That night, after being summoned by Sylph under the pretext of a power harassment call…
I played a game of chess with her and got thoroughly beaten before going home.
Well, it was to be expected that a beginner like me wouldn't win, but Sylph seemed displeased and said, "Make sure to study a bit more and improve your skills by the next time."
Perhaps I will be called upon every time there's a secret mission for Mr. Gorski?
"Do the same thing as before. Advance as far as you can."
She whispered that in my ear as I was leaving the tent.
"Don't worry about what's behind you during the charge. I'll handle it."
"Should I relay that to Mr. Gorski?"
"No, the letter will be sufficient for Gorski."
So, I shouldn't worry about what's behind me?
I learned all too well how great Sylph's leadership skills are during the last bandit subjugation.
If that's what she says, I'm sure she'll handle things.
"I will retreat if I think it's dangerous. I have an orphaned child of a dear benefactor to take care of. I don't have any intention of being used as a disposable pawn by you."
"Don't worry. I don't want to lose you or Gorski either. Once victory is assured, you can stop at a suitable point."
"…Understood."
The enemy was small in size and there were holes in their defenses in the previous battle.
But this time, we're up against an impenetrable fortress protected by multiple layers of bastions.
If we continue to advance as before, we will eventually become isolated and be wiped out.
I don't want to disappoint Sylph, but I intend to put a stop to Mr. Gorski at an appropriate point even without being told.
"I'll advance as far as possible."
"Good."
Unlike before, when I was an orphan with no family, I now have a young child waiting for my return.
…I must survive and come back even if the entire unit is wiped out.
***
"It's a bit cloudy today. In this darkness, it will be hard for the enemy to notice us even in the daytime. Yes, the heavens are on our side!"
The next morning, just before launching the offensive, General Blake gave a loud motivational speech to the entire army.
His speech was somewhat lacking in conviction.
"Platoon Leader Gorski. A little bit of cloudiness won't affect visibility, will it?"
"It might."
Came the response.
General Blake's voice sounded a little weak as he spoke.
At this moment, he had a gloomy aura about him, like a student who has arrived at the day of the test without having studied.
"Please go and advise him to stop the offensive before it's too late. If things continue like this, we will all die in vain."
"There's quite a few deserters, right? The unit next to us lost three and is in disarray."
"Calm down. Anyway, there's a secret plan that they haven't told us about."
"Is that really true?"
Certainly, there actually is a secret strategy. Though, it's not General Blake's but rather a plan devised by the renowned strategist Sylph Nova.
What concerns me is that Mr. Gorski looked alarmed after reading the secret letter last night.
What on earth was written there? What kind of crazy things will we have to do?
"Alright, take your positions."
"Are we really going to do this? Attacking Fort Rusovets with insufficient supplies and ammunition?"
"We have enough weapons and ammo for about a week; we should be able to bring it down within that time…"
"Wasn't it advertised as a fortress that could withstand a decade of fighting even if Austin invaded?"
"I don't know, but we must be strong enough to capture it."
This fortress was built to withstand Austin invasion. It is said to be fully equipped for modern warfare.
From what I've heard, the fortress has windows through which only guns can be seen, and there are artillery batteries that fire grenades.
It's hard to imagine this will be an easy fight.
It took the Sabbatian army a week to breach a fortress held by a small force of Austin's remnants in Marshdale.
We're short on weapons and magic stones, and our military strength and morale are low. Can we really take the fortress in just one week?
***
"…Huh? Are our friendly forces are moving away?"
"What?"
Even I, who am aware of Sylph Nova's terrifying prowess, felt anxious.
I can only imagine how desperate the other soldiers must be.
In such a dire situation, we, the Sylph Company, were deployed to…
"Hey, Platoon Leader Gorski. Doesn't our deployment seem isolated?"
"Don't worry."
Our deployment felt like it was intentionally isolated, with significant gaps on both sides.
"Sylph's orders are to build wooden dummies to make us look more numerous."
"Dummies…?"
"They'll be decoys. The orders are to dress wooden figures in military uniforms and place them on the battlefield to make it look like we're not isolated."
"Is our strategist an idiot?"
Sylph then instructed us to construct wooden dummies dressed in military uniforms, posed as if crouching and holding rifles.
"How about something like this…?"
"Oh. That's great. Everyone, imitate Touri."
It was challenging at first, but we managed to arrange the wood into pyramid shapes and cover them with coats.
They somewhat resembled soldiers crouching with rifles.
"This is the secret strategy?"
"Yes."
"It's hopeless…"
The wooden pieces were of different sizes and sizes, so the decoy dolls would easily fall apart if it wasn't secured carefully.
Using ropes effectively to tie the connections was crucial.
"Aust-chan looks more serious than ever."
"Do you like this sort of thing?"
"I prefer it to shooting enemies with guns."
