Nejimaki Seirei Senki – Tenkyou no Alderamin Vol 3 Chapter 3

Alderamin on the Sky Volume 3 Chapter 3

Phantoms and Hunters

Translator: Skythewood

Editors: Rockgollem, Tear, Ruzenor, Cwilliams

“Just deliver it like this!”

 

A soldier who seemed deeply troubled was being admonished by a little girl looking up at him. The soldier glanced at the envelope in his hands as he hesitated with carrying out his orders. Princess Chamille spoke once more:

 

“Be it an emergency or any other case, a mere soldier’s judgement can’t stop a letter bearing the Imperial seal from being delivered. Just obey my orders and send this letter to central with haste!”

 

“B… But…”

 

The two of them were debating the issue about whether they could send the letter from the southern base of the northern stronghold to Central Headquarters — Lieutenant General Safida who was afraid of being taken to task had implemented information control, so the rebellion in the north and the mire-like battle situations had not been relayed to central. This caused the situation to further deteriorate.

 

Even Princess Chamille didn’t have a clear idea of how the situation at the front line was. Although she sent her personal guards to travel between this base and the forward base to gather intelligence, it was news outdated by several days. The only things that was confirmed was that with the situation worsening, Ikuta and the other training unit serving as reserves had been committed to the front lines. Even though units with the same circ.u.mstances had been withdrawn, the five Knights continued fighting in the front lines.

 

She didn’t have the luxury of choosing her means. The Princess suppressed her disgust, and decided to use her authority.

 

“... Deliver this letter to central. I am ordering you for the last time, I will bear all responsibility for this.”

 

“But, according to the commander-in-chief’s instructions…”

 

“If you dare argue anymore, I will treat this as an insult to the Imperial family!”

 

“W… What…!”

The man who was a mere messenger soldier was terrified when he heard that. He placed the envelope into his bag with trembling hands, then rode off on his horse with an expression as if he was about to cry.

 

“... Sorry…”

As she had to force the other party to accept a command that contradict standing orders, Princess Chamille apologized sincerely in her heart to the figure disappearing in the distance. She then s.h.i.+fted her gaze up slightly, looking at the northern mountains that was now a battlefield.

 

“... I do want Solork and the others to have the chance to s.h.i.+ne… but the current situation isn’t clear at all…!”

 

She was worried about the safety of the Knight Order members, and couldn’t sleep these few nights. She could only fall asleep when she was completely exhausted, as if she had fainted, and these were often accompanied by nightmares. More than several times, she dreamt about the Knight Order falling into danger.

 

At least, I want to understand the situation better — As the Prince
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ss was praying, the figure of another messenger charging into the base from outside appeared before her eyes.

 

“Report! Report! An army from Aldera is invading from the north—!”

 

When she heard the content yelled by the soldier, the Princess’ heart froze in an instant… This meant her sleepless night will continue. That was the only truth she was certain of.

 

 

The morning after the battle in the forest at the foot of the hills. The imperial soldiers deployed on the mountain observed through the morning fog that there wasn’t much changes in the situation down below and sighed in relief.

 

“I thought the enemy would attack in one force at dawn…”

 

Using the chance where no one was around, he stated what he was really thinking… That might be so, but even if others heard what he said, they probably wouldn’t scold this soldier. For him, those who didn’t have a single nightmare about being overrun by the enemy for one night was the minority.

 

“With the fire burning like this, the animals must think we are crazy for not running. It has been several days since I last saw a bird… Only the unlucky humans are left here.”

 

He sighed and look to the sky and three birds crossed his field of vision right then. They were flying low, and he could see the bird’s feathers were grey.

 

“Oh, so there are still animals — Hey! Not that way! Flee to the south!”

 

The birds didn’t hear his warning, and maintained their alt.i.tude as they flew to the western sky. The soldier watched the figures of the three birds flew off in a daze, as he thought there are other silly creatures other than humans.

 

“— Is it here?”

 

After seeing the figure of the pigeons circulating in the air, the shadow blew the bird whistle in his hand once more.

 

The pigeon who discovered the position of its target landed. The shadow that was hiding in the dark side of the boulder allowed the pigeons to land on his arms in the order they arrived, as he retrieved the paper tied to the legs of the pigeon.

 

“......”

 

The shadow spent a few seconds to browse each piece of paper, reading the report written in small fonts that covered the entire surface. After burning its content into his head, he crumpled the papers into a ball, threw it into his mouth and swallowed it.

 

“... Our allies seems to be blocked at the foot of the hill.”

 

The shadow said as he took out paper and pen from his clothes, and started writing a reply. When they heard what he said, there were slight movement behind the boulders nearby.

 

“The defences at the main entrance are tough, so we are instructed to open a path from the back door.”

He wrote his message on the paper and tied it to the pigeon’s leg securely before letting the pigeon spread its wings and take to the sky. After confirming that the pigeon was gliding in a straight line towards the northern mountains, he continued:

 

“Fortunately, even a specific plan has been laid out — Let’s hurry.”

 

He didn’t receive any verbal response, only the movement of numerous people nodding their head could be felt. The shadow disappeared behind the boulder, and the phantoms continued their travel.

 

 

“Looks like everyone had as much sleep as I did. Alright, we will be having a happy war conference today too.”

 

Captain Sazaruf who was seated in the innermost position said as he ma.s.saged the dark circles under his eyes. As they ‘lacked chess pieces’, this was a Sazaruf style sarcasm as he didn’t sleep at all last night.

 

“I have a suggestion, how about getting the entire unit to nap for today…?”

 

Ikuta who was laying on the table proposed, and the Captain nodded in an exaggerated way.

 

“Lieutenant Ikuta, that is a splendid idea, I am all for it. Is there any objections?”

