It's dark in Argalia Valley at night, making it difficult to even see where you're standing.
The enemy had built a stove out of stones from the riverbank and smoke was rising from their cooking.
Having occupied the fortress on the river's sandbank, they were probably taking a breather.
There's no better opportunity to launch a surprise attack than this very night and this very moment.
"A night raid… Touri, are you out of your mind?"
"Maybe so."
"Yeah, it's crazy."
"But if we miss this chance, we will never have another opportunity like this again."
I suppressed my excitement and calmly issued my orders.
The illusion of Sylph has shown me the path to survival.
A secret strategy to turn the tables by exploiting the enemy's fatal mistake.
An insane stroke of "luck" is on our side.
I pointed straight at the enemy's position to Sergeant Gavel and Nauman.
***
"A night raid? Weren't we supposed to buy time?"
At this point, the remaining strength of the company was 110 men.
Excluding non-combatants like Argie who couldn't participate in the assault, we had 104 men.
I gathered all the remaining forces and announced that we would split into two forces on both river banks and launch a night raid.
"What is this figurehead company commander suddenly saying?"
"You're not doing this out of desperation, right? You're not planning to join us in this suicide mission are you—"
"Please be quiet. Your superior is speaking."
I gently urged the murmuring soldiers to be silent with a kind voice.
When the soldiers saw my face, they stood at attention and fell silent.
"As you all have noticed, I'm just a figurehead company commander. I didn't even graduate from a military academy; I'm just a young girl who got to where she is through connections."
"…"
"But there's one thing I excel at, the very reason I was appointed Company Commander at such a young age."
I tried my best to inspire the soldiers, imitating what I had seen and heard before.
To make them understand the effectiveness of this night raid.
"It is because I am 'lucky.'"
"Lucky…"
"You all must have heard the rumors of the 'Lucky Carry,' the harbinger of luck."
Throughout my speech, Sergeant Gavel watched me intently with serious eyes.
I believe he trusted and relied on me.
"I have always been 'lucky.'"
"…"
"And that is true even now, at this very moment. Look straight ahead, my brave comrades."
Failure in this persuasion was not an option.
I continued speaking in the same haughty and confident manner Sylph once had.
"The enemy is presenting us with their throats."
***
I explained the following to the soldiers:
The Aerys Army is underestimating us and is not on guard for a night raid; they haven't even dug trenches.
Even now, they are cooking and have placed their magic artillerymen at the front line.
In other words, this is an "unexpected stroke of luck."
"Isn't this a trap set by the enemy?"
"That's unlikely. A plan that relies on a small force like us launching a night raid is flawed."
As expected, even the soldiers were amazed at the fact that the enemy had not dug any trenches.
Anyone familiar with modern warfare would find such actions unimaginable.
"What happens if we take down the artillery?"
"Things will be safer, and we'll buy ourselves some time. Most of us will be able to return home alive."
"Oh…"
If this operation succeeds, we might survive.
This is far better than continuing this delaying action.
With this, I fervently made my case.
"If this night raid goes well, you can see your families again."
"Really? Is that true?"
"At the very least, it's likely to have a much higher success rate than our previous operations."
"…Is it really okay to not die?"
Persuaded by my words, the soldiers gradually began to make noise and raise their voices.
"Now everyone, keep your voices down."
I held up my hand to quiet them.
Putting a finger to my lips, I smiled warmly.
"Stay quiet, hide in the darkness, and follow my instructions."
***
"500 meters to the enemy camp."
"Are the soldiers following?"
"Yes, they are."
The soldiers accepted my persuasion.
They came along in high spirits and with great enthusiasm.
"They are reliable and brave soldiers. I am proud to have fought alongside them."
"Umm…"
With this, I think the success rate has significantly increased.
All that's left to do is to be careful not to make any mistakes and direct the operation.
"Lieutenant Touri, are you really the same Lieutenant now?"
"What do you mean, Corporal Nauman?"
Sergeant Gavel, who was originally the commander, was given command of half the troops.
Nauman was assigned as my aide with the remaining half under my command.
"You have such a scary smile. It's like you're a completely different person."
"What's wrong with smiling in this situation?"
After throwing a small stone into the river as a signal to Sergeant Gavel on the opposite bank,
"Who wouldn't enjoy leading a winning battle?"
Making sure to silence my footsteps, I led the charge into Aerys' camp.
***
The moment we infiltrated the enemy camp was eerily quiet.
Several of the enemies looked at us, but they just looked stunned and didn't react.
────We can run for a few more seconds.
We continued to advance into the enemy artillery position without firing a shot.
