The ice sled surprise attack strategy devised by Sylph was a success.
The enemy was visibly shaken as flames rose from the city behind them.
"Incoming artillery fire!"
"Don't be afraid! I'll shield you from the blast with my [Shield]!"
Taking advantage of the confusion, Mr. Gorski bravely charged forward.
Securing even a single trench would provide a foothold for reinforcements to follow.
It was the Ace's job to capture that crucial first position.
"Touri, prepare your [Shield]!"
"Yes!"
The assault on this day was significantly different from usual.
It was because I had started to be used "completely as an infantryman."
…It seems that the number of soldiers in the platoon had decreased too much. I could no longer take a defensive position at the rear.
"Sorry, Touri, but please step forward. Secure my right."
"Understood."
I was positioned to the right of Gorski, who was leading the charge alone.
Normally, soldiers who can use [Shield] are suited to be on the front line.
Moreover, the rarity of the [Heal] skill meant I was only placed in the rear.
"May I have permission to use [Shield] and [Heal]?"
"You can use [Shield] freely at your discretion. For [Heal], get confirmation first."
"Thank you."
This is my first experience running on the front line of an assault.
But thinking about it, even though it has only been a year, I have experience on the Western Front. I could be considered a veteran within the platoon.
Rather, I need to protect the soldiers in the rear.
"…"
Just like I had practiced. Just like I had been trained. I kept my posture low and ran with my rifle held tight.
I saw soldiers in the trench directly ahead aiming their guns straight at me.
It's unclear whether they'll hit since it's far, but it's better to be cautious.
"…[Shield]"
The [Shield] I instinctively cast deflected a few bullets before shattering.
One of those bullets was headed straight for my left chest—directly at my heart.
"…..!"
At that moment, I nearly died. If I had been even a little slower in deploying the [Shield], I would have been dead.
This is not a game. If I get hit in a vital spot, I will die.
"Ahhh!"
I heard a distressing cry from behind. It must have been someone from our unit.
…I can only hope it's not a fatal injury. If luck is on their side, they might be carried to the rear.
"Touri, the enemy in front is targeting you again!"
"Y-Yes, understood!"
I can't even imagine running through such a terrifying place without a [Shield].
Rodri and Senior Allen have been surviving on battlefields like this for a long time.
"H-Here goes!"
"Oh!"
I swung my rifle upward at the same time the enemy fired.
Just in case a bullet came straight at me, I might deflect it with my gun. If that reduces the mortality rate by even 1%, that would be great.
"I can't die here!"
Every time the enemy fired, I desperately swung my rifle.
I was anxious, terrified, and burning with the impatience to advance even one step faster.
I used the party tricks I learned from Mr. Gorski in that peaceful village as my mental support.
***
Fortunately, no bullets grazed me.
We safely reached the trench at the front and Mr. Gorski jumped into it.
Immediately afterward, there was a thunderous explosion and flash of lightning in the trench, and the enemy soldiers convulsed and fell.
"Suppression complete! Move into the trench!!"
"Understood!"
Following his brave footsteps, we slipped into the trench and secured the position without incident.
I was out of breath and ended up falling on my butt.
"Haa, haa…"
"Touri, use a knife if you want to cut bullets. Using a rifle risks accidental discharge."
"Y-Yes."
"…But you don't have a military knife, do you?"
"I was issued a medical knife instead."
"Then, I'll lend you mine. I only use a spear anyway."
My heart is racing rapidly.
Now, for the first time, I had run through the trenches using my own power.
I felt like I barely survived. I've never had so many guns pointed at me in my life.
The infantry must have been fighting such terror all this time.
"Now, once our allies catch up, we'll move to the artillery position. I will provide cover for the perimeter, so follow me."
Mr. Gorski intended to continue on and attack the trenches from the side.
Once part of the trench is secured, the standard strategy is to support your allies by going around to the rear or pushing sideways.
Today's battle was one in which we had a very good chance of winning, as Sylph caused chaos in the rear.
Mr. Gorski was likely eager to secure a decisive victory.
However…
"Hmm, something seems off."
"What's wrong, Touri?"
It was here that I noticed something strange was happening.
"…The central forces are retreating."
"Eh?"
The central force led by General Blake, which was the core of the offensive, was inexplicably retreating early.
