Lightning War

One of the things that I want to state first and foremost is about the traits of the Mizuki Islands.

"Lower down the supply crates! We have to distribute that to the infantry!"

The Mizuki Islands was said to come from an ancient volcano that has long laid dormant after it spewed all of its magma to the surface which created the islands. Because of the ancient volcanic ash and the numerous hot springs here, the islands have been an important agricultural land for fruit-bearing trees like apples, persimmons, peaches and kumquat oranges. Because of this trade, the locals of the islands actually weren't an enemy of the other provinces surrounding it and has maintained their independence.

All of this changed when the Arakami pirates began to swell in number and wealth from their numerous raids against Kise's seashore gold mines and Kiko's formerly unguarded Naka harbor. With that money, they attracted more people to their side, and with more people, ships and weaponry, they were able to mount more raids and incursions.

"Good morning, General."

"Good morning to everyone too."

However, both Kiko and Kise didn't think much of them as a threat. Iwasawa-sama did order our shoreline defenses and the coast guard to patrol frequently to defend against those raids, but he didn't want to be the one to start any hostilities.

But as everyone may know, that didn't stop them from sending over some throw-away pawns to declare hostile intent to us and partially destroy Naka harbor. With that, and more evidence of their involvement with our still unknown enemies, Iwasawa-sama accepted my motion to start the war and even conquer the islands to make sure that this will never happen again.

"Now that Ichida Island is with us, we can now move on to Operation Breakout. Our first targets are the small islands of Niko and Youba which are east of our position. Right about here, these two islands attached by a sand bar."

It was the morning after the initial attack yesterday and I went inside a tent with a mug of coffee on my hand where a meeting with the strategists and senior officers are being held. The tactician that is leading the meeting pointed his baton at a map attached to a metal sheet and attached magnets with icons there.

"Should we sail out too?"

Ryuusui raised a question that must've been addressed for all of the captains of the Cruisers. Given that the islands that was mentioned are small, his question was reasonable.

"We reserved another mission for you, Cruiser Captains. Instead of providing naval gun support for landing troops, we want you to go to this island and bomb it with impunity."

"Shouki Island, huh? Wouldn't that be dangerous? I hear that the gasses there are being eyed by the Sub-ministry of Energy as a potential source of fuel for our ships."

"It's good that you stated that, Captain Kidou. You are right, you won't be hitting the interior of the island per se. Instead, it would be the port in there that the enemies are using as an ambush outpost."

He stuck another magnetic icon that illustrated the target of the cruisers' sortie.

"Why choose us? Is this port of any importance?"

"It's hard to illustrate it, but initial marine scout reports said that the defensive structures that the Arakami pirates have in here are hills of rocks from the time that the undersea volcano formed it. If that is true, then it would mean that you will not be dealing with wooden structures, but instead, ones made out of solid rock."

"I see… So that means, you need our big guns."

"Exactly, sir."

The cruiser captains conversed for a moment before Ryuusui spoke up on behalf of the cruiser task force.

"Alright, we'll handle it. Leave it to us."

"W-Wait a moment sir. I haven't talked about the instructions sent by the military research camp yet."

"Instructions?"

Following its mention, two soldiers came inside the tent, wheeling in an artillery shell with a bright orange tip using a cart.

"What is this?"

"The Type-4 Hajikemame Naval shell. Something that our weapons researchers has been working on for a while."

"Pop beans? What a weird name for a weapon… what new does it do?"

"Well… according to the report that we have, it's a combination of our Type-1 Homura High Explosive shell and Type-2 Sasaru Armor piercing shell. It aims to combine the abilities of piercing heavy defenses and armor first before detonating its explosive load inside. It's been classified as a "bunker-buster" weapon by our researchers."

"A bunker-buster… Our researchers did pull off a good one then."

"I have a concern though, is this new shell something that needs special handling like the Type-3 Kakera Airburst shells? I reckon, such an early design still lacks sufficient safety features."

"Ah. No need to worry about that, Captain Kidou. The reports say that unless its tip has been hit by approximately 150 kilograms of force, the time-fuse will not activate and thus, trigger an explosion. Simply put, unless this guy hits what you are pointing it at, it will not harm anyone."

