Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 126

"I've played this game with you countless times since you were little, Elizabeth."

“My brother has always been willing to play with me, hasn’t he?” The girl smiled. “Perhaps this is fate. Britannia has encountered such a new enemy, which is quite pleasing to me.”

Schneizel looked with satisfaction at his sister Elizabeth Britannia, who had once again turned her gaze to the gun in her hand. She was quite unique among her peers in the royal family. There were other siblings who loved military affairs and war, but those who were so fascinated by these old-fashioned and outdated firearms were few and far between.

This is why she is known as the "antique chain".

Her height is also considered "outstanding." Although she has to tilt her head back to talk to Schneizel, the latter is, after all, 2 meters tall [this is the official setting]. It's already quite forgiving for Elizabeth's height of 1 meters. As for Cornelia and Euphemia, one is 85 meters tall and the other is 172 meters tall [sorry, these two are also official settings]. Their necks won't be comfortable.

"Hmm, shouldn't there be one more person?"

"There's one more? Oh, right." Elizabeth suddenly remembered and turned around. "Kelly! Come out here!"

The two looked over and saw a boy's head pop out from behind a display case, his eyes blinking, his hands clasped on something on his head—it was unclear why he was playing with this American military helmet.

“Silly boy, we won’t laugh at you for that green hat.” Elizabeth waved her hand at him. “Put it down and come here.”

The boy finally awkwardly stepped out, revealing his clothes, which were basically the same color scheme as Elizabeth's—of course, the former wasn't wearing a skirt or high heels.

“Come on, Kelly, be polite.”

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Hmm! You didn't feel uncomfortable along the way, did you?"

“Replying to Your Majesty, I did not.” Kelly pouted, her restraint almost excessive.

What an interesting brother and sister duo.

"Huh? Why are you holding this?" Elizabeth noticed that he had a picture frame tucked into his arms at some point and easily reached for it.

"Hey! Sister, give it to me! Give it to me!" Kelly jumped up to take the photo frame back, but he was only 1.7 meters tall, how could he reach his sister's raised hand?

"Don't show it to my brother! No!"

Ignoring him, Elizabeth peeled off the front of the picture frame and found a piece of tape stuck to the glass—her brother must have just put it there.

“Oh…hahahaha.” The older sister immediately laughed and turned to show Schneizel. He also laughed along. In the background of the photo, there were several stone pillars, and behind the pillars, which was also the place that had just been covered by tape, there was a “girl” with dark green hair in pigtails, wearing a gorgeous princess dress, hiding in the back, looking like she didn’t dare to come out.

Then look at Kelly—his hair is also dark green, and most importantly, his face looks just like that "girl's"!

“Sister…” Now the younger brother was unhappy, and Elizabeth slowly composed herself.

"I originally wanted to bring more things from the mainland to share and reminisce with my brother, but after thinking about it, this photo is probably the most meaningful."

Neither Elizabeth nor Schneizel smiled, because the subject of the photograph wasn't the pillar, nor the "girl"—it was the people in the center of the picture, people they knew all too well.

“Princess Cornelia is missing.” She pointed to the purple-haired girl, then turned to another pink-haired one. “Euphie died at Zero’s hands.”

"Yes, and Clovis too, the same goes for him." Schneizel added, looking at the photo. "Lelouch and Nunnally... sigh, poor brother and sister. The sister is blind and crippled, and the former, we don't even know where his remains are now."

Elizabeth was about to say something, but then she lowered her hand.

"So, have you thought about your future, little sister?" The prince suddenly got straight to the point. "Area 11 has been a place of trouble since 2010. Let's not talk about Lelouch's disappearance during our war with Japan. We just mentioned three people, but they all vanished into thin air in this Tokyo Concession."

"And this time, the place you're going to is even more treacherous than Area 11. Area 45, this other world where a large number of soldiers dare not speak out, you're going to serve as the governor of this place, or rather, the supreme commander of the Area 45 expeditionary force... This isn't as simple as choosing an artifact to collect in a museum, and besides, your brother..."

“If I live like the other members of the royal family, I will only be buried in His Majesty’s long list of offspring; if I refuse to accept what others fear even when victory is assured, I will only be called a discarded product by my father.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “If no one is willing to stand up, will we, as the focus of the entire Britannian Empire, be disgraced?”

“Yes, that’s good, Elizabeth. It’s a good thing you and your brother didn’t plan to go on vacation to the other side of the portal.”

