I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 3. Burken Fortress (3)

Inside the command tent.

The first thing the baron did upon receiving me was to verify if I was a real mage.

“Why, why would such an esteemed person be in a place like this…?”

The mage standing beside the baron was a regular imperial army mage summoned for this purpose.

A proper mage could discern the spell level of another.

Of course, a high-ranking mage could easily hide their spell level.

But for me, who had fallen into this fortress at dawn, that was an impossible feat.

As a result…

“In such a remote fortress… a h-high-ranking mage…”

…It seemed a misunderstanding had arisen.

Perhaps because of the high skill level of [Infernal Meteor], he mistook me for some high-ranking mage.

His trembling jaw made me worry about his emotional state.

I felt the need to shut him up before things escalated.

“Quiet.”

“…Gasp!”

“Having confirmed I’m a mage, will you step aside?”

“Yes, yes!”

The mage, nodding frantically, fled the tent as if escaping.

The baron, watching his retreating figure, tilted his head.

“You…”

“I’m not that kind of person.”

“I see. Of course.”

Fuck, I said I’m not.

No matter how much his eyes gleamed, I couldn’t wield a level 7 spell I’d just learned hours ago like boiling an egg.

To properly use [Infernal Meteor], I’d need at least the [Robust Mana] trait.

With my current mana capacity, I’d probably have to chug mana potions and endure severe backlash to barely cast it once.

Even if I could, I didn’t want to do something as crazy as using vampire school magic in the imperial camp.

That would get my head pierced by an inquisitor’s silver bullet the next day.

My goal was to avoid such extreme situations as much as possible.

Seizing command was in the same vein.

“Ahem, alright. I understand. Ash, was it? Sorry for doubting you. There are so many impostors among those claiming to be mercenary mages.”

“Verification is necessary for everyone, Baron.”

The baron nodded.

For reference, the name ‘Ash’ was something I made up on the spot.

The hero ‘Nameless Ash,’ so ‘Ash.’

Pretty straightforward, right?

Anyway, it was time to get to the point.

With the mage gone, there were three people in the command tent, including me.

Me, Baron Burken, and his chief of staff.

I needed to remove the interloper before starting the conversation.

“Baron, have the chief of staff step out as well.”

“…Baron.”

“If you wish to share the secret of the red moon, he may stay.”

“Chief of staff, please step out for a moment.”

“…Understood.”

The white-haired chief of staff left without protest.

Now it was just the baron and me in the tent.

I was halfway to success.

From barging into the command tent shouting to see the baron, to securing a private meeting with him in less than five minutes.

Of course, when the knights brandished their aura-flickering swords at me, I nearly pissed myself.

If not for [Lord’s Unyielding Mind], what would’ve happened?

“So, mage. Why did you seek me out?”

The baron asked.

Instead of answering immediately, I calmly looked at him.

“…….”

Thick belly fat spilling through his armor. Slightly trembling legs. Twitching mustache.

Even I could easily tell.

He was trying to hide it, but he was terrified.

“Mage?”

He was afraid of the undead army poised to overrun his fortress.

And probably just as afraid of the mage who had prophesied his fate and come to him.

Especially after seeing the imperial army’s regular mage flee in fear.

“Mage. If you have nothing to say…”

The advantage of information was on my side.

I’d fully exploit that fear.

Just as the baron, unable to bear the silence, started to rise, I spoke.

“You were a mercenary in your youth, weren’t you?”

The baron gasped.

I gave a faint smile and nodded.

It wasn’t just his fear I was leveraging.

I had also considered the hidden effect of [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].

[Deploying [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]

Some rare traits or skills had undocumented effects.

For [Lord’s Unyielding Mind], it was the power carried in speech.

Oratory, negotiation, command, persuasion.

When a hero with this trait was involved in situations requiring speech, the chance of succeeding in a judgment greatly increased.

Convincing the priest at the execution ground in one go was also thanks to [Lord’s Unyielding Mind]’s hidden effect.

“The prophecy that you’d become a lord when the red moon rose. After that prophecy, you were hired for a war and achieved great merits.”

“…How do you know that?”

“To think you wouldn’t recognize me just because I altered my face a bit. It seems you didn’t take my prophecy to heart.”

With the right information, it was the cherry on top.

And I knew Baron Burken inside out.

Vanity. Cowardice. Corrupt administration. Weakness to superstition. A former swordsman.

When playing as a vampire hero, there was no better target than the Burken Fortress he governed.

…Thinking about it again pisses me off.

Fucking luck-screwed trash game. Why make this the starting point?

“The second prophecy. The red moon has waned. A perilous time has come, and as promised, I have returned to you, Baron.”

Of course, it was a lie.

The guy who supposedly prophesied to the baron was just a nameless quack mage.

If he had real prophetic ability, he’d at least have appeared as a minor neutral faction hero.

That wanderer was just a single line in the baron’s personal backstory.

“Will you break the vanguard of this vile undead horde and become a hero of salvation? Or will you cede the border and retreat as a defeated soldier?”

But who was I?

A veteran among veterans who had sunk eight years into this game.

