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Chapter 21
Many things were lost after the invasion.
“…Thank you for your hard work. Touri, you can take a break now.”
“Thank you.”
For the past few months, our Garback Platoon has been enjoying peaceful days.
Strangely enough, the enemy’s offensive came to a complete halt after that.
That doesn’t mean the enemy has weakened; rather, they have fortified their defenses and stopped moving.
Due to being outnumbered and having our defenses solidified, our forces found it difficult to launch attacks, and for the past few months, only minor skirmishes have occurred on the front lines.
“It’s really peaceful these days. I wish the war would just end.”
“Either way, my military service is coming to an end. Whether the war ends or not, I’ll be saying goodbye to this hell.”
“I’m jealous.”
In these past few months, nothing significant had changed.
If I had to say, there was some unrest after Head Medic Gale’s long-standing request to transfer me from the front lines to the medical department was rejected.
When I spoke to Head Medic Gale, she said that because I had saved the life of Platoon Leader Garback, a discussion had begun among the higher-ups about whether it might be worth having a medic in an ace unit.
Could it be that this is my fault?
I heard a rumor that it was Head Medic Gale who decided which medics were assigned to Garback Platoon.
And the reason for choosing me for the front-line unit was that I was small, lacked physical strength, and was an orphan. In other words, I was offered up on the assumption that I would die.
Naturally, it was expected that a rookie like me would die soon.
If I were to be killed in action immediately, Head Medic Gale could tell Platoon Leader Garback, “See, look what happens when we send a medic to the front lines.”
If that rumor is true, then the Head Medic Gale is extremely devious.
“Here, I bought these tea leaves in town. Please help yourself, Touri.”
“Thank you, Head Medic Gale.”
But rumors are just rumors. The person in front of me is the always kind and always beautiful Gale.
I should try not to think too much about it.
“Can I have some too?”
“Oh, of course, Chief.”
For the past few months, the field hospital has been nothing short of peaceful, to the point where we could enjoy tea time in the afternoon.
The number of inpatients has dwindled to just a few, and when there are patients, they mostly have infectious diseases rather than external injuries.
It was a drastic change from the overly busy days we had before, and the working conditions felt like heaven.
Well, I was pretty busy because the Platoon Leader assigned me training.
“Look, Touri. It’s a picture of my daughter.”
“Oh, really? You’re married, Chief?”
“Yes. Just two more months, and I’ll finally get to see my daughter. The last time I saw her was when she was two years old. I wonder if she still remembers her dad’s face.”
Saying that, the Chief unusually seemed in high spirits as he bragged to me.
“It’s been three years since I last saw her. I need to buy her something nice before I go home. I think there’s a famous doll store in a nearby town.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it. It’s the Marionette Shop, right?”
“I’ll receive a nice retirement package and buy her a lovely doll. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
Today marks about six months since I was sent to this front line.
The battlefield has been eerily peaceful lately.
This peace seemed to extend beyond our combat area, as it appeared that no fighting was taking place anywhere along the front lines.
Our army has attempted several offensives, but due to the enemy’s overly solid defenses, we only suffered losses, and eventually, the offensives ceased altogether.
With such a significant reduction in combat, speculation among the soldiers arose that maybe there were secret peace negotiations going on between the two countries.”
I was not familiar with the political background and just thought, “I’m glad there are fewer casualties,” but how wonderful it would be if that were true.
So what exactly caused the sudden halt in the enemy’s offensive?
According to post-war documents, it turns out that the enemy general, Alex Efert, had even staged a strike against the General Staff.
“Stop pushing your political agendas onto the military.”
That was what the enemy commander, Alex, claimed.
The recent series of offensives was merely a performance orchestrated by politicians to appease the public.
Because of this, he was forced to endure the meaningless sacrifices of his subordinates, and ultimately, he was caught off guard and counterattacked by the enemy, coming dangerously close to having the defense line breached.
He must have judged that his homeland would perish if he continued to comply with the General Staff’s unreasonable demands.
