Chapter 79

We were wary of the enemy's pursuit, but the attacks had abruptly stopped.

Did we significantly reduce their forces in the initial battle, forcing them to change their plans? I'm not entirely sure.

“Interrogation didn’t yield any useful confessions, but we can make some educated guesses based on their behavior and actions.”

I explained to Colonel Altsar while sipping the precious warm water. The air was so dry that my throat was parched. Speaking and shouting are part of the job, so I need to take care of my throat.

“They seem to be from the Schwaidel region of Mildor and the border area of Bruges. I don’t think it makes much difference to them, though.”

The colonel smiled wryly while spreading jam on a biscuit. Calorie intake during breaks is part of military duty. During operations, we can’t eat properly.

“Hunters form their own societies in different mountains. Their values differ from those of the nobles who see mountains as borders.”

“That’s correct. They are composed of residents from a relatively small area, so their forces are likely to be small. In fact, from what we’ve seen of the enemy’s movements, it seems to be about the size of a platoon.”

Laila, who comes from a family of hunters, has taken on the dangerous reconnaissance mission. The enemy hasn’t given up on pursuit, but the attacks have been interrupted.

“Their deployment rate of rifled muskets is not high, and we’ve taken out about a platoon, so the threat level has decreased somewhat.”

“Somewhat lower, huh?”

“Yes. It’s not that much lower. The enemy is my former partner.”

“You mean your ‘grandpa’? His real name and military history are unknown, right?”

I scratched my head at the colonel’s question.

“Yes. I’m pretty sure he was a line infantryman, but even that’s not guaranteed. He’s a real fibber.”

“You seem to be enjoying this. I’m glad to see that smile on your face.”

I felt my cheeks heating up and tried to maintain my composure with a cough.

“We’re about to cross the border, but given that old man’s character, he won’t pursue us into Eobenia. However...”

“Before that, he’ll try to force a confrontation, won’t he? If not, he would have retreated long ago.”

“You’re right.”

I spread out the map.

“Their strategy of increasing our casualties during pursuit to force your surrender is no longer possible. However, there are other ways to render us immobile.”

I pointed to a spot on the map.

“There’s a path along a cliff near the summit. The pilgrims call it the ‘Shoulder Rubbing Cliff,’ a treacherous path where only one pack animal can pass. If this path collapses, our route will be completely blocked.”

“Do you intend to blow it up? It’s not that simple.”

“Among the interrogated hunters, there was a suspicious former mining engineer who suddenly clammed up when asked about his work. Further questioning suggested he had experience with explosives in quarries.”

“So there’s a possibility. But shouldn’t you have eliminated the prisoners?”

“In that case, the old man would come up with another plan. He’s a tricky one, and we can’t predict what he’ll think of. It’s easier to keep this plan in reserve.”

“I see. You’re trying to narrow down the enemy’s options.”

I’m glad to have such an insightful superior.

“That’s right. If the enemy focuses on blocking the ‘Shoulder Rubing Cliff,’ the number of battles along the way will decrease, and our casualties will be reduced.”

“You’re a kind staff officer. I agree with you.”

The colonel smiled and crossed his legs gracefully.

“So, will you be kind to me too?”

“Of course. I won’t expose you to danger or let you fall into enemy hands.”

I stated this with confidence and pride, but for some reason, the colonel pouted.

“Go on.”

“Eh? Yes... Well, the enemy’s plan is to either collapse the cliff above to block the path or collapse the cliff below to eliminate the path entirely. The former is more likely.”

“Collapsing the entire cliff would be a lot of work, right?”

“Yes. With limited personnel and time, the former is the only feasible option. The latter is difficult in both preparation and execution.”

After all, this isn’t an era with electric detonators. Remote detonation is only possible with fuses, which are unreliable and can be extinguished by snow and strong winds.

“At this time of year, we should be more wary of snow than rocks. There’s snow on the ridges, and surface avalanches are possible. A few years ago, an avalanche caused damage to a passing caravan.”

“You’ve done your research...”

