Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Hasten the End of the Offensive
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Heres, commander of the Imperial Army's 9th Infantry Division. Just a few days ago, he had barely managed to defend against Koenihesen's devastating blow, gasping for breath.
He was one of those who had quietly hoped Koenihesen was weakening, whether he admitted it or not.
He wasn't some greenhorn ignorant of war. On the contrary, Heres was a veteran among veterans.
Even so, he'd harbored that thought deep down because Koenihesen had taken such a beating from the Empire.
Koenihesen's overwhelming offensive that had pushed back the Empire was a tale from decades ago.
After Field Marshal Joseph Reinhardt stepped in, all their assaults had come to naught.
Supreme Commander William and his subordinates who followed had gradually turned the tide, and lately, the Empire had switched to the offensive, relentlessly hammering Koenihesen.
Even so, overestimating Koenihesen now would be the mark of a defeatist steeped in pessimism.
The enemy wasn't completely broke yet, but they'd lost a hefty sum.
To avoid total ruin, it was time to regroup what was left and plan for the future.
'That's what I thought. Foolish. No, I was only thinking in our terms.'
Beyond the military—no, beyond the Empire itself—all expectations had been shattered. Koenihesen were proper madmen.
"Stakes? Future? Yeah, fuck off with that. We're either taking it all or losing it all."
Koenihesen had mobilized their entire arsenal. Their silence until now had been building to this very moment.
The elite veterans and mages they'd hoarded, the massive stockpiles of supplies and funds—it was all poured into one final strike.
Rationally, this was utter insanity.
Push like this and what? Would the Empire fail to hold and surrender the capital? Or cry uncle and capitulate?
Not a chance. The Empire might give ground at first—what the hell?—but after that? No way.
They'd cede some territory, the front lines would buckle a bit, but that was it. The moment they reached the offensive endpoint, Koenihesen would be the ones sweating, wondering if they'd get pushed back.
Either way, Koenihesen had launched the attack and racked up significant gains for now.
The fact that the Allied Forces Supreme Commander had sent such an order was proof enough of the crisis.
"They've lost their reason. Do not get swept up in their madness."
Madness. Was there a better word for this situation?
Pouring everything into an all-or-nothing gamble where victory barely breaks even and defeat spells doom. Crazy bastards.
But their momentum was undeniably ferocious, forcing the Imperial forces into constant retreat.
However—
"Division Commander, sir. Report from the front lines. The enemy's offensive has suddenly weakened noticeably."
"...Weakened?"
His first thought was that they might be up to some trick.
Or perhaps pulling back troops to strike at the Imperial rear.
But those possibilities soon vanished from his mind.
'The secondary defense line is still solid enough to prevent a rear strike. And they're not flush enough to spare troops for feints.'
Experience told him otherwise. To Heres, Koenihesen had hit their limit.
Their assault was still fierce, but they had no reserves. One slip, and they'd collapse entirely.
They needed flawless troop management—pulling forces willy-nilly wasn't an option.
His thoughts reached that point, and instinct led him to one conclusion.
'Something's gone wrong. Bad enough that they have to yank frontline troops urgently.'
Koenihesen were rabid dogs, slobbering yellow foam as they tore at the Empire.
Fighting them head-on, biting and clawing, was idiotic. Wait until they tired, then bind their limbs and toss them in the fire.
But what if that rabid dog suddenly took a hard hit to the head and snapped out of it?
If it looked around, realizing its peril, you could just stroll up and kick it without worry.
Heres immediately summoned his chief of staff and the entire division staff.
"Which unit is prepping a counterattack from our rear right now?"
"The 1st Cavalry Division, as far as I know. Reserves are the 24th Infantry Division..."
"Order all reserves forward immediately. And contact the 1st Cavalry—tell them revenge is at hand."
"Division Commander? What's this all of a sudden...?"
Something had definitely disrupted their plans. He couldn't let this golden opportunity slip.
