Last Stand (2)
The special detachment that had ambushed Tess's unit withdrew before scoring any notable victory.
Two days later.
"Breaking report! Twenty million of the Demon Army are advancing in the northwest sector!"
"Copy. Forty million from the northern range…"
Harsh reports poured in.
Iruki watched the entire Demon Army move in unison on the three-dimensional strategic map.
"A full-scale war."
From the probe two days ago he'd gauged the enemy's reactions and sketched a flawless choreography of troop movements.
They intended to swallow the central continent.
"So far, so good."
Even Iruki—prepared to fight to mutual annihilation—knew baiting the enemy was crucial.
"The problem is time."
It would take at least ten more days to deploy the elemental bombs in the field.
"Overdrive." Electricity flashed in Iruki's eyes as his thought processes accelerated to superhuman speed.
"With this I can buy twelve hours." Countless strategies appeared and were discarded in rapid succession as ways to gain more time took shape.
"So that's about forty-eight hours so far…." Aromi, his aide, bit her lip at the sight of blood coming from his nose.
"This will be reasoning beyond human logic."
Only Iruki could do it.
The faster he thought, the faster his brain's endurance deteriorated, but he didn't care.
"We've bought four days. Still nowhere near enough."
They had to find a way to keep the Demon Army from reaching Tormia for at least six more days.
"This will do! Five days with this—then if we…."
So absorbed in his calculations, Iruki didn't notice blood welling at the corners of his eyes.
Ten minutes later he snapped his eyes open, coughed up blood, and collapsed.
"Commander!"
Aromi ran over with a towel and wiped him, but Iruki waved her off and stood.
"Reorder the strategic map." As the commanders spread out new charts, Iruki paced dazedly, repositioning units.
Everyone who inspected the result he produced trembled in horror.
"This formation…."
Iruki came to a halt.
"This is seven days."
The commanders swallowed.
"This deployment you see here will be the troop disposition on the seventh day. With normal means, that's the limit."
"And by abnormal means…?"
Pain contorted Iruki's face.
"The way to buy the remaining three days is extremely drastic. In fact, I think you could all figure it out."
They studied the map again, and a few quick-thinking officers went pale.
"C-could it be…."
Iruki had shifted the main force.
"Place every nearby unit on the Kanian Plateau. We can pin them there for three days."
What he meant was this:
"But Commander, the Kanian Plateau is terrain unfavorable to humans. That's why until now—"
The officer who'd realized the implication fell silent.
"Yes. It'll be a brutal fight. Estimated casualties are at least two hundred thousand. But if we fail to stop them here, the seven days we've managed so far will be meaningless."
If a strategy came from Iruki's head, this had to be the only option.
"The hardest part will fall on the Commander himself."
Iruki added, "It's a terrible plan. No one wants to fight a disadvantageous battle. But if we don't hold them here, humanity will be annihilated by the Demon Army."
"…Shall we decide by vote?"
It wasn't a vote to reject the plan.
"No. There will be no vote. The fewer people who must take responsibility, the better. That is the role of the Commander, isn't it?"
"But—"
It wasn't Iruki's fault.
If there'd been a better option, he would have found it even if his brain burned out immediately.
"Nothing will change. Making the fight harder doesn't make it any less a war. We will draw up the best strategy on the assumption we buy those three days."
Only then did Iruki wipe his face with the towel.
"There will be a detailed strategy meeting in thirty minutes. Relay this to each department."
Iruki needed rest.
When all the commanders had left, Aromi—the only one who remained—spoke up.
"I still think we should vote." Iruki only smiled.
"No one will call this a unilateral decision. Your thinking is humanity's thinking. You don't have to shoulder it alone."
If they could not think as he did, at least they could share the burden of responsibility.
"Sharing it won't make the weight any lighter. And… there will be blame I must bear personally."
"What do you mean?"
Iruki studied the map.
Sorry.
Although it was only a model of terrain, he could picture the battles being fought somewhere on it.
"I will take full responsibility. But—"
Iruki opened his mouth with difficulty.
"May I request one personnel transfer?"
The mage division under the 2nd Corps.
A rush order had come down from Valkyrie Command and Corps Commander Garcia appeared in person.
All officers above battalion commander were assembled; Amy sat at the edge of the table.
"For the next seven days, the 2nd Corps will march rapidly to the Kanian Plateau. Small skirmishes may be avoided."
Pens in the officers' hands stopped mid-note.
"The Kanian Plateau?"
"You heard me. Are you not paying attention? And you still call yourself a brigade commander?"
