CHAPTER - V ( PART 2)

THE SAME DAY, THE SALAMANDER KAMPFGRUPPE

The Salamanders never thought to question why they were leading the charge south down Ildoa's highway. They always led the vanguard, and they also always followed close behind. In other words, they were always all over the battlefield.

With this becoming the norm, the Salamanders saw the other army branches as their eternal reinforcements. As they were leading the charge, the commanding officer, Major Weiss, would use the special right that came with doing so without hesitation.

"We're going to collect vessels to cross the river! Find everything you can before our allies arrive. First Lieutenant Grantz, sorry, but I need you to head to across the river and bring me what you can find."

Major Weiss's orders would turn out to be foolish. After all, the Eighth Panzer Regiment had already stolen all the boats from their enemies. The notion that they had fallen behind, however, was inconceivable for the Salamander Kampfgruppe. The thought certainly never crossed Major Weiss's or his soldiers' minds.

You see, they were always there to push ahead of their allies. Using whatever was left behind by the enemy was a regular practice for them.

First Lieutenant Grantz and his men would surely bring back what they needed in no time as they flew off without hesitation. His confidence in them was precisely why they were going to attempt crossing the river in the first place.

Thus, First Lieutenant Grantz would be entirely caught off guard by the report given to him by Major Weiss.

"Major. It appears our allies pushed ahead of us." "What? Our allies?"

Major Weiss's eyes widened as if to show he had no idea what the first lieutenant was saying. First Lieutenant Grantz—also in a state of shock— would give his report in a shrill voice.

"For the love of all things holy, I thought we were the vanguard, but the panzer units have pushed ahead. It's the Eighth Panzer Regiment; they've already crossed the river."

"They pushed past us? Are you sure these are friendlies we are talking about?"

Major Weiss was having a difficult time processing this information. He was used to always being the tip of the spear in the east. They had come to Ildoa with pride in their unparalleled speed and what they had accomplished thus far.

The Kampfgruppe was full of Named mages. Their tankers, gunners, and infantry were equally skilled. Everyone was outstanding compared to any other regiment. All of the soldiers had been strictly educated under the sharp eyes of Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff.

There was another reason the battle-hardened soldiers continuously dove directly into the fray of battle. Always being in the vanguard meant that the regiment earned the right to plunder whatever equipment was abandoned by their enemies. The major was wholly convinced that he and the other mage troops were thoroughly used where they were most needed.

And yet, these very mages had fallen behind? If it were true, it would be quite a surprise. The Eighth Panzer Regiment must've developed an elite mage unit of its own.

"To think someone else would get to our prey first… It appears there are personnel I don't know about yet in the Empire. The Eighth Panzer Regiment, was it? Who is leading their mage troops?"

"Well, the thing is…"

"Did they bring General Romel all the way out here for this?" "No, not quite. But you're not too far off…ha-ha-ha."

Red flags sprang up in the major's mind. His instincts told him what he didn't want to hear.

"It's the colonel. She's…"

Oh. While this made complete sense to him, Major Weiss would cut off the first lieutenant. One could always hope he was wrong, after all.

"Yes, there are so many personnel I don't know yet in the Empire. I'm sure there are lots of female lieutenant colonels, First Lieutenant."

"But, Major Weiss. Surely you know which lieutenant colonel I'm talking about, right?"

"So I guess we're talking about the same beloved battalion commander of ours—the same Aerial Magic officer from the General Staff Office."

Major Weiss, certain that there was no one else who it could be, had his

belief affirmed by First Lieutenant Grantz with a wholehearted nod. "Who else could it be?"

The world sure was a small place. Or maybe it was the battlefields that were small?

Talk about living on the battlefield.

"You should've seen the look on the colonel's face as she tugged a bunch of tiny boats across the river. It looks like she got to all of the boats first."

Hm. This made the major cross his arms and sigh.

Hearing that the Eighth Panzer Regiment used mages to tug boats across a river, it was clear to him that they would use any means necessary to carry out their goal.