"Ah. So, it's like a giant hand grenade?"

"Yes, sir."

We all talked a bit more about our next movements and the arrangement of supply convoys of the coast guard regarding the next shipment of men and food and ammunition provisions. Since the coast guard patrol frigates and Sealift vessels aren't made for open sea travel, we also had to arrange for fuel ships to meet them halfway and provide them with diesel or spare parts.

"Regarding the deployment of the mixed marine battalions and infantry regiments, has this been already handled, General Shimura?"

"Yes, here are the documents about their assignments to their Landing crafts and whose ships they can request naval gun fire to."

I reached out a folder that was full of the documents I spent writing all-night long. Since I wouldn't be exactly fighting at the front lines now that our forces have to be scattered island per island, I had more time to strategize and organize our men around.

"I see, I see…"

The tactician seems to agree to my proposal and after reading through it, he moved each foot soldier group icon at the map which allowed everyone to see who they will be fighting with in today's mission and handed several sealed folders to each of the ship captains.

"The 3rd Marines, huh? I heard they are good with river patrolling."

"I'm thankful that I can work with the 12th Infantry, I know a lot of guys there."

With our mission instructions now clear, each ship captain took their sealed instructional folders and immediately arranged their crew and the army group under them for the attacks.

"Now… To go around the place and look for something to do."

Even though I am here as the official leader of the war, this is mostly a naval operation. The army is only here to conquer and secure the islands, not to actually be the leading force that will decide each battle.

We will be needed later once we reach the innermost islands of Mizuki where land battles will be crucial, but for now, while this is still a sea battle, I am not needed as much.

"Well… this is a good spot."

I went back to my tent first to dress casually. Since I will not be needed, I chose not to wear my formal military uniform although I still hung my coat on my shoulders if I will be called in a rush. With a simple Yukata and my long hair that is tied into the traditional low ponytail style of the Nagisa dojo that I graduated in martial arts at, I walked around the beach away from the port that we hold and sat at a driftwood log that I saw by the sea.

"A fiancé, huh?"

I can still remember the conversation I had with Chiyo last week. I was reminded that even after all this time, I still carry fear and hatred in my heart and that I should try and look for someone who can share that burden with me.

"…well, even Father is asking me to open up myself already. But given my work and responsibilities… and how all of it may disappear in just one stroke of bad luck, I don't want to leave someone close to me grieving at my tomb."

I hated her for betraying all of us… Her husband who loved her fully, her son who looked up to her as a good person, her niece that saw her as someone worthy of respect and her half-brother who hoped that she will not return to the evil ways that she once went to and covered up completely for her own good.

I don't want to be hurt, but I also don't want anyone else to be hurt.

My philosophy has been praised by the many masters that I studied under like Sword master Nagisa and Ninjutsu master Fumikage. But all of them said that in the end, it will be futile as there would be no balance in it. For them, there is only one side that will be better in the end.

"<Fuweet~! Fooo~!>"

I played my flute to pass the time, watching the ships come by the horizon to dock into the port. The weather was mild and gentle, the sunrays hardly made it past through the thick clouds that was a sign of the coming thunderstorms that our university meteorologist mentioned in the weather forecast.

"…"

"…"

Unsurprisingly, the ones that I expected to come near me after I played my flute did come, but they are currently hiding behind a rock while looking at me cautiously.

"Who is he?"

"He looks weird."

"That coat looks expensive-desu…"

Without turning around, which will scare them away, I recognized the voices of three children behind me who are chattering. It seems like they are being curious of me.

"Excuse me, do you need something?"

"Ahh!"

"He turned around-desu!"

"R-Retreat!"

As I expected, as soon as I lowered my flute, turned around to look at them and made them aware of their presence, the three kids ran away and scurried into the interior of the island.

"Haah… I guess I'm off to a mini adventure then."

Ichida island, whose pirate port we bombarded and took over yesterday, actually has some settlements in its interior that are populated by the true natives of the islands that we call under the umbrella term of "Mizuki locals".

Unlike the Arakami Pirates that didn't truly originate from here, these people were the ones that lived in here since the Empire was recognized as a country and stayed in good terms with their neighbors in an almost pacifistic way.

