Translator: Skythewood
Editor: Hiiro
*Note: Volume 7 will be done with next week’s post. Will be taking a break from Alderamin, and trying out new projects instead.
「All unit on high alert! The enemy is going to attack by cover of night!」
Captain Shei shouted with foam in his mouth. He judged the searchlight disappearing is a sign of an impending charge.
「All platoons, report enemy status! What are they doing? How many of them are approaching the block from which angle!」
In the tense atmosphere, the soldiers squint their eyes and tried to see the enemy’s movement. In order to keep up their field of vision, the Luminous troops desperately shone their searchlight. Numerous white light flashed across the darkness── but tens of seconds later, the soldiers didn’t make any report.
「C-Captain…」
「What is it, report now! Stop wasting time!」
「B-But… We can’t…」
They squeezed out a weak voice. As time passed by, there was a hint of fear in their voices:
「── Captain, we can’t see anything…!」
The report sounded like a tragic scream, and Captain Shei rushed over immediately── and look at the scene below with his own eyes:
「……!」
Before him was 90% darkness and the 10% light shone by the Luminous troops. He couldn’t see anything else. With how extreme the light and darkness was, he couldn’t see the silhouette of the things in between. His men was right, he couldn’t see the things he could just moments ago── Faced with this reality, Captain Shei pressed against his eye lid with his right hand:
「Our eyes… had adjusted to the bright lights…?」
At this moment, he finally understood the intention of the enemy── They gradually increased the lights during the shootout, and the defenders continued to stare at the lights. After an extended amount of time, the defender’s pupils turned dilated. If the lights were put out at this time, the eyes that had gotten used to the darkness won’t be able to see in the dark.
「Oh no, this trick is──」
The drawer in the Captain’s mind started to rattle. But before he could open it, his troops reported with a scream.
「T-They are here! They are right before us──!」
The searchlights unveiled shadows everywhere, and they were so close that Captain Shei was dumbfounded. He yelled on reflex:
「Woooahhh! Open fire, open fire～～!」
The sound of compressed air exploding formed a chorus, and a hail of bullets rained down on the enemy charging the slope. Many fell in the darkness, however── the enemy returned fire and even more of them sprint up the slope.
「「「「Woooahhh!」」」」
The enemy that made it through the hail of bullets invaded the invader’s territory, and fought in close melee combat where range was meaningless. The soldiers on the outside fixed their bayonets too slowly and got cut down haplessly, and the invaders penetrated even deeper.
「Don’t falter, beat them off! Regroup!」
Captain Shei shouted because of the anxiety. The enemy had broken through the defence line, and he was sure that the battle would be lost if this went on. He tried to grasp the situation calmly.
「The enemy forces are concentrated on the northwest and southwest slopes! All units, engage the enemy from these two directions! Commit all our reserves, quickly!」
The Captain ordered his men whose eyesight was still affected. Gathering your forces to repel the enemy was the right move── however, the obvious answer was also predictable.
The soldiers re-deployed according to their commander’s orders, but some of them noticed an abnormality from the other direction stated by their leader── someone was scaling the rocks with inhuman speed and approaching the peak in leaps and bounds.
「…? Hey, over there! Luminous trooper, shine a light── Uwah!」
Blood gushed from the throat of the soldier who leaned forth to check. A red figure leapt over him as he fell back, and the harbinger of doom landed. The vermillion hair fluttered in the darkness, with a blood stained saber in her right, and a short sword in her left.
「Hieee──」「Uwahhh…」「Hyaaaa!」
The screams of the soldiers overlapped with each other. All the imperial soldiers understood what this scene meant. The red swordsman stood before the panicking crowd, and took action before her companions caught up behind her.
「Tch──」
The sharp blades slashed out like the wind. The panicked bayonet thrust from the soldiers missed, and the merciless counter strikes took their life. The sword demon covered in blood charged into the middle of the enemy formation, and her subordinates following behind widen the gaps opened up by her. The assault was as furious as the tide, and similar to the battles in the past, no one could halt this attack.
「It’s Yatorishino-san! Climb up the platform, we will stop her with the snipers!」
However, some people were taking action to face the problem. Torway’s sniper team. The three of them scaled one of the many platforms erected on the block, and took aim.
「Phew…!」
They waited for the right moment to shoot the enemy on the chaotic battlefield. Following the dark haired youth’s strict orders, they targeted below the thigh. Even an Igsem would slow down when shot, and that would be a chance to subdue her. It was the biggest chance of this crisis. If they capture her, it might even end this war.
After aiming the windgun without blinking for tens of seconds── the chance arises. The vermillion haired girl had reached the mid section of the block, and the troops were backing away in fear. Ironically, this cleared a path for his bullet. There was an opening lasting a fraction of a second between her cutting a soldier down and moving forward.
Taking this chance, the snipers squeezed their triggers. The bullets fired out with an explosion of compressed air, and no matter how skilled one might be, there was no way they could evade three bullets fired from three different directions──
「──Tch.」
── In that instant, the girl twisted her body and made all that effort futile. The three bullets missed her skin by centimetres. The snipers who hoped that at least one of the shots would land felt despair── they didn’t miss, she just dodged all of them. In the chaos of the fight, she was still aware of the windgunners aiming at her.
After the snipers’ attempt failed, no one could stop that girl’s rampage. The soldiers in the Eighth Block were overwhelmed by the enemy swarming them, and couldn’t regroup. The commander Captain Shei continued to resist, but his fight ended moments later.
「Don’t give up, push them back! This is still the first day, we can’t falter here──!」
The soldiers at the last line of defence continued their determined resistance. When a gap appeared somewhere along the defence line, a gust of wind slipped in through the opening.
「── Ugh?」
When the Captain realized it, the short sword was already on his neck. The girl who had went around to his back said coldly to the commander who had turned stiff.
「You have five seconds. Surrender or die?」
「……!」
The Captain felt the most intense chill in his life down his spine. This was his natural instinct giving him the biggest warning. Her voice was compelling enough to make any officer to put aside their pride and guts.
He didn’t need five seconds. Before he even made his decision, his hands were raised involuntarily.
「Torway, don’t go!」
Ikuta was firm in stopping the youth who wanted to lead his men to support the Eighth Block. With his eye still on the telescope, Ikuta said coldly.
「It’s too late… The Eighth Block had fallen.」
Less than an hour after the battle started, the enemy took down one block. Torway stood in place silently, and the dark haired youth kept issuing commands to the messenger around him.
「Inform the 4th and 5th block to cover the retreat of our troops. Stop supportive actions of the Eighth Block, it has already fallen. I report── that block had fallen.」
The bad news from the commander resounded heavily. After settling this matter, Ikuta sat down in his chair, and put his palm on his forehead with a sigh.
「… We were had by the 『reverse』 of a light attack.」
「Huh…?」
「It’s the opposite of a normal luminous assault that blind you with light, this method rob you of your vision with darkness. By exposing the enemy to searchlight by a long period of time, making them adjust to the brightness, and then putting out all the lights. Until their dilated pupils contract again, the enemy’s vision would be severely impaired. If you charge during this opening, they wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance.」
The youth also knew about this method, but he seldom used it as this was a sort of sneak attack. Normal luminous attack was easier to pull off, and produce good enough results. The effectiveness would drop significantly if it was seen through, which was another reason why this trick was difficult to execute.
But this was the right choice this time. Because the main bulk of Ikuta’s defence were windgunners, so the range and accuracy would fall drastically because of this.
「If I took command of the Eighth Block personally, I would have discovered her intent in time… However, the frontline commander wasn’t me, so Yatori used this method. I’m taking overall command of the blocks from the middle, where the west side of the Eighth Block was a blind spot── and she formulate her plan by taking these two factors into consideration. The troops she sent to the east was less of a diversion, and more of a trick to divide my attention.」
With Ikuta’s plain explanation, Torway caught a glimpse of how intense their battle under the surface was. The youth gulped── if the frontline commander’s report came a few minutes earlier, the results might be completely different. When he received news of the lights increasing, Ikuta saw through the trick in ten seconds, and send the appropriate instructions to the Eighth Block. If his instructions were carried out, Captain Shei might be able to hold out even longer. He just needed to switch his men who had gotten used to the bright light with the personnel on the other side of the block.
Just a difference of a few minutes, a few seconds, decided the battle. Torway realized that the youth and girl he held in high regard were engaged in an intense fight.