The front-line commanders who were tired of the politicians’ propaganda all agreed with Alex’s stance and declared to the General Staff that, “We will not conduct any offensives unless reinforcements are provided.”
They refused all orders from the General Staff to launch an offensive and instead established solid defensive positions.
This clash stemmed from a significant discrepancy in the perception of the situation between the enemy’s leadership and the soldiers on the front lines.
At the time, the politicians of the enemy Sabbath Federation seemed to think, “We have nearly twice the manpower, so we can just win by sheer numbers.”
Before this war, there were no dangerous firearms, and hand-to-hand combat on the plains using swords and magic was the norm.
People of that era probably thought that with twice the military strength, they could win if they just pushed through even if they suffered some casualties.
However, anyone who knows modern trench warfare might say, “What a stupid thing to say.”
Of course, the attacking side suffers tremendous losses if you fight the enemy over trenches.
It’s not uncommon for the defenders to remain mostly unscathed while the assault troops are annihilated.
A difference in military strength of about twofold can easily be overcome by the disadvantages of an offensive.
That’s why Commander Alex advocated for a strategy of steadily advancing while taking advantage of the difference in military strength.
However, the politicians who were desperately trying to govern the country in a situation where it was unclear when the people would rebel were unable to accept Alex’s leisurely approach.
“The war will soon be over, and a wealthy life awaits us if we win”. There was a limit to how comforting such sweet words could be given to the people.
Alex was finally dismissed after a few months of striking, and General Brustav Nova, the Commander-in-Chief, was sent to the front line as the replacement commander.
Brustav was a man loyal to the General Staff and well-known among front-line soldiers, making him the perfect person to replace Alex.
As the rift between the government and the front lines deepened, Brustav came across an outlandish paper.
The author of that paper was Sylph Nova. She was Brustav’s daughter, a girl who graduated at the top of her class from officer school.
In her paper, she claimed that by executing a specific operation, they could break through the Western Front and win the war in less than a month.
Of course, no one took such a fantastical paper seriously. It was naturally rejected, and it lay discarded in her room.
But that paper caught Brustav’s attention.
At that time, the situation in the Sabbath Federation was worsening day by day, and the military had conducted a strike, leaving the government with no leeway.
In such circumstances, Brustav received unreasonable demands from the General Staff: “It’s fine if there are some casualties; just resolve this within the year.”
While struggling with this impossible task, Brustav came across his daughter’s paper and read it casually, thinking it might add to his ideas, but he soon began to seriously consider its contents.
There was something in her argument that made him think, “Maybe this paper is hitting the mark.”
After making some minor revisions and discussing the plan with the Chief of Staff, it was determined that there were no flaws in Sylph’s paper and that there was a good chance of success.
Then, as autumn arrived.
The General Staff finally made the decision to carry out an operation based on the paper of a 15-year-old girl, led by Brustav.
Sylph, the author of the paper, was also to be dispatched to the front lines as one of the staff officers.
The content of the operation she proposed would likely make any sane soldier faint.
────It was a simultaneous invasion operation across both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Such a wide offensive range means there aren’t enough magical stones or mages, so magical attacks can only be performed for a brief moment.
The plan was to advance flatly against our nearly unscathed army’s three defensive lines without concentrating any fighting power.
Sylph Nova argued that by doing so, the enemy would be unable to cope with the vast range of attacks, and if any part of the front lines were breached, the enemy would be defeated like a punctured balloon.
The offensive side is at a disadvantage when it comes to attacking trenches.
Charging toward a defense force that has hardly been depleted without magical support is the height of foolishness.
When the frontline personnel heard this plan, they turned pale and vehemently opposed the decision of the General Staff.
They tearfully pleaded that if such a thing were to happen, the corpses of 180,000 soldiers would be lined up on the front lines and the capital would be occupied in one fell swoop.
One of the frontline commanders reportedly even disemboweled himself on the spot to admonish Brustav.
However, Sylph saw the commanders’ behavior and simply said;
“If you think a breakthrough is impossible, it just means you’ve been negligent in your fighting up until now.”
She is said to have ridiculed the frontline commanders.
