Chaos was spreading outside the enclosed wagon.
The small number of soldiers there were shaken, and even the officers who should have calmed them showed their alarm. This was no good… truly no good at all.
The plan assumed that our side would remain on the offensive. The moment we were forced onto the defensive, it had failed.
“W-What happened!?”
While I calmly assessed the situation, the man who had been sitting beside me tumbled from the wagon and shouted to the surrounding soldiers.
“We’re retreating! The Kingdom of Friez counterattacked! Troops were pulled from our position to make up for some damned marquis family, and the enemy struck while we were undermanned! It’s a Friez counteroffensive!”
For some time after the war began, the Kingdom of Lunoa alone had remained on the offensive.
That had perhaps made it careless. Lunoa had allowed the Kingdom of Friez to begin its counterattack with ease.
“Recruits! I’m the commander here!”
After an ordinary soldier explained the situation, a man wearing a colonel’s insignia approached from a short distance away.
“Here! We establish our position here! The troops at the front are retreating toward us. Shovels—take up your shovels! Dig trenches! This is the front line now!”
His orders were simple.
“Now!? We’ll never finish in time!”
They were also unbelievably unreasonable.
We weren’t far from the former front line. There was hardly time to leisurely build trenches, and we had nowhere near enough men.
About thirty soldiers had retreated in several trucks, while only eight recruits had been on their way to reinforce the front. It was impossible for so few men to construct a trench line.
“But we have no choice—!”
“You’re in the way. Move… If you need a trench, I’ll dig it.”
Magic existed in this world to make the impossible possible.
I moved the colonel aside, placed a hand on the ground, and activated my magic. Reshaping the terrain across a wide area, I constructed an enormous trench line by myself.
“…Phew.”
It consumed a great deal of mana, but in moments I had created trenches in which two or three thousand men could operate. After a little recovery, I could expand them still further.
A trench line of this size could conceal the entire regiment now retreating toward us.
“Earth magic…!? No—what’s this scale!?”
“You’re Colonel Kernel, correct?”
After demonstrating the power of earth magic, I turned again to the man wearing the colonel’s insignia. I could just barely remember the faces and names of officers up to that rank.
“Y-Yes, I am. But you’re only a private. However astonishing that spell was, your manner toward me—”
“Forgive my late introduction. I’m Noah, third son of House Willard.”
“H-House Willard…!?”
Apart from the ducal houses, which were effectively royal, marquis families held the greatest authority among the nobility. House Willard was one of only four such great houses, and its name carried considerable weight.
My status was higher than that of a colonel, a rank often held by members of viscount families. Father had formally entrusted me with our family’s name, and I was the only man of House Willard now standing on the battlefield.
“By my father’s command, I’ve come here bearing the name of the Marquis of Willard. From this moment on, will you place yourself under my command?”
“N-No such order was given—”
Using my position, I immediately demanded the highest authority present.
“I’m giving the order now. You must have seen me before. I may seldom appear in public, but I have attracted attention in various ways.”
“…Earth, but a marquis family… House Willard’s hidden ace?”
Colonel Kernel wore a complicated expression before nodding deeply. He seemed to have invented some elaborate explanation for himself.
In truth, I was merely an underachiever whose ability happened to suit this battlefield.
“…I apologize for my earlier discourtesy. What will you do now?”
“It doesn’t matter. Hide every retreating soldier in these trenches. We’ll ambush and destroy the enemy troops pursuing them so carelessly. Prepare a group of steady, experienced men as well. We’ll expose a small force and make the enemy believe it’s our rearguard.”
More of our soldiers would soon come fleeing toward us.
To receive them and carry out the plan in my mind, I first needed to win over Colonel Kernel, their commander.
“…But that would—”
“If we do nothing, those men will be overrun by the enemy and die anyway. Besides, our guns have the greater effective range, do they not? We can open fire first. The moment we do, the decoy force will take cover in the trenches. We’ll already be entrenched, while the enemy will be advancing carelessly toward us. It’s obvious which side will win the firefight.”
As an arms merchant, I knew.
I could state with certainty that Lunoa’s firearms outperformed those of the Kingdom of Friez.
“……”
When I finished giving my orders, I glared at the colonel, who was staring at me in astonishment.
“Is there anything else?”
“N-No! Nothing. We’ll do as you say!”
Driven into action by my glare, Colonel Kernel hurriedly set to work.
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