「Control of the light is my forte, but she took it over right away── That’s Yatori for you. She can do most of the things I can do. I have learned this once again in this first exchange.」
A bitter smile appeared on his lips as he said that. After closing his eyes to organize his thoughts for a few seconds, Ikuta ordered:
「Torway, send one sniper platoon to the 4th and 5th blocks, to pressurize the 8th block occupied by the enemy. Don’t give them any chance to cool down.」
After dealing with the situation at hand, the youth looked towards the 8th block that was lost, and muttered:
「Since we lost it, we have to take it back. It’s my turn now, Yatori.」
Ikuta described the 8th block as 「the place where the enemy will nail in a piton」. And the vermillion haired girl immediately hammered in the piton after taking the block.
The next target was the 5th block to the northwest. The 8th block looms over that block, so they could fire at that stronghold directly with windguns. However, the 4th block to the southwest overlooks the 8th block, so Ikuta’s forces wouldn’t get attacked one sidedly. The projectiles went in the order of 4th → 8th → 5th blocks, resulting in a shootout between the blocks.
At the same time, the 2nd, 6th and 7th blocks to the east continued their engagement battle. The Igsem faction attacked mainly with ranged shots and disrupting lights, and was obviously trying to sap the energy of the Rising Sun Regiment. Instead of risking a charge, they want to tire Ikuta’s forces and make them waste ammunition.
「Conserve your shots, and don’t fire before the enemy draws close! Make sure we have enough to use when the enemy charges!」
Matthew who was commanding the defence of the Second Block also knew the objective of the enemy, but couldn’t relax in this mental battle. Was the enemy harassing them to drain their will? Or a precursory attack before a real charge? Or maybe a diversion to assault another block? He couldn’t be certain which was it.
「If we show any opening, we will end up like the 8th block…!」
The youth warned himself. The fact that one block had fallen was enough to rob him of any optimism. Keeping the news of the counter light attack in heart, Matthew focused on the enemy in the dark.
「Very well, Yatori── come at me! Don’t think you can take out my defences so easily!」
After fighting for the entire night, the Igsem faction didn’t send any massed attack after the 8th block fell. But they kept up a facade of being ready to charge at a moment’s notice, which tormented the Rising Sun Regiment the entire time.
Getting a good night's sleep in the quarantined village was the right choice. Under the gradually brightening sky, Ikuta thought as he chewed on coca leaves. He missed the times when he could sleep in a hammock whenever there was time.
「Let’s take back the Eighth Block, Commandant! The enemy didn’t garrison many of their forces there, so we can win with the support of the 4th Block!」
On the second day of the battle, after the group ushered in the dawn without catching a wink, several officers proposed to Ikuta. But the youth shook his head without any hesitation:
「── No. Even if we seize it back, we don’t have the forces to deploy there. More than 50 died when the Block fell into their hands, and three times that number were captured. If we transfer men from the other blocks there, it would result in our overall defences failing instead.」
「But if we don’t, we will lose the 5th Block! If it goes badly, it will fall within the day…!」
「That’s why I sent the snipers over there. We can rest easy in the day. No matter what they throw at us, they will push them back.」
Ikuta said firmly to his subordinates who looked uneasy. And then── his words proved to be true as the sniper team performed splendidly.
「Ready, aim! …Fire!」
Torway took to the field personally in the 4th Block with his seasoned men, and shot the enemy around the 8th Block with precision.
Both sides were windgunners, but the accuracy of their shots were worlds apart. Compared to Torway who was familiar in fighting with the new Air Rifles, the Igsem faction was still forming ranks to fire uniform shots.
「Shyaaa! ──D-Damn it, my leg got hit!」
「Fall back if you are wounded! Hey~ medic, stretcher this guy out!」
The stretchers moved between the 8th Block and the Igsem base constantly, as the plan by Torway’s team yielded great results. As instructed by the dark haired youth, the snipers aimed at the enemy’s legs.
「Good, keep it up! Continue firing…!」
They weren’t holding back, and were doing this for two reasons. First, by aiming at non lethal spots, it would reduce their resistance to fire upon their former colleagues. Next, compared to the dead, the injured would give more trouble to the enemy. Two soldiers would be needed to stretcher out one casualty, and personnel needed to be assigned to bandage the wound.To the jade eyed youth, this was the best plan he could ask for. Thanking the other youth for letting him fight in such a way, Torway shifted his eyes to the next target, and kept squeezing his trigger──
「The troops seem hesitant to move forward.」
Major Megu watched the situation from above and commented. It was directed at the young commander standing nearby.
「That can’t be helped. After daybreak, their bullets are scarily accurate, and casualties are mounting in the western blocks we spent so much effort to capture. The possibility of getting shot will naturally make them hesitant to go. Fortunately, most of them don’t have life threatening injuries…」
When she heard this comment, the vermillion haired girl shook her head to refute the last part.
「The soldiers getting shot in the leg isn’t a matter of luck, but the result of their strategy. By doing so, they are forcing us to divert our manpower to carry out the injured, and drain our fighting potential. In this uneven terrain, even a minor leg injury will render a soldier unfit for battle.」
Major Megu didn’t expect such a layered reason and gasped.
「They pay so much attention to details… What should we do, stop our attack before dusk?」
「I already planned to do that, but we will continue a shootout on a smaller scale. If the sound of shooting stops, the enemy will get to rest. Especially the snipers, we have to force them to keep on fighting and wear them out. That will speed up the rate of their ammunition expenditure.」
The girl said without hesitation, and continued with a gaze on a soldier brought back on a stretcher:
「We are taking casualties because our windgunners are still not used to such long range shoot outs. Those who can keep fighting possess the acumen for such battles. When their numbers increase to a certain point, the situation with mass casualties will stop.」
Major Megu’s face turned gloomy. There were too many unfamiliar elements in this battle.
「A trial by fire… I understand the logic, but isn’t that too brutal?」
In response to the critical rebuttal, her crimson eyes turned icy.
「Our forces are 5,000 strong, the acceptable loss through killed in action and heavy injuries is 1,500. With that limit in mind, this is a necessary sacrifice. Do you have any objections with regard to this plan?」
She asked after stating the proper military doctrine with a steely voice. There could be no other answer, and Major Megu said with gaze lowered:
「… No objections. You are right. Too perfectly right, Lieutenant Colonel Igsem.」
「Good. Do address me as such in the future too, Major Nudakka Megu.」
The girl’s tone changed into that of an order. Major Megu saluted in response and realized── she no longer need the opinion of an adjutant.
The day was filled with minor skirmishes, and the second night fell. Late at night, after 11pm, the Igsem faction sent out a force to fight a decisive battle.
「The enemy is approaching from the north of the Fifth Block! A force larger than two battalion!」
「Yes, we can see them from here too.」
Ikuta answered with his eyes to the north. The Fifth Block had the lowest altitude of all the blocks, so the youth could see over it from the First Block, and observe the enemy.
「Order the Seventh Block to provide support fire. The Fourth Block will continue suppressing fire on the enemy in the Eighth Block.」
「Ik-kun, should we go to the Fifth or the Seventh?」
「Send two platoons to the Seventh Block. You stay here on standby. We need to provide support from this block too.」
The youth said as he pointed to a corner of the block before him:
「The weak point of the Fifth Block is the southwest slope. It is less steep than the other places, and offers less defences against a charge. With the Eighth Block covering this flaw gone, Yatori will definitely attack this opening.」
「I understand, then I will shoot at the enemy within range of the platform here.」
「Be careful of your safety when you shoot. The Eighth Block will definitely retaliate.」
Nodding to express his understanding, the youth gathered his men in the west of the First Block, and executed his plan. For snipers, providing support fire against the enemy from relative safety was a key feature.
「Report from the Fifth Block! Another two battalion has appeared behind them, and is flanking to the west!」
The report he expected came shortly afterwards. Ikuta nodded in response.
「They are already here. Contact the unit from the First to Fifth Blocks, spread out and engage the enemy.」
「Yes Sir!」
The Luminous sprite flickered to relay the message to the other blocks. After issuing the opening command, the youth started thinking about the later development.
「Don’t falter, press on! If we lose our nerves, we won’t be able to take them!」
Gun shots mixed with cries came from all over the place. The Igsem unit under the command of Captain Yuhado flanked to the southwest of the Fifth Block, and attacked it.
「The block we are attacking will fight back, and the supporting fire from the central blocks are intense… Looks like there is no way we can avoid casualties.」
The Captain clicked his tongue bitterly as he muttered. The enemy in the block was putting up strong resistance, and a drawn out battle would result in more casualties. He wanted to capture the enemy base as quickly as possible, but that was easier said than done for the frontline soldiers.
