Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Advance the Offensive Endpoint
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“Absolutely not.”
“Erwin.”
“I’m not sure if I should even say this, but are you insane? Have you lost your mind?”
Even though he was my friend, I was still the scion of a great noble house, while Erwin was a commoner.
I’d always sensed that he was careful around me, whether he realized it or not.
For even Erwin to speak so bluntly meant he was truly furious.
“Why not just leak that our numbers aren’t that high? That might work better.”
“That’s even worse.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve already racked up so many victories. They probably think we’ve got a pretty sizable force here already. If they find out our numbers are low? I guarantee they’ll assume it’s a trick—not the truth, but a ploy to lure them in and disrupt their overall plan if they rush us.”
The forces we had amounted to a battalion at best, even if we stretched it.
But Erwin had demonstrated combat power equivalent to a regiment—no, a brigade—with that battalion.
As a result, he’d inflicted casualties on every Koenihesen unit in the area.
The problem was that this made them view us not as mere stragglers, but as a well-organized remnant force of significant size. In other words, they wouldn’t make hasty bets against us.
“We still have time before they reach their offensive endpoint. To steal that from them, we need to force an overall change—no, a disruption—in their operations. And for that, we need bait they can’t ignore.”
“...”
“Be honest, Erwin. You know it too. The fact that I’m the Supreme Commander’s son will drive them even crazier than some small band of stragglers.”
“Damn it. Can’t argue with that.”
Our goal—mine and Erwin’s—was clear: topple the Koenihesen forces here.
As I’d said before, we didn’t want to just trip them up. We wanted to sever their ankle entirely.
To do that, we had to ruin their necessary concentration of forces from their perspective.
For example, by devouring the troops they’d earmarked for the front lines once they arrived.
Forcing them to pull units from the front to deal with it.
And through that, throwing their entire plan into disarray!
“But Richi, think of it the other way. Everyone here becomes that much more endangered. Once the Koenihesen learn you’re here, they’ll do anything to capture you.”
“That’s exactly what I want. To make them advance their own offensive endpoint.”
“The problem is these soldiers might not welcome that.”
...Ha. I hadn’t considered that. Now that he mentioned it, yeah.
From our allies’ perspective far off, pulling enemy reinforcements away from the front was great news.
But for those of us trapped here with them right now, it was inviting hell itself.
A sigh escaped me naturally. Was it the weight of having to choose? No, not that.
The choice was already made. That’s why I felt this way.
“If we use bait, our casualties here will spike dramatically.”
“It’ll be tough for the ones who thought they’d just survived.”
“But if we don’t, more allies on the other side will bleed.”
“...In the end, it’s a mission we have no choice but to carry out.”
This was why I hated being a soldier. Having to weigh human lives so casually.
You shouldn’t disregard lives, but the nature of war always made it feel trivial.
“But no matter how I look at it, the losses will be too great...”
“We’re the ones who need to step up. If those enemy reserves behind them reach the front, our allies will be in an even worse spot. We have to wreck everything before that.”
Erwin finally nodded in agreement with my words.
“Then we quietly release those Koenihesen prisoners we captured earlier and slip them the intel...”
“Hold on, Richi.”
I turned to see Arg standing behind me with her arms crossed.
Wondering what was up, I looked at her, and she stepped closer to continue.
“If you’re really volunteering as bait, I want in too.”
“What?”
Wait, what was this? Why would she step up?
“Lady Ariete? There’s no need for you to...”
“You’re planning to wag your tail and lure the Koenihesen, right, Captain? Then two baits are better than one. Better to mix in a fragrant woman than some stinky man with his questionable odor.”
Meaning, men on the battlefield naturally lost their heads over women—perfect bait.
To say something like that so casually. What an incredible woman.
“It’s true that being the Victory Duke’s daughter would make you an even more irresistible lure...”
Erwin said that, then suddenly glanced my way. What? Why was he checking with me all of a sudden?
Like he was asking a guardian to sign off on surgery?
“Uh, first things first, you two should hash out your thoughts.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Hey, Erwin! Where are you going?!”
“So.”
Arg grabbed my hand and spun me toward her.
“You’re okay with me joining, right?”
