Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Checkmate
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The soldiers of Ballast began showing bizarre behavior.
Three times a day, they approached with shields raised, set fire to the ground, and then unleashed a barrage of fire arrows toward the camp.
This eccentricity had Tetora's nerves frayed to the limit.
It was because Als's intentions remained utterly inscrutable.
'What is it? Are they pulling back their forces, perhaps?'
She considered it might be a feint. The smoke obscuring vision and the fire arrows could all be a ruse.
They might be staging flashy diversions to secretly withdraw their troops.
'But if so, where did they withdraw them to?'
The only plausible option was to ambush and devour the detached units patrolling the outskirts.
Certainly, if those detachments were ambushed and wiped out, it would cause considerable trouble, but countermeasures were in place.
The detachments operated independently with solid command structures, capable of handling situations on their own without Tetora issuing orders.
Moreover, with forces dispersed, they couldn't be wiped out in a single sweep even if ambushed.
'Above all, our intelligence network is robust. If they've pulled out troops, we'll detect it immediately.'
The only place without intelligence coverage was this Sadban mountain range. Or more accurately, it was under enemy control.
"...It will be fine. Even if the enemy tries to bypass with their forces, they can't evade our intelligence network. You needn't worry on that front."
It was a briefing from Jack Walter that seemed to mirror Tetora's own thoughts exactly.
Tetora found it immensely irritating and unpleasant.
It made her feel as though she were thinking no differently from this mere underling.
"So our army has no issues just holding position like this. Thanks to the provisions plundered and transported here, we still have a full month's worth of supplies."
"...Shut up."
"Excuse me?"
"I said be quiet."
"Ah.... Yes, ma'am!"
Tetora sensed it on instinct.
There was definitely something more.
Yet she couldn't fathom what it was, stirring a sense of unease.
'Just in case, maybe I should reposition some of the outer detachments.'
It was an action born of needless fear, but Tetora decided not to ignore her instincts.
'Yes, this is insurance. Just insurance. Absolutely not because I'm scared of that bastard!'
She resolved to recall 10,000 from the detachments to break one segment of the encirclement the enemy had set up to the east, west, south, and north.
Thus, Tetora opted to contact the outer detachments via carrier pigeons.
Six birds took flight simultaneously.
Carrier pigeons were remarkably swift as a communication method.
Before telecommunications were developed, they were unrivaled. Even after, they remained in use.
Records showed frequent use even in the First and Second World Wars.
However, speed notwithstanding, they weren't a stable means of communication. Being reliant on animals, too many variables were at play.
They could get lost and released into the wild, or fall prey to other animals.
The same fate befell Tetora's pigeons.
Pew pew!
Eonia, who had been constantly watching the skies, swiftly loosed two arrows, downing birds rising from the western camp.
She then felled one more at a distance of at least 400 meters, bringing her total to three.
"Hoo...!"
Under Als's orders, Eonia had been tracking the pigeons' paths and now claimed a crucial tally of three downed at the critical moment.
The remaining three met similar ends.
The areas around this mountain range were dominated by Ballast's intelligence units.
Among them was Crossing's special intelligence detachment, borrowed by Als from Juras on the day the operation was planned—he'd ordered Anton to procure them.
Their specialty was information warfare, including intercepting carrier pigeons.
Having monitored pigeon movements for days, they had set traps throughout the mountains.
One pigeon, spotting appetizing bait, forgot its mission and swooped down to seize it.
It met its end ensnared in a trap.
The last one's fate was even more wretched.
It became prey for raptors released by the intelligence unit and died miserably.
Threatened by these predators, the remaining one fled in terror, forgetting its duty entirely.
Hearing the report, Als let out a sigh of relief.
'Good thing. It would've been quite problematic if information leaked....'
Als looked at Eonia with admiration.
"Well done, Eo. If you hadn't taken down half of them, it might've been dangerous."
"It was nothing."
"Nothing? It was impossible without you."
"...."
Als's gaze upon Eonia brimmed with affection. Ever since realizing his feelings for her, that look had intensified.
Eonia couldn't possibly miss it.
"More importantly.... The enemy is sharper than expected."
Als was checking the message from a downed pigeon pierced by an arrow.
"Taking action even without grasping the operation's true nature."
His mouth went dry, and he swallowed hard.
"We might be shorter on time than thought. We need results soon...."
At that moment, Als maintained outward calm but was inwardly on pins and needles.
This operation was ultimately one left to chance.
