Youjo Senki - Volume 12 - Chapter 4.2

DECEMBER 13, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, THE ALLIANCE HEADQUARTERS, THE COMMONWEALTH AREA

When Colonel Drake finally comprehended the orders, he plummeted into a swirling vortex of despair.

Why did this have to happen?

He peered up at the clear blue sky. It was so wide and open that it felt like he might fall in. For a second, Drake thought that if he reached out with his hand, he’d be able to touch it. The beautiful weather almost made him forget about the war.

“Now I get why there are so many paintings of Ildoa’s sky.”

Drake murmured this to himself as he gazed at the stunning expanse above him. Were it not for the heavy weight on his shoulders, the scenery would have moved him deeply. Unfortunately, Drake’s mind was elsewhere.

“Why are we the primary forces?”

As a gentleman, he shouldn’t be grumbling like this. Drake was perfectly aware. He didn’t need someone to tell him how a commander should act, but resorting to these minor complaints was the only way he could stifle his seething rage.

As always, things happened suddenly.

It started with redeployment to Ildoa.

Drake had a hard time accepting the orders; he knew that being transferred to Ildoa meant he’d likely be on the roughest, toughest parts of the front. At the same time, a part of him recognized that his unit amounted to nothing more than propaganda fodder.

In a way, the multinational volunteer unit being sent to Ildoa made perfect sense.

The only problem was whether they would be able to bring along their friends from the Federation. While Drake’s boss had promised everything would be taken care of, he wasn’t going to take his word for it. He fully expected to be stopped at every step of the way. Of course, it turned out that he didn’t need to worry. Evidently, a certificate from the Commissariat for Internal Affairs was enough to make miracles happen in the Federation.

Everything went as smoothly as could be, and just like that, the multinational volunteers found themselves in Ildoa. The person in charge of accommodating them seemed to understand the troubles Drake had gone through and quickly prepared lodgings for the unit.

He was pleasantly surprised with good treatment; each soldier even got their own room. When it came to food, the Unified States provided the mages with all the high-calorie meals they could ask for. It wasn’t as if they were treated poorly in the Federation, but it certainly was a pleasant surprise to receive every consideration, given the Unified States had only just entered the war. Unfortunately, this great treatment would play a role in leading Lieutenant Colonel Drake to misunderstand the state of the war being fought in Ildoa.

When the Commonwealth diplomat came to see him, Drake was genuinely impressed by how smoothly everything had gone up until that point. In hindsight, this was carelessness on Drake’s part, and he wouldn’t realize his mistake until he saw the look on the diplomat’s face as he paced back and forth in the room he was called to.

Drake straightened his already alert posture before speaking.

“May I ask a question?”

“Go ahead, Colonel.”

“Thank you, Ambassador. I’m curious as to why I’m receiving a briefing from an ambassador.”

The ambassador answered Drake’s question in a calm manner.

“Great question. It’s to make sure there’s no room for misinterpretation regarding your very important mission.”

“According to my orders, the multinational volunteer unit is tasked with supporting the US-Ildoan mages.”

“Ah, yes. Feel free to forget those orders.”

The ambassador laughed off Drake’s question with a gentle smile and warm tone.

“The situation has changed a bit. Your position within the multinational volunteer unit has changed as well.”

“I see. Is it for political reasons?”

Drake watched the ambassador nod with a grimace.

Argh, more politics.

“Then…why were we called here?”

“While your command is known as the multinational volunteer unit, it’s technically a part of the Commonwealth military. We’d like for you to operate independently while in Ildoa.”

“I see…” Drake gulped. “And would you do me the courtesy of telling me why?”

Drake looked at the ambassador intently, but he responded quickly, as if the answer wasn’t something he’d ever intended to hide.

“It’s to preserve public opinion in the Unified States.”

“And that means what, exactly?”

“We have to be mindful of their anti-Communism sentiment. Photos of US soldiers fighting bravely alongside Communists would be…problematic, so we would like the Federation troops to support the Ildoan forces.”

“Understood… Somehow, that feels a bit irrational.”

“You’re right about that. It’s quite stupid, honestly.”

The ambassador nonchalantly shifted his tone to let Drake know that the decision had already been made and this was inevitable.

“Even so, we must be cautious of anything that could spawn conspiracy theories in the minds of the public.”

“Conspiracy theories? I don’t know what you expect from us. War is a breeding ground for all sorts of rumors.”

“I know these things can only be prevented so much, but the higher-ups are wary, nonetheless. I’m sure they’ll keep an eye on public opinion and things will settle down eventually…”

The ambassador let out a big sigh before bemoaning the situation.

