The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 7: Ut Sementem Feceris, ita Metes

by Carlo Zen

  I figured the enemy wouldn’t have time to get used to them…but was that a mistake?

  There’s no way of knowing without making contact.

  “Group Leader, come in. This is Salamander 01. Come in.”

  For the time being, the signal is good. And requesting only data doesn’t cost anything. Tanya braces herself to hear that they’re too busy, but when she gets on the line anyway, they ping her right back.

  “Salamander 01, this is Group Leader!”

  “Group Leader, this is Salamander 01. A mage battalion from the Salamander Kampfgruppe is currently headed your way. Send us what you’ve got on the enemy’s new model.”

  Just the fact that she’s been successful establishing contact with the right wing makes Tanya’s cheeks relax into a smile. It’s confirmation of organized resistance. Not collapsing is a good sign.

  “Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

  “…You can’t? I beg your pardon, but what do you mean?”

  “The front is currently in disarray, and we’re unable to send any detailed reports.”

  “Whoa, hold up.” Tanya furrows her brow, and the controller responds in an entreating voice.

  “I’ve heard of your unit before. If possible, I’d like you to report back with the details of the right wing’s situation when you arrive.”

  “My unit isn’t outfitted for scouting or observation. We’re charging in to conduct an assault.”

  “Group Leader, roger. That’s why it’s an ‘if possible’ request.”

  “Salamander 01, roger. I understand and respect your request. We’ll give it our utmost, but just know that there’s a limit to what we can do.”

  “Of course. Over and out.”

  Hmm. Tanya occupies herself in thought for a moment. It was a short conversation, but there was something strange about it. Frontline units are often in chaotic situations, but this seems to be something beyond merely getting attacked. She gets the feeling they’re crumbling in a panic over their inability to deal with a new type of enemy.

  Even if we are careful, are we plunging headfirst into danger?

  “Major Weiss, what do you make of the communications we’ve been listening in on?”

  “Our fellow troops are in bad shape. From what’s coming over the wireless, it sounds like they’re total amateurs. They’re wailing and crying on an open channel.”

  “Are those rookies we’re hearing, though?”

  “It seems like the magic officers up through company level are bewildered.”

  “Whew”—she whistles in spite of herself; it’s all she can do; things are such a mess.

  I can’t say the warmongers under me are representative of the Imperial Army’s standards for company commanders. Still, though, still. Being an Imperial Army company commander requires, as it should, certain abilities. As with ancient Roman centurions and boatswains on ships of the line, if middle management is rotten, the organization has no future.

  What we need is…people in the position to support the men on the ground, like the capable First Lieutenant Schwarkopf she once served under. So the guys at that level are out of their minds?

  “Saving the right wing might be a bigger challenge than anticipated.”

  My subordinates are war maniacs, while I’m into self-preservation… Her internal regret is intense.

  “This is no good, Major. It’s embarrassing to show up late.”

  “Let’s do our best. Grantz and Visha are young enough.”

  Heh. Tanya decides to respond to her vice commander’s joke. “Whoa there, don’t forget I’ve got some formidable youth myself.”

  “Ummm.” The tiny noise is her adjutant. There’s no mistaking that voice. When she looks over immediately, the expression on her adjutant’s face is Oh shit.

  “Lieutenant Serebryakov? What is it?”

  “If you’ll excuse me, ummm… Colonel, that is…”

  “What is it, Lieutenant? Are you trying to leave me out?”

  She’s stunned to get a nod in return. “You have a certain class to consider at your rank…”

  “…I see. Well, I suppose that’s true.”

  Tanya thought it was weird, but with that response, she can’t really argue. Status and dignity are powers that come with rank.

  If someone described her as far more mature than her age, how could anyone say that’s wrong? If her internal maturity is coming through, and people count that as a virtue, who am I to disagree?

  “CP to combat controller team. The Salamander Kampfgruppe is on its way. Should arrive within 600.”

  Anyhow, now that we’ve come this far, I’ll get caught up in the trouble if we don’t put a stop to it. I’ll just consider myself lucky that the wall of meat shields hasn’t been wiped out yet, so we can still support from behind it.

  “All units, get ready for combat. We’re going in!”

  Under the guidance of the combat control team, we begin our charge, but something’s strange.

  If you asked me, I couldn’t tell you what, exactly. Yet, suddenly it’s obvious. We’re receiving wireless signals far too clearly!

  …Why the heck aren’t the enemy mages jamming us?

  In Dacia, we knew they simple didn’t have the ability.

  In Norden, we knew the Entente Alliance wasn’t actually expecting a full-on fight.

  But this is the eastern front. A bizarre zone where the Imperial Army and the Federation Army pit their national powers against each other by endlessly squandering their production capacity on a massive, meaningless war of attrition.

  It’s too weird for aerial mages not to be jamming at all. And if the enemy aerial mages are putting up a fierce fight with new orbs, it’s even weirder.

  Twisting up her doll-like face, Tanya raises her guard a notch.

  When the only scenarios she can imagine are bad, her brow furrows.

  “Ch-Charlie Leader to Salamander. Currently data linking.”