"A vacation? I'm sorry, but when I heard all that, I wasn't even thinking about having my entourage carry my suitcase; I was thinking about bringing a sturdy wooden coffin." The girl smiled confidently and wickedly, then took the PPSh submachine gun her brother was still playing with. "Since the enemy is willing to fight us with such ancient weapons steeped in battlefield history, if the royal airs can't be put aside, then a stool in front of an office desk is more useful. Don't you think so, brother?"

“Alright, I don’t need to worry anymore.” Schneizel breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly satisfied. “By the way, you still have some time before you officially take up your post in District 45. Is there anything you need Duke Sassler and the others to prepare for you before then?”

“These enemies are interesting, both their souls and their weapons.” Elizabeth’s attention remained focused on fiddling with the rifle. “And we’re currently being thoroughly outmaneuvered by them, so why not gather their weapons together as much as possible so that the soldiers of District 45 can learn on the spot and understand these enemy blades?”

"Set up a weapons experience station? Haha, that's an interesting suggestion, though bullets and such might be hard to collect," the prince chimed in. "So, are you thinking of bringing a few intact enemy tanks to put in front of you for your inspection?"

Hahaha! Please excuse my poor performance!

“Um, wait a minute…” Kelly suddenly interrupted, “Brother, could you take me to see that Tiger King tank we captured before?”

"Okay, come on."

Schneizel patted his shoulder, Elizabeth stroked his head, and they were about to go out.

……

"Your Highness!" Suddenly, an officer rushed over. "There's some new information from District 45!"

"what?"

"Duke Sasler and his men have gathered some scattered records and information from the Soviet army. They discovered that, it seems, a few days before our initial large-scale airborne operation, the Soviet army found a portal that suddenly opened and closed around a small town called Stolko near Berlin!"

"what?!"

"We didn't have time to tell you, but we quickly gathered the information and the researchers of the 'Eternal Protocol' discovered that the time when the Soviet teleportation portal appeared perfectly matched the time when they previously tested the Aizu-Wakamatsu Gate!"

"That is to say..."

"Besides opening it in the city center of Berlin, we also successfully opened a second main portal in the 45th district!"

Is that small town currently under our control?

"Yes, Your Highness! Therefore, the Eternal Agreement would like to seek your opinion on whether it is necessary to restart it..."

"No! Let's not conduct any more portal experiments." Schneizel waved his hand. "It took almost a month to figure out the location of a new main portal this time. How long will it take next time? We haven't even finished dealing with things in Berlin in District 45 yet. As for these trivial tricks, let's keep them to ourselves."

"So, your orders?"

"Let's add the Aizu-Wakamatsu Gate's mother-child network to the existing Camelot Gate's mother-child network. There's no need to explore new paths, at least not now."

Chapter 134, Section 197: Spears Forward, Praise Follows

Along this parallel line of latitude from Berlin to the Oder River, the Soviet hammer and sickle flag can no longer be found.

The former capital of the Third Reich suddenly became quiet and peaceful, free from the sounds of gunfire from nearby guns.

"Your Grace! Reports from the forward outposts: Soviet troops are retreating from the northern and southern areas adjacent to the city! They've abandoned their siege positions!"

"Great! Great!" The command center of the Capitol was filled with joy and jubilation. Finally, apart from the occasional green fighter jet, they no longer had to worry about explosions happening less than ten kilometers away all day long.

The Duke summoned everyone to a table, as if there was something to discuss next.

"Gentlemen, the blockade of Berlin has now been largely broken, and the two Knights of the Round Table have returned to District 11. According to His Highness Schneizel, the Seventh Princess Elizabeth di Britannia and the Tenth Prince Kelly di Britannia will officially succeed me as Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force. Accompanying these two royal siblings are several new army groups and legions. Our next strategy will essentially be laid bare before the royals. So, do you have any objections?"

“General Windsor and I aren’t entirely clear on the matter, but there’s one point we both want to clarify,” Lieutenant General Wood stated first. “Our respective corps haven’t yet completed their rest and reorganization, so to preserve their strength, we strongly advise against immediately deploying them to the front lines. Therefore, it would be better if the two generals previously in charge of the flanks of the offensive, General Gabriel of the 31st Army on the left and General Trossa of the 33rd Army on the right, could make the suggestion first. You two should know better than us how tough the Soviet forces on the outer perimeter are.”