 

“Regrettably, I have to refute that. Because if we did that, there is a high chance we won’t be able to wake up from our slumber again.”

 

Yatori concluded the suggestion speedily. Of all the members present, she was the only one who kept her back a perfect 90 degrees to her chair. But even so, there were signs of her fatigue such as her bloodshot eyes.

 

“If you want to sleep, you can sleep all you want after you die, right? ... Anyway, just get it started.”

 

Everyone was surprised when they heard Matthew speaking in a way that felt completely different from before. Captain snuck a peek at Matthew, but didn’t say anything as he coughed and started the conference.

 

“First, I will announce the result of the battle. After 1900 hours last night, we started a defensive battle at the barricade constructed in the middle of the forest path. After 40 minutes, we stopped the engagement and retreated. The forest path was sealed with the abandonment of the barricade as signal, and the plan was a success. The gaps in our defence line were filled and stopped the enemy’s invasion.”

Everyone thought back on the intense battle that seem too fresh on their mind, even though it had already pa.s.sed.

 

“That was the summary, next would be the casualty report. In total, there are 85 killed in action and 63 seriously injured. All in all, we lost 148 combatants. Taking that out from our 720 strong unit, including light casualties, we have 572 men left.”

 

Torway listened to these numbers with a bitter face, then asked:

 

“... Can I have the detailed breakdown of our losses for each unit?”

 

“Firstly, the s.h.i.+naak suffered the heaviest casualty with 61. Next would be my men at the barricade, 24. Lieutenant Ikuta’s unit loss 19 people, Lieutenant Yatori loss 17 people. Next, Lieutenant Matthew’s unit suffered 14 casualties, Lieutenant Torway suffered 13 casualties. The above include both deaths and heavily injured.”

 

He was concerned about Nanak who was present, but Torway still a.n.a.lyzed the situation based on the content:

 

“Hmm~... except for the s.h.i.+naaks who lost half their numbers, the losses is not so extensive that it would affect the other unit’s operations...”

 

“If we only look at the numbers — By the way, what’s the losses to the air rifle units, Torway?”

 

When he heard Ikuta’s question, Torway’s expression turned gloomy.

 

“Two died from the enemy’s counter attack… However, we retrieved their air rifles.”

“That’s good. Pick two good shooters from the other men, hand the air rifle to them and a.s.sign them into the sniper team. We have enough ammunition, so find some time to let the new guys practice.”

 

Torway nodded, and Ikuta moved on to the next topic.

 

“Let’s discuss something deeper. If 100 points is full marks for yesterday’s battle, I will grade us 71 points. By the way, the pa.s.sing grade is 70.”

 

“Eh… That means we barely sc.r.a.ped by?”

 

“If we appraise it directly, that’s correct. We accomplished the minimum criteria, which is to pull the enemy’s attention away from the detour route, and diminish the enemy’s numbers. To be frank, I was hoping for ‘+α’ results. The best results would be us holding on to the barricade without retreating.”

 

If the battle could continue for 30 more minutes, not only would the enemy suffer heavier losses, the Holy Aldera Army might have to retreat momentarily after failing to gain any advantages. That way, they would be able to gain the time before they renew their offensive.

 

“Never mind, the enemy probably would choose to attack in the day if they retreat temporary, and we would have retreated immediately after the battle starts. But even so, we can gain half a day to a full day from that right?”

 

“... I remember that we need to stall them another 7 days at least, would losing one day be a catastrophic failure?”

 

Matthew frowned as he asked, but Ikuta shook his head as if it didn’t matter.

 

“Not at all. According to my calculations right now, we can hold the line without any issues for the next seven days… However, if we see this as part of the retrograde support plan, there is no harm in gaining more time.”

 

That might be so, but they couldn’t change the past. Ikuta shook his head to change his mood.

 

“... What happen next would depends on the opponent’s att.i.tude. After we engaged once, how would the Holy Aldera Army act? Let’s see what cards they will play.”

 

 

“—Ryttsah*! Yes! What a beautiful morning.”

 

Major Jean Arkinex squinted his eyes at the rising sun as he stretched his back. He had a relaxed and cheerful expression. Because for an insomniac, the arrival of the morning meant the long night was finally over.

 

“Good morning, Jean.”

 

When he went before his tent with a toothbrush and salt to brush his teeth, his aide Miara Gin also came. From the look of her eyes hidden behind her black framed spectacles, she wasn’t sleepy at all.

 

“Yah*, morning Miara… Hmm? This is?”

 

When Jean turned his head, the thing that caught his attention was a pigeon in Miara’s hand.

 

“Our allies in the mountains sent a message.”

 

When he heard the report he had been waiting for, the white haired officer’s lips rose. He didn’t even want to waste time brus.h.i.+ng his teeth as he rushed to his aide, and took the paper that had been folded into a long thin strip, sent by the phantoms.

 

“... Syool*, as expected of your big brother, he picked only the intelligence I wanted at this time.”

 

“According to reports, it is confirmed that the stalling defensive unit have only a little more than a battalion. The news that the enemy didn’t send troops to the detour path is also important.”

 

“There are also some interesting intelligence. First, it is certain that the imperials have a unit armed with air rifles. From what they could tell, their scale is about a platoon. They might be the ones that partic.i.p.ated in the skirmish last night.”

 

Jean said as he crushed the note and toss it into his mouth. Miara frowned.

 

“I have told you to please not do that right? It isn’t good for digestion and is unhygienic. Just give it to me, I will ensure it gets burned…”

“—Mum*, my bad. Because your brother looks really cool when he did that, so I accidentally…”

 

As he made excuses, Jean reviewed the content of the message that had been turned into his memory.

