Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 6 Chapter 5

Status: Incomplete

2/7 parts completed

   

Chapter 5 – Head-On Collision ~Magic War・Sekigahara~

Part 1

“Both Kanon and I, as the commander of the general offensive?”

Akane was dumbfounded and leaked out her voice. Regimental Commander Yamagata who summoned Akane to this control room nodded gravely.

The base of the restructured division, for the sake of their counterattack to Gifu prefecture, was moved from Shizuoka to the garrison in Aichi. The room where the highest rank in the chain of command that ruled this garrison was located was in here, this station control room.

Right now this room had become the possession of Commander Yamagata. This place was Aichi garrison, but the one that recovered this Aichi was the counterattack force led by Commander Yamagata after all.

That commanding officer summoned Akane and handed down an improbable order.

“This is a joke right? I’m still a student you know.” Akane smiled bitterly with taken aback feeling.

“Student huh. Without a doubt you are a student but…let me ask you in return. Right now, can you trust the other adults in the Knight Order?”

It was a really sharp question that cut like a blade.

For her who was still in the position of knight candidate, it was hard to answer this question honestly.

But Akane guessed what was it that Commander Yamagato was looking for. She gathered her courage and answered frankly.

“Saying it clearly, I cannot trust them at all.”

“Isn’t that right? I too think so about all the people around me. I don’t know at all who in the world can be the spy from Yamato in the Knight Order. While feeling such paranoia, you are one among the few humans that I can say without doubt is not a spy. You get it right?”

“Yes but, for someone inexperienced like me…”

“I don’t think you are inexperienced. If you ask me why, that’s because you are also among the few people that had experienced leading a troop in a magic war. …You are the one that handed over the report concerning the previous [Magic War・Okehazama] to me, aren’t you? In that report there is this opinion written, that [the magic war from now on is going to be completely different compared to all the war until now]. I think it really hit the point. There is no one that had experienced something similar like you among your senior knights. In other words you are the one that have already become the number one veteran here.”

“The one who took command of that battle was not me, it was Hayashizaki Kazuki.”

“I heard. But don’t tell me that you want to make a first year of Knight Academy a commander. To say nothing, that currently Hayashizaki Kazuki is in the middle of infiltrating the enemy’s territory. If he comes back, it’s fine to make him your vice officer.”

Akane’s feeling became complicated. …For her, she thought of him as a [King], she was the one who wanted the position as his vice officer instead. She felt that such way suited her personality.

“…I too want a right-hand man that I can trust. That’s why even though this is more or less coercive, I’ll attach you to a fitting position and I want you to pile up achievement that anyone will recognize. The one who should build up the new era must be the young.”

“…Even so just as expected this is a complicated feeling.”

Akane said with a squeezed out voice.

“In the previous battle, I held nothing but a defeated feeling. In regards of Hayashizaki Kazuki, in regards of my own inexperience, it’s only deplorable. Despite so, even if you said that battle experience is recognized…”

“But you are able to find your own composure, you are a human that can grow the more you experience failure. I am someone that can see such quality in a person you know?”

Akane unconsciously tightened his fist hard. The gorgeous delicate fingers became white from putting too much strength.

Yagumo Akane―was being self-conscious that her own self was just a mediocre person compared to Koudzuki Kanon or Hayashizaki Kazuki. For a person like her to be in a place like the Witch’s Mansion where geniuses were gathered, she managed to accomplish her responsibility as the Vice President, though imperfect, by always thoroughly [being kind to other person and harsh to one self], that was how she came this far.

Because she was a mediocre person that could work hard that she was relied on by the geniuses.

If she rejected this request, then surely she would lose even that single foundation of hers.

Could she do this? No, she had to be able. The creative power Hayashizaki Kazuki showed in the previous battle―should have already become her own flesh and blood.

“I understood, I accept.”

“Good. I should have already entrusted everything of the force composition to you, haven’t I? Then you should have already put in order the arrangement so that you can move this counter attack force as your own army. As soon as possible…”

At that time a hurried footsteps from outside the room could be heard and the door was opened.

The figure that appeared was Amasaki Mio.

