Chapter 2: This calls for a history lesson (Edited)

Chapter 2: This calls for a history lesson (Edited)

The battle was on with the sound of a whistle from the Ustian side. The firsts to move were the H.39 and AMC.34 YR tanks, followed by squads of infantrymen. Fortifications on both sides of the battlefield opened fire, suppressed, and did whatever they could to cause as much damage as possible to the opposition. Though it was easy to tell at first glance that the Belkans were losing, badly, when the cannons of the Ustians sang along with the cheers of their soldiers.

Things weren't great for the Belkan defenders since they only got two Pak 37mm AT guns and a few handheld AT weapons. Not nearly enough to stem the tide of ten tanks.

As the Ustians barely accomplished 1/4 of their way to the Belkan trench, both forces heard the rumbling sound of aircraft engines. They turned to look up only to show panic when they realized a large aircraft is about to crash in front of them. Especially the Ustians when one of the H.39 noticed they were stuck in the crash zone of the airborne threat. Having no time left to dismount, the tank commander ordered his driver to brace himself for impact.

"Viva la Usti-!" The crew's cries were cut short as the tank took the brunt of an aircraft engine and flipped three times before stopping 20 meters away from its last position. Miraculously, the crew survived albeit they wouldn't be fighting any battle soon.

As for the aircraft, after flinging a tank flying, it lost its left wing and skidded along the field, only stopping after passing the hundred meters mark. The battlefield turned silent at such a dramatic entrance until the Bf-109s started their gun run on the Ustians line.

Having regained his spirit with the timely arrival of the 109s, Aleph had his men use almost half of their arsenal of smoke dispensers. Aleph leading the charge alongside his Mp-28 and a squad of infantry towards the downed Condor. It was but a short distance with smoke covers but to Aleph, it was the longest run he had ever had. By the time he reached the Condor, the Ustians shook off their stupor and suppressed the hell outta smoke clouds. The tanks were slowly cranking their turrets when a whistling sound from high above was heard.

"Artillery!"

Like the wraths of Gods, a cacophonic of explosions decimated the previous Ustians attack wave. Their infantries got hit the hardest due to the lacking covers with many of them either dead or disabled for the rest of their lives.

And while the 88th were doing God's work. Aleph managed to pry open the jammed door of the Condor. The sight that greets him shocked him to the core.

"H-Hail! Hail the Princess!" He hastily performed a proper military salute in the middle of the battlefield. While he knows that the grey hair lass in front of him is only 15 years old, he heard tales and stories about this young genius of the century. Not to mention her title itself, granting her power second only to the Empress of Belkan.

"Save it for when we get to safety Lieutenant! Help me deal with the wounded here." The Princess beckoned so he quickly had his men carry the wounded back to the friendly trenches. He breathed out, in relief, when he saw that the Princess was being escorted by a Valkyrie.

Should anything have to happen to the Princess, don't mention him being court-martialed, he would have killed himself in guilt when that happened.

"Please follow us."

Luckily the entire group of dozens made it back to allied-controlled territory without further complication. Having fulfilled their task, Rigel squadron RTB for some R&R, readying up for the day after. The Ustians also canceled their attack for the day, having incurred a loss of one H.39, two AMC.34s, and many infantries having their morale crippled for the assault. At the very least, both sides will have a good rest for the night.

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"Ha... ha... ha... Made it," I said in between labored breaths. "We actually made it this far."

I look at Bryn, she looks at me, and for whatever reason we both laugh. While it draws the eyes of my fellow cadets, we couldn't help but laugh out loud. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline of surviving multiple attempts at our lives, all the while piloting a metal coffin in the air, that finally got to us after all this time.

"... That was exhilarating, to say the least." I commented.

" Though not a trip I want to experience again any time soon." Bryn returned a wry smile which I followed with one of my own.

While it was great that we managed to catch a breather, we're still at risk here. Such was why I turned to the Lieutenant that had been standing stiffly to the side. The guy got balls, I'll give him that.

"Name, rank, and affiliation?" I questioned.

"Yes, ma'am. First Lieutenant Aleph Morrick of the 7th Motorized Infantry under Kruger Division, reporting for duty." He saluted. Taking a closer look, he is your standard Belkan male with blonde hair and brown eyes. His service uniform had seen better days but that could be said for all of us here.

"Have the injured ones sent to the field hospital while you stay here and give us a full report on the situation here."

"Yes ma'am."

The Lieutenant then proceeded to instruct his men, while Bryn sorted out the surviving cadets. Of the survivors, only three remained while the rest went to have their wounds taken care of.

Now that I have time to think about it... Couldn't Bryn survive all of that on her own? Well, yes. She is a Valkyrie with outstanding magical prowess after all. Though this is a topic for another day.

" Madams and gentlemen, if you please, follow me to our command post."

Lieutenant Morrick led the ragtag group to the 7th command bunker. In the map room there, he filled us in on the situation at hand. To which I uttered an audible groan.

"This is even worse than I expected. Though it's still salvageable."

"Ma'am?"Findd new stories at novelhall.com

"That's right, Ulysses, or as I and the rest of the Belkan administration call it, Ragnarok. That asteroid, infused with dense magic power, was carrying Yggdrasil's seed when it landed on Earth. When the cataclysmic event died down, mana flooded the Earth, giving birth to things that were once thought to be mere fantasy. First, exotic minerals proliferated, then came the monsters next was the Time of Demons, and lastly, us non-native to the world."

