Chapter 34

After Commander Henry declared surrender, the battlefield was quickly wrapped up. Kingdom Army soldiers, caught off-guard by an unexpected surprise attack, lost their fighting spirit and knelt down. The officers also seemed to have concluded there was no way to turn the tide and resigned themselves to becoming prisoners.

“Move it! You damn rats!”

“You’re all as good as dead! Thank your merciful company commander!”

As usual for victorious battlefield soldiers, they were yelling at the prisoners.

‘Why are they creating such a hostile atmosphere…?’

Just as Daniel was about to step in with a furrowed brow, Lieutenant McCall approached.

“Sir! Headcount is complete!”

“Good. What about our casualties?”

“Out of 207 personnel, we’ve had 16 casualties. Among them, 4 fatalities and the remaining 12 only suffered minor injuries.”

To subdue a battalion-level unit and only lose 4 men—this operation was undeniably successful, yet the exchange ratio was surprisingly favorable.

It made me chuckle involuntarily.

“This is troublesome…”

Since I achieved merit while providing operational support, it’s definitely inconvenient.

If this keeps up, every time General Staff Headquarters forms an operational support team, they’ll appoint me as the commander.

That’s one of the situations Daniel wants to avoid the most.

While he was wryly smiling, Lieutenant McCall misinterpreted it.

‘Even after achieving such remarkable merit, he’s still not satisfied…!’

To McCall, it was an incomprehensible level of thinking befitting the ace of the General Staff and the proclaimed hero of the system.

I could feel why he’s called that.

While McCall looked on with reverence, Daniel let out a low sigh.

“Now prepare to head to the forward operating base. Inform all troops that we’ll depart after a short rest.”

Though I’d rather loiter around for a few more days before joining up, since we’ve captured prisoners, we can’t afford any delays.

If even one prisoner breaks free during the delay, it’d be disastrous.

In the worst case, the Kingdom Army might send a rescue task force for their supply brigade, so it’s better to join the forward operating base quickly and ensure safety.

“Yes, sir! I’ll relay your orders!”

With a spirited shout, Lieutenant McCall headed toward the gathered soldiers.

Thanks to that, Daniel was left alone, idly glancing around when he spotted Prien leading the Kingdom Army soldiers.

Prien was quietly speaking with a smile, but the Kingdom soldiers were breathing heavily, clearly terrified.

‘What kind of verbal abuse is she giving these prisoners?’

I worried she might violate international war laws.

During yesterday’s raid planning, I had rejected her suggestion that dressing like civilians would make infiltration easier.

Incidentally, disguising oneself as a civilian to attack is a clear war crime.

When I explained that, she seriously asked, “Since we’ve already allied with the United Nations, aren’t we beyond humanity? Why does it count as a crime?”

‘Thankfully, she’s on our side.’

If the enemy had someone with such nationalist zeal, it would be incredibly difficult to deal with.

Shifting his gaze from Prien, Daniel looked at Lucy.

Lucy was leading the prisoners as professionally as she did at the General Staff Headquarters.

I wondered if she harbored resentment for attacking the Kingdom Army, which was allied with the United Nations, but she seemed unusually calm.

She even knocked out a prisoner who resisted by striking him on the head with the butt of her rifle.

Whether she’s acting or genuinely doesn’t care about the Kingdom’s downfall, it’s reassuring for now.

‘For the time being, I don’t have to worry about getting shot by Lucy.’

The United Nations likely views the Kingdom as discardable and won’t go out of their way to help.

Relieved internally, Daniel looked up as the world grew brighter.

The sun was slowly rising over the distant ridge.

It was the dawn’s first light.

*

At the forward operating base near the coastal city of Nordia.

Temporary Operations Headquarters of the Division Command.

“It’s strange. According to aerial reconnaissance, their supplies show no signs of dwindling.”

“That’s true. By now, their supplies should be drying up…”

Around the table in the command post sat three regimental commanders, one brigade commander, various battalion commanders, and staff officers.