That’s my job. I’ve already gathered information about the surrounding geography during peaceful times.

Colonel Altsar folded his arms in admiration.

“But you know about avalanches from the interrogations too. Is that knowledge from your past life?”

“The knowledge is from my past life, but my practical experience is more extensive in this life. I never went hiking in my past life.”

I smiled wryly.

The colonel stared at my face blankly but quickly composed himself.

“So, what’s the enemy’s plan?”

“To collapse the cliff, they need to drill several holes and place explosives. But with snow, they can just insert stick-shaped explosives. However, with our numbers, we can still repair the damage, so pre-emptive blasting won’t be decisive.”

The colonel reacted quickly to my words.

“So they’ll try to cause an avalanche while we’re passing to split our formation.”

“Probably. You’re always at the back to reassure everyone, so they’ll try to cut off the front half during the passage.”

The colonel is always at the back where he can see the entire formation, which puts him in a dangerous position. This time, I plan to use this to our advantage and set a trap for the enemy.

The colonel thought hard.

“Then I’ll be the decoy. When we pass this point, I’ll move to the back.”

Wait. Just wait. Listen to the staff officer.

I started thinking hard about how to persuade this too handsome woman.

＊ ＊ ＊

【The Silver Ridge in Tension】

On a snow-covered ridge near the summit, more than ten men were working.

“Hurry, the enemy is close.”

“I know, but we can’t skip any steps in the procedure.”

“Hey, don’t step there. It might collapse. We can’t cause an avalanche yet.”

The men drilled small holes in the snow and inserted oil-paper tubes. These were explosives used in quarries to cut rocks. This time, they were cutting a block of snow.

“Captain, will this really cause an avalanche?”

“An avalanche at the end of winter happens when a block of new snow slides down on top of frozen old snow. The conditions are right.”

The old general folded his arms.

“But with this amount of snow, it won’t cause an avalanche. So we’ll cut out a block of new snow and force an avalanche. Make sure the explosives are inserted deep.”

The old general took out a telescope and looked down the mountain path.

“The enemy has started to pass. Are you ready?”

“We’re almost done. We can detonate at this point.”

The report came from Barov, the platoon leader, who was actually from the Bruges engineering corps, not a hunter.

“Good job. You’re quick, as expected.”

The old general praised his subordinate and smiled slyly.

“Well, the princess is always at the back of the formation.”

“She’s a coward, isn’t she? Convenient for us.”

But the old general shook his head while looking through the telescope.

“No, she’ll probably wait until all her subordinates have crossed. Oh, that boy is there too. He’s trying to persuade her. Ha, he’s still as hardworking as ever.”

After smiling wryly, the old general muttered.

“But is that princess the real one?”

“What do you mean?”

“This situation is too convenient for us. They might have read our plan.”

Barov, the platoon leader, was surprised.

“No way! They don’t have engineers or mountain hunters. It’s impossible for them to read a plan like causing an avalanche with explosives.”

But the old general shook his head.

“That boy is smart and has a sharp intuition. He can grasp the essence of something he’s never seen before. He’s terrifying. The real colonel might be ahead.”

Barov, the platoon leader, looked flustered.

“What should we do? Should we detonate now?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If we kill them in an avalanche, it’ll be pointless. Is there anyone who looks like the real one?”

“Well, there are only women around...”

The old general scratched his head at Barov’s words.

“Sigh, worrying is pointless. Let’s assume the officer is Colonel Altsar. When the back half of the formation starts to cross, isolate them with an avalanche.”

“Is that okay?”

“If they put a decoy at the back, they wouldn’t put the real one in the middle. The real one would be at the front, where the risk of an avalanche is highest. I’d put the real one at the front, prepared for danger.”

As the old general said this, a gunshot echoed.

Everyone immediately crouched. One of the engineers shouted.

“It’s the enemy!”

“I know, fight back! Damn, they read our plan.”

As the old general muttered, a familiar voice rang out.

“That’s right, old man!”

“What!?”