「Ah, I slipped…!」「Damn it! They splashed oil here!」
As they put their lives on a charge, the soldiers climbing the slope fell one after another. In order to reinforce the weakness of the southwest slope being gentler than others, Ikuta instructed the defenders to splash oil there ahead of time. Most of their depleting stock of vegetable oil were spilled down here.
In the First Block, the unit under Torway’s command rain down bullets at the soldiers moving slowly up the slope. The soldiers shot in the leg were immobilized halfway up the slope, and had to either wait for their comrades to rescue them, or to roll down the slope themselves.
「── All platoons, ladders to the front.」
As the unit that flanked to the southwest engaged in a hard battle, the forces commanded personally by the vermillion haired girl to the north took new actions. Columns of soldiers carrying brought long items to the front, and the searchlights revealed it shortly after.
It was a siege ladder that was over ten metres tall.
「Propped them up. Rear ranks spread out and cover them.」
The soldiers with the ladders ran to the slope together. Realizing their intention, the enemy focus their shots over there. But they refused to fall down easily in the hail of projectiles.
「Woooahhh!」「Prop it up, prop it～～!」
When one man got hit and falls, another will take his place. If he gets hit too, then another steps up. They reached the foot of the rocky hill after repeating this several times, and their efforts resulted in more than a dozen ladders erected within a few minutes.
「── The path has been paved. Begin the charge.」
Seeing that the preparations were done, the girl issued the order── She didn’t take the field this time. Because she knew that with Ikuta Sankrei and Torway Remeon, the enemy was definitely capable of repelling this attack. Even with the fame of being the strongest swordsman, the Igsem wouldn’t make the foolish mistake of over confidence in their own abilities.
The soldiers launched their attack on the block, and the gun shots against them grew in intensity.
「Report from the Fifth Block! The enemy has erected a large number of ladders! The assault from the southwest is growing in intensity too, and we are being pushed back!」
「Sigh, of course that will happen.」
Ikuta received the reports of the expected development without missing a beat── Because of the rocky terrain, the enemy couldn’t bring heavy siege weapons with them, but ladders could be carried by hand. From Yatori’s perspective, there was no reason not to use them.
Furthermore, it was natural to use them for the attack on the Fifth Block. The reason was simple, this was the shortest Block, so the ladders could be counted on to yield great results.
「It’s fine. The enemy’s attack from the north will soon ground to a halt.」
The youth didn’t give any specific instructions, and made a declaration. He looked into the distance with his telescope── not at the intense battle in the Fifth Block, but into the darkness further into the east.
As the soldiers waited for their turn to charge with bated breath, several of them suddenly collapsed with a cry.
「Shyyaaa…!」「──? What happened!」
The soldiers gathered around their comrade who collapsed, and saw blood seeping out of his back. A female soldier turned back suddenly:
「Gun shots…! Coming from the rear!」
When they realized that, the vermillion haired girl in command saw it happening. She turned in the other direction of their attack, and stared into the darkness with her crimson eyes──
「They seem to have noticed. Fire at will!」
Two hundred odd windgunners were spread out several hundred metres away to the northeast of the Fifth Block, under the cover of the dark. One of the platoon commanders of forty men was Second Lieutenant Naqun Cook, from Torway’s sniper team. They aimed at the back of the enemy before them, and concentrated on squeezing their triggers. This surprise attack was arranged by Ikuta. The Second Lieutenant’s group evaded detection by the Igsem and moved out of their base, and attack the enemy that had massed in one location. A sudden surprise attack from a one-sided defensive battle. They hid in the darkness, and only the searchlight of the Luminous troops could detect them.
「Aim carefully! They are going to snap out of their confusion!」
A few seconds after the Second Lieutenant said that, one of his men looking to the northwest noticed an abnormality.
「Second Lieutenant, searchlight spotted at two o’clock! They must be searching for us!」
「Ughh…! Just like what the commandant said, they have set up an ambush too!」
The Second Lieutenant raised his guard, but didn’t waver. The dark haired youth had already told him the strategy to deal with incidents like this.
「We will be splitting up! We and the Second Platoon will act as bait, and lead them on a wild chase!」
「Lieutenant Colonel Igsem, the attack on our rear aren’t stopping! Aren’t those lights the counterattack from our allies?」
Losing patience with the attack from behind, one young company grade officer asked his commander. The vermillion haired girl nodded and said:
「… I set up an ambush in case of an attack on our rear. And those lights are definitely our allies. Since the attack didn’t stop, that means they couldn’t track the enemy.」
「Why is that… No matter how dark it is, our allies are Luminous troops, and an enemy unit moving in a group should be very prominent.」
She calmly explained to the officer who was furrowing his brows from confusion.
「The enemy isn’t moving as a group, and is probably moving independently in platoon or section levels. They probably have a team assigned to engage their pursuers and act as bait. In contrast, the two companies I sent out are afraid of getting crushed if they split up, and are moving as a group. The difference in their agility is completely different. In this terrain and darkness, they couldn’t even find the enemy, lest engage them.
This is the unit dispersal tactics of the new era── I have some knowledge of this, but not in depth enough. In this situation where you can’t even see your own comrades, they actually manage to execute such a flexible tactics by setting up the movement plan ahead of time.」
Igsem said stiffly with a tone of respect towards the Remeon. The officer was taken aback by her aura, but still said:
「H-How about sending them reinforcements? If we encircle them with more men, no matter how agile they are──」
The girl immediately refute the instinctive proposal he made:
「That would mean relaxing the offensive here. While we are chasing a small number of enemy, our allies in the southwest is getting crushed, and that will be walking right into the enemy’s plan.」
「How about sending the units not involved in the attack here to reinforce them!」
「We don’t have that many reserves left. If we send in another battalion of 600 men, we might let most of the enemy slip away anyway. And while we are chasing them, we won’t be putting the other blocks in check. Then the enemy will commit more of their forces into this block.」
Her analysis was cold and on point, and she had already come to a conclusion:
「Then, we have only one option── disregard the attack from the rear and continue the charge.」
When he heard that, the company grade officer stood there dumbfoundedly── and finally recovered a few seconds later.
「What── e-even if you ask us to disregard it, our troops are still getting shot!」
「The enemy’s numbers are limited, and the ones acting as bait can’t shoot at us, so their rate of fire won’t be too high. Instead of letting the enemy shoot at us, we will suffer more losses if we fail to take the Fifth Block.」
The metallic voice coldly demanded his acknowledgement. The young officer was dumbstruck.
「If you understand, then read back my order. What’s our plan?」
She won’t even allow him to keep quiet. The company grade officer said with a trembling voice:
「… C-Continue the charge, and ignore the attack on our rear…」
After listening to every word, the girl from house Igsem nodded seriously.
「Execute the plan.」
With the efforts of the soldiers defending the rock hills, the support from the other blocks and the windgunners that went around to the enemy’s back, the defence of the Fifth Block remained solid. As he observed the situation from the First Block and analyzed the information from the other blocks, the dark haired youth formed an image of the battle in his mind.
「… Okay, we are almost at the limit.」
He said curtly as if he was trying to cut off his own obsession, and stated his decisions to the messengers around him.
「Order the unit in the Fifth Block to retreat. Tell them to retreat to the space between the First and Second Blocks.」
「Yes Sir── But is this fine? The Fifth Block’s commander had not sent any reports of difficulties in their defences…」
「That’s alright. Most of the time, Yatori will notice that the limit has been reached before the subject himself does.」
Ikuta concluded with a shrug. With a sideways glance on the messengers relaying the message, he sighed deeply.
「Even though they are getting shot from behind, your unit in the north didn’t move at all… You are really making things difficult for me.」
The youth muttered with a wry smile, and cast his gaze to the other end of the rocky hill, where she probably was. The sight of the deadly battle over there was obvious from the numerous lights flickering over there.
「But even so, tonight’s battle is our win with a ratio of seven to three. We have to give up the Fifth Block, but we got enough compensation, and took out a lot of your troops.
── That’s right, we killed many good men. Every person we killed directly and indirectly will be accounted for in the end.」
The youth palmed his forehead, as if an invisible weight was resting on his back. He held this pose for five seconds, permitting himself to be distracted from something aside from the battle in his mind.
「… Okay.」
He lifts his head exactly five seconds later, and the weakness in his dark eyes were gone. He straightened his back, and he spoke as if he was shaking off the gloomy emotions on his mind.
「The tilted scale has been balanced to a certain extent. Tomorrow will be the third day── the halfway mark, Yatori.」
A dark shade of exhaustion hung over the faces of the soldiers, and the defensive battles moved on to the third morning. The drawn out battle continued in the Fifth Block, sapping their already depleted stamina.
