Invasion

Mage Lieutenant Marie Hagesawa was already sick of the German high command.

"The war only started three weeks ago, so why are we already being deployed?.."

"The Belgian front is having some... problems."

Her superior looked peeved as well but for a different reason. The fact that the Belgian fortresses were strong enough to stop their own forces was annoying for the German command to say the least. Not to mention, Belgium had destroyed every and any bridge that could support German mobility.

"We have to get through Belgium quickly. Otherwise, the French will be totally prepared by the time we get to the border."

"Well, at the very least, why are we being deployed as support units. A mage platoon loses all it advantages in speed and positioning as soon as it's tied to a ground force."

It was rare that a officer could discuss something like this with their superior, but Major Ernst Herrmann was an intelligent man. He knew that Lieutenant Hagesawa's abilities were equivalent to his own and that she would be important to the future of the war.

"I really need to get this Lieutenant promoted quickly and assigned a company of her own." The major pocketed the thought for later.

"Yes, I don't agree with it either. But command issued us orders so we need to respond quickly."

Marie knew that command's orders couldn't be rebutted. After all, the academy's favorite phrase was, "Good soldiers follow orders."

"Understood, major. I'll prep my platoons and get ready to move."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Here's your assignment on the front."

Marie took it and left with a salute. For the first time since before the war, Marie was reminded of what she really wanted when she got to her living quarters.

As she sat down on her personal desk, filled with papers with signatures and logistical confirmations, she sighed deeply and stretched her body out.

"Aghhh, I just want a easy life."

Marie stone-cold face became relaxed, and she sat lazily on her cozy desk chair which she had personally ordered. She picked up the nearby cup and drank some of the precious requested coffee rations and sighed in delight. Pulling out her pocket watch, she looked at the picture of the happy woman and young girl that was inside of the compartment.

Marie Hagesawa had been orphaned early on in her life. Her father had disappeared from the family completely before she was born for reasons unknown. She only had a few memories of her poor but kind Japanese mother before she too, was killed in a unfortunate magic-stone factory incident.

Marie was sent to an orphanage of the Church with nothing but the picture that was currently in her pocket watch and her mother's surname of "Hagesawa." There, Marie did little much until she joined a military academy and quickly rose the ranks. She was a genius in the art of war and had high potential in magic ability with nothing but loyalty to the empire.

In reality, Marie could hardly care about the empire. The girl had only joined the military because there was no other school that would take in an orphaned girl. She could barely even pretend to care about the current war. All she wanted was-

"A position in the rear and then a slow, easy life drinking gourmet coffee and eating good food. How nice that would be...."

But Marie was swiftly picked up from her previous rear position and given the rank of First Lieutenant in the newly formed Mage Battalions. Then, the war started.

"Haahh, why do I need to be on the front. Can't the "elite Armored Corps" just do it all?"

"Whatever then. I'll just have to make enough merits to get a position back in the rear. And then, easy living there on."

After all, Marie was officially one of the most powerful mages in the army.

"Now, time to get the men to prepare to launch over to the Belgian fortresses."

Marie had read the reports. Belgian fortresses were nothing to laugh at. Although technically an easier target than the direct French border, they could be remarked as some of the strongest in Europe. At the moment, though, they were doing nothing but taking up the German army's precious time.

It only took a day for the mage platoons to arrive at their destinations in Belgium. The situation wasn't in their favor. The Belgian forces had really dug in and refused to leave their strong, steel-reinforced concrete fortresses. The Germans had been in the Belgium conflict for almost a month now, with not much to show for it. To wait for the artillery now would take another couple weeks. And so, the mages would have to show their worth.

Arriving at the hastily made German encampment, the infantry and armored units on the ground showed some awe at their flying allies. They had been informed of the mage battalion's creation days beforehand, but that didn't stop the mages from looking like literal angels of death.

As Marie and her platoons touched the ground, the ground force's major came to meet up with the Lieutenant. After the standard greetings, Marie's forces were assigned to be air support for the armored units on the ground in their coming attack on the nearby fortress south of the city of Liège.

