"Let's move up the day of the decisive battle."
A few days have passed since the news of the Flamer invasion.
Bern suggested this to Lieutenant Colonel Henri, the Commander-in-Chief.
"As you know, we will soon run out of ammunition and food. We won't be able to carry out the operation as planned."
"…If we advance it, can we still win?"
"There will be more sacrifices on our side, and we'll leave several vulnerabilities exposed to the enemy. But if we push hard enough, victory isn't impossible."
The original plan of the Austin Army was to prepare thoroughly and engage in a decisive battle timed what would coincide with the uprising of the revolutionary forces in the Sabbath.
As part of this preparation, the brilliant Bern Valou had devised various diversionary tactics, which were being implemented gradually.
However, most of these became unfeasible due to changes in resource management by Fogman Jr., also…
"In any case, we only have food for half a month."
"Indeed."
Austin now had only two weeks left to wage war against the Sabbath.
"Do we have any chance of winning? After fighting the Sabbath, we will face continuous battles with Flamel.
"Well, we won't know until we get there. Though, I think we can win."
"How do you plan to hold this front? We don't have the luxury of leaving forces at the Tar River."
"Oh, I've taken care of that. If everything goes well, the Sabbath won't be in a position to wage war."
Bern probably wanted to attack at the timing when Remi and her compatriots initiated their revolution.
Doing so would also help support Remi's chances of success.
Now that this was impossible, he proposed a decisive battle with some sacrifices in mind.
"Aren't we at the stage of looking for ways to lose gracefully? Shouldn't we surrender to Flamel immediately, become a vassal state, and attack the Sabbath with the help of the Allied forces?"
"If we did that, all of us Austin citizens would be turned into slave soldiers."
"Then what other options do we have?"
"We just need to defeat them all."
"That's impossible."
"We can."
Bern made a bold statement here.
He boasted that he could win even against three countries.
"That's a pipe dream."
"I've made many 'pipe dreams' a reality before, haven't I?"
"…"
Normally, this would be an outrageous boast.
However, the man before him, Bern Valou, had repeatably been making those dreams come true.
"The decisive battle will be in three days. Let's settle everything then."
He declared this with a confident expression.
Somehow, his grandiose words had a convincing power.
"…I'll believe in you, Bern."
Hearing those confident words, Lieutenant Colonel Henri approved the plan as if entranced by his charisma.
─────This decisive battle was Bern Valou's first duel against the Sabbath's genius, Sylph Nova.
And, to be honest, he later admitted that he didn't have absolute confidence in his victory.
***
"For the sake of victory, Major Renvel."
"What is it, Captain Bern?"
"You'll have to take on a considerable burden. I need your approval."
"I'll help you in any way I can if it really helps us win."
However, even with the possibility of a crushing defeat looming,
Bern was likely so exhilarated at the opportunity to slaughter large numbers of Sabbatian soldiers that he couldn't wait to execute the plan he'd crafted under the pretext of serving his homeland.
"Thank you."
"In return, make sure you win. If we lose, I'll strangle you myself."
"Leave it to me."
He also understood that even a hint of possible defeat would cause the army to disperse.
That's why he made such a bold declaration.
"…That said, I would have liked to destroy the northern bridge."
"What's the matter, Captain Bern?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Being perceptive, he knew the risk of a major defeat depended on the enemy's moves, yet he proceeded with his desperate plan.
A grand gamble by Bern Valou, risking the lives of all of Austin's citizens, was about to begin.
***
As for me at that time…
I was extremely exhausted after Arunoma rejected the plan to escape and hearing that Austin's defeat was certain.
"…You heard, didn't you?"
Seeing this, Sergeant Dollman realized that I had heard about the Flamer invasion.
He gave me a stern look as if to say, "Don't say anything unnecessary," and ordered me to rest due to "poor health."
He must have worried that I might reveal classified information.
I followed orders and went to rest in the shared tent without a second thought.
Medics were separated by gender, staying in large round tents, with no individual tents due to the shortage of supplies.
Outside that tent…
"…Hey, what's the matter, Shorty? You look really pale."
"Rodri?"
"Yeah, Allen Platoon is in charge of guarding the tent today. Not that there's anyone inside right now."
A face I knew well was standing there with binoculars in hand, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.
"Senior Allen is out on patrol. He should be back soon."
"I see."
Rodri spoke to me with a bright expression.
He must not have heard about the Flamer invasion.
"I hear things are going well on the front lines. I wish I could go up there."
"…Please don't. There's no need to go out of your way into danger."
"What are you talking about? Infantry are all about risking their lives."
At that time, the situation on the front line was in good shape.
Bern later said that if it weren't for the Flamer invasion, Austin would have won the war without a problem.
Though the details of the operations weren't publicly disclosed, there was a rumor among soldiers that Austin held the upper hand.
"I'm excited to finally teach those Sabbatian bastards a lesson."
That's why the frontline soldiers were smiling and motivated to fight.
"Rodri, do you still want to kill the enemy… the Sabbatian soldiers?"
"Of course. I don't think my hatred towards those guys will ever go away, no matter how much time passes."
In response to my question, Rodri looked toward the front lines and gripped his rifle tighter.
He's a gentle person, but he's also fierce and passionate.
He must have been fighting with grief and anger for his fallen comrades and for the civilians who had been brutally murdered.
"I don't want to be mocked by my comrades who died before me. I want to brag in the afterlife that I killed more than them. I gotta kill at least another hundred."
"Rodri…"
"It's a winning battle, and I want to step forward and get my revenge to my heart's content."
It's been nothing but hardship all this time.
