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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The meeting with Count Jacques Pedro was a success. Though I seemed to have caused a strange misunderstanding with Lady Yekaterina, I managed to smooth things over.
Count Pedro promised his full support for the ‘project’ I had in mind and said he would contact the administrators of each city to increase the intensity of the troops’ training. To survive the war that would break out in five years, Bialystok needed more troops, more skilled soldiers, and stronger fortifications.
As expected of a former soldier, he didn’t dismiss my words about a great war breaking out within five years.
‘The north absolutely must hold. Unlike the northeast, we can’t establish a defensive line there.’
Now that I had Bialystok’s honorary lord on my side, I had a little more leeway.
Time passed.
It had already been two months since the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion conducted its first combat jump. During that time, the battalion’s structure, which had been temporary, was finalized.
Despite the harsh training, even by Ukrainian army standards, all 160 initial members of the battalion were officially recognized without a single dropout. The 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion was fully staffed, with little change from the temporary organization Sonya Zeppelin had initially assigned.
Also, the two airships stored at Mchensk Fortress were moved to the battalion barracks. It seemed there had been plans to relocate the battalion, but the Lieutenant Colonel had decided to stay.
While the barracks were being expanded and new buildings were being constructed, the battalion continued its training.
Now, not only the combat units but also the support units, including personnel administration, from privates and non-commissioned officers to officers, could parachute with their eyes closed.
How many jumps today?
Three.
Fewer than I thought. Let’s finish quickly and go eat.
The soldiers were now casually having such conversations.
This change wasn’t limited to the members of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion. The Education and Technology Research Center, which was collaborating on the joint project, was also full of enthusiasm.
The officers and non-commissioned officers dispatched from there began suggesting ideas applicable to the battalion. Among them was something like a ‘parachute.’ It was put on hold because it didn’t seem very useful at the moment.
The currently deployed airship, ‘Diabola,’ wasn’t capable of high-altitude operations. While it could ascend high enough for jumps, it wasn’t quite high enough for parachute deployment. Hand-deployed parachutes generally needed an altitude of 150 meters to function, but the Diabola’s maximum altitude was 60 meters.
‘We’ll need them someday. I should tell them to keep them safe, not discard them.’
Currently, we were only operating at altitudes of a few dozen meters, but in the early stages of the Great War, airships would also be used as strategic bombers, dropping bombs from hundreds of meters in the air.
Count Ferdinand’s airships would continue to be developed, so new personal equipment and weapons needed to be developed accordingly. Parachutes would definitely be classified as one such piece of equipment.
‘Things are progressing steadily.’
I was quite satisfied. At this rate, it seemed we could even wage a war of attrition against the Soviet Empire. However, the question of why Ukraine was ultimately defeated still lingered.
‘We’re jointly developing airships with the Reinhardt Empire, new elite units are being established and operated one after another, and the leadership is actively participating in the reforms…’
What on earth happened to Ukraine in those five years that it became a pushover nation, its entire territory overrun in less than a month? It seemed certain that something bad had happened, but I couldn’t say for sure.
‘It would be nice to have connections in agencies like the intelligence service…’
I closed my scribbled notebook. But before that, I had to finish the mission at hand.
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“Roxanna, are you here?”
“Yes, Captain!”
The airship hangar at the back of the battalion grounds. It was crude compared to modern hangars, but its arched roof gave it a rather impressive appearance.
“You’re really interested in airships, aren’t you?”
Sergeant Roxanna Ellim usually spent her time here, looking at the airships, if she wasn’t in the 1st Company barracks.
At my call, Roxanna turned her head and replied, her pink hair fluttering in the wind.
“Hehe… It’s like something out of a dream…”
“It’s never bad to learn in advance. Who knows, Sergeant Roxanna, you might become a pilot.”
“Gasp?! Could I really pilot it?”
“There’s no reason why not.”
Ferdinand’s airship was very similar to real-world airships, which used buoyancy generated by air in gasbags and were powered by internal combustion engines. But the internal combustion engine was only used as an auxiliary control device, with magic as the primary means of propulsion.
A special crystal called a ‘Marble’ acted as a kind of engine. And this Marble was an inferior version of the ‘Pearl of Premonition’ that was stolen from Belgorod Fortress. So, since magic was the primary power source, there was no reason why Roxanna, a 1st-class Green Mage, couldn’t do it.
“That would be amazing.”
“How’s your health?”
“As you can see, I’m fully prepared! Uncle Edward said I’ll be fine for a while.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Roxanna said with a smile. Edward Brecht, the attending physician, was staying at an inn in Stout Village, near the battalion. He was a personal physician assigned by her father and had even come this far to treat and care for Roxanna. He was a truly dedicated professional. I was indebted to him in many ways, so I wondered if I should treat him to a meal sometime.
“Actually, as you suggested, Captain, I’ve been getting close to the pilot and practicing the controls.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been frequenting the hangar recently.”
“It’s fun. And since I’m a Green Mage, I’m used to flying in the sky, riding the wind.”
Roxanna Ellim was a soldier who constantly sought to prove her worth. The other battalion members, who had initially been skeptical, now acknowledged her passion. Because she looked much weaker than others, and was actually ill, it had a positive effect, motivating other soldiers and non-commissioned officers to work even harder.
“But what brings you here?”
“Oh, no particular reason. We’re deploying in a few hours, so I thought I’d check in with you face-to-face.”
“…You get nervous too, Captain?”
Roxanna asked with a curious expression at my words. Well… it wasn’t the first time I’d heard that, so I replied casually. It was all because of my personality. My personality.
“I’m not some mechanical golem.”
“But you always talk as if you know everything, Captain.”
“Ah.”
The reason I could face actual combat and training more calmly than others wasn’t because I was a veteran Hearts of Iron player. From when I was commissioned as a 24-year-old to when I was discharged at 32, I had been in countless real battles and operations. Some were special operations like this, others resembled all-out war.
I was already accustomed to infiltrating from the sky, killing people, and pulling the trigger. The only difference was that the gun in my hand had changed from an HK automatic rifle to a fictional lever-action rifle.
“But I do get nervous. Not for myself… but because I’m worried you all might get hurt or killed.”
Why had Sonya Zeppelin included the 72-hour survival training in the snowy mountains? Why had she ordered the suppression of the bandits holed up in the fortified village after two weeks of parachute training? It was because that was the core of the upcoming operation.
Sonya Zeppelin’s casual magic bombardment would turn into a bombardment intended to kill. The enemy wouldn’t be ragtag bandits harassing unarmed villagers, but soldiers of the Soviet Empire, one of the most powerful armies in the world. This alone drastically increased the operation’s difficulty.
Roxanna fell silent at my words. Death. Perhaps because, among the unit members, she was the one most familiar with death, she understood what I was trying to say. She held her breath for a moment, then added in a solemn voice,
“We have to prevent that.”
“I agree.”
I followed her gaze towards the airship. Beyond the sky, the shimmering sunset was gradually fading.
Operation Night of the Empire.
Time until deployment: approximately five hours.
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