Thus, the worst operation in history was about to be executed, but at that time, I had no way of knowing this and was simply happy about the fact that there were few casualties.
***
The operation was carried out suddenly.
“…Huh?”
It was a sunny day, under a clear blue sky without a single cloud.
Under the new commander Brustav, Sylph’s planned simultaneous offensive operation began without any prior warning.
“The sound of a magic attack… how unusual.”
“…Excuse me, but I have to interrupt you.”
“Right, Touri, head to the front lines. After that, follow Sergeant Garback’s orders.”
Even now, I remember that day vividly.
That day, I once again ran to help defend the front lines after finishing my shift at the field hospital.
It took me about ten minutes to reach the base where Garback Platoon was stationed.
If I delayed too much, I would get yelled at by the captain, so I hurried to my post.
…But there was clearly something wrong with the offensive that day.
After all…
“Huh?”
The enemy had begun their attack even before I arrived at Garback Platoon’s base.
“Oh, this is bad.”
No matter how you looked at it, they were charging in too quickly.
It was beyond unexpected that they would launch an attack without launching prior magical bombardment.
At the time, I was certainly thinking this:
“It’s unlucky that the enemy managed to get right in front of us. I need to move cautiously because I can’t be sure that stray bullets won’t reach me.”
In reality, it wasn’t bad luck at all; the enemy was launching an offensive at nearly all locations, but I had no way of knowing that.
Just to be on the safe side, I decided to keep my distance from the trenches in front and headed towards the base.
I didn’t even realize that I didn’t have the luxury of moving so leisurely.
***
“I firmly refuse.”
Many opposed the operation proposed by the young “genius” Sylph Nova.
“We will not follow this operation. We shall become the last bastion to protect the capital when the time comes.”
Among them, there was a man named Avem, the southern commander of the Sabbath Federation, who staunchly opposed Sylph’s plan and refused the attack orders issued.
It was clear that such an action would lead to a hellish scene.
“This is a disciplinary offense that warrants a court-martial. Fleeing from the enemy front results in the death penalty. You must comply with the orders immediately.”
“If my life saves many soldiers, then I am willing to be executed.”
Having refused the order, Avem soon received a flurry of communications from Headquarters ordering him to launch an offensive immediately, but he showed no signs of complying.
Frustrated, Burstav reportedly contacted Avem immediately after the offensive began.
“This operation is highly likely to be successful. A wide-area offensive is essential to its success, and there is even a risk of the entire operation failing due to your disregard for orders.”
“I’d like to know how you can possibly interpret this as an operation that has a high chance of success.”
Avem’s response was blunt and dismissive.
No matter how he was persuaded, he had no intention of launching the offensive.
Avem had vowed that even if the entire front lines were annihilated, they would survive and protect their homeland.
“Can’t you understand that, you fool?”
“Huh?”
While Eivem argued with Commander Brustav, the voice on the other end of the communication switched to that of a young girl.
It was a cold, cheeky voice, full of a strange sense of intelligence.
“The crux of this operation lies in its surprise factor. Normally, we spend several hours shelling an area before attacking. But isn’t that basically just telling them, ‘We’re going to attack this area?’”
“If we don’t do that, we’d be countered by the defense forces lying in the trenches. The basic principle of trench warfare is to annihilate the enemies in the trenches before attacking…”
“A defense force hiding in the trenches on the front lines is a specialized group, organized to withstand long periods of offensive magic.”
The girl’s voice was filled with mockery and contempt.
In truth, Sylph likely looked down on the man named Avem.
At that time, she was a 15-year-old girl, in the most sensitive and arrogant period of her life.
“The counterattack of the defense forces is trivial. The enemy’s real resistance will likely come from the third defense line, right?”
“…”
“However, the forces forming that third defense line is a guerrilla unit that moves towards the location indicated by the magical attacks.”
Although she could still considered emotionally immature…
“Then, what do you think would happen if we launched an offensive over such a wide area that it would be impossible to judge how to maneuver their guerrilla forces?”
