"Verdi's unit has been split up?!"
"It appears we've lost contact due to an enemy surprise attack."
At the same time, Captain Aria was jolted awake by the sound of artillery fire.
She immediately saw the night sky lit up by flashes of magic, realizing that the enemy had launched a night assault.
"We don't even know the general location of Verdi's unit?"
"…We are currently attempting to establish communication."
But in the end, Captain Aria was unable to take any action.
Without knowing the whereabouts of Verdi Company, she couldn't carry out any counterattacks with artillery or gunfire.
If she recklessly fired back with magic, there was a high chance of hitting Verdi Company by mistake.
Even if she were to abandon them, the value of what Verdi Company was guarding was too great.
The spare weapons and ammunition, food supplies, and the medical and transport units were all with them.
The lifeline of this army was stationed there.
"Has there been any contact from Verdi? Get them to report their position!"
"We still can't communicate."
"…They're not dead, are they?"
It was already difficult to tell whether soldiers approaching her position were friend or foe, due to it being a night battle.
With their forces divided in this situation, Austin was unable to launch a proper counterattack.
"…Wait for now. Hold on until the reinforcements I requested from my father arrive."
"Understood."
After calling for reinforcements, Captain Aria decided to focus on creating a breakthrough.
Although the exact number of enemies in the darkness was unclear, the heavy gunfire still rained down on Aria Battalion.
The first priority was to deal with the enemy directly in front of them.
Captain Aria racked her brain in an attempt to come up with a way to rescue Verdi Company, but ultimately, there was nothing she could do without knowing the position of her allies.
Thus, Captain Aria could do nothing but grind her teeth and glare at the Sabbatian forces as they did whatever they pleased.
***
Meanwhile, in Verdi Company at the time…
"I expect the enemy will attempt to encircle us."
"Encircle us?"
With Warrant Officer Faris glaring at me, I explained the details of my rather reckless suggestion of charging toward the southwest, where the enemy was likely hiding.
"Based on the direction and range of the enemy's artillery fire, I suspect that the enemy is probably hiding on the back side of Dandelion Hill."
"What kind of terrain is 'Dandelion Hill?'"
"It's a hill that rises in the center of the plains. It's hard to see from here, but there's a large cliff behind it where 2-3 platoons could easily hide."
I drew a simple map on the ground to explain it to Verdi.
The hill is relatively long, stretching from the southwest to the northeast.
The cliff on the back side has a significant elevation change, and there's a gentle dirt slope beneath it.
The director told me that the hill was formed by a massive earthquake long before I was born.
"Likely, the enemy is shooting at us from the southwest part of this hill."
"…I see. Touri, you're from Noel, right? Are you familiar with the terrain around here?"
"Yes. Noel is a quiet village with not much to do but take walks."
I am confident that I am the most familiar with this area out of the 120 members of Verdi Company.
…Since I'm probably the only one from Noel.
"As for the way up this hill, it's possible to use either the southwest or northeast slopes. Any other areas are too steep to climb."
"Hmm…"
"So, if the enemy has divided their forces, it's likely that they have a formation in the northeast as well."
There are only those two slopes where one can climb up behind Dandelion Hill.
I doubt that those cruel Sabbatian soldiers will be satisfied with just a surprise bombardment and just let us go.
They likely have a formation in the northeast, ready to encircle and annihilate us.
"Assuming the enemy continues to encircle us, which area do you think will be the most vulnerable?"
"…"
"Is there any chance there's a place where the enemy might not surround us?"
"I see. Are you suggesting the idea of climbing Dandelion Hill to slip past the enemy's encirclement?"
I don't think the enemy will deploy soldiers all the way to the top of Dandelion Hill.
They wouldn't think that we would flee towards the hill from which the artillery fire is coming from.
In the first place, the back of the hill is a steep cliff, so it doesn't look like an escape route.
The enemy is likely ignoring the center of the hill and waiting for us in the plains below.
"We have the cover of night. The enemy isn't even targeting us directly with their artillery. In fact, they're still shelling the same spot even after we've fled."
"…"
"We should advance through an area that is not under enemy fire."
With that, I presented my opinion to Verdi.