“There is another interesting report. It seemed that the imperials had a member of the ‘Igsem Blades’ amongst them. After learning this information, the first thing that surprises me is that I didn’t expect such elites to be at the Northern Stronghold.”

 

“... Yes. However, my brother actually commented that her ‘sword skills are exemplary’...”

 

“Hah, it must be very exemplary… I heard that his rank is warrant officer. Your brother didn’t mention his age, but it is impossible for an Igsem to climb his way up from private to warrant officer. If he is an officer cadet in training, he would be a precious talent. Judging from the situation back then, it is very unnatural for such a person to stay in the front lines.”

 

The two who completely a.s.sumed that the subject was a man would never have thought their imagination was off, but not just the age, the message didn’t include the gender either. As there was limited s.p.a.ce on the paper sent by the pigeon, unnecessary information would naturally be omitted… But the failure to convey that the ‘enemy with exemplary sword skills is a woman’ was probably influenced by something else on the author’s mind.

 

“... No, I think that’s to be expected instead. If the subject is a valuable talent, he wouldn’t run away from an unfavourable battle shamelessly.”

 

Her words show how much attention she was paying to an enemy she had never seen before. Jean had a wry smile when he observed how she subconsciously touches the hilt of her short sword.

 

“If we are blockaded here because of a situation caused by that fellow, that would be rather dramatic.”

 

“I think that no matter what, a mere warrant officer won’t…”

 

“Nyatt*! It would be normal for him to received a battlefield promotion. Think about it, wouldn’t it fit if that flame haired Igsem planned this unprecedented wall of fire defence?”

 

Miara sighed as she turned her gaze towards her senior officer whose head was filled with romantic imagination. After Jean composed himself, he coughed intentionally to hide his embarra.s.sment.

 

“Mum*, a...anyway, we have finally restored contact with our allies. Fortunately, they didn’t suffer any serious losses, so let’s execute a bold cooperative plan. I have decided the strategy.”

 

“Understood, should we report this to General Akugarpa?”

 

Jean nodded as he walked forward, finally noticed the toothbrush in his right hand and stuck it into his mouth again.

“Yah*, wait a minute, I will be done soon.”

 

 

Two hours later, Ikuta and company ended their meeting, it is 8 something in the morning. Suya opened her eyes, and found out she overslept from the bright sunlight s.h.i.+ning through the tent.

 

“... Wah… Oh no…”

 

Suya got up in a panic and groomed herself. Basically, the deputy has to get up earlier than the commander. Even if she ignored that, according to regulations, soldiers must get up before 7am in the morning. No matter how tired she was, she would be able to get up by the appointed time. But after what happened last night, she couldn’t do this much.

 

“Yoki, why didn’t you wake me! ...Hmm?”

When Suya complained to her light spirit partner and look around her, the anxious atmosphere she expected wasn’t there. Most of the female soldiers she shared the large tent with were still sleeping, and the few who woke up were writing letters to their family. This was a typical scene during break time.

 

Suya felt confused. One of the female soldier who noticed her reaction stopped writing and said to her:

 

“Good morning, Sergeant Major Mittokarifu. There’re orders from the top to rest until 9am, do you want to sleep a while more?”

 

“Huh…? When was there such an order…?”

 

“Lieutenant Ikuta came by when you were still sleeping, Sergeant Major, and pa.s.sed the orders to me who happened to be awake. There’s a board with the same orders at the tent’s entrance.”

 

When she heard that, Suya turned her gaze towards the entrance… And sure enough, there’s a board that wrote ‘By orders of First Lieutenant Ikuta: Everyone are to rest until 9am in the morning’. She didn’t need to hurry in grooming herself, but she didn’t felt like sleeping again either, so she just stood there in a daze.

 

“... Can’t sleep? Sergeant Major, you want to write letters too? There is no telling when we'll have another chance.”

 

The female soldier suggested, as she herself was writing her letter on top of a crate that served as a table. Suya watched this scene blankly.

 

“... A letter home huh… Sergeant Yanas.h.i.+a, what did you write?”

 

“Erm, about that, the contents tend to read like a last will under such circ.u.mstances. I have been troubled, trying to find a happier topic.”

 

She might sound like she was kidding, but there was no doubt she said that because of her comrades who died in battle yesterday before they could write the letter. If I want to write a last will, now would be my last chance — such a thought came to her mind, but she shook her head to shake it off.

 

“... I will pa.s.s. This might sound unfilial, but writing something under the pretext that I would die sounds scary, I couldn’t do it.”

 

“That’s a choice too. And I feel that those who had the guts to say ‘I don’t need any last letters as I will definitely survive’, will really live on.”

 

Sergeant Yanas.h.i.+a said something unexpectedly liberal. On the other hand, Suya who wasn’t sleeping or writing felt out of place inside the tent.

 

“... I’m going out for a bit, and offer some flowers to our fallen comrades.”

 

“Can you do that? We have orders to rest until 9am.”

“It’s not an order for us to sleep, just treat this as my way of resting and give me some leeway.”

Suya felt it was a terrible excuse, but Sergeant Yanas.h.i.+a simply smiled wryly and didn’t say anything more. Suya expressed her thanks with her gaze, and left the tent quietly, careful not to wake the others.

 

“... Ah, speaking of which, even if I want to offer flowers…”

 

Suya took a step forward when she realized what was wrong with her thinking. In order to offer flowers, there need to be flowers in the surroundings. She surveyed the area, and there didn’t seem to be any flowers growing near the base. There might be a chance to find them in the forest, but it is too reckless to search for flowers in that smog.

 

Suya wandered around aimlessly to look for signs of flowers, and gave up shortly after. She wanted to at least clean the faces of her fallen comrades and headed to the tents where the bodies were placed after preparing wet towels.

