"The scouts haven't returned yet?"
"Don't rush me, Staff Officer. This isn't some child's errand."
The Sabbatian forces from the northern bridge began advancing to threaten the Austin Army's rear under Sylph's command.
However, she did not recklessly charge into the Austin position despite the urgency of the situation.
She suspected that Austin had hidden reserve forces and sent scouts to pinpoint their base and estimate remaining enemy strength.
"The scouts know this ambush is a race against time, right?"
"They're risking their lives to search for the enemy even now."
"Still, it's too slow. Why do we have to wait 30 minutes just to scout a position a stone's throw away?"
"It's not slow at all. This is standard."
Sylph had some regrets about sending out the scouts.
No matter how much they are told to prioritize speed, the lives of scouts were also at stake.
Even if it's right in front of you, it would take hours to scout an enemy base whose strength is unknown.
There was no way the scouts would be back in 30 minutes.
"Enough, I can't wait any longer. We outnumber them anyway, we'll win. Let's charge in."
"Hey, calm down, Staff Officer. We need to at least find out where the enemy is."
Growing impatient, Sylph decided to resume the assault without waiting for the scouts' return.
Normally, Sylph didn't have command authority, but she was the daughter of the commander-in-chief.
None of the field officers could oppose her, as her command authority had been granted at the start of the operation.
"Oh, a message. Staff Officer, it's from the scouts."
"Too slow! Tch, what are they saying?"
"They were actually incredibly fast… Oh, I see."
About an hour after Sylph began advancing.
The Sabbath's scouts were made up of very talented personnel. They completed their reconnaissance in a short amount of time.
In that hour, they found out that the enemy base was empty.
"There isn't a single soldier in the enemy camp, and the rear base is also deserted. About two kilometers to the southeast, a group that appears to be a medical unit is slowly retreating while carrying a large amount of supplies."
"Ha! They really weren't on guard against this surprise attack."
"It seems so."
They even managed to pinpoint the location of the retreating Verdi Company.
Sylph smiled after hearing this, clearly pleased.
"Notify the scouts to report the details of the terrain where the enemy is retreating."
"Roger that."
"We're moving out immediately. We'll wipe that unit out."
She eagerly resumed her pursuit, taking command herself.
"We'll continue pursuing the enemy's rear. The right-wing will flank south to approach the enemy's units. The left-wing will press from the north. Encircle them and leave none alive."
"Understood."
"And have the central forces sweep around to the enemy's rear. Be vigilant for ambushes, and engage if found. Remember, that enemy unit could be bait."
Sylph had previously delegated command to a non-commissioned officer and allowed the following units to slip away.
After that experience, she insisted on directing operations herself to ensure that the enemy would never escape again.
"We will completely cut off their retreat."
"Understood."
She intended to seize our supplies and threaten the Austin Army from the rear.
Sylph understood well that if she destroyed our military supplies, Austin would be crippled.
As the first step of her comeback strategy, she targeted our Renvel Army's medical unit and its resources.
***
…The difference in forces was overwhelming.
The Austin medical soldiers carrying the supplies were very slow, and the only force protecting them was Verdi Company.
On the other hand, the soldiers Sylph mobilized for the attack were an enormous army of 30,000 that had been guarding the northern bridge.
At this moment, the roles of attacker and defender between Austin and the Sabbath completely reversed.
Bern Valou also sensed this move and immediately deployed troops to threaten Sylph's rear.
He lifted the ambushes set for the northern bridge forces moving southward and immediately redirected them toward Sylph's advancing force.
However, Sylph was well aware that it was a race against time, and was closing in on us at considerable speed.
It would be hours before the reinforcements sent by Bern would attack Sylph from behind.
The quote, "Speed is the essence of war" is true. The moment the bridge fell, Sylph's swift offensive was the result.
For just a few hours, Sylph had the freedom to run wild in Austin's rear.
"Now then, shall I turn Father's loss into a draw?"
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
"Once the encirclement is complete, commence the assault immediately. Leave no survivors, not even an ant."
