Air Raid (1)
Night is the stage for knights. Ordinary humans cannot see in the dark. However, knights, possessing superhuman vision, can perceive their opponents even in the pitch black. Thus, night raids by wyvern units had been a traditional tactic since ancient times.
...Still, I never imagined they would launch such a reckless, sudden assault before the Empire could even attempt to mediate. I suppose we must have seemed incredibly threatening to them.
"What is the expected direction of the attack?"
"Toward District 5, the industrial zone near the capital. District 5 is currently defended by one air defense battalion and thirty anti-aircraft guns."
Considering we shredded sixty wyvern knights with just sixteen anti-aircraft guns without taking a single casualty, thirty guns might provide more than enough firepower. Yet, I felt a lingering unease. It was night. No matter how many flares and tracer rounds we used, visibility would inevitably be poorer than during the day. It seemed we would need additional reinforcements.
"Estimated time of arrival?"
"If they fly in a straight line along the recorded radar trajectory, approximately thirty minutes."
District 5 was the harbor area right next to the capital. If it fell, it meant their ground forces might pour in right behind them. Fortunately, we held the information advantage. And in a situation like this, an information advantage was the most precious asset one could possess.
"Immediately detach two air defense artillery battalions and thirty additional anti-aircraft guns from the Capital Defense Division and deploy them to District 5."
This allowed for a strategic redeployment that would have been utterly unthinkable under normal circumstances. Conveniently, my staff officers were already gathered here. Within minutes, my orders rippled through the entire Southern Army.
"Your Grace! We have contact from the 3rd Air Defense Battalion in charge of District 3! They report they can provide anti-air support for District 5!"
"No, tell them to hold their positions for now. The wyvern force might split up to launch a surprise attack on another industrial zone."
I turned my gaze toward the Secretary of the Navy. The newly launched destroyers were currently waiting in the naval port. If not now, when else would they get to gain such realistic combat experience?
"Contact the destroyer squadron and order them to set sail for the open waters off District 5. We will use the destroyers to block the enemy wyvern unit's retreat."
Of course, even this wasn't enough. The West could bring hundreds of wyverns to the field. No matter how powerful our anti-aircraft guns were, it was night, and the sheer volume of enemies meant some were bound to slip through. It was up to the army to plug those gaps.
"The infantry will operate in platoon-sized units to patrol the harbor. If any knights crash, infiltrate, or fly close to the ground, suppress them with concentrated firepower."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
The plan was simple: shred the enemy with anti-aircraft guns, and pick off any that got close with machine guns.
"Do we have enough flares?"
"Yes, we have plenty, Your Grace."
"Good. That concludes our battle preparations..."
For now, the wyvern unit would likely be the only Western force arriving immediately. Even in a world with magic, transporting a large infantry force over a distance of four hundred kilometers required time. All that was left was to wait for the results.
Once we completely annihilated the Western knights here, we would execute our plan to occupy the West. Of course, a total occupation was realistically difficult. As I had mentioned before, I had no intention of colonizing them anyway. First, I would extort railway concessions, extraterritoriality, mining rights, and the like.
Then, over time, we would run propaganda campaigns, contrasting the chaotic state of the Empire's interior with the orderly, thriving South.
"Ah, and the Intelligence Department."
The ultimate goal was the annexation of the West by the South. The Empire had originally been a coalition of five nations, but a thousand years had blurred their differences. The bloodlines of the South and West were not all that distinct. This was because the insurmountable barrier of the Arbel Mountains isolated the West and South from the Imperial Center.
Thus, while the North, East, and Center had blended together over a millennium, the peripheral South and West had walked a separate path. For a thousand years, the West had interacted almost exclusively with the South, and the sense of shared identity built over that time was by no means small. If played right, it was strong enough to make an absorption merger entirely feasible.
"The Intelligence Department should focus on shaping public opinion in the West. Start by highlighting the corruption within the Imperial Center. If that takes hold, transition to emphasizing their connection with the South."
"Understood, Your Grace."
All the pieces were on the board. Now, all that remained was to translate my vision into reality.
"Let's cross the Rubicon."
Everything up to this point could be viewed as mere posturing between the West and the South. After all, there had been no direct, unprovoked invasion of each other's territory yet. But...
