────Touri Guerrilla Company, Dispatched Nurse Argie.
────I will now report on the progress of the battle at Fort Argalia.
The communication reached General Staff Headquarters ten days after confirming the arrival of reinforcements from the Aerys Army and sending the Touri Guerilla Company on a reconnaissance mission.
By the seventh day, General Staff had received the reconnaissance results from the Touri Guerilla Company.
However, Austin's General Staff's decision was to remain inactive.
The reason is that "even if we move, it's too late."
Moving troops to the Argalia area would take at least five days.
And although the Touri Guerilla Company is engaged in delaying action, how much time can they buy with only 150 men?
If the forces are moved hastily, there is the risk that both Engei and Argalia could be compromised if enemies appeared in Engei as well.
There was also the possibility of it being a false report from the enemy.
At the very least, let's keep Engei safe.
That was the decision of the General Staff.
However, as if to mock General Staff, no enemy forces were seen around Engei.
Austin will be in a difficult position if the Aerys Army attacks the Southern Army from the direction of Argalia.
Lieutenant Colonel Renvel waited in anxious anticipation for the Aerys Army, which was supposed to appear in Engei.
"Come quickly."
He thought, hoping for the appearance of the Aerys forces in Engei.
────The enemy is now in front of us. We decided that there was no time to wait for a reply from General Staff Headquarters.
────The Touri Guerrilla Company have engaged in delaying combat against the Aerys Army in a decision made under emergency conditions.
However, three days passed without any sign of the Aerys Army at Engei.
Meanwhile, reports continued to come in from the Touri Guerrilla Company, and most of the General Staff began to accept the facts.
The Aerys Army had indeed launched a surprise attack on Argalia.
Austin's General Staff faced the reality that they had misjudged the situation.
────The following is a report of the battle.
Three days after the battle began, the final report from the Touri Guerilla Company arrived.
The contents are as follows:
***
The second morning of the battle:
Having successfully conducted a night raid, we gathered the remaining weapons and ammunition and took refuge in the trenches.
"Hey, we're running low on ammunition."
"We still have some muskets left."
With the sunrise, it became clear how chaotic the enemy's front lines were.
It looked like they had hastily retreated and left behind recoverable supplies scattered along the riverbank.
The bodies of magic artillery soldiers and patrol soldiers were lying around, unrecovered.
"Puku puku puku."
"Thank you, Argie."
Argie treated my right hand during the night, which had been burned and could no longer move.
Her skill was impressive; I was surprised to regain feeling in my hand within minutes.
…To think she could perform treatment involving reconnecting nerves on the front lines without proper surgical tools.
"…Can't you always work like this?"
"Pu-kuu."
Thanks to her, the injury to my right arm has almost completely healed.
I'd like to learn her techniques. Maybe I should offer wine as an incentive and ask for lessons.
"Argy, you haven't changed at all during this battle."
"Puku."
"You're surprisingly calm, aren't you?"
"Puku puku."
What was surprising was that Argie showed no sign of wanting to flee.
I honestly thought it was pretty likely that she would just run away.
On the contrary, she worked more diligently than usual and played a crucial role in treating injuries in my place.
…She helped me, but I still don't really understand her.
"Lieutenant, that woman works seriously if you give her wine."
"Really?"
"At first, she wouldn't treat us no matter how much we begged, but after giving her a bottle of wine, she started working efficiently."
"Puku!"
"…"
Could it be that the reason she didn't run away was because there was a mountain of wine among the supplies?
"If that's the case, keep up the good work today as well, Argie. I'll include wine as part of your reward."
"Pu-ku-pu♪"
Well, I decided it's fine as long as she's able to work.
Now it was time for the real thing, the second day of the defending of Fort Argalia against the Aerys Army.
"The enemy has shown no signs of movement today."
"They are probably reorganizing."
I planned my strategy on the assumption that the enemy had artillery magic.
