It was a nightmare. Since then, the Federation Army 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment had only been able to refer to that night in passing. The first report was nothing remarkable—a wide-area call from air defense control.
“A frontline unit has spotted multiple aircraft, likely enemy heavy bombers. Aircraft models and detailed flight courses remain unclear. They appear to be flying with a company toward the rear of our combat zone.”
The Federation Army had long since prepared for the possibility of a counterattack by the Imperial Air Fleet in response to their massive push. The on-duty personnel grimaced in unison.
“I’d hate to be whoever runs into them.”
The Empire was sly, giving the men cause to sympathize with whoever might face bombing. Of course, as a key transportation hub, the possibility that the bombs could come their way was not entirely out of the question. Though, given the inaccuracy of nighttime bombings, such an attack would likely amount to little more than harassment.
Regardless, the young duty officer, a major crammed into the mage regiment’s operation center, was taking no chances. In fact, the entire regiment was on high alert.
At any rate, searchlights had been checked and anti-aircraft guns were in place if needed. They weren’t just ready on paper—they were fully prepared to execute an actual interception. The duty officer was also capable; despite his young age, he possessed a certain wile more associated with experience.
It was the vigilance of an aerial mage that had convinced the entire unit of the possibility of an airborne assault on the rear lines. Considering the tricks the Empire was known for, the duty officer was not taking any chances. He immediately put in a report by phone to the grumpy regimental commander, who was currently buried beneath administrative work in his office. After conveying several points, the commander, concerned, asked the officer:
“Is there a mana signature?”
Unfortunately, the major’s knowledge of enemy positions at that time was accurate.
“None. And the Imperial Army mages who have been relentlessly harassing our logistic lines have only just finally pulled back.”
“Thank you,” answered the commander, before putting down the phone and turning his weary attention back toward the pile of paperwork and letters forming a mountain on his desk.
According to the commander, Colonel Sergei, the harsh demands of a mage regiment on its commanders were threefold: a regimental commander must fly, do desk work, and command.
Preventing overwork was impossible.
As a regimental commander, he did not have time to deal with every heavy bomber that appeared. However, he still made every effort to ensure the duty officers never felt unable to report anything. That effort must have paid off, because the duty officer soon contacted him again with another urgent report.
As Sergei received the report in his private office, gripping the receiver, he muttered in shock:
“An airborne assault…by a strong division of enemy aerial mages?! And you’re telling me it’s targeting Second Area Army Command?!”
That can’t be, he thought in dismay, but he crossed his arms and tried to set aside his awe at the unexpected scale of the enemy.
“We expected the possibility of decapitation tactics, we’ve stayed on our guard…but a division? Seriously?!” he muttered again in disbelief, cradling his head as a new headache surfaced.
For better or worse, the world at large knew that, even among aerial mages, the Empire’s were particularly cunning and strong in combat.
“A whole division… How did they even come up with such numbers?”
Imperial mages were strong. In one-on-one combat, hastily formed rookies stood no chance against an Imperial mage. But an exhausted mage could still be beaten if handled in pairs.
Indeed, Sergei and his men had often leveraged their numerical advantage when facing Imperial mages. Very rarely had their tactics been thwarted by a Named enemy; in general, their numerical advantage was unshakable. Sergei was convinced of this.
“And yet, after hassling our supply lines recently with a full mage division, they are now launching an airborne screening attack in our rear with yet another division? Where are they getting these numbers from?!”
It was a reasonable question. After all, who would imagine that a mere lieutenant colonel could single-handedly falsify orders, scrape together literally every last mage in the East, abandon the front, and now careen—eyes red—toward the Federation’s rear?
“What is happening? I heard the mages had all been redeployed to Ildoa. They’re popping up now like fruit flies…” A fearful image began to form in Sergei’s mind. “There is no more room for doubt. This is a strategic counteroffensive.
“They began by hammering vital logistic lines just as we started to advance,” groaned Colonel Sergei. “Now, on top of that, they have sent in a whole division of mages to hit us here at Second Area Army Command. What in the hell is happening?!
