I'm Telling You, He's Not That Kind of Person
I'm Telling You, He's Not That Kind of Person
Seraile's mind was racing.
He had been running through the possibilities of how Daniel might have seen through his plan.
But no matter how he thought about it, it seemed close to impossible.
First of all, Bilof had not disclosed any information about the allies to Daniel Steiner.
Not only was his family held hostage in the Republic, but he was also a tight-lipped man by nature.
Even Bilof's fate, which Seraile read through the stars, told him that 'he would not leak secrets.'
And yet, Daniel had passed right by Foremina, where the trap was set, as if flaunting his knowledge.
It was not normal.
This was clearly Daniel Steiner's unilateral decision.
Did it not seem to have an obvious intent, rather than being a coincidence?
'Daniel Steiner shouldn't even know I'm here. But the fact that he didn't visit the city means....'
Seraile's eyes opened halfway.
'Could it be that Daniel Steiner can also hear the Voices of the Stars?'
If he had a talent for astrology and could divine his own fate, he might have judged Foremina to be dangerous and headed straight for the high ground.
That would also explain why only Daniel Steiner's fate had been unreadable.
'Of course....'
This was going too far.
Based on the information about Daniel Steiner provided by the Republic, Daniel had no talent whatsoever for precognition, let alone astrology.
It was probably nothing more than Daniel Steiner's sharp intuition working in a favorable direction.
Seraile, wanting to believe that for now, forced a nonchalant expression.
"It's fine even if one plan fails. There are countless ways to toy with Daniel Steiner on the high ground. My puppets are still intact, so let's take our time and think it over."
Seraile was confident, but Palome's stiff expression showed no signs of easing.
"I'm sorry to the Archmage, but I have no intention of dragging this out."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"Our opponent is Daniel Steiner. He is a meticulous and thorough man, sharp enough to have seen through the Archmage's intentions. Therefore, I believe it is right for us to launch a preemptive strike."
Originally, the plan had been to attack the high ground once supplies and reinforcements were fully delivered.
But the moment Daniel Steiner was defending the high ground, it was obvious that no matter how large the attacking force was, they would be annihilated by his unconventional methods.
So it was Division Commander Palome's judgment to strike before Daniel Steiner could formulate a proper operation.
Seraile understood Palome's thinking, but tilted his head, unable to comprehend how they could inflict meaningful damage when they were short on supplies.
"A preemptive strike? In what manner?"
Palome answered immediately.
"As you know, Archmage, there is an abandoned mine below the high ground that was used and discarded in the past. A month ago, the intelligence bureau delivered a blueprint containing information, so we decided to utilize that abandoned mine."
"......The abandoned mine?"
"Yes. Night operations were carried out, led by personnel with mining experience from the engineer corps. We used noise-blocking equipment and performed the work by hand to avoid detection by the enemy."
As a result, the division commanded by Palome had been able to dig a path leading to the abandoned mine.
"According to the blueprint, using that abandoned mine will allow us to enter near the top of the high ground without much difficulty."
"And then?"
"A communication relay station is installed not far from the entrance. If we send a small elite force and succeed in destroying that relay station, the forward enemy units located halfway up the high ground will lose contact with the headquarters."
Due to the rectilinear propagation of radio waves, mountainous terrain creates prominent shadow zones, which are radio dead spots.
Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that communication relay stations were essential.
The moment it was destroyed, Daniel Steiner's division would essentially become blind.
The forward Imperial units, their communication severed, would not only suffer confusion in their command structure but would also be unable to request artillery support.
"At that moment, I intend to give the order to the entire army. To charge."
Having heard Palome's explanation, Seraile stroked his chin as if intrigued.
"Certainly. That might allow us to sweep away the Imperial Army up to the middle of the high ground. The problem is how Daniel Steiner will respond, but...."
Once the communication relay station was destroyed, any response would result in extreme damage.
"Good."
A thin smile spread across Seraile's lips.
"Let's both do our best to pressure Daniel Steiner."
*
Daniel, who had ignored Foremina and headed straight there, managed to arrive at the Filoena Highlands in less than three days.
The peaks covered in perpetual snow were visible everywhere, to the point that his brain mistakenly thought winter had already arrived.
'I would have arrived here a month later, originally....'
As he let out a sigh filled with resentment, the vehicle passed the checkpoint, slowed down, and came to a stop.
Turning his gaze forward, Daniel could see the command post building covered in snow.
Along with the officers standing in front of it, visibly tense.
Upon spotting the regiment commander standing at their head, Daniel's eyes narrowed sharply.
'You're dead meat.'
The rage that had accumulated over ten days of marching was blazing like an active volcano.
Daniel, who got out of the vehicle with the resolve to chew him out without fail, took a deep breath.
He felt the cold air spread through his lungs and throughout his whole body.
The plume of frost that came out naturally when he exhaled was a bonus.
'......I already miss the Imperial Capital.'
Daniel, who glanced toward the distant capital, turned his body.
As he walked through the snow toward the officers, the regiment commander bowed his head.
"I am Colonel Reinhold, commanding the 29th Regiment at the Filoena Highlands. The situation at the high ground is as reported in writing."
Daniel, who had been looking down at Reinhold with dissatisfaction, nodded.
"Understood. Then, effective immediately, the 29th Regiment and the General Staff Headquarters Direct Armored Brigade shall be integrated into a single unit and reorganized as the 14th Mixed Division. The 29th Regiment will be subordinated to the command of the Mixed Division, and I, as division commander, will hold full authority over this high ground defense operation."