Failure was a real possibility.
*
*
*
The bizarre fire attacks continued relentlessly.
It was on the fourth day.
Sophia Veron returned in tatters from civilian rescue operations.
Evidently dissatisfied with the pointless fire assaults, she was visibly grumpy.
"...Ilrain, it's time you explained. What on earth are you aiming for?!"
Having waged fierce psychological warfare with enemy detachments these past few days, Sophia looked thoroughly worn out.
At her blunt complaint, the other officers subtly nodded in agreement.
Olaf chimed in with a nod.
"She's right. Time to explain, isn't it? The soldiers are questioning this operation too."
I shook my head.
"Security is paramount for this operation. If even one spy learns its true intent, it'll all go up in smoke."
"Surely you can tell us at least?"
"...Fine, Sophia Veron. Since you're so openly dissatisfied, I'll inform you. Once you accept it, the others will follow suit. Catch your breath, then come to my tent. I'll be waiting."
Sophia nodded and left the command tent.
I clutched my throbbing head.
Stress from the operation, plus distrustful stares from the officers.
Feeling nauseous, I handed the command tent to Olaf and stepped outside.
I hurried to a secluded spot.
"Ughhh...!"
Breakfast came back up.
'Damn, I didn't realize an uncertain operation would bring this much pressure.'
The reason I hadn't told even the officers was simple: uncertainty.
If they learned all our actions served this uncertain plan, confusion and distrust would spread. That's why not even close aides like Olaf knew.
Until now, I'd only used tactics and strategies with certainty. They had basis, and proper execution guaranteed success—no issues.
But not this time.
Regardless of my will, if luck didn't favor us, the operation failed.
I preferred turning the battlefield into a chessboard I controlled; this was a different path entirely.
With thousands of soldiers' lives—and civilians'—hanging on an uncertain operation, I couldn't stomach it.
After emptying my guts, I returned to my tent.
'If only Ymir were here right now....'
Just then.
"Lord Als, are you alright?"
Worried about my poor complexion, she'd followed me.
A pheasant in lieu of a crane. I let her into the tent.
Then, staring at her, I patted the bed.
"Sit here."
"Pardon? ...Pardon!?"
Eo flushed red like a well-boiled shrimp, at a loss.
I forced her onto the bed and laid my head in her lap.
No softness like Ymir's, but it worked. My pounding head eased.
"Just like this for a bit."
"Y-you can stay like that as long as you want."
Eo placed her trembling hand on my head.
I turned my face into her abdomen. Drowsiness crept in.
As I was healing thus.
"...Well, isn't this something. Am I interrupting?"
Sophia, arriving at my tent, sighed in exasperation.
"You're not interrupting.... But I wish you'd come a little slower."
"Good grief, talking while lying down is fine."
Sophia sat in a nearby chair.
Accepting her kindness, I explained the operation from my prone position.
Her expression shifted constantly as I spoke.
"Is that... even possible?"
"No idea. But I thought it was our only option. You know this war was a dead end by conventional tactics and strategy. To escape that, we had to gamble like this."
"Don't tell me that massive earth wall was...!?"
"To raise the odds of the gamble. The wall, the fires, the fire arrows—all of it. If no effect, we retreat. That's in ten days."
The protagonist and saintess's coup forces in the south were stirring; time was short.
Sophia eventually nodded.
"I get why security was essential. An absurd operation like this... no, is it even an operation?"
"What's wrong, Professor Sophia? You're the one who said war isn't just man against man, but also against nature."
"Always had poor class attitude, yet you remember every lesson verbatim."
After this meeting, Sophia voiced no more complaints against me.
She even took the initiative to soothe the other officers' discontent.
Seeing that, I thought how nice it'd be if Sophia joined my ranks.
Above-average ability, and crucially, the affinity and subordinate management skills I lacked.
Well, given her status and position, recruitment was unlikely.
*
*
*
Ten days remaining.
In this standoff—Als anxious, Tetora plagued by inexplicable unease—the incident occurred.
On the very first day.
Splash!
Tetora rose from the bathtub. Lately, she'd taken to entrusting her body to it often.
Dust kept settling, clothes kept getting filthy.
Due to Ballast forces' relentless fires and fire arrows.
Abundant water allowed her baths to wash it off, but rank-and-file soldiers couldn't. Water was plentiful, but not for group bathing.
Tetora frowned at her maids' faces as they wiped her body.