“Mr. Drake, I’m sure you have an inkling of what I’m talking about. There are times where necessity brings people together and times when it rips them apart.”

“Are we simply pretending to be friends while fighting a war?”

“I also made the case to the higher-ups that this is all pointless. It will take a bit more time before the gentlemen back home and those in the colonies warm up to the idea, though. But, hey, the world is a cruel place. They’ll figure it out for themselves before long.”

Drake could tell the ambassador was trying to reassure him.

He heaved a sigh on the inside. It was apparent to Drake that the ambassador was trying to push the problem off until later with another empty promise. That’s all it ever was with these people—empty promises. They opted for procrastination at every turn! The idea that time would solve everything was more or less the same as never dealing with the problem. It was why the Commonwealth was involved with the multinational volunteer unit in the first place. Politics demanded the country affiliate with Communism in the east.

Politics also brought the multinational unit to Ildoa, and politics would keep them segregated from their allies.

“So, Ambassador, is there anything I should keep in mind about the political situation?”

Wars couldn’t be fought with only colorful words. Drake was used to this by now, and he was ready to accept another precarious task or two.

He stared intently at the ambassador, who responded with a soft chuckle.

“Try to relax. I won’t bite.”

He offered Drake a chair as if he had a choice. Once the lieutenant colonel took his seat…the words the ambassador hit him with rocked his world.

“Let’s start with some good news. I need to congratulate you. It seems Christmas has come early for you, Colonel Drake.”

“Ambassador, I am still a lieutenant colonel for His Majesty’s Marine Mages.”

“Save me the modesty. You’ve been promoted.”

Drake gulped and steeled his nerves before asking.

“May I ask why?”

“For starters, it isn’t ideal that the highest-ranking soldier in the multinational volunteer unit is a Federation soldier. We need to maintain a careful balance, which is why you’re officially a colonel now.”

Drake could feel the cynic deep inside him grow restless at the remark.

I’m being promoted for balance?

Everything always came down to politics.

“So this is a political promotion… That’s not something to celebrate. It makes me feel like an idiot for fighting this damn war so seriously.”

“Your accolades factor in just as much as concerns about balance.”

“If only that were all that mattered.”

“It’s just how those back home view the issue. Sending a lieutenant colonel to stand next to a colonel puts us in a disadvantageous position, does it not?”

Politics. Dirty, rotten politics. Nevertheless, Drake was well aware that this was how the world worked.

“I can’t help but feel dissatisfied with the promotion…”

“Come now, this is a good thing. Let’s talk about something less serious for a bit.”

Drake had a hard time viewing the promotion in a positive light, but the ambassador’s expression suggested he was being sincere.

“Less serious, you say. Let me guess. More politics? And therefore troublesome by nature, I assume?”

“Right on the money. I’m sorry to have to burden you further.”

“I assume it’s about my unit’s assignment, yes…?”

“You’re quite perceptive.”

Whatever it was, it required Drake to be a colonel like Colonel Mikel. Probably more of the usual petty squabbles of nations. Ultimately, it compelled the soldiers of the Federation and Commonwealth to fight separately.

Drake imagined that this would be a doozy of an assignment. It didn’t help that the Ildoan Army was losing the war by a wide margin.

Everyone back in the home country always focused on the most pointless things. Drake had an idea of what they were thinking: that it wouldn’t look good for the Federation to swoop in and save the day.

“While it’s mostly a formality, you’ve been granted a wider range of discretionary powers. Your unit will be allowed to act independently.”

“What unit will we be attached to? Are we operating separately from the combined mage headquarters?”

The ambassador took a moment to think before responding to Drake’s bewildered question.

“Technically speaking, it’s a little different.”

“In what way?”

“Your assignment in Ildoa will not be under the joint mage unit as we initially informed you.”

Drake’s confusion deepened at the unexpected answer. He was under the impression that all mages fought under a single command in Ildoa, but this wasn’t the case anymore, evidently.

“Did they reorganize the headquarters?”

“Only formally. The Commonwealth and Federation forces will be added to form one big alliance. The headquarters overseeing operations will be called the Allied Joint Mage Command.”

I see, Drake thought as he began to grasp the situation.

The impact of defeat was far more immense than he’d ever imagined.

Considering that the presence of ground troops from the Commonwealth and the Federation was nominal at best, almost all the infantry present was provided by the Unified States and Ildoa. Setting aside the name, the Allied Joint Mage Command consisting of four different powers significantly reduced Ildoa’s role in deciding war policy.

Ildoa was practically forfeiting its sovereignty. The Empire must have been pushing them to the limit for this even to be considered. The implications were clear to Drake. This war must have placed immense strain on Ildoa for them to agree to these kinds of concessions despite their strong sense of pride.