"Looks like she got to the goods first."

They certainly weren't slow in their advance, but perhaps they shouldn't have let their guard down.

"I didn't think we would be up against the lieutenant colonel…"

He let out the idle complaint with a sigh that could be heard over his radio.

"This is no joke." "It sure isn't."

Just as First Lieutenant Grantz pointed out, things wouldn't be easy if they were competing with the lieutenant colonel. It was only natural for one to want to let out a grumble or two. But, as he was the acting commander, he had a choice to make—remedial measures were necessary.

"I'm sorry to have to ask this, First Lieutenant, but you'll have to head out and find what you can."

He gave the orders to First Lieutenant Grantz before calling together his Kampfgruppe and sharing the situation.

"This has gotten complicated."

The hasty Captain Ahrens responded first with an intrepid grin. "Have you sighted the enemy?"

"No, Captain. It's a friendly."

Oh? It wasn't the answer he was looking for. The major saw what was likely the expression he showed only moments earlier. Unable to bear seeing their faces, the major would repeat himself.

"Captain, they're friendlies. The troops ahead of us are friendlies."

The tank officer—who showed the blankest of stares—clapped his hands

to show he understood.

"Did something happen to the troops following us in the charge? Maybe the foot soldiers are running late?"

The major could see what the man was thinking. It was written all over his face: How is that any different from how things usually are? It was also clear that the fact that troops had pulled ahead of them wasn't taking hold. It had been a long time since any of his men placed any faith in their comrades. All of this was also painful for the major, as he shared the same sentiment. It was the norm for the Kampfgruppe, after all.

Nevertheless, whether the strange situation should be called an unimaginable turn of events or a plot twist, he thought to himself how peculiar fate could be at times.

Recognizing that such preconceptions stood to cloud their view of reality, Major Weiss decided to tell his men the circumstances afoot.

"There are friendly troops that have pulled ahead of us."

The man leading the mechanized units would have something to say about this. With a blank look on his face, Captain Ahrens asked the major to repeat himself.

"I'm sorry, I think I may have misheard you. What did you just say?" "I'm talking about our comrades in a different division. They've advanced

past us."

Seeing each face in his entire battalion shrugging off the remark as a joke, Major Weiss took the initiative to explain further. Perhaps they had all been a bit too arrogant.

"It's the truth. An allied panzer unit has pushed forward. The Eighth Panzer Regiment… They're only ahead by a small margin, but nevertheless, they are currently leading the charge."

It was hard for any of them to believe.

He could see the bewilderment in their eyes as he nodded with sympathy and continued his explanation.

"I should mention that our dear lieutenant colonel is acting as their personal close air support."

The news of such was enough to make the band of soldiers, unfazed even by the likes of an enemy attack, all go dizzy. For better or worse, the men were taken aback by this unforeseen development.

"Well, that's just not fair… That explains why we're lagging behind."

Captain Meybert's childish remark resonated deeply with the entire battalion. They all shared the same thought.

It's not fair.

Although, this served as an opportunity for them to reset their collective thought process. They all thought of the circumstances they were in.

And they knew that with the lieutenant colonel on the front lines, they were no longer leading the charge. Caught up by the thought, the officers all began to think about what it meant for them to fall behind. Though they couldn't say it out loud, there was a certain merit to leading the charge they all had in mind: The best loot was always waiting for the first soldiers up front.

In a very literal sense, the first to the show could commandeer any goods they wanted. The front of the vanguard always got what they wanted. With their position up front effectively stolen, it would be slim pickings for them when they had to compete with the other divisions.

The oil, food, and other equipment they could pillage from their felled enemy was a significant incentive that fueled their charge. In this way, any resources that could be taken from their enemies were very important. This was especially true in the east, where getting provisions from their own country was always difficult.

Nevertheless, there was only so much equipment that the enemy would inevitably abandon, and they needed to compete with their own allies for it.

