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Chapter 199 : Spring of Arfe (3)
After working out the specific details of the plan, we divided everyone into operatives and support personnel.The operatives would be myself, Eugene Carter, and Edel Ribenia.
The support personnel would consist of numerous members of the Imperial Special Operations Force under Alvin Caldwell, along with many of Edel's personal attendants, including Lea Bronte.
“All support personnel are to move into position before 4 p.m. tomorrow and wait there. Be especially careful that nothing discussed here leaks out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Under normal circumstances, anyone could enter and leave the Imperial Palace during the day, so secretly making our way nearby wouldn't be particularly difficult.
After all, Abel's only concerns were protecting himself and figuring out how to appear more dignified as Emperor.
“Of course, considering that cowardly fool actually made such an extreme decision, we also have to account for the possibility that he prepared additional countermeasures.”
That was also true.
Whether Abel had been completely controlled by Charlotte Platina or whether his own ugly nature had simply been brought to the surface, it was safest to assume he was no longer the same person as before.
“If possible, it'd be best to infiltrate the bedchamber first and tamper with the Barrier. If that proves impossible... then we'll have no choice but to enter together with Abel when he moves.”
“At that point, I suppose we'll have to leave it to fate.”
“...Yes.”
“I suppose we will.”
Although her tone sounded almost resigned, Edel's eyes shone brighter than anyone else's.
With those words, we dispersed to fulfill our respective roles.
Edel and Lea returned to the Imperial Palace.
Commander Alvin and I remained at the Imperial Special Operations Force headquarters.
We still had to select the personnel for the operation and continue discussing the revised field manual with the remaining administrative and educational staff.
“You already knew, didn't you?”
While we were walking, Lieutenant General Alvin suddenly asked.
“Knew what?”
“That things would turn out like this.”
“...How could I possibly have known?”
“You look far too calm.”
“I had plenty of time to organize my thoughts on the way here.”
“Hm...”
Apparently deciding not to press the issue further, Alvin stared at me before chuckling.
“Well, whether you came from a future where you possessed foresight isn't any concern of mine...”
He slung an arm around my shoulder as he continued.
“If there's something you want to protect, no matter what it is...”
“Protect it.”
“......”
“That's the life of a soldier.”
He said nothing more after that.
No matter how strictly the military adhered to the chain of command, if we openly told everyone they would be participating in the assassination of a member of the Imperial Family, a great many would immediately refuse.
So the Commander created a different justification.
“This will be training for a future operation that will eventually be incorporated into official military campaigns.”
“Think of it as an opportunity to gain firsthand experience, and don't hesitate to volunteer.”
“......”
“Oh, and as a bonus, all volunteers will receive one night and two days of paid leave—”
“I'll do it!”
“M-Me too!”
The promised reward leave proved so effective that we ended up with too many volunteers and had to narrow them down.
In the end, we successfully selected fifty Special Operations Force members and briefed them on their assignments and training guidelines.
After ordering them to remain on standby until training began, we gathered with the members of the provisional Field Manual Revision Committee and began revising the manual.
“But... why are you asking me to review this?”
“Because you're a genius of strategy and tactics.”
“That's not something you actually believe, Director.”
“I mean it, Carter.”
Not only Frederick and Belfort, but even the temporary committee members, including the Chief of Staff, all wanted my opinion.
“......”
“This is only one opinion among many, so please just use it as a reference.”
I had no reason to refuse.
So I began offering my suggestions.
They were the best improvements I could derive by combining my memories as a player with my experiences as a War Hero.
The most important issue was simple.
How could we maintain the front line and formation as efficiently as possible?
Even when high-ranking Beast Monsters capable of command and control were present, Beast Monsters generally prioritized instinct above all else.
They charged far more aggressively at opponents they believed they could defeat.
They approached cautiously when facing enemies they expected to lose against.
The greatest difference between human warfare and Beast Monster warfare was judgment speed.
Humans couldn't instantly determine whether a battle would end in victory or defeat.
That was especially true for those fighting on the front lines themselves.