While Bern ultimately achieved victory in the Battle of the North, it is true that Sylph outmaneuvered him in the localized skirmish.
Had she succeeded in wiping us out as she intended, Austin's future strategies would have been greatly disrupted.
***
"…Shouldn't there be a battle report from one of the units soon?"
"Not yet."
"They must have us surrounded by now, right? I hope they haven't escaped like last time, slipping away unnoticed."
"I believe there's nowhere for them to escape this time."
Thus, we were completely surrounded.
However, this outcome had been expected. It was practically impossible to avoid the encirclement due to our slow speed.
Even if only Verdi's unit stayed to fight, the other reserve forces would have easily wiped us out.
"Hmm, it's getting quite noisy."
"An explosion…?"
In other words, Verdi Company was already in a hopeless situation from the moment Sylph chose to launch her surprise attack.
We would be annihilated 100 times even if we used 100 different escape routes.
In such a desperate situation, the strategy the medical unit took was…
"───Staff Officer! It's the enemy!"
"…Ah."
First, eliminate the "brains" that give orders to the opposing army.
As soon as we confirmed that the enemy's scouts had spotted us, we turned around and charged straight at them.
"This is bad! Damn it!"
When I proposed this plan, Verdi was at a loss for words.
Sergeant Dollman also commented that this would be too reckless.
"After hearing Senior Allen's report on the enemy forces, do you really think we can escape?"
"But, Touri…."
"The only way we can escape is by hoping for the enemy to make a mistake."
But for some reason, my intuition told me that this was the only way to survive.
These instincts had saved me countless times before.
"We'll surely be annihilated if we just try to run, won't we?"
Verdi had already predicted that we would be completely annihilated.
After listening to my suggestion, Verdi thought for a few seconds with a serious expression and then approved the plan, saying, "Alright, I'll bet on you."
My suggestion is to launch a counteroffensive and attack the enemy.
Of course, a single company can't break through the front lines. Protecting the slow-moving medical soldiers carrying supplies while charging is laughable.
The plan was to fire on what seemed to be the enemy's command center, creating confusion, and then execute a hit-and-run strategy, retreating at full speed.
This strategy was based on the judgment that escaping would be impossible if the Sabbatian Army's command structure remained intact.
So when we appeared right in front of the enemy command, Sylph was extremely surprised when she saw us.
"This is bad, the enemy's goal isn't to escape. They're trying to break through the front!"
"Don't be ridiculous. This must be a bluff."
"Shut up, think carefully!!"
She mistakenly believed that we were seriously aiming for a frontal breakthrough.
Sylph was convinced there must be hidden soldiers somewhere and didn't optimistically think, "They're the only ones here."
"Right now, the thinnest part of our encirclement is right here in front of us—"
In that situation, our counterattack appeared to her as a trap to target the Sabbath's commanders.
"Call back the soldiers from the encirclement! The enemy's retreat route isn't south, it's this front position!"
"R-Right away!"
"Don't let them break through here! Hold out until reinforcements arrive!"
It was no wonder she panicked.
After all, Sylph had always been someone who left the field operations to subordinates and only handled the planning.
Now, she was under direct fire as real bullets were shot in her direction for the first time.
It was only natural that she was unable to keep calm as her life was put in danger for the first time.
"This is certainly the most logical escape route. I guess the Aust aren't all idiots…!"
Half-crazed, she donned a sweat-stained iron helmet and began issuing orders to her troops to counterattack.
Though the defense might have been thin, the Sabbatian forces guarding her numbered in the thousands. There was no way that Verdi company alone could break through.
Had she remained calm and kept her eyes on the front, she wouldn't have needed to retreat.
"Ahh! Another bullet flew over!"
"Staff Officer, fall back! Follow me."
"O-Okay! Damn it. I'll repay this debt to the Aust—"
Her first real battle, her first brush with death.
Having been raised in comfort, this was the first time she truly found herself in a dire situation.
When she saw bullets flying near her position, she immediately turned to flee.
She left her subordinates to handle the counterattack and was the first to run to the rear.
And what was waiting for her was…
***
"Hey, Shorty! Don't do anything reckless!"
