Chapter 77
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Empire's Night (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The meeting with Count Jac Pedros was a success. Though it seemed I had earned a strange misunderstanding from the count's daughter, Ekaterina, that too could be sorted out somehow.
Count Pedros promised full support for the 'business' I was planning and said he would contact the administrators of each city to increase the intensity of military training.
For Vialtok to survive the war that would break out in five years, it needed more troops, more skilled soldiers, and a more solid fortress.
True to his background as a soldier, he didn't just dismiss my claim that a great war would break out within five years.
'First, the north absolutely has to hold out. We can't build an axis like we did in the northeast.'
First, I had made Vialtok's honorary lord my ally, so I had gained some breathing room.
Time passed like that.
It had already been two months since the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion had conducted its first real combat drop.
In the meantime, the battalion had shed its temporary designation and was officially established.
Despite the grueling training by Ukran military standards, all 160 original battalion members were recognized as official battalion members without a single drop-out.
The 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion was fully formed, with little change from the temporary organization Soni Chepelin had initially assigned.
Additionally, the two airships stored at Mchensk Fortress were moved to the battalion barracks.
It seemed the colonel had originally planned to relocate the battalion's grounds, but he seemed to have decided to just settle in.
Even as the barracks were expanded and new buildings were constructed, the battalion members continued their relentless training.
By now, everyone—from combat personnel to support staff in personnel administration, NCOs, and officers—had reached a point where they could perform a drop with their eyes closed.
-How many drops are we doing today?
-Three.
-That's less than I thought? Let's finish up quick and go eat.
The soldiers had reached a point where they could have such conversations without a second thought.
These changes weren't limited to the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion members alone.
The Technical Education and Research Department, which was working on the joint project. The officers and NCOs dispatched from there were all brimming with enthusiasm, starting to propose ideas that could be applied to the battalion.
Among them was a device similar to a 'parachute'.
It was put on hold for now, as it didn't seem like it would be of much help.
The currently deployed airship, 'Diabola,' wasn't a vehicle that could operate at extreme altitudes.
It was high enough for drops, but the altitude was ambiguous for airdrops using parachutes.
Generally, manually deployed parachutes can operate at altitudes above 150m, but Diabola's maximum operating altitude was 60m.
'Still, it'll be needed someday. I should tell them not to discard it and keep it safe.'
Right now, all it does is flutter around at an altitude of a few dozen meters, but in the early stages of the great war, it was used as a strategic bombing unit, dropping bombs from hundreds of meters up.
In the future, Count Petrinent's airships would undergo repeated advancements.
Then, new personal equipment and weapons befitting that would have to be developed. The parachute would surely be classified as one of those pieces of equipment.
'It's progressing steadily.'
I was quite satisfied.
At this rate, it seemed I could sufficiently lead a delaying action even against the Sovye Empire.
However, the question of why Ukran had fallen still remained.
'We have airships developed jointly with the Reinhardt Empire, and we're creating and operating elite units one by one. The leadership is also firmly participating in the reform...'
In the five years since, what on earth happened in Ukran for it to become a trash country that had its entire territory ravaged in less than a month?
Something bad must have happened, but I couldn't say for sure either.
'It would be nice if I had connections to an agency like the Intelligence Directorate...'
I slapped shut the notebook I had been scribbling in.
Before that, though.
I had to finish the mission given to me first.
"Roxana, are you here?"
"Yes! Battalion Commander!"
The airship hangar at the back of the battalion grounds. It was shabby compared to modern hangars, but its arched roof gave it a rather impressive appearance.
"You really are interested in airships."
Corporal Roxana Elim would spend her time here at the hangar looking at the airships whenever she wasn't at the 1st Company barracks.
At my call, Roxana turned her head and answered. Her pink hair fluttered in the wind.
"Hehe... It's just such a dream-like machine..."
"It wouldn't hurt to learn about it in advance. Who knows, Roxana? You might become a pilot."
"Huh?! You mean I could get to drive one too?"
"There's no reason you couldn't."
Petrinent's airships generated buoyancy with the air from their gasbags to ascend, making them very similar to real-world airships powered by internal combustion engines.
However, the internal combustion engine was only used as a supplementary control device; the main propulsion method was based on magic.
A special crystal called a 'Marble' acted as a kind of engine.
And this Marble was a degraded version of the 'Omen Pearl' that had been stolen from Belgorod Fortress last time.
In other words, since magic was the main power source, there was no reason a 1st-grade Green Magician like Roxana couldn't handle it.
"That would be really great."
"How is your body?"
"As you can see, I'm fully prepared! Mr. Edward said I'd be fine for a while."
"That's a relief."
Roxana said with a wide smile. The assigned medical officer, Edward Brecht, was staying at an inn in the nearby Stout Village.
Since he was the personal doctor her father had directly assigned, he had followed her all the way here for her treatment and care.
He was truly a man with a strong professional spirit. Since I owed him in many ways, I should treat him to a meal later.
"To be honest, as the Battalion Commander said, I've been getting close with the pilot and practicing the controls on the side."
"Ah, so that's why you've been at the hangar so often lately."
"It was fun. And since I'm a Green Magician, I'm also used to riding the wind and flying through the air."
Roxana Elim was a soldier who tried to prove her worth in any way. At first, other battalion members viewed her with skepticism, but now they were impressed by her passion and acknowledged her.
In fact, because she appeared much more fragile than others and was actually sick, she had spurred on the other soldiers and NCOs to work even harder, producing positive results.
"By the way, what brings you here?"
"Ah, there's no particular reason. We're deploying in a few hours, so I thought I'd come see you face to face and talk for a bit."
"...So the Battalion Commander gets nervous too?"
Roxana asked with a look of interest. Well... it wasn't the first time I'd heard that, so I brushed it off.
It was all because of the trait.
The trait.
"I'm not some kind of machine golem."
"That's separate from the fact that you always talk as if you know everything, Commander."
"Ah."
The reason I can remain so calm in actual combat or training isn't because I'm a veteran player of Hearts of General.
From the age of 24 when I was commissioned to the age of 32 when I was discharged.
I jumped into countless real battles and countless operations. Some of those were special operations like the one we're about to do, and others were similar to full-scale warfare.
I'm already accustomed to flying through the sky to infiltrate, killing people, and pulling the trigger.
The gun I'm holding has just changed from an HK automatic rifle to a virtual lever-action rifle.
"Still, I'm nervous. Not for me... but for all of you getting hurt or dying."
Why did Soni Chepelin include the 72-hour survival training in the snow? Why did she order the annihilation of the bandits holed up in a fortified village after two weeks of drop training?
It was because that was the core of the upcoming operation.
The magic bombardment that Soni Chepelin had overseen with a lenient hand would change into a bombardment with the genuine intent to kill.
The enemy we had to face would change from unarmed villagers or ragtag bandits to soldiers of the Sovye Empire, one of the world's most powerful militaries.
Just that alone would raise the difficulty of the operation's success to a terrifying level.
Roxana fell silent at my words. The death of a person. Perhaps because she, of all people, was most accustomed to death, she realized what I was trying to say.
She swallowed her breath for a moment.
Then, she added in a solemn voice.
"We have to make sure that doesn't happen."
"I feel the same way."
I followed the gaze of the girl looking at the airship. Beyond the sky, a shimmering sunset was slowly fading.
Operation Name: The Empire's Night.
Time until execution: Approximately 5 hours.