"Get your filthy hands off!"
Snatching a towel, Tetora began drying herself.
Then.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
A maid started coughing. Enraged at her freshly bathed body getting dirtied, Tetora punched her face—thwack!
Seeing sweat and grime on her fist, her fury escalated into indiscriminate beating.
"Damn it!"
Turning the maid into a bloody mess, she submerged in the tub again.
The other maids trembled, eyes darting to her mood.
Then.
"L-Lady Tetora!"
Walter rushed in, face pale with shock.
So flustered, he showed no reaction to her nudity or the battered maid. As if no time to care.
At that sight, Tetora's lingering unease peaked.
"What's the fuss?"
"The soldiers... the soldiers are collapsing one by one!"
"...What?"
Tetora could only gape in disbelief.
I couldn't help but cheer inwardly.
"Checkmate!"
It was after the report of sick in the enemy camp. Sophia sighed in relief too.
Dorothy and Meisen likewise. General Ramstrong ground his teeth, declaring the counterattack's hour had come.
Others, failing to follow, looked baffled.
"What? Explain before celebrating."
Olaf asked blankly.
I decided on a simple explanation.
"Olaf, as you know, the Marolin trees native to Ballast bloom red flowers."
"Y-yeah."
"Harmless usually, but under certain conditions, they mutate and cause harm—the Marolin Plague, a contagious pneumonia."
Ash's eyes widened at that.
"Marolin Plague!?"
Lisitea subtly probed his reaction.
"What's that, Ash? Ring any bells?"
"N-no, just."
Unable to admit it was knowledge picked up to woo girls, he brushed it off, then shifted expression to address me.
"But Als, I thought Marolin Plague epidemics hit in summer. Why now?"
"Not summer itself—high temperatures cause outbreaks. Same difference, really."
"Temperatures...?"
Marolin flowers double as fruit, decaying rather than withering. Come easy-rotting summer, they emit toxic fumes with stench, plaguing people. Think ginkgo trees.
"But it's still spring. Not that hot yet."
"Exactly. That's why those measures were needed."
What I'd done boiled down to two things. Building an earthen wall mimicking mountain height to the south.
And the fire attacks.
"First, the southern earth wall. Pouring over 20,000 manpower and vast resources into that mock mountain...."
"Mock mountain?"
Lutger furrowed his brow.
"Yes, it's not really a fortress. Just a barrier to block wind."
That's why an enemy attack on day one could've derailed plans. That wall was key.
"This terrain is a natural fortress. Mid-slope plateau ringed by highlands to east, west, north. I just sealed the one open gap—the south. Now this plateau basin is fully enclosed east, west, south, north."
"Ahhh...!?"
Olaf and Lutger gasped in unison.
"Turning basin, air circulation slows. The southern vent, vital for airflow, blocked by the mock mountain."
Plus, last year for slash-and-burn farming, trees were felled and weeds burned entirely from this mid-slope plateau.
Making it the hottest zone in Sadban mountains from solar radiation. Baseline 3-4 degrees warmer than elsewhere.
"Then the fires too...."
"Similar reason. Also for deception."
Silence blanketed the command center. No one had anticipated this operation.
"But that doesn't guarantee infection, right?"
Aegert spoke up.
"Back when plague hit our village, I was fine!"
"True, possible."
Immunity varies wildly.
For instance, Ballast natives aren't so vulnerable to Marolin Plague.
Whether genetic or experiential immunity, severe cases are rare among them.
Compared to outsiders.
Typically, severe cases hit folk from other regions. Ash warning a Toonkai girl about it during last hunt made sense.
Western soldiers lack any such immunity.
Isolated from the continent over a century.
"Even so, infection odds low. Success rate around 50%, hence not telling. "
"50% is worth trying, no?"
"Sluggish circulation keeps mutated pollen lingering in enemy camp. Once one infected, no more reliance on pollen."
Smoke and dust from fires contributed too.
Burning trash and debris deliberately dirtied the air. To induce bronchial issues and coughing, accelerating spread.
"Scouts confirmed the index case. Plague will sweep their camp in no time."
Marolin Plague ravages bronchi; over 60% develop severe pneumonia. Highly contagious, decent fatality.
Once onset, fever and breathing trouble sideline the soldier instantly.
"Checkmate. They can't sit idle. To escape, they'll attack to carve an exit. We'll repel them."
Forcing the enemy—dug in behind fortifications—into attack.
That was the operation's true aim.