Chapter 88
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Fateful Grudge (5)
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“Hah, so…… Is that so.”
Yegor Ivanov, a high-ranking inspector of the Empire’s Intelligence Directorate, watched two airships soar into the sky and escape, murmuring to himself. They had even self-destructed the facility, yet in the end, they failed to catch the little rats.
“They really got us good.”
“What should we do now?”
Captain Karl Schumann, who had escaped through an emergency evacuation tunnel connected to the underground facilities of what *was* the Rimansk Ordnance Depot, spoke up. On either side of his ribs, he was clutching a briefcase stuffed to the brim with data on mutant research.
It wasn’t just the Captain. Behind him were a plethora of researchers carrying similar bags. The elite personnel had all evacuated the facility immediately after the attack began.
In other words.
Only the facility was destroyed; not a single essence of the mutant research was lost.
“Nothing changes. Just as he has done until now, Captain Karl Schumann will simply continue his research.”
The Empire was overflowing with military bases. Since there were quite a few facilities left behind and abandoned by the previous Emperor, it was no big deal for the homeless Captain Schumann and his research unit to settle in a new nest.
“The problem is that they know what kind of experiments we are conducting.”
“Honestly, what nation wouldn’t do the same when they’re raided? Even the so-called free American Federation has urban legends circulating that are just as sinister.”
“That is not what matters. The biggest problem is that this information has now become a card that can be used to pressure the Empire.”
International sanctions? Condemnation? The Empire did not fear such things. What truly threatened the Empire’s security was providing a ‘justification’ for the Free Alliance Army of the West.
War is ultimately a battle of justifications. Even if the reason is utterly absurd, there has never been a war between nations in history that started without any reason at all.
And the fact that the Mutants, the SolDot Project, were nearly complete.
It was a soft, vulnerable spot just begging to be torn into by those detestable ‘Free Alliance’ bastards.
“The Intelligence Directorate will be busy for a while.”
Yegor Ivanov turned around as he spoke. When he had first arrived at the Ordnance Depot, there had been about six of them, but now only one robed figure remained behind Yegor.
“What was your name?”
“……Vladimir. Vladimir MacLean.”
Yegor placed a rough hand on Vladimir MacLean’s shoulder and handed him a glittering badge from his pocket.
A yellow dagger bound by a red ribbon. It was a mark proving one’s membership in the proud Intelligence Directorate.
“Congratulations, Comrade. From this moment on, you are Ensign Vladimir MacLean of the 3rd Division of the Intelligence Directorate.”
When the hood covering Vladimir’s face was pulled back, lank black hair appeared. His hazy gaze fixed upon the badge.
“Ensign Vladimir MacLean, Comrade. There is a mountain of work you must do for the Intelligence Directorate from now on.”
“……I shall give my life for the Emperor and the Empire.”
“A good attitude. We shall discuss the details after we return to the Directorate.”
So, he had only managed to salvage just one person this time.
Yegor Ivanov clicked his tongue and moved his feet. These were talents he had personally selected from the Second Army, yet the results were far from satisfactory.
However, rather than complaining about the useless officer candidates of the Intelligence Directorate, it was more important to think about how to counter the舆论 war in Ukraine from now on.
Regarding that gigantic balloon flying through the sky as well, and he also needed to quickly gather intelligence on the unit led by that blonde Ukrainian officer.
They had stabbed him right in the back so refreshingly.
Patching up and concealing that wound was the top priority. The massive polar bear would surely bare its fangs in rage right after that.
Airstrip built behind the barracks of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion. With the slowly rising morning sun as a backdrop, two airships settled into the hangar.
Immediately after, the airship’s entrance opened, and people began to trickle out one by one.
The first to disembark were the emergency patients. At a glance, there were well over thirty stretchers being swiftly carried out of the airship.
The personnel who had been assisting with the airship’s landing under the command of Squad Leader Bell Mayer also gathered together to transport the injured to the battalion barracks.
Among them, there were no small number of stretchers covered in white cloth that went all the way up to the head. Every time a stretcher was carried out, the gathered personnel would solemnly lower their heads.
As soon as the emergency personnel finished disembarking, the combat troops followed right behind them.
As proof of the fierce battle, their hair was a tangled mess, and their faces were covered in dust and dirt.
Their eyes were heavy with fatigue. Their lips were parched dry. They looked no different from residents of a beggar’s den rather than soldiers, but only after their feet touched the ground did they finally let out a sigh and burst into laughter.
And the last to disembark were.
The commanders who had planned and directed the operation.
Led by Battalion Commander Soni Chepelin, the staff officers and company commanders stepped forward.
Operation Name: Imperial Night.
It was the first foreign military operation conducted since the founding of the Ukran Duchy, and it was the moment the first regular operation of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion, led by Grand Archmage Soni Chepelin, came to a close.
The operation was a success.
The Omen Pearl was recovered, and both airships deployed returned safely.
