Every now and again, First Lieutenant Grantz’s superior officer would say something he could not understand.
When she muttered, sighing, that she wished they “would just drop already,” it took everything Grantz had, standing next to her, to resist the urge to ask if she was serious.
Naturally, Grantz was an officer, just like Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff. He knew that officers needed to put on a show in front of their subordinates. Their every move was being watched, and nothing went unnoticed. No one wanted to stake their life on someone who came off as unreliable.
Maybe this was just iconoclasm, but there was nothing wrong with keeping up appearances. If Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff were to show distress, Grantz might begin to worry they were in over their heads. The memory of General Zettour instructing him to smile during their previous campaign in Ildoa was still very vivid in his mind.
He knew to take the words of higher-ups with a grain of salt. That was a given. But it was also important to sniff out the difference between a façade and true feelings, which was why he was so baffled by his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff, at that moment. It seemed as though she might really mean what she said about wanting to hurry up and get to the battlefield already.
If she had just been saying it for her subordinates’ sake, she probably would have spoken more boldly. A soliloquy spoken so that no one could hear was likely her true feelings.
From the perspective of a freshly appointed second lieutenant who did not understand what they were heading into, that might make sense. But from a commander who had been informed in advance and knew the gravity of the situation? The thought made Grantz’s skin crawl.
The 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion was often considered a unit full of warmongers, but upon contemplation, perhaps that reputation was due to their commanding officer’s personality. Indeed, Grantz considered himself observant, but the thought had never even occurred to him.
As for the Lieutenant Colonel herself, while she was always urging her men to “use more common sense” and pay attention to things other than war, the moment they reached the target’s vicinity, her face lit up with pure excitement.
“It’s time. This must be target airspace. Let’s confirm.”
Her voice was sprightly—a complete contrast to the expression she had worn throughout the journey. Grantz could picture what she was feeling; the emotion was almost palpable. Now that they were over enemy territory, she looked raring to go.
Not wanting to ruin her good mood, Grantz pored over the map, comparing it to the features below and pointing out the landmarks he could find.
“I see it. There’s the river…and the bridge.”
“Major Weiss, confirm as well.”
“I’ve confirmed. I’m seeing the same.”
“Good,” said Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff, smiling now that their destination had been confirmed. She picked up the aerial radiophone used for unit IC.
“All units, this is 01. All units, you now have permission to fully unseal your magic. Do you hear me? Listen closely now.”
Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff shouted, her voice a sonorous roar.
“The work before us is simple, my fellow aerial mages. This should be a breeze. The kind of straightforward job that any mage would dream of.”
Yeah, a piece of cake, Grantz quipped internally. They were penetrating deep into enemy territory to deliver a powerful and upsetting blow. A feat of valor, certainly…but as far as workloads go, this was clearly nothing to sneeze at. In fairness, though he might not match Lieutenant Colonel Degurechaff’s zeal, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t getting worked up.
“Take the bridge. Kick the enemy’s ass. And once we have them cornered, make them curse the day they were born. Simple. Just the kind of job that mages are made for.”
As easy as it sounded, they all knew it would be hard. But these were the words they needed to hear to pump themselves up now that they were in enemy territory.
“Let’s do it like we always do,” the lieutenant colonel said briefly.
Before Grantz knew it, he was smiling, too. What made today any different? This was the kind of work they always did. They all knew what they were doing—they had done it plenty of times before. Why shouldn’t they just do it again?
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“Determination, bravery, grit. Whatever virtues the enemy might have on their side are meaningless before our resolve. We are destiny manifest. No. This may be too mundane for destiny, for we will carve out our place in history. Not with destiny, but with our own rifles, our own orbs.”
A great cry rose from their bellies. Before Grantz knew it, he was shouting as well, his voice full of fury and eagerness to fight.
“Now then, gentlemen, it is time for the festivities to begin,” Tanya said, nodding. “You know the drill: follow after me.”