 

“Ah…” x2

 

When she was about to enter the tent, she happened to run into Nanak Dar who was coming out. After freezing for a few seconds, a difficult to describe silence fell between them.

 

 

“... What… What are you doing here? This should be the place for the bodies of the imperial soldiers.”

 

The one who mustered her courage to speak first was Suya, the surging dark emotions in her chest spilled out from her throat.

 

“Even if you hate the imperials, I won’t allow you to desecrate the dead…!”

 

When she sense the hostility in her words, the s.h.i.+naak Tribal Chief trembled slightly, then slump her shoulders and lowered her head.

 

“... I didn’t do such things.”

“Just what are you doing here—”

 

At this point of the conversation, Suya finally noticed. In the hands of the girl before her were something she couldn’t find no matter how much she searched.

 

She felt it was impossible, but she still walk pa.s.s Nanak, slipping into the tent. The truth was right before her.

 

“Ah—”

 

On the chest of the fallen were small white flowers. There were more than 30 bodies, but it was the same for each one of them. On top of the discoloured skin, covered in dark blood soaked brown uniform was a small white flower, which was so brilliant that it looks like a form of salvation that came from the heavens.

 

“... You… came to offer flowers…?”

 

Suya watched the unexpected scene before her in a daze. After a while, she said to Nanak who was standing quietly behind her.

 

“... Where did these flowers came from?”

 

“... I went to the mountains to get them. According to s.h.i.+naak customs, white flowers are offered to the fallen as a sign of respect.”

 

Nanak looked at the flowers left in her hand as she answered. She used a few seconds to swallow her hesitation, then lowered her head to Suya.

 

“... I am sorry. It’s all because I charged too far ahead in the battle last night, that’s why you all suffered unnecessary casualties while rescuing us. All of them died because of this.”

 

“...Please say no more.”

 

Suya rejected Nanak’s apology immediately. She felt that something would fail to stand if she listened on.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, we are enemies at each other’s throat just a few days ago. It’s the same this time too, your enemies are just being stupid and marching to their own deaths — You just need to think like that and mock us!”

 

Suya turned back and roared at Nanak. Nanak who was gazing downwards shook her head.

 

“The fact that I hate the imperials haven’t changed. I am still filled with grudge against you who robbed us of our way of life… However, that has nothing to do with the mistakes I made. The s.h.i.+naaks know shame, and understand how big a favour we owe for letting you risk your lives to save us.”

 

“That’s why you are willing to apologize to the enemy!? Such a thing… Acting in such a way is…!”

 

“Your senior officer also did the same thing to me. He apologize for not acting in the right way as a soldier, and cut off his little finger as evidence… I believe in his att.i.tude in living his life. So just like Ikuta, I want to ask if you are willing to believe me.”

 

Nanak’s eyes were filled with determination as she reached out both hands towards Suya.

 

“Even if I cut off all the fingers in my hands, it would not be enough to pay for the number of comrades you lost — so, after this war is over, you all can take both my hands.”

“... Ugh!”

 

“However, I hope you can wait until the war ends. Just for the duration of this war, I hope you can allow me to take responsibility as a s.h.i.+naak warrior, and allow me to keep my hands to wield my weapons.”

 

Under the stare of Nanak’s pleading eyes, Suya back away unsteadily. The emotions in her heart was no longer hatred and rage, but the feeling of fear that was far more absolute and pure.

 

“... Don’t… Please don’t say anymore…”

She groaned. Suya asked her senior officer in the past — Isn’t killing a large number of enemy their job? At the same time, thinking this way was just a mean of guarding and keeping oneself sane in the abnormal battlefield environment. It was fine to kill the enemy, there was no need to apologize to the enemy for anything — If she had absolute faith in this, Suya would be able to acknowledge herself who was killing others.

 

“This is not right… Because… That way… What should I do to forgive myself…!”

 

That preconception collapsed, crumbled because the enemy was apologizing. Suya fell to the ground on her knees.

 

“I didn’t want to kill anyone… I didn’t want to burn the village…! I didn’t want to fight with people from the same nation as me…!”

 

Her tears dripped onto the dry ground. Before Suya who had collapsed in tears, Nanak knelt so their eyes were at the same level.

 

“You are saying… You have been ordered to fight in this war you want no part of?”

 

“I know saying this is selfis.h.!.+ I don’t need anyone to remind me, I know very well I can just quit the army! But no one told me that war is such an incorrigible thing! That being a soldier would mean fighting in a war that is completely unjust…!”

 

Once her self restraint was broken, Suya couldn’t hold back the thoughts surging out from her mind. Nanak who didn’t know what to say stayed quiet before the sobbing Suya. At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared along with the light s.h.i.+ning through the entrance of the tent.

 

“Don’t take away your superior’s job, Sergeant Major Mittokarifu. These are the responsibilities of the one who gave the orders.”

 

That surprised the two of them who turned and looked, and found Captain Sazaruf who was biting onto a cigarette at the entrance. He had an awkward look on his face, probably feeling bad about eavesdropping on the conversation between girls.

 

“Hey, this might be my own opinion… But I think all the enlisted soldiers and non commissioned officers who fought dutifully will go to heaven when they die. Because under the lead of the incompetent officers, they complete the tasks that is detested by all in a wonderful manner , and is worthy of praise.”

 

“However—” Captain Sazaruf’s tone changed and showed a practiced expression of self mocking.

 

“Those high ranking officers, including me, will all fall into h.e.l.l. The reason is the opposite, because they let their dutiful subordinates fight in a worthless war, killing dozens and hundreds… No matter how exemplary one is, there are no officers who can avoid losing men. The only difference is how many they lose.”

 

After saying that, the Captain squatted down before Suya. The moment their eyes met, a smile appeared on his face where the stubbles had become a beard.