"Stop right there!"

"…"

However, being conquered and later on exploited by the outlaws seemed to have turned these gentle islanders into a populace that holds a scythe on one hand and a sword on another.

"I came here in peace. I bear no weapon."

"Hmph! Lies! Kids, search him!"

I entered the forest, and once I got closer to a clearing that is indicative of an active settlement, I heard a shout and stopped on my tracks. I shouted back that I was unarmed, but they didn't believe me and had the three children from earlier search me for potential weapons.

"He has the flute from earlier!"

"He has a pouch of gold coins."

"His coat is expensive-desu!"

After the children reported back to them, the one who kept on shouting around finally appeared from behind a tree with two more grown men behind him. One look alone told me that he is a veteran of many battles.

He was about thirty years old, tall and muscular. His arms and hands have scars, and he seems like your usual village chief.

"…So, the rumors are true after all… another foreigner conquering our homeland."

"Che-! Greedy criminals!"

"You're no better than those pirates!"

As they spat insults, I placed my right hand over my chest and greeted them calmly and in a cordial manner.

"I am Shimura Nobisuke. I was wandering around when I came across these three and followed them."

"Urk!"

"Oh no…"

"Yabai-desu."

I heard the three mumble some words as their leader looked at them strictly. With that, I tried to soften the blame to not make their blunder obvious. I wouldn't want to be the reason that they get scolded.

"I suspected that something bad must be happening since that smoke was visible from afar."

"Ah!"

"So, it really was visible from the coast?!"

"You two, quiet down!"

I pointed at the pillar of smoke that I saw last night that is still partially visible right now. The chief reprimanded his two cronies before looking at me straight in the eye. Not wanting to immediately leave a hostile impression, I kept my expression nonchalant even though he is staring me to death.

"You said your name is Shimura, right? Did you come from that port that exploded yesterday?"

"I do. I am with them."

He asked me straightly and I answered truthfully. Just like how Iwasawa-sama told me to do, if you're not facing an enemy, just be honest about things but hide the details.

"We were supposed to rebel yesterday and attack that camp of theirs, but those strange sea beasts appeared out of nowhere and pulverized the beach and the pirates. You said that you are with them, would you like to elaborate about that?"

"Hmm… I do not wish to come across as a rude guest, but can this matter be settled in front of a table of tea and mochi?"

"What-?!"

"How dare you ask for-"

"STOP!"

Since we are getting into quite serious subjects of our conversation, I simply asked them to at least receive me formally like how they should do to a guest. The men beside him took it as an insult and was about to raise their spears when their leader shouted at them which made them back away in fear.

"…"

"You will be blindfolded for our security but rest assured that no harm will befall you."

"I accept then."

"Very well. Allow the kids to do it and follow their lead."

I knelt down to allow the three children to place a silk scarf over my eyes which they tied at the back of my head. They then tugged on my hands to lead me forward and soon, we arrived at a pretty rustic village which they live at.

"You can take it off now."

"Hmm… this is a quite good village."

"Save the flattery to other things. I am more interested about what secrets you hold that you are willing to speak about."

We walked through the village where some of the villagers are tending to a huge fire at the center of the village. The column of smoke must've come here. Perhaps this is one of the Shinto worships of the god of fire by the Mizuki locals?

We continued on walking until we arrived in front of a slightly large house where several females greeted his arrival and followed us from three paces away.

"Serve some tea and roasted chestnuts. We have a guest."

"Understood, Nushi-sama."

"You, tidy up the receiving area. We have things to talk about."

"As you wish, Nushi-sama."

"And you, inform the villagers that we will be having an assembly after our talks. Tell them that no one should be absent, even children."

"Yes, Nushi-sama."

"…"

Hearing three of the four women behind him heeding his words and calling him "husband" told me about the situation. As the reports about the locals said, the influential people of Mizuki practices polygamy.

"And you, Temari, stay beside me and learn how to speak properly."

"Y-Y-Yes… Nu-Nushi-sama…"

The last and probably youngest female behind him replied in an articulated manner. If what he just said is right, this girl doesn't know how to properly speak. A sign that their demographic is a neglected bunch.

