I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 14: Actual Combat (1)

Chapter 14: Actual Combat (1)

The enemy was spotted in the same forest where everyone had conducted hand-to-hand training yesterday.

It seemed they were seen beyond that point, at the frontline.

So, we ran through the forest—the very one I had blown most of away yesterday.

“Finn-kun.”

“Yes!”

Elena-san called out to me.

“Since this is your first actual combat, you won’t be fighting today. Just observe everyone’s battle.”

“…! Understood! I’ll do my best to learn as much as I can from everyone’s fight!”

“Good! That’s the spirit, Finn-kun!”

Being able to witness the battle of the Luvankrum Empire’s strongest unit with my own eyes—
There’s no need to even say how fortunate that is.

I’ll learn as much as I can from today’s battle, and someday—I will be the one to protect them.

“He’s adorable…!”

“He said he wants to learn from our battle…!”

“This is an actual combat situation, but I can’t help feeling all warm inside…”

“But this is also our chance to show off in front of Tera-kun, so we need to step it up!”

“Exactly. And, honestly, they interrupted us when we were about to watch Teraward-kun eat.”

“That’s something I just can’t forgive…”

“We’ll go all out!!”

Each of them heightened their fighting spirit.

As we continued running, we finally emerged from the forest.

After sprinting across the grassland for a short while, we spotted soldiers of the enemy nation—the Granzenia Kingdom’s army.

“……”

Every single one of them was a trained soldier, fully capable of handling combat magic.

For those in the military, seeing a group of trained individuals wasn’t anything special.

However—seeing an enemy unit like that was something that only happened in real combat.

As I took in the sight, feeling something I had never felt before—

“It looks like they haven’t noticed us yet… Alright, everyone! Prepare long-range magic!”

At Elena-san’s command, everyone immediately raised their hands, aiming at the enemy soldiers.

“…!”

I had thought this when we entered the training forest, but seeing it up close like this…

Their magic had absolutely no impurities.

A unit where every single member could control their magic this perfectly…

It was truly unbelievable.

“Fire!!”

The moment Elena-san gave the signal—

“Flame Arrow!”

“Frost Arrow!”

“Wind Arrow!”

“Lightning Arrow!”

Countless magic arrows, filled with immense magical power, were unleashed.

Those arrows rained down upon the enemy soldiers.

“GUWAAAAAHHH!!”

“Wh-what the—GAAAHHH!”

“An attack from—UGH!!”

“Deploy defensive magi—GAHHH!”

“Urgh! It pierced through our barri—AAAAHHH!!”

The enemy soldiers fell one after another, completely unable to resist.

If a single person had tried to unleash that many spells, they would have consumed an enormous amount of magic power.

And yet, each and every one of them barely showed any sign of exhaustion.

This wasn’t just the power of individuals—this was the strength of a unit.

And not just any unit—this was the strongest unit in the Luvankrum Empire’s military.
Even the amount of magic power each person expended was almost perfectly synchronized.

Most likely, even if this turned into a prolonged battle, there wouldn’t be drastic differences in their magic power levels.

They probably don’t even have to think about it anymore—it’s just natural for them.

And there’s definitely still a lot I haven’t noticed yet.

Even just from this one coordinated attack, there was so much to learn.

“Everyone, you’re incredible! I thought I understood the power of a unit, but seeing this just deepened my understanding!”

“…!”

As I spoke my honest thoughts, everyone’s faces lit up with joy, and they began murmuring excitedly.

“Teraward-kun…!”

“He praised us…!”

“Wait, even for that level of magic, he smiled so cutely while complimenting us?”

“He’s seriously adorable… I could keep casting spells forever just to hear that.”

“Actually, I want to show him even more powerful magic!”

“Right?! I never cared when the high-ranking officers praised us, but when Teraward-kun does it, it’s just…!”

“He’s so soothing… I swear, he’s eternally cute…”

“Alright, alright!”

Elena-san clapped her hands together, the sound echoing through the area.

Then, turning toward everyone, she continued.

“We’re still in combat, so keep it together! You can talk with Finn-kun later. For now, focus on defeating the enemy! Sephia-chan, can I leave the next step to you?”

“Understood.”

Sephia-san nodded, then she stepped forward.

“We will now encircle the disoriented enemy soldiers and finish this in one swift strike. Follow my lead.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Let’s wrap this up quickly before Sephia-san’s food gets cold!”

“Tera-kun! Make sure you’re watching us properly!”

“Yes!”

There was no sense of tension like in a real battle, but everyone’s movements were solid and precise.

Even when running, they each kept a consistent distance from one another to ensure they could quickly surround the enemy.

