The day after the capture of Fort Rusovets.
The government officials, who had traveled leisurely by car, were greeted by General Blake upon entering Fort Rusovets.
"Well done Blake, you've managed to take down Rusovets in such a short time."
"I'm honored to receive such a compliment. With this, we will be able to capture the capital by spring."
With the capture of the Fort Rusovets we achieved our first tactical objective.
The winter march is over, and now we will enter a long period of rest.
"Will you not advance any further in winter?"
"No, it would be difficult to conduct battles in the dead of winter."
It will be full-fledged winter within a month.
Winter in the Sabbath is hell.
The raging blizzards make it difficult to see, and it is said that if you urinate standing up, it will freeze instantly.
Proper combat is impossible in such conditions.
"The conditions are the same for them too. No, as professional soldiers in training, won't you have the advantage in winter combat?"
"No, that's not the case."
This was common knowledge for soldiers on the ground.
It is certainly true that the Sabbath has developed cold weather gear and weapons designed for combat in extreme cold.
So, it's not impossible to fight in the middle of a blizzard…
"In a mid-winter combat, the defenders have an overwhelming advantage because they can quickly retreat to their homes and warm up. Annihilation is inevitable if we launch an offensive in the extreme cold."
This assumes that both sides are fighting while freezing in the extreme cold.
In the current situation, we would be the only ones camping out, shivering from the cold, while the defenders can build up their strength and fight from inside their homes.
The temperature is already dropping below freezing, and once winter really sets in, it is expected to drop to -20 to -30 degrees Celsius.
No matter how you look at it, launching an offensive now would put us at a great disadvantage.
"Just take control of the houses in Josegrad before winter sets in. From there, engage in urban warfare and drive out the bandits."
"That's not realistic. The bandits have already built a large defense network around Josegrad."
"Don't underestimate us as merely politicians. Fort Rusovets, whose defenses were far stronger than that of the capital, fell in a single day. This is simply your reluctance to fight in winter."
"…There are also supply issues."
So, just when I thought I would be able to relax in the winter…
The government officials who caught up with us seemed eager to return to the capital as soon as possible.
"Prepare to mobilize your troops immediately, Blake. We must return to the capital as quickly as possible and reassure the people."
"…"
Surely, their minds were only concerned about the assets they left behind in the capital.
They only thought of the miraculous capture of Fort Rusovets as merely the expected outcome.
"If possible, please complete the capture of the capital during the winter. That would be perfect."
"I am telling you, that is…"
Even though General Blake had already achieved more than perfect results, they pressed him further.
The dignitaries began a lavish drinking party in the safety of their rooms within the fortress.
***
"Eh, we're deploying?"
Even Sylph, usually unfazed, had to listen to General Blake's order twice with a straight face.
It was an order two levels below what was expected, which was, "Surely they wouldn't be so foolish."
"Of course, I advised against it, but they wouldn't listen. We have no choice. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
"The commander-in-chief of this army is General Blake. The politicians shouldn't have any command authority."
"They are the de facto rulers of the Sabbath right now. How can we defy them?"
The soldiers who had captured the fortress were already in complete rest mode.
Even Sylph herself was thinking, "Let's scout during the winter and come up with a plan to capture the capital." She hadn't even considered a deployment.
"Do you know how long it will take to reach the capital from here, General Blake?"
"About a week."
"And how long do you think our supplies will last?"
"…One week."
Initially, we only had one week's worth of food and water at the point of capturing this fortress.
There would be supplies coming from the Eastern Headquarters, but if we waited for them, it would become winter.
Supplies will likely arrive from Eastern Command Headquarters, but it will be winter before they can get here.
We must deploy with only the supplies we have now if we want to capture the capital before winter.
"We are currently checking the remaining supplies in the fortress, but even with those, we probably can't sustain a battle."
"We have no choice but to storm the capital and requisition supplies."
"…"
There were food stores in this fortress as well.
However, there was no guarantee that the enemy, realizing their defeat, hadn't poisoned them.
So now the medical department is checking the safety of the food.
This meant that until that check was completed, we effectively only had a week's worth of food left.
"We need to at least get some supplies from the rear."
"Winter will set in if we wait for supplies, putting us at a significant disadvantage."
"Then why not wait out winter here?"
"If that were possible, we wouldn't be having this problem."
It was an extremely reckless offensive. Even Sylph couldn't come up with a plan to achieve it.
"We should just ignore such absurd demands from the officials."
Sylph advised General Blake.
Even the optimistic and carefree Blake knew this was an impossible task.
There's nothing more foolish than executing an impossible mission and facing defeat.
"Do you have any reason to follow those people? You are the highest authority in this army. Surely, you can see that this operation is reckless, General Blake."
"Well, but…"
"No matter how much they scream, if you give the order, we can detain and imprison them. If you follow their orders and go to battle, your name will go down in history as one of the most foolish generals in the world."
"…"
Hearing that from the younger girl, General Blake fell silent again.
The government officials were arrogant but powerful.
If Blake recaptures the capital, they have connections and wealth that will undoubtedly secure him a position at the core of the nation.
"Rather than committing foolishness by obeying them, General Blake should seize power and control them. Politicians don't understand military matters. This army thrives on your intellect."
"Sylph…"
"Please make a wise decision. At the very least, I am on your side."
General Blake's plan was to curry favor with the government officials, enter the capital, and be promoted.