Losing many comrades to the Sabbath's bullets, we had to run, hide, and were chased.
Having overcome that, we were finally able to see a chance of victory against the Sabbath.
"Yeah, I know. Guarding you all is an important job too. Don't worry, I'm not childish enough to ditch my duty and charge at the enemy."
That's why he… It's why Austin's soldiers were so eager to fight.
"Speaking of which, you've started carrying a gun too, huh? I'm surprised you even got permission to do so."
"This is a training gun with rubber bullets. Even without lethal force, just carrying a gun makes people keep their distance."
"Oh, really? They should just give you real bullets."
I couldn't bring myself to tell him the news.
I didn't want to cloud his face with the fact that Austin is in a desperate situation, surrounded on all sides and facing imminent doom.
"But if you're here, Rodri, I won't need to fire a gun, right?"
"Yeah. I'll take care of any soldiers before they get to you."
"I'm counting on you."
So, I decided to follow orders and just chat with Rodri without mentioning anything.
Orders are absolute; I can't afford to leak any information.
***
"If we win this battle, do you think the Sabbath will stop attacking us?"
"I don't know, but that's probably the case."
I chose to talk to Rodri about some inoffensive topics.
"We're gathering our main forces here, but is there any chance they might attack from the South while we're occupied?"
"They're probably watching for that, aren't they?"
Rodri listened patiently to my anxious questions with a slightly exasperated look on his face.
"If the Sabbath had enough forces to move south, they'd probably bring them here instead. What's the point of causing more damage to the already ruined Austin territory?"
"The South hasn't suffered much damage yet. Isn't your hometown in the South? Aren't you worried?"
Talking to him somehow made my heart feel more at ease.
…We've known each other for a long time now.
"Don't worry. My hometown is safe. It's the farthest village from the Sabbath in Austin territory."
"I see…"
"Yeah, it's all the way down south, right on the border with Flamel."
He's around the same age as me, and we've been fighting together since our rookie days.
He has saved my life many times when I was in danger.
"Even Sabbath wouldn't stir up trouble near the Flamer border. That'd mean more enemies for them."
Keeping important information from him and only having superficial conversations feels like deceiving him.
"…Hmm?"
Hearing this, I could no longer keep my emotions in check.
No matter how hard I tried to bottle things up, no matter how much I wanted to appear calm, my heart just wouldn't listen to me.
"What's wrong, Shorty? Why did you suddenly start crying?"
"I… I'm sorry…"
"Hah. You really are just like my little sister."
I couldn't let him know the truth, but the tears just won't stop flowing.
Rodri's hometown is near the border with Flamel.
No matter how quickly we turn back, I doubt we can protect the villages near the border.
The first place that will burn in the Flamer invasion will be his hometown…
"She also used to cry for reasons I didn't get. Hey, what's wrong, Shorty?"
"I'm sorry… I just can't come to terms with my emotions."
"Talk to me, I'll listen."
"It's something I can't talk about because of my position…"
"Ah, I guess that can't be helped then."
I have to keep such an important thing quiet from someone who had helped me so many times.
Even though I know his hometown is in danger, I can't tell him a thing. I feel like such an insincere, cold-hearted person.
"I'm sorry, Rodri."
"Ah, now you're really bawling."
As I bit my lip to try to hold back the tears, Rodri wrapped an arm around my head, almost like a headlock.
"Let's just calm down for now."
"Uh…"
"Here, I'll pat your head. There, there."
…This is no way to hold a woman.
If anything, it's more like how you'd soothe a big dog.
Realizing that, my mind cooled down.
"Alright. You look a bit better now."
"Do you think I'm some kind of dog?"
"Oh, come on. I used to comfort my little sister like this all the time."
I glared at Rodri, but he just laughed.
He probably didn't mean any harm…
"Rodri, I feel like you really look down on me."
"Hey, you're younger, aren't you?"
"You said you're only one year older than me when I asked you before."
"Still younger."
Well, maybe so.
But as soldiers, we're peers. I'd prefer to be treated equally.
"Ahh, don't pout. You're the one who started crying out of nowhere."
"I'm not pouting…"
"You remind me so much of my sister, I can't help but see her in you. Out here on the battlefield, I really miss my family."
"…"
If that's true, I can understand, but it sounds like he's just making excuses.
"Let's leave it at that. But treating me like your sister might make your real sister jealous."
"I wish she'd be cute enough to sulk."
Rodri chuckled heartily.
…He's gotten quite good at handling me.
"What will you do if the war ends?"
"If I survive, I'll go back to my hometown and take up farming. I want to leave this cursed job and live a peaceful life."
"…"
"I'll help with the heavy lifting on the family farm. Then I'll marry a woman with a big ass, have lots of kids, and die in bed surrounded by my grandchildren."
"You've got your whole life planned out already?"
"Nah, that was how my grandpa died. I watched him smile in his final moments, saying, 'I had a good life.' Made me think that's the kind of life I want too."
"…"
"People like me aren't the only ones who want a life like that. But the Sabbath came and shattered that peace. That's why the first thing I've got to do is kill every last one of them."
And with that, he ended the conversation.
***
"You're right."
Rodri's dream will probably never come true.
The villages in the southeast will suffer heavy damage from the Flamer invasion.
"Then, if we survive, can I come visit your home?"
"Yeah, come over. All my war buddies will be welcomed and treated with hospitality. After all, you're like family to me."
Although I was tormented by guilt for not telling him the truth, I went along with Rodri's wonderful dream.
"I also think of you as family, Rodri."
And at that moment…
I felt something inside of me shatter.