With vast game knowledge and the persuasive power backed by my trait, I’d make my move.

I’d cleverly conceal unfavorable truths and endlessly exaggerate advantageous points.

Unlike before, when my mentality was as brittle as a cookie.

With a trait solidly backing me, why wouldn’t I speak boldly before a noble?

“The choice is yours, Baron. As it always has been.”

As if the decision was entirely his.

I shifted the burden to urge his choice.

“…What should I do?”

“Give me command.”

Firmly, with strength.

I concluded with a reliable voice.

“I will protect your fortress, Baron.”

The baron’s eyes began to waver immediately.

***

“…That cheap bastard.”

I muttered, feeling the breeze blowing through the collapsed wall.

The baron did give me command.

Not of the entire army, but just three units.

One spearman unit. One swordsman unit. One crossbow unit.

No halberdiers or greatswordsmen. No riflemen either.

“Loyalty. Captain Ash, sir. I am Lieutenant Terren. All three units await your orders.”

Of course, looking at it from his perspective, it made sense.

No matter what, he couldn’t entrust the entire fortress' command to some unknown mage.

Common sense dictated that other commanders wouldn’t stand for it.

The imperial army mage spouted nonsense about me being a high-ranking mage or whatever.

But in the end, that guy was just another part of the rotten, corrupt command of this fortress.

“Alright, stand by until I give orders.”

“Understood.”

The gazes of the soldiers, led by the lieutenant, were no different.

It wasn’t hard to read the distrust in their eyes.

They all had commanders they’d worked with for a long time, so how could they feel good about some parachuted officer landing above them just before battle?

On top of that, my unit was positioned right behind the wall.

At one of the gaps collapsed by [Infernal Meteor], no less.

It was a narrow gap, so it wouldn’t be easily breached, but one misstep and a unit or two could be ground to dust.

And those units would be the ones assigned to me.

“Tch.”

Even if they didn’t say it outright, they were surely full of complaints inside.

They’d naturally think they were placed here because of me.

I needed to handle this well to command effectively.

At that moment, someone approached.

Turning my head, I saw it was the chief of staff from the baron’s tent earlier.

“I won’t talk long.”

The chief of staff skipped pleasantries.

His voice was low and deep.

“I don’t know how you sweet-talked Baron Burken, but you can’t fool my eyes.”

“…….”

“What you hold is one-tenth of Burken Fortress' forces. Make a wrong move, and your head will roll.”

I looked at him without a word.

If my memory was correct, he was a named character.

‘The honest white-haired mentor. Senior Knight Olif.’

Under the greedy, cowardly baron, it was largely thanks to him that this fortress had held up this long.

In this battle, he voluntarily took the most dangerous role as the overall commander of the southern outer wall.

When playing as an empire hero, he was a talent worth recruiting if possible.

The problem was that his recruitment difficulty was quite high for his abilities, making him a bit of a liability.

“I’ll be watching.”

“…….”

With no response from me, the chief of staff stepped back first.

Positioning me at the forefront was likely his doing too.

Probably to guard against any potential betrayal.

From his perspective, it was a reasonable measure.

He couldn’t know if I might suddenly turn and stab my allies in the back.

Though it was just three units, in a fortress with about fifteen hundred total troops, it was a significant portion.

“Crossbow unit, load!”

“Rifle unit, load!”

No matter.

No, in fact, it was perfect.

I didn’t choose to stay in Burken Fortress just because it was a familiar place.

This was a battlefield.

And in ‘Warlord Conquest,’ a battlefield was where rare forces like mages, knights, and battle priests gathered.

[Deploying [Warrior’s Insight].]

Here, I could observe plenty of rare skills.

Spells, swordsmanship, miracles—all could be collected.

The fruits of someone’s months or years of effort.

All became mine with just one glance.

“…….”

This was both a crisis and a rare opportunity.

Not just to survive in this damn world, but to move toward the grand goal of clearing it.

“The enemy is advancing!”

They were starting to move.

The spell bombardment had stopped a while ago, so it was about time.

The corpses for the [Blood Sacrifice] ritual must have run out, and the necromancers’ mana depleted.

Corpses began surging toward the gaps in the collapsed wall.

A chilly wind carried the stench of death.

The deathly army, riding the southern breeze, advanced slowly.

No horns or drums accompanied their march.

As befitting the dead, they moved in silence.

Except for the zombies’ moans or the clattering of bones, it was an eerie quiet.

The distance to the undead army was now roughly five kilometers.

They were just starting to enter the mortar range.

“Mortars, fire!”

Finally, the chief of staff’s order came.

Boom boom boom!

The roar of mortars echoed from behind.

***

Rooooar!

The soldiers let out a mighty cheer at the thunderous artillery.

The mortars were one of the few reliable things in this rotten fortress.

That bastard baron skimmed off twelve of them.

Twelve mortars could equip three units.

Thud! Thud!

Still at near-maximum range, the effect wasn’t great.

But the falling iron steadily reduced the enemy numbers bit by bit.

Naturally, the enemy didn’t sit idle.

