Though no one had ordered them to, hundreds of soldiers snapped to attention as one and saluted.
“Loyalty!!!”
Their ringing shout echoed through the ruined city.
It was less pleasing than burdensome.
I returned the salute in a perfunctory manner and beckoned to Gunter.
“Gunter, what the hell is all this fuss about?”
Gunter grinned as he approached. His shoulders were puffed up twice as much as usual.
“What fuss, Captain? Everyone’s been waiting to see the ‘Ghost of Rosenheim.’ The living legend who harassed the Republic bastards for three days and nights and chewed up tanks with an 88mm.”
“The rumors have already spread that far?”
“It’s not just a rumor.”
Before I knew it, Kurt had sidled up beside me.
“The whole front’s been turned upside down, sir. They’re saying Imperial artillery doctrine needs to be rewritten from the ground up because of your idea to lay the Acht-Acht flat and fire it horizontally.”
“Huh… well.”
Was it really that big a deal?
That was when it happened.
Vroom—!
Cutting through the commotion of the soldiers, the heavy rumble of an engine sounded.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. Through the gap came a sleek command vehicle painted black.
I frowned at its sudden appearance. An ominous feeling crept up from the tips of my toes for no reason.
…Maybe it was because I didn’t have very good memories of that kind of vehicle.
Fortunately, the emblem engraved on it did not belong to the Inspectorate, but to the 1st Armored Division.
A major from the 1st Division got out of the passenger seat. He strode across the field hospital’s front yard and stopped before me.
“Are you Captain Max Jaeger?”
“I am.”
“The division commander is looking for you. Please accompany me to the operations conference room immediately.”
Polite, but firm.
‘So it’s finally here.’
I swallowed a sigh.
The hero’s welcome was over. Now it was time to earn my meal… no, my coffee. Still, dragging me off like this the moment I was discharged felt a bit much.
Not that there was anything I could do about it.
“Understood. Lead the way.”
I gave a glance of farewell to my subordinates standing behind me and climbed into the black vehicle.
*
The car rattled its way through the ruined streets of Rosenheim, heading toward the temporary headquarters located in the safest district. The roads had been cleared, so at least travel was possible.
The place we arrived at was an underground bunker that had been used as brigade headquarters. At the half-collapsed entrance, Guard Panzergrenadiers stood watch.
“This way, please.”
Guided inside, I entered the conference room.
“Oh! He’s here, he’s here!”
The first thing I heard was a familiar voice.
Heinrich von Hermann, major of the air force.
“Look! Didn’t I tell you? This man is the revolutionary who changed the paradigm of anti-aircraft guns!”
He began introducing me to the air force officers, practically spitting as he spoke.
“You people didn’t see it, so you wouldn’t know! The thrill of that massive 88mm spewing fire horizontally! Tanks bursting apart, bang, bang!”
‘Status Analysis.’
[Name: Heinrich von Hermann]
[Status: Fanatical excitement, blind faith in Max Jaeger]
[Emotion: Delighted that a living witness has appeared to prove his heroic tale.]
That man was still at it.
And beside him—
“Welcome, Captain Jaeger! How are you feeling?”
Brigadier Dietrich approached with his characteristic smile, the kind that pretended to be good-natured.
Behind him, I saw familiar faces.
Erika stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. The moment she saw me, she huffed and turned her head away.
[Emotion: Annoyed, but forced to acknowledge him. Relief that he returned alive.]
And Major Seraphina stood beside the operations map with a cold, composed expression. When our eyes met, she nodded ever so slightly.
The key figures of this operation had gathered here.
And I was standing at the center of it all.
“Attention.”
Then a deep, heavy voice silenced the commotion in the room.
The man seated at the head of the table. Major General Wilhelm von Falkenheim, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
As when I had seen him before, he was dressed in a perfectly immaculate uniform without a single stain of grease.
He slowly rose to his feet.
Step, step.
As he walked toward me, the Guard staff officers parted in unison to make way.
“Captain Max Jaeger.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Major General Falkenheim looked me up and down.
I must have looked shabby, dressed in a hospital gown with only a military coat thrown over it. Yet for some reason, he studied me closely, like a jeweler appraising a gem.
‘Status Analysis.’
[Using skill ‘Status Analysis (Lv.3)’ on ‘Wilhelm von Falkenheim.’]
[Name: Wilhelm von Falkenheim]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 1st Armored Division]
[Rank: Major General]
[Status: Precise appraisal, deep interest, curiosity]
“His Majesty the Emperor repeatedly urged me to make sure I saw the face of this insolent coffee maniac.”