…Now all I can do is pray that Verdi will believe in me.
"It's too dangerous, it's out of the question. A Chief Medic shouldn't interfere in our operations."
"…Warrant Officer Faris."
"Chief Medic Touri. What guarantee do we have that the enemy will act according to your prediction?"
Even after hearing my rationale for my plan, Warrant Officer Faris was still opposed.
His expression suggested he wanted to tell me to keep quiet.
"In the event of an ambush, we should act steadily without doing anything rash, Lieutenant."
"Warrant Officer Faris…"
"When people panic, they panic and often take irrational actions. Moving in the direction of the surprise attack just because it's where the attack came from is foolish. There's no need to take that girl's words seriously."
"…I'm just proposing a strategy. I'm confident that this plan is the best course of action."
"Your suggestion is full of assumptions and speculations. It sounds like an abstract theory, not practical advice. I suggest you make a more realistic proposal, Chief Medic."
Warrant Officer Faris dismissed my idea outright.
Well, I admit that this is a suggestion that's mixed with a lot of assumptions.
"Even if we climb the hill, what will you do after that? It's just going to trap us with no escape."
"That's fine. There's a wonderful slide that goes straight down to the bottom of the hill that any local would know about."
"…Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is, they always told us not to let small children use it. But rest assured, none of our soldiers would be too young for it."
"If you're okay with it, then I suppose that's fine."
But my intuition in these situations has never been wrong.
I believe that retreating over the hill is the safest option.
"Even if the enemy is spread out to the north, my unit can scout ahead and find a safe route. We don't need any fancy strategies in a real battle."
"As I said, the north is likely already surrounded by the enemy with no chance of escape."
"In that case, we just need to find a weak spot and break through."
"If everyone were as strong as Warrant Officer Faris, that would be possible. But unfortunately, my medical platoon lacks the experience and training to carry out an assault."
"That's a problem with your platoon's skill level. As soldiers, you shouldn't use a lack of training as an excuse."
"That opinion isn't taking into account the reality of our situation. In a real battle, you need to consider the skill level of the newly assigned soldiers."
If I pull back here, it will result in massive casualties.
I'm certain of that, so I continued pressing Warrant Officer Faris.
I can't bear to lose any more of my precious comrades.
"What are we going to do, Lieutenant Verdi?"
"Verdi…"
"Uh… well, um, let's see…"
Taking into account both my and Warrant Officer Faris's opinions, Verdi was caught in the middle and looked lost.
I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone else to die.
"The decision is yours, Lieutenant."
"Please believe in me, Verdi."
"Ah, well, what should I do…"
Both sides were urging him, and Verdi fell silent for a moment with a troubled expression.
Then, after a few seconds of furrowing his brow, he seemed to come to a resolution and lifted his head.
"A-Alright, I've decided."
"Oh."
And so, Verdi made his decision.
***
The basis for Verdi's decision at that moment was:
"In order to make the right decisions on the battlefield, gathering information is essential. The more information you have, the better decisions you can make."
"…So?"
"Touri, as a resident of Noel, has more information about the terrain than we do. That means her judgment is likely to be more accurate than mine or Warrant Officer Faris's."
"Verdi!"
"Chief Medic Touri, I order you to lead us along the retreat route you have in mind."
In this complete darkness and with no information about the terrain, even a veteran soldier like Warrant Officer Faris can only lead by intuition and guesswork.
Verdi judged that our survival rate would be higher if we were guided by a local like me.
That seemed to be the basis for his decision.
"…I will abide by your decision, Lieutenant. In that case, could you at least allow my unit to conduct reconnaissance in advance?"
"Permission granted. I feel reassured with Warrant Officer Farris' reconnaissance."
"Alright, leave it to me."
Warrant Officer Faris glared at me with a clearly dissatisfied expression.
Combined with his tough demeanor, it was pretty scary.
"Then, let's hurry. First, we'll move straight south along the forest."
But now that my suggestion has been accepted, I have to do my best.
I'll guide all 120 of us to Dandelion Hill by choosing a path that hasn't been shelled.
"And once we hit the river, we'll head into the forest and move towards Dandelion Hill, hiding as we go."