"What's going on? Aren't we supposed to take the artillery position all at once?"
"Hey, the enemy is retaking the trench! This is bad, our rear is exposed."
With the central forces' retreat, the enemy quickly pushed back the front line.
The flanks of the Sabbatian government forces were under pressure, and if left as is, we would lose our retreat route.
"Is this part of the strategy…?"
A horrible chill ran down my spine. A chill that froze my very bones, telling me that I would die if I stayed here.
But we still hadn't received a retreat order. Why had only the central forces withdrawn?
If this was intentional, what was Sylph thinking?
"I don't know."
"Yes. However, as long as no retreat order has been given, we have no choice but to continue the offensive."
…Assuming Sylph had a purpose in mind.
What would happen if the central line collapsed during a multi-point simultaneous breakthrough?
"There must be some deeper reason."
"Do you really think that little girl is thinking about such things?"
I agreed with Mr. Gorski, and had seen first-hand the many clever schemes of Sylph.
There must be some deep purpose. There must be a strategy that couldn't be discerned on the field.
"Maybe something unexpected happened. Wouldn't it be better to retreat? We'll die if we get surrounded."
"It's unthinkable for soldiers to retreat without orders."
"Yeah, yeah. Ah, if I die in the line of duty, I'll come back as a ghost."
Thinking that, I focused not on retreat but on moving forward.
Sylph had ordered us to capture the artillery position. There must be a clue there.
Believing that…
At that moment, we chose not to retreat. We moved forward, trusting the strategist Sylph Nova.
In reality, it was not the situation she had intended, but a distortion caused by the enemy's ace unit forcibly changing the battlefield.
Yes. The enemy ace's breakthrough through the center caused a major distortion of the battlefront.
In exchange for sacrificing a talented young man, the enemy managed to take the center and began to pressure the government forces on both the left and right wings.
Originally, the advancing lines of the offensive were narrow. Assault troops were supposed to infiltrate and secure the trenches from such a narrow line.
That narrow line was soon divided by the disparity in numbers after losing the central main forces.
"…Ah."
"What's wrong, Touri?"
Even I realized this at that point.
Goosebumps ran all over my body and my heart was beating so fast I couldn't breathe.
"Dammit."
The moment the enemy secured our rear and completely cut off our retreat route. It was only then did I understand.
"The rear is…"
The central retreat was not part of Sylph's strategy.
It was that our location had long since become a death trap.
***
────You had a bad feeling about this, so why didn't you retreat?
I immediately reported to Mr. Gorski what I had noticed happening behind us and discussed what we should do next.
We were completely cut off from behind and are now isolated.
If our single platoon stormed the artillery position alone, we would only be riddled with bullets.
────Why didn't you think about it yourself and instead left everything up to Sylph?
I was mistaken. Only the soldiers on the battlefield can see the battlefield with their own eyes and act in real time.
I blindly trusted the excellent strategist Sylph, assuming even this disadvantageous situation must have had a deeper meaning, and thoughtlessly moved forward.
────Well, as a soldier, that may be true.
But in my defense, I'm not a commander.
As a low-ranking soldier, I am basically only allowed to do as Sylph ordered.
The correct course of action for infantrymen is to not think about anything and entrust things to their commander.
────That is just a soldier who chooses the answers prepared by Sylph.
Yes, she is extraordinarily good at shaping the battlefield.
I just had to choose the "correct answers" prepared by Sylph.
It was a very simple job. It felt very reassuring and easy.
────Hey, is that really what you've been doing up until now?
Have the battlefields I have experienced so far been like such games?
No. I have experienced real battlefields, not some simple game.
That's what had brought me here. My experience and instincts are what I should rely on, not just blindly following orders.
"From now on, we will charge to the rear and attempt to join our allies."
Mr. Gorski made a quick decision.
"If we move forward, there is only death. The only way we can survive is to retreat to the rear."
"See, I told you so."
"Shut up. If there are no objections, I'll take the lead. The enemy defenses look quite thick, but if we'll be surrounded if we take too long. We'll charge even if it's reckless.
"Oh no, this time I might really die."
Surely, what lies ahead is hell.
The enemy is waiting for us, knowing we will try to escape.
