And Then, To War…

Viewpoint: Harris — Lumoria Kingdom, Yōntsu Territory, Private Knight Corps, Company Commander

“Hmmm… ingenuity, huh.”

After confirming that Viscount Assen said that and put a hand to his chin, I began explaining while pointing at the map.

“We have confirmed that there are no physical or magical traps around the area where we are currently deployed. So, the moment the battle begins, we will advance the army slowly, up to the very edge of the safe zone.”

“Why slowly? If you have confirmed there are no traps, wouldn’t it be fine to advance all at once?”

“No. This advance is less about attacking them, and more about seeing how they respond.”

“Hmmm… what do you mean?”

Seeing Viscount Assen tilt his head, I nearly gave him an indulgent look. His interjections were extremely helpful for the explanation, but it was a bit painful that the people around us were looking at Viscount Assen with warm, amused eyes.

“If they have no traps at all, and they charge us the moment the battle begins, then—just in case—we will charge as well, while adjusting so we can make the battlefield a place where safety has been secured. But if they have set traps, they will not charge from the start. They will move in a way that guides us into their traps.”

“I see… that is certainly true.”

“However, we will stop our advance at the very edge of the line where we can still guarantee safety. In that case, the enemy will either try to lure us to step in sooner, or decide the traps have been seen through and charge. They will take one of those two actions.”

Not only Viscount Assen, but everyone in the tent listened to my continued explanation as I pointed at the map. For the moment, no one seemed to have objections.

“If the enemy shows no movement, then we will have the mage unit launch a simultaneous strike and burn away the grassland in front of us.”

“Harris-dono, it’s impossible to burn an area wide enough for a fire attack across such a vast grassland…”

The captain of the mage unit spoke with a troubled expression at my proposal.

“Ah, don’t worry. I don’t want a fire attack. One of the aims is to blow away any traps hidden in the grassland.”

“You’re going to have the mage unit expend spells just to destroy traps that we don’t even know for certain exist!?”

The mage captain cried out, eyes wide.

I fully understood how he felt.

Magic was the trump card that decided the outcome of war. Firing it into the ground before the battle even began was, by any standard, an unthinkable choice.

“Yes. Those skilled in defensive magic will be preserved, but… those who excel at offensive magic should go all out.”

When I spoke with a smile, the mage captain went blank with shock.

“I judged that on this battlefield, the enemy is extremely confident. Whether that confidence comes from a plan or a trap, we still don’t know… but we need to exceed the enemy’s expectations.”

“And that means making our precious mage unit burn the ground?”

“It is a strike that leaves an impression: we know there are traps, and we can see through your tactics. It will not be wasted. The ground will be damaged by the magic, but if we remove the risk of traps, the cavalry will be able to perform at full strength.”

“…”

He likely could not accept being told to cast magic to ‘till’ the earth… but I needed him to agree. For this battlefield, issuing an order that crushed him from above would likely be a bad move.

“…Understood. Then, after we reach our designated position, if the enemy shows no movement, we will launch a simultaneous strike toward the grassland in front of us.”

However, as if to erase my concern, the mage captain accepted my proposal. I was very grateful, but… I was still in the middle of making proposals, so this plan was not finalized yet, you know?

“Thank you. After the volley, have the mage unit withdraw back to the formation, leaving only the defensive-magic users behind. At that point, I expect the enemy to move, but if they still show no movement, we will pull back the main force once and wait for the mage unit’s mana to recover. Though, I am sure the enemy will move.”

“Why? If the traps are gone, wouldn’t the enemy be unable to move carelessly?”

Viscount Assen asked with a tilted head. This man… he didn’t seem to be doing it on purpose, but he asked for explanations at exquisitely perfect timing. I even felt that the other commanders’ view of Viscount Assen was starting to change a little.

“Precisely because the traps are gone. We will have just fired magic at maximum output. If their trump card is traps, then ours is the mage unit… and they have no reason not to seize the opening while it is exhausted. That is the other aim of using flashy magic to burn away the grassland.”

“I see… but wouldn’t the enemy be unable to tell whether the mage unit has truly spent all its mana? Wouldn’t they instead brace themselves, wary of the next spell?”

“Even if the enemy has remained here for a month, they are still invaders. They will not be able to resupply freely within Yōntsu Territory. In other words, they basically do not want a long battle… so if an opening appears, they will bite. To show that opening, we need the mage unit to burn the grassland with everything they have.”