They had attacked the city's defenses before back in the beginning of August, but the Belgians had numerous pieces of heavy artillery supporting them, devastating the German Goliaths and landships. This time, the mage battalions and airships of the Enchanted Air Force would be supporting them. The Belgians had no hope.

Th day before the attack, Marie took one more look at the ground units. The landships were meant to be the moving centers of combat, with machine guns on either side of the vehicle and small pieces of artillery on the front. Goliaths were fast two-legged machines of war, equipped with a heavy machine gun at a high vantage point; they and the infantry were escorts for the slower but deadly German landships.

Meanwhile, Marie's forces would take out any exposed pieces of Belgian field artillery and destroy any groups of infantry from the air with explosion formulas. The airships would follow behind to bombard any remaining problems that the ground units would radio in.

Finally, the day of the attack was here. The German forces were unnaturally quiet. After all, the German forces' armor and airships were powered by charged magic stones. Everything from their heavy artillery to landship engines used magic stones which were 10 times quieter than their steam-powered counterparts.

As the front field officers blew their whistles, the first landships discharged their shells upon all sides of the city of Liège.

An hour into the engagement, the mage battalions took off. Marie's men came in the middle of a firefight. Belgian machine guns and field artillery roared. German landships silently fired shells of fire and steel.

"Split off into groups by squad! Make sure to take out any field artillery you see and protect your assigned landships!"

Marie's group was of ten of her best. They were to be with the vanguard landship right in front of the main Belgian force. As the group soared through the smoke and gunpowder stained air, Belgian troops looked up to see angels, but these angels were pointing guns at them.

Marie charged her type 85 rifle for a powerful explosion formula. The rest of her men followed. Blue symbols appeared in a circular form around the rifle. Marie's eyes looked down the sight to see Belgian men - some frantically panicking at the unknown force, some frozen with fear. With the force equivalent of a Destroyer's bombardment, the group discharged the formulas.

The battle was momentarily silent. To the Belgians who didn't see the mages, they believed that an airship had arrived. But, there was no airship to aim at. As men on both sides realized that it was the arrangement of flying men who caused the devastation, Belgian men ran from the lines. German armor pushed forward, now unhindered by the destroyed field artillery, killing any Belgians who dared stay in their way.

Marie and her men pushed on as well, firing upon any Belgians who still held their guns.

The battle was over before the evening dark. All fortresses of the city of Liège were either utterly destroyed or captured. The airships had barely even played a part in the battle. The new Mage Battalions had proved their worth, destroying hundreds of artillery pieces and paving the way for the elite German armor. Casualties were extremely high on the Belgian side.

Marie Hagesawa had lost no men. After all, no competent mage who could put up an mage barrier would be shot by a bullet from the ground. As she flew above the now conquered city of Liège, she could see German forces marching into the city and Belgian civilians looking up and pointing at the flying angels of death with round eyes.

"I better get some merits out of this battle."

Marie had no quarrels with killing soldiers. She would not empathize with men who would point their guns at her. However, she was saddened by the sight of burning public buildings and cries of Belgian men and women. It reminded her of her own past and wondered how many more would have to face the same future as her as the war ripped through Europe.

"We really do want this war, huh... I just want a quiet life."

The Lieutenant said none of her thoughts aloud, however. Her men were still celebrating from their recent victory and were hungry for more. She was not wrong, however. Only Germany would benefit from this victory, and Belgium would face the consequences of non-compliance. Marie sighed again as she touched back onto the ground with her men in the new base stationed in one of the captured fortresses.

Some of the lucky Belgians who managed to surrender before getting shot were locked in the improvised POW camp next to the base. They looked at the mages with eyes of fear, contempt, and wonder. Marie didn't make eye contact.

As the German high command celebrated their win, and Marie lazed about while drinking coffee in her quarters, the news of the German mage force spread throughout Europe. Retreating Belgian forces told reporters of the angels of death who almost single handedly destroyed any hope of a defensive. The conflict in Belgium was over. Their king and remaining soldiers were pushed into France and Belgium was now under German rule.

The Germans had taken Belgium in less than two months. The German Empire had shook Europe.

France and Britain were now preparing for an offensive. It was time to send the first behemoths of the war.