As everyone was nodding in agreement, Reinhold stepped forward and handed over the documents he had been holding under his arm.
"These are documents marking the operation zones, artillery communication tables, and expected enemy infiltration routes. The documents include tactical maps as well as topographic maps."
Daniel, who received the documents, took out the folded map inside and spread it open.
Daniel, who was alternately looking at the topographic map and the tactical map, was thinking seriously.
'How can I make Colonel Reinhold feel even a tenth of my suffering?'
Yes.
Daniel Steiner was currently racking his brains on how to be a complete pain to the regiment commander in front of him.
Though Reinhold, not knowing this, looked as if Daniel was devising some kind of countermeasure.
"Hmm."
What caught the eye of Daniel Steiner, who was forcibly swallowing his rage, was none other than the abandoned mine mark.
Thinking he could use this to make Reinhold suffer, Daniel raised his head.
"Regiment Commander. Looking at the map, there is one strange thing."
"......Strange thing, you say?"
"Is there not an abandoned mine below the high ground?"
An abandoned mine? Reinhold, who had been wondering what this meant, had a minor realization.
"Ah! That is correct. But you need not worry too much about that. All of the entrances exist on the Imperial side."
"Are you saying we can rest easy because the entrances exist on the Imperial side?"
"That is not what I mean, but... if the Republic were to attempt an infiltration using the abandoned mine, they would need the blueprint. Since it is an old abandoned mine, the blueprint has been lost, and we are still making inquiries about it ourselves."
Reinhold gave an awkward smile.
"Furthermore, even if the Republic obtained the blueprint, they would need to dig from a location very close to the abandoned mine to break through. Unless the distance between the tunnel and the digging point is extremely close, they would have to work for a long period, and it would certainly generate noise—there is no way we would not notice."
It was a logical statement, but Daniel's eyes only grew colder.
"So you are disregarding the possibility of the enemy infiltrating through the abandoned mine."
"......It is included in the patrol route, but it is true that its importance is low."
"And are you making excuses for that now?"
At Daniel's icy stare, Reinhold had no choice but to shut his mouth.
"Regiment Commander. From now on, take your troops and blockade all entrances to the abandoned mine for 24 hours."
"Division Commander? The abandoned mine currently has a total of 15 entrances, including the main entrance, auxiliary entrances, ventilation shafts, and emergency exits. Are you ordering me to deploy troops to all of them?"
"Yes. Until I say it is enough."
Because of this, Reinhold could only feel somewhat dumbfounded.
'What kind of absurd nonsense is this?'
In Reinhold's view, this was no different from wasting troops.
'It's almost as if he's just punishing me....'
He couldn't understand it at all, but the person in front of him was the Empire's hero, Daniel Steiner.
'There's no way someone like that would act unreasonably just to enforce discipline.'
It was surely an action to understand the enemy's psychology and reinforce the allies' weak points.
Reinhold, who had dispelled his doubts and composed himself, nodded.
"I will follow your orders."
*
Following Daniel's orders, Reinhold deployed platoon-level forces to all 15 entrances.
Because of this, the soldiers, whose break times had become even shorter, had no choice but to grow more dissatisfied with Daniel.
The 2nd Platoon, guarding entrance number 7, was no exception.
"Platoon Leader. Honestly, what kind of bullshit is this? We're just staring blankly at the abandoned mine entrance all day."
The platoon leader chuckled lowly at the soldier's words.
"I don't know either. But if we're told to jump, we jump. If Major General Daniel Steiner himself gave the order, there must be a reason, right?"
"In my opinion, there doesn't seem to be a reason. It's just... maybe I should say he just didn't like our regiment commander."
"How would you know that?"
The soldier who had straightened his helmet pointlessly lowered his voice.
"Well, you see. I was doing snow clearing work at the time, so I watched the division commander and the regiment commander talk from a distance, didn't I? I've got good eyes, so I studied their expressions carefully."
The soldier rummaged through his memory.
"But the division commander's expression was, how should I put it. 'Now you've done it'? It was kind of that expression. I can't explain it in detail, but it was a 'you should go through it too' kind of feeling?"
"Nonsense... Do you really think that could be the case? The division commander is on a completely different level from us."
"No. I'm telling you, I really saw it. My eyes are pretty accurate...."
The soldier stopped talking and shut his mouth.
Because the platoon leader had hastily raised his hand.
Hearing the signal, the soldiers simultaneously hid their bodies behind the camouflage-disguised trench.
The platoon leader also hid behind the temporary trench, then stuck his head out and looked straight ahead.
And then he could see them.
Squad-sized soldiers emerging with submachine guns and explosives.
They were all wearing Imperial Army uniforms, but the platoon leader as well as the soldiers knew they were not Imperial troops.
They were Republican soldiers who had come on a special mission to destroy the communication relay station.
Seeing this, the platoon leader raised his rifle while giving hand signals.
"I told you, didn't I."
Amidst the tension, respect for Daniel Steiner blossomed in the platoon leader's heart.
"The division commander is on a completely different level from us."
Having said that, the platoon leader finished aiming and pulled the trigger.
Taang!
The moment the Republican squad leader walking at the front collapsed, countless bullets fired by the soldiers pierced the bodies of the Republican troops.