“The war must be taking quite the toll on Ildoa. I knew things were getting hot here, but I only just realized how hot.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re up for the challenge.”

Drake gave a vague nod in response.

“Hearing this makes me quiver in my boots. What sort of impossible tasks are coming my way? I just hope I can get along with my superior.”

“You needn’t worry about that. You’re your own boss now. Again, congratulations. It’s quite the honor.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s a part of your personnel change. Your new appointment is an independent command heading up the First Combat Group of Allied Mage Command. Give it your all, Supreme Commander.”

A big title accompanying a grandly named organization—it reeked of more senseless bureaucracy—but what did he mean by “independent command”?

The Allied Mage Command was probably nothing but a facade. While Drake knew that there were times when it was worth establishing something in name only to get it off the ground, he was quickly realizing that the organization had little substance.

He couldn’t hold his tongue with the ambassador.

“It’s quite the honor, but I only command a single battalion. Even if I have the authority to operate independently, we won’t be able to execute any meaningful operations, given our scale. Somehow, this feels like a change that will do nothing but increase paperwork.”

“Now, hold on… If you work together with the Federation army, it should increase your numbers, shouldn’t it? It should be politically acceptable so long as you request their assistance and have them operate under your command.”

The ambassador had just told Drake not moments ago he needed to keep his forces separate from the Communists, only to turn around and ask that they work together when it was convenient.

Drake was aware that diplomacy involved various expressions and formalities, so he laughed bitterly and did the math once more in his head. However, there was a limit to what could be done.

“We’d have two battalions, at most. Though considering our losses, they wouldn’t be at full strength.”

The Federation troops were worn down from intense fighting in the east. To make matters worse, most of the troops they did have were mostly fresh recruits. There were at most sixty mages who could be mustered for action.

“Hmmm, well, that won’t do. The lads back home made their calculations based on the multinational volunteer unit having the fighting strength of two regiments.”

Drake couldn’t believe his ears.

“We couldn’t pull that off even if every single one of us did the work of three soldiers.”

What a joke. Talk about counting your chickens before they hatch—hell, they’re already eating the damn eggs.

No matter how badly Ildoa had been weakened, they couldn’t fill the gap with soldiers they didn’t have.

Soldiers aren’t simply numbers on a page.

Combat strength is measured by a unit’s coordination and integrity. Trying to calculate that from figures in some report was something Drake had to comment on.

“Combat-effective units don’t grow on trees, you know.”

“We need people, Colonel. You do understand, yes?”

“If we combine the Federation and Commonwealth troops, then mix in some outside help…the best we could do is a single watered-down regiment. That’s the absolute limit of what’s remotely possible.”

Drake shared his honest perspective based on what he knew about the multinational forces. His intent was to be sincere, but his numbers simply couldn’t satisfy the ambassador.

“I see. Well, that won’t do at all.”

The man let out a big sigh and peered up toward the ceiling in open displeasure. Drake could guess what this reaction meant. The Commonwealth felt a need to maintain the facade that it was a major power, just like Ildoa and the Unified States did.

And yet, they had only sent a single regiment to support the war effort.

Drake could imagine how this quickly became a matter of pride. As meaningless as saving face seemed during wartime, his country would go to great lengths to maintain its international standing. It couldn’t bear falling behind other countries.

If that was the issue, then Drake had a plan.

“You don’t need to worry about it too much, Ambassador. While we may only be a single battalion, we can support our allies in a meaningful way. We certainly won’t be a hindrance to the Allied Mage Command by any means.”

“My apologies, Colonel, but there seems to be a slight misunderstanding here. Your job isn’t to support the main forces.”

“Then what is our assignment? Do you honestly want us to conduct raids independently? That doesn’t sound like an efficient way to divide command…” Realizing that each sovereign nation operated under their own set of rules, Colonel Drake ended up offering something falling between advice and a warning. “Breaking up each nation’s forces just isn’t a good idea. We run too much risk not running them all under a single unified command. We won’t be able to contend with the Empire divided like this—”

The ambassador raised a hand, cutting Drake off.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Colonel.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re right that we can’t afford to break up our forces. That’s because you are now commander of the main forces, Colonel.”

“I don’t think I follow you. I command but a single battalion. That’s not nearly enough unless the Commonwealth is planning on sending me reinforcements…”

When Drake responded with visible confusion, the ambassador only offered him a lonely smile.

“No, no. What I’m saying here is that what you have is everything, and you’re commanding it, Colonel.”

“This has to be some kind of joke. We don’t even have enough officers. How is the Commonwealth, with what little we’re committing at all, charged with commanding the main—”

“I’m afraid this is the truth, Colonel. Yes, a few days ago, your forces wouldn’t have been considered a major portion of our strength here. But that’s changed.”

