"How many soldiers do we currently have able to fight?"
"Excluding the sick, around 30,000… About one-tenth of the enemy's forces."
Even at this very moment, 300,000 troops were marching through and ravaging the land of Austin.
And yet, we had no means of resisting.
"When will the Allied forces reach Winn?"
"At most, within a month."
The Chaim Flu epidemic has left the soldiers exhausted, with one in five of them bedridden.
Austin will surely fall if the Sabbatian reinforcements don't arrive in time.
"What about negotiating another ceasefire?"
"We'll try… but it's likely too late for that."
We had already managed to buy a month's time with trickery.
Can we really manage to delay them for another month?
No, to begin with…
"Even if we manage to buy another month, what about provisions for the small nations sending reinforcements?"
"…"
Austin is currently suffering from food shortages.
Most of our strategic supplies have been reliant on aid from the Sabbath.
If the Sabbatian reinforcements are delayed, our food supplies will also run out.
"Is there any other course of action?"
"I'm sorry, Iris-sama. This is all due to my own incompetence."
"…No. It can't be helped."
An unforeseen calamity has struck, crushing all the plans we had built up.
Why does something like this have to happen?
Is this punishment for the evil path that Austin has taken?
"I believe we are completely out of options now."
"I… think the same."
"Yesterday, I proposed surrender to the government… but the Prime Minister still insists on fighting to the end."
Major Curley looked utterly exhausted.
Even while bedridden with illness, he must have been working tirelessly to improve the situation.
To somehow find a way to resolve this.
"The enemy seems to have understood our circumstances. They've accelerated their advance. Though I mentioned earlier that they would reach Winn in a month, it will be more like three weeks at their current speed."
"…"
"If things continue this way, the nation will be ruined by the Prime Minister's recklessness."
Then, after a brief hesitation, Major Curley looked straight at me as if he had made up his mind.
"Iris-sama, I apologize, but…"
"…Yes."
If that's how things are, then I too must do what I can.
I am one of the people responsible for leading this war.
I must fulfill my duty to the soldiers who risk their lives fighting and take responsibility.
"Then, I'll leave persuading the government to you, Major Curley."
"Iris-sama…"
I had already long since made my decision.
As a soldier, I am prepared to do whatever is necessary.
"I suppose I'll have to bet my life to buy time."
"That's…!"
Whether we surrender or fight to the end, that decision rests with the government.
All I can do is buy them time.
"If time is what's needed for a decision, then I'll create it. There is no one more suitable than me to lead such an operation."
"…"
"Right?"
I am a symbol of miracles in Austin.
When it comes to boosting the morale of a special assault unit, there is no one more fitting than me.
"I will borrow a healthy division and lead a delaying action. …Wasn't that what you wanted to ask of me, Major Curley?"
"…I'm sorry. There is no one more suitable to command this suicide squad than you."
"Don't apologize."
Seeing Major Curley's apologetic look, I gave him a wry smile.
"Death is a soldier's goal… I'm simply about to reach mine."
"…"
I've killed and lost far too many people to survive now.
Finally, the time has come for me to face the consequences in the afterlife.
"May Austin's future be blessed with good fortune."
Turning on my heel, I headed towards the garrison, my elegant officer's uniform trailing behind me.
***
I had already long since accepted my fate.
I've already prepared a will addressed to Sedol and the others.
If we don't join up with the Sabbatian reinforcements, our supplies will be cut off, and hell will spread.
We will surely see a repeat of the tragedy that occurred in Josegrad two years ago.
In that case, the government has no choice but to decide on surrender. I'll use my life as a stepping stone to buy them the time they need to reach that decision.
…I have the authority to command this operation.
I have the power to order many soldiers to go on a suicide mission and die.
It's amazing how far a former orphanage-raised medic has come.
"Iris Regiment, prepare for deployment."
My unit, the Iris Regiment, was once known as the Touri Regiment, a force of 1,000 troops.
I issued deployment orders to the 6,000 division, including the Touri Regiment, to act as a delaying special assault force.
"Lieutenant Gavel's company has gathered. We're ready to move anytime."
