Chapter 33
Having heard me, Sergeant Glendy returned to the soldiers with a face full of loyalty and relayed my orders.
He even added the absurd claim that the Company Commander had demonstrated extraordinary foresight.
While the soldiers prepared for battle with grim expressions, I climbed the nearby hill alongside Lieutenant McCall.
I wanted to verify whether the facts Lieutenant McCall had reported were accurate.
“As expected, Captain Daniel Steiner. Every action you take is always accompanied by a plan.”
……For some reason, Prien followed us, but I did not bother to stop her.
Ignoring Prien’s chatter, I reached the top of the hill and accepted the telescope Lieutenant McCall handed me.
“Over there, Company Commander.”
I turned the telescope toward where Lieutenant McCall was pointing and saw a clearing some distance away.
In that clearing, soldiers wearing the Kingdom Army’s uniforms were diligently preparing to make camp.
After increasing the telescope’s magnification, I surveyed the surroundings once more.
I could see several transport vehicles piled high with all sorts of supplies.
They were packed with food, fuel, ammunition, medical and military equipment, radios and batteries, as well as barbed wire, sandbags, mines, and concrete for constructing defensive lines.
‘……It really is a supply unit.’
There were a little over three hundred soldiers. In other words, it was roughly battalion-sized.
‘But…….’
That much in the way of supplies would be enough to supply at least a brigade, and at most a division.
As far as I knew, the only Kingdom Army force of that size concentrated in this area was the armored division responsible for defending the coastal city.
But the Imperial Army had already formed a siege around that place. How were they planning to resupply it?
I found it puzzling, but that was not what mattered right now.
I lowered the telescope and turned toward Lieutenant McCall.
“They don’t seem to have many men experienced in combat. Am I right?”
“Yes. Judging by their ranks, most of them are recruits. The veterans are either at the front or dead, so the Kingdom Army must have had no choice.”
“Then this should be an easy meal, Cadet Prien?”
Prien’s eyes lit up as she looked at me. To be honest, I found it a little burdensome.
“……You said you used to sing classical vocal music, right?”
“Yes. When I was young, I sang in a church choir. I was even chosen as a soloist.”
A soloist was someone with exceptional singing ability and technique, even within a choir.
Then again, future Prien would eventually master the art of imbuing her songs with magic to strengthen soldiers, so it was hardly surprising.
Of course, I could not ask the Prien of today to demonstrate such an ability.
She probably did not even know exactly what her own abilities were.
In that case, we had no choice but to use what was immediately available to us and gain an advantage in battle.
‘If battle is unavoidable anyway, it makes sense to minimize casualties among our side.’
That would directly affect my survival, after all.
Having done the calculations in my head, I grabbed Prien by the shoulder.
“Cadet Prien. Your role in this raid is extremely important. So will you trust me from now on?”
There was no one better than Prien for employing deceptive tactics.
Prien wore a blank expression for a moment, then soon gave me a radiant smile.
“Yes! Anything for you, Captain!”
*
Dawn.
Kingdom Army soldier Taliam was standing watch with his comrades when he suddenly stopped halfway through a yawn.
A faint singing voice had begun drifting over from the other side of the forest.
At first, he thought he had heard it incorrectly, but the singing voice gradually drew closer.
Wondering what on earth it was, Taliam stared toward the source of the song and hurriedly raised his rifle.
“Imperial soldiers!”
At Taliam’s shout, the other soldiers standing watch also raised their rifles.
However, they did not open fire.
“……What?”
“She’s alone, isn’t she? And she doesn’t even have a weapon…….”
The woman approaching with her eyes closed and singing was unmistakably wearing an Imperial uniform.
There was no doubt that she was an Imperial soldier.
However, various parts of her uniform were covered in dirt, and the edges were torn.
“A deserter?”
“No idea. But that’s some incredible singing.”
Prien was singing in a trained, classical style.
Every time Prien took another step closer, a beautiful song praising God rang out in every direction.
For soldiers with no entertainment whatsoever, it was quite stimulating.
Before they knew it, the soldiers had lowered their rifle barrels and begun listening to Prien’s song.
Some even set down their rifles and folded their arms.
It was not exactly something soldiers on sentry duty should have been doing, but no one pointed that out.
After all, their enemy was only one frail, unarmed woman.
On top of that, she looked like a deserter.
Deciding there was no need to remain on guard, the sentries snickered among themselves and began chatting.
“This brings back memories. When I went to church with my parents as a child, I always heard hymns like that.”
“Yeah. We’ll never get home until this war ends quickly. Damn Imperial bastards…….”