「Please only send the heavily injured here! The lightly wounded should go over there!」
The field hospital was already filled with casualties, and Haro who had to patch them up worked throughout the night. Compared to the Eighth Block that fell in no time, there were many more casualties sent from the drawn out battle in the Fifth Block.
「Mmm～! Mmmm──! Mmm ugghhh──!」
「Don’t let him struggle! Tie him down tighter!」
Before him was a struggling soldier with a pained expression and a towel in his mouth. She was digging out the bullet in his body. There were many more soldiers with similar gun wounds, and she couldn’t spare the effort to lessen their pain. Pulling open the wound, sticking the tweezers in, pushing open the muscles and pulling the bullet out. Haro had forgotten how many times she had repeated this procedure.
Cases where she could extract the bullets were still fine, but there were many shot in the belly and chest who were beyond saving. There wasn’t time to grieve as the name of the injured was updated to the nominal roll of the dead, and the next injured was brought in with the bed that was now open. She continued treating them, and had to numb her emotions. In a sense, the medics faced death more frequently than those on the frontlines.
「That person is already dead! Carry him out!」
To conserve their limited space, they prioritize efficiency when dealing with the dead. In the corner of the block that was designated as the morgue, corpses started to pile up, and they couldn’t even spare the effort to lay them all on the ground. The corpses were covered with black clothes that block out the sun, but the stink of rot was getting worse.
With two blocks lost, the intensity of shots fire increased in the day. As the vermillion haired girl predicted, the Igsem windgunners had slowly gotten used to using cover to engage in shootouts, and Torway’s team couldn’t shoot them like sitting ducks anymore. Their accuracy fell while their rate of fire increase, and they expended ammunition faster than usual.
The soldiers were getting anxious. It was normal for the defensive battle to get harsher as the fight drones on, but the pressure from the Igsem laying siege on them was more intense than usual. And there were some who couldn’t take the heat. Four soldiers from the Sixth Block attempted to desert, and was 「dealt with」 by the commander there. Ikuta nodded silently when he received the reports, and issued his orders monotonously for some time.
With everyone on edge, time passed slowly. It was dusk before long, and the battle along the rocky hills entered the third night.
As the sunset, a large army started their assault on the Seventh Block.
── What am I doing?
Since the battle started, Suya Mittokarifu had asked herself that countless times.
「Move one platoon from the north to the east, and join in the firing! The west defences switch with the reserves!」
The female soldier’s voice echoed in the rocky hill filled with people. After getting assigned to the Seventh Block First Lieutenant Suya had been fighting desperately. She led a group of officers who were older and and out ranked her not too long ago.
「The Luminous troops in the west, shift your lights forward! We can’t see the foot of the hill!」
Despite the position she was in, she had lost her reservations. The environment Suya was in had always been volatile.
She was just a Sergeant Major in the Imperial Army, but after some twist of fate, she became a non commissioned officer of a rebel army, and was now an officer. Right now, she was in command of 300 odd men, and in a fierce battle with her former imperial army colleagues.
I have fallen to an incredible new low, Suya thought. It was so incredible that it felt refreshing.
But was there a reason for her to fall so low?
「Ladders approaching from the east! Snipers, try to take out the enemy before they put up the ladder!」
She dealt with the danger she spied from the corner of her eye swiftly. Pushed into this desperate situation, her observation of the enemy and processing of the situation had grown keener than ever. However, in a corner of her heart, she kept asking herself pointless questions.
For example── the re-establishment of the Rising Sun Regiment. That incident which resulted in many people, including Suya, seceding from the imperial army, was a surprise to Suya, but she didn’t feel any intense emotions. She knew the exploits of this famous regiment, but she didn’t pay it too much mind, or even know Bada Sankrei. Hence, she couldn’t understand how these factors motivated the decision makers. She didn’t understand what they meant by inheriting the will of the late famous general.
「The left side of the western wall is crumbling! Someone go fix it!」
The attentiveness of the troops were slipping, and the commander had to make up by issuing commands more frequently. Ignoring her sore throat, Suya raised her voice── the battle had reached its climax, but a corner of her mind was still adamant about talking nonsense.
By the way── she didn’t know the chain of events that led to this development.
Suya didn’t know politics. Recently, she would think about it a little, but politics still seemed distant, like something from another world. She could read, write, measure, assemble and disassemble crossbows and wind guns. The non commissioned officers were all taught these necessary skills, and didn’t think they need to know more. There weren’t any nosy people who taught these to the non commissioned officers either. Just a few years ago, there wasn’t any problem at all.
Then── was having a nosy commander the beginning of her downfall?
「Ammunition supply has fallen to one third! Rush headquarters for resupply!」
Suya shouted to the messenger, and in a corner of her stubborn heart, she admitted unhappily── it was true. Before she knew it, she had been pulled down this path.
Be it the mock battle, the northern territories or the sea, she had been learning from him and fighting at the same time. If not, she would have been killed in action, or stopped following him. There was no end to the things she learned from the young officer, and it hastened her urge to learn more.
Learning his strategy, his personality, and way of life.
When Suya realized it, she would search for his figure when he was around.
「Move the injured to the south of the block! Those on standby help those who can’t walk!」
The more time she spent with him, the more her dissatisfaction with him accumulated.
Angry at him for slacking off whenever he had the chance.
Angry at him for wooing every older woman he saw.
Angry at him for keeping a distance from everyone aside from his Knight Corp companions.
Angry at him and Yatorishino Igsem knowing each other so well.
Angry at him for taking her, his adjutant, out to drink so infrequently.
And the most aggravating of all, that it bothered her so much.
「Gunners to the north, stop firing for now! The enemy is baiting us into wasting bullets!」
She hoped their relationship wasn’t one sided. Because she had fought with her life on the line more than once. She answered his request, and was fighting desperately now too.
Even though she worked so hard, his attitude towards her was casual, and he paid less attention to her, compared to the vermillion haired girl and the blonde Princess. She felt too disgusted to even make this comparison. She was an older woman, but he had never hit on her, and seldom chat with her outside of work. Even when she completed his task, he never patted her head.
Despite the grievances in her heart, just the word ‘disciple’ made her jump with glee.
How vexing. She was so frustrated at being toyed with.
「──! ──nant!」
That was the reason, Suya suddenly realized.
There wasn’t the obligation of the Igsem house, goal of the Remeon faction, or inherit the will of a certain person.
Right now, Suya Mittokarifu was standing here out of frustration.
「──First Lieutenant Mittokarifu!」
A familiar voice echoed in her ear drums, and she looked to the side in surprise. Her subordinate’s voice that was drowned out by the noise of battle finally reached Suya.
「Report from headquarters! 『Supply of bolts and bullets will cease immediately. When the supply is low, abandon post and retreat immediately』!」
The female soldier who received the report relayed it in a volume on par with the noise of the battle. When she realized the content of the message, Suya bit her lip and looked around her── The ammunition crates behind the windgunners were two thirds empty. Their bolts supply was even worse.
The nonstop battles had slowly drained the ammunition stockpile of the unit as a while. That was the reason why the supplies were stopped. If this went on, their supplies would be used up in the defence of the Seventh Block── Ikuta made the call, and decided to abandon that Block.
This meant it was time for Suya’s battle for the past few hours would finally end. That report also implied that they should withdraw. Normally, when she received this order, she had to start preparations to withdraw immediately.
「……!」
However── she ignored her subordinate who wanted to say something, and returned her gaze to the enemy.
「… All units, reduce the engagement range by ten meres! Only fire at enemy who crossed our defence line!」
「First Lieutenant? Instead of directing the attack, we should prioritize the preparations to retreat!」
「We can still hold out, it’s not time to retreat yet! This is the last line of defence protecting the central blocks!」
「You are right, but we can’t fight without bullets! The ammunition can only last for tens of minutes──」
「I’m saying we will retreat after that tens of minutes! Heed my command!」
Suya ordered loudly as if she was trying to deny this rebuttal, and continued to direct the defence. Her high morale was chaining her down instead, not allowing her to leave at the best opportunity.
「The enemy is massing to the north! There are signs of an impending charge…!」
And the enemy commander was not naive enough to miss such an opening.
「All units, fix bayonets.」
On that order, all the windgunners and crossbowmen fixed blades to their weapons.
Their defence lines kept falling back, which meant their ammunition was depleting. The vermillion haired girl realized the intent of the enemy to conserve munitions and fight on, which was why she sent troops to the southeast slope that had not been attacked yet.
Before this, she had been applying pressure to the northern slope of this block. In terms of offence, surrounding it would be the most ideal, but her forces would be attacked by the two blocks in the center, so she had to choose an angle that wouldn’t be hit by the other blocks.