But Beast Monsters shared a collective consciousness.
They instantly gathered every individual battle occurring across the battlefield and immediately calculated the overall outcome.
That was why they constantly alternated between advancing and retreating, luring humans into making mistakes.
Aside from battles lost immediately at the outset, most defeats against Beast Monsters occurred because humans became careless.
The ideal outcome would be discovering the source of the Beast Monsters and eradicating their existence from this world entirely...
But to my knowledge, such a thing had never once been accomplished.
Therefore...
Our battle was one fought to prevent them from taking the territory we already possessed.
If we could maintain our front line perfectly, then even accounting for a few inevitable gaps, we could continue advancing our formation.
But that only applied after completely repelling their invasion.
Right now, our priority was building the mentality and tactics necessary to avoid being manipulated by every trick the Beast Monsters employed.
With that in mind, I focused my feedback on precisely those areas.
“...Ho.”
“As expected of an anti-Beast Monster specialist.”
“You pinpointed the weakness exactly.”
“I told you this guy's my classmate! Hahaha!”
Amid the chorus of admiration, Belfort repeatedly slapped my back while laughing loudly.
Ignoring him, I finished my explanation.
“You absolutely cannot go easy on them just because they're students.”
“Carvena is the Empire's pride.”
“They have to lead by example.”
“But if we push students that hard, the nobles are bound to start complaining.”
“They won't even have time to worry about rumors like that.”
“They simply won't have the luxury.”
The Imperial Army's minimum enlistment age was sixteen, which was average among the nations in the story.
The average age of an Imperial infantry recruit was just over nineteen.
Most third-year Carvena cadets were already around that age.
As for special forces personnel, anyone with sufficient ability could enlist regardless of age or gender.
The gender ratio proved that point.
The regular army maintained a ratio of ninety-seven to three.
The Imperial Special Operations Force, meanwhile, maintained an eighty-to-twenty ratio.
Considering both their age and potential, there was no reason most Carvena cadets shouldn't already belong to the Imperial Army.
The only thing holding them back was a poor curriculum that had never allowed them to fully develop their abilities.
More importantly...
The world that awaited us would become so hopeless that anyone with Mana aptitude would have to be used as a combatant.
In the total war ahead, where nearly every able-bodied adult except the elderly and children would be sent to the battlefield...
Complaints like that would become utterly meaningless.
“We'll see how the results turn out later.”
“For now, let's simply go through trial and error.”
“That'll be more than enough.”
.
.
.
By the time every discussion had concluded, night had already fallen.
Perhaps because tomorrow promised to be even more hectic, not a single person came looking for me.
'I guess everyone's too busy getting some rest themselves.'
After grabbing a quick meal, I climbed to the rooftop of the main building to enjoy the night breeze.
Whenever I stood there absentmindedly letting the wind wash over me, it always felt like the clutter in my head gradually sorted itself out.
Lately, especially, I'd barely had any time to rest.
There'd been almost no opportunity to calmly organize my thoughts.
Which made this brief moment of peace all the sweeter.
Until...
“So this is where you were.”
A familiar voice shattered that peaceful silence.
Letting out a sigh, I turned around.
“Were you looking for someone?”
“Yeah.”
“You.”
“......”
“Back when we were stationed together, you always came up here whenever you had personal time.”
“Did I?”
“You did.”
Even now, after breaking free from the curse, I still remembered most things related to the battlefield from before I transmigrated.
Everything else, however, had become remarkably vague.
'Then again, who honestly remembers every detail from more than seven years ago?'
When I said nothing more, Belfort chuckled and walked over to stand beside me.
As we looked out together over the distant capital, he asked,
“...How much time do we have left?”
“Left until what?”
“Until these peaceful days are over.”
So he was feeling sentimental now that it was nighttime.
I simply shrugged.
“Who knows.”
Realizing I had no intention of answering properly, Belfort began talking on his own.
“You know how everyone goes through that phase where they're drunk on their own talent?”
“Back then, nothing in the world scared us.”
“But these days?”
“My family's nagging terrifies me more than anything.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Oh, don't give me that.”