With numb hands, we struggled for several hours to assemble the dolls.
Although it may sound like I'm bragging, I feel that the dolls I've assembled are pretty high quality.
Who would have thought that the skills I'd developed for making magic props would come in handy in a place like this?
"Well, it's not bad. I'll leave it at this for now."
"Oh, is that so? Sylph must be happy being surrounded by a mountain of dolls!"
"Indeed. They're dolls that my clumsy subordinates worked hard to assemble in the cold for me. Well, I guess I'll just say I'm satisfied with this."
After inspecting the assembled decoys, Sylph ordered them to be loaded onto a cart or sled to be transported.
We continued on, pulling the heavy wooden doll along the snow-covered road.
Hiding the dummies with a white cloth, we made our way to the front of the first bastion while avoiding enemy detection.
***
"We've finished setting up the decoys."
"Good work."
After several more hours, we successfully set up the decoys while hiding from the enemy.
Since they are quite far away, they probably look like real soldiers to the enemy…
"When will the offensive begin?"
"At the same time, General Blake gives the signal to commence bombardment."
When we arrived in front of the fort, Sylph said, "Leave the rest to me," and retreated to the artillery position.
She said it was too dangerous to stay on the front line any longer.
"Hey. We're about to launch an offensive, right?"
"Yes."
"Then what's the point of setting up the decoys?"
The decoys are set up in the gaps on both sides of our position, as per Sylph's instructions.
This is supposed to make it look like we aren't alone.
"But even with the decoys in place, we're the only ones charging, so we're still isolated, right?"
"Indeed."
"Those wooden dolls might just look like soldiers from a distance, but they'll be easily recognizable when they get close."
"Was it a mistake to have a brat like her as our commander after all?"
Honestly, I had the same thought.
Decoys are a powerful tactic if they can be used effectively, but I feel like they won't do much if you set them up in a place like this.
"This is what happens when a girl rises to power solely on her father's name."
"Think of the soldiers who have to deal with this nonsense."
The soldiers are clearly mocking Sylph.
Currently, the only people who held her in high regard were the upper echelons of the military, such as General Blake.
To the lower-ranking soldiers, she appears to be nothing more than an incompetent superior who makes unreasonable demands that no one can understand.
"Ugh. I don't want to die because of such a stupid idea…"
Morale was already low, but the soldiers of Sylph Company were becoming increasingly disheartened.
With this lack of motivation, we won't be able to win no matter how brilliant a strategy Sylph came up with.
Right when I thought this…
"Artillery fire! The offensive has begun, prepare yourself!"
"Yes sir."
"We will also advance as soon as the Sylph Company's bombardment finishes! Prepare to charge!"
The sound of artillery fire echoed from General Blake's position in the distance.
In response, magical artillery also began to fire from our positions.
"Artillery, do your best. Your aim will determine our lives!"
"W-What!?"
Of course, the magical artillery behind us also fired accurately.
If this bombardment could cause even slight damage to the fortress, it would provide a good foothold for the assault.
We were to decide where to charge based on the extent of the damage.
"What…?"
…That was the arrangement.
The artillery fire blew away the very decoys we had just set up.
***
"The bombardment is over! Advance! Charge straight toward the enemy fortress gates with single-minded determination!"
"Wait, the enemy fortress is untouched! The bombardment didn't even graze it!"
"It hit the decoy dolls we made!"
The dismayed voices of our allies echoed across the battlefield.
The decoy dolls we had painstakingly crafted were blown away by friendly artillery fire, leaving no trace of them.
I was quite shocked.
"Well, our strategist was a bit off."
"Even the word 'idiot' is too mild…"
"…"
I soon found myself stunned and at a loss for words.
Why did our allies destroy the decoy positions on the sides?
Why make us assemble them in the first place if they were going to blow them up?
Before I could ponder these questions, I noticed an unusual development on the battlefield.
"…Mr. Gorski, let's advance. We'll be the first to attack."
"W-What? Did Sylph actually pull it off?"
"It seems she did."
What kind of trick had she played behind the scenes?
Directly in front of us, Sylph Company, the strong doors of the fortress stood wide open.
***
"Look, the gate is open!"
"Charge in! Don't miss this opportunity!"
Most of Sylph Company rushed towards the open gate, still not fully grasping the situation.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We could flank most of the defenders if we can enter the fortress now.
"Don't fire at the fortress, just run through until you're past the gate!"
"U-Understood!"
I heard Sylph shout from behind me.
Hearing those words, I can imagine what Sylph had done.
"There must be an informant on the enemy's side. Captain Sylph really pulled it off."
"When did she manage to plant an informant?"
Although I didn't know the exact details, Sylph had already infiltrated the enemy ranks before the battle.
She had this kind of trick up her sleeve, huh?