Keeping our voices suppressed, we ran towards the campfire where the magic artillerymen were relaxing.
"What nerve you have, Lieutenant. Who charges in without firing a gun?"
"It's because the enemy's reaction was slow."
Being surrounded is normally a disadvantageous situation.
However, when conducting a surprise attack with a small force, it's more effective to engage in combat after infiltrating the enemy position.
We'll hit the enemy if we shoot around, but for the enemy, if they shoot poorly, they'll hit their allies as well.
Immediately after invading, we proceeded without hesitation because the enemy's reaction was slower than expected.
"The entire unit has infiltrated the position."
"It's time."
And after confirming that all members of the unit had infiltrated the artillery position…
"Now, let's create a miracle."
With my command, the sounds of gunfire echoed through the night of Argalia.
"■■■!"
Along with the signal, the flames of the Aerys Army's torches were extinguished.
This was because the scouts were instructed to put out the flames with their wind guns.
"Scouts, prioritize knocking down the torches with your wind guns!!"
"Understood!"
Visibility is poor at night in the Argalia Valley. Without light, it is impossible to distinguish friend from foe.
We can avoid unnecessary combat and move forward by taking away the light.
"Rather than killing the enemy, aim to take even one step further!"
After securing the artillery position and scattering most of the enemy artillerymen,
I deployed the [Shield] in front and continued to advance further into the enemy camp with my subordinates.
Even though bullets grazed us, we continued to advance deeper into their camp.
We won't be able to kill many enemies in the darkness of night anyway.
It's better to spread chaos far and wide.
"How far are we going, Lieutenant?"
"That's a good question, Corporal Naumann."
"You're not going to say we're going to hell, are you?"
The strategy was a surprise attack with minimal combat, simply running through the dark.
Occasionally, allies were cut down or shot, and their screams filled the air.
But despite this, we continued to run bravely.
"About 500 meters into the enemy camp."
"What's there?"
The fact that we were able to advance so smoothly through the enemy camp was probably due to the lack of trenches.
We would have been delayed if there had been even one trench.
"Corporal Nauman."
"…Yes?"
"What do you think is the weakness of a large army?"
I calmly shot and killed the enemy soldiers preparing for combat.
After about five minutes from the start of the operation, we ran through enemy territory and reached our target location.
A point 500 meters inside the enemy camp, as confirmed by visual observation from Fort Argalia.
"It's logistics."
The night in Argalia Valley is dark, but the smoke from cooking fires was clearly visible.
The smoke spread from the "500-meter mark" within the enemy camp.
This indicates that supplies were being distributed from that point.
────That's the enemy's frontline food supply depot.
"We will soon reach the target point! Use up the remaining grenades and blow up the enemy's food supplies!"
"Understood!"
Just as I had expected, it was a supply depot for the Aerys Army.
Along with the large number of carts, boxes containing food sufficient for several months were piled up.
"Lieutenant Touri, as expected the area around the warehouse is heavily guarded—"
"Then follow me."
However, the enemy did not leave the food supplies unguarded.
There were several wooden stakes driven into the ground around the area, and what looked like defensive barriers were visible.
Although they did not dig any trenches, the area around the food depot was well-defended.
It's truly an antiquated defense system.
"Can we break through with this number of people, Lieutenant?"
"Of course. I will lead the way."
It was clear that my comrades were shaken by the fact that Aerys' defense was stronger than they had imagined.
It would be problematic if this continued.
Realizing this, I quickly deflected enemy gunfire with my [Shield] and accelerated forward.
"My back is protected by [Shield]. If you follow me, it's safe!"
────I extinguish the lights with wind guns.
I was the first to charge in, blowing out two torches near the front.
I could feel the presence of soldiers following me from behind.
It looks like we can still advance.
"Keep firing! Don't spare any bullets and kill all the defenders!"
"Understood!"
As I charged towards the front lines of the battle, I focused on using my [Shield] to avoid bullets and encouraged my fellow soldiers.
Bullets occasionally graze my shoulders, but there's no time to be scared.
"That torch over there, that's the last one…"
In the end, I pushed all the way to the back and extinguished all the torches.
Now it's total darkness. Nothing can be seen except the burning supply depot.
"■■■!"
"Ugh!"
But immediately after, a dull sensation spread through my waist.
The oily sweat slowly spreads.
I was targeted the moment I fired my wind gun.
…As expected, I must have stood out too much.
"Lieutenant Touri!"
"Don't worry about me! Continue with the operation!"
I collapsed on the riverbank, and concerned voices were raised, but…
After forming a [Shield] around myself, I quickly cut open my wound and drained the blood.