Once war broke out, things would change. The Center would undoubtedly try to intervene. The 'heroine' of the original novel might also realize that something had gone terribly wrong.
The moment I ignored the Center's intervention and reached out to grasp the West, the original plot I knew would lose all meaning. Still, I was certain of one thing: the future I would forge would be far happier than the path the Empire was destined to walk in the original story.
The night sea of the South was dark. The beautiful beaches and resorts typically associated with the 'South' only appeared much further down. The waters surrounding Albion were cloudy, rough, and plagued by constant waves year-round. And flying over those turbulent waters was a flock of wyverns.
Three hundred wyverns in total, spanning ten entire knight orders. This was the force the Archduke of the West had assembled, fully prepared for war.
"Distance remaining to the Southern capital, Albion, is approximately twenty-five kilometers! Estimated arrival in fifteen minutes!"
"Yeah. I see it."
The brilliant Southern coastline came into view for the wyvern knights. Even at night, the harbor of the satellite city shone as bright as day, boasting a level of splendor that starkly contrasted with the West. Yet, none of the knights were intimidated. No matter how magnificent it looked, in the end, it was merely a sandcastle that would crumble at a single blow.
"Alright, get ready, everyone!"
They had flown for hours without rest for this very moment. Without a single light, they crossed the sea, relying solely on the dim moonlight filtering through the night clouds. It was a flight only highly skilled knights could pull off.
"None of those bastards would have expected us to launch a surprise attack like this!"
Besides, even if they had anticipated it, it wouldn't matter. For stealth, they had painted the wyverns black and donned black armor. Spotting black-clad knights over a dark, cloudy sea in the dead of night was nearly impossible.
It didn't matter how threatening the weapons they had seen at Sarsen were. By the time those lowborns prepared for battle, the wyvern knights would already be within minimum range, ready to slaughter them all.
Charles Raymonds barked his orders with absolute confidence.
"Burn it all to the ground! Smash everything, and kill them all! Those bastards are the ones who slaughtered our 12th, 13th, and 14th Orders!"
"Uwooooah!"
The wyvern knights roared in unison, accelerating. Before long, the city's high-rise buildings began to appear one by one. The wind was on their side. A powerful gust blowing from behind pushed them forward, making their flight feel effortless. The conditions were ideal. The overcast night, which completely obscured the moon, perfectly hid the wyverns' flight paths.
The distance closed rapidly. Twenty-five kilometers, twenty, fifteen, ten...
It was at that exact moment that Charles Raymonds sensed something was amiss.
As a native of the West, Charles knew little about Southern cities. He hadn't spared a single glance toward the South since Kyle ascended to the position of Archduke. Consequently, Charles had no idea how a highly developed Southern metropolis operated. However, even he possessed a basic piece of common sense: cities were always bustling.
"...It's unnaturally quiet."
Through his exceptional vision as a high-tier knight, he beheld a silent city. The harbor, which should have been bustling even late at night, was completely devoid of people. And that wasn't the only anomaly. Atop the high-rise buildings, anti-aircraft guns were aimed directly toward them. As if they were prepared for war.
"How..."
He had certainly told no one. While there might have been signs of war preparations, he had never disclosed which direction they would strike. Feeling an instinctive dread, Charles Raymonds pulled back on his wyvern's reins.
"All units, halt!"
However, the other wyvern knights following behind him could not comply. First of all, the noise generated by the wyverns was deafening. Amidst the frantic flapping of wings and the beasts' roars, Charles's voice was completely drowned out.
Furthermore, because they had shrouded themselves in pitch black for the night raid, even his own allies failed to realize that Charles Raymonds had stopped.
Consequently, there was a slight delay before the order could propagate to the rest of the knights. And that delay proved utterly fatal.
A moment after the wyvern knights surged past Charles—
WREEEEEEEEEEE—!
A chilling siren wailed across the quiet, glassy surface of the harbor.
"All units, fall back! Re-form the lines and—"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
And then, miniature suns rose from beneath them. Dozens of flares burst, illuminating the pitch-black night sky with blinding brilliance. The black-clad knights, suspended against the newly lit sky, became the most perfect targets imaginable for the air defense forces.
The deployed anti-aircraft guns unleashed hell all at once.