"I'm fine!"
That moment is still firmly etched in my memory.
"I've been properly trained, leave it to me!"
"You're a medic, not a soldier!"
"…We don't have enough fighting power. We have no choice but to ask Touri to join us."
At the time, I was making good use of my [Shield] and exchanging fire with Sabbatian soldiers on the front lines together with Senior Allen's platoon.
Though they were training rounds, I thought I could at least serve as a decoy.
Also, the [Shield] magic provided excellent protection for my allies.
I was really glad to have learned defensive combat from Sergeant Major Zafqua.
"Lieutenant Verdi, how long will you continue this offensive?!"
"Just hold out for another 15 minutes. Retreat immediately at the signal."
"Damn, I shouldn't have given back the training rifle. Come on, there are no dead soldiers! Give me a gun!"
"Sergeant Dollman, please stay calm."
While I was useful in defense with [Wind Cannon] and [Shield], my attacks were limited to providing suppression fire without aiming at the enemy.
Well, there wasn't really any point in aiming carefully since they were training rounds.
"Hey rookies, pull your ass back when you aim your gun! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"S-Sorry."
"Shorty here's shooting better than you all! Aren't you embarrassed?!"
It had been a while since I fought alongside Verdi and Rodri.
As expected, Rodri was shooting down enemies left and right.
At the same time, he was yelling and kicking the new recruits' butts.
Rodri had even taken on the role of a senior soldier… He must have been a scary senior with his foul mouth.
"Ah…"
In that nostalgic yet terrifying moment.
I suddenly looked up, as if drawn to something.
I felt like there was something I couldn't miss.
"Hey Shorty! You're lifting your head too high, crouch down more—"
"I found them."
I reflexively stood up and aimed my gun straight, just as Sergeant Major Zafqua and the others had taught me.
I heard Rodri's panicked voice, but I calmed my mind and focused.
"…Visual confirmation, aim, target locked."
Half unconsciously, I focused on the "target."
The enemy would only be in the line of fire for a fleeting moment.
The key to long-range combat is to strike precisely in that split second.
"That must be the enemy's brain[In-game leader]."
"Hey, Touri, what are you doing?!"
A rain of bullets came at us. I had to finish my shot quickly and deploy the [Shield], or else we would be hit.
A headshot would be fatal. Taking too long would get me killed.
I recall the techniques taught by Sergeant Major Zafqua. Shoot and deploy the shield simultaneously to minimize vulnerability.
As someone with the [Shield] skill, I have an advantage in ranged combat.
That's why I had to take the shot.
"Yeah, I won't miss."
"…Hey, Shorty?"
"If I miss this, there's no way I'd make it in this world."
I was there, aiming straight ahead.
I focused on a young female officer in an ornate military uniform, her face pale and wearing an iron helmet.
***
With a dry sound, Sylph Nova took a heavy blow to her forehead, recoiling violently before collapsing.
"Huh!? Hey, Staff Officer!?
"Ah…"
Hit squarely in the forehead, Sylph immediately foamed at the mouth and passed out.
The Sabbatian soldiers around her, seeing the moment she was shot in the head, were convinced of her death.
"Damn it, I'm taking over command. Everyone, maintain the front line!"
"Emergency! Enemy Austin troops have just started advancing towards our rear."
"What?!"
Considering Sylph dead, Kitabashi took over command (well, it was originally his unit, so he reclaimed it) heard this report and buried his face in his hands.
"Damn it, we'll take down the enemy in front of us! Don't let this girl's death be in vain!"
Despite his frustration, Kitabashi had actually come to respect Sylph.
He vowed to himself that he would at least complete the final mission that she left behind.
"This is a battle to pay tribute to the girl who died for the Sabbath!"
"Raaaaah!"
"Hmm?"
The Sabbatian soldiers were briefly invigorated when…
"Um, it looks like Staff Officer Sylph is still alive."
"…Huh?"
A few seconds later, they realized she had been shot with a training round.
"There's a rubber bullet nearby…"
"Eh…?"
An air of confusion then spread around the northern bridge forces.