The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 4: Dabit Deus His Quoque Finem Read online

  He was such an ideal boss that when she went to report she was leaving, they exchanged quips. Tanya would have hesitated to joke around if it was General von Zettour; it’s rare to find a boss who can roll with that sort of thing. Having a superior officer who truly understood what she wanted, granting her rights and leaving things to her discretion—that was what really made her efforts worthwhile.

  The more she thinks about it, the more she is reminded…how truly easy she had it on the southern front.

  On that continent, their commander was brilliant, their strength was about equal to the enemy’s, and the imperial soldiers had better discipline. Best of all, the enemy they fought was a beaten dog that had already suffered a huge defeat. A major loss would make a soldier more fragile than some might assume—which was precisely why the enemy’s actual strength was lower than its face value.

  Lambs led by a lion may eventually transform into wolves…but if the lambs were defeated before the lion led them anywhere, their retraining wouldn’t go very well.

  Aside from the logistical issues of being in the desert, access to water chief among them, some might have even called the battlefield comfortable. Bashing enemies as necessary, racking up decorations, and even sparing time to train the troops? It was hard to think of a more ideal situation.

  The sole reason Tanya happily left the southern continent was because she firmly believed she was headed for the rosy future of rear service.

  She would take a rest back in the Empire proper, hunt around for a position… It had been only a few hours since she took off, fantasizing about all the things she wanted to do.

  It was her naive belief that the unit would get to take it easy for a month while the Empire reorganized its forces. She expected to enjoy spring in the Empire until at least April.

  In the worst case, she figured she’d get all she could out of the season garrisoned in a former Republican Army base. If that happened, it would be due to a phony war1 with the Commonwealth—all posturing and no movement. She was optimistically imagining what essentially amounted to paid vacation.

  …Yes, “imagining.”

  Sadly, soldiers don’t have much freedom—and in fact, the number of liberties they do have is inversely proportional to their many obligations.

  If I could supply my labor freely on the market, I would change jobs in a heartbeat. If private military companies existed, I would seriously consider joining one. No, I should probably just start my own. Reality is so harsh, Tanya loses herself in escapist fantasies for a moment.

  Before she knew it, she had been forced onto this secret mission to cross the border the fatherland shared with the Federation.

  It goes without saying this breaks all sorts of laws of war… Though technically, the Federation hasn’t ratified many of them, so that legal gray area is a small consolation.

  In any case, Tanya can’t possibly question the validity of the mission. Unless something is undoubtedly violating the law, how could a soldier outright resist orders? She knows full well that if the General Staff has given an order, her job is to obediently carry it out.

  But it’s still not fair.

  That said, at this point, Tanya casts away her sighs and complaints to reconfirm the situation she’s been placed in and make sure she really has no options.

  An operation against the Federation…

  If we fail, the best we can hope for is some warm, humane communication (read: “torture”) with the Communists.

  We’re sneaking into the Federation, where they have a form of government even Communists have a hard time achieving with their lives intact.

  If we’re hoping to get back in one piece, this is no time to cut corners.

  “Captain Weiss, do you have a moment?”

  “Yes, Major!”

  Tanya makes up her mind and calls out to her trusted vice commander with a glance at the time on her watch. Luckily…

  …it’s not an inopportune time.

  “Sorry, but could you come here?”

  The transport plane had been loaded with a mountain of low-altitude insertion gear, weapons, and ammunition, then packed with more aerial mages than anyone would think possible, making the interior terribly cramped.

  Being on a military transport craft means not being able to call over a subordinate officer without a few others getting elbowed out of the way.

  And Tanya has to raise her voice or it won’t carry.

  This is a military vehicle, after all, not a passenger plane—it lacks even the slightest consideration for passenger comfort. For a military plane, the engine can be considered quiet, but it’s still a military plane. It annoys Tanya to no end that she has to scream to be heard over the incessant droning.

  The saving grace is that she doesn’t really have to worry that her subordinates, no doubt listening with their ears pricked, might overhear them.

  “Lieutenant Serebryakov! Lieutenant Grantz! Sorry, but please check everyone’s gear!”

  ““Yes, ma’am!””

  After busying Serebryakov and Grantz, Tanya takes a thickly padded object out of the briefcase at her feet.

  Weiss glanced over, so he must have noticed it was a sealed envelope of the type the General Staff uses. In response to his questioning eyes, Tanya nods and asks him to verify something.

  “Captain Weiss, please confirm the time indicated on the envelope. I’d like you to check it against your watch. Does it match the current time?”

  “Yes, Major. On my watch, it does.”

  “Good. My watch reads the same. Then, in the presences of the commander and senior officer of the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, both having confirmed the correct hour…let’s open the envelope.”

  Tanya rips open the missive and removes several documents. One look at the summary is enough to tell her it’s what she expected.

  She furrows her brow, withholding her comments for the moment, then hands the papers to Weiss.

  “…This…”

  It’s only right that when he finishes reading, a groan escapes him.

