Mage? Magic Engineer!

The victory at Sassan did little to alleviate the crisis in Valuva.

On October 11th, after the break at the end of the ten-day period, everyone was feeling the weary burden of returning to work. It was then that General Garisha, commander of the former Southern Front Army and now responsible for defending the Republic’s Capital, knocked on the doors of the National Assembly hall.

"What? What did you say?" The members of the National Salvation Committee and the assemblymen received the news with faces full of shock, snapping everyone to attention.

The general’s voice echoed through the hall—steady, powerful, and unhurried. "I believe my meaning is clear. We have detected enemy movement on the north bank of the Laine River. Gentlemen, the time has come to defend Valuva, to defend the Republic!"

The members of the Military Commission did not overreact to this news, but the others seemed at a loss. Some representatives from out of town, unfamiliar with the geography, even whispered to those beside them, "Where is the Laine River?"

General Garisha had anticipated this. At his signal, soldiers carried in a massive tactical map.

"Gentlemen, the blue line on the map is the Laine River. Its great bend encircles our Capital, then converges with the Seine River, which runs through Valuva, near the Royal Family’s hunting grounds." He used a long wooden rod to point at the map. "Here, there... all the areas circled in blue are locations the Empire Army has already reached or is about to reach. Meanwhile, our newly transferred Guard units are still being reorganized."

Seeing the dense clusters and patches of blue dots, these politicians, normally as noisy and garrulous as a pack of animals, fell silent. They were utterly quiet. They began to imagine countless gray-clad beasts pouring out of the mountains and forests, an unstoppable tide trampling into glorious Valuva, sullying the Republic.

The head of the Military Commission was the first to speak. "If the enemy attacks along such a wide front, how will the National Guard respond? And how can every one of us here provide the maximum possible support?"

"Thank you for your words!" General Garisha genuinely appreciated the commissioner’s attitude, which bolstered his confidence. "Two hundred and twenty kilometers! We must commit all our strength to a decisive battle along the riverbanks! Mobilize! Let every man who can hold a rifle go to the front lines! Let every woman prepare rations and clothing! Let the factories provide enough concrete, steel, and ammunition... And my troops will need to move flexibly along such a long defensive line. I need sufficient transport capacity."

"We’ll find a way! But how will you save Valuva?" a representative shouted.

"Save it? Yes, save it—by defeating the enemy. We are not just buying time for the Western Army. If we fight with no desire for victory, we won’t even achieve a stalemate. We’ll only face constant routs and defeats, just like how we suffered horrific losses of hundreds of thousands on the eastern front.

"I am willing to reveal my plan, but only trusted members of the Military Commission will be privy to its entirety."

A slight stir went through the assembly hall. In the end, all those who were not members of the Military Commission quietly took their leave.

"Excellent! Gentlemen, your trust and support put me at ease as never before!" Garisha said happily.

"Are you satisfied? The representatives trust you, but you don’t trust them," a member of the Commission said, signaling for him to begin while also offering a word of caution. "Among those who left are some narrow-minded individuals. You’ll need to be careful in the future, General."

"First, secrecy is key to success; the fewer uninvolved people who know, the better. Second, allow me this little test. It proves that although you all may bicker endlessly, you can still prioritize the greater good and unite in a crisis."

"Of course. Now, begin!"

Soon, General Garisha began to present his battle plan to the commissioners. It was as if they could see countless soldiers moving with precision on the battlefield according to his instructions, like a well-oiled machine whose final output was an undeniable victory...

"These reckless, gray-clad beasts have come to gallop across the lands of Valois for a second time. Their advance is astonishingly fast, but they are bound to run into a cliff. The Empire Army has long since lost its chance to turn back. They can only smash headlong into it and be shattered to pieces. We will end the enemy’s offensive right here!"

His long rod tapped a red marker: the confluence of the Seine and Laine Rivers, the edge of the former Royal Family’s hunting grounds, and now the arena where the fate of the continent would be decided.

...

At dawn the next day, just as the sky was about to brighten, a sudden rain kept the world shrouded in gloom.

The soldiers of the Empire Army pulled their cloaks tight. It was already late autumn, and each rainfall made the weather colder. Worse still, more and more transport trucks and horse-drawn carriages pulling heavy artillery were getting stuck on the muddy dirt roads. The initial efficiency of their supply lines was a thing of the past.

The good news was that Valuva was close at hand—the second time since the war began that they had come so near to the enemy’s heart.

Suddenly, a cannon roared. A flash of fire tore through the darkness, and the Airships advancing with the Empire Army sounded their long warning whistles—the Valois defenders were attacking first!

Along the 220-kilometer-long front, Garisha’s main force from the south threw themselves into battle. Twenty-three corps charged the enemy troops who had just crossed or were in the process of crossing the river. They clashed violently, and in an instant, the sounds of slaughter erupted along every bank and bend of the Laine River.

The Empire Army was still on the move. The intelligence they had indicated that remnants of the National Guard’s eastern army were retreating, and the southern defenders who had just arrived around Valuva were still regrouping. Relying on new transport equipment gifted by Bayern, the Empire’s eastern army group had driven deep into enemy territory, only to run headfirst into Garisha’s battle formation. Many of their units, preparing to cross the river, didn’t even have their artillery deployed and ready for use.

For a time, it was a contest of bullets and bayonets.

Meanwhile, Valuva was conducting yet another round of conscription, "squeezing" several more corps of able-bodied soldiers from its zealous populace. In addition, the Iron Crown Knight Order from Istani was on its way to provide support.

Within Valuva City, every rental carriage and all the boats on the Seine River were mobilized, along with a fleet of Bayern-made trucks identical to the primary vehicles used by the Empire Army’s own supply lines.

This fleet of trucks was originally part of a convoy for returning mineral resources and transporting materials under a secret agreement, kept hidden by an Illusion Technique maintained by the Mages of the Tower of Stars. Now, they appeared all at once, carrying ammunition and fresh soldiers to the front lines.

The fighting was most intense at the confluence of the Laine and Seine Rivers, the focal point of the battle. Three corps of the National Guard held their ground in the hunting grounds, pressed by the Empire Army on two sides. The National Guard held fast, a wedge driven into a gap in the Empire Army’s front, preventing the two enemy forces from encircling them.

They were also the first to receive General Garisha’s order:

"Soldiers of Valois! We are fighting in a battle that will decide the fate of our nation! I declare that the phase of retreat is over! From this moment on, we will give our all to drive every last enemy from our lands! I hereby order: all units capable of fighting are to attack without pause! All units incapable of attacking must hold their positions and fight to the death, with no retreat!"

The telegraph that carried his message used the very same lines that had once transmitted the news of "His Majesty’s beloved dog, Cosette, giving birth." Today’s dispatch would likewise be recorded in the annals of history. Countless people would die because of it, but the sacrificed believed that through it, the nation would be born anew.

Blood from every contested position flowed into the river, churning upon the surface of the Laine.

The sky finally broke into light, outlining the silhouettes of both sides’ Airships. The heavens had now become a battlefield for the Casters.