Having received the titles of Communications Chief and Tactical Staff Officer, I had effectively become the second-in-command of the Guerrilla. Naturally, within the organization, I was beginning to be perceived as something akin to Patriot’s successor, even surpassing Yelena in that regard.
"This is a bit troublesome."
"What is?"
"Nothing."
Yelena, who had displayed such terrifying power just a few days ago, was currently poking my cheek with her Arts staff, a dissatisfied pout on her face.
"Stop that. It's dangerous."
"But! You haven't played with me at all lately!"
Back when I was undergoing Messenger training, I already knew how to operate most of the communication equipment, so I had plenty of spare time to hang out with her.
However, I had been buried in work recently, and it seemed her frustration had finally boiled over from the lack of attention.
But I had my reasons too.
"Hey. If I just play all day, how is the army supposed to function?"
I talked a big game, but in truth, I had zero actual knowledge regarding military strategy. Fortunately, the former Staff Officer—the Sarkaz elder—was helping me, so I was currently acting more like a figurehead.
Still, since I was the one who would ultimately have to take responsibility for the outcome of battles, I felt uneasy leaving everything to others.
I was also worried that the authority I had painstakingly built for myself and the Messengers might crumble.
If people started saying I was just a 'parachute appointment' because I was the commander's son, it would end up destroying the very military system I had worked so hard to establish.
So, I was busy in many ways: absorbing the lessons from the Staff Officer and the strategy team, seeking a future direction for the Messengers, and pondering what tactics to employ in upcoming real combat.
"I'm busy, so it can't be helped."
"Hmph! That's just an excuse. Look at me. I come to see you only after I've finished everything I need to do."
Good grief. These naturally talented types who aren't even aware of their own genius are the worst.
Her talent as a Caster was the real deal. While someone else was struggling just to keep up, she was living life on easy mode. It was quite frustrating.
"Just wait a bit. Once I memorize this, I'll have a moment of free time."
"See? You can do it quickly once I nag you. Why do you neglect me by being lazy with things you can finish so fast?"
"I'm giving you some sincere advice: don't say that in front of other people. Not unless you want to be treated to a very colorful earful of insults."
Feeling a bit spiteful, I gave her a light flick on the forehead. She scrunched up her pretty face in an aggrieved pout.
"So, what are we going to play?"
"House! I'm the mom! You're the dad!"
"What kind of 'playing house' is this at our age?"
"You don't want to?"
No... if you look that dejected, you make me feel like the bad guy.
"No. It's fine. Do whatever you want."
"Hehe... then I'm the mom! Earth is the dad!"
It turned out to be a better time than I expected. Just watching her have so much fun was surprisingly healing.
--------
The day after playing with Yelena, Patriot summoned all the officers, including myself.
"Tomorrow, as scheduled, we will strike several mines to rescue the Infected forced into labor within them."
Patriot’s Guerrilla frequently rescued Infected who lived without human rights in the tundra.
Of course, Ursus stationed troops to prepare for this, but they were often crushed by the Guerrilla's hit-and-run tactics.
As a result, my father’s Guerrilla had become a symbol of terror for the Ursus military.
"Until now, the basic framework of the operation was as follows."
As the Tactical Staff Officer, I took charge of the briefing.
"Vanguards enter first to draw the attention of the Ursus army. The moment the enemy splits their forces, the main body raids the mine to wipe out the remaining hostiles and rescue the Infected."
Several officers frowned at my words. One of them, the Vanguard Squad Leader, raised his hand.
"Staff Officer. May I make a suggestion?"
"Permission granted."
"The operations have indeed been like that until now. However, this strategy always involves sacrifices from the lead Vanguard units. I request reinforcements for the Vanguard squad."
He was right. The most crucial point of this strategy was that the Vanguards had to deal significant damage to the enemy.
If they failed, the enemy wouldn't split their forces, which would have a profound impact on the main body's operation.
"That is a valid point, but I'm denying the request."
Listen to the whole plan first. Don't try to start a power struggle with me for no reason.
Right now, the people in front of me, including this Vanguard Squad Leader, were looking at me with eyes full of distrust.
Well, I suppose even I would be uneasy if a ten-year-old kid claimed to be planning a military operation. But what can you do? You’re the ones who chose this Staff Officer. Just grit your teeth and bear it.
