────Oh, and one more thing. I've left the plan addressed to Curley to ensure Austin's victory.
────I won't go into details due to confidentiality reasons.
When I read Bern's will, I felt dizzy.
────All you need to do is buy time. Then victory will be inevitable.
There were no concrete strategies written in his will.
It simply said that the details had been shared with Major Curley, and all I had to do was stall for time.
How am I supposed to be satisfied with such a will?
"Major Curley, I've finished reading the will."
"Oh? How was it?"
Just for a moment, I thought it over.
Recalling that man's worst traits, I realized something.
"Yes, victory is certain with this…"
"Oh, is that so? Bern-sama is truly a genius."
If that was Bern Valou's intention, there was no way he could have put it down in writing.
If that's the case, then the same message might also be written in Major Curley's letter.
"If Iris-sama says so, then victory is certain.
"…Yes."
For a letter written by that man, it was filled with too many grievances and sentimental ramblings.
This letter isn't meant to be read at face value.
I felt like I was being told to read the hidden intentions behind it.
"I was worried because his will to me didn't contain the specifics of his plan. It just said he had passed the details to Iris-sama."
"…"
"He didn't write it out for me because it's better that I don't know the plan's specifics, correct?"
"…Yes, something like that."
I was able to discern Bern's ulterior motives from his actions in his final moments.
There's no way that a dead person can propose effective strategies on a battlefield that is moving in real-time.
Therefore, the strategy he left wasn't a concrete tactic.
And the long string of resentful words toward Sylph made it all too clear.
This was Bern's way of saying, "Read my hidden intention of using Sylph."
That's why in his will, both Major Curley and I were told that only the other would know the details.
If neither of us could decipher it, we would simply confirm with each other about the "true contents of the strategy" and realize Bern's supposed plan was a bluff.
But if just one of us understood the hidden meaning, then that person could take charge of the operation.
This was his filter to ensure that only those who could read the hidden message would carry out the plan.
"Then, Iris-sama, I'll leave Bern-sama's strategy in your capable hands. He trusted it to you, believing only you could achieve it."
"Yes, leave it to me."
Major Curley must not have realized the hidden message.
He still truly believes Bern had some brilliant strategy outlined.
"I'll protect Austin."
If that's the case, I'm the only one who can lead Austin to victory.
────And that's why I became Chief of Staff.
To defeat Sylph not through military tactics, but by stripping her of her cause and forcing her to choose defeat.
That was the path Bern Valou left for Austin to win.
A strategy made possible only by Bern's knowledge of Sylph's personality and background, and his faith in her command ability.
She was sadly brilliant, painfully pure-hearted, and foolishly virtuous.
Sylph Nova did not fight for her own glory.
She continued to fight, wishing only for peace and tranquility for her homeland that had abandoned her.
And it was exactly because she was that kind of person that this strategy could strike her down.
Sylph must have struggled immensely when reinforcements from the Sabbath arrived.
Even if Austin was occupied, there was a possibility that the war would continue as a battle between the Sabbath and the Alliance.
Then Sylph received a letter from Remi, accompanied by many photographs.
Pictures of a bustling city revitalized after the Battle of Josegrad.
Industries and agriculture in recovery, clean streets, fertile countryside.
…Sylph came to realize that the Worker's Council had established a much better governance than she had predicted.
But Sylph still did not give in.
Believing the ideals of the Worker's Council were twisted and bound to fail someday, she kept fighting.
No. Rather, she couldn't stop because if she gave up the fight, she would be denying herself.
Thus, she devised a plan to focus her attack on the positions defended by Austin's soldiers, and then occupy Winn in one fell swoop.
Sylph loves the Sabbath and cares for her people, she didn't want to attack the Sabbatian position filled with her fellow citizens.
She thought that the Worker's Council might surrender if she could achieve a quick and crushing victory over Austin.
However, her clever tactic of "disguised infiltration" narrowly failed.
The battle to capture Winn began to drag on, taking on the shape of a long-term engagement.
Her heart finally broke when the Allied forces demanded that she attack the Sabbatian soldiers.
────If they continue fighting like this, Sylph would become nothing more than the "Grim Reaper" to the Sabbath.
Had she been a self-serving person, she might have continued to fight as a commander of the former government, seeking power in a bloody Sabbath.
But Sylph Nova wasn't one to be consumed by selfish desires.
Forever pure, honest, and overwhelmingly good.
A sane person twisted only by the horrors of war.
"Sylph, what do you want to do from now on?"
"From now on?"