Heading in first was necessary depending on the time and circumstances, but a lack of rewards could cause their charge to stall.

In this light, it was First Lieutenant Tospan who—lacking in the hesitation department—raised the point on everybody's mind.

"Maybe we shouldn't push ourselves too much this time."

"Yes," Major Weiss said mechanically, and began to nod. While connecting the vanguard with the reinforcements was an important military role, it was hard to agree with his suggestion. The reason for this was clear.

"Hmm, how should I put this… That doesn't sit well with me, either."

The mage officer in Major Weiss made him shake his head. It was clear to the major that he needed to say a bit more when he saw his subordinates stare blankly back at him.

As an experienced mage officer, picking up on mana signals was second nature for the major.

"I think Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff may be reaching out to us. I can feel the constant, steady stream of her signal. If we're late while she's watching us…"

A horrifying thought. It was almost alarming how they could already see her reprimanding them in their minds. The group of adult officers all trembled together. The fear of being reprimanded sent an almost-strange sense of excitement in their minds.

"You don't think so, do you? But, no…"

One of the men called out with a look of shock. Captain Ahrens, who up until just a moment ago had his arms folded in silence, began to lose his composure.

"For a mage to create a stream of mana, that means…she wants us to know she is there, right?"

The captain immediately wanted to get back into the command vehicle. It was written all over his face, and his apprehensions were fully understood by his peers.

"You're right, Captain Ahrens! You're completely right!"

It was like they had a fire lit under their asses. An intense sense of urgency overcame Major Weiss as he practically yelled out his orders.

"It's just as the commander said!"

Major Weiss wasn't about to forget the warning Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff had so diligently given him.

"I don't know about the other divisions, but we have specific orders to lead the vanguard! We can't afford to fall behind any of the other divisions, even if we're up against the lieutenant colonel!"

There was no way she would forgive them after giving such direct orders. Her orders were almost too simple, and she wasn't the type to entertain exceptions. Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff being on the front lines didn't change her orders in the slightest. This much was obvious—it wasn't even worth discussing.

Orders were orders. This was true even in the cataclysmic event where, say, the sun suddenly stopped rising. They needed to carry out their mission. The men quickly realized that they didn't have time to stand around and chat idly, and certainly not about slowing their pace.

They were told to lead the vanguard. That was it. Those were their orders.

Therefore, it was imperative that the Kampfgruppe strived for just that.

"We should've thought more about why she was so insistent about us leading the charge when she gave us the orders."

With a look of understanding, Major Weiss folded his arms and gave a deep nod.

"She knew that friendly forces would pull ahead. That was why she gave us such specific orders!"

It didn't matter what Tanya truly meant; this was how her subordinates interpreted her orders.

Their experience and military-centered thought process led them to a conclusion that may have been different than what Tanya actually intended. That said, with her not being there, Tanya's soldiers would act in accordance with the answer they came up with.

It was First Lieutenant Tospan who spoke for everybody a second time. "At this rate…the Salamander Kampfgruppe may just be pegged as lazy

the next time we work with the other branches of the army." Captain Meybert nodded with a grim expression.

"I can hear them now, talking about how the best of the best from each of the army's divisions got left behind in the charge…"

It wasn't the reputation they wanted for the Kampfgruppe. The simple notion of tardiness was lost on them. They always moved according to plan and according to schedule.

It was a small point of pride for them, a pride backed by their numerous achievements. If there was even a hint of arrogance…then they needed to do everything in their power to do away with it.

"We can think about fuel and whatnot later."

The group of officers all nodded at Major Weiss's remark. Up until they finished nodding, they all moved in tandem. From there, their habits varied depending on what branch of the army they were from.

Captain Ahrens from the panzer unit showed an eagerness to return to his panzer as soon as possible.

Captain Meybert was restless as he thought about how to prepare the cannons to be moved.

The foot soldiers all showed a deep, pensive look, signifying their firm resolution.