“But what should we do with that woman? Since she walked here on her own, is she thinking of defecting?”
“Who knows? How about we have a taste before reporting her to the battalion commander? She looks pretty good.”
While the soldiers discussed what to do with Prien and snickered, she drew steadily closer to them.
Taliam was chatting with the other soldiers as well when he suddenly noticed something strange.
‘……Was the forest always that dark?’
The area behind the woman approaching the camp was unnaturally dark.
Normally, he should have been able to make out faint outlines, but he could see nothing, as though everything were hidden behind a curtain.
Finding that strange, Taliam lightly tapped the shoulder of the soldier in front of him.
“Hey. Doesn’t something seem off? It’s awfully dark ahead.”
But the soldier merely let out a hollow laugh.
“Taliam, you cowardly bastard. You worry too much. The moon’s hidden by clouds today. That’s why it’s darker than usual.”
No. That couldn’t be it. He had stood watch more than once or twice.
Growing uneasy, Taliam looked around at the soldiers, but they were all absorbed in stories about their hometowns and women.
By then, Prien had reached the very front of the camp and finished her song.
As a result, the sentries who had been chatting focused their attention on Prien.
“Kingdom soldiers who have joined hands with the Allied forces.”
Prien smiled as she spoke in a sweet voice.
“May you fall into hell.”
At that moment, Prien withdrew all the mana she had scattered behind her like a curtain.
What was revealed were nearly two hundred Imperial soldiers.
Every one of them stood in perfect formation, their rifles aimed at the Kingdom soldiers.
“……!”
Only then did Taliam realize.
Prien had amplified her voice with magic and performed classical vocal music solely to conceal the footsteps of the nearly two hundred soldiers.
But it was always too late when one realized one’s mistake.
While Taliam and the other sentries stood frozen in confusion, Daniel, at the head of the Imperial forces, spoke in a dry voice.
“Fire.”
No sooner had the word left his mouth than countless flashes burst from the Imperial soldiers’ rifle barrels.
*
Rat-a-tat─! Bang!
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Fuerre of the supply battalion suddenly opened his eyes wide at the sound of gunfire.
He wondered what on earth was happening, but no adjutant came rushing in to report.
As he blinked blankly, the gunfire continued to ring out.
“H-huff……!”
Only then did Henry come to his senses. He hurriedly put on his uniform, picked up his pistol, and stepped outside the command tent.
Henry hurriedly made his way forward, but the sight spread out beyond the tent left him utterly horrified.
Flames and smoke were billowing in every direction.
Amid that chaos, he could see Imperial soldiers in black uniforms occupying the camp.
Some soldiers hurriedly emerged from their military tents upon hearing the gunfire, but each was shot by the Imperial troops and died instantly without even managing to cry out in agony.
“W-what is this…….”
The Imperial Army had discovered their supply route? How? Why?
His mind could not make sense of the shocking situation.
As Henry darted his eyes around, he spotted a man approaching the command tent.
Amid the confused mixture of shouts and screams, a black-haired Imperial officer was walking forward with an air of dignity.
Thinking the officer looked strangely familiar, Henry saw the gold National Merit Medal pinned to his chest and immediately realized who he was.
‘Daniel Steiner……!’
Wasn’t he the man revered as a hero of the Empire?
Frightened, Henry raised his pistol and aimed it at Daniel.
“Don’t come any closer! You monster!”
Daniel stopped.
As they stood facing each other in silence, Daniel slowly parted his lips.
“If you intend to kill me, shoot. I won’t stop you.”
“You think I can’t shoot just because you tell me to!?”
“No. I’m sure you can. But if you kill me, what will happen to your soldiers?”
Henry’s hand trembled.
He understood what Daniel was trying to say.
“An Imperial force that has lost its chain of command is no different from a colt with its reins cast off. They’ll try to kill every Kingdom soldier here. But we can change that terrible future.”
Daniel’s voice sounded like the devil’s temptation.
“Battalion Commander. Order your men to surrender right now. Then I will order my men to stop attacking. Please think of your subordinates. You must think of the grief their families will have to bear.”
Make your decision while you can still save even one more life.
Henry clenched his teeth at those snake-like words.
He was not wrong. If Henry stubbornly insisted on fighting to the death out of sheer obstinacy, they would all die meaningless deaths.
Henry was not particularly capable, but neither was he an incompetent commander.
Henry let out a low sob and lowered the hand holding his pistol.
He had no choice.
“Surrender…….”
Slowly opening his hand, Henry dropped the pistol and said,
“……I surrender.”