 

“However, even we are working hard to go to a less terrible h.e.l.l. In order to do that, we have to finish the jobs that corresponds to our position. So Sergeant Major Mittokarifu… if you are suffering from the burden of guilt you shouldn’t be bearing, that would be troubling for us. After all, that would mean I am slacking off.”

 

“......”

 

“Alright, listen carefully. The people you think you killed are all killed by me; All the villages you think you burnt are burnt by me. If you are questioned by the G.o.ds in the other world, you just need to answer that with your chest held high. You completely your mission excellently so there is no reason you should be blamed.”

 

His gentle words slowly healed her heart, and Suya wiped away her tears and look up at the Captain.

“... Captain, but wouldn’t you be punished severely by the G.o.ds?”

 

“Don’t worry, I have superior officers too. For the times I couldn’t rely on them in life, I will get them to pay back in full after death.”

 

After hearing this strange idea, Suya couldn’t help laughing. Captain Sazaruf sighed in relief, then stood up straight and scratched his head.

 

“I will end the old man lecture here. Let’s change the topic… Have you two seen Lieutenant Ikuta? I’m looking for him, but couldn’t find him.”

 

Suya and Nanak looked at each other. It was clear from their reaction that the two of them didn’t know either, and the Captain who didn’t know what to do now seemed troubled. At this moment, a s.h.i.+naak man spoke politely from behind him:

 

“Chief Nanak, are you in there…? Something troubling has happened, I wish to discuss it with you.”

 

Nanak who heard the call left the tent immediately, and the s.h.i.+naak man started explaining with a troubled att.i.tude. The two of them ran off after ending their conversation, Suya and Captain Sazaruf who heard the contents hd no choice but to follow.

 

They headed to one of the large tents where the s.h.i.+naaks slept in, and a troubling situation which needed Nanak’s attention was in there.

 

“— What is this fellow doing?”

 

Captain Sazaruf squeezed out a line which could be in either resignation or exasperation. Even though they didn’t say it, Suya and Nanak felt the same way. The s.h.i.+naak men around them with baffled faces were probably thinking the same thing.

In the middle of the tent, Ikuta Solork was sleeping soundly with his limbs spread out. His entire body was buried in straws, and he seemed to be absolutely comfortable.

 

“He came about an hour ago, and asked for an empty spot to sleep… And of course, we ask him to sleep in his own tent, but he insist that he have to sleep in a bed of straws today no matter what. He wouldn’t give in, and just slept like this…”

 

After hearing what happened, even Captain Sazaruf who didn’t know him well could imagine what happened. He sighed, but Suya watched the youth sleeping soundly with a lamentation.

 

“... An existence that was saved by their sacrifices huh…”

Suya muttered, then looked at all the s.h.i.+nacks within the tent in turn. The action of sleeping in this s.p.a.ce was undoubtedly a way of showing ‘I trust you all’ with his body. To be honest, Suya still couldn’t understand the mentally Ikuta had before the opponents he was fighting to the death with, but…

 

“... So you are not making excuses and just saying something superficial…”

 

Suya recalled Yatori’s words that the s.h.i.+nacks were allies, and the youth before her who was guaranteeing these words with his actions — she couldn’t accept it in the beginning, but could face it calmly now.

 

After experiencing the state of mind she never had before, he looked at Nanak nonchalantly, and found her pouting as she looked at the sleeping face of the youth as she said softly:

 

“— Ikuta you dense boy. If you want to sleep, just come to my bed.”

 

Suya turned stiff, but Captain Sazaruf pretended he never heard anything.”

 

“E… Erm, Nanak Dar, what did you say…?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

In response to this att.i.tude which wasn’t clear if she was pretending to be r.e.t.a.r.ded or just dense, Suya was hesitant about pursuing the matter — At this moment, an anxious shout of a messenger came from outside.

 

“Captain Sazaruf! Lieutenant Ikuta! Where are you! Emergency report! The enemy is moving!”

 

At this moment, the rhythmic breathing of the slumbering youth stopped, and he opened his eyes a little.

“— It’s finally here.”

 

“For the troops to be despatched on the western detour route, how about sending 500 cavalry that could seat two, and 300 infantry? To reduce weight, only bring the necessity, and let the supply unit trail behind them on foot.”

 

In response to Jean who came to propose his plan as usual, General Akugarpa crossed his arms with a face in deep thought.

“... If I only send cavalry, they might not be of use because of the terrain; if I send only infantry, it would take too much time to reach. To make up for these flaws, the idea of seating two isn’t bad…”

 

“However, our cavalry lack training in moving under such conditions. If the horses have to seat two, it won’t be able to gallop, just walking fast would be its limit.”

 

In retaliation of the Kioka soldier who was treating himself like a staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michelin refuted the idea. However, Jean was waiting for that.

 

“Mum*. How about letting my cavalry take on this mission. I am confident they are skilled enough to accomplish this mission.”

 

This bold proposal made General Akugarpa looked at Jean with suspicious eyes.

 

“... Do you mean, you want to lead a battalion down the detour path personally?”

 

“Hah*, that is a good idea, but I have my reasons for staying here. I will hand half of my unit, 300 cavalry to my staff officer Captain Harrah, who will lead them there. I feel bad about this, but I hope you could provide a similar number of infantry to ride with them, as well as the 200 cavalry who will ride alone.”

 

General Akugarpa’s eyes sharpened further,as if he was trying to read the white haired officer’s true intention.

 

“... a.s.suming we adopt this plan, will 800 men be enough? If you run into a fortress along the mountain path, it will be difficult to break through with these numbers.”

 

“That is true. However, mobilizing more riders would be unrealistic too. Including my unit, we only have 2000 cavalry. Considering the need to pursue the enemy after breaking through here, I want to avoid spreading our forces out as much as possible.”