Mr. Gorski might be able to escape on his own, but the chances of survival for the rest of us, including myself, are slim.
"Prepare yourselves! Are you ready?"
"Mr. Gorski, I have a proposal. How about we press sideways a bit before retreating?"
"Push sideways??"
There are no prepared answers on this battlefield.
It has always been that way. In war, there is no one to tell you the perfect path to victory.
"Yes. Let's attack along the trench and threaten the rear of the enemy soldiers who have broken through the center."
"…And then?"
"If the enemy is inexperienced, at least one unit will likely become disorganized. Breaking through a prepared enemy or a confused enemy, which is easier?"
"Hmm. You have a point. Do we have enough ammunition?"
"The enemy's weapons are the same model as ours. We can collect ammo from fallen enemies."
Survival seems unlikely in our current situation.
If there is no chance of survival, we must act in a way that creates opportunities.
"At the very least, retreating from this position now seems incredibly risky."
"That's true. Well then, let's attack from the side across the trench."
"Yes, please, Mr. Gorski."
I said this, gripping my rifle as I stood next to the spear-wielding hero, ready for the next move.
***
"Whoa! They're coming this way!"
The one waiting at the adjacent outpost is a young boy with curly hair.
He reminds me of a young boy from the orphanage who looked up to me like an older sister.
"For the revolution! Brace yourself─"
The curly-haired boy soldier pointed the gun at me, but…
"…"
Before he could shoot, my own rifle fired first.
He took too long to aim. Maybe it was his first battle….
"…We've taken control of the base and seized the ammunition."
"Good."
We continued to destroy the adjacent bases with the same momentum as if we were still on the offensive.
"Ouch. Aust-chan, I'm wounded."
"…Requesting permission to treat."
"Permission granted."
Frontline medics are extremely useful in these situations.
Unless it's a fatal wound, most injuries can be healed. I can understand why Platoon Leader Garback wanted a medic so much.
"Enemy forces are invading from the rear. Prepare to intercept."
"Oh, good job noticing."
The enemy seems fairly flustered seeing our movements.
Having the enemy roaming behind us in the trenches is quite troublesome.
A considerable number of enemy troops were dispatched to annihilate us.
"Are there any bases we can break into?"
"It's better than before, but… for now, I can't find a base from which to attack that will allow us to return alive."
Thanks to this, the enemy formation was somewhat disorganized.
However, there was still no place that our current 10-man Gorski Platoon could break through.
As expected, it's not going to be that easy.
However, this is normal. It's strange to think there would be a surefire answer on the battlefield.
"There is an assault point where we might not make it back alive even if we succeed. What do you think, Mr. Gorski?"
"'Might not make it back alive'? What do you mean?"
"Well, look ahead."
Then I'll trust my intuition.
No matter how narrow the path might be. If there's even the slightest chance of survival, there's no reason to give up.
"Our enemies are so desperate to encircle us that part of the artillery position has become easier to attack."
"Wait, you don't mean…"
The defense of the enemy's artillery position had been considerably weakened.
Naturally, the troops guarding the artillery positions had advanced to corner us.
At this moment, we're the only unit capable of launching an assault on the artillery position.
While the rest of the government forces are retreating, there is no reason not for them to advance the defense forces.
"Let's launch an assault on the artillery position, Mr. Gorski. Let's cause even more confusion for the enemy."
"…"
"This charge will surely not be in vain. It will also serve as support for our allies who are currently in a difficult situation."
"That's true, but…"
"There will definitely be an opportunity that will appear after we make a mess of the enemy's positions."
The situation is desperate, but if survival is the goal, the best option is to assault the artillery position with a single platoon.
My instincts tell me that if we retreat now, the chances of me surviving are zero.
So, retreating here is not an option.
"Please trust me."
Besides, moving forward from here would provide better support to our allies.
For the overall situation on the front, advancing here seems to be more beneficial.
This is a forceful tactic that only an ace like Mr. Gorski can pull off.
"…If we're going to move forward, where should we target?"
"Let's move a little further to the right and then charge. That area seems to have weaker defenses."
"…Hey, Aust-chan."
"What is it?"
"No… It's nothing."
The usually gruff and foul-mouthed soldier had an indescribable expression on his face.
"…Didn't you say that you weren't the type who can laugh on the battlefield?"