But despite that fact, the girl broke this restriction on her own accord. By doing that, her forces attacking the southeast would be fighting on two fronts. However── the enemy’s ammunition would be exhausted soon, so attacking from new angles was a basic tactic. The enemy would need to send their men to engage the new enemy, and further divide their dwindling ammunition.
「Begin the charge.」
By spreading the thick wall out, it had to sacrifice its depth. In order to pierce through the thinning defence, the girl from house Igsem sent out her forces at an impeccable timing.
In the face of the swarming enemy, their ammunition depleted at a terrifying pace. There was no way they could conserve their bullets. With destruction looming with every minute, Suya clenched her fist to quell her trembling.
「Ughh…!」
She had to admit, her estimation from before was too optimistic. The enemy increased the number of attack angles by assaulting the southeast, as if they could see Suya’s depleting ammunition. Her previous estimate of ten minutes was cut in half.
「First Lieutenant, we are at our limits! Please order the retreat!」
「… No, we can hold out for five more minutes! We got so far, so we will do as much as we can!」
Rejecting her subordinate’s opinion, Suya continued her stubborn defence. She was being wilful, but on the other hand, she had a basis for saying five minutes She had an accurate grasp of their remaining ammo.
The three platoons to the north were using bullets very quickly, and they managed to get by because the other platoons share their ammunition with them. If they execute this perfectly, they could avoid any unit from failing to put up a defence despite having bullets to spare── she made this judgement and continued her command. However...
「S-Spare us some bullets! We are running out!」
「We are running out too! Try another platoon!」
Reality was different from what Suya predicted. The frontline soldiers refuse to share their depleting ammo, and those who ran out had to find another platoon, however…
「Hey, spare some bullets──」
「We don’t have any to spare! Look, we will be out in a few minutes!」
The soldiers pointed to the depleting munition crates and yelled. Their sense of responsibility to their post and the fear of the enemy before them made each unit do the same thing.
This was completely Suya’s mistake. Her judgement of the limit was not in sync with her subordinates. They were forced to the brink mentally, and couldn’t share their munitions with the others.
Suya forgot a lesson he learned from the dark haired youth── fighting battles without leaving any buffer was a mistake in itself.
「Hey, bullets! I’m out, someone, give me some bullets──!」
The soldiers stopped firing and waited for resupply, and were literally screaming for bullets── and right after that, their defence line crumbled. The enemy charged up the northern slope and into the rocky hill, engaging the defenders in melee combat.
「──!」
They had gone past their limits. Suya realized that, and when she was about to issue the order to retreat, the subordinate beside her yelled loudly:
「Message from headquarters── all units in the Seventh Block are to retreat! The commander is to retreat with all her forces! I repeat, all units in the Seventh Block are to retreat!」
「…! Ahh──」
The woman opened her eyes wide in surprise. Headquarters had issued the orders she should have given.
「Did you hear that, First Lieutenant Mittokarifu!? We are really pulling out this time!」
Her subordinate’s stern voice reached her. After fixing a short spear on her crossbow, that female soldier continued:
「Our platoon will be the rear guard! We will defend our comrades until the bitter end! You will be fine with that, right!?」
Encouraged by these words, Suya quickly scanned her surroundings. Although they were put on the back foot, the soldiers were still fending off the invaders from the north with everything they had.
「……!」
Slapping her face with her own hands, she perked herself up── now wasn’t the time to daze off, she had to send more of her comrades back safely with time her soldiers had bought.
「… First and Second platoon, start retreating from the rear ranks! Go down the southern slope, and retreat to the space between Block One and Two! Move!」
Suya analyzed the situation and started covering their retreat. Since the enemy had infiltrated, they would get shot from the back if all of them turned and ran. On top of that, if a large group charged down the slope mindlessly, there was the danger of someone falling and tripping many others. So she had to bear with the anxiety, and let the front ranks hold back the enemy first, and send only a few back at a time.
The soldiers on the outer edge of the block retreated slowly as the enemy advanced. As she steadily covered the retreat of her subordinates in batches, Suya and the rear guard platoon stayed in the Seventh Block. However── when 60% of her men had fled, there was a strange cry from the front ranks.
「Hieee──」
「Ahh…」
「Uwahh!」
Blood spluttered from a corner of the defence line, followed by death throes. When Suya looked over in shock, the screams got even closer.
Realizing the enemy was charging in with abnormal speed, she immediately told her comrades to be on their guard.
「── Tch.」
A soldier was cut down before her, and the vermillion haired figure wielding dual blades stood on the other side.
「──Ahh…」
I’m dead, Suya thought. The blood stained saber thrust towards her as she stood stiffly── the blade suddenly stop before it pierced her breast.
「We surrender.」
Because Suya’s female subordinate standing beside her had raised a white flag.
「Issue the surrender order to your unit.」
The vermillion haired girl urged with the blade tip on Suya’s breast. Her steely voice devoid of any humanity made Suya gasp── Suya realized a fact as she looked into that girl’s eyes.
There was only Igsem there. The girl that made her envious, jealous and whom she admired was gone.
「Hurry, First Lieutenant…!」
Her subordinate who was gripping the white flag with trembling hands urged Suya to yield. The saber inched forward slightly, breaking the skin on her breast in lieu of an ultimatum.
Just kill me then, Suya wanted to yell if she could. But her responsibility as the commander didn’t permit her to do so. She clenched her fist, and yelled:
「…… Cease your fighting! All units, lay down your arms and surrender!」
With this final order, the soldiers fighting in the Seventh Block that was on the verge of falling put down their weapons and raised their hands one by one. After seeing that, the vermillion haired girl finally retracted her saber.
「… Why…」
Suya asked in a deep voice. Her fight was over, but the person she couldn’t forgive was right before her.
「… Why did things turn out like this…!」
Suya yelled with no regard for the consequences, and completely forgot that she was now a prisoner of war. After losing control, her emotions started going wild.
「Y-You are so sly! Even though he loves you so deeply! And think of you so much! From a long time ago, you have the very thing I can’t obtain no matter how much I wish for it…!」
The vermillion haired girl didn’t even raise a brow. Her subordinates tried to restrain Suya who was walking towards that girl, but Suya’s legs still strode forth stubbornly.
「But why, why are you behaving like this!?」
Suya blinked away her tears, and poured her heart out. As if she was trying to break through the wall of blades to get through the girl on the other end of that wall.
「Say something! You are listening, right? Are you still there?」
The girl calmly shifted her gaze from the person screaming at her, and left silently. Suya squeezed her hoarse throat, and yelled with all her might at the figure who was walking away.
「Answer me, Yatorishino────!」
In the wee hours, 3.22 am, the Seventh Block fell. From that moment on, the core of the defences, the First and Second Blocks were finally exposed to direct attacks. The Igsem faction had captured the 8th→ 5th → 7th Blocks in that order, and garrison their forces there as the beachhead for their attack on their final goal.
「There’s two hours until day break! We have to hold out until then!」
The Second Block under Matthew’s command put up a strong resistance. Knowing that 「it’s all over if that block falls」, Ikuta and Torway provided generous support, and the pudgey youth’s garrison blocked the Igsem with a stubborn defensive wall.
The battle that lasted till dawn was intense. Casualties were heavy for the Igsem, and the Rising Sun Regiment also suffered 200 deaths and heavily injured. The medics forced to work without rest collapse from exhaustion, and four cases of soldiers losing it from the pressure happened in rapid succession.
Corpses were piled on top of corpses, and the blood stained ground were dyed with more red── they overcome all that and fought through the entire night.
「── They are falling back! Look, those guys are retreating!」
The morning of the fourth day. On the rocky terrain of the Second Block, one of the soldiers who fought all night shouted. He could see the Igsem forces attacking throughout the night withdrawing from the block.
「They are really falling back…」「Because it’s morning?」「We held on to the end… right?」
The troops whispered in surprise. However, Matthew’s stern voice came from behind:
「Stay alert! Nothing’s over!」
Their officers warning made the soldiers raise their weapons. However── with the break of dawn, the pudgey youth felt the same way as them. For the past three days, the Igsem faction would always attack en masse at night when the Air Rifles used by Matthew’s forces were half as effective. And that was probably the last night.
「Reinforcement from the Remeon faction will arrive by evening… And then...」
Careful to not let his men hear him, Matthew muttered to himself── the Air Rifle was most effective during the day, when visibility was clear. With that in mind, it was unlikely for the enemy to approach the rocky terrain and risk suffering heavy losses.
「We just need to fend them off with suppressing fire, and wait for reinforcements… right?」
His heart wavered between staying on guard and being optimistic. Matthew wanted to hear his companions opinion, and looked behind him── and found a smoke column rising into the sky. It was the same sight as yesterday.