That alone was an incredible achievement, but the fact that it wasn't the only thing was even more astonishing.
The 8th Battalion had not only retrieved the stolen artifact, but had also witnessed the horrific product of the ‘Mutant’ experiment.
They had secured the testimonies of the 1st and 2nd Companies who had directly engaged the Mutants in combat, as well as the Mutants’ bodily tissues and important evidence obtained from the warehouse.
They had only been expecting to recover their initial investment at best.
But what was this? Not only did they recover their investment, they had won a jackpot several times over. They had even shaken off the madmen who would recklessly charge in the moment they lost their stake.
It was an achievement worthy of raising a toast in celebration right away, but the faces of the officers gathered in the staff room were not so bright.
Any good result inevitably comes with sacrifice.
Total casualties: thirty-five.
Among them, ten were seriously injured, and six were killed in action.
A total of 350 troops had been deployed, combining the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Mobile Battalion.
However, the majority of the casualties occurred in the 8th Battalion, which only had 120 men. It was only natural, considering they were the first to be deployed to suppress the enemy forces and were even sent into the underground facility.
Soni Chepelin let out a heavy sigh with a grim expression over the regrettable sacrifices.
“Still…… everyone did their best. If it weren't for the company commanders, we would have suffered even greater casualties.”
“I agree.”
Chief of Staff Josef added. He turned to the three lieutenants who were hanging their heads low.
“On the way back to base, we briefly analyzed the Mutants' biological tissues. They possessed strong resistance to physical forces, including bullets. The fact that we could end this operation with only these few casualties against such monsters is entirely due to your outstanding skills.”
Not a single person gathered there could deny it. Who could have known that the Empire would create such monsters that even state-of-the-art weapons were useless against?
At that moment, 2nd Company Commander Lieutenant Nikolai Hilbert cautiously raised his hand.
“That is not the case.”
“Hmm?”
“The success of this operation is entirely due to 1st Company Commander Enok Levandel and his subordinate 1st Squad Leader, Lieutenant Claude Raine. If not for their swift response, my company would have been annihilated on the spot.”
“……Lieutenant Nikolai?”
Enok Levandel looked at him in surprise. Nikolai continued to speak with a resolute gaze.
“I am sorely lacking. I felt this even more during this operation. I need more real combat experience and more training.”
“I felt the same way.”
Not to be outdone, 3rd Company Commander Lieutenant Luna Ayre also chimed in.
“We had virtually no experience with facility infiltration and indoor combat, so it was difficult to handle unexpected situations. This is an area that needs to be supplemented.”
Enok Levandel was simply flustered by the intentions behind their words.
“Ahem, I understand what the two company commanders mean. It’s true, not a single person in the 1st Company was injured even after encountering two Mutant specimens. It’s an astonishing feat.”
Soni Chepelin nodded and replied.
“Regardless of the operation's success or failure, the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion will re-enter training formation starting now. We will also increase our personnel, which was only 160, to have a reserve force.”
Of course, the 8th Battalion was small for an assault magic ‘infantry’ battalion.
Excluding the staff, which acts as support rather than actual combat troops, the number of personnel deployed for operations was at most around 120.
However, to bring in new recruits, re-educate officers and NCOs, and conduct additional training such as indoor combat as Lieutenant Luna Ayre suggested, an enormous amount of time would be required.
Soni Chepelin, as the commander of the Special Response Brigade and a Grand Archmage in her own right, could not be stuck with just the battalion.
First of all, why was the Omen Pearl needed in the first place?
She also needed to get seriously involved in the airship project being conducted by Count Petrinant Ludwig of the Reinhardt Empire.
She had to discuss the future political situation with the Grand Duke Orlando Russ III, and continue to purge the ‘unrest forces’ within the military.
She had no time to waste on mere battalion training.
Therefore, Soni Chepelin had planned to appoint a suitable talent as ‘Deputy Battalion Commander’ after this operation was concluded to oversee the battalion training and act as the battalion commander's proxy.
“What about you, Chief of Staff Josef?”
“I have no objections. I have a lot I want to discuss with Lieutenant Enok Levandel as well.”
“The staff side probably won’t have any complaints either, right?”
“We on the staff are already being stretched thin, so we don’t have the luxury of clinging to such a title.”
“Then let’s assume most people agree.”
Soni Chepelin approached Enok Levandel. Perhaps sensing something instinctively, the blonde lieutenant’s face was tinged with bewilderment.
“Effective immediately, I appoint Captain Enok Levandel as the Deputy Battalion Commander of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion.”
“Huh? No, what do you mean by this……”
“Congratulations, Captain. You’re about to make another mark on the history of the Ukrainian military, aren’t you?”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Starting with the applause of the satisfied-looking Lieutenant Nikolai, the heavy silence that had been pressing down on the battalion commander's office was filled with the sound of applause in an instant.