Sergeant Glendy returned to the troops with a face full of loyalty and began issuing orders.

Of course, he couldn’t resist adding nonsense about my “incredible foresight” while doing so.

While the soldiers prepared for battle with grim determination, I climbed a nearby hill with Lieutenant McCall to confirm his report.

“Captain Daniel, you never act without a plan, do you?”

…For some reason, Frien had tagged along, but I didn’t bother stopping her.

Ignoring her chatter, I reached the hilltop and took the binoculars McCall handed me.

“There, sir.”

I turned the binoculars in the direction McCall indicated and spotted a clearing in the distance.

Soldiers in Kingdom uniforms were diligently setting up camp.

I zoomed in and scanned the area.

Several transport trucks were parked in the clearing, loaded with supplies.

I saw stacks of food, fuel, ammunition, medical supplies, and military equipment.

There were also barbed wire, sandbags, mines, and concrete blocks for fortifications—not to mention radios and batteries.

‘…Definitely a supply unit.’

The number of soldiers exceeded 300—roughly a battalion.

‘But…’

For supplies of this scale, it would have to be supporting at least a brigade, possibly even a division.

The only Kingdom force of that size in the region was the Ironclad Division, tasked with defending the coastal city.

But that area was already surrounded by Imperial forces. How were they supposed to deliver these supplies?

The situation didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t my priority right now.

Lowering the binoculars, I turned to McCall.

“They don’t seem very experienced in combat. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir. Judging by their ranks, most of them are recruits. The veterans have either been sent to the frontlines or killed in action. The Kingdom doesn’t have much choice left.”

“That should make this easier. Cadet Frien?”

Frien’s eyes lit up as she looked at me. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming.

“…You said you trained in vocals, didn’t you?”

“Yes! I was part of the church choir when I was younger. I even performed as a soloist.”

A soloist—someone recognized for exceptional vocal skill and technique.

It wasn’t surprising, considering Frien’s future self would use magic-infused songs to enhance soldiers’ abilities in battle.

Of course, I couldn’t expect her to demonstrate such techniques right now.

Even Frien herself probably didn’t fully understand her powers yet.

For now, I had to make the most of what was available to tip the odds in our favor.

‘If we can’t avoid this fight, minimizing casualties is the only option.’

That was directly tied to my survival, after all.

Calculating the odds in my head, I gripped Frien’s shoulders.

“Cadet Frien, your role in this ambush is absolutely critical. Can I trust you to follow my lead?”

Frien was briefly stunned, then broke into a bright, almost radiant smile.

“Yes! I’ll do anything for you, Captain!”

*****

Dawn.

Taliam, a Kingdom soldier standing guard with his comrades, paused mid-yawn.

A faint singing voice was drifting from beyond the forest.

At first, he thought he had imagined it, but the song grew steadily closer.

He stared in the direction of the voice, trying to make sense of it, before suddenly raising his rifle.

“Imperial troops!”

His shout prompted the other soldiers on watch to raise their weapons as well.

But no one fired.

“…What the hell?”
“She’s alone? And unarmed…?”

Approaching them, singing with her eyes closed, was a woman dressed in an Imperial uniform.

There was no mistaking it—she was with the Empire.

But her uniform was covered in dirt, and the hems were tattered.

“A deserter?”
“Not sure… but damn, that’s a beautiful voice.”

Frien was singing—performing a hymn with the practiced precision of a trained vocalist.

With each step she took toward them, her melodic voice praising divinity resonated through the clearing.

For soldiers deprived of any form of entertainment, her performance was captivating.

Before they realized it, the soldiers had lowered their rifles and begun listening.

Some even crossed their arms, abandoning their weapons entirely.

It wasn’t the sort of behavior expected of sentries, but no one pointed it out.

After all, she was just a fragile, unarmed woman—likely a deserter.

What threat could she possibly pose?

The soldiers snickered and joked amongst themselves.

“Reminds me of church back home. My parents used to take me every Sunday to hear hymns like this.”
“Yeah. God, I can’t wait for this damn war to end so I can go back.”
“What do we do with her, though? Did she come here to surrender or what?”
“Who knows? Should we have a little fun with her before we report this? She’s not bad-looking.”

