Do Your Own Revolution

#085

They say there are five stages of accepting death.

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

And for 24 hours after the warning broadcast, the knights and magic nobles gathered in the Elcryer territory were faithfully going through these five stages.

“Our Count Elcryer family deeply regrets this unfortunate misunderstanding between the Imperial Army and our main house!”

First stage, denial.

The knight who came as an envoy of the Count Elcryer family delivered young lord Kartan Elcryer’s message to me while maintaining the typical arrogant expression of a magic noble.

“Thus, Lord Martan, the head of Count Elcryer family, wishes to have a direct meeting with Colonel Eugene Lorentz, the Imperial Army commander…!”

“Before that.”

As I listened to those words, I asked the knight without waiting for his next words.

“You, who are reading the letter now. Are you a direct lineage knight?”

“Indeed I am!”

At my question, the knight who brought the letter placed his fist against his chest and declared proudly.

“I am a knight of the glorious Elcryer 1st Knight Order! Ion Rild…!”

Bang-!

When a hole appeared in his forehead, his voice did not continue.

Once declared as enemies of the Empire, they are not treated as knights, imperial citizens, or even humans.

Since he himself revealed that he was from the direct family line’s 1st Knight Order, we must do what needs to be done.

When the knight who delivered the letter didn’t return, the next reaction was stage two.

Anger.

“Colonel Eugene Lorentz! I challenge you to a one-on-one duel as a knight! If you are truly one of the honorable mages, you cannot ignore this sacred request of mine…!”

“Shoot.”

Bang-!

When the knight didn’t return, this time they came with a group of soldiers mobilizing five knights.

When the knight at the vanguard lost his life to Matt’s pre-positioned sniper shot, they went berserk and pointed their swords at me.

Thud!

Covered in blood from Ortega’s shotgun, they knelt before me.

“We are Count Elcryer, one of the 12 Great Magic Houses! If you oppress us like this, the other members of the Round Table won’t just stand by…!”

“Execute.”

Bang-!

With the gunshot, the second reaction also came to an end.

The next stage, ‘bargaining’, followed about an hour later.

“I wish to make a deal with the Special Magic Unit.”

This time, it was a man claiming to be the finance minister of the count’s family.

Adjusting his glasses with sharp eyes, he proposed negotiations, promising cooperation from Elcryer if the army withdrew and numerous rewards and support for me personally.

“What do you say! With this amount of money, even the Colonel’s heart could…”

“Alright. Let’s negotiate.”

“Ooh!”

After nodding like that, I raised my finger to point behind me.

The finance minister, wearing a triumphant expression, immediately looked at those I pointed to.

“Ah, ah…!”

“If you follow these gentlemen’s guidance, we can have a more in-depth negotiation.”

Under the hospitality of the Empire’s torture specialists, he was able to negotiate as much as he wanted in the ‘interrogation room’ prepared in a corner of the armored train.

After all that commotion passed, the Special Magical Power Unit’s airship landed in a nearby clearing.

Erich, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, let out a deep sigh upon seeing me sitting in the command room chair.

“I wondered what was going on when asked to prepare for such a major offensive while the war was coming to an end…”

“Thanks to you, we could keep to the schedule. You worked hard, Erich.”

This was sincere praise.

Movement plans for three thousand soldiers.

Setting up ammunition and supply routes, and arranging armored trains and airships.

Erich completed this operation plan, which would have taken over two weeks for a regular unit, in just one day and made it executable.

Truly the brain of the Special Magical Power Unit and the battalion commander’s certified go-to person.

It was a moment where I could naturally understand why Keiren was so reluctant to let this guy go, why he was so regretful when assigning him to the Special Magic Unit.

Need an operation plan? Just say the word.

Erich will finish it all in a day.

“…So, what about the remaining depression and acceptance?”

“No one’s coming now, right? Well, that roughly counts as depression.”

“You’re really forcing these interpretations.”

Shaking his head at my sophistry, Erich looked around at the view of Elcryer territory spread before us and asked.

“Then what about the final stage, acceptance?”

“Well, you know.”