Even I can attest that Kiko as a society is very conservative. But even we allow women to function casually in the same level as men do. They have the same rights to be educated, to work in workshops and even choose whom to be married with. This isn't displayed as much since most Kiko women choose to stay at home after being married and look after their husband's home and their children. But even before Iwasawa-sama was enthroned, this is already the norm.

So, seeing this view where they stay three paces behind us men, lowered their faces and spoke only when spoken to… made me quite uncomfortable.

"Here, let us talk in this room."

"Hm."

We entered a room in the chief's house that has closed paper screen windows and solid sliding wood doors. He sat behind his table while one of the women hurriedly picked up some littered papers around the room, another brewed tea at a pot and another walked out to inform the other villagers about the assembly. The one named Temari sat behind him while his two cronies sat by the door to guard it.

All of them seems to obey his words to the dot.

"So, let us talk, Shimura-san. Who are you and what are those sea beasts sleeping at our island's beaches?"

"…They are ships. Ships from my country."

"Ships? Clearly you are bluffing. There is no way that an object that large can be something man-made lest it collapse under its own weight."

"I am not lying. Those are ships from my country. As for your concern about their durability, I will withhold the specifics, but I can say that they are made of steel."

"S-Steel?"

"Yes. Metal steel."

His men can hardly believe their ears. They looked at each other in awe.

"I still have doubts about your words, but I shall trust it for now and move on to my next question."

"By all means."

"Why are you here and why did you specifically only attacked the pirates?"

The next question was concise and straight. As one who lives near us, his concern was about the purpose of our presence here.

"I believe that the pirate attack at Kiko is something that you are aware of, yes?"

"Kiko… the land at the south. Yes, I have heard about it from the mouth of the pirates."

"We are here to return the favor. Our master has declared war on them and ordered us to neutralize them to the point where they can no longer be of any harm to us."

"War… then that means-"

"Yes, if he deems it necessary, we will conquer all of Mizuki and declare it as ours."

My sharp reply made all of them look nervous. It seems like their attempt to revolt yesterday just minutes before our naval bombardment let them have a special viewing seat for the destruction that we brought to the pirates.

"Well then… this will be my last question."

"I sure hope it will not be…"

A passive-aggressive reply left my lips before he asked something that I expected him to be worried for.

"Who… are you to those people at the shore?"

"…I am Shimura Nobisuke, their general and war chief."

*KA-BYAG!!!*

Just in time, the sound of explosions reverberated across the island as the Cruiser task force started their attacks at the nearby Shouki island. The new "bunker-buster" explosive shells delivered a deafening explosion and shot out a shockwave never heard before at these parts.

Even from kilometers away from the site of the explosion, the sound and the minor earthquake it made felt like a volcano's violent eruption.

"KYAAAA!!!"

"Heavens protect us!"

"I don't want to die!!!"

"Mama!"

As the others around me, the chief, his cronies, his wives and the children, all cowered in fear from the explosion, I simply sat there with a neutral expression, waiting until it's over.

"W-W-W-What was that…?"

"Nushi-sama, are you alright?"

"Y-yes… get away from me and get back to what I told you to do!"

"Y-Y-Yes…!"

His wives jumped to his direction during the shockwave, seemingly wanting to protect him from harm in such a selfless manner. But after things cleared up and he recovered his bearings, he pushed the women away from him and instead of being offended, they apologized with a humbled expression.

"I'm sorry for the noise, my men seem to not yet used to the powers I gave them."

"P-p-p-powers?"

I took the cup of tea and slightly dipped my right thumb's nail on it. With all of them still in shock of the recent explosion, they didn't notice that I was testing the drink for poisons.

"…Well, yes. Powers that I have given them, enough to overpower our enemies. Power that can dissolve mountains, fight back the waves of the sea and turn entire forests into a hellscape of fire and death."

Once I turned my thumb around, I saw that it was black. The silver foil that I placed over my nail detected the poison at the drink.

"W-W-W-What?"

"Since all of you used to serve the Arakami pirates as their subservient people, I believe most of you wished for deliverance from them… people that will save you from those outlaws."

"We do… but what do you mean?"

