Last Stand (4)
The Valkyrie Second Corps, deployed across different sectors, began a rapid march toward the Kanian Plateau.
Morale was at rock bottom.
"Tch. All those years of training for this? To be meat shields for the demons?"
"Didn't you hear the general? This is war. We're not being dragged off bound and gagged—we're going to fight."
"Nonsense. Those meant to live will survive. You heard the same, didn't you—lieutenant colonel of the mage corps?"
Transfers and reassignments were common in the army, but in a situation demanding noble sacrifice, that kind of talk spread like a toxic contagion.
"I heard he's close with the top brass. Lucky them—fight when they want, pull back when they want."
"She's a woman, right? Figures. How many of you would risk your life just to get a scrap from her?"
Someone cut them off.
"Oi, infantry."
The members of the mage corps' 6th Battalion walking beside them bared their teeth.
"Watch your tongue. Keep it shut or you'll end up with your jaw ripped open."
The infantry glanced at the insignia on their uniforms and fell silent, annoyed.
'Lucky bastards, those mages.'
Even at the same rank, the difference in treatment between infantry and mages was worlds apart.
"Was I wrong?"
Normally it would have ended there, but the stress of imminent death had frayed people's nerves.
"Just 'cause you can throw a few spells, you act all high and mighty. You should be ashamed your officer ran. Or what, you get handouts from that woman too?"
"What? That woman?"
Berik of the mage battalion broke military protocol, fell out of formation, and grabbed the infantryman by the throat.
"Say that again. 'That woman'?"
"Ugh! Let go!"
If held close, the infantry could respond, but nobody wanted to get dragged into the mess.
"Get back, you idiot. If you want to die, do it alone. Don't drag me in."
"Why? You were all loud and proud when you were insulting the lieutenant colonel, but now you don't want to die, huh?"
The company commander's voice fell like thunder.
"What's going on?!"
Berik's comrades pulled him back as the infantrymen went pale.
The infantry company commander had noticed a soldier of the mage battalion step out of line.
"Have you all gone mad?! This is war, not a joke! You two—out! I'll court-martial you for this!"
Discipline was all the Valkyries could rely on, so the company commander showed no mercy.
"That's enough."
All the commanders likely thought the same; the company commander could hardly hide his anger as he looked away.
"Ho—"
General Garcia sat mounted on his horse.
"Attention!"
He had not by chance stopped at the 6th Battalion while patrolling the long column.
'So this is how it is.'
Even with the authority of the Valkyrie High Commander, he could at best save one person.
'If there had been no exceptions, it would've been better...'
From countless battles against the demon legions, he had learned that the general's strategy surpassed ordinary human calculation.
'There must be a reason.'
Whether from personal feeling or a larger strategic picture, Garcia's judgment aroused no resentment.
"What's your post?"
Garcia asked Berik.
"Corporal Berik! Third Squad Leader, 6th Battalion! I handle long-range fire support—fire magic—and area destruction!"
"Defending your officer's honor was the right thing. But you won't gain what you want by breaking military law."
"Sorry!"
A soldier cannot speak at length; one word carries all.
Garcia read the look of a man who would accept any punishment in Berik's eyes.
"Return to formation. If this happens again, I will have you executed immediately."
"Yes!"
Berik ran back to his place, and the watching comrades sighed in relief.
"You're crazy. Why'd you do that? Don't you know how bad the mood is right now?"
"I just ran out. Don't worry. I won't make that mistake again."
"You…you really liked her, didn't you, battalion commander?"
Berik had felt it when Amy took the dossier, but he hadn't realized how deep it ran.
"Forget it. It's in the past."
The resolve on Berik's face snapped back into soldier mode.
"Good. It's for the best. I'm no one who can protect her, and she's part of the Ivory Tower's Five Greats… Their world is different from ours."
"Engage!"
A shout came from the front.
"Engage! Engage!"
Reports raced back down the column, and every soldier assumed combat posture.
"What—so sudden?"
They had been trying to maneuver to flank the demon unit.
"Right flank, forty-five degrees!"
As the order passed, a thunderous blast exploded.
"Kyaaaah!"
Demons leaped from the forest on the high ridge and rushed down the slope together.
"Mage corps! To your positions!"
The demons numbered only a few hundred at most and were wiped out under the army's fire.
"Remnants? But there shouldn't have been a fight."
As many eyes watched the trees for reinforcements, the underbrush rustled.
"They're coming! Get ready!"
Just as the company commander was about to order fire, the branches parted and Amy stepped into view.
"Phew, found you."
A place full of abandoned houses seemed to breathe, yet not a single other sound answered.
"Battalion commander—!"
The 6th Battalion's subordinates were the first to notice, and murmurs spread to other units.
"Who is that? They're in Valkyrie uniform."
"Clear the way."
Garcia rode through with senior officers in tow and the troops split like water.