"Sorry! But the Kanian Plateau isn't under the 2nd Corps' jurisdiction, and strategically—"
The brigade commander fell silent as killing intent flashed from Garcia's eyes.
A cold hush fell.
"…What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing! I'll correct myself!"
Discipline was strict, yet the same thought ran through the officers' heads.
"A last-ditch formation."
It was impossible to read the command's full intention from the field, but one thing was certain.
"They need lives to feed the grinder. A lot of them."
Amy wasn't afraid.
"This is not Iruki treating our soldiers as disposable pieces. If anything, it means there's a chance for a reversal."
It meant Iruki had found a strategy that gave humanity a fighting chance.
"I know what you're thinking," Garcia said. "A soldier isn't one who only takes on fights he can win—that's a mercenary. For a soldier, lives are another form of combat power. We are not being sent to die but to fight. If anyone cannot accept that, speak up now." No one raised a hand.
"Relay the orders to each unit. After lunch, form the battle formations immediately. Don't miss it. Rapid march."
"Yes, sir!"
As the officers filed out in order, Garcia looked back at Amy.
"Head of the 6th Mage Battalion."
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Carmis Amy!"
"You will stay behind a moment."
Even given their teacher-student relationship, asking for a private word in the war council was unusual.
"Understood."
When the room cleared and silence remained, Amy turned.
"Do you have something to say?"
"Hmm. A transfer request for you came from higher-ups. When you return to your regiment, pack your things."
"A transfer?"
Garcia nodded.
"Effective immediately, you belong to the Capital Defense Command of Tormia, not the mage unit. A teleportation magic array has been authorized—jump to Vashka."
Tormia?
Amy blinked, then slammed her fist on the table in a sudden wave of humiliation.
"What are you talking about!"
Her action before the Corps Commander was inappropriate, but Garcia seemed to understand.
"All units are being sent on dangerous missions—why am I the only one pulled to the rear? Why me?"
"This came from above: Carmis Amy's ability as an instructor is highly valued—"
"Master!"
Amy cried out.
Garcia lowered his voice. "Among the high-ups of the crusade, apparently someone doesn't want you to die."
Amy thought of one person.
Iruki.
Her jaw clenched.
"I won't accept this! Pulling troops to the rear like this is favoritism and an abuse of authority!"
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Garcia turned his hand over. "That doesn't matter. You're a valuable asset. They may well decide they don't want to waste you."
"Then why me? There are plenty in the 2nd Corps who are better than I am!"
"If you ask me… the answer is something you already know."
"I refuse that order! I will not leave! I will lead the 6th Battalion on the march!"
"That is not for me to permit." Garcia's gaze went cold. "Orders do not distinguish between life and death. Just as a soldier obeys an order to die, this time is the same. A battalion commander cannot defy the chain of command."
"Master, are you telling me to be a coward? What am I supposed to tell my subordinates? 'I'll run away—so you run toward your deaths?'"
"That too is a burden you'll have to bear. I only want you to return to Vashka quickly. That's an order."
Amy clenched her fists and trembled, then turned away briskly.
"I will come back."
Garcia said nothing.
While the troops ate lunch, Amy slung a backpack on and left.
She showed no outward sign, but their gazes stung more than arrows.
The soldiers setting down their utensils saluted.
"Are you leaving now?"
"I'm not running away. I have business to attend to in Tormia. I'll be back soon, so keep the unit in order."
They smiled, but none of them truly believed it.
"Don't worry. You taught us everything we know. We'll manage."
They said it because they'd heard she'd been reassigned as an instructor to the Capital Defense Command.
"Good. I'm counting on you."
Rather than make excuses, Amy wanted to show them through actions, so she turned and left.
As she walked away, she heard the soldiers' voices.
"Heard about it? She's the only officer the Corps sent to the rear. As an instructor, no less."
"Tch! Someone gets to stay comfy while others get thrown into the pit. Connections matter."
"It's understandable. You know how brutal those Demons are. It's a nearly hopeless fight—who'd want to send their lover in?"
"Who cares? If you can't stand by your choices, don't go to war in the first place. All this flip-flopping just kills morale."
Amy's face burned uncontrollably as she listened.
Iruki, you bastard!
She wasn't leaving simply because of the transfer order.
I truly hope it's not you. She couldn't be sure it was Iruki.
But if it is you, you better explain yourself by any means necessary. If you can't—
She imagined the consequences.
You'll learn what insubordination means.
It had become an open secret that one of the Ivory Tower's Five Great Stars was Amy's lover.
The rapid march would last seven days.
To rejoin her unit afterward, Amy ran swiftly toward the teleportation array.