The Conscript Wants to Be Discharged!

Repelled by the flyswatter smash of a blushing Eliza, I returned to the barracks and enjoyed the happy holiday guaranteed by the Defense Captain.

Taking advantage of the break, I woke up early in the morning and inspected the wall repairs and defense facilities in preparation for the attack by the northern reds, the forces of the rebel Baudouin, which would come someday.

Taking advantage of the good weather, we also did a group laundry of our bedding by the nearby river.

Due to the Defense Captain’s insistence that idleness breeds laziness, we held a death match between the 1st and 2nd Hundred-man Units under the guise of practical training for strengthening the Hundred-man Unit’s combat power.

“Now, kill each other.”

Let’s go, 1st Unit! Soak those 2nd Unit bastards!

2nd Unit! If you lose to those 1st Unit guys, you’ll be rolling all night without sleep, you hear?!

Charge!

Kill them!

At the signal of the Defense Captain, who was emitting the aura of an evil villain with a shadowy face on the platform, the two Hundred-man Units clashed. It became a spectacle for passing Ghouls, mages, and nearby soldiers.

“That’s right! Kill them, 1st Unit!!”
“I’ve bet four bottles of alcohol on you guys! If you lose, you die by my hand!!”
“2nd Unit! 2nd Unit!!”
“Yujiiiin!!”

We clashed in the training ground in the middle of the fortress, wielding wooden swords. Each Hundred-man Unit selected 30 members for a group battle, and ultimately, our 1st Hundred-man Unit emerged victorious.

“Ahhh! Captain! I believed in you!”
“My, my one month’s salary!!”

As Sameul and I experienced contrasting emotions, the spectating crowd also showed mixed reactions.

Afterwards, I continued to spend my rest time productively. I used the reward money from the Defense Captain and funds from secretly selling expensive-looking items I had pocketed while organizing supplies at the captured wooden fortress to purchase leather shoulder guards from a merchant visiting the supply warehouse. I also entrusted a letter to be sent to my family. Getting caught by a passing supply officer (a noble), I ended up organizing the supply warehouse despite my rank as a Hundred-man Captain, due to my lower social status. To secure visibility around the fortress, I took the Hundred-man Unit outside to cut down trees and chop firewood for use inside the fortress, among other productive activities during the rest period.

“Woooo! Is this resting?! We want comfortable rest!!”
“We’re here for combat rest, not to do odd jobs in the fortress!!”
“The Hundred-man Captain should guarantee rest for the soldiers! Guarantee it!”

Although rest was guaranteed, the Hundred-man Unit soldiers, mobilized for all sorts of chores inside the fortress, rose in a coup. However, I pacified them with my broad-mindedness (physically) to end their complaints, and persuaded the Defense Captain to secretly distribute alcohol and meat within the Hundred-man Unit to comfort my subordinates.

And so, the short rest of about a week ended as quickly as a shot arrow.

As reports came in of large-scale forces moving south from the north, a 300-man scout unit was formed, led by Eliza Roterschuden, including 10 mages and their private soldiers, along with two Hundred-man Units. They executed the so-called counter-attack operation to repay a rear surprise attack with another rear surprise attack.

On the night when large-scale forces from the north moved south and set up camp near the fortress, we slipped out of Sordan Fortress in the middle of the night and moved to the flank of the rebel camp. As dawn approached, we briefly hid in the bushes. Led by Eliza, the commanders gathered to review the operation.

“Alright, we’ll divide our group into two. One will bombard the outskirts of the rebel camp with magic to shake up the enemy camp and focus their attention in one place. The other group will infiltrate deep into the enemy camp while the first group draws attention from the outskirts, and deliver a powerful blow where the enemy’s main forces are gathered.”

Simply put, the unit is divided into the 1st and 2nd Units according to the Hundred-man Unit numbers. The 1st Unit consists of Eliza, five of her subordinate mages, and the Hundred-man Unit I lead. The 2nd Unit consists of the remaining five mages and the Hundred-man Unit led by Samuel. Each forms a unit to attack the camp.

The 2nd Unit waits on the flank of the rebel forces. The 1st Unit moves a bit further to hide on a hill behind the rebel camp. We wait for them to set up their camp.

When the sun touches the edge of the hill where the 1st Unit is hiding, the 2nd Unit starts bombarding the outskirts. This serves as the signal for the main force and the 1st Unit to charge. The 1st Unit, hidden on the hill, quickly descends and bombards the location of the main forces that we’ve identified in advance. Then, we join up with the 2nd Unit and return to the main force.

“During the operation, no one knows what kind of incidents might occur. At that time, each commander should assess the situation and deal with it at their discretion, as long as it doesn’t significantly alter the basic framework of the operation.”

“”Yes””

Eliza addressed the others respectfully, which seemed uncharacteristic for the overall commander of this operation, but no one dared to go against the prestige of the Roterschuden Count family and bowed their heads.

‘In reality, the private soldiers and mages of the Roterschuden family can’t go against Lady Eliza, and the rest of the soldiers are commoners, so there’s no need to even mention it.’

Not only the family’s prestige but also her individual skill is so outstanding that no one here can ignore it.

