Chapter 184. The Prelude (4)

A sharp silence instantly filled the room.

The atmosphere changed completely. Glancing around, the leaders of the freelancer interims all had expressions of disbelief at Enoch’s statement.

And it seemed that Shepherd on the other side of the screen had a similar impression.

[That is a very interesting proposal, Direct Lineage.]

As if greatly amused, Shepherd slowly tilted his head on the other side of the screen.

[I don’t think you mean to send the squad alone, without you, Direct Lineage?]

“Good. It seems you didn’t hear wrong.”

[The Direct Lineage will command the squad in the field himself?]

“I believe I’ve already said so. Is there a problem?”

Enoch replied nonchalantly.

However, in contrast to his composed response, from the tables where the leaders of the freelancer interims were gathered, a few of them could be heard muttering to themselves in a daze.

“……A direct lineage’s squad, directly scouting the enemy lines?”

“Haha, with the direct lineage… This is quite……”

I had grown quite used to such reactions by now.

Lightly ignoring the commotion in the room, I stared straight at Shepherd. The colonel soon averted his gaze.

[Before I answer that proposal, I must first say something I should have said earlier.]

“Something you have to say.”

Shepherd glanced to the side.

Right next to Enoch, a Dragoon member with a black, cone-shaped spear on her back was standing with an anxious expression.

[Second Lieutenant Alicia.]

At Shepherd’s sudden call, Alicia flinched for a moment, then stood at attention and saluted.

“Ah, yes!!”

[I was aware of you.]

The colonel glanced at her, trembling with tension on the other side of the screen, and added.

[Not only did you graduate from the 1st Royal Military Academy with honors, but you have also been distinguishing yourself in recent battles, so I remember your name even more.]

At those words, Alicia’s face paled even further.

It was only natural for her to be nervous.

The order from the Victoria Main House must have been for the entire Dragoon Corps not to get directly involved in the battle with the magical beasts in the 19th outsourcing district.

As if unable to bear the pressure alone, Alicia squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“I-I have made a mistake!!!”

However, to render her apology meaningless, Shepherd lightly shook his head.

[Why are you apologizing?]

“Huh? What do you mean……?”

[There is nothing for you to apologize for in this matter. On the contrary, you deserve praise.]

For a moment, Alicia muttered blankly, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

On the other side of the screen, Shepherd nonchalantly brushed off the long coattails of his dark red uniform.

Then, he lifted his quaintly designed cane to his chest, stroked it, and continued calmly.

[Indeed, Second Lieutenant Alicia, you are excellent. I heard the report of your response to the magical beasts’ surprise attack during the reconnaissance. Your achievement was remarkable.]

“Y-yes, sir……?”

Having clearly expected a reprimand, Alicia’s eyes widened in surprise at Shepherd’s unexpected praise, her mouth agape.

Then, she cautiously lifted her head.

“D-did I hear that correctly……?”

[No need to be so surprised.]

Shepherd smiled faintly and added.

[It’s already a widespread rumor that you quickly responded to the magical beasts’ attack during your reconnaissance and killed the Exceed-class leader.]

Alicia’s eyes widened as if they would tear, and she shouted.

“B-but! The order was not to engage in an all-out battle with the magical beasts under any circumstances…!!”

[That was for an all-out battle.]

Shepherd shrugged and added.

[You are still officially on a reconnaissance mission. In other words, you have not returned. And were you not separated from your unit?]

“Th-that is correct, but……”

To the slightly flustered Alicia, Shepherd said in a suave tone.

[Tell me yourself. If a Dragoon is separated from their unit, what procedure do they follow?]

At that question, Alicia lowered her head slightly and quietly parted her lips to mutter.

“If contact with the command is not possible in the field, individual Dragoons have the autonomy to choose a legitimate person who can assume temporary command in the field and be temporarily assigned to them, but……”

That wasn't wrong.

Enoch didn’t know the details, but it seemed to be a special rule of engagement for the Dragoons, established with the judgment that it could lead to more efficient combat.

Well, even if there were individual differences in skill among the Dragoons, they were all elite combat mages with a strength that made one-man-armies look like a joke.

If such individuals were to be separated and unable to receive orders, there was a possibility of greater chaos on the front lines if other commanders couldn’t control them.

“……”

Enoch glanced at Alicia out of the corner of his eye.

This must have been what she was agonizing over before she joined the battle against the magical beasts.

Of course, even if the Dragoons were to follow the orders of a field commander, it was usually assumed that they would be placed under a different commander from the same military who had received the same orders.

On the other hand, to join the squad of Enoch, a direct lineage of another Main House, and engage in a battle that might directly violate the Victoria army’s orders was certainly something Alicia would have to think about.

However, for now, Enoch was also a legitimate squad dispatched on an official mission from a Main House.

Therefore, it seemed that as long as Shepherd was willing, Alicia’s engagement would not be a problem.

It was a convenient interpretation that was like fitting a square peg in a round hole, but that too should probably be seen as the ability of Shepherd, the commander who had to control this situation.

Enoch smiled faintly.

“……So, one of the Dragoons was on reconnaissance, responded to an unexpected attack, and in the process, brilliantly took down the enemy’s leader. Is that right?”

[Correct. Also, the one who gave the order was the direct lineage of the Elsyde, whom she recognized as her temporary commander.]

Shepherd shook his head as if he couldn’t do anything about it, then grinned and added.

[Alicia’s participation at that time was outside my command authority, so that too was unavoidable. There is no problem.]

“Good, I quite like that judgment, to be honest.”

[I think so too.]

In any case, Shepherd’s intentions had been clear to Enoch from the beginning.

In the end, Alicia’s performance in this surprise attack would be a good thing for Shepherd himself as the commander.