“This is why I hate imperials…!”
How can one country do so much against the entire world? Sergei was tempted to moan aloud. A concentrated deployment. He didn’t understand what was happening at all, but he pushed those feelings aside, frowning.
“Yes, we were on guard for an airborne attack from the enemy…but because we misjudged the scale of it, our mage units have already been dispersed to multiple positions. Under these circumstances, should we try to reassemble quickly?”
They had already located the enemy mage division’s position. Shouldn’t they switch all units to ready status immediately? As in, this very minute?
Colonel Sergei did not hesitate.
“Let’s not take any chances. Have all units prepare to mobilize to assist Second Area Army Command if needed, and contact our comrade political officer. This should be reported to our superiors in both our names as quickly as possible.”
The colonel was very good at his job.
His professionalism and flexible ability to respond would have been an eye-opener for anyone who believed that the Federation Army was just a pack of dunderheads relying on numbers as a crutch. Luck, however, was not on the Federation Army 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment’s side.
As soon as the first negative reports came in, the regimental commander assumed the worst. The political officer did not interfere. In fact, they both agreed that the men should assume battle positions so that they would be ready to move the moment the order came from higher command. They assigned more mages than usual to be ready to scramble.
In this unit, even the political officer—usually the one to squash what was seen as overreaction from a commander—happened to be a faithful and highly capable model communist who recognized the military rationale of the commander’s steps. A good comrade and good neighbor, he was a rare, new type of person, trustworthy from the heart—a socialist of exemplary character who held no prejudice against mages. In other words, an upstanding, beloved political officer. How rare was this? Let us just say it was nearly miraculous.
The men and women of the Federation’s 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment were typical mages, accustomed to persecution due to the vagaries of ideology and politics. Naturally, they had not gelled well with the Party’s ranks. It was uncommon for someone to come along who could cause such soldiers to admit that there might occasionally be a decent person or two in the Party.
But this political officer had done exactly that, and the unit welcomed him as a comrade in arms, relying on his knowledge as an advisor, and building up the kind of relationship that allowed them to implement decisive measures when necessary.
The Federation Army’s 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment had forged connections that allowed them to pride themselves on being comrades, family. Each individual did what needed to be done.
So naturally, upon learning of the measures being taken, the political officer ratified them as usual and, seeing there was a chance that leave might be canceled, rushed away to inform the mages that the deadline for letters might be moved up.
They were at war. In the heat of the moment, it was easy to forget to send tidings to one’s family when time permitted. The political officer did the rounds, reminding everyone to hurry, and also that mail might not be reaching them from the other direction. As inflexible as military post could be, it served an essential function in maintaining bonds between units and bringing individuals together.
The political officer, a thoughtful, empathetic member of the Communist Party, considered such minor adjustments and requests part of his job, and prided himself on personally seeing that they got done. He was a communist with a human face, a person everyone liked.
Do what needs to be done, prepare what needs to be prepared, and trust in one another. The men considered themselves truly fortunate to have been assigned to the 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment.
As a result, they were able to prepare quickly. And why shouldn’t they? They were told a storm was coming, so it was time to get ready for the storm. They truly were a sight to behold—but this was also exactly what made them so unfortunate.
They were too dedicated to their work.
The vigilant on-duty lookouts were the first in the entire Federation Army to actually notice the airborne operation unfolding. As a result, whether fortunate or not, when the Devil of the Rhine dropped into the vicinity they were responsible for, they were able to pick up the mana signatures and realize that something had just landed on their doorsteps.
“W-warning! We’re getting multiple mana signatures! Wait! This is bad! There are strong mana signatures throughout the entire region! There are too many to match against the library. We can’t keep up…”
It had to be a division, at the very least.
With multiple signatures suddenly detected, panic descended upon the staff, although a few still had enough presence of mind to consider the possibility of electronic warfare and question whether the signals could be decoys.