The Allied forces probably didn't have a good understanding of Sylph as a person.
Since the day she lost her father to war, she had become a machine dedicated to saving the Sabbath.
In her own way, Sylph had struggled, suffered, and continued on the path she believed was right.
But now, that path was trampled by Bern's malice, and her goal is nothing but a lost memory.
"If you want, I can publicly explain your actions from my position as—"
"No need. Don't make fun of me."
Saying this, Sylph pulled a small bottle from her pocket and gulped it down.
…Most likely Vok.
"I no longer have a place in the Sabbath. I don't even know how many of my compatriots I've killed in Josegrad."
"But that was…"
She finished her drink in one gulp, her face flushed red, and her eyes filled with tears.
Then, as if spitting out her feelings:
"Do what you want with me. Torture me if you like. I'll tell you anything you want to know."
"Sylph…"
"But if there's one request I could make, it would be that my execution be carried out in Josegrad."
"…"
"I want to see the streets of my rebuilt homeland one last time before I die."
And with that, she lowered her head.
***
The sound of gunfire and shouts echoed all around.
It seemed that the area around the trench position defended by Sylph had also been secured by our allies.
An unprecedented victory in history. The Austin-Sabbath Alliance made a remarkable comeback.
"The battle will soon be over. Please detain Sylph Nova and her subordinates and take them to a detention center."
"Understood, Touri."
Sylph and her subordinates accepted their ropes without resistance.
Among them was her aide, Elijah.
"Sylph, is there anything else you want to say to me?"
"No."
With this, Austin's victory was assured.
Having lost the genius Sylph, the Alliance was no longer a threat.
No matter how many times they attack from here on, Austin's defense would not be breached.
"This is the end of the war."
In that case, the Allied forces had no choice but to make peace with Austin.
…The victory that Bern had envisioned had come to fruition here.
"…Ah, damn it."
Sylph looked up at the sky without directing her words at anyone and muttered:
"When I get to hell, I must find Bern."
"…What will you do when you meet him?"
"I'll show him hell."
She whispered in a small voice.
Thus, Austin achieved a miraculous victory.
This was an expedition in which the Alliance devoted most of its military strength into.
Continuing the war would be impossible if they failed this crucial strike.
Now, all that was left was to pray that Prime Minister Fogman Jr. would handle the post-war affairs skillfully.
The war is over; a peaceful era is coming.
────That's what I thought.
"Touri, orders from Headquarters."
"Probably a signal to end the operation."
Major Curley was Bern's trusted aide and an excellent staff officer.
After Bern's death, he became the de facto Chief of Staff and was in charge of running Austin's Military Operations Headquarters.
The only regret is that he was "too influenced" by Bern.
"This is Curley from Headquarters. I'd like to ask the Iris Regiment, what are you doing?"
"We have captured an individual believed to be the enemy commander Sylph Nova. All of her subordinates have been secured."
"Oh, that's wonderful."
Just as Sylph preferred surprise attacks, Bern Valou had his own favored tactics.
It was a strategy he had used extensively, a secret to that monster's victories.
"Then everyone other than Sylph Nova has no value. Please execute them immediately."
"…What? We've already finished restraining them."
"That would hinder the pursuit. Only leave the platoon securing Sylph Nova and advance again."
"Advance again?"
"What are you saying? This isn't like you. Right now is a prime opportunity for pursuit."
Bern's winning pattern was to use ever-changing strategies to rout the retreating enemy army.
He was a specialist in pursuing and dealing massive damage to fleeing foes.
"There will never be another chance for such an ideal pursuit. Now then."
"Please wait a moment, what do you mean by advance? If we go any further, we'll cross the established defensive line!"
"We have 30,000 reinforcements from the Sabbath! With this many, we can reclaim our territory and push Flamers back to the borders."
He spoke in a serious voice.
Major Curley was ecstatic about this once-in-a-lifetime victory and gave orders to the entire army to pursue the enemy.
"No, Major Curley! We will suffer tremendous losses if we pursue with our current forces!"
"What are you talking about? Bern-sama once successfully pursued with even fewer troops!"
"That's something only Bern Valou could do! And in the first place, is there really any need to pursue the Allied forces now?"
"Of course there is! This is a golden opportunity to make the reprobates who shot Bern-sama pay!"
Indeed, Bern Valou had pursued successfully with a smaller force in the past.
But that was because it was necessary to protect Austin.
Now, abandoning the defensive advantage to take the risk of pursuit wasn't worth it.