“You cut ties with your father ages ago.”
“Not really.”
“When was the last time you contacted him?”
“......”
“Have you at least checked whether he's doing alright?”
“...It's a quiet little town.”
“What could possibly happen?”
“There you go again.”
“No matter how harsh your father was toward you, in the end, family is all that's left.”
“It's not too late.”
“Go talk to him honestly.”
“Share a drink together.”
“You'll both find the courage to speak.”
“I'm telling you, it's not like things are—”
The instant I tried to answer...
A violent headache suddenly struck.
“Ghk?!”
“Carter?”
“......”
Fortunately, the pain faded almost immediately.
Along with every thought I'd had about my father.
“You alright?”
“...Yeah.”
“It's nothing.”
Since I maintained a perfectly calm expression, Belfort eventually relaxed as well.
'Looks like there's something there.'
'Some past involving my father that I can't remember.'
If merely trying to recall it caused that level of pain...
Then it must have been an extraordinarily traumatic memory.
Well...
That wasn't important right now.
My own past wasn't what mattered anymore.
“......”
Once more organizing my thoughts, I silently looked up at the night sky.
Perhaps because things had become awkward after what happened, Belfort also remained silent, turning his gaze elsewhere.
For quite some time, the two of us stood beneath a perfectly cloudless sky, each lost in our own thoughts.
The night quietly passed.
The following morning.
After officially receiving her appointment as Head of House from the Imperial Council the previous day, Michelle traveled toward Bernhardt territory alongside the Council's attendants.
“Thank you for accompanying me, Farid.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“Now that the Council has decided to support House Bernhardt, it's my duty to ensure the House doesn't collapse.”
Every culprit behind the recent incident, including Edgar and Mikhail, had already fled the territory.
“We've already issued warrants.”
“The remaining fugitives will be captured soon enough.”
“...What about the exclusion order?”
“Once today's inspection is finished, we'll summon Barrier mages.”
“The territory is far too large to completely surround, but we'll certainly reinforce the important locations.”
“...Thank you.”
Thanks to the forged will incident, most of the false accusations placed upon Michelle Bernhardt had finally been cleared.
She had stepped forward to rebuild House Bernhardt...
But the situation was far from hopeful.
The fact that every direct family member had fled came as an enormous shock to the servants.
Whether because of that aftermath or Charlotte's schemes, many of them had still not returned after leaving the estate.
Gathering the remaining servants, employees, and collateral family supporters together, Michelle focused on calming their anger.
“I know full well that broken trust cannot be restored overnight.”
“I, too, was overwhelmed by that pressure and feared inheriting this responsibility.”
“But for everyone's sake...”
“Someone has to do it.”
“I believed it should be me rather than someone else.”
“That's why I revealed the will.”
“It was a decision made for all of you.”
“This is my sincere heart...”
“To the hopes of House Bernhardt, who endured every humiliation and disgrace yet still chose to remain.”
“Please.”
“Help me rebuild this House together.”
“Lend me your strength.”
Her heartfelt speech proved far more effective than expected.
There were still those who looked at her with suspicion.
But their numbers had noticeably decreased.
“I wish everyone would trust me.”
“For a first meeting, this couldn't have gone much better.”
“You did well.”
Before beginning the full inspection, Michelle left the attendants outside and headed alone toward Mikhail's mansion.
She wanted to remember what had happened there...
How she had overcome it...
And strengthen her resolve before taking the next step.
“......”
The moment she entered through the front door, a chilling sensation ran through her.
Focusing her Mana, she traced the source of the hostility.
Step.
Step.
She climbed the stairs toward Mikhail's private office.
Creeeak—
Holding her wand at the ready, she slowly pushed the door open.
Then the person inside spoke in an irritated voice.
“Honestly, those collateral family brats.”
“They keep bothering the Head of House while she's busy.”
“I've been waiting forever because of them.”
Robert, the eldest son of House Bernhardt's direct bloodline, casually tapped the leg of the desk with his foot before smiling.
“Shall we have a little talk, Head of House?”