Mage? Magic Engineer!

Druao sometimes wondered, ’I’m clearly an artillery general, so how did I end up leading a heavy infantry division?’

’And this unit composition seems like something dug out of an ancient text. These days, the average army grunt wears a cotton uniform, or a thin breastplate at best. Heavy infantry? Seriously?’

That was until a group of Casters showed up during training one day. They excitedly brought a pile of iron shells and incomprehensible machinery in twelve horse-drawn carriages, then assembled it all with Magic.

’Right. Eleven meters tall, covered in steel armor, can’t fly. It’s definitely heavy. Heavy infantry, that checks out.’

The Giant Mechanic Breakers assigned to Druao’s division were codenamed "Heavy Cannon Shooter," a name that at least suited his specialty. He and his men had drilled with the behemoths more than once. Now it was time for a real battle. It wasn’t just him; among the nine corps participating today, four others were also equipped with the new generation of Mechanical Bodies.

The National Guard’s movements had long been detected by the Empire Army. Now, the enemy was waiting at their ease, arrayed in formation and ready to attack. Druao looked into the distance but couldn’t see a single person on the other side—only ugly scars on the earth in the form of trenches, and their derivatives: multiple lines of barbed wire and hastily erected fortresses.

It was obvious that charging against such a setup was useless, but the Guard’s high command seemed to have developed a superstitious belief in charges. It was as if the era of line infantry and firing in ranks was long gone, and now, even if the conditions for a single all-out rush weren’t met, they had to be created.

If morale was low, there were commissar squads. If there were too many obstacles, there were the "Heavy Cannon Shooters."

At first, Druao could understand this line of thinking. After all, the Valois people were somewhat superstitious compared to the Empireists. After a rush tactic miraculously saved Valuva, they came to believe such "courage tactics" carried some sort of metaphysical advantage. Besides, in the early days of the National Guard’s expansion, there were indeed too many new recruits, and their level of organization and training was insufficient for them to execute complex maneuvers.

But by now, veterans outnumbered the greenhorns in the ranks. To Druao, continuing to use these stopgap measures was unacceptable. He, at least, still valued every soldier under his command and couldn’t bear the thought of commissar squads firing on their own people.

Fortunately, his unit didn’t lack artillery, and they had a trump card.

By noon, all the soldiers had a simple meal of biscuits and sugar and drank a small amount of harsh, low-quality liquor. Once the allied forces had also finished their combat deployment and reached their designated positions, Druao began to move his troops and gave the order: "Fire!"

The first ranging shots targeted the enemy’s high points; every building visible through a Telescope was to be hit. Of course, this was only in an ideal scenario. The field artillery had a limited range, and most of the current test shots landed in fields or trenches, yielding no tangible results.

One group of gunners immediately adjusted their elevation and aim, while another began to move their positions forward to support the impending friendly charge. No, the men from the other divisions were already on the move. The first artillery volley was more like the roar of a beast before a fight, a mere attempt at intimidation. The soldiers of the other corps had started running almost simultaneously, charging toward the fortifications several hundred meters away.

’So artless...’ In Druao’s school days, the textbooks described tactics from the Sun King’s era as a form of art. The two armies would first make tense, long-range contact and probe each other, then meticulously calculate their marching times for deployment. Once the battle began, the various branches would coordinate seamlessly.

’But in this ongoing war between the two nations, you could see the last vestiges of classical warfare at the very beginning, and then... nothing. The situation deteriorated rapidly, as if the officers of both Valois and the Empire had tacitly forgotten how to fight, all opting for the simplest mode: one side charges while the other digs trenches and waits.’

The drumbeats urged the vanguard forward. The rhythm had been strange lately, no longer the simple cadence of the past. But the soldiers’ steps grew faster and lighter as they ran, their fear forgotten.

This was because the Casters were at work. They had extracted a "resonance" technique from the ancient "Combat Ceremonies" of the Nobility, capable of affecting soldiers on a mass scale. Combined with the drumbeat and an Alchemy Potion mixed into the alcohol, it provided an additional "courage" boost. At least, that’s what the Mage had told Druao.

As the vanguard gradually entered the range of the Empire Army, the grey-clad defenders could now see the attackers in their blue, white, and red uniforms. They raised their rifles, and the first scattered gunshots and puffs of smoke finally appeared over the fields.

Among the charging troops was a special type of soldier. Screened for their running ability, they pushed two-wheeled carts, each fitted with a two-meter-high steel plate at the front.

Before they set out, a Mage had cast a Floating Skill on the steel plate to reduce its weight and had given the runners a haste buff. This ensured they could stay at the front, providing cover from bullets and buckshot. Most importantly, upon reaching the barbed wire, they could slam the plate down, using it as a bridge to cross the obstacle.

Such a ridiculously simple method would have been utterly unfeasible in the past. But with a bit of help from a Mage, these contraptions became incredibly effective on the battlefield. As the vanguard approached the enemy, they instinctively converged behind the steel plates. The effect, apparently, was quite good.

’This is just absurd...’ Druao felt like he no longer knew how to wage war.

Dark gun barrels extended from the Empire Army’s temporary pillboxes, and shotguns were rolled out. Soon, the front-line attackers, along with commanders like Druao, noticed something was wrong—the rate of fire coming from the small pillboxes was unusually high.

Druao noticed the gunfire was much denser and had a certain rhythm. There were many other distracting sounds on the battlefield, but during a lull, only the unfamiliar gunfire remained. He silently noted that one burst consisted of roughly six to eight consecutive shots.

’Automatic fire?’ The surprises the Empire Army had prepared for the National Guard didn’t end there. A shell from the Empire Army flew over the Guard’s charging formation and detonated in the air. High-velocity shrapnel instantly cut down a swath of men. Even the "runners" shielded by the steel plates had no protection from the back or sides.

Several more similar time-fuzed airburst shells exploded over the National Guard. These two new weapons didn’t seem to be widely deployed, but their appearance caused considerable shock and disruption to the front-line soldiers. The pace of the charge and the push into the first line of trenches immediately slowed.

Radio call signs crackled to life as the National Guard commanders tried to figure out how to respond to the new situation. Only the Mage beside Druao looked relaxed, raising his Telescope to "appreciate" the grand scene. "It seems we weren’t the only ones who prepared ’gifts’ for the enemy."

"The situation is turning against us. Is the time ripe to deploy the ’Heavy Cannon Shooters’?" Druao was extremely displeased with the Caster’s attitude, as if he were just watching a play, as if the dead and wounded compatriots on the front line had nothing to do with him.

"They can be deployed on your command."

Thirty-one minutes after the battle began, looking out from the Empire Army’s trenches, a massive cloud of steam suddenly erupted on the horizon. Five giant black silhouettes rose from within the white mist.

They broke through the dissipating steam, their heavy footfalls making the earth tremble. Yet, their charge toward the position grew faster and faster, and they loomed larger and larger in the eyes of the Empire Army soldiers. Behind and beside them were the true main force of the National Guard, launching a second charge with their long rifles raised.

Veterans of the Battle of Valuva had seen similar iron Giants before, but these were very different from the ones they remembered.

The new models of Mechanical Bodies had reinforced frontal armor and had sacrificed their exaggerated leaping ability. With every step, thick steam billowed up from behind them, seemingly indicating their power source. At the same time, an overflowing magical glow spilled from the gaps in their armor. A brilliant red light flared from behind their classical-style helmets, like a murderous gaze.

"Quick, quick, all heavy artillery, aim for the new targets! Those behemoths!"