  Just the brief that reaches her ears paints an unambiguous picture of how serious the situation is.

  The front line is so full of holes, it’s absurd to call it a line. Has the stronghold that was supposed to be here already been overrun? The lines are so broken, she’s seized by the urge to whine.

  “…What a clusterfuck. I’m honestly shocked. How have things gotten this bad without the front collapsing?”

  Although looking from our side, it’s basically already crumbled.

  “It’s a miracle they’re still holding out. I guess the veterans have their training to thank.”

  Is it purely the skill of the lower-ranking officers that’s keeping things together?

  There must be a handful of capable guys mixed in who are just barely staving off a decisive collapse. That’s the best way to hold ground.

  But the data she picks up as they charge into the fighting zone are truly astonishing.

  The enemy mage company busted through the imperial mage battalion stationed here, splitting them apart so that each infantry unit was isolated. In other words, this was an unmitigated trampling—and that’s of imperial mages by Federation mages.

  “I can’t believe this… Shouldn’t it be the reverse?”

  If you want to accuse me of arrogance, go ahead. This is still difficult to accept.

  The Imperial Army is being overwhelmed in terms of quality by the Federation Army? Ridiculous.

  “Could they make this much of a turnaround? Or is it the rumored security mage unit? Either way, this is no joke.”

  “But, Colonel, this is strange.”

  “Wait, Major. What’s strange?” Tanya asks, focusing on the enemy unit.

  “The enemy company’s movements are… How can I explain it? They go in such straight lines.”

  “…I see what you mean.”

  It’s so obvious, I’m kicking myself for not noticing it until he brought it up. They aren’t looking terribly majestic out there.

  “And even if they’re up against elites, our troops are wo
rking too hard. It’s not bad; just not sustainable.”

  They must have a special reason to be resisting to this extent.

  “And plenty of our positions are still standing. This really is strange.”

  Let’s just be frank. All this is unexpected.

  Outstanding aerial mages are air-to-ground-attack professionals. If the enemy is using their new orb model, the broken troops should be a pile of corpses.

  We can’t simply laugh off their survival as the aftermath of a tough fight.

  “…Could they be bait?”

  Attacking to draw out aerial mages is a classic trap. If there’s even a slight chance that’s true, Tanya needs a decent excuse to turn around right now.

  “Can you contact any friendly troops and make sure it’s not a trap?”

  “How could I ask them something so inconsiderate? Please don’t be ridiculous.”

  “You guys get so considerate at the weirdest times.”

  Tanya’s subordinates screw up their faces into Huh?s while she makes the call herself.

  “This is Salamander 01. I have a question. Is the enemy not shooting at you guys? Or are they shooting but missing for some reason?”

  Thankfully, her message gets through without any issue.

  …That’s still weird. Tensing her little mouth, she begins calculating an escape. She considers what route to take as she waits for a response.

  “You’ve got to be kidding! They’re firing like crazy and if we get hit, it’ll be a disaster!”

  “Got it. So they’re stubborn and coming out with a ton of firepower, but getting hit isn’t very likely.”

  “…And their defensive shells are stupidly strong.”

  “By that you mean?”

  “We can’t get through them without a direct hit from an 88 mm.”

  “…Yeesh.” Suddenly, she just wants to cradle her head in her hands, but given the eyes of her troops, she opts to cross her arms instead. “So this is a different animal we’re up against.”

  The answer is that our enemies have obtained ridiculous firepower and heavy armor. The idea must be to make up for accuracy issues with intensity. Considering how hard the defensive shells and protective films are, they must be specialized.

  …These were developed with not addition but subtraction.

  The designer is definitely optimizing for wartime mass production. Compared to Chief Engineer Schugel, the Federation guys are actually pretty rational. Who’d’ve thunk?

  Luckily, the enemy mages are moving pretty slowly, so we should be able to take care of them. We just have to put some thought into our tactics. In other words, a bit of tightrope walking is necessary.

  This time, there’s a wall, so it should be easier… Or at least that’s what Tanya thinks before she remembers this is a rescue mission and clicks her tongue in frustration. Time to start over.

  We can’t abandon our troops on the ground.

  Ahhh, damn it. I can already see the enemy.

  What should we do? Our only choice is to give them a whack, obviously.

  “The fundamental tactic of counter-mage combat is the hit-and-run. Let’s give it a shot, troops.”

  Though there’s some distance between us, several enemy mages are already in range. I slam some mana into the Type 97 Assault Computation Orb and don’t spare any of the solidified mana I’d prepared ahead of time, either.

  This explosion formula is like a long-range artillery barrage, but luckily, our troops have fallen back a bit, so there’s no danger of accidentally hitting them. Of course, I’ve already accepted that sometimes you’ll accidentally hit people, but…that’s not something that needs to happen at the moment.

  I manifest the formula with my orb.

  Flying at high speed, I focus up and aim as best I can and cast. That combination of logic and magic manipulates the fabric of reality, and as a result, a powerful explosion goes off in the middle of the enemy group so quickly that there isn’t any time to evade.

  It’s a precise, unforeseen blow to these numbskulls bunched up for a strafing run on helpless ground troops. I poured as much mana as possible in during that short time before I fired. And I’m sure it was a bull’s-eye.