I paused briefly, took out a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth.

After taking a drag of the acrid smoke, I opened my mouth with a faint smile.

“That’s what’s about to happen.”

In my hand as I said this was a silver pocket watch.

Twenty-three hours had passed since the warning broadcast began.

***

“Is everyone gathered?”

At the Elcryer mansion.

The knights gathered in full armor were waiting, preparing for a desperate resistance.

Looking at the numerous knights staring at him with grim expressions.

Acting head Martan, seeing their faces, strengthened his resolve.

‘Still… There’s still hope.’

A magic noble’s mansion was itself like a magical weapon.

The magical barriers installed in the castle and all sorts of defensive magic.

And even auxiliary magic circles prepared for deploying group spells – it was a fortress among fortresses.

“Compared to the Republican Army that doesn’t even have proper mages, this is nothing short of an iron fortress…!”

Additionally, reports were continuously arriving from private soldiers stationed throughout the city.

They had successfully detained citizens who hadn’t completed their evacuation and positioned them throughout the city.

From what he’d heard, the Special Magical Power Unit and Imperial Army had high public support?

There’s no way they would let these territory residents die.

They would surely try to deploy ground forces into the city to hunt down himself and the knights.

If that’s the case, he could position soldiers among the residents and accumulate damage against them.

“We just need to hold out.”

Having finished his thoughts, Acting Head Martan spoke to the knights looking at him.

“If we just hold out, other magic noble families will pressure the Imperial Army to save us. No noble would remain still in this atmosphere, even if communications are cut off!”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“We can hold out, Acting Head.”

The magic imprint’s condition was perfect, and the magic circuit was at its peak.

Come if you dare.

While thinking this.

Dong-

Along with the bell signaling the hour, a soldier who had been busy scouting outside the mansion came running in hurriedly.

“They’re moving!”

“Everyone, don’t move rashly!”

Acting head Martan quickly pacified the knights.

“Even if they gave 24 hours of grace, there are countless residents in this territory. They won’t char them all with railway guns and airships!”

They’re the Imperial Army, aren’t they?

A righteous army that moves for its citizens.

If that’s the case, there’s a chance of victory if we strike their weak point!

“The first bombardment won’t be severe. They’ll drop a few shells near the castle to test our reaction.”

Martan’s strategy was simple.

The Imperial Army would come in with sporadic bombardment.

What they would encounter would be numerous territory residents and his private soldiers hidden among them.

A situation where they need to protect civilians while dealing with the soldiers.

But how long would it take to sort out these soldiers, whose clothing was similar and affiliation ambiguous?

For a long time, a mundane sweeping operation would continue.

And while they’re distracted with that, he and the Knight Order would hunt down the Special Magic Unit’s mages one by one.

According to intelligence, Special Magic Unit’s specialty was group firepower through coordination between members.

If they could pick them off one by one, there was a possibility.

“Enemy of the Empire? Complete destruction? Just fancy words.”

A sardonic smile crept across Acting head Martan’s face as he said this.

Time was still on their side.

In the Elcryer territory where war clouds gathered, he firmly believed in this proposition.

***

“Time’s up.”

As the pocket watch in my hand struck the hour, I immediately asked my subordinate officers.

“Has the evacuation of refugees been completed?”

“For now, it has been completed.”

For now.

Noticing that nuance, I let out a low sigh.

‘That means there are still territory residents remaining.’

Of course.

It’s only natural that some people couldn’t comply when told to abandon their land and livelihood of decades within 24 hours.

Seeing my reaction, Leopold, who was standing beside me, asked.

“What will you do? Should we wait a bit more…?”

“No.”

To his tentative question, I spoke firmly.

Though small in scale, the Elcryer territory was clearly urban terrain.

It was essentially a fortress surrounded by all sorts of obstacles and terrain features.

Send Special Magic Unit members and ground forces into such a place to hunt down enemies hidden among territory residents one by one?

In a situation where we can’t even distinguish who’s an enemy and who’s a resident, and who knows what variables might occur in the process?

‘Nonsense.’