They were gathered here thanks to the highest-ranking officer of the division headquarters, Major General Feldelham, calling a tactical meeting.

[Division Commander of the 7th Magical Armored Division / Major General Feldelham]

Seated solemnly at the head of the table, Feldelham listened carefully.

He pondered why the coastal city of Nordia hadn’t fallen.

“The northern advance went smoothly. Within less than two weeks of starting the campaign, we occupied regions amounting to one-third of the Kingdom’s territory.”

It was nothing short of rapid progress.

Based on this momentum, the military leadership provided full support, allowing the Imperial Army to secure consecutive victories.

However, the Imperial Army now faced an obstacle.

The Kingdom Army’s fierce resistance prevented further advancement.

Thus, the high command instructed the capture of the coastal city of Nordia.

Capturing Nordia, a strategic chokepoint, would facilitate maritime movement and allow attacks on the Kingdom from both directions.

It was an excellent plan with no objections, and Feldelham successfully surrounded Nordia with his division.

Once surrounded, Feldelham focused on cutting off the Kingdom Army’s supply routes to Nordia.

The reason was simple.

A besieged city suffers immediate panic and exhaustion once its supply lines are severed.

This not only lowers the morale of soldiers and civilians but also leads to societal collapse, outbreaks of disease, and epidemics.

If things went well, the enemy commander might even surrender.

It was a method to achieve maximum victory with minimal loss.

“But…”

Things didn’t go as planned because the Kingdom Army’s Ironclad Division continued to receive supplies without interruption.

Feldelham was perplexed.

With the help of the Imperial Air Force, which had secured air superiority, they’d sunk several enemy supply convoys at sea.

On land, his armored division guarded the area thoroughly—not even an ant could pass.

Yet, the Kingdom Army’s Ironclad Division continued to receive timely supplies.

Baffled by this inexplicable situation, Feldelham turned to Brigade Commander Heinrich.

“Hey, Heinrich. Do you have any idea what’s going on here?”

Unfortunately, Heinrich shook his head.

“I have no clue how the supplies are coming through either. However, headquarters mentioned sending a helpful staff officer, so perhaps we should wait.”

“…Helpful staff? Ha. Surely you mean Daniel Steiner.”

Having spent years in the Northern Direction Army, Feldelham knew of Daniel Steiner.

It would be odd not to know after all the commotion caused in the system.

But Feldelham didn’t trust Daniel at all.

His rapid accumulation of numerous merits within half a year seemed dubious.

“Surely, they’re just manufacturing a propaganda hero in the system.”

It was likely an artificial creation designed to boost recruitment rates.

Of course, some events might have been genuine, but it was hard to believe everything about Daniel wasn’t fabricated.

Even understanding the headquarters’ desire to recruit more soldiers, it felt excessive how they piled achievements onto him.

“And besides…”

What the headquarters needed wasn’t some smooth-talking staff officer but a capable warrior who could deliver results.

“Just sending a young staff officer as operational support is disappointing.”

Right as Feldelham was about to sigh,

“Sir, Division Commander?”

It was a soldier manning the radio nearby.

Turning his head, Feldelham saw the soldier open his mouth hesitantly.

“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company has arrived. But there are casualties reported. Out of 16 casualties, 4 are confirmed dead, and the remaining 12 are lightly wounded…”

Huh? To suffer 16 casualties, including 4 deaths, during what should’ve been a simple march?

Even if it was a forced march, it was incomprehensible, especially considering they were six days late from the expected arrival date.

“Such a poor commander…”

Absolutely unfit for deployment on the battlefield.

Feldelham decided to appropriately reprimand Daniel upon arrival and send him back to the rear.

“Also…”

The radio operator swallowed hard before continuing incredulously.

“Captain Daniel Steiner’s company encountered and subdued an enemy supply brigade en route to joining the division headquarters. They killed 135 out of 327 enemy personnel and captured 192, including the brigade commander…”

Silence enveloped the operations headquarters where discussions had been ongoing.

“What…?”

Stunned by the absurdly impressive results, Feldelham and all the officers present could only gape in disbelief.