  Even Tanya expects success with a certain degree of confidence.

  “Of all the—! They’re fine?! My target is fine?!”

  The shock is too great. She’s so astounded that she hangs motionless in midair.

  The scene before her makes her eyes nearly pop out of her head. And it’s not just her.

  “…Ngh. That’s a surprise. I’ve never seen anyone take one of your hits and not only stay in the air but not even have their flight disturbed.”

  Her adjutant’s comments are the truth.

  That explosion was on a scale that a normal mage would have gone down just from being in the blast zone. In the Rhine, in Norden, and even on the southern continent, Tanya and her aerial mage unit have proven they are capable of such destruction.

  But that ended in this moment.

  The Federation mages withstood the attack.

  “Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but…ready the next volley!”

  I switch to a guided type of formula, up my impact, and fire along with the rest of the unit.

  “The guided formulas connected just now!”

  “Target is still unharmed!”

  Whoa now, hold on. This is a resilience that makes you want to burst out laughing. The 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, full of Named and with one of the most fearsome rosters of the Imperial Army, can’t even pierce a single enemy defensive shell?

  “The enemy’s coming up fast! Ngh?! We’re being targeted!”

  “For fuck’s sake!” Shit! Even as she curses, Tanya keeps her hands busy to do her job. “How solid can you possibly be?!”

  This can’t be happening. Tanya avoids that comment and reconsiders her choice of formula. She decides her only option is to try something with penetration boosted to the max.

  “Do it with a focused-type optical! Punch through!”

  In parallel to her gripes, she loads some lead shot, casts, and fires.

  “It’s a direct hit!”

  Arrrgh! Teeth grindingly enough, the enemy appears unfazed after sustaining another hit—even though it was an optical sniping formula with boosted penetrating power.

  No. She adjusts her evaluation, noting that there was some impact.

  Their protective films are gone. And apparently, it’s not impossible to affect their defensive shells. From the increasingly unstable way they’re flying, it appears they’ve been injured.

  Is that…blood? At least it’s proof that the shells can be pierced. That’s a good sign.

  “Take note that if you focus your formula, you have a better chance of penetrating.”

  Finding something that might work is a happy joy. Tanya quickly reconsiders her attack method. The enemy is sturdy. And they have firepower. A good option is to snipe them from a distance. A great option is to rain fire down on them from above.

  “Use those legs! These guys aren’t as mobile as we are! Let’s pummel them!”

  Given the circumstances, we’ll have to think of what to do with the troops on the ground afterward. For now, our top priority has to be intercepting these mages. After all, I’ve taken on the risk to push out here. I’m not about to go back empty-handed.

  So the plan is to toy with the enemy using our high speeds.

  And things go more smoothly than expected.

  “Charge! Charge! Show ’em how you move!”

  “Give Weiss backup! Don’t stop firing explosion formulas—we’ll use them as a smoke screen!”

  She has the battalion lead the way and Tanya herself stays back with the rear guard to fire at range from above. Though they aren’t as effective, explosion formulas limit enemy visibility, so they’re the best option.

  Of course, in the heat of battle, explosion formulas always come with the risk of hitting friendlies. Only units as highly coordinate
d and skilled as the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion could ever hope to pull this off.

  None of us are idiots who would shoot our own. We don’t stumble into the line of fire, but neither do we slack on support.

  I can’t overstate how much I appreciate veterans. Especially in this melee, we’re lucky to have sharpshooters.

  With focused opticals, it’s possible to penetrate those thick defensive shells the enemy’s suddenly sporting. Not that they’ll be downed in a single hit, but there’s no doubt it’s effective.

  If we can slow them down like that, finishing them off will be no problem. All that’s left is for the troops up close to cut them down with their magic blades or for the rest of us to pump them full of holes from afar.

  “Zone clear!”

  “Nice work, Major!”

  In any case, I suppose it should be said…

  The Federation mage battalion attacking the right wing of our main army puts up a tough fight in vain and gets swept away by the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion.

  Soon after, their organized resistance collapses.

  “Way to go, troops!”

  With a satisfied nod, Tanya quickly takes stock of the damage to her unit.

  Her own company escaped with burns. Neither of the other two companies had major losses, either. She anticipated there might be some, but happily, that was a miscalculation.

  Also, this is incidental, but the unit on the receiving end of the enemy strike was really hounded but apparently managed to keep casualties to a minimum. For future reference, it will probably be good to look into the ratio of losses.

  But right now, it’s time to chase bonus achievements.

  They may be wonderfully powerful, but even these Federation soldiers who came at us prepared to die are human. Regardless of how it is when blocking units are involved, if your unit gets decimated, it’s impossible not to be conscious of your mortality.

  That’s how humans work.

  “They’re faltering! Announcement from Salamander 01 to all units! Shift to pursuit! Obliterate the enemy’s will to fight!” What a delight it is to shout the order to advance. “Let’s go!”

  The bunched-up guys are doomed at this point.

  Ha-ha-ha—look at them go! Tanya laughs. Watching disciplined violence get transformed into formerly disciplined violence is lovely.