"If there are no further opinions, I will explain the revised operational plan. I would appreciate it if you could listen to the whole thing before offering questions or suggestions for improvement."
Because I’m the one who’s going to bring you victory.
-----
It was a peaceful weekend. The Ursus soldiers were killing time playing poker.
"So boring. When will I ever get promoted and escape this remote hellhole?"
"Tell me about it..."
In truth, the tundra was not a very attractive place for them. It was cold, barren, filled with those horrible Infected, and lacked any sort of amenities.
Their only joys were a bottle of vodka and a deck of playing cards.
"Half."
"Damn it. I'm out."
Just as one soldier was grinning, about to take the money from his comrades—
—Skreeeeeee!
A piercing, ear-splitting shriek of a creature echoed in their ears.
"What? What's going on?"
"I need to pack up the money, so you go up and check."
"Tsk. Losing the game is a sin, I guess."
One soldier stepped out of the guard post. And there, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.
A swarm of Originium Slugs was charging toward the post.
The sight of these infected creatures crawling forward without any fear of humans instilled a sense of primal dread in the observer.
"E-Emergency!! Emergency!! Call for reinforcements!"
In reality, an Originium Slug could be killed easily enough by an average adult if they were careful. The problem was the special variants mixed in with them.
Those High-Energy Originium Slugs, with their bellies swollen to the bursting point, had the property of self-destructing if their bodies were threatened.
If they were allowed to get close and reach the mine, the troops currently managing the laborers inside would all be buried alive.
"Crossbowmen! Take them out, now!"
Reinforcements soon arrived at the sentry's urgent cry.
"Agh, damn it. I was finally resting for the weekend. What is this mess?"
The crossbowmen nocked their bolts and calmly began picking off the High-Energy Originium Slugs one by one. As long as those were dealt with, there was no real threat.
...Or so they thought, until arrows started whistling past their necks.
"Gah! What the—?"
"......"
Behind the swarm of slugs was a group of soldiers. They were wielding longbows that were almost as tall as they were.
"Ugh... those bastards?"
The Ursus commander turned pale as an arrow thudded into the wood just above his head. He immediately dropped to the ground to get out of the bow's range and considered his options.
With their harassment, it was difficult to properly deal with the slugs. Fortunately, the mysterious enemy force seemed to have terrible accuracy, as not a single person had been hit yet.
But if they were left alone, it could lead to a disaster. There was no telling when a stray arrow might find its mark.
"Split the forces! Send the agile soldiers to strike the enemy sniper unit."
If they were carrying such massive bows, their mobility was bound to be poor. It was best to have the Vanguards deal with them first.
Thinking thus, the commander formed a special detachment centered around Vanguards and approached the enemy sniper unit.
"How dare they oppose Ursus without fear. To show themselves as snipers without any escort... they must be brainless. All units, charge!"
"It's the Ursus army!"
"Run!!"
As soon as they spotted the enemy, the longbowmen turned and fled. But how could those without proper equipment overcome the slippery ice of the tundra?
On the other hand, the Ursus soldiers had chains wrapped around their boots to prevent slipping, giving them superior mobility. There was no reason they should lose them.
The Ursus commander was absolutely certain of his victory.
...Or so he thought.
That was, until the enemies began to flee at an incredible speed using long planks attached to their feet.
"No... what is that?!"
The ice was no longer a hindrance; they were using it to gain speed. Watching them glide away, the commander felt a fire ignite in his chest.
"Fine! Now that we've chased them off, return to the mine and finish the slugs..."
Thwip.
However, the commander couldn't finish his sentence. The enemies, having judged that they had gained enough distance, fired another volley of arrows.
Fortunately, the arrows missed by a wide margin again, but the commander was about to explode with rage. If he returned to the mine, his back would be exposed; if he chased them, he couldn't keep up with that speed.
— *...@%~♡×☆@>...*
"Huh...?"
The commander heard some unknown language in his ears. But he soon dismissed it as an auditory hallucination caused by his anger and turned his gaze back to the longbowmen in front of him.
It was the beginning of a tedious, never-ending game of tag.
--------
"Hehehe."
"What are you so happy about?"
"Because the plan was a perfect success, obviously."