"Okay, got it."
"Yes, we should be able to see a small stream within 10 minutes if we head south. Please carry out reconnaissance until we reach that point."
Warrant Officer Faris is the most reliable scout here.
Unlike infantry who only need to charge at the enemy, scouts need to have endless stamina, broad vision, sharpness, and various other skills.
Warrant Officer Faris is a veteran with even longer military experience than Senior Allen. Let's make full use of his abilities.
"…It's safe. I don't sense any enemies. Lieutenant Verdi, have you managed to get in touch with the higher-ups?"
"No, I haven't. If we communicate, there's a possibility that the magic will be detected and our location pinpointed. We'll refrain from communicating for a while."
"I see. So, following this medic's guidance is settled then?"
"Are you still dissatisfied…?"
Although Warrant Officer Faris is dissatisfied, he's still a soldier.
He strictly followed the orders of his superior, Lieutenant Verdi.
"What's next, Chief Medic?"
"…We're drifting a bit too far south. At this rate, we'll run into the enemy's artillery position. Let's adjust the course slightly to the north."
"Got it, this way."
Although Warrant Officer Faris looked dissatisfied, he worked quickly and efficiently.
He continued to scout the route I indicated accurately.
"…Is this the Dandelion Hill you mentioned?"
"Yes. It's a beautiful place with fields of dandelions in bloom."
"Indeed, there's a magic artillery unit stationed to the south. You were spot on, young lady."
Warrant Officer Faris not only has an intimidating appearance, but also seems to be a very skilled individual.
He managed to pinpoint the location of the enemy's magic artillery unit without being detected.
Furthermore…
"If we advance about 200 meters north, there's an open area. From there, we can aim for the top of the hill."
"Oh."
As we continued, I realized that Warrant Officer Faris's reconnaissance information was far more useful than my own knowledge of the terrain.
With such scouting skills, it's no wonder he proposed a course of action even in unfamiliar territory.
His contributions didn't stop there.
"…This is the slide. If you slide down here, you can move smoothly to the bottom of the hill."
"It's too dark down there to see clearly."
"There may still be enemies remaining below…"
"Okay, okay, I got it. We the scouts will go ahead. If there are enemies, we'll shoot them immediately. And if gunfire is heard, we'll find another route."
"Understood, thank you very much. Good luck, Warrant Officer Faris."
"No, I'm not the one going. Hey, Dappo. You go."
"Whaaat!?"
He kindly accepted the task of scouting what was beyond the slide—a deadly area where there would be no hope of survival if the enemy were hiding there.
Well, technically, it was his subordinate who did.
"No gunfire. Alright, next, you go."
"…"
"What's the matter? The platoon leader isn't going to lead the way. A simple scouting mission like that is the job of someone who's easily replaceable, even if they die."
Fortunately, there were no enemy soldiers at the bottom of the slide.
After breaking through the enemy's encirclement in this manner, we made our way around the battlefield, heading for Captain Aria's position.
Despite the damage from the enemy artillery, we did not suffer any casualties after regrouping with Verdi.
…Well, one of Lakya's friends nervously glanced around at my medical platoon and made a fuss, only to be knocked out by Warrant Officer Faris… But that was the only incident.
Thus, all 120 of us, covered in dust, safely and swiftly succeeded in joining our allies.
***
Later, Sylph complained about that day's events, saying, "I received a report that the divided unit vanished like smoke. It's the infantry's negligence. Again, my achievements were ruined by others."
To the Sabbatian Army, this retreat must have appeared as if we disappeared like a magic trick.
And…
"Captain Aria, we've finally made contact with the Verdi unit."
"Really?! Where are they now? How many survivors are there?!"
"Well…"
Captain Aria had never imagined that Verdi would return so quickly.
"Not many casualties, and they'll soon be returning to the base we are currently stationed at."
"What…?"
Without showing any sign of difficulty, Verdi returned to Captain Aria, much to everyone's surprise.
Thus, having cut off communication until the retreat was complete, Verdi's unit achieved a miraculous escape, earning significant acclaim for his performance.
With this battle, the name of the young commander Verdi became renowned across both armies.