Therefore, I expected the riverbank trenches would be cleared and intended to retreat into the mountains and strike from there.
"Maybe there won't be any fighting today."
"That would be ideal."
However, the story is different if there's no artillery magic.
There is no need to give up the riverbank positions to the Aerys Army.
We will let the Aerys Army struggle with our modern tactics.
"…An unusual unit is advancing. It looks like armored troops."
"Oh, those are knights. This is the first time I've seen one in real life."
And on this day, the seeds I had sown bore fruit.
In the afternoon, Aerys' heavy armored troops began advancing.
They were once the stars of the battlefield, "Knights," clad in heavy, outdated armor.
They marched forward in an orderly manner, waving flags and advancing in formation.
"What should we do about them?"
"They might step on our magic traps."
"Let's just leave them be for now."
Admiring the real knights, we watched their progress.
They made loud clanking noises and advanced slowly.
As expected, some of them were scorched by traps, but they showed no sign of stopping.
"Shouldn't we attack them?"
"Since we have the opportunity, let's have them spend their time."
The main weakness of heavily armored knights is that they are quite slow.
There are riflemen following behind them, but they are slow to move forward due to the knights' slow speed.
"What are they trying to do…?"
"Who knows?"
As we were watching the situation cautiously, they muttered something to us.
They suddenly drew their swords and attempted to cut through the barbed wire.
"They're trying to destroy the barbed wire."
"Oh, I see. That's why they sent armored troops."
Yesterday, Aerys' forces had a lot of trouble with the barbed wire.
The Aerys Army had struggled with the barbed wire the previous day.
Deploying heavily armored knights was their attempt to break through it.
"Alright, shoot them."
"Understood!"
It was a bad situation, so we fired mercilessly.
Since the armor is meant to be worn by people, it is made to be quite thin.
Armor may be able to stop a sword, but it is powerless against a gun.
"The knights are falling and fleeing."
"Indeed."
The knights, hit by gunfire, fell and fled in a panic.
Their escape was also quite slow…
"Is there nothing but idiots in the Aerys Army?"
"They are likely just struggling to figure out how to use their tactics effectively."
The Aerys Army should have learned that artillery magic is the optimal solution when dealing with trenches.
Most likely, they probably did want to use artillery magic.
However, having lost their artillery and magic stones, they had to find other methods of fighting.
Apart from artillery fire, what is effective and what is ineffective?
When faced with the unknown, would they not test the tactics they had built up over the years?
"Maybe they'll launch a cavalry charge or something."
"That's possible."
This is why I focused most of my efforts on traps and barbed wire on the first day's offense and defense.
I wanted Aerys to understand that infantry charges are not effective through our initial defense.
Aerys still brought along cavalry, armored soldiers, and so on.
…Which means that somewhere along the line, they must have thought, "Armored soldiers and cavalry might be effective."
The deployment of riflemen was probably advised by Flamel or the Sabbath.
I think Aerys' commanders would like to fight using the traditional "old-style troops."
"Yes."
"That's why they are likely to attempt to destroy the barbed wire."
I believed that if the riflemen were ineffective and were driven back, the enemy would resort to their old tactics.
That's why I poured resources into the first day's battle despite knowing it would be destroyed by artillery magic.
"So, what should we do?"
"When sword troops arrive, we'll use archers. When armored troops arrive, we'll shoot them with guns. That's it."
The more the enemy relies on old tactics, the easier it will be for us to buy time.
We can achieve our objective more safely and reliably.
"The archers have appeared. They're targeting our trenches."
"We can avoid their shots if we sit along the trench walls. Let them shoot as much as they want."
"Are we not going to fight back?"
"We'll counterattack once the arrows stop."
We'll likely run out of ammunition by the end of today. We need to conserve as much as possible.
In fact, we would have run out of ammunition by noon if we had faced repeated infantry charges today.
"Let's go along with their style to the fullest."
The biggest gamble in buying time for three days was whether the Aerys Army would fall into chaos.