It can be said that her strategic acumen was superior to that of any other staff officer of the time.
***
On this day, the Western Front which had been stalemated for ten years finally broke.
No matter how solid the strategy is, if you have a complete grasp of the enemy’s actions, you can outsmart them.
“Hey, what are you doing, Shorty?! Come over here quickly before you get shot!”
“Eh? Rodri?”
Until now, the mainstream strategy has been a single-point breakthrough tactic.
You set a target point for attack, concentrate your forces there, and aim to break through the enemy lines with a dense, intense attack.
By concentrating forces, you enhanced your breakthrough capability, threatening the rear facilities once you broke through the enemy lines.
This was the latest tactic of the time, and it is believed that Platoon Leader Garback understood and employed this strategy well in battle.
On the other hand, the defenders had adopted a strategy of moving the assault troops positioned in the rear in line with the enemy’s attack, using them to form the third defensive line.
This was a strategy that was only possible because they knew where the enemy would attack.
For as long as half a day, magical attacks would be conducted on the front lines in preparation for the assault. With that kind of time, they could have mobilized a considerable number of troops.
“The enemy is right in front of us! Jump into the trenches!”
“Y-Yes!”
That’s why the subsequent charge after a brief magic attack was a huge surprise.
The enemy charged in before the rear defense network could be constructed. It was only natural that the frontline soldiers would be thrown into disarray.
Even though it was a surprise attack, the Sabbatian side reportedly suffered significant damage.
After all, they charged against a nearly unscathed defense force, and the trenches defended by cool-headed troops were easily repelled.
However, not everyone in the exhausted defense forces, who were engaged in a battle of endurance at the very front, could respond calmly.
Some, thinking there was no way the enemy would charge, were caught off guard. Others, overly cautious about magical attacks, deployed defensive spells too rigidly, which delayed their response. From the enemy’s perspective, there were various openings to exploit.
Furthermore, beyond the defense troops, the third defensive line had yet to be established.
The magical attack ended so quickly that we didn’t have time to set up a defensive line.
As a result, an abnormal situation arose, with numerous defensive networks being breached across the vast front.
Eventually, hell spread across the battlefield.
It wasn’t a battle, it was a massacre.
No matter how excellent a unit is, it will be annihilated if it’s surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Like hunters driving a beast into a corner, our allies began to be killed with one-sided violence.
This was a fatal blow sufficient to determine the outcome of the war.
All fronts except the Southern front commanded by Avem, who refused the attack order, were defeated.
The Sabbat Federation achieved what had long been a desire for both armies: a breakthrough into the enemy lines.
“Platoon Leader! The enemy forces are already in the read…”
“I know.”
Defeat.
My homeland, Austin, was defeated by the strategy devised by the enemy’s strategist, Sylph Nova.
If only a single point had been breached as per the previous strategic goals, recovery might still have been possible.
It is said that the Austin leadership had made various preparations, considering the possibility of a breakthrough.
However, if the enemy has broken through on all fronts, how can you recover?
“Shouldn’t we go provide support somewhere?”
“At this rate, we’ll be left behind and surrounded!”
“I know!”
On this day, everything came to an end.
While I was leisurely sipping the tea handed to me by Head Medic Gale, the outcome of the war had already been decided.
“I know, but I haven’t received any orders.”
Desertion in the face of the enemy is a serious crime.
Even Platoon Leader Garback cannot retreat without orders.
“Another enemy is coming!”
“Engage! Don’t let them through here!”
“They’re already coming through elsewhere!”
“Then keep an eye on our backs!”
At this time, Austin’s command was completely paralyzed.
The number of breaches the enemy had made was staggering.
Reports were constantly coming in at Headquarters, making it impossible to decide where and how to deploy military forces.
“But if things stay like this!”
“Wait… Ah, understood.”
Amidst all this, only Major Renvel, our front-line commander, made a prompt decision and issued orders to all units.
“It’s a retreat order. We’re falling back.”
“…! Y-Yes!!”
Without obtaining permission from the Operation Headquarters, he authorized all units under his command to abandon their posts and retreat.