"Is it safe to assume that this is how the people of this village receive their guests that can help them out from bondage?"

I showed my right thumb's nail that was discolored, wanting to show them that their attempt to dispose of me had failed and they are no longer in good terms with me.

"-!!!"

"You-!"

His wife who served the tea backed away as he seemed to be in shock for a moment but pretended to be enraged after a second. Because of this, I realized something that I've been suspecting for a while.

"I-I apologize, Nushi-sama! I am-"

"You bitch!"

*Pyak-!*

As he slapped her, everyone in the room backed away, seemingly not wanting to be included in the village chief's "punishment" of his wife.

"How dare you try to harm our guest!"

"I apologize, Nushi-sama! I beg for your pardon and-"

"SILENCE!"

He picked up a sake vessel, holding it by its long neck like a club. Seeing this, some of the other women attempted to step forward and intervene, but fear came first, and they stepped away.

"Good grief…"

I wasn't supposed to do this, but I don't want to be so heartless and let this injustice happen when I know the truth.

*BYAK-!*

"Kyaa!!!"

"Argh!"

"W-what was that?!"

From my chest holster, I drew out my compact revolver and fired at the sake bottle, shattering it into pieces before it can be used to bludgeon the poor lady.

"Fuu-"

"W-W-What…?"

"You're lucky that I'm not here to stain my hands, or else that bullet would've went through your skull."

I blew on the smoking barrel while they all looked at me dumbfounded. I stood up while I was holstering my gun to show that I'm not interested with talking with them anymore.

"W-Wait, Shimura-san. I still have some questions to ask and-"

"Even if you do, I'm not interested with answering them. Get out of my way."

I walked through their midst, not caring if they still wish to converse. The village chief seems to have forgotten about the cover up he was about to pull off mere seconds ago, telling me that all of it was indeed just a ruse.

"I will not be disrespected like this! I let you in my land and treated you properly!"

"…"

"Get back here, you bastard son of a-"

*Ka-chik.*

"Ah-"

"Nushi-sama!"

When he was about to insult me, I turned around and in one quick motion, drew out my gun and pointed it between his eyebrows at point-blank range.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Continue with what you're about to say…"

"A-a-ah…"

"Go ahead… Make my day."

I pulled the hammer which made an audible click that turned his stiff, distressed expression into one sweating coldly and shaking uncontrollably.

"""Shimura-dono!"""

"""M-Mister!"""

His men and wives bowed down towards me which was followed by the children.

"Please spare our husband! We beg of you!"

"If you wish to take a life in your anger, please take us instead of him!"

"We implore you, great general!"

"…"

As cold sweat formed on his forehead due to nervousness, his wives begged for his life and presented theirs as replacement… all of this is just making me sicker…

"Che-!"

*Click.*

I carefully brought back the hammer into a safe position and the lowered the gun, allowing all of them to heave relieved breaths. His wives came to him to help him up as I left with an annoyed expression on my face.

"Damn self-centered guy…"

I walked out of the house and saw what I expected to see due to the apparent silence of the surroundings after the explosion.

"General Shimura. We're glad that you are safe."

"Okay, how long have you guys been trailing me?"

"I'm sorry if it was too obvious, sir. It's been since you left the strategy room."

"Ah… you guys sure are thorough."

Outside of the house was a platoon of Crow agents. The formerly exclusive security group of Iwasawa-sama that is led by Kuro is now an official part of Kiko's military under the Special Agency Department. Except for Iwasawa-sama, all ministers and important nobles in Naka castle now has a team of them covertly protecting them whenever they leave the confines of the castle.

"What happened to the villagers? They seem quiet."

"The usual, sir. Sleeping gas and some other precautions."

I looked around and the villagers did fell asleep in wherever they smelled the incapacitating gas that the Crows threw around.

"Whatever… I'm outta here. I've seen enough and I'm pissed off."

"What shall we do to this settlement, sir?"

"…"

Even though I didn't like the conniving and self-centered expression and actions of their village leader, there is no guarantee that the others share that same trait. Thus, I decided to just be neutral.

"Leave them be. It's not guaranteed that we'll need these islands anyway once we go back to Kiko. Let's minimize our tracks and leave this place as is."

