by Carlo Zen
“…It can’t be justified politically.” A soldier groaned in a strained voice and Loria simply confirmed.
“I’m not sure it’s necessary to be so extreme, but…if pressed, I’d say you’re right. I mean, even Comrade General Secretary dislikes aerial mages.” So it’s true? they asked with their eyes, and Loria added with a wince, “If you faced resistance from them in the counterrevolutionary war, and more recently nearly got your house burned down by them, wouldn’t it be logical to hate mages?”
“Yes, you’re right, comrade.”
“That said, we can’t ignore the realities of the battlefield. We should be able to say To hell with it and reinforce our mage units in a big way.”
“Reinforce…?”
Loria was used to being stared at in disbelief. But getting a look containing respect from sober soldiers undestroyed by ideology made even him blush.
“We have to use anything we can. That’s war.”
Digging up and learning the minute details about these creatures known as aerial mages while chasing the fairy, his precious one, was a major factor.
We can use aerial mages.
No wonder the previous establishment had made such good use of them. That was the conclusion this capable pervert of a political monster Loria arrived at. Though it was a sensitive matter, politically and ideologically, to praise heroism and magic theory too much, he had to admit that aerial mage units had their uses.
“Haaah,” he sighed quietly as he lamented, “at this rate, the state will regret not conducting proper magic aptitude tests.”
Mages were the elites of the czarist era. In response to the revolution, mages had long been seen as enemies of their class.
In the context of the Federation, it was like being born in original sin.
For that reason, though the Federation’s Communist Party recognized that mages required “reeducation,” the idea of actually performing an extensive search for talent was missing. Well, that made sense. Nobody wanted to go anywhere near that taboo. To tell the truth, they had the technology to test for magic aptitude…but it was used to expose antiestablishment factions. If they wanted to throw someone in the lageri, they tested the person, and if they had the aptitude, they were locked up for being a mage in hiding. It wasn’t called a “modern witch hunt” for no reason.
Sheesh. Loria shook his head.
His specialty was politics, not the military. Things outside one’s area of expertise went better when left to an expert on a leash.
Shrugging, he winced. I’m not cut out for this. Then he reached for another document case and began to look over the neat bundle of papers.
“Now then, I have to read these results…”
They had suffered a major loss on the lines against the Empire. The politburo was even unofficially debating a temporary compromise with reactionary influences. Wouldn’t a cease-fire and peace happen if the Empire was reasonable? It was easy to imagine many party members thinking that.
But…as far as Loria could see, it was unclear whether they would get a cease-fire, much less peace.
The Federation Army had suffered a major defeat. The Imperial Army was winning fight after fight. If no one could beat the Imperial Army, then peace was a kind of theoretical. And only a theoretical.
And a cease-fire would be difficult to accomplish. Loria remembered with a wince how many times they had gotten into battles over terms in order to reach a cease-fire agreement during the civil war.
All the numbskulls obsessed with how things “should” be clung to the word probably.
This was the definition of ludicrous. It took only one glance at human history to see how poorly this species understood anything. Putting together an encyclopedia of stupidity would be an undertaking on a national scale.
But he was looking forward to seeing the other side of the possibilities that probably presented. He was taking a close look at the documents that had been collected into a report so he could prepare for any potentialities when his brow relaxed slightly.
“…Oh?”
In his hand was a survey of living conditions inside the Empire. It wasn’t a highly classified document, but public opinion in one’s enemy countries could be surprisingly key.
Sometimes the nebulous spirit of the age transformed into something else.
“I figured the Empire was pleased with their victory, but…are they drunk on it?”
It’s a possibility, but as far as I can tell from this editorial… Do they not even realize they’re oozing this greed?
He flipped to another translated article and a smile crept across his lips.
“Oh, oh, oh?”
The fervent public opinion in the Empire was that fruits “worthy” of their “victory” should be demanded. Loria could appreciate that to an extent, but as far as he could tell, this was much more than he would have expected.
“A huge sum of reparations, outrageous demands… You want this much in exchange for peace?”
An EIC drunk on victory spouting grand nonsense about the Empire leading a new world order was one thing. And it was plausible that the people of the Empire wanted reparations.
But… That was as far as Loria could understand. If the environment in the Empire was such that they could dribble their ambitions all over the papers like this without any restraint, that meant something definitively different.
“This…this is… O-ohhh… It looks like we have horrible luck!”
He was sure that all imperial publications went through the inspections. That meant that for this article to pass, a censor had to feel that it had no issues. In that case, it represented “their” latent consciousness as a whole society.
“I thought there were people over there who understood politics, but…I guess they aren’t the ones in power. This is just so…” …fascinating. He grinned inwardly. “More than enough is too much. Apparently, we don’t have a monopoly on repeating your mistakes.”
The Empire guarded its military secrets heavily, but in terms of politics, it was completely naive. They had far too little experience with this type of thing.
