—normally unfazed by the sound of mortar fire—crouched in fear.

“Is this a new kind of attack?”

“I don’t know. We need to return to the fortress immediately.”

Though Nyalang remained outwardly calm, it was clear that the situation had taken a bad turn.

The enemy might have deployed unprecedented forces, or perhaps the frontlines were being overrun.

Either way, the situation looked dire for the Hao side.

“You need to evacuate. My orders from Commander Kobako are to ensure your safe return to Japan. Now hurry and leave… Excuse me.”

While urging us to retreat, Nyalang answered a buzzing radio call.

“Retreat… But the people here have nowhere to go.”

I couldn’t help but glance at the camp.

Behind it lay the river marking the border with the Euro region.

But crossing the river was impossible—both physically and politically—trapping the refugees here.

The thought of escaping safely while leaving these people behind gnawed at me.

“Huh? You’re still here?”

I noticed the same little girl standing nearby, alone.

The other children must have been called inside by their parents.

“You should take cover too.”

I spoke in Japanese, unsure if she’d understand, as I crouched down to her level.

Then…

“Here.”

The girl pulled something from her bag: a silver packet of combat rations from some foreign military.

She handed it to me.

“For me?”

Baffled by the timing, I took the packet. The girl smiled briefly and ran off toward what I assumed was her home.

“That’s a foreign military ration—looks like a chocolate bar.”

“Really?”

Toshi-nii peered over my shoulder to read the label.

“I’ve had that before during my time in the Eastern Union.”

“You’ve tried it, Misuzu?”

“Yeah. It’s gross.”

“It’s gross?!”

Misuzu chuckled at our disbelief, her hood lifting slightly.

“But out here in this jungle refugee camp, that might be the closest thing to candy these kids ever get, maybe just once a year.”

Her words reminded me of the girl’s gesture. She had probably treasured that ration, carrying it with her at all times.

“…She gave me something that precious?”

There hadn’t been any hesitation in her offer. These kids lived at the very edge of a warzone.

Maybe that’s why, in their minds, giving such a gift was their way of honoring the soldiers who protected them.

The thought cleared my hesitation.

“Yuu-sama?”

“Let’s see how bad this is… Ugh, Misuzu’s right—this stuff is awful!”

The bar was chalky, yet so sickeningly sweet it made my head spin. But I forced myself to finish it.

“Now that I’ve accepted her gift, I can’t refuse her request.”

I dusted the crumbs off my hands and spoke with exaggerated nonchalance.

“Hah. Mercenary much? Since when did you switch from being a major to a hired gun, Yuusuke?”

Misuzu saw through my intentions instantly and teased me with a grin. Every boy dreams of being a rogue mercenary at some point, after all.

“Yuu-sama. Military personnel can’t engage in combat in foreign lands without orders—”

“I’ll just say I got caught up in the fighting while rescuing our nationals and had to defend myself.”

I waved off Hayami-san’s concern with a grin.

“You’ve always had a knack for this kind of scheming.”

“Thanks, Toshi-nii. If they interrogate me, I’ll make sure to mention my talented mentor taught me well.”

“Don’t drag me into it. I’ll just say I was following the major’s orders.”

Toshi-nii smirked. He didn’t seem too opposed to bending the rules. Just another reason I looked up to him.

“Let’s get moving.”

With our resolve set, we called out to Nyalang, still busy with his radio.