 

“... I have a gist of what you are scheming. Simply put, it is fine even if the detour path doesn’t work right?”

 

The General made a sharp accusation, and Jean applauded without hesitation for this speculation.

 

“Yah, such great insights, General. We didn’t treat the detour to the west as a route for our forces advance anyway, so casting our fate on it would be the same as a gamble. However, I would like to minimize the number of times we throw dices on the battlefield, that is my principle.”

 

“You are dispatching troops despite that. In short, your intention is to spread the enemy’s forces.”

 

Jean nodded with a bold smile, and cast his sights to the forest.

 

“According to the skirmish we fought, the unit defending against us here is just a battalion +α. Considering the casualties they suffered, they have a bit more than 500 men right now. We can see that the enemy don’t have any troops to spare— and if we send a group down the detour route, the enemy would be forced to send out a detachment to defend.”

 

“And that would lead to the defences here weakening.”

 

“Yah*... It has been two days since the wall of fire had been built, it is about time for the burning rate around the forest to show gaps. This will then become a hole in the wall of flames for us to pa.s.s through. If the enemy send 200 men to the west to defend against our detached forces, They would need to handle this situation with less than 400 men.”

 

“They wouldn’t be able to last long if they push themself that hard… Alright, even though your scheming face is more of an eyesore than usual, I will go with your plan once more— Hey! Michelin!”

 

The deputy who was named stood up straight and faced his superior.

 

“Pick 200 men from our cavalry, 300 from our infantry, and place them under Captain Taznyado Harrah’s command. As for the supply team following them, picked suitable candidates from those energetic ones.”

 

“Yes Sir!”

 

“If the enemy take no actions after we send out this detachment, it means they have already deployed troops on the detour route. If that happens, we would need to commit a few hundred more cavalry to force them to divide their forces… No, wait! In such a situation, wouldn’t it be bad if the enemy doesn’t move!?”

 

Because of the screen formed by the trees of the Gagarukasakan forest, the Holy Aldera Army couldn’t grasp the movement of the enemy from the other side of the woods. In that case, they wouldn’t be able to make the judgement on whether to send reinforcement.

 

As General Akugarpa was scratching his head, Jean put his hand on his chin in deep thought, his expression looking suspiciously like an act.

 

“You are right, it is hard to come up with a plan without knowing the enemy’s movements, to think I overlooked something so important —Mum?... Wyt… Ety… Mum?... Yah… Syool*! Good news, General! I just happen to think of a brilliant plan!”

 

Jean announced, with ‘that’ Kioka smile on his face. General Akugarpa who already agreed to go along with his plans had an ominous feeling, but had to ask about the content of the ‘brilliant plan’.

 

“... Let’s hear it, what do you have in mind?”

 

“This is a very simple and effective way of resolving this. Actually, I raised the same suggestion before, but in order to execute it, I need the G.o.ds to turn a blind eye a little—”

 

“M… Message from the rear! An enemy detachment had set off towards the west!”

 

Under the sky shrouded by the smog from the forest, the messenger used an off key voice to report to the officers standing in a row.

 

“They composed of 500 cavalry, more of half of them carrying two person. It seemed that infantry soldiers are riding behind the cavalry.”

 

When she heard the content of the report, Yatori who was commanding a cavalry unit reacted first:

 

“What skilled actions… Their speed?”

 

“They are traveling at the pace of a slow jog. Even taking in the fact that they need to walk after entering the mountain paths, they should reach the fortress on the detour route if they keep to this pace.”

 

These words made Yatori show an impressed expression, Ikuta besides her nodded with determination.

“We should send out an intercepting force fast, Captain Sazaruf. It is obvious that the enemy’s aim is to divide our forces, but we can only take up the challenge despite that.”

 

“Indeed… In that case, we need to discuss who should head to the fort.”

Captain Sazaruf looked at his subordinates one at a time. Although everyone here, be it Matthew, Torway or even the medical corps Haroma wouldn’t show fear if they receive the orders to move out, Ikuta and Yatori raised their hands to not waste time.

 

“If the Captain can loan me 80 men, I will think of something together with Torway.”

 

“The same for me.”

 

Torway who was named by Ikuta probably expected this to happen, and looked as if he had already resolved himself. But for some reason, Captain Sazaruf who heard their request to move out sighed lightly.

 

“... I was troubling over it just now, but… Yup, I will go this time.”

 

n.o.body couldn’t hide their surprise when they heard this proposal. Haroma was the first to ask:

 

“Erm… Captain, you are the overall commander here right? Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for you to leave…?”

 

“That would be true normally. But Lieutenant Haroma, hear my gutless opinion — To be honest, this war has surpa.s.sed my capability for a long while now. Even though I am in charge on the grounds, I don’t have the confidence to handle any sudden changes adequately. I am really spineless…”

 

When they heard the honest confession of their superior, everybody was dumbstruck. The Captain continued speaking in the silence:

 

“We only made it so far because of the help from your group of excellent subordinates. If I disregard my shame and state it clearer, it’s because Lieutenant Ikuta and Lieutenant Yatori could see the future development of the war much better than I could… That’s why I feel it would be bad if the two of you left. As though if one of you is gone, it will led to a gap that will destroy us all.”

 

The Captain’s tone was serious. Ikuta and Yatori remained quiet with a complicated expression.

 

“In comparison, if it is just an orthodox stalling battle fought by defending a fort, even I would be able to manage. I know I wouldn’t qualify as a superior if I did that, but I hope to follow the logic of sending the right man to do the right job, so I should go. But it would be unsettling with just the light infantry I have, so I will borrow some wind gunners from Lieutenant Matthew and Lieutenant Torway. All in all, I just need 200 men.”