Looking up hurriedly, he saw Lieutenant Yui at the top of a nearby cliff, gun in hand.

The cliff was almost vertical, making close combat impossible. The old general quickly hid behind a rock and shouted back.

“What are you doing here!?”

“I crossed from the other side and came up from the bottom! It was tough, but I made it!”

“So what does that mean!? Is the one below a decoy!?”

“Didn’t you know there’s another male officer in this brigade? That’s my colleague! He’s wearing my uniform!”

Gunshots echoed. The enemy seemed to have brought a considerable force, and the numbers were roughly equal.

“Damn...”

The old general groaned.

“So the colonel below is also a decoy!? Where’s the real one!?”

“I’m not telling you! If you’re senile, retire and get a puppy!”

“You’re still as uncharming as ever!”

After shouting back, the old general ordered his subordinates.

“Fall back!”

“But we’re ready to detonate! Why not?”

“What for? If we block the path with an avalanche, we can’t pursue them. Don’t waste lives in this battle. Retreat!”

The engineers hid behind the ridge and retreated. The old general followed but glanced back. Lieutenant Yui was giving orders to the female infantry on the cliff.

“Damn, you’ve grown up...”

He saluted the former boy, now a young man, and disappeared into the distance of the Silver Ridge.

＊ ＊ ＊

“They’re gone.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a big gamble, but it seems we won.

No, I can’t let my guard down.

“Continue monitoring until the entire army has passed. But avoid shooting as much as possible. We don’t want a gunshot to trigger an avalanche.”

“Understood!”

Laila and the selected snipers held their rifled muskets, vigilantly watching the surroundings. They’re not top-notch, but they’re the best I can mobilize now.

Oh, right. I almost forgot.

“Report to Colonel Altsar and Lieutenant Roz that it’s safe to cross. Also, inform the artillery waiting in reserve.”

“Yes, sir.”

Actually, Colonel Altsar hasn’t crossed yet. The real one is with Lieutenant Roz. There was never a decoy.

To prevent the colonel from being caught in an avalanche, I came up with the plan to make the enemy believe the real one was a decoy.

To make the old man believe this, I had to come up to the top of this mountain.

Given his character, he would come to the front lines to command the explosion. Seeing my face, he would realize that Yui below was a decoy and assume the same for Altsar.

If the colonel had already crossed, there would be no reason to detonate. Instead, they would avoid detonation to prevent being unable to pursue.

In theory, that’s how it should work, but in battle, things often don’t go as planned. I’m glad the old man isn’t senile.

“It’s still cold here.”

Laila, the corporal, chuckled.

“Want to warm up together?”

“I’ll pass.”

This kid has started making jokes.

＊ ＊ ＊

【Swearing to Meet Again】

The old general was retreating with the engineers but stopped along the way.

“Damn, I was completely fooled.”

“What’s wrong, Captain?”

Barov, the platoon leader, looked puzzled, so the old general smiled wryly.

“Sorry, you were right. The correct answer was to detonate.”

“But if the colonel has already crossed, detonating now is pointless, right?”

“No, I was thinking about why that boy Yui came to show his face. The colonel with the decoy, he’s probably not a decoy.”

“Really!? Should we go back?”

“It’s too late.”

As the old general said this, a loud rumble echoed through the mountains.

“It’s an avalanche, Captain! They did it themselves!”

“They used artillery. We can’t pursue them now. With our numbers, it would take too long to repair the path. Even if we contact the regular army on the road now, it’s too late. Sigh, I have no face to show the commander.”

The old general sighed dramatically and looked around.

“Well, it’s fine. Our mission was to prevent them from reaching the Mildor family or the Zhitoberg family. We’ve done that. Capturing the colonel would have doubled our reward, but we can’t be too greedy.”

The old general stroked his beard and smiled slyly.

“You all did a good job. Thanks to you, we can fight again.”

“Is there another battle?”

The old general answered cheerfully to his subordinates, who seemed eager for more battles.

“Of course. That boy will make this boring war interesting. Let’s head down the mountain.”