“Well, I’ll go first then.” Trosa, whose face still looked a little young, seemed to accept the offer with utmost respect. “Your Grace, our frontline troops, in the course of our pursuit, have found that the Soviet defenses around the salient are quite poor. We previously consulted General Windsor, and he said that in the first day or two after the airborne operation, their efforts to expand their gains were met with setbacks at every turn, a completely different situation from our current progress.”

“That’s right! The battlefield situation has truly changed this time!” General Gabriel quickly chimed in. “We’ve suffered fewer losses, advanced faster, and covered a larger area. If the enemy really had the same goals and the same drive as they did ten or twenty days ago, how could we have made such a smooth progress?”

"However, you two generals would be wise to be careful not to fall into a Soviet trap." The Duke smiled slightly. "So, what do you mean?"

“Even if the Soviet army isn’t completely disorganized, it’s definitely a blunder. We can’t afford to wait any longer and must accelerate our pursuit.” Trosa pointed to the map. “Our advance westward is proceeding steadily. We’ve completely divided the enemy outside Berlin into two parts, north and south. The right thing to do is to cut off their connection. In short, we can’t give them any breathing room, or they will definitely come back to fight back one day.”

"So Trossa and I basically thought that we needed to seize the time to carry out a large-scale expulsion and defeat of the Soviet forces in the north and south, and to distance them further and further from Berlin. As for how to allocate all the cards we had, I suggested that we first use three army groups in each of the two directions to find out the strength of the enemy in the north and south. It would be better to set aside the other troops as reserves."

"Hmm, attacking the enemy to prevent them from resting, but we need to put our eggs in several baskets, is that right?" General Wood was the first to realize this, "and it also gives our two legions some room to rest."

"You seem to have something on your mind, Lieutenant General?" The Duke looked somewhat surprised.

"Excuse my intrusion, Your Excellency, but my legion has some matters that require my attention. If I am not given any urgent assignments, I will take my leave for now... Oh, by the way, I just remembered something: Your Excellency, it seems that the widening work on the Berlin subway tunnels is still ongoing? It would be best to continue, firstly, as it can serve as a large storage space, and secondly, in case of emergency, it can be used as a central location for medical stations. Having a shelter would be quite beneficial."

"Hmm, that's a good suggestion. You can go ahead and get busy."

……

A short while later, Lieutenant General Wood arrived at a town east of Berlin. He stood in the center of a small square with a large object covered by a canvas, where a couple hundred Britannian soldiers were gathered. Some of them wore different clothes, unlike the uniform blue; the mixed colors seemed to deliberately highlight their individuality. Was color a symbol of fighting strength?

The lieutenant general was still reading a long string of encouraging words from the scroll in his hand. In the room behind him, two figures, one tall and one short, were quietly waiting for something.

"Hey, where did this loose thread in your hair come from? Didn't I tell you to look in the mirror more often? This is a big event for you, and if you slack off like usual, you won't be the only one who embarrasses yourself."

"Ha, anyway, with Angelina watching over things, what could I possibly miss from your sharp eyes?"

"Then don't ask me to help you up there. If you fall and get hurt, it won't be my fault."

"No, no, no, I was wrong, okay..."

“Just wait here. The general isn’t going to let me benefit from this.” Angelie took the opportunity to throw a cane at the face of the man who was a head taller than her. “I’ll wait for you up ahead.”

"Holy crap..." Watching the girl run out, "This is awful... Using crutches is even more embarrassing than having a scallion on your head..."

Just then, the lieutenant general's voice called him... What else could he do? Go!

The general turned to look at him, and the soldiers cheered and applauded. Although the posture of leaning on the cane was indeed a bit comical, he was still enjoying himself.

With only a few steps left, the general reached out and led the flowing-haired, arrogant fellow to him.

"Brave warriors of Britannia, I now read a commendation from the Imperial homeland." General Wood turned to the last document in his hand, "In recognition of Lieutenant Griffin Zark, captain of the Griffin Squadron of the Knights of Agincourt, who, during the 'Operation Oder River Airborne Assault in District 45,' bravely disregarded his personal safety during the airborne operation, stepped forward when the offensive to destroy the Kostyan Railway Bridge encountered a bottleneck, successfully destroyed an important target single-handedly, and ultimately survived."

"Lieutenant Griffin's heroic act is worthy of emulation by every warrior, and his deeds will become the most glorious guiding star of the Knights of Agincourt. Therefore, the Britannian Military and Political Administration hereby grants Lieutenant Griffin the rank of Captain and awards him the Knight's Cross of the Charge!"