“Re, re re re reporting informationnnnn-!”

The girl was too nervous and her speech was in chaos.

“When entering the room of your superior, get permission first for entering the room through the extension interphone.”

Akane warned with a bitter face, but Commander Yamagata’s expression broke out into a smile seeing an inexperience that was so like a student.

“Don’t worry about it. She is still a first year that is inexperienced in the Knight Order’s custom after all. What is your business?”

“Kazu-nii…Hayashizaki Kazuki had sent contact that the operation is a success! Invade immediately right now he said!”

Hearing those words, the expression of Akane and Commander Yamagata were filled with tension.

“Is that true? Has the smoke signal been fired?”

“No, it’s not from the smoke signal…he sent his voice of the heart to me!”

Akane and Commander Yamagata’s expression that were full with tension went a complete change into a frown filled with doubtful feeling.

“Is that the delusion of Kazuki inside you, or something like that…”

When Akane questioned her doubtfully, Mio went “That’s not it-“ and shook her head.

“With the power of love, our hearts are connected with each other-!!” She said that while puffing her chest proudly with ‘ehem’.

The commanding officer and the commander exchanged their glances.

“She is saying a really stupid thing but…what do you think? However to say the least, youth is really enviable huh.”

“They are connected with the power of bond. A long range telepathic communication by means of the power of King…it’s not something that is really that impossible. If this is really true then this method is far more effective rather than something like a smoke signal.”

This was a chance they had waited long for, but it came in the best form that they never even imagined.

Both of them nodded at each other—they immediately moved in action.

Lightning fast was necessary for this operation.

Part 2

The troops that moved to the neighborhood of the provincial border using the army buses disembarked and separated into vanguard and rearguard, then they marched to the direction of the border. There was a national highway that headed to the prefectural border between Gifu and Aichi.

An older knight arrived to convey the report from the scout toward Akane and Kanon who became the commander.

“There was a military response from inside Yamato’s territory. They had sensed our movement and quickly assembled the troops they distributed in Toyama and Yokkaichi garrisons here in Gifu using the magic light train.”

The troops had surely been given a detailed instruction from Commander Yamagata, that they had to act courteous even toward Akane and Kanon who were younger. Akane once again became self-aware that she was currently holding the leash of her own army and her nervousness increased.

“They are not as confused as we thought and moved quickly huh.”

Kano said so but, for Akane the report was just as she expected so far.

The main bases of Yamato were <Kagamihara garrison>, <Toyama Garrison>, and <Yokkaichi garrison>, these three places. The objective of the Knight Order’s offense this time was Kagamihara garrison located in the southern part of Gifu prefecture.

What made Kagamihara garrison as the most suitable location to be the offense’s target was not only its short distance from Aichi, there was also the mountain that separated Toyama and Gifu in the east border as the cause. Gifu’s south border―namely Kagamihara was exactly the best location suitable for head-on collision.

Yamato sensed that movement through their spy and summoned their troops from Toyama and Yokkaichi.

The diligent older knight continued his report.

“Around the time we come into contact with the enemy, the other side will surely have finished concentrating their manpower. Also Yamato have burned the town and fields in the direction of our marching. The situation is they are awaiting us in the field they had prepared.”

“So they are not naïve enough to give us one more chance for a surprise attack.”

Anxiety flashed through the expression of the older knight. Akane sensed that anxiety sharply and endeavored to wipe away that anxiety with her act as a commander.

“With their failure in the previous battle, they are excessively fearing a surprise attack right now. Then reversely we are going to take them by surprise by attacking them head-on. A head-on collision is exactly the surprise attack.”

“I don’t intend to doubt our troop skill but, in regards to the other side who concentrated their battle strength, our side’s front-line swordsmen are at the very least inferior in number compared to the enemy. Is it okay to have a frontal fight like this?”

The knight asked. ‘At the very least’, such phrase meant that he asked implicitly in doubt if [was it really true that the Shrine Maidens of the Japanese Mythology were withdrawing from the front line?].

Just before this military operation, they had announced that the Shrine Maidens had withdrawn from Yamato’s troop due to Kazuki’s infiltration mission.