In any case, after familiarizing ourselves with the operation, we divided the unit into two. The 2nd Unit moved a bit further ahead from here to wait, while the 1st Unit, which Eliza and I are part of, moved quickly to hide on a hill behind the rebel camp before sunrise.

“Why did they set up their camp where there’s a hill to their rear?”

As I lay on the hilltop observing the enemy’s movements, feeling the cold, slightly damp air of the pre-dawn forest, Eliza approached and spoke to me.

“The areas where large-scale troops can station facing Sordan Fortress are limited. They probably know that this hill is good for hiding an ambush force, so they won’t let their guard down in this direction even at night.”

“I see.”

Rustle, rustle.

“Most camps position cavalry on the outskirts, with spearmen and swordsmen paired to form a defense line at the front. Archers will initially be positioned in front of the infantry. If the 2nd Unit strikes the cavalry on the flank outskirts to make them lose mobility, and we hit the center before the cavalry on the opposite side can rush in, we should be able to inflict significant damage.”

“You’re amazing, to be so skilled in military strategy at such a young age.”

“Thank you, Yujin. You’re also excellent at understanding and interpreting the operation.”

“You flatter me.”

Rustle, rustle.

I’ve seen the enemy camp layout countless times before battles, and based on my experience so far, I know that the kingdom’s basic tactic is the Nigawa hammer and anvil strategy. First, they shower approaching enemies with arrows and magic, and when the archers get close, the infantry moves forward to form a defense line acting as the anvil. Then, cavalry units from both flanks deploy to grind the enemy’s flanks and rear.

It’s literally the hammer and anvil strategy from the previous world, just with the addition of magic and knights as mobile turrets, and human tanks that are even more powerful than in the previous world.

“When the 2nd Unit attacks their flank with magic, the enemy mages’ attention will be drawn there for a moment. I’ll use that opportunity to strike their center with a large-scale destructive magic spell. Since important figures are gathered in the center, there will surely be mages they’ve personally hired protecting the center. It’s uncertain how much damage we’ll inflict on the target, but we can definitely cause confusion.”

Eliza’s voice settled coldly like the dawn air. Worried about her state, I turned my head to look at her.

“Lady Eliza, whenever you feel mentally stressed, please tell me. You’re plenty strong, but people always have limits— Eek!? You startled me!”

When I turned my head, Eliza had come very close.

“Wh-when did you get so close?”

“Ah, well, it’s a bit cold, and we need to talk quietly so the enemy doesn’t hear us.”

Eliza’s face, seen up close, looked quite red. Her ear tips and cheeks were flushed, and her slightly trembling speech made her look cold, so I took off the cloak I was wearing and gave it to her.

“If, if this is alright, please use it.”

“Th-thank you, Yujin.”

Eliza Roterschuden, now wrapped in the cloak Yujin had given her, was feeling very good at the moment.

“It’s warm.”

Lying on the slightly damp grass and conversing with Yujin, she had gradually moved closer until their shoulders were almost touching. Her heart was pounding quite a bit as they talked.

Soon, when the sun starts to rise, a different emotion will make her heart pound, but this moment of happiness to relieve tension is also an important psychological stabilization technique for maximizing her abilities as a commander.

Pulling the cloak up to just below her nose to focus more on warmth, Eliza stole glances at Yujin from the corner of her eye. His profile, faintly visible in the moonlight filtering through the leaves, reminded her of secret conversations in the bushes in the past.

Sniff

The damp grass smell on her nose and someone’s faint body scent—though only a slight scent remained on the cloak due to the armor worn underneath—gave her a sense of mental and physical stability.

‘Alright, this is enough.’

As the commander leading an important operation, she couldn’t maintain this giddy appearance forever. That was only for moments alone with him. Now it’s time to return to being Eliza Roterschuden, the cool and capable commander.

“Yujin, let’s go down now to comfort the soldiers and prepare for the upcoming battle.”

“Understood, Lady Eliza.”

It was a bit regrettable to return his cloak, but she couldn’t show this appearance to the family’s private soldiers and other troops. With a heart full of reluctance, she returned the cloak to Yujin and moved towards where the soldiers and mages were gathered.

Returning to the unit, she coordinated magic with the mages and reviewed the operation once more. After a while, the sun began to rise in the west, which was like a signal for the operation to begin.

“Everyone, as this operation is very dangerous, please maximize your individual skills and engage in battle.”

“”Yes!””

“Mages, focus all your efforts on quickly breaking through the defensive magic of the mages protecting important figures. The rest of the soldiers and the Hundred-man Unit, please focus on protecting me and the mages as we prepare our magic, and on infiltrating the center.”

“”Yes!!””

Soon, the sun will touch the edge of the hill, and explosions will occur on the enemy’s flank. Although it’s frightening and nerve-wracking to have to take lives again,

“Hundred-man Captain Yujin, I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Roterschuden. No matter what happens, I won’t let even an arrow or a sword tip come near you.”

Even though he wasn’t her personal knight, the fact that Yujin was with her on the battlefield made her forget the fear of battle.

Boom boom boom!

Buuuuuu!

When explosions and the sound of horns spread across the battlefield, and chaotic shouts and screams began to fill the air.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Waaaah!!

Let’s goooo!

With Hundred-man Captain Yujin at the vanguard, the unit set to strike the center of the rebel forces leaped over the hill and into the battlefield.