There had already been plenty of desertions, both back on Earth and here in the Shiena Kingdom.

  At first, I never understood why people would abandon their country, betray their homeland, and turn against everything they once swore to protect.

  Now, I understand. Because I was close to deserting myself.

  Reason number one: I have no reason to risk my life for a nation that literally turned me into a slave.

  Reason number two: I have no reason to hold back 70,000 enemies while stuck in the body of a little girl.

  Reason number three: I have no idea why I’m even in this hell.

  Weeks had passed since General Cedric’s brilliant plan was set in motion, and to put it bluntly, things weren’t going well.

  Our numbers had dwindled to less than 100. Out of the original MPA 63 units, only 19 were still standing.

  I doubted the enemy was that stupid to realize we were the only one standing here. They had to realize by now that the 9th Corps’ main force wasn’t here. But the traps we set up had done enough damage to slow them down, just enough to stop them from charging straight through to crush our main army.

  We had killed around 10,000 Imperial soldiers.

  But that still left 60,000 more.

  And I seriously doubted we had the power to keep going.

  The only reason we were still alive was because winter was approaching.

  The Kingdom of Shiena wasn’t geographically close to the north, but it got cold enough to freeze an army in place. The Imperial advance had stalled, but so had we.

  And now we were freezing to death.

  The 9th Corps had left us with supplies, but not enough warm clothes.

  We’d already burned through all our oil through fighting.

  The trees here were dense with mana, making fire an absolute luxury.

  Lura was our only mage, and she was barely managing to keep the fire going, let alone get any rest.

  Meanwhile, reports from the front confirmed that the 9th Corps had successfully met up with the 1st Corps and was now attacking Fort Stonebridge.

  So at least someone was making progress.

  Too bad it wasn’t us.

  I had tried everything I could think of to cut off the enemy, every strategy, every dirty trick, but it never worked enough to finish the whole enemy.

  For some reason, the three Major Generals leading the enemy divisions were always at the front, forcing me to engage them instead of dealing with their soldiers.

  Major General Jack and Major General Claudius were powerful fighters, not as monstrous as Commander Otis from the Storm Crusade, but still a nightmare to face in battle.

  The real nightmare, though, was Major General Olivia.

  She wielded a katana, straight out of a Japanese anime, and could slice anything in half the moment she unsheathed her sword. Half of our MPA units had been cleaved apart because of her alone.

  And now, as if things weren’t bad enough, we were out of food.

  Out of water.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Out of everything.

  Hurray!

  We were absolutely doomed.

  To make matters worse, the MPA 63s had completely run out of Mana Crystals. Without them, they were just metal coffins. We’d burned the remaining armor to keep it from falling into enemy hands, but at this point, I seriously doubted we’d last another day anyway.

  I sat in my tent, shivering. Lura was beside me, curled up and shaking just as badly.

  We had burned everything for warmth, tents, uniforms from the dead, even the corpses themselves. At first, some people protested, calling it unethical. A few days in, nobody cared anymore.

  “You could leave, Lura.”

  Desertions had become common. I had no idea what happened to the ones who fled. We didn’t have the strength to chase them down, nor did we care.

  “You weren’t born in this kingdom. You don’t owe it anything. The only reason you’re here is because of me.”

  I had made Lura my aide because I wanted to protect her or bring her home. But in the end, I’d done the opposite. I had barely even thought about her these past few weeks. I’d been too busy trying to survive.

  “You should leave before you die here.”

  I forced a smile, though I knew it was empty. “After all, you have family waiting for you.”

  Even if, by some miracle, we won this war, I doubted anyone would bother sending ships across the ocean for a low-ranking officer. But at least this way, she could hope.

  However, Lura did something unexpected.

  Her usual cold expression twisted into shock, then sadness, then something even deeper.

  Betrayal.

  “So… you don’t need me either…”

  Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. But my concern wasn’t for her tears.

  It was for what she had just said.

  “So you didn’t lose your memory.”

  Lura’s eyes widened, her shock even greater this time. But I didn’t press further. Instead, I stood and walked toward the tent entrance.

  “It’s not my place to ask about your past. But if you’re willing to stay in this hell, I’ll welcome you with open arms.”

  Silence stretched between us. I stood there, staring at the bandages wrapped around my arms. I had no time to care about Lura’s past, no matter how tragic it might be. My only concern was survival. I had told her to leave for her sake. But if she wanted to stay, that was her choice.

  “I will stay.”

  This time, her voice was firm. There was no hesitation, only resolve.

  I smiled.

  “Then let’s fight our final battle.”

  [(0)]

  “Are you sure about this, Major Aria?”

  Snow crunched beneath my boots as I stood on a windswept hill, overlooking the battlefield below. The officer beside me spoke hesitantly, but I didn’t turn to face him. I already knew what I’d see; uncertainty, fear, and exhaustion.

  Instead, I glanced back at what remained of our forces.

  Only 30 soldiers.

  At some point during the night, the others had deserted.

  “If we flee now, I’m sure the kingdom would be mad enough to hunt us down,” I replied, voice calm despite the situation.

  Then, I turned to address the remaining soldiers.“We came here to fight for your motherland. But you don’t have to fight.”

  The 30 men standing before me weren’t just soldiers. They were former slaves.

  I had recognized them during the night raid, the ones who had survived by playing dead, only to be captured and forced into service.

  “You owe nothing to this kingdom that turned you into slaves.”

  I still had no idea why they were the ones standing here instead of the trained soldiers from the 9th Corps.

  “If you follow me, you will face death.”

  This was our last stand. No matter what our superiors thought of this reckless decision, this was the best I could offer.

  “I will say this one last time. Leave if you want to live.”

  Nobody moved.

  Instead, they gripped their weapons tighter.

  Then, suddenly—

  “We will not leave!”

  A soldier’s voice rang out, filled with determination.

  “We were made into slaves, so what?! We are still people of this kingdom!”

  “Yeah! We’ll never abandon our motherland!”

  “Even if they made me a slave, I’ll still protect my family!”

  Fools. Every last one of them.

  There was no logic to their loyalty, no reason in their resolve.

  And yet—

  I smiled.

  “Then let’s survive and see the next day! Drinks are on me!”

  “Cheers!”

  “Uh, Major…” The officer beside me coughed. “Are you even allowed to drink?”

  No. But I could still buy them.

  Beside me, Lura’s long ears twitched. Her sharp eyes locked onto the distance.

  “They’re here.”

  Her quiet words were soon drowned out by the steady, ominous rhythm of marching footsteps.

  The enemy had arrived.