A red smoke signal was burning from the First Block, telling the Remeon faction our current location.
「Huff… Puff…」
The youth with an Air Rifle on his shoulder stepped into the headquarters with ragged breath. Aside from the minimal clear passageway, the cave was full of heavily injured soldiers. This space was filled with odor of the casualties and their blood.
「I’m back for a break, Ik-kun……」
When he said that, two of his comrades deep in the cave turned to him. They were Ikuta and Haro who had dark eye circles. Recognizing the youth, the dark haired youth waved.
「Sit down and rest, Torway. That pretty face you are so proud of is a mess.」
「Ahaha, same to you. Haro-san, you have it hard too… Can you still hold out?」
「T-This is a piece of cake!」
Haro showed a strong front, but quickly lowered her head when Ikuta looked at her sternly.
「… I want to say that, but I couldn’t stand up steady, so Ikuta-san stopped me from working, and wants me to rest for a while.」
She smiled with a tired face. And the next moment── Haro remembered something and blushed, then backed away from the two of them:
「Don’t come too close to me. I stink so badly of sweat and blood, that I can’t even tell the difference…」
「Alright, it’s decided. I will hug you tightly. Haro, can you come closer?」
「Hyaa! A-After I clean myself first! I’m going to rest now…!」
Haro ran off like a hare, and collapsed on the straws laid out deep inside the cave. After glancing at her from the side, Ikuta took out two rations from the crate by his feet.
「Take a bite, Torway. Then sleep, you can rest for at least an hour.」
「Yes, I will. What about you, Ik-kun?」
「She’s probably awake. Since both of us are the commander-in-chief, so I will fight it out to the end against her.」
The youth answered with a smile, then got up from his chair.
「I will get some fresh air, holler if you receive any emergency reports.」
Ikuta told the youth, then walked out of the headquarters. He looked over the rocky hills at the Seventh Block that had fallen, and sighed heavily.
「…Suya──」
He clenched his fists, thinking about his adjutant who didn’t return and called out her name… He had an inkling of the reason why she misjudged the timing to retreat.
「What a tenacious battle.」
Suddenly, a respectful voice that had a scornful undertone came from the side. The youth turned stiff and looked around him. After confirming that his trusted soldiers were watching, he turned towards the voice:
「What is it, fox? I already asked you to not leave your quarters.」
「You did, but you don’t expect me to listen, right? I can’t stand the stench there, and since the battle is at a lull for now, I came out to relax a bit.」
Trisnai said without missing a beat, and stretched his arms like he said he would. He shook his head in response to the youth’s cold gaze:
「Don’t worry, I didn’t approach the Third Princess. No, I did try, but got stopped by the guards every single time. Their Captain… Warrant Officer Hargunska? I’m really stumped, she won’t even listen to me.」
「She is someone who can ignore logic and move according to her instincts. Compared to people with some smarts, she’s more suited to keep you at bay.」
Ikuta hid the fact that he had a hard time dealing with Warrant Officer Lucanti for the same reason, and grunted.
「I will warn you first, you can act out the role of a mastermind if you want, but don’t activate your men recklessly. If you want the Rising Sun Regiment to win, then don’t interfere.」
The fox didn’t answer and continued smiling. Ikuta continued:
「You want us to win, right? If you want the Igsem to win, you don’t have to instigate the Remeon faction to start a coup. If you want the Remeon faction to win, you would have supported the coup right from the start. Either way, there isn’t a need for a third faction to butt in. The only possibility left is that you want us to win, or your goal is the chaos from the three factions fighting each other.」
The youth analyzed calmly, without shifting his eyes from his opponent.
「That last option would be a hassle. If destruction is your goal, then this is a lost cause. But that doesn’t seem to be true. You saw something before this civil war happened. And for some reason, you are trying to exploit the Princess and the Rising Sun Regiment── leaving that reason aside from now, I’m very sure that’s what’s going on.」
Ikuta declared. The fox’s smile deepened towards the end, but he still held his peace.
「And you don’t seem willing to settle things peacefully, and is bent on pulling house Igsem down from the military. Is the reason the same as my father’s death? To get an army that is more compromising to the nobles?
That’s foolish. The Katjvarna Empire managed to survive until now because of the absolute loyalty of house Igsem towards the royal family. When the head of the military becomes compromising, the government will quickly devolve into a military junta. This much is obvious to anyone.」
Ikuta said to inflict as much humiliation as possible. Trisnai shook his head quietly.
「It is as you say, the Igsem are outstanding guard dogs. You can even call them perfect. But don’t you think that is the reason behind the rot in the Empire?」
His abnormal logic made the youth frown. The fox started to preach:
「Just leave everything to the guard dog, and everything will be fine── because of that retarded and optimistic thinking, generations of Emperors stopped thinking about things, and assumed that sitting on the throne without thinking or guiding the people is the ideal situation. And that is the start of the Empire’s decline.」
Ikuta had no objections. He held the same view for just this point.
「The Igsem should have realized this a long time ago. But they neglected to stop the depravity of their masters, isn’t that an unforgivable crime in itself? They turned a blind eye to the slow rot of their master, and continued serving the Emperor as usual. I won’t permit them to call themselves loyalist and be the mainstay of the Imperial Army.」
That surprised the youth. The way he assigned the blame from the same perspective was too different from the youth.
「… You are saying they should give advice from their position as vassals? That’s the responsibility of ministers like you. And you didn’t stop at turning a blind eye, you even used the Emperor like your puppet.」
Ikuta pointed out as this ridiculous logic made his head hurt. Something unexpected happened. The fox lost his smile, and his face turned sad.
「It might be true for the previous generations of Emperors, but for the reigning Emperor… It was too late.」
「… What?」
Feeling goosebumps from the expression he saw for the first time, the youth asked. Trisnai closed his eyes.
「When I started to serve His Majesty, his mental conditions were already on the verge of failing. All my attempts to let the Emperor regain the light in his heart failed. If this went on, he would be known throughout history as a foolish Emperor── hence, I had to let the Emperor become this way.」
That was as good as admitting that he was the one who turned the Emperor into an invalid.
「I had to protect the reputation of my lord from being tarnished by unsculpted ministers. The Igsem could never understand how much it pains me. Because they are only protecting the position of authority known as the Emperor, and didn’t care if His Majesty is incompetent, foolish or a puppet. They are content if the Emperor still holds on to power. Hence, they accepted the imperial edicts without question. Since there are royals who can take the throne, it’s fine for His Majesty to get caught in the war and die── their arrogance knows no bounds.」
Trisnai said with a trembling voice and clenched his fists, showing pure rage:
「That isn’t loyalty, and can never be seen as such. By taking the Emperor lightly, the Igsem lost the right to call themselves loyal vassals.
And of course, the bureaucrats are just as guilty, so it’s great that they got purged too. Because they had been relying on the Igsem all this time. The people General Remeon got rid of were eyesores to me too.」
The fox stated casually with a refreshing expression. Ikuta interjected and asked:
「── Wait. Going by that, you are the only noble who wants the Igsem to fall from grace? Even before my father died?」
「I can’t say that I’m the only one, but if we get enough ministers to agree, we can just dismiss the Igsem with an edict, there’s no need to lay such an obvious trap. But even then── the power struggle in the courts isn’t so simple.」
The fox muttered with a face of nostalgia. The emotions drained from Ikuta’s face.
「The one who killed my father… Isn’t the cabinet back then, but you?」
「The truth is more complicated, but let’s go with that.」
With that mysterious explanation, Trisnai didn’t speak anymore. After glaring at that face for some time, Ikuta pulled his eyes away and intentionally took a deep breath. In the current situation, there wasn’t any time for him to act rashly because of his personal emotions── He convinced himself with that, and got back on topic.
「I want to ask one question. What do you think… the Emperor is?」
「A living god.」
Ikuta gasped as Trisnai answered without any hesitation. His face was as innocent as a boy that likes to dream.
「The absolute ruler with limitless love and boundless wisdom. The ultimate being far superior than others. This truth is as steady as bedrock. A symbol of power that only those who are worthy may wield.
The founding Emperor Luciaro swept away an army of ten thousand with a wave of his arm. The second Emperor Sanghiari could summon rain as he wished onto the drought stricken land. With powers beyond the intelligence of humanity, they bend reality and create miracles. And now, it is just an old and rusted post, guarded by dogs over the generations, which covers the brilliance that an Emperor should have.」
A sense of fear ran down Ikuta’s spine. He realized from the fox’s mesmerized face that he truly believe in the nonsensical myths of the royal lineage. And he was serious about making that a reality again.