 

No one raise any objections next, so Captain Sazaruf knew his proposal had been accepted. When Ikuta saw the Captain was about to muster his men immediately, he said to the Captain:

 

“... I understand. Leave this place to us, please head to the detour route to intercept them, Captain. Our s.h.i.+nack allies should have prepared the wind cannons, please make use of them to enhance the defences. It won’t be easy battle for the next seven days. I wish you good luck.”

 

They snap their right hand to their forehead in salute. This action served as the proof of the duties being entrusted and accepted.

 

“But Captain, aside from the manpower you estimated, please take Torway’s entire unit with you.”

 

“... Is that fine? If the air rifle unit is here, the defences would be easier.”

“I named Torway just now for a certain reason. I don’t have the time to explain, but instead of here, it is more likely for the air rifles to be needed at the detour route.”

 

Ikuta said with an intense tone. As there was no reason to refuse, Captain Sazaruf looked at Torway himself to confirm.

 

“... That seems to be the case, are you willing to join me, Lieutenant Torway?”

 

“Ah… Yes Sir!”

 

Even though Torway wanted to move forth right after responding, Ikuta grabbed him by the back collar suddenly.

 

“— Captain, before setting off, I need to borrow Torway for about 20 minutes. Please gather your men in the meantime, it’s fine to set off first, I will let him catch up soon.”

 

Ikuta walked away while dragging the collar with him. Captain could only watch them go dumbfoundedly, even Torway himself was looking at Ikuta bafflingly.

 

“I said I named you for a certain reason right? Anyway, just accompany back to the headquarters tent, I have something to tell you. You already have experience, so you can understand with just 20 minutes.”

 

“Something to tell me…? Ik-kun, you mean…”

 

Ikuta made a bee line for the tent 10m ahead as he revealed the answer softly:

“Only one plan is needed right? That is the way to fend off the phantoms.”

 

The two of them exited the tent some time later, the ones waiting for them were Matthew and Haroma.

 

“I don’t know what you two are busy with, but it took a lot of time. The Captain have already set off.”

 

“It will be fine if you meet up with him before reaching the fort — Alright, I’m going off then.”

Ikuta bidded off casually, then ran off somewhere. Matthew was taken aback by his att.i.tude.

 

“He is not sending Torway off? I don’t see Yatori either, the two of them sure are cold. Depending on the circ.u.mstances, this might be the last farewell…”

 

Matthew realized his words were unlucky mid way and shut his mouth. Torway didn’t seem to mind, and smiled at his slightly plump friend.

 

“I think Ik-kun doesn’t think that. In our earlier discussion, he told me: ‘This is a winnable battle, so fight normally and return after scoring a victory’.”

 

“A winnable battle… huh? Even though that is a defensive battle in a fort, that is a strange way of putting it…”

 

Haroma raised a simple query. Torway answered with a meaningful silence, then turned.

 

“Then, I should go now… You will face many trying situation, but it will be fine if you follow Ik-kun and Yatori-san. Please don’t fall behind too, Matthew and Haroma-san. This is a ‘winnable battle’, I’m certain of it.”

 

The two comrades stood in place as they watch Torway with his air rifle on his back walking into the distance. After seeing him left the site with his subordinates who were waiting, Matthew finally sighed softly.

 

“... How should I put this, that guy changed. Did he matured? Became more forceful? When we first met, he gave the impression of being unreliable.”

“I feel the same. Maybe he gained confidence after being given more chances to perform.”

 

Haroma nodded in agreement. After knowing Ikuta and receiving the new weapon, air rifles, Torway’s performance became more brilliant as the days pa.s.s by. Just like a b.u.t.terfly breaking out of its coc.o.o.n.

 

“... Completely different from me.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Since the battle yesterday, I had been imagining the moment I get killed. Maybe I’m trying to get use to death by doing that? I know this is stupid, but I couldn’t stop myself…”

 

Seeing Matthew grabbing and lowering his head, Haroma who was worried about him tried to find the right words to say, but couldn’t offer the adequate encouragement. She looked into the air helplessly, as if she was looking for salvation...

 

“... Uwah! M… Matthew-san! Look at that…!”

 

She happened to discover a threat she saw in the past floating in the air.

 

 

“G… General! What is going on here!”

 

It wasn’t just the imperials who was shaken by that shadow floating in the sky. At the same time, while General Akugarpa was drinking tea, a subordinate with an enraged expression, charged into his tent.

 

“T… To use that taboo thing that offends the one star flag we are raising for the jihad! No matter what reason it is, I will not accept it!”

 

“Calm down, Colonel Gisspa. I don’t understand what you are saying, what exactly is that taboo thing?”

 

The General of the Holy Aldera Army calmed his subordinate with a low voice as he placed the tea he was drinking halfway back onto the table. The middle aged officer Gisspa continued speaking agitatedly.

 

“Do you not know, General…? Then that Kioka brat was the one who decided to use that thing on his own… Ahh, it will take too much time to explain! Pardon me General, please follow me outside immediately! Please hurry!”

 

In response to the strong urging of his subordinate, the General left the tent together with his adjutant Lieutenant Colonel Michelin. They looked up in the air outside, and found the ‘thing’ causing the problem, which made General Akugarpa open his eyes wide.

 

“— What is this!? I didn’t permit that thing!”

 

“As expected! That d.a.m.n brat… A filthy Kiokian dare insult the jihad in such a way! In that case, General!”

 

Colonel Gisspa looked at his senior officer with the pure eyes of a religious devotee. Even though that gaze was p.r.i.c.king at the conscience of General Akugarpa, he maintained his dignity and nodded.

 

“Bring that audacious fellow here right now! … No, wait! Going by the personality of that brat, he might be up there right now. If that is so, once that that thing lands, grab him and bring him here!”