  “We were rushed off so we could be thrown into a reconnaissance mission to scout out Federation forces. If what this says is true, it’s no wonder the higher-ups want to do whatever it takes to verify the situation.”

  “Yes, Major. I understand now. Given this context, I see why the orders we’ve received so far have been so strange.”

  She doesn’t even have to look at Weiss’s face as he’s nodding next to her to know what color it is. Surely it matches her sickly complexion.

  The situation is the very definition of grave.

  …If the General Staff’s analysis is correct, Federation forces are massing all along the border in preparation for a major offensive.

  According to the documents marked “burn after reading,” multiple border canaries are chirping in warning. Considering the circumstances, the chances of it being a false alarm are exceedingly low.

  Ever since the Federation was established, the Empire has been meticulously defending the eastern border as precaution against the Communists. Various canaries, including a large number of long-term sleeper agents, are stationed in the border region precisely because of that potential impending crisis.

  Never mind the members of the General Staff—every single officer in the Imperial Army worries day and night that the Communists might attack.

  Which is why…

  …the Eastern Army Group hasn’t budged from where they’re stationed on the border. They didn’t move when the north front opened up in the fight against the Entente Alliance, nor did they move when the Republic’s sneak attack created the Rhine front, and certainly not for the front in south-facing Dacia.

  Prepared for the nightmarish possibility of becoming caught in a Republican pincer attack, the Imperial Army General Staff has pushed human intellect to its limits in order to keep a sharp eye on their eastern neighbors—because they believe that the Empire’s most dangerous moment will be when the Federation strikes them f
rom behind.

  That much is obvious.

  The Imperial Army was already hit once with the Republic’s sneak attack right after committing the Great Army to the north.

  The Empire isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Even if major offensives are launched on the Rhine front, the armies in the east stay on full alert.

  Still, things have become considerably laxer since the main imperial forces wiped out the Republican Army’s troops.

  …I can’t imagine why the Federation would move now with the current stalemate. Thinking logically, the reports could very well be a false alarm.

  But even if we wish that the Federation’s movements are nothing more than a joke, anyone who reads the briefing would be instantly forced to discard any transient hope.

  The problem is verification. If the Federation Army is being mobilized, the Empire needs to know about it—which is why the General Staff has been so determined, even if it means violating the rules of war.

  “The General Staff is ordering us to cross the border regardless of appearances, meaning the potential danger must outweigh all the risks.” Tanya continues with a sigh, “Though I guess we have no choice… As the commander of this battalion, I apologize for not being able to give you guys a break.”

  “It’s our duty, Major. Under the circumstances…we really have no choice.”

  “Then I guess we’ll just have to feel sorry for ourselves, huh?”

  How many times will I have to sigh? Tanya complains in her head as she reviews the situation.

  Some suspicious Federation movements on the eastern border.

  That’s all it took to shatter the Empire’s relaxed victory mood.

  Thinking back, it makes sense that she hadn’t detected any of the comfortable vibes normally expected of someone serving in the rear coming from Colonel von Lergen or Major Uger, even though she had just returned from the front lines. If her nonverbal communication faculties had been functioning normally, she would have instinctually braced herself.

  The General Staff must genuinely believe that there are signs of a major offensive. In other words, they’re sure the Federation will start a war.

  If so, then maybe the General Staff has a bunch of units mobilized as backup, and we just don’t know about it.

  “Captain Weiss, what do you think of the General Staff’s analysis of the east?”

  “Honestly, I’m not convinced. I can’t think of a reason the Federation would attack the Empire now.”

  “Me neither, Captain, but that’s precisely why it’s so strange.”

  “Huh?”

  “I can’t imagine the General Staff would be overlooking something we’ve already considered.”

  “That’s true. So then…” Weiss falters but then nods, seeming satisfied, and murmurs in realization, “…Ah, I see.”

  Exactly. Tanya nods and continues, “So if that’s the case…the General Staff’s certainty the Federation is a threat is what’s ratcheting up the sense of crisis.”

  Imperial forces can’t violate the border for show or on a mere whim. That would be tantamount to handing the other side a free card. The General Staff could make excuses about an error during an exercise, but it’s a fact they’re sending us over the border. If it becomes a diplomatic issue, the harm that would befall the Empire during peacetime would be extraordinary.

  The higher-ups decided to accept that risk and have us sneak into the Federation, so…there must be a reason.

  The General Staff wouldn’t take such a decisive measure based on half-baked intelligence. In other words, the brass considers this a final check, not hesitant reconnaissance.

  They are assuming hostilities will commence and preparing for the worst by moving a few units into place.

  “So it’s war.”

  “I beg your pardon, Major, but this is all still speculation. Considering the facts, it’s a hypothesis with a high probability of being true, but there’s nothing that definitively says the Federation is joining the war. It doesn’t even have any reason to!”

  As Weiss points out with a frown after Tanya’s murmur, the motive for Federation involvement is certainly a mystery… No, Tanya and only Tanya has an inkling of an idea.