The Caster next to me looked at me as if I were a madman, muttering something about how geniuses always have a screw loose somewhere.
Anyway, fortunately, the enemy moved exactly as I had anticipated.
The basic framework was the same as the original plan. However, instead of the Vanguards alone bearing the burden of splitting the enemy forces, the task was divided between the slug swarm and a small sniper unit.
I took on the mission of carrying the 999k radio to lure the slugs, accompanied by a Caster who could use camouflage Arts.
In any case, the Ursus forces at the mine were now split into three.
The group dealing with the slugs, the group chasing the ski snipers, and the group guarding the mine.
"But I have one question."
"What is it?"
"Why did you bother carrying the radio yourself? As the Staff Officer, shouldn't you just sit at a desk and come up with plans? You don't need to put yourself in danger."
Nonsense. My current power was like a house of cards. I was a 'parachute' who sat in the Staff Officer's chair solely because of my father's word as the leader. It was only natural that the other officers didn't look kindly upon me.
To become a Staff Officer who truly earned their trust, two conditions were necessary: achieving overwhelming victory with tactics that actively reflected my ideas, and being present on the front lines.
The former was a matter of ability, the latter a matter of emotion. If I failed to satisfy either, it was certain I would be dragged down from my position in the near future.
"I just can't sit still without seeing how the battlefield is unfolding with my own eyes."
Of course, I couldn't say all that to the Caster in front of me, so I gave a vague excuse.
I lightly ignored the mutterings of "definitely a psycho" that reached my ears.
What mattered was that now was the time to clinch the victory.
— *...@%~♡×☆@>...*
My voice spread through the nearby area via the 999k. It was a Guerrilla code signaling the success of the preliminary operation and the start of the next phase.
I wasn't worried about the other side.
They had Patriot, a Wendigo with the martial might to conquer a castle with just three of his kind; Yelena, the genius Caster who had defeated the Guerrilla's elite at the age of ten;
And the entire Guerrilla force, minus the few assigned to distract the enemy.
And those they were facing were a weakened army already divided into head, chest, and torso.
It was obvious who would win.
While waiting for the communication from the main body, I picked up one of the slugs that had contributed so much to this victory and stroked it. Hmm, this is actually quite healing.
I naturally ignored the sound of "definitely a cockroach lover" coming from my side.
------
"Could you report the results of this operation?"
After the situation was wrapped up, the former Staff Officer—the man who had taught me tactics and was now serving as my adjutant—answered, unable to hide his slight excitement.
"Zero fatalities and four minor injuries. And we rescued 32 Infected!! Based on the logs left in the mine, we succeeded in rescuing everyone except for three who had already passed away from Oripathy!"
The Guerrilla had never experienced defeat. However, their victories always left scars.
The Vanguard units tasked with splitting the enemy often suffered numerous casualties, and even when the main body successfully broke through, the laborers were often already cold corpses due to the enemy's desperate final acts.
But this time was different. The injuries to the Vanguard units, who usually bore the hardest burden, were gone, and thanks to their active role in the main body with their swift mobility, most of the hostages were rescued.
"That's good."
A satisfying result. This should be enough to change the gazes of those who disliked me. A man proves himself through results.
"Inform each squad leader to train a small number of elite ski infantry. After today, no one will doubt the utility of skis in this tundra."
There was still plenty to do. I closed my eyes for a moment and organized what needed to be done next.
"Staff Officer. The Caster Leader is here to see you."
"Tell her to come in."
As soon as I gave permission, Yelena came running into the tent.
"Earth! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What about you? Actually, come to think of it, you're probably fine. I heard you performed exceptionally well."
According to the report, her frost Arts played a decisive role in isolating the enemy.
"It was nothing. It was our first real battle together, Earth. I tried my best."
How admirable. She was beyond comparison to those middle-aged men who only gave me looks of distrust.
"Well done."
I placed my hand on Yelena's white hair and stroked it gently. The silk-like softness against my hand was very satisfying.
"Hehe..."
Since she seemed to like it too, it was a win-win. Oh, whatever. For today, work didn't matter. I remained faithful to the famous saying: 'Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.'
"I just finished my work. What do you want to play?"
"Really? Let's play house!"
"Sure. We even have someone to play the son."
Yelena, my pet Originium Slug, and I lost track of time as we played together happily.
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