Though their expressions varied, they shared the same goal. Not a single soldier objected to Major Weiss's opinion that they should charge. After all,

they had Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff waving her flag at them to get moving far off in the distance.

They needed to reclaim their spot as the vanguard at all costs. Reaffirming their crystal clear orders to maintain their focus, the Kampfgruppe officers had set their priorities straight.

"We're going to advance. The colonel's orders aside, we can't allow the Lergen Division to get too far ahead of us."

Major Weiss gave the orders he was supposed to. He offered a wry smile as he continued.

"Captain Meybert, my apologies, but I will need you to do something difficult. We may need you to support us with direct cannon fire after all."

With the artillery division far behind in the charge, they were going to need to use all their resources to focus on moving as quickly as possible.

"I knew there was no way there would be nothing for me to do this time.

It's the same wringer as always."

The artillery officer grimaced before promptly proceeding to do the tasks that had become second nature for him.

"I can probably make things work with horses and towing vehicles. We're running low on fuel. You better prepare some wine for my men when this is all over."

Captain Meybert shared his desire with a grumble, to which Johann- Mattäus Weiss gave his answer without hesitation.

"You can look forward to it."

"Oh? And where are you going to find any wine?"

The shrewd tank officer asked this on behalf of his men. The state of the Kampfgruppe's provisions was common knowledge. With their main goal to advance as quickly as possible, they had to leave behind anything superfluous, and thus, there was no wine to be found in the entire Kampfgruppe.

Major Weiss was unashamed of the answer he'd give to this question. "We'll get what we need from the enemies. And if they don't have any,

there will be friendlies who were dumb enough to bring some with them behind us in the charge we can take it from."

Sounds simple, right? Major Weiss was confident in his words. His suggestion brought about a strange turn of fate when the usually agreeable panzer officer pushed back.

"We probably shouldn't take it from allies, though, right?

He was a bit shocked as he asked his question, but First Lieutenant Tospan and Captain Meybert had long lost their habit of viewing regulations as sacred and inviolable.

"How sophisticated of you, Captain Ahrens."

"The major is right, though. It's all about your approach and making do with what you have."

The two officers were willing to use their imaginations and sang their praises for adaptability. For better or worse, they had learned to think for themselves during their time in the navy. The training for those who worked on the docks could change a man.

"First Lieutenant Tospan?"

The first lieutenant foot soldier gave a brief chuckle at the surprised panzer officer.

"Necessity is the mother of invention. We learned this back on the docks the hard way. I don't want to die at war while adhering to regulations."

With an expression that was as serious as could be, he shared his true feelings.

"One thing's for sure; I definitely don't want to be the one to have to explain why we were late to the lieutenant colonel. If you've experienced the desire to shoot someone for their incompetence, the last thing you want to do is become incompetent yourself."

A fed-up Captain Meybert chimed in when he saw the blank stares on his men's faces.

"You know how we got into an argument with the navy about defending the port, right? They came at us with their regulatory bullshit, demanding we give them the proper paperwork. Thanks to those idiots, we didn't have enough time to welcome Commonwealth Command when they showed up at our front door unannounced."

First Lieutenant Tospan also shared his disdain for the incompetent with a fierce nod.

"They really screwed us over that time! I hate those who ignore reality for the sake of rules and regulations. What a worthless bunch of people."

The leader of the incredibly rational and logical officers who made up the Salamander Kampfgruppe had instilled in them a golden rule: to always face reality.

They were forced to become realists during their time in the east fighting the Federation. The same went for their enemies. For the Federation—which was initially viewed as a bunch of Communists—the Imperial soldiers set aside their ignorant ideology and began to view their troops as nothing more than a way for the Imperial war machine to sharpen its blades.

The sanctity of bureaucracy did nothing for them when they were under enemy artillery fire. These men, all thoroughly baptized by blood and steel, accepted and even resonated with First Lieutenant Tospan's anger. For better or worse, this was them adapting to this war. Necessity provided the men with the premise they needed to accept the first lieutenant's sentiment. The group was beginning to go so far as to justify them plundering their allies. Such thoughts were not had without hesitation, of course.