There were no follow-up gunshots thanks to the darkness.
I then used my hands to forcefully stop the bleeding and closed the wound with [Heal].
────Yeah, I can still move.
"I'm rejoining the front lines!"
"Seriously?!"
I was lucky that the bullet missed my organs. It would have been fatal if my liver had been ruptured.
I was just speaking nonsense earlier, but maybe I really am "lucky."
Well, there are people like Platoon Leader Garback who wouldn't flinch even if their liver was ruptured.
"Explosion sounds from the other bank too. Looks like Sergeant Gavel is handling things well."
"Report acknowledged."
Come to think of it, I had been so focused on commanding that I hadn't used my grenades yet.
I searched for unburned supplies, straining my eyes in the darkness.
It's hard to see, but occasional explosions made the location of supplies vaguely visible.
Avoiding getting caught in friendly grenades, I scanned the area and…
"Oh…"
In the brief flash of the flames, I saw a metal box placed at the back of the supply crates.
That's probably…
"I'll push a bit further!"
"Lieutenant Touri?!"
I pulled the pin from a grenade and ran towards the metal box.
Illuminated by the burning supply crates, my figure was clearly visible to both enemy and ally.
"■■!"
I felt the enemy's gaze.
Of course I drew attention with my Austin military uniform illuminated by the fire.
I would be turned into a beehive at this rate.
There were only a few seconds before I would be shot.
"Lieutenant Touri!"
"Be careful."
I saw multiple gun barrels aimed at me.
Immediately afterward, a bullet was fired and my [Shield] shattered.
Recreating the [Shield] took time.
In other words, my body is exposed to countless gun barrels.
Without protection, my corpse would be left on the riverbank if I was shot.
At the precise moment before the final bullet would be fired, determining life or death…
"Everyone, take cover!"
I finished throwing the grenade at the iron box and collapsed to the ground.
────A thunderous explosion rang out.
"What the—!"
"The magical stone explosion was successful."
The supplies were in an iron box. They were magic stones used in artillery magic.
Magic stones are weak to fire and cause massive explosions if ignited.
That's why they are kept in metal boxes and managed carefully by most armies.
"■■■■?!"
The screams of Aerys' soldiers echoed through the night camp.
The explosion of the magic stone had tremendous firepower. It likely caught the enemy Aerys soldiers in the crossfire and caused great damage.
Direct hits from the explosion would have turned them to ashes, and even just looking at it has the same effect as a stun grenade.
Though I put up a [Shield], I was a bit late and got burned in the process.
"M-My eyes!"
"Grab my hand. We're retreating."
Magic stones are valuable. Magic stones on this scale are not easy to come by.
Since they are highly flammable, transportation is difficult. They will likely not be able to conduct extensive artillery magic for a while.
The fire has spread to food supplies as well, so Aerys must have suffered considerable damage.
"…[Heal]. Phew."
"Lieutenant, are you okay? Your arm is…"
"It's cool and just right."
The explosion's shockwave had scorched my arm up to my right elbow, exposing severe burns.
Until I get proper treatment, I won't be able to fire a gun with my right hand.
"There's no need to fire from here on out. We just need to escape."
"Yes."
It was time to pull back.
I threw two stones into the river with my left arm.
A signal for Sergeant Gavel to retreat.
"With this, we've done all we can."
Looking back at the Aerys camp, it was a scene of chaos.
Food supplies are on fire and burning, and bodies caught in the magical stone explosion are strewn all over the place.
"…Let's head back."
At my command, we retreated into the darkness.
Only 23 minutes passed from the start of the operation until the magic stones were detonated.
An incredibly swift night raid.
"…Sergeant Gavel, are you safe?"
"Yeah. We were saved thanks to you guys going first."
This surprise attack was a brief operation lasting less than 30 minutes.
In just those 30 minutes…
"The retreating Austin soldiers number 68."
"…That's a good outcome."
36 comrades who participated in this night raid never returned.
This means that the Touri Guerrilla Company lost one-third of its soldiers.
"…Lieutenant Touri. Will we be able to return alive with this?"
"Yes."
With this operation, we cut off the enemy's artillery and incinerated their food supplies.
We also caused confusion at the front lines and forced a retreat of several hundred meters.
While our own losses were severe, it was a great tactical victory.
"If we can just survive tomorrow…"
That surely isn't all of the Aerys Army's food supplies.
They probably have a few days worth of food left. The enemy should still have the strength to launch an offensive.
As I looked at the significantly reduced number of my comrades…
I quietly clenched my right hand, which had become immobile due to the burns.