She was a familiar face, but Garcia's expression stayed cold.
"Lieutenant Colonel, what are you doing here?" Amy produced a warrant from her jacket, saluted, and stepped down.
"Reporting! Lieutenant Colonel Amy Karmis! I have orders to return with the mage corps' 6th Battalion as of this hour!"
"Huh?"
The 6th Battalion's soldiers looked at one another and then threw up their arms, cheering.
"Waaaaah!"
It felt like a victory.
Overexcited Berik jabbed a finger at the infantryman whose throat he'd grabbed earlier and shouted.
"See that? That's the mage corps! That's us!"
The infantryman smirked and shrugged.
As morale visibly rose, even Garcia's grimness softened into a smile.
"Ten-minute break."
It was the greatest consideration he could give in such urgent times; the corps commander raised his hand and shouted.
"There are no more exceptions in the Second Corps! We will fight together, die together, and win together! We are one!"
"We are one!"
Amy's return—unplanned as it was—breathed life into a unit steeped in despair.
She slid down the hill and joined the column; her subordinates swarmed around her.
"Battalion commander! What happened? Are you really back?"
Amy raised her fist.
"Of course. I said I'd be back soon. You didn't actually not believe me, did you?"
"Ha! How could we? We believed with absolute faith that only you could command the mighty 6th Battalion."
"Well, anyway..."
Amy stepped up to the sulking Berik and poked his side.
"Hey, did you miss me? Huh? Miss me?"
"Aah, don't do that!"
He came off pricklier than she expected, and Amy blinked her big eyes.
"What's his problem? You upset about something?"
"Ha! It's because I like you so much. Actually, this guy earlier got into it with the infantry over there—"
"Aaah! Aaah! Aaah!"
Berik cut himself off with a sharp shout and scowled.
"If they come, they come—don't make a fuss about it. It's embarrassing."
Amy laughed softly.
"Really? You're the one making the fuss. Anyway, be prepared. Fall behind and I won't let you off."
As Amy led the way, a comrade sidled up to Berik and asked quietly.
"What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be bouncing off the walls with joy."
"Who said I hated it?"
She watched Amy's retreating back disappear.
"Why?"
Why had she returned at all?
We're going to die anyway. She has a brilliant life waiting—different from ours...
Berik couldn't explain it, but unlike the others, he felt like he'd already won in another sense.
A demon army two hundred million strong was gathering toward Tormia.
Reports of victory came from everywhere.
Troops' spirits soared, but Balkan, poring over the map, wore a grave expression.
"Truly remarkable."
Even Balkan, who could read the alignment of forces, only understood, four days after committing to all-out war, what had happened.
"How could they extend it by ten days?"
If he'd been in the same position... he would have failed.
"What—are we in danger?" Smodo asked; Balkan shook his head.
"No. It's just attrition. With our numbers, we have the overwhelming advantage. The important question is why they're stalling."
"What's the reason?"
"I don't know. It's a plan so secret it won't show up in even military readings. If it needs this level of security, it can't be devastating by itself." That was conventional wartime logic.
"True. Espionage usually targets vital points."
"Hmm. But we have no single vital point. It's irritating. That rookie on the roster is getting on my nerves."
Balkan's eyes scanned the map and read countless standards.
"Should I try pulling them together once?"
He imagined moving all the gathered human forces into one place.
"If we do that, ten days becomes eight." It was as if the Valkyries' unseen brain clutched its head and screamed.
"Heh heh. How about it, kid."
Balkan's eyes glinted with malice.
"War is fun, isn't it?"
Iruki slammed his hand on the table.
Empty bottles rolled to the floor and a roar of rage tore from his throat.
"Graaaargh!"
No one thought him drunk.
"Hah! Hah!"
Half his hair had already gone white; Iruki's locks were silvering.
'Why?'
It was an unexpected move.
'Why force an early battle? Why sacrifice tactical perfection for this?'
A war that risked all humanity seemed to him like mere card play.
'Bet without looking at your hand?'
If it were chess, he'd be placing pieces with his eyes closed.
But precisely because of that, it had struck a blind spot hidden in the infinity of probabilities.
'Impossible.' The chances of combat had risen sharply, but the two lost days could not be recovered.
'There must be a way. No—there absolutely must be. If I fail, the Second Corps will be annihilated.'
"Ughhhh..."
Commanders approached as Iruki's hair continued whitening.
"General, you should rest a bit—" one offered, his face creased with concern.
'No. There isn't.'
The conclusion had been reached.
"It's over for my strategy. Strategy always needs an opponent. Break the rules and there's nothing to respond to."
A commander tried to console him.
"Don't blame yourself, General—"
"But—"
Iruki cut him off.
"What's over is my strategy, not the war."
"What do you mean—"
Iruki's eyes flashed.
'Variables will appear.'
If you drive things by probability rather than positional play, it becomes a gamble—even for Iruki.