Overlord: Reborn as an NPC

Chapter 31: A Soldier's POV (1)

(A/N: Before you go ahead and celebrate my arrival, this was a one-off release. Yeah, life and school can have that effect, lmao. As much as I want to create chapters weekly, I simply don't have as much time to write chapters as I did a few months ago. So, all of you are gonna have to wait until I'm on holiday for some chapters.

This period of break has also given me the chance to reflect on what I've written so far and what I plan to write. Going on a tangent, I'm sure I've made it clear enough that I'm not that proud of my earliest chapters. They're pretty shitty.

No, I'm not going to rewrite them as things are set in stone. It's just, at the time I didn't know how to really write a story and I used someone else's work as training wheels. That, along with not having much of a plan for the story's direction. Hence, the existence of Rimuru, Elaina, and Esdeath. It's only thanks to your kind comments and criticisms that gave me the courage to diverge and go on my route to tell an original and unique story for Overlord.

So, from the depths of my heart, thank you for sticking around :)

[Timeskip - 9 Hours]

[???'s POV]

I stood atop the outer stone walls of Igale that provided guards and soldiers, such as myself, a perfect vantage point to survey, alert, and protect the city from unwanted visitors. It certainly wasn't ideal; I'd much rather spend time with my evacuated family in Baharuth. Nevertheless, my position as Guard Captain for Eastern Igale required me to stay put, just like all the other men and soldiers.

"Hmmm," One of my soldiers stationed a few metres to my right hummed, catching my attention and causing me to turn my head around toward him. "You seem a tad bit stressed, Captain Krado." The soldier slightly smirked as he said my name, tapping his foot in a rhythmic pattern.

"And what gave that away, hmm?" I replied in a somewhat chill, sarcastic, and curious tone all at once. "That polearm of yours is on the edge of snapping!" The soldier slightly chuckled, taking a glance at the polearm my right hand wielded. "Huh," I said to myself, not realizing how tightly I held my weapon as I loosened my grip. "I guess you're right." I gave a subtle, albeit faltering smile.

It was the best smile I could give within these circumstances. As the Guard Captain of Eastern Igale, I had to set an example for the soldiers under my command. I had to put up a brave and collective front in order to keep up morale in such bleak times.

Deep in my soul though, I was scared. I was no adventurer that went out into the wild to slay dragons and demons. I was just an ordinary Guard Captain that watched over the outer city, doing the same job as basically everyone else. The only difference was that I had command over a dozen or so men.

But why would I be commanding soldiers and adventurers instead of my regular colleagues?

Typically, nobles would be in charge of soldiers. They'd lead armies into battle for the prestige and boasting rights. This time, however, most decided to bunker down in their private sectors of land.

The people hated it, but, it was to be expected with those greedy and selfish assholes. Come to think of it, I guess I don't really blame them; everyone else would've done the same. It's unfortunate that the majority of us will suffer casualties from the imminent war.

Be that as it may, if nobody is willing to protect this nation, we'd lose all that we hold dear. Our friends, our family, our colleagues, our home, our memories, and everything in between. Even though I was scared, even though I wanted to run away, I couldn't. I'd be no better than those nobles if I did.

'It's all just human instinct.' I chalked up in my mind, watching the soldier wave a hand and walk away, continuing his patrol on the walls. I'm not sure whether he bought that smile I gave him. He seemed content with it.