Heres relayed his assessment to his staff and had it shared with the other divisions.
It was certain. Somewhere beyond them, on a front we couldn't hold—our forces were still there, not just disrupting their offensive but shattering its backbone.
Enough to make mighty Koenihesen clutch their chest, stagger, and pull troops in a panic.
'Whoever it is, if they make it back alive, they'll be the next war hero.'
Heres believed without doubt that the time for a grand counterattack was near.
"Yaaah!! Richi Reinhardt of the Reinhardts is here!"
"Grab him!!—"
Daytime routine: getting chased by stalker fans. If they catch me, I'm truly fucked.
"Richi! Some remnants of the 93rd Infantry Regiment just joined up. Roughly... 200 men?"
"Platoon Leader, sir. Part of the 173rd Engineer Battalion made it here. Shall I hold them in reserve?"
"Our regiment's warhorses are at their limit, Richi. We need alternatives."
"Troop numbers are up, so water consumption's rising. At this rate, it's dangerous. We need to..."
And at night, fuck. Something even worse than stalker fans awaited.
Winning was great, and remnants trickling in was welcome.
But every problem that came with it? I had to handle them all.
"Fuck! Shiiit!—"
I finally understood why the brass lived with cigarettes, booze, and coffee perpetually in hand.
Handling this brutal workload without caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine was impossible.
The curses flowed naturally. Damn, I'm going insane. How the hell am I doing this sober?
"Quit whining. You're handling it just fine."
Ar, who was helping with my work, chuckled and kneaded my shoulders.
Oh yeah, right there. A bit harder—aaah!! Feels alive now. These past few days wrecked my shoulders into rocks; I nearly died. Thanks, Ar! You saved me!
"Richi. So, can I head back out for bait duty...?"
"Absolutely not."
This woman—did she approach just for that? Using such underhanded tactics.
I almost blurted out, "Sure, go ahead!" without thinking.
"Aw, why? I'm really okay now."
"You might be, but the others aren't. Sorry. End of discussion. No."
After finally pulling Ar back to camp, I'd done a debrief.
Through her knights and officers, I'd pinpointed the issues.
And one thing came up repeatedly—
"The Koenihesen bastards lost their minds when they saw a woman."
"They went berserk at the thought of sparing a high noble's daughter."
Horny mutts. No, even so, there are lines you don't cross.
Why uphold basic ethics in war? To brag about moral superiority? Bullshit.
It's to have a minimal shield when the enemy pulls that shit on us.
You start it first? Fine, we will too. Brace yourselves. If both sides go there, everyone loses. It just makes a hard war harder.
That's why we stick to ethics. You don't, we don't. Unspoken pact.
But Koenihesen crossed even that line. No backing down now, I guess. Explains why Grandfather beat the shit out of them.
Anyway, that's why Ar was off bait duty.
No point fueling the enemy's frenzy. Can't risk it on missions.
She says she's fine, but the soldiers with her aren't.
"...I'm aspiring to be a knight, you know. Telling me to stay off the battlefield stings a bit."
"What you're doing now is plenty, Ar. You're pulling your weight and more."
Truth be told, Ar was better suited for admin like me than knighthood.
Especially with people—she had a natural gift.
Chat with her a bit, and anyone would want to befriend her.
Even those stiff sergeants got along great with her.
Despite the awkward knight-officer dynamic. Or the noble-commoner gap. This proved where she truly belonged.
"Cold truth, Ar: you're the type for work like mine, not knighthood."
"I know you mean well, but it hurts this knight-aspirant."
"Sorry. Think positive, yeah?"
To my earnest advice, Ar nodded, saying she'd consider it.
Three weeks. Three weeks since Koenihesen's grand offensive began.
Erwin's sabotage of their plans should be showing effects by now.
Our forces must have noticed something off and started prepping counterattacks.
"Richi. This time's gonna be rough for real."
The problem was, it also meant we faced even fiercer assaults from the enemy.