Was it really true that Kazuki had succeeded in his mission. Depending on that, the difference between the two army’s battle strength would greatly change.

Head-on battle—if there was no fear of [surprise attack] in the middle of the battle, it would become a simple battle of quality and number of soldiers. Certainly that was a way of fighting that could be called [no strategy].

“Doing a head-on collision, and then from during that battle you create a [surprise attack], that is what we call [tactics]. While forming [formation] and breaking up our force, we are going to find the weak point from inside the enemy’s formation then we will concentrate our force at that point immediately. [Effective maneuver of breaking up and focusing]…that is something that cannot be done except by soldiers who have extensive training. If it’s about training amount then our side is overwhelmingly superior. This difference in soldier’s training is what will allow us to bring about a surprise attack.”

The older knight opened his eyes wide and dumbfounded.

…Kazuki said that [they had to think over everything from phase zero on how to go about this completely new magic war]. For Akane who was too fixated on common sense, that became a severe reflection.

But on the other hand, she could also sort out which of the methods among the old knowledge that could still being relevant in this era.

To be able to do that was the forte of her who had come this far after piling up a lot of effort.

“They've become excessively alert against surprise attack from their defeat in the previous battle, that they lost sight that what matters the most in a head-on collision is the quality of the soldier. That is the indication of the enemy’s crude tactics command. Rather than the differences of the battlefield, they are using emotion as the base of their decision too much. …Just as arranged, when we arrive at the battlefield they are waiting for us, please form the <horizontal formation>.”

Ahead of their advance’s path, suddenly an open wasteland appeared. Due to large scale attack magic, far from being rubble, it was a wasteland where all the buildings had been thoroughly destroyed into pebbles. The concrete pebbles that were created from destroyed buildings transmitted a man-made texture through the soles of their shoes with crunching sound when stepped.

It was an excessively spacious wasteland where there was no way to work out a clever plan with only a small hill at the far away.

Because there was not even a response of magic power, ambush troop was also impossible.

A battlefield suitable for the naming of [Magic War・Sekigahara] had been created right there.

The 900 soldiers of Japan Knight Order stormed into that battlefield with a horizontal formation in accordance with the previous arrangement before this.

Horizontal formation―it was the most basic practical form of Heaven and Earth Formation.

A unit of knights lined up in a row as the vanguard.

At the rearguard, the unit of Magika Stigma was in waiting.

At the middle, the reserve troop was stationed. The reserve troop’s duty was to immediately plug up gaps that were created in their own side’s formation. On the contrary, if there was gap that was created in the enemy’s formation instead then they were to charge at that opening. Although they were called as reserve but they were the elite unit that was the cornerstone of this tactic. The unit that Akane put there were the students of the Knight Academy who had no qualm at all in taking her command.

Yamato too was forming a similar horizontal formation at the wasteland.

The moment they mutually confirmed that they had come into contact with the enemy, the rear guard Magika Stigmas began to emit blue magic power light while the vanguard swordsmen ran forward while cooperating with each other so there was no disorder in their ranks.

The weak point of horizontal formation was the lack in mobility. If there were Shrine Maidens unit in the enemy rank, they could completely mow down the swordsmen before they clashed with the enemy’s swordsmen due to their quick Drive.

“From the distance, the enemy’s rearguard magician unit―the Shrine Maidens are visibly gathered in plenty enough number though.”

Kanon asked Akane in order to confirm.

“They are fakes.” Akane concluded. She was in the position where she must conclude that in full confidence.

Her spine was freezing. There was nothing else but having faith on Kazuki.

Even among the advancing soldiers there was agitation running through them.

Kanon who was even more popular than Akane yelled “Everyone calm down! It’s okay!!”

While advancing, the signs of the enemy could be seen more clearly.

At the rearguard of Yamato’s army―less than a third of the Shrine Maidens were emitting magic power light.

“Look! Those guys' rearguard is just paper-mache! They are not worth fearing!!”

When Kanon raised her loud voice, the troop’s advance with the knights that went along well with Kanon since a long time as the center livened up straightaway. And then both armies collided head-on.

Translator's Notes and References

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