Nevertheless, they all thought the same thing. After all, who would they rather make excuses to? The commanding officer of their Kampfgruppe, Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff? Or some other branch of the military?

Their orders were to charge with all their might to begin with. Thus the men all conspired together.

"If our choices are between bureaucrats and the lieutenant colonel, it should be clear who we should prioritize. I definitely don't want to have to cry in front of the lieutenant colonel!"

Major Weiss made the decision for the entire group and none of the officers present disagreed. They all nodded, ready to do their parts. With duty and necessity requiring them to do so, they were sure of their decision. They were more afraid of becoming incompetent soldiers and drawing ire from their superior than they were of any enemy.

Sometimes, things could be sped up by unintended synergies. What would come to be known as the Lergen Division led the vanguard for the Imperial army's invasion of Ildoa.

For Colonel Lergen, whose command was only temporary, the pleasure he felt tearing through the enemy forces using maneuver warfare turned into an anxiety that he may be isolating his forces. Stranding themselves in enemy territory was a scary possibility.

As any contact with the rear was dangerously exposed to anyone listening,

the reinforcements that followed behind on foot were not alerted to the vanguard's new pace. Just as he was thinking about how he likely could expect any support from friendly troops…he received new information from Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff out on reconnaissance.

Surprisingly enough, the report had been organized into documents for him to read. He wondered if she wrote them while she was flying. That would be quite crafty and dexterous to boot.

"I knew the mage troops were convenient to use, but to think they would go this far…"

The mages' convenience knew no bounds. Not only did they perform reconnaissance and cover fire, they even acted as liaisons between the different parts of the division. An experienced Aerial Magic officer could do just about anything.

Unfortunately, they were too convenient. The regrettable fact that their convenience was what made them so overused on each of the war fronts made it difficult to replenish any personnel they lost.

It was even worse for a mage who was this highly treasured—a mage with the Silver Wings Assault Badge, and multiple of them at that. Not only had she found information on the enemy forces, but she also included reconnaissance on their own troops. There was even information on the gap in the enemy's defensive line. The superb report included everything a commanding officer would ever want to know.

Although, the colonel let out a wry chuckle when he saw which division was following his own.

"To think that Salamander Kampfgruppe would be trailing us. That Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff is a rascal, she is."

He certainly never chalked her up as just some hunting dog who only knew how to fight battles, and yet, she always managed to exceed his imagination.

Perhaps people with common sense like myself are just too thick in the skull.

The colonel let out words that could have been taken as either admiration or surprise.

"She sure has her troops on a tight leash."

He initially questioned the decision to keep the lieutenant colonel back on reserve duty…but it seemed her soldiers were trained well enough to hold

their own.

If only they had dozens of General Staff officers who were also talented mages, it would certainly make maneuver warfare much easier.

No. Colonel Lergen shook his head.

"Would we ever mass produce and deploy soldiers like her…?"

It was a farfetched idea, even for himself. Almost enough to have him questioning why he would even play with the idea in the first place. It would be a gargantuan disaster if they had that many Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaffs flying around.

"There really must be something wrong with me today."

The colonel grumbled to himself as he reached for his cigarettes and a lighter. He took in the nicotine and blew out a plume of dark smoke in an unpleasant sigh, but it wasn't enough to take his attention off the subject.

Just earlier he had thought about a more amiable Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff. Now he was toying with the idea of mass producing her as she was.

"War is terrible…"

It was enough to have him thinking, even for a moment, of a horde of tiny rational Degurechaff beasts. If he were the same man he was the first day he saw her back at the military academy, he surely would have doubted his own sanity.

"Have I gone insane?"

The rate at which reality changed was incredible. As the ashes fell from his cigarette to the ground, the colonel decided to take a more entertaining point of view for the unsalvageable reality he found himself in.