“I see… so you have read the enemy’s thinking carefully. As expected of the hero Harris.”

Viscount Assen nodded as he spoke, apparently satisfied.

“…With respect, I am not a man who deserves to be called a hero. I am only an old soldier.”

I had experienced many battlefields, but I had never accomplished anything worthy of being called a hero. Well, I would not deny that I was experienced.

However… this enemy, frankly, was unreadable.

How they appeared here, what they were aiming for… it would not be wrong to say I had no idea. The idea that they wanted a short decisive battle was also only a hope… but I could not believe they would ignore an opening and refuse to charge.

If they showed no will to attack, then we could simply withdraw into our formation. If the battle dragged on here, the Lumoria national army would move. And once the national army moved, the enemy would have no chance. The difference in numbers was far too great.

Well, even if they defeated us, their end would be the same… and yet, I truly could not read their goal. Could it be they were confident of winning even against the Lumoria national army…?

An unpleasant thought crossed my mind, and my expression stiffened for an instant.

Perhaps noticing my subtle expression, Lord Karmos spoke.

“If the enemy bites, what will you do? Will you deploy the cavalry?”

“If the enemy takes the bait, we will first receive their attack, then gradually fall back little by little. Once we have withdrawn to a certain point, we will have the cavalry we held in the rear charge to wrap around the enemy’s flank, then break through behind them. The main force and the cavalry will then pinch the enemy vanguard from both sides and annihilate it.”

“Drawing them in means separating the unit that charged from the enemy main force, correct?”

At Lord Karmos’s words, I nodded.

“Yes. If we can reap their charging unit, we will gain the advantage all at once.”

“…It seems a decent plan. What do you all think? Does anyone have other proposals?”

Lord Karmos asked while sweeping his gaze across the commanders present. After a short time of each person speaking quietly with those around them, we heard responses that there were no objections.

“Then we will proceed with this war with Harris’s plan as the core.”

And so our direction was decided, and we began tightening the details—formation and coordination.

Now then… this battle… even after going this far with planning, it could not be said our prospects were good.

The method I proposed—drawing them in and annihilating them—would solve everything if we could pull it off, but this plan had another aim.

I did not intend to reveal it here, but by placing the cavalry in the rear and fighting while pulling back, we would make it easier, in an emergency, to let Lord Karmos and Viscount Assen escape.

Frankly, with equal numbers, what spoke loudest was plans and troop proficiency. And more than anything, the existence of a powerhouse who could sway the entire battle alone.

As for plans, the enemy, who prepared with this situation in mind, likely had the advantage. And the glimpse we had of the Einheria army’s proficiency… it was clearly several levels above ours. To begin with, we were a mixed force from two territories that had barely done any coordination training.

And that knight named Lynferia whom I spoke of before—she was an overwhelming powerhouse of the kind I had seen on battlefields a handful of times… she looked like the same sort of existence as them.

I had thought we might manage if we outnumbered them… but now, we were exactly equal…

I had already told Lord Karmos that winning this battle would be difficult. Viscount Assen personally joining the campaign was unexpected… but Lord Karmos had already steeled himself to take responsibility for defeat.

My duty was to bring Lord Karmos and Viscount Assen back safely from this battlefield… and to have them carry back as much information as possible, so they could claim at least some merit.

Even after confirming with the capital, we could not identify anything—neither the country called Einheria, nor the king named Fels, nor the knight named Lynferia.

If there was one ray of hope, it was that. If we could draw out information while conducting delaying actions until the Lumoria national army arrived, then even if we withdrew from the battlefield, Lord Karmos should not be punished.

For that reason as well, we could not afford heavy losses in the opening phase. Defense-oriented, with the cavalry preserved… the aim was the same as Sir Lumbart’s “win by defending” proposal, so I was glad it was not completely rejected in that meeting.

All that remained, after the fine-grained coordination we were currently doing, was to deploy… and after issuing a final warning, begin the battle.

There was not much we could do… but at the very least, I wanted to keep the enemy nailed here for three weeks.

People might laugh at how backward that sounded, but it was probably the best course.

With that conviction in my chest, I reached the moment of battle… and I was made to understand.

That war, and the world itself, were things where injustice ran rampant.

“This… is impossible…”

Not long after contact, the words Sir Lumbart forced out overlapped with what was in my own heart.