Night had fallen over the military outpost and cold winds whistled through the gaps in the makeshift wooden walls around the outpost, carrying with themselves the faint scent of smoke and blood.

Allen sat near one of the larger campfires with a simple tin container cradled in his hands that was filled with the same thin watery soup he had eaten before the battle had started.

A few other soldiers were also scattered around the fire, they were like hunched figures staring blankly into the flames with a blank expression on their faces.

It was the same spot where he had sat just hours earlier while listening to the soldiers laugh and gossip amongst themselves as they enjoyed each other's company.

But the atmosphere now was completely different. The casual chatter was gone and was replaced by a heavy and oppressive silence.

No one spoke anything. No one laughed. Even the crackle of the fire seemed unnaturally loud in the uncomfortable silence that was lingering in their surroundings.

These men were used to battle and they were used to death so a battle like this shouldn't have them in a state like this.

But what had happened today was entirely different and nothing like what they had experienced till now.

An entire battalion had been wiped out in an instant by a sole highlander. It was a blow that had not only shaken the number of troops on their sides but even the will of these hardened veterans to their core.

Allen took a slow sip of the soup. It was bland and lukewarm and of course watery, but he barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere replaying the information Lishia had given him.

Well, let's see. I really wasn't expecting to be info dumped like that. He thought to himself.

But still, highlanders huh. I guess they are a lot more troublesome than I had originally thought. My thinking was along the lines of that they were some sort of boss monsters like an alternative for a demon lord and his army.

Yeah, that theory got completely thrown in the bin. If I had to draw a parallel now I'd say they're basically like colonizers living on floating islands and treating humans like shit.

Stealing kids, demanding unreasonable taxes, wiping out anyone who complains. Standard evil empire stuff but with just with them having magic since we're in fantasy world.

He sighed, taking another sip of the soup.

Now, as for the choice of whether to join them or not. Well, to be honest I am a little bit confused about whether I should join them or not even though it shouldn't be such a difficult choice looking at this objectively.

Technically I do have the choice of just flipping on these guys completely and joining forces with the highlanders instead.

They have the floating islands along the more advanced magic and have the upper hand in terms of technology. They're clearly the top of the food chain in this world's power ranking.

Working with them should theoretically be beneficial to me since well, when was it ever bad to be on the winning side.

But... I don't really have that good of a gut feeling about it. After all, to them I'm still a human like the ones who they look down on. And the fucker in the silver armor was also treating me like I'm some lab experiment to him.

Like what the fuck do you mean "You're Interesting" that sounds so over the top. Plus when it was clear that I had no interest in going with him he wasted not a single second before turning completely hostile toward me.

So yeah, even if in some cases it may be more beneficial to me it's still probably not a good long-term survival strategy to knock on their door.

He took another sip before stirring the contents of the soup with a spoon to increase its consistency somewhat, or at least give himself the illusion of doing that.

Then there's the choice of just going solo and disappearing. Find some backwater village and chill around while living a peaceful slow life away from all the bullshit. That was more or less the original goal, right?

Just surviving quietly. But for some apparent reason whoever was responsible for my isekai decided to throw me into this godforsaken world.

Floating islands appearing, guys blowing up battalions and wars being fought all across the globe with the help of magic. I knew that I would be some repercussions after coming into an entirely new world, but this is too much, like I didn't ask for any of this. Stumbling into this rebellion wasn't exactly planned either.

Why am I getting dragged into a plotline I have nothing to do with?

He let out a frustrated sigh, the air from his mouth turning into slight mist before disappearing due to the warmth of the campfire.

"Well, then again. It's not like I can do anything about it now. It is what it is, and I'll have to deal with the cards I've been dealt," he said to himself, mostly mumbling.

Which leaves me with the last option. Sticking with these Knights and going along with their plan. From whatever I have ended up gathering till now and from the information she gave me they're the underdogs and not exactly winning.

Given that everything she has told me is correct, of course. If so, then they are fighting an uphill battle against an enemy who's far more superior than them.

And in that situation... they need me. Or at least they think they need me. They see me as some kind of powerful asset because I fluked my way into killing one highlander. That gives me some level of leverage.

Plus, they have intel. They know how this world works while I know practically nothing. Sticking with them means a safe base, food and protection along with information. Can't really survive without those.

Yeah, it's the only logical move right now it seems. Play nice while gathering intel and level up to get stronger. And if things get too dicey, or if they stop being useful or try to turn against me or shit like that.

Well, I can- always just leave. It's not like I'm signing a legal document here. And even if I were to do that my newly acquired M4 would take care of it.

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