The war would swallow all his whining, his grumbles, and his common sense. All he would have left was his logic.

It was cruel, clear, and easy enough to understand if one was unfortunate enough to understand it.

So this is why General Zettour sent me here.

Did the general need somebody who knew the worst parts of the east? Or maybe General Zettour sought an officer with a demeanor starkly different from his own. Whichever the case may be, his staffing decision definitely wasn't normal.

Lergen thought to himself about how unpleasant the idea was. This was the human reaction to have, but it only got worse from there…

"I can understand his thought process…"

The attack they were making was the first part of what would be the best move to make.

The colonel's good senses cried out, It can't be. To which his logic kicked up its feet onto the desk in his mind and responded, You bet your ass it is. He wondered how soldiers like Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff felt about a conflict such as this.

"Colonel! Wait, Colonel!"

As Colonel Lergen was about to board the command vehicle, he donned a slightly peeved expression when he heard Major Joachim's voice calling out for him as he ran toward him.

"What is it this time, Major?" "Colonel…things are getting worse."

Unlike his eyes in the sky, the men he had to deal with on the ground could be such a pain. Colonel Lergen was starting to get annoyed, but he took the time to listen to his major's complaints.

"Th-the soldiers are reaching their limits. We're starting to lose control over our main formation, Colonel Lergen. I think we should rest to give each of our units time to regroup."

"We can't do that." "B-but, sir!"

The young General Staff officer's voice was exasperated as he made his plea. Colonel Lergen responded without even glancing at the man in the same fashion his own superior always did.

Any time the officer had to make complaints needed to be spent on doing his job.

"We can't give the enemy troops time to fortify their formation. What's more, if we stop moving now, the Salamander Kampfgruppe's flank will be left wide open."

What they needed to do was self-evident so long as they both shared an understanding of the situation. There were no second chances when it came to time and opportunities in war. Once they were on the tightrope, they needed to cross it or fall off. With no lifeline tying them back to their home nation, falling off meant plunging to their death. Their only hope was to push forward with all their might.

"Our best option is to keep advancing while the enemy is still confused.

We could easily take down an entire brigade with what we have now." "Our troops can't take much more abuse…"

The young officer was speaking the truth. Colonel Lergen recognized the exhaustion in the man's voice. Everything he said was a matter of fact. While he would show his sympathy for the troops, the colonel shared his reasoning.

"Everything is fine as long as they're still alive."

It appeared his partner had yet to pick up on what he was trying to say as he returned a blank stare. Nevertheless, if they were blessed with the fate of making it through this…he would surely come to know the truth. A truth that all officers should learn, not just Major Joachim.

"You need to advance when you can. It's a fundamental truth when fighting a war."

At that moment, he remembered a ridiculous excursion he went on with the General Staff during his time at the war college. He remembered the teachers yelling out difficult tactical questions and insults at him when he was at his most exhausted. He had to whip his exhausted brain into making the quick decisions they demanded.

It was the education that would prove most useful in his career. Even with their physical exhaustion eating away at their decision-making capacity, he knew that day that he needed to advance as necessity dictated.

"Right now, our tired soldiers merely have to live with dissatisfaction."

However, Colonel Lergen spoke of the folly of throwing away their advantage in mobility with great conviction.

"Tomorrow will likely be an awful day for us all. The soldiers may have to hear the screams of their friends dying in the trenches."

The enemy could easily set up a simple base of operations if they were given time. He didn't know what kind of fortifications the Ildoans would erect, but even the flimsiest of trenches would be a pain to deal with.

To hell with fighting anyone who hides in their trenches.

Just how much time and how many lives were wasted clearing out such futile attempts at resistance? Wasting both precious human resources and time only to fail an operation was out of the question. He didn't even want to play with the idea.

"Sacrifices that can be saved are meaningless. The grudges held by the soldiers today will be nothing compared to the grudges their bereaved families will hold if we wait until tomorrow. The family members live to hold

a grudge, after all."