The guards chatted and laughed as the distance between them and Frien grew smaller.

Taliam joined in briefly but suddenly felt something was wrong.

‘…Was the forest always this dark?’

The area behind the approaching woman seemed unnaturally dark.

Normally, even under moonlight, faint outlines should be visible. Yet this darkness was like a veil, completely obscuring the view.

Uneasy, Taliam nudged the shoulder of the soldier beside him.

“Hey. Don’t you think something’s off? It’s way too dark up there.”

The soldier just scoffed.

“Come on, Taliam. You’re such a damn coward. It’s just the clouds covering the moon. That’s why it’s darker than usual.”

No. That couldn’t be it. He had stood guard enough times to know better.

Growing increasingly anxious, Taliam scanned the other soldiers, but they were all lost in conversations about home and women.

By then, Frien had reached the edge of the camp and finished her song.

The sentries fell silent, their attention fixed entirely on her.

“Soldiers of the Kingdom allied with the Coalition.”

Frien’s voice, sweet yet chilling, rang out as she smiled.

“May you all burn in hell.”

At that moment, Frien dispersed the veil of black mana that had hung behind her like a curtain.

Revealed behind her were 200 Imperial soldiers, standing in formation with their rifles aimed at the Kingdom troops.

“...!”

Only then did Taliam understand.

Frien had used magic to amplify her voice, masking the sound of 200 soldiers advancing under the cover of darkness.

But by the time the realization struck, it was already too late.

As Taliam and the other sentries froze in panic, Daniel’s dry, detached voice broke the silence.

“Fire.”

Before the word even fully left his lips, the Imperial soldiers’ rifles erupted in a blinding storm of muzzle flashes.

*****

Tat-tat-tat! Bang!

The sudden bursts of gunfire jolted Lieutenant Colonel Henry Fuer awake.

What was that sound? He waited for his adjutant to burst into the command tent with a report—but no one came.

Blinking in confusion, he realized the gunfire wasn’t stopping.

“Ha… Hah…!”

Snapping out of his daze, Henry scrambled to put on his uniform, grabbed his pistol, and rushed outside.

What he saw froze him in place.

Flames and smoke billowed everywhere.

Amid the chaos, Imperial soldiers in black uniforms had already seized control of the camp.

Some of Henry’s men staggered out of their tents in response to the gunfire, only to be cut down in an instant—too quickly to even cry out.

“W-What the hell is this…?”

Had their supply route been discovered? How? Why?

His thoughts were a tangled mess.

Scanning the battlefield in desperation, Henry spotted a man approaching the command tent.

Even as screams and gunfire echoed around them, the man strode forward with unshaken composure.

Black-haired. An Imperial officer.

There was something unsettlingly familiar about him.

Then Henry caught sight of the golden Gukseon Medal pinned to the officer’s chest.

‘Daniel Steiner…!’

The so-called hero of the Empire.

Terror gripped Henry. He raised his pistol and pointed it at Daniel.

“Stay back! You monster!”

Daniel halted.

The two men stood in silence, locked in a tense standoff. Then Daniel spoke slowly.

“If you wish to kill me, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

“You think I won’t pull the trigger!?”

“No. I believe you can.”

Daniel’s tone remained calm, but his words twisted like a knife.

“But what happens to your soldiers if you kill me?”

Henry’s hand trembled.

He understood exactly what Daniel meant.

“A headless Imperial force would rampage like wild animals. They’ll slaughter every last Kingdom soldier here. But we can avoid that outcome.”

Daniel’s voice felt like the whisper of the devil.

“Lieutenant Colonel, order your men to surrender. I’ll give the command to cease fire immediately. Think of your subordinates—their families, and the grief they would endure.”

Save them while you still can.

Henry gritted his teeth.

It wasn’t wrong. If he let pride cloud his judgment and demanded a desperate last stand, everyone would die.

Henry wasn’t a brilliant officer, but he wasn’t completely incompetent either.

Letting out a low sob, he lowered his pistol.

There was no choice left.

“Surrender…”

His fingers loosened, and the pistol fell from his grip.

“…We surrender.”