"Captain Zieve's battalion is ready."
"Captain Kennel's battalion has assembled."
Of these 6,000, I don't know how many will return alive.
There's even a chance that none of them will make it back.
"Very well. Then I'll now give you all a speech."
But I won't tell them that.
The 6,000 soldiers here are simply the ones who drew the short straw.
…I can't say something that would lower morale like that.
"I am Iris Valou. I will be the one commanding you in this operation."
I must order them to sacrifice their lives just to buy time.
"From this moment on, we will march out to deliver judgment upon the scoundrels who dare trample the land of Austin."
What I need to show them is reckless bravery.
To show them the madness of "a young girl charging at the vanguard."
"Keep moving forward even if the enemy points their guns at you. I'll be running ahead of you."
Some time ago, Captain Kennel told me:
He wasn't expecting much from my military strategies. I'm simply there to use my reputation and appearance to boost the soldiers' morale.
At this point, strategy no longer matters. As long as we have reckless courage, that's enough.
"Keep moving forward even if you take a bullet to the shoulder. If you catch up to me, I'll heal you."
It was my own imitation of Joan of Arc.
If boosting morale is as simple as having a young girl at the front, then there's no reason not to do it.
"If I'm shot and killed, step over my body and keep moving forward. Next, you will be the one at the front."
Together with these 6,000 soldiers, I will buy time even if it costs me my life.
That is how Iris Valou takes responsibility for being in a position to lead the war.
***
However, there was one thing that both I and Major Curley had misunderstood.
The enemy's hastened advance was not because they had noticed our situation.
"…Hmm?"
It was the seventh day since we had Kennel Battalion on reconnaissance and began searching for the enemy.
We finally caught sight of the Allied forces, who appeared to be utterly exhausted.
"Aren't their numbers way too small?"
"I heard that the Allied forces had an advance force of 100,000 people."
"They definitely don't have that many now."
At this point, we were still under the impression that the Chaim Flu was just an epidemic limited to Austin and the Sabbath.
In reality, the virus was already causing a global pandemic.
"Iris-sama, it appears some of the enemy soldiers have been spotted coughing."
"Hmm…"
There were two reasons why the Allied forces increased their march speed.
One was the pandemic causing chaos in their homeland, prompting them to end the war quickly.
The second was that they were leaving behind their infected soldiers and advancing without them.
With fewer soldiers, their march naturally sped up.
As a result, their numbers were… much smaller than we had anticipated.
"What do you think, Captain Kennel?"
"Just as it looks, it seems the virus is also spreading among the Allied forces."
"I agree."
At this time, the Allied advance forces numbered approximately 50,000, half of what they originally had.
New cases of infection were reported every day, and they left those soldiers behind.
────This is an opportunity.
"Can't we disrupt their rear?"
"Major Touri?"
"Captain Kennel, please check if there are any locals among the soldiers."
"Hmm, understood."
Captain Kennel and I both agreed that the sick were being left behind at the rear.
…In other words, the rear forces protecting their logistics unit should be full of sick people.
I immediately spread out the map and called for a soldier familiar with the local geography.
"Are there any settlements in this area large enough to set up a medical department?"
"The only villages of that scale would be Tangel-Am or Heflaha."
"Where are they located?"
"Tangel-Am is here, and Heflaha is… over there."
"Hmm, Tangel-Am is near a river."
We could easily predict their position from the enemy's marching route and the location of water sources.
Given this, I set my sights on the village of Tangel-Am as the most likely location for a field hospital.
"If I were the head of the medical department, I'd set up a field hospital here."
"I agree. It's a hard-to-notice location."
The village is near a river, making it easy to secure water.
Field hospitals require flat terrain and a water source, so this location is almost certainly it.
"Is there a way to sneak past the enemy patrols and launch a surprise attack on Tangel-Am? I don't mind a detour."
"Well, there's a mountain path through Prague, and from there, an animal trail."
"Can you guide us along that animal trail?"
"Yes, I can."
We have 6,000 men, and we can move more swiftly than they can.
Using the local animal trails known only to natives, a surprise attack is entirely possible.