The hundreds of members gathered here are precious forces that took 4 years just to plan, and who knows how much longer to properly raise.

We can’t waste them on inefficient urban warfare in such a tiny territory.

Having finished my thoughts, I immediately opened my mouth.

“The operation will proceed as planned.”

“Ye-yes? But…!”

“I never thought there would be no damage to territory residents in the first place.”

When Leopold hesitated at my words, I continued speaking.

“But with this warning broadcast and 24 hours of grace period, our Imperial Army has absolved itself of that responsibility.”

Saying this, I raised my finger to point at the Elcryer territory where they were holding out with their family banner raised.

“Any territory residents who die from Imperial Army bombardment from this moment on were killed by those guys.”

“…!”

“The bombardment will be conducted from long range, and ground forces will be deployed afterward. All the soldiers will see are collapsed building debris, or blackened corpses.”

“Wait, Eugene. That’s just…!”

“That’s right.”

When Erich, who was standing beside me, spoke up, I nodded.

“In other words, Special Magic Unit members and Imperial Army soldiers won’t ‘directly’ kill the territory residents.”

With the advance notice and 24 hours of advisory, the Imperial Army gained legitimacy for the bombardment.

The airship bombers and armored train gunners will load shells according to my orders as the final operational authority, and those shells will turn the city kilometers away into a wasteland.

Collapsed building debris, charred lumps, and ruins covered in ash.

No one will be able to distinguish what’s debris and what’s territory residents’ corpses.

“In a city empty of even a single ant, what our soldiers will face are Count Elcryer family’s nobles and knights. In other words, only enemies that need to be eliminated.”

“…!”

“There won’t be a shred of guilt or human sympathy to be found, even if you look hard.”

I know it’s a vicious method.

I know better than anyone that much blood will flow.

But it doesn’t matter.

If we don’t do this, what the soldiers in the field will face are territory residents crying for help and enemy forces jumping out from among them.

What confusion might occur in that process, what sights they might see – it hurts just to talk about it.

“Emotions are resources. Very difficult to replenish, and easily consumed by minor changes – precious resources. If you need to achieve maximum results with minimum resources, there’s nothing better than this.”

Rather than ordering them to kill directly, this way is much cheaper.

Both from the perspective of the soldiers receiving orders, and from my perspective giving them.

“And…”

Saying this, I smiled slightly while looking at my colleagues with wide eyes.

“Managing soldiers’ morale and emotions is also one of a commander’s virtues. I think this is quite well done, don’t you?”

“No, this isn’t just well done, it’s…!”

“You crazy devil…!”

Erich and Guille couldn’t finish their words after hearing mine.

Are you disappointed? Disgusted?

What can I do about it?

You’ve already gotten on the same boat as me.

“Imperial Army 667th Regiment Acting Commander and Special Magical Power Unit Battalion Commander Colonel Eugene Lorentz orders all Imperial Army personnel present here.”

Lowering my voice, I immediately spoke to my subordinate officers.

“There is only one objective. Complete annihilation of Elcryer territory.”

The officers who were dumbfounded at my words like Erich and Leopold.

However, when I pulled rank and position, they too assumed attention positions and listened carefully to my orders.

“There are no restrictions on the use of supplies and ammunition. Twenty-seven thousand artillery shells loaded in the cargo cars. Three thousand six hundred incendiary bombs stored in the airship gas chambers. Pour all those shells into the city today.”

“…!”

“I will take responsibility for everything that occurs in that process as the commander.”

With my order, the Imperial Army surrounding Elcryer territory began moving all at once.

The armored trains and artillery units encircling the city in a circle were on standby with all their brought cannons loaded, and the airships opened their bomb bays with the bombs in their gas chambers at critical state.

After confirming that even the reserve gun barrels were all brought out, the artillery officer gave me a hand signal.

“All units, commence bombardment.”

I issued the order without hesitation.

Kuqwaang—!

Starting with Car No. 1 where I was riding, the field artillery and railway guns surrounding the city began spewing fire.

Before the sound could reach, hundreds of streaks of light decorated the entire city.

The scorched earth operation against Elcryer territory had begun.

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