It made their awareness of espionage, which was not low by any means, a miserable thing. Even Loria, who considered himself immune from pity, wanted to express his condolences.
They were cautious against “spies.”
It was both correct and idiotic. They protected only the things they wanted to hide and left everything else out in the open—despite the fact that the whole premise of information warfare was putting together innocuous little things like a puzzle to paint a bigger picture.
Loria’s exhalation trembled with desire.
“So people really do support you when you’re on the path to love…”
He thought he would have to give up on his sweet little fairy, but he was no longer anxious.
The war will continue long enough for me to pluck her.
“…This is what’s so fun about ochlocracy.”
The Imperial Army probably thought they were censoring the press…but censorship wasn’t enough. What the newspapers needed was guidance, but the Empire must not have understood that.
The Empire was an old country, after all. They operated by tradition, so their imaginations were stuck in the old world.
They were right to call themselves, their Reich, a military power. Their state was built by the army. They knew nothing of political influence—they had only ever flashed their swords.
“How utterly fascinating and ironic…”
Meanwhile, in the Federation, the party was supreme. It was only natural that the Empire and the Federation had different strengths. And there was no reason one had to attempt to compete in the other’s field.
“…So we really should fight with politics.”
AROUND THE SAME TIME, FORMER ENTENTE ALLIANCE TERRITORY, THE NORTHERN LIBERATED ZONE (WHAT THE PARTISANS AND FEDERATION ARMY CALLED IT) / THE REGION CRAWLING WITH PARTISANS (WHAT THE EMPIRE CALLED IT)
Perhaps it
happened because the Federation’s change of direction was being discussed on a grand-strategy level. Someone rolled a die for fun, and the whole world began to change as a result.
The clash on what the Empire referred to as the eastern front became a huge turning point. The aftermath came like a flood and necessarily impacted the operations of the multinational unit in former Entente Alliance territory, which was considered a secondary front compared to the eastern front.
Like all things, it was the result of the guidance of an invisible hand trying to accomplish something that no one intended.
Yes, somebody called it an invisible hand.
Either way, it was inevitable that orders for redeployment of aerial mages under Commander Colonel Mikel would arrive from Federation Army authorities. If they were desperate for mages on the main lines, it made sense that they would scrape together seasoned troops from wherever they could get them.
…But theory was only theory in the end. Asked if it resonated, Lieutenant Colonel Drake was actually discouraged.
“I didn’t expect to be withdrawing… I understand the necessity, but wow, it’s a drag.”
“I guess consideration for the partisans’ interests won out in the end. We’re only guests here. Even if we leave, it won’t affect them that much.”
“It’s because they’ve been cautious that we can leave without being crushed under guilt.”
“…I guess we should be grateful for their wisdom.”
“No doubt about that.” Drake nodded emotionally to Mikel’s comment.
What started as information sharing and propaganda had grown into building a network. In addition to standard Entente Alliance language, they had been putting in an effort to learn some dialect to grab the hearts of the people, but now they were being told to withdraw.
“Barring other orders from the home country, we’ll probably withdraw with you. The problem is how to get away. Should we just accept that it’ll give off a huge mana signal and do a long-distance flight?”
“That’s a bit too much ingratitude.”
“Right.”
The chance of mages lurking in partisan territory being high or low would surely be a large factor in how the Imperial Army would deal with them. Naturally, the partisans, who had the short end of the power imbalance, would hope the imperials would be cautious.
So the tactical intel of the departure of Mikel, Drake, and their troops was something they would want to hide for as long as possible.
“Still, it’s only a matter of time before it comes out.”
“…We gave some of our equipment to what few former Entente Alliance Army mages were left.”
“Sorry, former mages? I never heard anything about that.”
“I only learned of them officially just now.”
“…Reserves?” Drake asked, but Mikel shook his head.
“Worse. They’re the age of my dead grandmother.”
“Oh man. War really does a number on respect for the aged, huh? Are they just decoys carrying orbs around? That’s something else…”
“Well, if the orb reacts… And what’s more, apparently, they all volunteered.”
“Volunteered? They allowed that?” He refrained from saying, Under these circumstances?
“That’s what it would mean.”
“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Some of my subordinates are too sensitive to news like that. I don’t want any more discipline issues.”
“Makes sense.”
“Politics is just such a pain. But war is even more of a monster. You never know what will happen tomorrow.”
“You mean this world is just one big lageri? Ha-ha-ha, that’s pretty funny.” Mikel was trying to laugh it up, but his mouth was tense.
Drake was considerate enough to pretend he didn’t notice, but he had the feeling he had caught a glimpse of something that left him no room to say anything.
“The world outside is still better, Colonel. Out here, I can fight as a human and die as a man of my homeland.”
“That’s what you want, huh, sir?”
“It really is. All right, let’s explain to our guys that we’re packing up… Well, the main lines will be a harder fight than we’ve had here—there’s the potential to deal a real blow to the enemy. Let’s think of it like that.”