"Then let's circle around and attack their rear."
"Do you think it will go that smoothly?"
"If it doesn't, we'll just end up getting wiped out."
…I don't sense any imminent danger.
The alarms that usually scream in my mind are completely silent.
"Don't worry, it'll go well. Trust me."
"…Hmm, understood. Leave it to me. This Captain Kennel will ensure this operation's success."
"Thank you, Captain Kennel."
I'm confident this will succeed.
With that decision made, Captain Kennel and I formulated our plan for the surprise attack on their rear.
"It's a race against time. Let's send those sick soldiers to the afterlife."
***
"What do you think, Lieutenant Gavel?"
"…Just as we thought. They've set up a field hospital."
The next night.
Under the cover of darkness, we advanced into the village of Tangel-Am.
"Kennel Battalion and Zieve Battalion are in position."
"…Good."
We followed the animal trail and surrounded Tangel-Am on three sides without being detected.
Using the signal flare that I had launched as a signal, we all charged at the field hospital simultaneously.
"Fire! Fire! Kill the wounded! Kill the sick!"
"Roger that!"
I never imagined I'd end up leading a unit in a surprise attack on a field hospital.
To be honest, it breaks my heart to shoot someone who is sick and bedridden.
"Keep firing! Kill them all!"
But there is no Geneva Convention in this world.
Field hospitals are high-priority targets where the enemy recovers in.
"■■■■ah—!!"
"■■ugh!"
Chaos erupted. The field hospital was engulfed in flames in the middle of the night, and the death cries of medical soldiers and the sick echoed throughout the hospital.
Amidst this, I led the charge with Gavel Company and continued firing at the medics.
Just as I had once been attacked by Sylph.
"■■■■!!(Please spare me!)"
A Flamer woman in a nurse's uniform begged for her life.
…Without a word, I shot her between the eyes.
The nurse's uniform was soaked with blood, and the woman's brain matter was splattered on the wall.
"…We've done enough. Pull back!"
"Understood. Retreat! Fall back, everyone!"
We killed and killed until no living enemy remained.
When the survivors had vanished from sight, I fired the retreat signal into the night sky.
"Retreat!"
I fired a signal flare into the night sky.
We risked being surrounded if we lingered too long.
It's not good to be too greedy.
"Iris-sama! We found a building that seems to be the enemy's supply depot!"
"What's in the supplies?"
"Food and ammunition."
"…We don't need the ammunition. Take as much food as you can carry."
Just before retreating, Captain Zieve found a supply depot, and we decided to take its contents with us.
There wasn't much, but every bit of food was valuable for the Austin Army.
"Wow, they've been eating canned meat as rations."
"Damn Allied forces. They sure eat well."
After stealing the food like bandits in the night, we returned straight to Winn.
…I hadn't prepared much ammunition or supplies because I thought we'd be annihilated in a short time.
If I'd known we'd win so easily, I would have prepared better.
"Hurry with the retreat. We're still in enemy territory, and we'll be wiped out if we're spotted!"
"Yes, Iris-sama!"
"If we successfully retreat, I will allow you to eat the Flamer rations after confirming it's safe. You'll finally be able to eat your fill of food after a long time!"
"Yeah!!"
And so, we succeeded in our surprise attack on the enemy's rear.
Fortunately, we managed to retreat from enemy territory without being discovered.
"A sweeping victory! It's a sweeping victory!"
"Iris-sama's triumphant return!"
Carrying as much food as we could in our arms, we proudly returned to Winn.
…This should serve as a good morale boost before the decisive battle.
***
"The enemy has stopped advancing."
"As expected of Iris-sama."
Our surprise attack halted the enemy's advance.
It seems they've increased their vigilance and are preparing for the next ambush.
This means we've successfully bought some time.
"…Iris-sama."
"What's the matter, Major Curley?"
As I headed to report to Headquarters, pleased with the minimal casualties,
Major Curley greeted me with a frustrated look.
"The Prime Minister won't give up on the decisive battle in the capital because you're winning in ways that makes no sense."
"…"
Even if you say that…