"This is a chance to kill the enemy, an opportunity to trample them! Don't you despise the enemies who killed your brother, Iris-sama?"
"We are not waging war out of personal vendetta! This pursuit is meaningless; it will only incur resentment and make peace more distant!"
"It would be a waste not to take advantage of this great victory. I have long awaited the opportunity to avenge Bern-sama's death!"
"Are you fighting a war based on emotions?! Ending the war here and seeking peace would be the best compromise!"
"…How disappointing, Iris-sama."
As I shouted at Major Curley, I heard a disappointed voice from the other end of the communication.
"As I thought, you don't have as much talent as your older brother. You're just a civilian who came up through the ranks."
I felt dizzy at his words.
Major Curley isn't seeing anything.
Come to think of it, Austin's General Staff had been run entirely by Bern while he was alive.
The reason for that was probably that Major Curley and the other staff officers were too—
"If Bern-sama were here, he would surely choose to pursue."
"If Bern were here, he would absolutely not pursue! Are you trying to throw away our hard-earned victory down the drain!"
He was blinded by his emotions.
"Enough, I understand, Iris-sama."
They were panicking and fleeing, but their military strength was still substantial.
We were completely exhausted and overwhelmingly outnumbered.
If we engaged in a pursuit battle on flat ground with no trenches, Austin would instead be cornered and thrown into dire straits.
"I won't rely on you. Don't expect any rewards after the war."
"I am the Chief of Staff! This is an order: withdraw the troops immediately!"
"My apologies. It seems the signal is poor; I can't hear anything. Until next time."
However, Major Curley was too busy chasing the illusion of fighting alongside Bern Valou.
He failed to realize that pursuing now would mean Austin's defeat.
"Major Curley! Major Curley!!!"
No matter how many times I tried to contact him, there was no connection.
Even when I changed the communication to Verdi or Renvel, I received no reply.
…It's highly likely that Major Cruelly shut down my communication.
"T-Touri?"
"Ah."
I can see it. I can see clearly what will happen next.
Austin's pursuit will go well at first.
But the enemy won't stay in disarray forever.
They would likely notice that we were a small force and would reorganize and counterattack.
Once that happened, any pursuit by the Austin Army, filled with wounded soldiers, would be repelled as easily as twisting a child's arm.
With the advantage of the defending side lost, we would be trampled by the difference in military strength.
────We could be invaded again and have Winn taken over.
"Ah, ahh! Curley, you fool, Major Curley!!!"
"Touri?!"
I lost my composure and screamed frantically.
The fragile thread of victory that Bern Valou had painstakingly woven.
What Sylph had given up everything to protect.
Everything would be ruined because of that fool's twisted desires.
What should I do? How can I stop this foolish pursuit?
"The surrounding troops have begun advancing?!"
"Wh-What should we do?"
The surrounding units had already begun their pursuit.
If this continued, Austin would perish.
The only way out is for me to raise my voice as loud as I can and tell everyone around me not to pursue them—
"I'm shocked. I'm astonished. The Alliance was bad enough, but is Austin also full of idiots?"
To the me who was crying out and on the verge of falling into panic,
A cold, yet irritated voice pierced my heart.
"Pursuit in this situation? Do you not see the difference in military strength?"
"…Sylph."
"This is the worst, just the absolute worst. If something like this happens, it would make me becoming a clown meaningless."
When I turned around, Sylph Nova, the Witch of the Trenches, appeared with a displeased expression.
Here veins were visible on her forehead, trembling as if on the verge of a tantrum.
"H-Hey. Don't move, Sylph Nova."
"Shut up."
Eventually, she stood up in annoyance.
She grabbed me by the collar, her cheeks flushed red.
"You put me through all this and you think you can just get away with such disgraceful behavior?! Touri Lowe!"
She screamed at me from a distance where our eyelids almost touched.
"I'm sorry, Sylph…"
"No excuses! Just move, you idiot!"
Pushed by her fierce demeanor, I inadvertently apologized.
Then she, with a displeased expression and furrowed brows…
"B-But my communication is blocked. What should I do?"
"Hmph."
Standing beside me, she sighed and pointed toward the horizon.
"If you don't know what to do, I'll teach you."
"────!"
Her translucent blue eyes saw through everything from within the trenches.
Her long silver hair swayed on the battlefield, its color never fading even after countless battles.
"Let's end this war, Touri."
"…Can you really do it, Sylph?"
"Yes."
The greatest "genius strategist" of this century, Sylph Nova.
"With you here, anything is possible."
She declared with certainty.