However, the continuous unreasonable demands had also started to frustrate General Blake.
"General Blake, you are far more capable than those officials. You should be the one in power."
"Y-Yes, perhaps."
Blake was almost swayed by the sweet temptation from Sylph's words, but…
***
"They say we're launching an offensive tomorrow."
"You're joking, right?"
In the end, General Blake caved to the government officials and decided to deploy.
"General, why?"
"…Sylph. You are still too young."
From the start, Blake had been pushing for a winter offensive in response to the unreasonable demands of the government officials.
So, disregarding those officials now would render the forced offensive meaningless.
"We will need their power if we are to defeat the rebels and bring order to the Sabbath."
And best of all, these government officials at least had the track record and experience actually running the country up until now.
They were a little corrupt, or rather, they were politically skilled enough that "they could run the country even if they engaged in a little bit of corruption."
Their arrogant attitudes and behavior were tolerated because they were deemed necessary for the country.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said yesterday. Continue to serve loyally."
"Understood…"
And that's not the only reason.
This was probably Sylph's biggest miscalculation.
"With our powerful army, it will be entirely possible to retake the capital."
"…"
"Show your skills to the fullest, Sylph."
Yes.
He had become addicted to the twisted success he had experienced at the Fort Rusovets.
Without Sylph, the battle to capture Fort Rusovets would have been a major defeat.
With scarce weapons and food, low morale, and too short a time frame for the operation, General Blake himself had faintly foreseen defeat. But when the battle began, it ended in an unprecedented victory.
"Sir…"
"The enemy is a weak citizen militia. With our level of training, these adverse conditions are nothing to us."
As a result, Blake became optimistically convinced that the capital's capture might also go surprisingly well.
Sylph's efforts to avoid displeasing General Blake led to the worst possible misunderstanding.
***
"…Ah, my father really was a great general. After all, Blake was a man who remained in the rear, content to be a decorative commander who was never called to the front lines."
Apparently, Sylph had complained to Elijah before deployment.
Her father, General Brustav, was a commander who avoided risky operations and did not take bold measures.
Though he suffered a significant defeat at the hands of Bern Valou, there is no doubt he was a highly capable commander.
Brustav would retreat when necessary, avoiding unfavorable battles and consistently luring the enemy to advantageous battlefields.
He was the type of commander who, because he could do everything at a high level, preferred safe strategies that avoided risks.
This seemed frustratingly cautious to Sylph, but it also meant he was a commander who wouldn't make fatal mistakes.
Although his approach was different from Sylph's, who believed in "choosing the most effective move even if it means taking a bit of a gamble," he too had reached the pinnacle of command in a different way.
However, General Blake before her couldn't even assess the situation on the battlefield.
He followed impossible orders with vague justifications, blindly believing in their success like an express train with broken brakes.
"What is this battle for? Someone, tell me…"
General Blake's reasons for fighting were mainly pride and vanity.
A man who had held a decorative position was now being enticed by the prospect of becoming a marshal, recklessly gambling with soldiers' lives.
The government officials simply wanted to regain their splendor and wealth, desiring to return to their luxurious lives.
"That's not right… Lives shouldn't be sacrificed for such things. Soldiers fight to reduce unnecessary deaths, don't they?"
To Sylph, a commander's role is to efficiently manage the "lives" entrusted to them by the soldiers and fulfill their true purpose.
A soldier's true purpose was to protect their family back home. Soldiers fight without fear of death because they have something to protect.
Believing this, Sylph despised operations that would cause harm to civilians.
She felt such strategies betrayed the soldiers who risked their lives for their families.
"I, too, initially wanted to protect my mother and siblings. That's why I volunteered for the military."
Sylph's family is now gone.
Her home was burned down by the rebels in the capital, and their whereabouts were unknown.
Sylph continued to fight to prevent such tragedies from repeating.
"…Is the peace that lies beyond wasting the lives of my soldiers and the deprivation of the citizens' happiness the only thing I can achieve now?"
Looting will be necessary to continue fighting in the upcoming battle.
We had to seize wealth from the people in the capital to sustain ourselves.
Because almost as soon as we arrive in the capital, our food supplies will run out.
"Blake is useless. He's completely rotten to the core."
At that moment, Sylph completely lost faith in her superior.
"People are swayed by those bandits because they seek peace."
Though she was unpopular with her own men, rumors of the Sylph Offensive had spread among the Sabbath's citizens.
The fact that, thanks to one genius girl, they had almost defeated Austin was an exhilarating story for the citizens of Sabbath.
Sylph, the hero of that story, had become a symbol, a popular figure among the people.
"If I become the figurehead for the peace movement while backed by the Sabbatian government, I'm sure many citizens would join in."
There are no more pro-war citizens left in Josegrad.
Most of them had been killed or exiled by the Workers' Council.
Therefore, the majority of the capital's citizens are now pro-peace.
"The politicians won't complain as long as they can secure their own assets. They are profit-driven people. If I could gain the support of the citizens, they would promote me instead of Blake."
First, she would drive out Remi Ulyakov, the root of all evil, from Sabbath.
Then, Sylph would unite the pro-peace citizens and seize power.
There is no other path to a peaceful future for the Sabbath.
"…In that case, I must become a demon."
The moment when Sylph fully lost patience with General Blake…
She had resolved to take action, no matter the cost.