It would raise the prestige of his Dragoon Regiment, and thanks to the magical beasts’ surprise attack, there would be no shortage of justification for Alicia’s separation from her unit.

“……”

The leaders of the freelancer interims in the room, also seeming to have grasped the situation, were silently watching Enoch and Shepherd.

This was no different from a rather sensitive issue.

It was self-evident that the political situation was intertwined with this matter.

With the yet-to-be-revealed truth about the large-scale magical beast attack being linked to talks of a rebellion against the Victoria Main House, it was only natural for them to be on edge.

The reaction of everyone in the room was so sharp that they could barely breathe.

Of course, with the exception of one person, Sirocco, who was wagging her tail with an aloof look from the side, as if she had no interest in the situation.

And the person in question, Alicia.

“……Huh??”

Looking to the side, Alicia still had a huge question mark floating above her head, her gaze flitting back and forth between the colonel on the screen and Enoch.

The beautiful girl’s face was a picture of someone who had no idea what was going on, blinking her eyes.

Enoch, who was staring at Alicia, was suddenly reminded of what Equistelle had said before.

-[Yes. I have a disciple. She uses a lance-shaped magic gear like me, and she’s about your age.]

-[A disciple.]

-[Yes. A simple girl. The complete opposite of you.]

She certainly seemed so.

Unlike the simple fact that she had hastily joined the battle after getting lost during reconnaissance.

Her expression showed that she had no idea that her exploits were being embellished in real time.

Just then, Shepherd spoke from across the screen.

[Second Lieutenant Alicia. I have an order for you.]

“Please state your orders.”

[In order to deal with the aftermath of the experimental magical beasts’ surprise attack, there is still confusion in the chain of command within the Victoria army, including the Dragoons.]

For a moment, Alicia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Confusion……?”

[In addition to this situation, since we have no solid information about the enemy, it is difficult for us to give you a clear order.]

“Huh? But that’s strange!”

Alicia tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand and asked back urgently.

“There’s no way the Dragoons would be in such disarray…”

[If, I say. Second Lieutenant.]

But cutting off her innocent question, Shepherd let out a dry laugh.

[If you are unable to receive our orders from now on, you may continue your ‘reconnaissance’ by moving with the direct lineage whom you have currently recognized as your temporary commander.]

“……???”

At those words, Alicia’s expression became even stranger, as if a question mark was now dancing frantically above her head.

Then, with a look as if her eyes were spinning, she sent a desperate plea for help to Enoch, not knowing what to do.

On behalf of her, who still seemed to be having a little trouble grasping the situation, Enoch spoke up.

“Certainly, a reconnaissance operation is not a battle.”

Enoch stared at Shepherd with cold eyes and added with a faint sneer.

“Unless it’s a battle that happens spontaneously to protect one’s life during reconnaissance. I won’t tell you to lay down your life in an unavoidable situation.”

It was impossible to use such a flimsy excuse to have the entire Dragoon Corps participate in the operation on a large scale.

However, if it was just the deviation of a single Dragoon, the Victoria high command would probably not make an issue of it, even with such a reason.

Having thought that far, Enoch sneered.

“You change your tune very quickly, Colonel.”

[Isn’t that the quality of a commander?]

Shepherd said with a blank expression, shrugging his shoulders.

[If necessary, one must know how to use the entire battlefield as an asset. Even the situation itself.]

There was definitely an order from the Victoria high command not to deploy the Dragoons in the battle of the outsourcing district.

But apart from that restriction, if an elite Dragoon were to be deployed on a mission, the success rate of that operation would increase exponentially.

Just thinking that far, it wasn't very difficult to understand why Shepherd was reacting this way.

Shepherd, who had publicly declared that he was blinded by ambition, could not have been unaware of that fact.

[That’s right, Direct Lineage. Truly an insight worthy of one of the successors to the Elsyde.]

Staring at Shepherd, who was throwing insincere compliments, Enoch tilted his head.

His judgment was as expected.

Being able to legally include Alicia in his squad, ‘even if only during the reconnaissance,’ was certainly the biggest gain Enoch had made in this meeting.

The reason he wanted to go to the forest himself was, in the end, to create a variable for a different development from the original work.

The Dragoon girl, who had just blown away even the huge Exceed-class leader magical beast in a single blow, would be an important asset for that goal.

Enoch’s eyes shone as he stared at Shepherd.

If he had gotten what he wanted, then he had to get to the point without dragging it on any longer.

“The talk is over. The operation?”

[Isn’t it obvious?]

Shepherd stared at Enoch and added.

[As the leader, you will quickly assemble your squad’s combat personnel and finish your reconnaissance preparations.]

“And the Victoria army in the meantime?”

[I will lead the infantry and prepare for an all-out battle with the magical beast corps, so that I can create a diversion for your infiltration.]

Letting out a silent laugh on the other side of the screen, Shepherd threw back the short cape he wore over his uniform and spread his arms low.

[Here, as an officer of the Victoria army, I give you my word of honor.]

The colonel declared clearly.

[A great battle with the magical beasts, the likes of which you have never seen before, will begin.]

…Yes, it will literally begin.

The war for the survival of the Victoria Kazimieśi outsourcing district.

Enoch silently turned his head and looked out the window of the barracks. The border area, where a huge forest, no different from a jungle, met the city, came into view.

The scarlet of the setting sun was dyeing the tops of the trees in the huge forest with a crimson light.

The sea of giant trees, lurking as they covered the endless horizon, was shrouded in a burning, purgatory-like light, undulating like waves.

Looking at the huge forest that seemed to hint at the hardships to come, Enoch calmly resolved himself.

The preparations are perfect.

The time to dive into the desperate story of the future, which would come in 5 years, was right around the corner.

And I will definitely.

Change the fate destined for that future.