“Understood.”
Reviewing their conversation, Lieutenant Colonel Drake stared silently into his mug of now lukewarm tea, feeling bitter.
Why is it that whether it’s tea or your mood, they both have to cool down?
If he had to give a reason, the conclusion he reached wasn’t very gentlemanly. Maybe it was inspired by the problematic individual sitting across from him, who made him a bit weary. She’s such a handful…
“We’re withdrawing? Now? At this critical moment?!”
“That’s right, Lieutenant Sue.”
“But the partisans are only just finally—finally—starting to accept us! If we would just hold our ground! We could free my homeland!”
Even Drake could understand what the look in her determined eyes was trying to tell him.
“I agree that they’re accepting us. Even I agree with you there. We’re withdrawing right as we’re able to build a cooperative relationship. I’d be hard-pressed to say it’s not unfortunate.”
“Then!”
Most of the highly mobile imperial troops had been sent to the eastern front for the major head-on clash with the Federation Army there. The Devil of the Rhine who had so tormented him previously and the other enemy aerial mages hadn’t been operating in their area of the former Entente Alliance territory, which meant things were going well. But that was also what gave Sue hope.
…So… Drake sighed before he spoke. “The situation has changed.”
Things had changed so much, he probably should have added fundamentally.
“I’ll give you a short explanation. The recent Federation offensive led to a decrease in imperial troops in and north of Norden, which gave us a major advantage.”
“So then shouldn’t we stay…?”
This girl arguing about whys was a first lieutenant in rank only; Drake realized, as an officer, that he had to give a straightforward explanation.
“I’m going to get to the point, Lieutenant Sue.”
He knew telling her to shut up with his hands, mouth, and eyes would be rough. Nevertheless, he held up a hand, told her to shut up, and glared at her. Perhaps his final act of kindness was to withhold the Just listen.
“Unfortunately, our allies in the east lost. It was a major, full-frontal defeat.”
“…What do you mean, they lost?”
It was never fun to be the bearer of bad news. And once they had learned that the Federation Army wasn’t 100 percent pure Commie, it hit closer to home.
Colonel Mikel and other good people like him… And so many of them. Far too many must have sunk into the mud.
“The Federation’s military, mainly the Western Army, carried out their counteroffensive as planned, but the operation failed. Problems piled up, and the counterattacks conducted by Imperial Army units have brought their lines close to collapsing.”
Close to is a kind way of putting it.
Drake inwardly mocked himself. The intel and map made it obvious. The imperial units didn’t let the awful muddy roads stop them in their resolute advance to the east. The Federation Army lines should have been stopping them, but they fiercely shoved them back.
The worst news of all was that decapitation tactics had been used. The Federation Western Army Headquarters, which should have been handling the situation, was almost completely destroyed.
“The details haven’t been confirmed, but it’s been reported that the regional headquarters has been annihilated. And the report mentioned a familiar enemy…the Devil of the Rhine.”
Those words—the Devil of the Rhine—had a dramatic effect. Up until that moment, Mary had been keeping a discontented silence, but at the mention of that name, her mout
h twitched nervously.
Her expression changed, and she stared at Drake for more information. He worked to keep from wincing and continued, “Apparently, they used classic decapitation tactics.”
“Headquarters wasn’t prepared for that?”
“That’s a good question.”
For a moment, he actually felt like he was having a conversation with a fellow officer. As a magic officer of the Commonwealth Army, it was only natural to learn from the battlefield. Drake had a curious fondness for talks and lessons like these.
“My personal guess is that…it would be weirder if they didn’t have a defense plan. It seems reasonable to think that they got punched through despite that.”
“You mean even after taking preventative measures?”
“I’m sure of it.” Drake nodded without hesitation. “Those measures are just trial and error, you know.”
“…So that means this enemy didn’t leave room for a single error?”
“Right.” Drake nodded as if he had been thinking the same thing himself. “And that mage battalion must have been those guys. If they were the ones who attacked the headquarters, then it makes sense that even the unexpected would turn to expected.”
“And that’s why headquarters fell?”
“Yes. That’s how I personally see it.”
Even a fully outfitted marine mage unit wouldn’t have been able to prevent it with some half-baked preventative measures if they met some real, salty pros. If Drake himself was ordered to protect HQ from those guys, he was anxious that he would have a hard time unless he could come up with something awfully clever.
“When we get back, we’ll be able to read a proper report. Are we on the same page, Lieutenant?”
“…Yes, Colonel. Your view makes sense to me.”
How nice it is to just nod and say thank you. Sensing this was a good chance to have a talk with her, he continued, “What our allies have found out so far is that the chain of command was destroyed so suddenly that things fell apart. Then it was an encirclement-and-annihilation battle.”
Decapitation tactics. They came around so often, they might as well have been the Imperial Army mage units’ traditional performing art.