“…My apologies.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize.”
Thud.
Falkenheim’s thick hand seized my shoulder firmly.
“To have the nerve to ask for coffee in a hell where three hundred tanks were rolling in. Even those Guard bastards couldn’t imitate that spirit. Yes, a hero ought to have that much guts!”
He laughed heartily and looked around.
“Look at him! If not for this man, the entire western Empire would have fallen into the hands of the Republic bastards. To achieve such feats as a mere company commander!”
“Indeed! In particular, the value of the new tactics the captain proposed…!”
The Guard operations staff chimed in.
“Not only the 88mm anti-aircraft gun, but the idea of using the city itself as a massive form of cover without abandoning it….”
“The report that he endured by procuring supplies locally after ammunition ran out was also impressive.”
The other staff officers, too, were lavish with their praise.
“Captain, thanks to you, our armored division entered without shedding blood. It feels as though the table had already been set and we merely placed a spoon on it. I almost feel ashamed.”
It was nothing but praise. For the proud elites of the Imperial Guard to pour out such compliments on a mere infantry captain was extraordinary.
‘Somehow, this makes me uneasy.’
Well, whatever the reason, I might as well enjoy it.
“You praise me too highly. It was all thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s decisive judgment and Your Excellency’s swift support.”
When I bowed my head modestly, Falkenheim looked even more pleased.
“Ability, humility, and even political sense. I can see why Marshal Ludwig coveted you.”
It was the highest praise. But instead, I felt a chill run down my spine.
‘When praise from high-ranking people drags on, you have to be careful.’
Sure enough, Falkenheim wiped the smile from his face and naturally walked toward the operations map.
“Now, now. That is enough of the preamble.”
Tap.
His baton lightly struck the map.
“Let us get to the main point.”
The baton was pointing at the Western Front.
“The situation is not optimistic. No, to be frank, it’s a complete mess.”
Just as he said.
On the map, the Western Front was dyed almost entirely in the red of the Republic. A new defensive line had barely been established around Rosenheim, but it was truly nothing more than “barely.”
“The defense of Rosenheim succeeded, but the enemy’s main force, the 2nd Corps itself, remains intact. Of course, their vanguard was smashed, their supplies were heavily consumed, and their morale has dropped, but….”
That much would not cause a corps to collapse.
That was what Division Commander Falkenheim said.
Then he pointed to the northern part of the map.
“Furthermore, intelligence has come in that enemy reinforcements are moving south from the north. At this rate, Rosenheim will be sandwiched and isolated.”
The air in the conference room grew heavy.
“As you know, the Empire is currently maintaining a two-front war and has no strength to spare.”
Since troops were also being poured into the Eastern Front, it meant there would be no further reinforcements.
“In other words, we must overturn this board with only the 1st Armored Division, the 7th Brigade, and the remnants of the 3rd Corps gathered here.”
Falkenheim’s gaze swept over the staff officers.
“Any opinions?”
The Guard chief of staff, a lieutenant colonel, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Your Excellency. We must be realistic. We should abandon Rosenheim, withdraw fifty kilometers to the rear to the Bergen Line, and establish a defensive line there….”
“Rejected.”
Falkenheim cut him off at once.
“His Majesty the Emperor is rejoicing over news of victory, and now you want me to abandon territory and run? You’re telling me to offer up my head.”
“…….”
What followed in the conference room was silence.
It could not be helped.
They were too outnumbered to hold the line, and the political scrutiny was too harsh to retreat. But charging head-on would be no different from suicide.
For now, we had repelled the enemy with a surprise air raid and the deployment of the 1st Division, but looking at the entire front, it was nothing more than a temporary success. Moreover, it was impossible to repeat such large-scale surprise operations indefinitely.
Considering we had driven back the enemy 2nd Corps with such momentum, the situation was pitifully shabby.
Amid that stifling silence.
I quietly stepped forward to the map.
“…It is not as though there is no way.”
All eyes focused on me. Major General Falkenheim’s eyebrows twitched.
“Oh? Is this the hero’s plan? Let’s hear it.”
I picked up a pen and pointed to Rosenheim on the map.
“Right now, Rosenheim is a thorn lodged in the enemy’s throat. They must be going mad because of how irritating this thorn is. Only by removing it can they comfortably advance inland.”
“That would be so. Which is why they are concentrating their forces on this front.”
“Conversely.”
I moved the pen and pointed to the rear flank of the enemy’s main force, an area marked with forests and hills.
“It means this flank is wide open.”
There, written in Imperial, were the words:
“…The Ashen Forest.”