Seeing the fear in the youth, Trisnai added with a smile:
「I admit the historical texts have some exaggerations, but there is no doubt that the mysterious lineage is passed down through the royal line. Just like the outstanding intellect of Princess Chamille you are so familiar with, isn’t that the tip of the royal prowess?
However── to awaken the slumbering bloodline, the dogs need to be purged. Her Majesty can then feel the imminent danger, and then assign new dogs to protect her. They can’t be loyal dogs like the Igsem, but dangerous mutts she needs to be wary of. Her Majesty could then make the mutt submit to her will, and order it around as she please── that will be the start of a correct master servant relationship.」
Trisnai’s emotional voice believed that his action was just. The youth backed away with a feeling of revolt.
「Do you understand? To awaken the true form of the lineage of the Eternal Sprite Tree, and make the Empire great again── that’s my only wish.」
Trisnai said loudly, then composed himself immediately. He stared at Ikuta firmly.
「After sharing all that, I will give you one more chance── destroy the Igsem, Ikuta Sankrei. When you do that, Princess Chamille will take the throne, and you will lead the new Imperial Army as her right hand man.」
At this point, the youth finally understand that he was serious.
「Let me be frank, stop being foolish and pretend to be her guardian. You understand too, right? The Princess is destined to take the throne. Shouldn’t we devote ourselves to letting her take that path? Fame and fortune will be within your reach, and you will be remembered throughout history as the most outstanding general of them all!」
Their talking points didn’t cross each other, like two parallel lines. Ikuta shook his head with a displeased face.
「… Is leaving your name in the history books that important to you? I’m fine with leaving mine on my tombstone. Since you said that much, let me be frank too. That’s enough, don’t trouble others with your delusions. You are an adult, so take responsibility for your own actions, leave the Princess out of this.」
The youth didn’t hold back and pointed out the gulf between their view of the situation. The moment he heard this response── Trisnai’s face lost its warmth, and became as emotionless as the time when he spoke about the Princess in the basement.
「So you want to relegate Her Highness to a mere peasant?」
「I only have one answer. That girl isn’t your toy.」
「Of course she is not my toy, she should be my Mistress. And she thinks highly of you── don’t you understand? After I explained so much, you still won’t correct your wrong way of thinking?」
Ignoring his delusional words, Ikuta turned his back to the fox and walked away. Since the other party was a madman, there was no point in talking.
「── Such a pity. So you don’t understand either.」
Trisnai muttered with gloomy disappointment.
Nine in the morning. The soldiers in the frontlines saw movement in the enemy camp, and reported to Ikuta.
「Please look at this.」
On top of the First Block, the youth looked down at the direction pointed out by the soldier. The abnormality was obvious, the Igsem soldiers were bustling between the two Blocks that had fallen. They were moving in and out and piling something up.
「They are filling in the space between the Fifth and Seventh Blocks with wood. It’s not visible from here, but the same thing is happening between the Fifth and Eighth Block. We tried to disrupt them by firing shots, but they just started moving behind the wood they piled up, so it wasn’t very effective.」
「A battalion just arrived from the north and got to work immediately. That seemed to be a unit sending timber in. If they are building a makeshift fort, it is a little too late to start now…」
The soldier tilted his head puzzledly, and Ikuta shook his head.
「… Those aren’t building materials, but firewood. And half of those should be freshly cut logs that hadn’t dry completely.」
「Ahh── firewood? They want to start a fire there?」
The dark haired youth ignored the confused soldiers and continued:
「I had always thought that the enemy soldiers in the day seem too small in numbers. When we start the defensive battle, they probably sent a battalion to the forest and village nearby to gather logs, and finally brought back the necessary numbers today.」
「I see… But, what does this mean? This isn’t a terrain susceptible to fire attacks.」
Instead of a direct answer, Ikuta looked to the sky and asked quietly.
「Do you think the will of the heavens is with me?」
The troops couldn’t answer this sudden question, and the youth continued with his eyes to the sky.
「During the crucial moments, will the heavens be on my side? I heard the legendary Captain Garciev made it through desperate situations through divine aid, and was a man loved by the wind and tides for his entire life.
Sigh── from a scientific perspective, this is just consequentialism. The qualities of a human won’t affect the weather. It is possible to predict the weather with the experiences of a sailor, but that’s a completely different matter.」
Ikuta said with a tone of a dispassionate teacher and sighed softly.
「Luck refers to an outcome, and not a quality someone possess. Even if a lucky person exist, the law of probabilities won’t just go out of wink around him. The probability of getting heads in a coin toss is one out of two. And naturally, the results will be the same no matter who tossed it.」
His eyes wavered in the air, and shortly after, he turned his entire body in the opposite direction. The light red column of smoke appeared before him. That was the smoke signal he was sending to the Remeon faction.
「In this sense, this situation is no different from tossing a coin, with complicated conditions. The key will be the strength, direction, and persistence. There is nothing any human can do about that.」
The youth concluded quietly. What I can do is to be prepared for everything, including the worst case scenario── Ikuta thought, and his attention returned from the sky to the ground, as he told the troops around him:
「Relay my words to the commanders in all the Blocks. This is the plan for the final battle.」
「We have set up the firewood, Lieutenant Colonel Igsem! Eight soldiers were shot in the leg during the process, but they were all light wounds!」
Confirming that the work was done, Major Megu reported to the commander immediately.
Most of the Igsem forces were spread out in the northern side of the blocks, between the Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Blocks they had captured in the last three days. They exerted pressure towards the First and Second Blocks from the north, but after daybreak, they didn’t launch any attacks except for suppressing fire.
「Leave three fire platoons to light the fire, and pull the unit that set up the place to the north. After linking up with that unit, execute the orders I had given previously」
「Yes. When the gong sounds, we will launch an all out attack.」
The Major answered the vermillion haired girl to confirm the plan. However── the Major’s eyes rest on the opposite direction of the entrenched enemy.
「… But even so, this is the fourth day of battle. The Remeon faction might appear beyond the horizon at any moment… Will we get our chance before that?」
Major Megu had a hint of unease, worries and other emotions in his words. Megu didn’t know what kind of outcome to hope for.
「There’s no point in wondering if it will come. We can only get ready for the moment the opportunity arises.」
The girl from the Igsem house answered accurately, cutting away the weakness of her subordinate. Major Megu nodded mechanically. Those who work under her had no time to worry.
11.00 am. The dark haired youth could see the smoke signal rising straight up.
12.00 pm. The flag fluttered a little before the vermillion haired girl, like an afterthought.
1.00 pm. In the tense atmosphere, the troops on both sides started to think that the battle will end with this final clash.
1.32 pm. The wind blowing from the north sent the smoke signal drifting southwards.
「……」
1.40 pm. The flag fluttered in the increasingly strong wind, and didn’t droop again.
「────」
1.55 pm. The smoke signal drifted south, and the flags fluttered even more strongly in the wind.
「Light the fire.」
The Igsem fire troops lit the stack of wood alight on command. The large number of lumber caught on fire at the same time, and the moisture in the semi dry wood mixed within started to evaporate.
2.06 pm. As the wind brushed against their faces, the commanders of both forces grasp the situation at the same time.
「Strong north wind──」
The youth saw this as the worst situation.
「Strong north wind──」
The girl viewed this as the best opportunity.
2.11 pm. The gong that announced the final battle rang loudly under the blue sky.
「Woah…!」
It happened suddenly, and Matthew stood stiffly from surprise.
The grey smog flowed in like a tsunami, and covered the surroundings in no time. They couldn’t see the enemy on the Seventh Block before them, and the silhouette of their comrades on the Second Block was also blurry. When their field of vision became restricted, the soldiers cried out with unease.
The smog from the Igsem’s burning pile of wood flowed towards them along with the northern wind. Given the amount of wood, the smoke seemed too thick, and that was because half of the wood that was burned wasn’t completely dry yet. In order to achieve similar results, the Igsem faction mixed in impurities into the fire. The smell of the smog was different from normal bonfires.
「C-Calm down! This is within our expectations!」
The pudgey youth shouted, and he did so to convince himself. Yes, he did expect that, and that was exactly why he knew that the sight before him was the worst thing that could happen.
「All units, prepare to engage the enemy! They are going to charge right in!」
The soldiers’ faces looked tense as they pointed their trembling muzzles to the front.
「Ready, aim── fire!」
On his command, countless explosion of compressed air erupted at the same time── this was the beginning of their hell.