“Alright, let’s go too!”

“Understood…!”

I followed behind Elena-san.

As we chased after everyone, by the time we arrived—everyone had already surrounded the enemy soldiers.

“Wh-What…?! Even if they are the elite front-line troops of the Luvankrum Empire’s military, for five hundred of us to attack and be completely surrounded by only fifty or so of them in an instant…!”

“Calm down! They’re just fifty women! Push through them with our numbers and break through!”

“…Using numbers to break through, huh?”

Sephia-san muttered as she gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Then—

“Chevalier-Style Swordsmanship… Wave Blade Flash.”

She swiftly unsheathed her sword at an incredible speed.

Infusing the blade with magic, she unleashed a wide-range slash.

With that, the enemy soldiers trapped inside the encirclement began falling one after another.

I usually don’t infuse magic into my sword. Instead, I only release it directly from my body…

But seeing her precisely channel magic into her sword at such speed and launch it as a slash, I could clearly understand how much of an exceptional skill that was.

“Finn-kun, did you see Sephia-chan’s movement just now?”

“Yes… It was amazing. There’s no way I could do that right now.”

“Whoa! You actually saw her movements on your first time watching? As expected of you, Finn-kun! Most people outside our unit wouldn’t even be able to see it!”

“R-Really…?”

“Yep!”

“……”

Just yesterday, I felt as if all my efforts up until now had been completely denied…

But now, it’s different.

Elena-san and everyone else are recognizing me.

…I want to keep improving myself in this place.

As I thought that, Sephia-san, who had just returned her sword to its sheath, spoke up.

“It seems your advantage in numbers is gone. What will you do now?”

“Ugh… Dammit…!”

The enemy soldiers looked around.

But with no way to retreat, they had no choice but to fight recklessly.

Everyone attacked them with magic, and the battle ended in a flawless victory.

Every movement was perfectly efficient.

This is… the Luvankrum Empire’s elite front-line troops.

This is… the strongest force of the Luvankrum Empire’s military.

Watching this unfold, I was able to fully realize once again just what kind of place I had thrown myself into.

◆◇◆

At the Kingdom of Granzania’s front-line base.

There, a certain man had a look of complete shock on his face.

“W-What the hell did you just say?!”

“R-Reporting once more… The five hundred troops we sent earlier were wiped out in an instant.”

“Damn it… I was planning to rack up some achievements right after my assignment, but this is a joke…!”

Commanding the front-line troops against the Luvankrum Empire’s elite forces was known to be an incredibly demanding position.

Because… it was impossible to win.

Victory was unattainable, yet the higher-ups constantly ordered them to break through the front lines.

That’s why no one wanted the job.

However, this man saw it as an opportunity. If he could break through the front lines, he’d be on the fast track to promotion.

That was why he volunteered to lead the front-line unit.

But the result was total annihilation of five hundred soldiers.

Hearing the report from the scouts who had observed the battle, he was left stunned. Even so, he managed to force out some words.

“Is there any new information?! Losing five hundred troops for nothing is one hell of a bad joke!”

“N-New information, sir? Well… all I can say is that those women are terrifyingly strong… W-Wait, actually, there was something else!”

The scout suddenly paused, as if recalling something.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he spoke.

“Come to think of it… there was a boy standing among them.”

“A boy…? Wasn’t that unit supposed to be made up of women only?”

“That’s what I thought as well, but… it seemed like Elena Endyheart was protecting him, so he’s probably a non-combatant.”

“I see… If he’s a non-combatant, then he might have just been staying at the base until now. But if they’re willing to divert one of their strongest fighters just to guard him… does that mean losing him would be a serious problem for them?”

There were still too many unknowns, but—

“This is good… I’ve never heard of a guy like that in any previous reports, but now, right after I get assigned here, he suddenly appears. And he’s a non-combatant… Haha, it’s like they’re serving up my key to promotion on a silver platter, isn’t it?”

“E-Er, yes, I suppose so…”

“…From yesterday’s incident in the forest to now, things are finally turning in my favor. I’ll make that boy regret stepping onto the battlefield as a mere non-combatant. Then I’ll take him hostage and use him to break through the Luvankrum Empire’s front lines! Hahaha!”

Now that his path to promotion was wide open, the man burst into laughter.

And, of course, it made sense.

After all, the seemingly unbeatable Luvankrum Empire’s elite unit had just revealed a weakness—

A non-combatant.

And all he had to do was capture that boy to secure his rise in rank.

There was no sweeter opportunity than this.

The man continued laughing loudly, saying that there was no better deal than this.