If kindness was going to get his men killed, then he didn't need kindness. Being a part of an evil organization, he needed to use his men to their cores based on logic and necessity so he could send them back home alive.

Colonel Lergen made this sad fact evident to the tepid officer.

"We are using our speed to acquire time. If we stop because we're tired, we'll have to buy that time back with human lives."

"Enemies may surround us at this rate! If we advance too much, the panzer unit will…!"

He was correct to doubt this. Advancing too far always came with the danger of becoming isolated in enemy territories. Before the war, his opinion would've been lauded as sensible. This, however, was total war, and with the Empire having run out of options, they no longer had the luxury of weighing the risks against merits.

The correct answer wasn't always right.

"You might be right about that, if we stop our advance. Now, let's head south."

"Colonel?!"

Major Joachim questioned Colonel Lergen's sanity, to which he responded with a lighthearted chuckle.

"Speed is our only friend right now, so quit your whining. You can do that all you want when you've made it to Valhalla."

"…Are you being serious?"

"I am the commanding officer, and I intend to follow the General Staff Office's orders. What else do you want from me? Right now, you need to advance. Now get your tanks moving."

The Lergen Division's advance, as witnessed by his peers, was succinctly described as a suicide charge. Some of the other officers in the division questioned the commander's state of mind. Nevertheless, it wouldn't go down in history as a failure on the Imperial Army's part or a problem with its leadership.

"The Great Advance."

It would go down in military history as a rare, exceptional case.

Though it always came with the addendum that the advance definitely wasn't something that could ever be replicated or made into a model for sensible command, experts would always reluctantly pen the advance's greatness. They would question if it actually ever happened as they did so. Historians, on the other hand, simply praised it as a great miracle.

Anyone with a bit of surface knowledge on the subject would often explain, with the air of a know-it-all, how it was a tried and true technique learned in the east and applied to their charge in the south. That Colonel Lergen, who was well versed in Ildoan geopolitical affairs and topography, had made his return from the east.

With the friendly troops who made up the Lergen Kampfgruppe at his flank, the experienced General Staff officer made the correct decision to successfully charge with the panzer units he was so accustomed to fighting with.

It was worth every ounce of praise from a militaristic standpoint as his decision proved to contribute to the Empire's ability to fight in Ildoa tremendously.

They took over all of the important military points, secured a horizontal defensive line, and eliminated a threat to the Empire.

And thus, a tragic new quagmire developed in the northern territories of Ildoa. At the same time, Ildoa's allied forces would conduct various different strategies in response.

This was the spot where the delusional Empire would try to reclaim its raison d'état and fight for survival. The conflict there would come to be called "Zettour's Toy Box." It was full of death and bullets. The bodies that piled up were either patriots fighting for said raison d'état, or innocent victims of the con artist playing his hand to pull out on top.

The world shut its mouth and shook its head, refusing all discussion on the matter.

The detestable con artist he was, General Zettour's art of war amounted to chaos and confusion. This was why the officers and soldiers who fought in his war would all unwillingly utter the same sentiment.

That there existed a man to be feared.

They would learn of his presence every day on the battlefield. Hans von Zettour.

A Junker. An old, mild-mannered soldier with an unappealing scholarly

bent of mind.

He created a toy box. A toy box with a single word etched in blood on it:

Necessity.

This was largely why Ildoa would never forget the conflict they were wrangled into. They cursed everything about the events that transpired, including the name Lergen.

Their disdain for him was above all else when they learned his role in the attack. Nobody knew of him at the time, but they would learn. That his frequent diplomatic visits were a guise for him to plunge Zettour's dagger into Ildoa's heart.

Additionally, although Colonel Lergen would go on to describe the series of events that led to his role in the Ildoan campaign in memoirs, he would write off his role in the charge as nothing more than him fulfilling his duty as an Imperial soldier in a war he didn't wish to fight.