It was an order that would normally be unthinkable, but Major Renvel was convinced of the situation and the resulting defeat on this front and unilaterally authorized a retreat in order to preserve fighting strength.
Thanks to this decision, many soldiers were ultimately able to survive.
However, on many fronts where less competent front-line commanders were in command, no order to retreat was given.
Austin suffered tremendous damage in this operation, with over 10,000 killed and missing, and tens of thousands wounded and taken prisoner—a staggering loss of nearly half of their total forces.
The government frantically sought aid from neighboring countries, but no country was willing to come to their aid.
Until now, I had believed that this Eastern and Western Front was hell on earth.
I was crushed by the fact that lives could be taken so lightly and easily.
However, I soon realized that I had not yet experienced what true hell was.
People dying on the battlefield is a given. The real hell is built in places that aren’t even battlefields.
In later years, this operation came to be known as the “Sylph Offensive,” regarded as the greatest achievement of the East-West War.
On this day, the young genius strategist Sylph Nova executed a groundbreaking operation, and the Sabbat Federation achieved an unprecedented victory.
Brustav clapped his hands in joy, while Avem was so shocked he didn’t even say a word.
Later, Avem was pardoned for disobeying orders on the grounds that it was an action for his country rather than personal gain, but he chose to resign and stepped down from the military, taking responsibility.
Furthermore, this achievement led to Sylph Nova being highly valued and gaining immense influence within the General Staff.
This would later become a source of great misfortune for both the Sabbath Federation and the young Sylph, but… let’s put that aside for now.
“Ah…”
While desperately retreating after Platoon Leader Garback, I noticed that there were flames rising near the field hospital.
The once kind people of the hospital were now afflicted by gunfire and explosions.
At that moment, I didn’t have the luxury to go check on the field hospital, and after that, I got separated from my allies. I never had the chance to find out the extent of the damage at the hospital.
After the war, despite trying every possible way to find them, I was never able to reunite with any survivors from this field hospital.
It’s likely that both Head Medic Gale and the Chief lost their lives that day.
“…!”
Thus, I was thrown from the lukewarm battlefield into a real hell.
From this day on, the damage caused by the war would increase exponentially.
At the time, I still didn’t know I was standing at a major turning point in history.
I could only cower in fear before the roaring current of history.
End of Arc 1
Here is the light novel volume 1 afterword illustration and the light novel artist celebrating the release of the manga. Their twitter can be found here. Also, Gale’s manga design >>> LN design.
Manga designs for Alex, Brustav, and Sylph.
RIP Gale :(
Remember what they took from us.
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11 responses to “Chapter 21”
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Why write that she didn’t find them after the war? We are here and now, and yet we already know that she will survive the entire war.
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That’s just depressing. Poor Touri and noo Gale :(
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Noo Gale
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Jesus Christ they invented blitzkrieg.
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This is the opposite of blitzkreig. Blitzkreig is spearing a single point with as much force and then reinforcing the breach’s sides while going as deep as you can.
This is just mass attack. MC’s side didnt expect so they got caught unaware, if they ordered retreat to the back trench and continuesly did defense in depth it would have made mass attack the worst defeat.
If the enemy gets to your trench, just retreat to the back trench 10 meter behind you and the enemy have to charge again. With each charge they whittle down. The simplest, the most fundamental tactic of WW1.
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more specifically, this in fact ressembles deep battle in aspects, but mostly for front wide operations with no regard for initial rate of casualties, because the objective lays at the operational and strategic level,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_operation
but, this was also in an era of mechanization, and the actual attempt at a broad front offensive across trenches… well that was the somme.
Well, there was also the question of the machine gun – which seemingly doesn’t exist in this universe, so possibly more effective.
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There were tactics like this in pre-ww1 era wars that depict this. They seem to have guns but the invention of the machine gun heavily discouraged these types of tactics post 1890. When 1 machine gun can kill 50+ people in a minute, such charges on the battlefield effective stopped for some armies at least. (Calvery was still in use in the first world war
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Ozy Translations 
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