「Begin the charge.」
After the order for an all out offensive was issued, the Igsem faction troops started to move. The air that had been dyed grey covered their tracks, as they advance onto the central blocks to launch their final attack.
「「「「「「「Wwooooaaahhh!」」」」」」」
A smoke screen. The vermillion haired girl used a simple but effective trick.
In this battle, the defences of the Rising Sun Regiment rested on two pivotal points. First was the range and accuracy of the Air Rifles, and the second was the quick and constant light communication between the blocks. The Igsem faction had been attacking in the night for the sake of halving the effectiveness of the former.
However, this was already the fourth day of the battle, and reinforcements from the Remeon faction would likely arrive before night falls. They could not attack at dusk anymore, so the Igsem had to attack during the day.
That was why the vermillion haired girl created darkness with her own hands. A grey darkness that was darker than the night.
What decided the effectiveness of the smoke screen were the wind direction, wind intensity, and how long it lasted. All these factors were left up to fate, no one could predict if a strong, persisting north wind would occur. If a southern wind picks up, then the Igsem had to shift their logs in a new location, which would take a lot of time.
However── before waiting for the whims of fate to smile in their favor, there was much preparation to be done. First was to gather firewood, which could only be done in the latter part of the battle. The limited number of people sent to move the wood meant this couldn’t be done again easily. They also need to capture the neighboring blocks in order to pile up the wood without being harassed. If they start the fire too far away, the smoke would dissipate before reaching the target blocks.
It was no coincidence that they seized the 5th, 7th and 8th blocks from the start. The vermillion haired girl had this plan in mind from the beginning, and the dark haired youth did everything he could to avoid this situation from happening. But he still couldn’t hold on to one of these three blocks for four days.
No one could accuse him of not performing better. The youth withstood the relentless attack by the vermillion haired girl for three whole days, and holding on to the central blocks for so long was a commendable achievement. The defensive battle wouldn’t even be possible if a mediocre commander was in charge.
The conclusion of their drawn out battle had to be left to fate. The match between the youth and the girl had been even so far, and they had to depend on fate now. Which side the scales would tilt, would depend on the whims of the Goddess of War.
「Damn it, I can’t see! I can’t see the enemy!」
「It’s not over yet! It still won’t end…!」
In the greyish hell, the soldiers who lost their field of vision shouted out loud. It was as if night had fallen again, and their mind was slowly shrouded by a despair that seemed denser than the smoke screen itself.
「Don’t fire recklessly, we will run out of ammo! Fire when the enemy closes in!」
As they had lost their advantage of range, their tactics had regressed to that of classic windgunners. Unlike the night where they could ensure visibility by using search lights, there was no way to overcome the cover of the smoke screen. Fighting in such overwhelming odds was their only choice.
「Messenger, request reinforcements from headquarters! If the light signals don’t work, then run there! Hurry!」
At the same time, the enemy used the cover of the smoke screen and flooded to the areas that had not engaged in melee combat so far. In the Third Block which was the smallest of them all, the windgunners turned pale at the sight of the enemy suddenly appearing before them.
「Send a message to headquarters, enemy spotted in the Third Block! They are infiltrating the gap between the blocks!」
「Don’t let them destroy the barrier! It will be all over if they break through there!」
「But it’s hard to aim in the thick smoke──」
Visibility was so poor that they couldn’t tell if their shots were landing, which made the troops anxious. Their Officer Commanding, Captain Sezoi grit his teeth and turned around with determination:
「Since guns are useless── 3rd and 4th platoon, follow me! We will go down the block and switch to melee battle!」
「Wait, Officer Commanding Sir? Are you serious?」
「We are just expunging a small number of enemies! There’s no excuse not to!」
The Captain said firmly and strode forth in large strides. His men followed worriedly.
「── They are here! Take cover behind the rocks! Aim at the enemy and thrust～～!」
「「「「「Woaaahhh!」」」」」
The battlecries of the soldiers rang out. The bodies of the two opposing sides slammed into each other and they thrust their blades at each other and fell over together. As their shots were half effective, they were fighting in an intense hand to hand combat under the pudgey youth’s command.
「Shhyyaaa!」 「Don’t falter, beat them off!」 「Damn it, down! Go down!!」
As he directed his subordinates on the verge of panicking, the slightly plump youth in command kept his cool. Seeing that the vanguard had fended off the wave of attack, he blinked his bloodshot eyes and attempted to grasp the situation.
「That was the third wave of attack…! All platoon, casualty report!」
「First platoon, 5 injured! 2 of them are heavily wounded!」 「Second platoon, 3 dead, damn it! 2 heavily wounded!」 「Third platoon, 4 dead! 6 gravely injured!」
The number of casualties reported by his subordinates kept increasing, and they were bleeding out. At this moment, Matthew who was burning with anxiety heard a voice from behind. It was the roving snipers from Torway’s unit.
「We are here to reinforce you, Captain Matthew! Where should we go?」
「Good! Link up with the Second Platoon first──」
As he was about to issue an order, he was drowned out by intense shouts. Countless footsteps came from the slope, and Matthew opened his eyes wide and shouted:
「They are charging again! Stand firm──!」
Before the warning reached the ears of the troops, the enemy was coming again.
「U-Uwahh!」「Hyyaaa──!」
They concentrated on the weak point created in the previous attack, and the unit that suffered heavy losses were suppressed. A few enemies broke through the line, and charged through the smoke into the west side of the rocky terrain, straight at the commander, Matthew.
「Captain, watch out!」
Noticing their superior was in danger, the soldiers rushed towards him. The incoming enemy made the pudgey youth back away, planning to lean against the boulder at the western end to steady himself──
「──Ahh?」
Matthew felt a sense of weightlessness── and realized that behind him was an empty space.
「Captain Matthew is injured! First Lieutenant Tabruchi has taken command of the Second Block’s defences──!」
Ikuta felt a chill run down his spine. Shortly after receiving this report, Matthew was brought into the headquarters on a stretcher. The dark haired youth and Haro immediately rushed to his side.
「Matthew, where are you hit?」
「I-I didn’t get hit! I just fell off a boulder, tis but a scratch… Ughh!」
Matthew answered strongly, but his uniform was in tatters, and he was bleeding from the places where he hit the rocks. After checking his wounds, Haro shook her head with a serious face.
「It’s mostly contusions, but he fractured his right leg. I will get a splint──」
「Just bandage it, and help me up here! I have to return to my post…!」
The two of them stopped Matthew who was trying to get up despite his injuries. At this moment, the pale faced jade eyed youth rushed to the three of them from the north side of the block:
「Ik-kun, Haro-san! How’s Ma-chan’s wounds?」
「He hurt his leg, but nothing life threatening! How’s the Second Block?」
「Most of my unit went over to reinforce them, we can hold out for a while longer! But this time, from the front──」
Angry shouts came from behind the youth. Without waiting for him to explain, Ikuta could feel looming defeat from their voices.
「The wind direction is the decisive element, huh──」
The reserves unit had formed up neatly between the 7th and 5th block. Major Megu stood beside the vermillion haired girl and muttered as they look down at the enemy formation. The end of this battle was in sight.
「The battle is decided, Lieutenant Colonel. With this, it won’t be long before──」
A few soldiers charged in before the Major could finish. This group that was patrolling to the far north of the battlefield took a short moment to catch their breath, then spoke quickly:
「Lieutenant Colonel Igsem, a report! A Remeon faction army of 3000 is approaching from the north northwest! At their current pace, they are estimated to reach in an hour!」
Major Megu face became twisted. This news meant their certain victory had escaped their grasp.
「To show up at this time…!」
Receiving this report with her back still turned, the girl from Igsem said quietly.
「Fire Troops First Company, fix bayonets.」
The soldiers executed the orders immediately. Realizing what her intentions were a few seconds later, Major Megu started to tremble.
「… Are you going to charge in personally!?」
There wasn’t any need to ask. Even without news of the Remeon faction approaching, she had planned to do so from the very start. The enemy defences were solid, and there was no telling when the wind would change direction. They shouldn’t be satisfied with being one step away from victory, and go for the prize instead.
「Lead your unit and cover that block with suppressing fire. I will then lead my men and charge into the heart of the enemy formation and take down the enemy commander swiftly── and slay Ikuta Sankrei.」
The girl declared with an unwavering tone. The Major finally realized how shallow and foolish it was to advise against her resolve.
「… I won’t stop you. It can be done if it is you.」
Major Megu said with a sigh, then closed both eyes with a pained expression.
「We lost too many fellow soldiers in this war… I want to end this here. I can’t take any more of this.」
The Major looked at the girl with a groan, and saluted with back straightened:
「I will leave everything to you. End this, young Igsem.」
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