“So we’re the main…forces…?”

An alarm blared in Drake’s mind. Then a chill ran down his spine—the same chill he felt when he came face-to-face with the Devil of the Rhine. Something terrible was going to happen.

“The Ildoan and US mages are no more.”

At first, this sounded like something he’d just heard, but then Colonel Drake began to fully parse the sentence, word by word.

No more? Weren’t they reorganized? The ambassador did mention the reorganization was only a formality…

“Wait. So the mages here weren’t reorganized into the Allied Mage Command forces, but have been completely wiped out…?”

“Yes, the entire US expeditionary force has been annihilated.”

What is he saying? It was hard for Drake to follow the conversation. He only barely squeezed out his follow-up question.

“What happened to Corinth Regiment? They were good soldiers with excellent gear. Even if they took heavy losses, surely we can salvage at least a battalion from the survivors?”

“Colonel, I’m not using the word annihilated figuratively here.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s what happened,” the ambassador said with an expression that spoke volumes about his deep exhaustion.

“We’ll be lucky to get even a company out of what is left.”

“But the US Marines and their navy should have separate mage units. According to the reports I’ve read, there should be a whole division’s worth of mages stationed in Ildoa…”

“The Corinth Regiment has fallen, and the US Navy’s mages are busy defending the seas. To make matters worse, the newly deployed replacement mages have already been devoured by the Devil of the Rhine. She’s quite the glutton.”

Finally understanding the severity of the situation at hand, Drake let out a long, weary sigh.

“Can we have our navy send some mages?”

“Have you already forgotten the Inner Sea incident? The Empire took out several capital ships and aircraft carriers with some strange combination of mages and torpedoes.”

“So they’re afraid of a second attack if they send their mages here…”

Drake had watched the attack unfold himself, so he understood better than most that the navy had no intention of ever repeating the same mistake again—the navy’s mages weren’t going anywhere no matter what.

Despite sinking into utter despair, Drake didn’t give up.

“What about the Ildoan mages? This is their home. Surely they’re more willing than anyone to fight now that the war has come to their doorstep.”

“They lost the majority of their equipment up north, and the initial fighting claimed many of their mages’ lives. While Ildoa is working hard to mobilize any mages they have left, there’s a serious shortage of orbs.”

“We can bring them the orbs they need!”

“We thought about that.”

The ambassador seemed to be holding himself back. He spoke each word reluctantly.

“But we need to get the orbs first. We don’t even have enough for our mages back home. We’re already importing every orb we can get our hands on.”

“Well, import them and send them here.”

“You need to face the music, Colonel Drake. They can’t be imported fast enough from the Unified States. What’s more, the Yanks are gearing up as well, meaning there won’t be enough orbs for the foreseeable future.”

“This is preposterous… Any US orb would be better off in the hands of a veteran Ildoan mage than one of their raw recruits.”

“Militarily speaking, yes, you’re correct.”

The diplomatic phrasing of the ambassador’s remark made Drake scowl.

“So it all comes down to politics in the end… Right, Ambassador?”

“The Unified States has suffered a heavy blow, and they’re already reconsidering the scope of their involvement as a whole. That’s why there won’t be any large shipments of orbs to Ildoa.” As he finished that explanation, the diplomat pleaded once more with the man he’d forced into being a colonel.

“Colonel, please.”

“Some things simply cannot be done…”

“You and your mages are now the only western forces in the Allied Mage Command. We can’t allow the Federation to swoop in and save the day. It needs to be you, Colonel.”

“So you want me to go up against the entire Imperial mage corps with a single battalion…?”

“I’m sorry.”

The ambassador looked as if he was on the verge of tears as he apologized. It was likely his attempt to show his sincerity, but Colonel Drake wanted to cry just as much as he did.

“We just don’t have the numbers. I need you to understand that we literally don’t have enough…”

“Colonel, politics demands that we see it done.”

“I’m sorry but we’re limited by what is and isn’t possible.”

No matter how many times the ambassador pleaded with Drake, the answer wouldn’t change.

“We were sent here to support a friendly force four hundred mages strong as a sizable detachment. If I follow your request to operate independently from the Federation mages, there won’t even be thirty of us left.” The number was utterly insignificant by any standard. “Listen, Ambassador. If those are my orders, then I will do what I must as a gentleman who loyally serves His Majesty.”

“I know it will be difficult. Thank you.”

Colonel Drake had only one final remark.

“You can consider these daffy orders delivered loud and clear, Ambassador. My only request is that it be a fellow gentleman who drafts my next orders.”