“Too soon! It wasn’t supposed to happen for another two weeks!”
“Th-That was the expectation… but the Rosha Empire appears to have exceeded central command’s estimates. The eastern front is already under a large-scale attack, and the Lunoa Eastern Army is only barely holding.”
“…How long will they last?”
“…They won’t. Troops from the western front are to be sent east.”
“…The Kingdom of Friez still stands. We haven’t defeated it.”
“The Second Army has already been ordered to halt its attack and redeploy.”
“…Then what does that mean? The operation has failed?”
“……”
The messenger fell silent at my words.
“No, forgive me. I’m truly sorry. There’s no point saying this to the man who merely brought the message.”
“N-No! Lord Noah, I’ve seen you work harder for this war than anyone… I too regret that it has ended this way. It’s our failure.”
“No, it isn’t. You bear no responsibility. The soldiers at the front have fought well.”
“…There are orders for you as well. You’re to hurry from the western front to the eastern front.”
“…Me too?”
“Yes. General Newsbeck of the Eastern Army requires someone capable of earth magic and skilled at constructing defensive lines.”
“…I see. That’s certainly reasonable. Understood. I’ll leave at once.”
I sighed once and looked up at the ceiling.
After a brief silence, I returned my gaze to the map spread across the room and gently ran a hand over it.
“What has the North Sea Empire to our north said?”
“Sir?”
“No information yet? Then I must check when I return to the capital. We committed the barbaric act of invading a neutral country. Nations that haven’t yet entered the war may join in condemning us. It would be especially dangerous if the North Sea Empire, with the world’s strongest navy, became our enemy. Our food supply depends on imports by sea. Losing those routes would be disastrous.”
The war was growing longer.
We could no longer afford to look at only two countries.
“You may go.”
“Yes, sir.”
I dismissed the messenger and turned to Colonel Kernel.
“I’m being redeployed. I’ll return to the capital once, then be assigned to the eastern front.”
“It’ll be lonely without you.”
“I appreciate you saying so… Colonel Kernel, this war will be long.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I leave this theater to you. I won’t order you to advance, but don’t fall back.”
“Leave it to me.”
Colonel Kernel had helped me greatly.
When he nodded deeply, I sank back into my chair and looked up once more.
“Haha… It hurts.”
He had helped devise operations and stopped my bleeding many times. Without him, nothing would have gone so well.
“…Lord Noah? Are you all right?”
“It’s just… a little.”
Perhaps the thread holding me together had snapped.
Reality, which had felt far away, suddenly drew close, and my battered body began sounding its alarms.
“…I was reckless.”
“You truly were. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”
“If even one bullet had hit my heart, it would have been bad.”
“Without a skilled surgeon, you would certainly have died. Several organs were damaged, and we used the worst possible first aid by burning the wounds. It’s a miracle you avoided a major infection and remain alive.”
“Surgery without anesthesia was difficult.”
“…You truly are insane.”
“No doubt. I was certainly a little strange these past few days. But at least I pushed Lunoa farther from defeat, even if I couldn’t seize victory.”
The adrenaline of war had carried me.
Without it, I could never have survived the past few days’ recklessness. I was fortunate that members of House Willard were so sturdy. It seemed I truly shared the blood of Sister Shia, who had boasted she was worth a thousand soldiers.
“…I wouldn’t really have minded dying.”
“Lord Noah?”
“I’m half joking. If the war isn’t over, I can’t die.”
I didn’t consider myself an optimist.
I didn’t believe Sister Shia’s mental state would improve within a few years.
But I had no confidence that I could survive on this battlefield for several more years.
“…That’s why I thought we had no choice but to win.”
An early settlement was Lunoa’s best path to victory. Failing that meant a two-front war, and victory would be very distant.
Surviving as a soldier of a country likely to lose would be impossible.
“Lord Noah, you’re returning home after a long absence, are you not? Please rest for a while and take care of yourself.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Constant recklessness will harm your body. You have reached your limit.”
“The eastern forces are at their limit too. I’ll manage. I can’t afford to die.”
“…Lord Noah, you’re still young. If you keep taking such risks, you’ll never grow any taller.”
“Haha, that would be a problem. I’m already short… Though being small does make enemy bullets easier to avoid.”
“You won’t be popular with women.”
“That hurts! But I’m a clod, after all.”
“…Guh.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty. I’m used to being looked down on.”
“I would never look down on you!”
“Not now, you mean. Hehe. I was fortunate to have such a good subordinate. You obeyed me even though I still hold no formal military rank. Thank you. Until we meet on another battlefield.”
“…Yes, of course. We’ll both live to meet again.”
“Yes. Until then.”
Here, Colonel Kernel and I parted.
I began preparing to leave the western front.
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