We would have had no chance of winning if they hadn't become disoriented.
The panic from the night raid was likely a factor, but we were indeed "lucky."
"It's easier to buy time than I expected."
"That's probably because we've neutralized their artillery. Originally, we were supposed to do the same thing on scorched ground."
"That would have been… tough."
Given the current situation, we should be able to fight until the end of the day.
However, when the ammunition runs out tonight, it will turn into a gritty, close-quarters battle to the death.
We will have to respond with hand-to-hand combat against the soldiers climbing the fortress.
"Let's make sure that Austin soldiers have a lasting impression of them today. They should think we are undefeatable, strong, and terrifying."
Our remaining ammunition is our lifeline.
We have no chance of winning if it turns to hand-to-hand combat.
The night raid had consumed more ammunition than expected.
Tomorrow will undoubtedly be a close-quarters battle.
That's why I want to manipulate their impression of us as much as possible.
I wanted the Aerys soldiers to feel the fear of facing an unbeatable and terrifying opponent.
***
That day, the enemy's aimless maneuvers continued until dusk.
The enemy repeatedly carried out pointless operations and piled up a mountain of corpses in front of our positions.
They would die if they charged recklessly. I believe they experienced the terror of trench warfare to their very core.
"…Let's withdraw for now."
We quickly retreated into Fort Argalia after confirming that the battle had ended.
Our weapons and ammunition were nearly exhausted, so there was no point in staying in the trenches any longer.
"Lieutenant, we're out of bullets."
"But we still have our swords and our arms, don't we?"
"That's true."
We are now planning to use Fort Argalia to conduct a siege defense from a previous era.
The fortress, protected by flowing water, is fairly sturdy.
It won't go down that easily without artillery magic.
"Then, let's boil some water. Please heat the iron boxes filled with water over the campfire."
"Oh, Lieutenant, are you cooking something?"
"Yes, it's boiling water to cook the enemy."
Speaking of siege warfare from the past, boiling water was rather effective.
The fortress has water channels running through it, so we can produce as much hot water as we want.
We will pour it on the enemy climbing the fortress walls.
"Hurry up, or we might end up throwing lukewarm water on the enemy."
"Will the enemy launch a night attack?"
"Yes. There's no way they wouldn't try something."
The reason the soldiers withdrew for a moment was probably to prepare for a night attack.
They probably planned to make us believe the attack had stopped and then target us when we were off guard.
"We can go home if we can hold out tonight. This is the final push."
There is no reason why the enemy wouldn't launch a night attack here.
The Aerys Army will definitely come under the cover of darkness to kill us.
"Let's have a meal while we can. This is a special occasion, so I'll permit canned meat and wine as well."
"Puku puku!!"
"This might be our last supper. Enjoy it fully and without regrets."
Now is the time to predict the enemy's strategy.
The footing is poor and it's night, so there is unlikely to be a cavalry charge.
They will likely conduct a human wave attack with infantry or archers.
They will take advantage of their superior numbers and continue their attack relentlessly, giving us no time to rest.
To deal with these enemies, we will scoop up boiling water and pour it on them.
The fortress walls are over three meters high. Even Platoon Leader Garback wouldn't be able to leap over them in one go.
They will have to use ropes or something similar to climb up.
We will obstruct their efforts, cut the ropes, and drive them back with hot water.
This is the basic strategy.
…It's a battle that's reminiscent of ancient siege warfare.
"Lieutenant Touri, aren't you going to eat?"
"I'll just gulp down the rations. …Right now, I need to focus on planning the strategy."
"Right."
This battle will be over if we run out of hot water.
Also, while we can draw as much water as we need within the fortress, wood is a different story.
Therefore, it will be necessary to have specialized personnel on hand to manage the hot water.
We should leave it to those who can't fight, like Argie and the wounded soldiers.
And while we can get as much water as we want from inside the fortress, the same is not true for wood.