 

“Yes Sir! I will send my men…”

 

“Hold it! You seem to have lost your composure over this, so I will remind you first. Don’t use violence on those people, and do not break that thing. I understand how you feel, but that sort of impulsive behaviour will affect relations between Kioka and our home nation.”

 

“Ugh…? But General, if we don’t use this chance to teach him a good lesson, that brat will become more arrogant…”

 

“Don’t worry, I will reprimand him so badly that he will go insane, and let that brat experience your wrath in full. I will make him weak in the knees… No, I will make him pee his pants.”

When he heard that, Colonel Gisspa showed a devious smile, and left with the words “I understand, I will be counting on you.” General Akugarpa watch him go into the distance before returning to his tent and sit down again. He then pick up the tea that had turned cold and finished it in one go.

 

“... Phew, doing such things don’t fit my character. Did I bluff my way through just now, Michelin?”

 

“I don’t see anything unnatural. Colonel Gisspa should be convinced that Major Arkinex made the decision to deploy that thing himself.”

 

His adjutant answered seriously. But the General didn’t miss the scowl on his face.

 

“... You might be saying that, but your expression is the same as the Colonel. Never mind, this is to be expected.”

 

“Going so far as to break the taboo in order to win… That is the Kioka way of thinking. General, as the commander of the Ra-Saia-Alderamin Holy Army, it is not appropriate for you to lean towards these means.”

 

“It is as you say, I think we have fallen completely into their trap this time… That might be so, but fighting in a way that is acceptable to G.o.d would not bring us victory, so I can only bear with it this round.”

 

This order lack the impact from the ones he usually gave. When he saw Lieutenant Colonel Michelin nodded slightly, the Holy Army General hesitated and then said:

“... Hey Michelin. a.s.suming, just a.s.suming… if one day, your senior officer had fallen so much that he isn’t qualified to be a servant of G.o.d, and becomes a real fool…”

“Such a situation won’t happen, I won’t let it. Please don’t look down on me.”

 

Using the chance when he was stuttering, Lieutenant Colonel Michelin finished those words. The strict concern that suited his adjutant’s personality made the General smile awkwardly, and he didn’t say anything more.

 

“—Yah*! The sky is clear with gentle breeze, a most suitable day to fly in the sky. Don’t you think so, Miara!?”

 

“No! This is a disastrous day! Being in a middle of a storm on the ground would put me more at ease!”

 

Two voices that came from a man and a woman, with completely opposite temperature echoed through the vast open sky. The thing floating in the air was a large container that was filled with enough gas to make it bloat, and had a basket attached underneath it to ferry people.

 

This was the invention that gave Kioka the idea for an ‘air force’ — the balloon.

 

“If you have the time for idle chat, please finish your job faster! How is the movement of the enemy leaving their base!?”

 

Compared to Jean who was surveying the ground cheerfully with a telescope in hand, Miara was s.h.i.+vering in a heap at the bottom of the basker. As expected of her, she didn’t let go of her pen and paper for recording purposes. But the scene of her like this reminds others of small animals that couldn’t get down after climbing to the top of trees.

 

“Syah*... A unit about a hundred or so men is setting off to the west, a smaller unit is following right behind. In total, the two units have about 200 soldiers. There didn’t seem to be any cavalry. I can’t tell the finer details on their make up from here.”

 

“Two hundred in total… Alright, I recorded it down! Since we confirm these intelligence, that mean the mission is complete! Then let’s head back to the ground right now, even if it is a second sooner!”

 

“... Hah*, Miara, if you are that afraid, why did you push yourself to follow me?”

 

“It is true that I very much want to do that, but if I didn’t tag along, you would have set off by yourself! Even though you completed air trooper training, I won’t let you do something so dangerous!”

 

Even though they ascended some distance from the forest, but depending on the wind, there was a non zero chance of the balloon being blown towards enemy territory. If that happens, having multiple pa.s.sengers would make landing much quicker. It was understandable why Miara made the decision to follow him.

 

“I am happy about your concern… But this is a rare chance, you want to try getting use to the sky? After all, there might be a chance to ride a balloon in the future.”

 

“I full heartedly refuse. I might not be a believer of Aldera, but I share their opinion on this taboo form of transportation.”

 

“Mum*, don’t say that. Want to try it standing up first?

 

“What nonsense are you saying… Hmm… Wait… What are you doing? D-Don’t do that, really, no… Even if it is you, I will get angry — Hyahhhh!”

 

 

The screams didn’t reach the ground, and the imperial army didn’t suffer meaningless influence from that.

 

“... To think they set off a balloon under the one star flag war, just how did they receive permission from their commanders?”

 

Amidst the rowdy noises of the soldiers, Ikuta showed an expression that was half surprise and half impressed. Besides him, Yatori was also staring at the sky with a similar face.

 

“Maybe, aside from that exchange officer, the commander of the Holy Aldera Army himself is rather flexible in his thinking. Or maybe he has been reduced to a puppet…”

 

Ikuta nodded in response to Yatori’s opinion, then clap his hands hard to attract the attention of people around him.

 

“Alright, listen up! That is a balloon used purely for scouting, don’t be fooled by it and keep looking up at the sky. Compared to that thing, we should look at reality and our future!”

 

When Ikuta saw his subordinates composed themselves, turn and look at him, he nodded satisfactorily and proceed to the main topic.

 

“Alright, let’s talk about what happen next. As everyone knows, we still need to buy 7 more days of time. Even though we foresee that the enemy would use the detour as a countermeasure, the main battlefield is still here, we will still need to continue blocking the Holy Aldera Army for a while more.”

 

Ikuta pointed to the forest, and everyone followed with their gaze.