Letting that sink in for a bit, Bryn continued.

"We, as in Gods, Valkyrie, Angel, Devils, Elf, and so on... are the last vestige of many worlds that disappeared when Yggdrasil regressed into a seed. To protect us, Yggdrasil's seed brought us into its body and released us when the seed sprouted, and we were safe to leave. Appearing in a post-apocalyptic time, we ushered in order and stability on the surrounding region of the new Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and established the Belkan Reich."

"And history as we know it happened."

"Correct, the Great War happened shortly after. All nations further plunged themselves into a quagmire of chaos. Through this period of strife, we discovered that we're unable to use our magic to the fullest extent. Since we're otherworlders, the law of this world limited our magic power to maintain balance. Only when Yggdrasil fully matured and modified the world laws can we unleash our potential."

"So that's why science is still relevant on Earth. Magic is capable of creating miracles or devastation. Should an otherworld mage deem a nation a hindrance, they can just blink and erase said nation out of existence. Is this a blessing or a curse for our nation, however?" I couldn't help but ponder. The explanation makes sense, Belka could have dominated the world with otherworlders alone if Earth hadn't put a stopper to their strength.

"I would say that it's a blessing. We were used to the thought that it's by right we should lord over Earth and rebuild the lost glory of our worlds. With such a limiter, instead, it allows us to see and learn from the perspective of the common folks. We acquired knowledge and traits that benefit us in ways we could have only dreamt of before. I.e. science, management, humility, and patience... Gradually, we came to accept that to progress, we must co-exist with humanity. But humanity is very, very dangerous. They're too easily swayed by power, too fond of conflict, and too arrogant to acknowledge their faults. Lest we fall into the old ways and cause Yggdrasil to fall, we have taken the helm and guided Belka forward, granting the people under it a noble purpose. And owing to their superior number and outstanding ingenuity, humanity serves as the driving force behind Belka's progress and also as our balancing factor. To prevent us otherworlders from misusing our status. "

"Mutual dependency, right?"

"Yes, to quote the words of the Empress: ' Without humanity, us otherworlders are nothing. Without us, humanity is just a headless chicken.'"

"That's a sentiment I can agree with." Bryn raised an eyebrow at that.

"You spoke like you're not a human."

"To be fair, Belka was treated as an outcast of Earth for making a nation that is, and I quote: ' Harboring the treacherous freaks of nature.'" I took another sip from the canteen. " And as one of many humans in Belka, I also got lumped as ' traitorous existences of humankind that should be burned on stakes like the witches before them'. So do spare me the need to associate myself with the rest of the humans that are not from Belka."

"... I am surprised. Never saw you speke like this before."

"Don't be surprised just yet, more are still to come. Though for what it's worth, I do apologize for us, humankind's, follies. While the apocalyptic event caused us many losses, it also wasn't right for us to point fingers at you when you're also trying to survive in your own way. Thankfully, some portions of humanity chose to live peacefully with you guys, and here we are." I grandly waved my hands across the room. "Trying to have the rest of our brethren to see and acknowledge the differences of the two sides so that in the end, we may not be so... differences, after all."

"..." Bryn and I fell silent. We both have something on our minds. Me, remembering past events, and Bryn mulling over what I said. Suddenly, Bryn lifts her hand and caresses my right cheek.

"Thank you... It was a very touching thing to hear, and I do not doubt that the Empress agrees with your sentiment as well. In the end, it's like a battle between two ideologies. One seeks spotless purity while one seeks harmonious complexity. It's my... our hope that in the war of nations and worlds, Belka will emerge victoriously and bring true peace to all. And with talents like you backing us up, I can rest assured that such a notion is not far-fetched at all."

Her warm hand stopped then gently grabbed the canteen I was holding.

"You must be tired from all the rambling of an old lady."

"To me, you're not old. Don't belittle yourself like that."

"Haha, fine, I won't... Get some rest, I will bring supper and drink for you later. Wait for me, ok?" Bryn gently coaxing me, I felt a shift in her attitude though I couldn't quite put my hand on it.

" Ok then, this room is too big for me alone, and since you don't have accommodation yet... Do you want to share it with me for the time being?"

" Fufu, I will take up on the offer then. Get some shut-eye, my little commander." Bryn smiled at me, her words reminded me of my fatigue.

With Bryn heading out of the room and drowsiness overtaking me, I closed my eyes.

" You heard all of that?" I questioned.

" Yes, master. To answer your unspoken question, we don't have such limiters imposed on us." A soothing, smooth voice was heard in my head. If Bryn's voice was like the warmth of the morning sun, then this voice is cool and attention-grabbing like a priceless ice sculpture.

"It's my thought that this world treated us as natives since your current body was born on this planet."

"So, nothing is amiss, I'm glad." I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"If there's one thing you can trust, then that's Yggdrasil's promise always stays true."

"That's correct, huh... You can focus on the task at hand now. And thanks, a lot, for everything."

"Fufufu, Master, it's our duty and dearest wish to serve and protect you. On behalf of others, I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on fully regaining your memory, power, and most important of all, us." The voice, trying to control its excitement, gave me her tribute.

And just like that, with a smile and unburdened shoulders, I drifted off into dreamland.