  “If the Federation was going to come out with their fists flying, they would have coordinated with the Republic. I can’t think of a reason they would start something after the main imperial forces are already back home. Could it be some kind of demonstration? A diplomatic bluff?”

  Tanya smiles wryly at Weiss’s suggestion that it’s a bluff. He seems like he doesn’t entirely believe it himself. She could question the uncertainty on his face, but instead, since she knows her vice commander is a man of outstanding common sense, she kindly accepts his opinion.

  …How did the wars that humanity has experienced start? The answer to that could be found in any history book. Almost every war starts with folly induced by inertia or some other nonsense—failures of reason, essentially.

  “Expect the worst. We’ll be dropping under the assumption that we’re heading into combat.”

  “Major?!”

  A stifled voice tactfully asks her to reconsider, but Tanya sighs at him and pats his shoulder before continuing. “The mission is obviously to punch into enemy territory. We’ll confirm the start of the war and attack at the same time. The homeland’s literal intention is reconnaissance in enemy territory, but given our positioning, the true nature of our orders is to prepare for an attack. Either way, if war is declared, we’ll be expected to act on our own judgment. We should be ready.” After bitterly expressing her thoughts, Tanya realizes they need to explain the situation to their subordinates and adds, “All right, Captain Weiss, if you have no objections, would you kindly fill in the troops?”

  “Me, ma’am?”

  From the confused look on his face, she gathers that he can’t fathom why she’s asking him to do it. Well, he’s probably capable of overlooking Tanya’s complexes, or perhaps you could say “her shame.”

  …I’m jealous he can project his voice.

  “Unfortunately, Captain, I can’t speak very loudly… My voice won’t reach everyone in this noisy plane.”

  The vexing truth of the matter is that even if she raised her voice, the engine would drown it out. She already had to scream at the top of her lungs during her private conversation with Weiss.

  No, it’s not that there’s something wrong with her. Even a grown man would have trouble being heard in the back of the plane, so it makes sense that a child would only hurt her throat trying.

  Sadly, Tanya can’t use a formula to amplify her voice as suggested in the aerial combat manual, since they’re avoiding any and all magic activity. The unit is on a mission to infiltrate enemy territory. Using a voice amplification formula would be like flinging mana signal all over. She might as well announce to the enemy warning net that intruders have arrived.

  …We have to at least make it across the border before we’re detected.

  “Ah, well…I’m sorry, Major.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry to trouble you, Captain Weiss, but I’d appreciate if you would give the explanation.”

  “Of course. I should have offered in the first place. I hope you’re not angry with me.”

  Had Tanya unconsciously put on an annoyed face? Her subordinate’s guilty expression makes her feel that she owes him some consideration. Unable to do anything else, she pats him on the shoulder one more time.

  Then, with a thank-you, she asks him to begin.

  Weiss is efficient and gets right down to business. He starts the briefing, seeming predictably bothered by the cramped plane, given his sizable physique.

  “Attention, all units!”

  The moment his voice thunders out, Serebryakov and Grantz react promptly, repeating “Attention!” like a mechanical switch has been flipped. The reactions of the other officers and men, who up until that moment had been busy making a racket checking their equipment, are also perfect
. Everyone stops what they’re doing the moment the order is given.

  The way they turn to face Tanya and Weiss in perfect unison, without so much as a peep of private conversation, can only be called magnificent.

  This is what you call a model of discipline and order.

  “Troops, our battalion commander has revealed the outline of our mission.” He says it unflinchingly under the gaze of the focused men and officers, who are determined not to miss a single word. “Due to a mishap during our exercise, we’ll be performing reconnaissance across the border in Federation territory.”

  Those statements are unbelievably mismatched, but none of the quietly listening mages are inept enough to interrupt. People who misunderstand—and not just kids who haven’t learned their lesson—often make fools of themselves.

  Tanya’s reliable troops possess a wonderful understanding of that point.

  “This is all according to the General Staff’s instructions. This mission is our specialty: long-range recon. That said, the ROE this time are highly specialized… Troops, this one’s critical.”

  Weiss looks more nervous than ever before, but his natural voice is still loud enough to fill the interior of the plane—it’s enough to make Tanya envious.

  Still, all that means is that he has something she doesn’t.

  Everything comes down to how work is outsourced. There are more options out there than the subpar you-get-what-you-pay-for. The saying “Every man to his trade” is true in the same way as the Ricardian formulation of comparative advantage.2 Tanya’s quiet voice is a good excuse to delegate this job.

  “Before explaining the mission, I’ll give you an idea of the situation in the east. Starting a few days ago, multiple sources have been reporting suspicious behavior in the area.”

  As Weiss efficiently explains the background, the men seem to grasp the implications. The ones with good instincts are already glancing in the direction of the Federation.

  Everyone knows the Eastern Army Group has long been at their traditional station on the border, a critical position, focused entirely on the Federation as its potential opponent.