"Let's cheer!"

Amidst the applause and whistles of the crowd, the general calmly took out the medal engraved with a cross, shield, spear, and knight's helmet, and pinned it to Griffin's puffed-out chest. Seeing the general's approving gaze, the proud young man seemed unable to contain his ever-growing arrogance.

The applause and cheers grew louder and louder. He laughed and waved to the crowd, almost forgetting himself and dropping his cane.

And closest to the podium, three familiar faces were standing there. He greeted them with a smile that revealed his white teeth—Angelina returned his gaze with a look full of affection for a fool, while Ypel's lips curled up and her eyes narrowed into slits.

And what about Lilizia? She looked left and right, and finally clapped her hands sporadically as she looked at him. The message in her eyes was a mixture of reverence and envy—or rather, a sense of loss and longing for something so close yet so unattainable.

Those eyes, hidden beneath white hair, rarely revealed such a color in front of him.

……

"Alright, warriors! There's something even more important now!"

"General! We have a suggestion!" an officer in the audience jeered. "Griffin has such a great honor, a captain's rank plus a medal. Although the latter is quite significant, isn't this a bit insufficient?"

“You’ve got a good idea, soldiers!” Lieutenant General Wood said, gesturing for several men to step behind him. “Now, I’m going to announce to everyone the final reward for Captain Griffin, and perhaps for everyone present in the future!”

When the men lifted the canvas covering the thing behind the general, a gleaming mechanical body was revealed before everyone's eyes, much to Griffin's astonishment.

"Is this a KMF? I've never seen this model before."

"Come, warriors, remember the name of this new KMF! Vincent!" The general raised his voice again, "This is a general-purpose model improved from Lancelot's personal machine, the machine of the Seventh Knight of the Round Table. From now on, all outstanding knights can possess it! And now! This treasure will first be given to Captain Griffin!"

"Oh my God!" Oh no, in his excitement, Griffin actually threw his cane away!

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The general watched helplessly as he plopped down on the ground. "Quickly! Someone help him up!"

……

After a while, they arrived at a small building, where Lieutenant General Wood was temporarily staying. Griffin went to the general's room and seemed to be summoned. As for the three young women who accompanied him, they hid in a small room and began to whisper among themselves.

"So, does that mean our Knights might be able to use Vincent in the future?"

“That seems to be the case, at least with our capabilities.” Angelie leaned against the door again, answering Ipper’s question. “The general just mentioned that while Vincent is superior to Gloucester in many ways, it still requires someone with sufficient ability to wield it. Ah, of course, that’s not a problem for our knights, but it’s the ordinary Sunderland knights…”

"Huh? Is it really that harsh?" Ypel's eyes widened, looking incredulous.

"The Knights of the Round Table weren't picked up off the street, and the soldiers can't be made of clay..."

While the two were chatting, Lilizia remained silent, glancing at them a few times before looking out the window.

Angelie and Ypel exchanged a smile, about to say something, when they suddenly sensed a sound outside the door.

"Why?!--"

With a whoosh, the door opened outwards. Angelie lost her balance and was about to fall backwards when she felt herself lying on top of someone, who then grabbed her and hugged her.

Ypel, on the other hand, saw it all clearly. The figure, holding Angelie, spun around in place, taking her on a carousel ride, before stopping.

"Hmm? Mr. Griffin?" Angelie looked up curiously in the man's arms, and was also "comfortably" patted on the back of her head by this hand, making her blush and quickly push the captain away.

"I knew you guys would be here, haha!"

"So, what did the general want with the lieutenant just now?"

“I’m a captain now, you idiot Ypel.” Griffin chuckled mischievously, then looked at Angelie. “I finally understand what happened that time.”

"Accident?"

"It lets me see what posture and build the person behind the door is. The general laid it all out to me: when I was injured and being treated, because he saw my outstanding abilities, he 'forced' me to accept this so-called soldier modification program, which allows me to perform this X-ray vision operation, hehe!"

"Does that mean that in the future you might be able to sit in KMF and use this ability to know, for example, whether there are enemies in a house?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Ah, of course, right now I can only see what's behind a door. A whole house is too big. This ability still needs to grow before I can see a hundred or two hundred meters away, hehehehehe!"

At that moment, Ypel noticed an exquisite box on the cabinet by the door, which looked very much like something the captain had brought.