“You don’t need my permission for that.”
“I do. I’m your adjutant, and if I went off on my own, you’d find some way to stop me from ever doing it. Plus, to everyone else here, we’re already... that kind of couple.”
I let out a groan at Arg’s words.
One thing I hadn’t anticipated: most people here had already assumed things about me and Arg.
Even Erwin was like, “Sort out your lovers’ quarrel yourselves!” and bailing.
It didn’t feel bad, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled either. We hadn’t even started yet.
“...This isn’t just a little dangerous. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do.”
“It’s not just spreading rumors. We’ll have to head right to the front lines, get chased to the brink, and advertise that the Victory Duke’s daughter is right here.”
“I don’t hate the attention that much.”
“We might have to clash with the enemy and fight.”
“I’m in the Officer Department, but also the Knight Department. My swordsmanship is better than yours, Richi.”
She answered so smoothly that I felt like an idiot for trying to dissuade her.
Two baits wouldn’t hurt. It’d probably be more effective.
But I was a man, and Arg was a woman. This wasn’t some classic gender issue.
It was... damn it, hell. I didn’t want to put it into words.
“If, just if by some tiny chance we get captured...”
“I’d face something unspeakable as a woman. Don’t worry. If it looks like I’m caught, I’ll kill myself right away.”
“Hey, Ariete! Don’t say that so lightly...!”
My voice rose without thinking. I swallowed a groan and grabbed her shoulders.
“...You don’t have to do this.”
“I don’t. But this way, I’ll match the caliber of one of the Empire’s finest men in the future. I don’t want you hearing crap like, ‘He chose to marry into the duke’s family for his career.’ I want you to hear, ‘That man found a woman worthy of him.’”
Arg’s resolve was ironclad. So much so that I couldn’t argue further.
And woven into that resolve was a reason I had no choice but to accept.
Clinging to her unconditionally here would make me a hypocrite for using myself as bait.
“Captain Erwin!”
Maybe sensing my resolve hardening, Arg called out loudly to Erwin.
He emerged with a sly look, like, “Guess it’s settled.”
What? No way, but why did it feel like they were in cahoots?
“While you two talked, I thought about the follow-up plan...”
“As expected, it’s best if both Arg and I go out there, right?”
“Yes. The enemy’s follow-up forces are already late and desperate for merits. If they hear about the Supreme Commander’s son and the Victory Duke’s daughter in the mix...”
I had to ask. It was too tempting to ignore. Merit was one thing, but their value as hostages was immense right now.
No matter how critical the operation, they could shove it aside for that.
Capturing the Supreme Commander’s son and the Victory Duke’s daughter—what a blow to Imperial morale!
“Then we just need to form the lure unit...”
“Let’s call for volunteers first. Better than forcing anyone.”
I worried how many would step up for such a dangerous mission.
It concerned me a bit. Wanting to live was natural, not wrong.
“Unit formation complete, Richi.”
“...Already?”
Wait, just like that? And quite a few, too?
Stunned by Enter’s words, I looked at the soldiers, who smiled back at me.
“You’re the division commander’s little brother—we have to protect you!”
“We’re good at fighting, but even better at running!”
“Kuhahaha!”
First off, the 1st Cavalry Division guys stood out.
Harvesting the fruits of my brother’s seeds felt a little off.
“We can’t send the Supreme Commander’s son out alone.”
“Our absent commanders would insist on this too.”
Then the infantry who’d joined us recently.
This felt like Father’s arrangements. He deserved the reputation as a benevolent leader.
“We’ll handle Lady Ariete.”
Finally, knights from each unit. They’d move with Arg.
“I’ll lead the reserves and stand by, just in case.”
“Thanks. But remember, Erwin—Arg and I aren’t supposed to win. We have to lose. And not just lose badly—we have to lose smart. Don’t get anxious and send support too soon.”
“Don’t worry—just come back in one piece. We need at least that much for the division commander to go easy on us.”
As if my brother would brutalize his men over me getting a little hurt. What a worrywart.
Alright, let’s go! Time to hook those Koenihesen bastards!
If we succeed, we can pin them down here.
And maybe even end this damned summer offensive even sooner!