"Understood, sir."

We left the area and arrived back at the harbor which is now quite orderly. The debris are no longer here, the tents has been replaced with retractable shelters, and the men who are out of the fight or guard duty are playing soccer by the beach or swimming at the sea.

Seems like this feels more like a vacation for them than an actual war. Because of that, I was assured about how they are receiving this "war" thing that we are doing and their relaxed actions outside of battle is reassuring me of my choice.

"Sir! We have a call for you from Iwasawa-kou-sama!"

"Ah. Alright, I'll be right there."

A soldier from the communications office called out to me while I was walking around, and he told me that our master wants to talk to me. I entered the dark room that is cooled by an air conditioner where our radio technicians are busily contacting or rerouting several calls from one recipient to another.

"Alright sir, let me just reroute your call."

"No, this is not the Sagiri's frequency. This is the general line."

"Alright, I'll contact the Tenryu now. Please hold on."

They were all busy twisting knobs, connecting wires and plugs and opening their contact books to look for the right recipient of their calls.

At the end of the room, I was given the headphones and microphone and after wearing them, finally heard Iwasawa-sama's voice.

"[Nobisuke… I called for… an update.]"

"Ah. All is going well, My lord. There are no damages to the navy at all and we have not incurred any major casualties at all."

"[Good… We… are in Haguro province now… Since we have been away- for a while… equipment malfunction- frequent and- so I want to ask for a supply- in my area.]"

His radio kept on echoing or shooting out high-pitched feedback screeches. This told me that the equipment they left with sure wasn't in the best condition anymore.

"Understood, Iwasawa-sama. I'll arrange for a supply drop to come to your area as soon as possible."

"[Supply… drop? Hey, Nobi- Don't tell me that you already had that thing- operational.]"

"We do, Iwasawa-sama. We have also tested them for reliability and range. Expect them to come soon, my lord."

"[Thank… you.]"

As the line was cut, I placed down the headphones and sighed for a moment.

"Our master is doing a lot of things for our own good."

Nighttime came and the ships and landing boats arrived back at our harbor base at Ichida Island. The senior officers including me went to the strategy room and gave our reports.

"The invasion of Niko and Youba island at the east has been successful. Even though the 3rd Marines have sustained multiple injured members after their river patrol at Youba island's interior and the 12th Infantry reported heavy resistance in their landing at Niko island, the invasion is a resounding success with minimal damage to our side."

"The destruction of the defensive structures at Shouki island has been a great experience as well. With the experimental shell's trial results now out, we will expect to use it again soon."

Ryuusui reached out folder that has their reports about the shell that they fired earlier. The tactician placed it away to be sent by telegraph later and continued with our planning phase.

"Now that the enemy defenses at Shouki island has been destroyed, we can finally sent off into the inner Mizuki island ring."

"Island ring?"

"Ah. I forgot to mention this earlier, but the true reason why we didn't immediately go to the main Mizuki island is because there are no passageways for our ships to go to except this one that goes through Shouki's bay."

The tactician laid a sea level map on the table and there, all of us saw that the sea floor all around the island are too shallow to allow us to get our ships through safely and that the bay area of Shouki island can be considered as the only way in or out of the inner sea.

"Well then, will we assault the island now?"

"The tactical and intelligence command says "no", sir. I apologize."

"Hrm… And why is that?"

"The Intelligence agency department's report said that the defenses in the inner sea are in a magnitude greater than the ones we face before."

"Huh? Hey, we didn't even break a sweat out here, what are you talking about?"

The tactician gave a clerk a nod and he distributed some laminated photographs from an angle that no one else but me in this room has seen before.

"W-W-what the?!"

"I-Is this…?"

"From above?!"

The photographs came from our air balloon scouting regiment. A new group in the armed forces that has just been assembled weeks before the declaration of war. With the technology behind their revolutionary vehicle coming from Iwasawa-sama's top-secret designs and blueprints, even the highest-ranking officers was shocked of the results.

"Then… these are the defenses that you mentioned?"

"Yes sir. As you can see from the left bottom side, there is a structure resembling a high sea wall dotted by caves that we suspect are hiding defensive cannons. Given that this faces the area which can let in huge ships and this is on land, we deduce that the size and number of naval gunnery here would be larger and more destructive."