We will need to cut and transport fuel to keep the fire burning throughout the night.
We should also organize a specialized team to procure wood.
"There is still no movement from the enemy."
"Understood. Please continue the reconnaissance."
Several hours had passed since the fighting stopped.
There was still no sign of movement from the Aerys Army.
Despite our close reconnaissance, all reports indicated "no enemy soldiers."
…I'm grateful for the break, but it's also very eerie.
"Is there really no movement from the enemy?"
"Yes, there is no sign of an advance."
"…Could there be any detours we don't know about?"
I was becoming anxious because Aerys' actions were different from what I expected.
It felt like something unexpected was happening, and I couldn't calm my racing heart.
"…Can you please scout the surrounding forest one more time?"
"It's night, and it's dangerous."
"I understand the risks, but I just want to make sure there's no sign of people."
Fear and anxiety were draining my spirit.
If it's going to be like this, I would rather have them attack us without rest.
I never thought that unexpected movements from the enemy could be so terrifying.
"Please keep a close watch on the enemy in front. If you see any sign of the enemy, report it immediately."
My throat burns amidst the silent tension.
No matter how long we waited, our hated enemy did not show their face.
"Ugh, ah…"
"Lieutenant Touri?!"
Eventually, I staggered and fell onto my bottom on top of the fortress.
The dizziness was so severe that I could no longer stand.
"Are you okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
The voice I managed to squeeze out was hoarse.
I have to return everyone who was still alive to their families.
That responsibility, their fate, is in my hands.
Feeling the urge to vomit from the weight of the responsibility, I continued to stare at the enemy camp.
"I can't let myself collapse."
Are they here yet? Are they here yet?
Is the enemy here yet?
As if praying, I raised my face─
"—ah."
For a moment, I lost consciousness.
It seems I had reached my limit after not sleeping and constantly working my brain for two days.
"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!!"
"Huh, what?"
The sunlight was beaming down on me and Nauman was shaking me, causing me to jump up in surprise.
I hastily stood up and looked at the front of the fortress.
What a blunder, to lose consciousness with the enemy right in front of us─
"…?"
Looking up, what comes into view is the clear blue water flowing and the faint mountain breeze.
As far as my eyes can see, the Aerys Army has completely disappeared.
"What's going on…?"
"Huh? What??"
Just like me, confused voices rose from the soldiers around me.
We had been anxiously waiting for an ambush, constantly sending out reconnaissance, and before we knew it, dawn had already broken.
The Aerys Army vanished before my eyes like smoke.
"Ah… Check! Scouts, find the location of the Aerys soldiers!"
"R-Roger!"
…At that moment, I fell again.
I rubbed my eyes several times and stared intently ahead, constantly making sure that Aerys' camp was empty.
However, there was no sign of Aerys Army anywhere.
"…Did we win?"
One of the soldiers muttered this under his breath.
Soon, it spread among the others.
"They're not here."
"Where did they go?"
"No way, really?"
Confusion and murmurs spread among the soldiers in the company.
I, too, could only stand there in shock and confusion, not understanding what was going on.
"Ah, ah, ah. Ahhhhhhh!!!"
"The enemy! The Aerys Army!!! They've fled!!!"
Soon, the mud-covered soldiers, with snot and drool dripping,
They looked up at the blazing morning sun and raised their hands up high.
"We won! We won!!!"
"We defended the fortress. The cowardly enemy fled!"
"We survived! We can go home!!"
I could only watch them, who were bursting with joy.
Forgetting even to raise a victory cry, I continued to stare blankly at the front.
"It's our victory!!!"
***
────This concludes the report on the battle's progress.
The report reached General Staff Headquarters in the evening.
────I will repeat the battle report. The Touri Guerrilla Company in Fort Argalia…
────Have successfully repelled 20,000 troops of the Aerys Army.
All the staff officers present held their breath and were speechless.
No one there could comprehend Argie's report.
General Staff Headquarters fell into a stunned silence.