"We've successfully breached the fortress. Secure the perimeter."
"Squads one and nine, secure the fortress gate! Squads one to seven, advance and attack the second bastion!"
We proceeded through the open gate with ease and were ordered to advance further.
The second bastion was about 1 kilometer ahead. Advancing 1 kilometer alone with just one company was a bit daunting, but…
"The artillery will support you. Charge in without fear!"
For some reason, my intuition told me it was possible.
This sensation was the same as during the previous battle—a feeling of being guided by someone else, where the correct choice was "selected" for me.
"Let's proceed! Don't worry, the next bastion will be easy to capture."
Mr. Gorski roared, encouraging the group as we ran.
I felt incredibly reassured by the encouragement of such a brave superior officer.
***
Sylph's plan was remarkably simple.
Instead of planting an informant within the enemy ranks, she had sent an informant from our own side.
"Sylph is trying to side with the Workers' Council."
The informant was the lieutenant who had been stationed at the Fort Putsu.
He had actually been a sympathizer of the Workers' Council for a while, and even though he was a member of the Sabbatian military, he had always felt strongly that "Perhaps the Workers' Council is right."
At that time, he received an order from General Blake to carry out plundering without any just cause, and as a result he was almost killed.
He had lost all faith in the military.
"There are many people among the Sabbatian government forces who hate the war. Please allow them to defect to the Workers' Council."
Sylph approached him and whispered:
"The current government is not worth protecting. Your complaints and thoughts are entirely justified."
"I agree with them, and would like to surrender when the opportunity arises, so please act as a go-between."
The lieutenant accepted Sylph's request and went ahead and entered the fortress alone.
There, he conveyed his willingness to surrender to the Workers' Council and promised to act as an informant.
The lieutenant who became the informant truly believed in and respected the ideals of the Workers' Council.
That is what made this deception so convincing.
"General Blake is hopeless, but Sylph Company is on the sides of the Worker's Council. If you can trust me, I want you to hide Sylph Company."
As a condition for surrender, Sylph told the fortress commander that as soon as the fighting began, she would "bombard the adjacent positions of the Sabbatian government forces to show her sincerity."
The planned date and time of the offensive was communicated in advance through the second lieutenant, and at the same time the attack began, Sylph Company blew away the units on both side of them – the decoy positions – with artillery fire.
"See, Sylph's betrayal is undoubtedly real."
"Her troops are now preparing to flee to the fort. Please welcome them in."
Seeing this, the enemy believed in Sylph's betrayal.
The enemy commander believed Sylph Nova to be a comrade and opened the gates of the fortress to protect her.
***
From there, it was a one-sided affair.
Our forces, having secured the gate Sylph Company had opened, launched a full-scale assault on the interior of the fortress.
The soldiers inside the fortress were thrown into chaos by the sudden attack from behind.
As a result, the enemy soldiers were caught in a pincer attack from the front and back and were quickly annihilated.
"There's a weak spot over there, Mr. Gorski."
"Leave it to me."
Taking the second level of trenches was easier than I had expected.
The enemy hadn't fully prepared for the second bastion. While they had fortified the first bastion, they couldn't afford to station soldiers everywhere in the second bastion.
Areas where the defense is weak can be easily identified by the number of gunshots fired.
Whenever we found a spot where the defense was weak, Mr. Gorski would charge in alone with incredible force and take control of it.
Thanks to this, we successfully broke through the second bastion with minimal damage, creating a significant breach as a passage.
"The enemy is in complete disarray. Oh, our allies are flooding in."
"There's still the third bastion."
"The second bastion is already full of holes. There's no one left to defend it."
Sylph said to advance as far as we could.
So, we focused on maintaining the breach we had created in the second bastion.
Further advance is too risky. Victory is already assured even without pushing further.
"Excellent work, comrades. Leave the rest to us!"
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
Reinforcements arrived within 30 minutes. Our allies surged through the breach we had secured, pressing forward.
The low morale from the morning had vanished. With victory in sight, the soldiers pressed on with renewed vigor.
"Unbelievable. The impregnable Fort Rusovets has become a bucket full of holes."
"I wonder why the gate was opened."
"Maybe the enemy made a careless mistake?"
By the time noon rolled around, many of our allies had set up bases to pass through.
In this situation, there is no way that the Workers' Council could deal with the Sabbatian forces invading from all sides.
The enemy was overwhelmed, with some fleeing, some surrendering, and others launching suicide attacks.
"Ah. It's over."
"It's finally over?"
The battle ended that evening.
The third bastion had been captured, and the enemy commander's body, having committed suicide, was discovered in the now-exposed command center.
There are no remaining enemy forces left.
"Fort Rusovets fell in just one day."
Thus, we, the Sabbatian government forces, had captured the so-called impregnable Fort Rusovets in just one day.