"There's also the problem with its steep incline… Our ship cannons cannot raise higher than 70 degrees and if we compensate the degree with an angled shot from afar, the loss of velocity through the flight will render our shells useless."

Admiral Kuwahabara's words was right. We can either shoot from our highest possible angle and miss our target or shoot from afar and make our artillery fire too slow or inaccurate to be effective.

"Our problem lies with the fact that we depend on lightning-fast offensives to gain victory. Our philosophy is locked in this "hit-and-run" method since we can't fight a battle that will become drawn out longer than we need it to be."

"Then what do you suggest, Tactician?"

The tactician turned to me and asked a question.

"About those special forces that General Ishida mentioned back at the meeting at Misao Pavilion, can you call upon them, sir?"

"I sure can. I think I get your plan, you'll have them inserted in the stronghold covertly and disable the defenses as we pass by."

"Exactly, sir!"

"I see… If that is so, then I think General Ishida will be willing to spare some of them to us. I'll handle it as soon as possible."

"Alright. With that away from the focus, let's move on to the next problem at sight."

He tapped his baton at a particular point at the sea and spoke to us.

"This place right here is a floating supply dock and resting area for the pirates."

"Another seek and destroy mission?"

"No, captain. We will have to capture this one."

"Huh? Why?"

"Look at the reason why this became a supply dock."

All of us looked at the map and one by one, we saw what the strategy department saw at the place.

"So, we're gonna use it as a forward operating base?"

"Yes sir. From this floating sandbar port, we can mount as many offensives as we can throughout the entire war. We expect our battles to become easier once we have it in our hands."

"Haha!"

"This is good news."

"If we get it, we can go home before the summer festival."

They cheered with the mention of an easier and faster way to do our business, but I can see further than the others.

"Alright… I know that all of you are pleased about this news, but I can see some problems in here…"

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, I got a tad too excited."

The officers settled down and I voiced out my first concern.

"This area… isn't this connected to a floating village of non-combatants?"

"Regular folks, huh?"

"We can't harm them."

"Second, this place seems to be prone to flooding due to the sea level in Mizuki during high tide. If that is so, it will be a dangerous place to hold onto."

"Ah. Yeah, our equipment will be ruined."

"The radios and weapons to be specific."

"Lastly… this place… it is mentioned in Reika-sama's letter. This is where they suspect their stolen merchandise are located at. Why do we have to take this?"

"…"

My sharp gaze shot through the tactician who is now forcing himself to remain calm.

"What's wrong? Do speak up."

"…Well then, I apologize to all of you esteemed gentlemen if I didn't mention this…"

He gave a reply after heaving a sigh and looked at all of us calmly.

"We suspect that Daigo Aiko, the woman that insinuated the terror attack at Kingo castle during Iwasawa-sama and Kusanagi-sama's title giving ceremony, is hiding there."

"-!!!"

"What?!"

"That woman is here?!"

"I see…"

For them to hide it behind all of these distractions… there is only one possible answer.

"Did the Special Agency Department decide this without my knowledge?"

"Yes… Although with the express approval of Agency leader Kuro."

"…"

Kuro… that guy…

"I see. Was Iwasawa-sama informed about this too?"

"Yes sir, I believe his approval was mentioned in Kuro-dono's letter. He approved of the woman's arrest warrant."

Because the Special Agency Department answers to Iwasawa-sama and him alone, I, as a military general, cannot freely access their force and resources as much as I wish to. Things in the Agency are hidden under a very secretive cloak and Kuro, or in his real name, Akizuki Minori, has been very keen about hiding things from me since our last fight when I took in "that guy" who is now just living to avenge his dead family.

"I see… With that, I believe things are in order. We will initiate an infiltration and destroy operation at the sea wall defenses and at the same time, plant some of our men in this outpost to arrest this woman and take over it simultaneously."

"And that means that this is the army's job, isn't it, Shimura-dono?"

"Yes. I'll arrange for everything alongside my men. Expect the operation to become public knowledge by next week once it is underway."

Even though I have been annoyed with the events preceding this, I still have a work to do.