A detachment far faster than the main force began approaching the fortress.

Clatter clatter clatter!

A pack of wolves with rattling jaws.

Skeleton wolves.

Awoooo!

Over three hundred wolves charged across the battlefield.

The wolves, spread wide, sprinted forward.

Mortars fired, felling dozens of wolves, but several times that number kept coming.

Their charge was as fast as the empire’s heavy cavalry.

“Spearmen, forward.”

“Spearmen, advance!”

“Spearmen, block the wall gap!”

At the chief of staff’s command, the knights shouted.

Unit commands were generally handled by junior knights.

Following the commander’s orders, the spearmen formed a defensive line on the wall and at the collapsed gaps.

Per the chain of command, I should advance my spearmen to the collapsed gap in front of me.

But.

“Spearmen.”

“…….”

Was that really the best move?

Before ordering the advance, I carefully studied the soldiers’ expressions.

All looked like they’d bitten something sour. Understandable.

Their commander suddenly changed, and they were assigned to the worst hotspot.

If I gave the order, even the disgruntled would have to follow.

In imperial law, disobeying wartime orders meant execution.

Shing-

After a moment’s thought, I sheathed my sword.

And I spoke.

“I expect you all have complaints. You’re here because of me.”

Even if they didn’t say it aloud.

They surely thought so inside.

If this were the game, the soldiers’ morale would already be rock bottom.

Deploying them like this, they wouldn’t last minutes against the skeleton infantry’s onslaught.

This gap would be the first to be breached.

And that would be the end of my life.

“I won’t force you.”

So.

“Those who will follow me, stand by my side.”

Instead of a sword I didn’t know how to use, I picked up a spear lying on the ground.

“…?”

“Captain?”

I ignored the puzzled looks of the unit members.

Appointed as commander, the baron had given me plate armor and a sword.

The armor was fine, but a sword was just a flashy weapon for a beginner.

Holding the spear, I stood in the middle of the collapsed wall gap, the spot my unit was to defend.

Looking at the skeleton wolf pack charging from afar, I said.

“And if I die, run.”

The soldiers stirred.

“Captain, what do you mean?”

The lieutenant grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

“Under military law, temporary retreat isn’t punished if the commander dies. Join another commander’s leadership.”

“…Aren’t you a mage? Support us with firepower from the rear. That’s enough. I’ll rally the soldiers.”

Terren, was it?

A loyal guy.

Even in this situation, he stood by my side.

But, you see, you don’t know, but I don’t have any firepower magic right now.

The mage who died to [Infernal Meteor] only spammed [Shield].

Of course, I couldn’t say that outright.

So.

“Lieutenant Terren.”

“Yes.”

“I am a commander before a mage, and a comrade before a commander.”

Solemnly shaking my head, I brushed off his hand.

The word ‘comrade’ made his eyes waver briefly.

I awkwardly tucked the spear under my arm and stared at the enemy lines.

Then, to the speechless lieutenant, I added.

“I can’t just stand back waving a staff while you all bleed fighting the undead.”

As a veteran of this game, I knew better than anyone.

Playing that way would never lead to survival.

In this continent constantly swept by war, those who grew complacent and fell behind couldn’t survive.

Those who prolonged their lives by stabbing their subordinates in the back would eventually be stabbed themselves.

[Deploying [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]

And with those words.

“Then I’ll die with you.”

A young spearman stepped forward.

“Ha, your talk’s way better than those shitty knights.”

A bearded spearman, looking like a bandit, stood beside me too.

“…For the empire.”

“What’s a step or two back gonna save?”

The watching soldiers each said a word and lined up beside me.

Before I knew it, seven spearmen formed the first rank of the defensive line.

“…Thanks for trusting a commander you just met.”

Seven spearmen.

Just enough to perfectly block the gap in the collapsed wall.

As the first rank formed, other soldiers began lining up in the second and third ranks.

Even if they didn’t trust the parachuted commander, they couldn’t abandon comrades they’d shared life and death with.

Their intentions didn’t matter.

Trust wasn’t built in a day anyway.

“I’ll repay your trust.”

The swordsmen and crossbowmen were slowly taking their positions too.

And the distance to the enemy was nearly closed.

A perfectly timed gamble.

But a necessary one to restore the soldiers’ morale.

Taking a deep breath, I continued the command.

“Spears, up!”

At the familiar order, the soldiers raised their spears in unison.

I cast [Shield] from the staff in my left hand, covering the front.

The enemy vanguard, the skeleton wolf pack, was now right in front.

Awoooo!

One hundred meters.

I could see the ghostly flames flickering in the wolves’ eye sockets.

Growl! Snarl!

Thirty meters.

The distance closed rapidly.

And—

“Hold!”

[The 4th Spearman Unit deploys [Spear Wall].]

The moment my command aligned with the spearmen leaning forward, raising shields and spears.

[Deploying [Warrior’s Insight].]

[Skill acquired.]

[Imperial Spearman Doctrine (Level 1)]

[Deploying [Imperial Spearman Doctrine].]

Crunch—!!

The wave of bones crashed against the steel breakwater.