June 7, Year 1513 of the Continental Calendar.
Our Habsburg Imperial Army drove fifteen thousand troops toward the Republic's capital. There was no reason to rush. Though we had dropped straight into the heart of enemy territory, the soldiers hadn't lost their composure.
"By the way, the Republic's Consul is just letting the ogres roam free. If she deployed even a small detachment of knights, she could drive them off pretty effectively."
"She's trying to conserve her knightly forces as much as possible."
Laura and I rode side by side, chatting casually.
My saddle had been specially modified, which let me ride even with a prosthetic left leg replacing the one I'd lost. I hadn't even asked for it, but the dwarves had whipped it up on their own. Their craftsmanship really was something.
"In terms of pure soldier quality, we completely outclass the Republic. No matter how fiercely the Republic's troops have trained under Consul Elisabeth, we have veteran mercenaries who've been rolling around the battlefield for decades... They don't stand a chance."
That was exactly why Elisabeth would want to preserve her knightly forces even more.
Dispatching knights to hunt down two hundred ogres would end up costing more than it was worth. Even if the villagers suffered terribly, she would hold her knights in reserve for the final battle. That was Elisabeth's decision.
"Saving everything for the final battle? So the Republic's Consul is a hypocrite after all. She's letting ogres trample her people's farmland at will. Some leader she is."
"Well, maybe she saw through our intentions. A bit of a shame."
I'd actually released the ogres to draw out the enemy's knights. Fighting a powerful monster like an ogre required knights. I'd tried it hoping they might take the bait, but no luck. Well, the trap was painfully obvious. It would've been weirder if Elisabeth had fallen for it.
As a result, we faced no resistance whatsoever.
We advanced slowly, looting the surrounding farms. The farmers had fled in such a hurry that the village granaries were still fairly well stocked. Thanks to that, our army experienced the strange phenomenon of growing better-supplied the further we marched.
Finally, June 12.
We arrived at the gates of Munich, capital of the Habsburg Republic.
Laura, as always, personally led a small escort on a scouting mission. It was rather reckless for the army's supreme commander to go scouting, but that was Laura's way.
Sure enough, Laura ran into an enemy detachment during her scout. If the detachment had attacked, her life would have been in serious danger. But Laura didn't even blink before giving her order.
"Charge!"
She charged with barely twenty cavalry. The Republic's detachment was so startled that they immediately wheeled around and fled. They probably ran before they even realized we only had twenty soldiers.
"That was incredibly dangerous. So, shall we head back for today?"
"No. This works out perfectly. There won't be any enemy troops roaming this area for a while, so let's take our time scouting."
And so Laura spent a full four hours leisurely surveying the surrounding area. She looked delicate enough, but her heart was made of steel. I followed behind her with a bitter smile.
"Tch. They've put up a fairly solid defense."
Laura clicked her tongue, gazing out over the distant plain. The Republic's forces were packed tightly there. Countless blue-and-white banners — the symbol of the Republic — fluttered in the wind.
"A quick glance tells me their numbers well exceed twenty thousand. Twenty-three thousand, maybe twenty-four? Definitely more than us."
"That's strange. There's no way they'd have that many left..."
The Republic's total forces numbered forty-five thousand. Of those, thirty thousand had been sent toward Venice. We'd confirmed this through Gamigin's wyvern squad. At most, the Republic couldn't have had more than seventeen thousand remaining.
Had Elisabeth performed some kind of magic? She was capable of anything, but conjuring five thousand troops out of thin air still seemed difficult. As I was tilting my head in confusion, Laura went, "Hm."
"Worrying about it here won't give us answers. Let's go check."
"Go check? Where exactly?"
"Where do you think?"
Laura gave the reins a light flick.
"The enemy camp."
And then Laura charged straight toward the enemy camp on horseback.
The cavalry and I were stunned. I frantically called out Laura's name, but she was having none of it. With no choice, we raced after her.
Laura didn't stop until we reached the exact center of the plain. We were so close to the enemy camp that with a telescope, you could make out individual soldiers' faces. I could see the enemy soldiers buzzing in confusion, having spotted us.
"Laura, being bold is one thing, but aren't you being a bit too reckless?!"
"Ah. My apologies, my lord."
Laura's apology carried not a hint of remorse. She didn't even look my way. She was busy examining the enemy camp through her telescope. A moment later, Laura grinned.
"I see. I've figured out their trick."
"Really?"
"See for yourself, my lord."
Laura handed me the telescope. I pressed it to my right eye and scanned the Republic's positions.
It happened to be lunchtime, and the Republic's soldiers had gathered in small groups, tearing into bread. Some groups of about ten, others of twenty or thirty. Many of them were staring at us — this strange apparition that had appeared in the middle of the plain.
"Did you notice?"
"No. I don't see anything unusual."
"My lord, you really have no aptitude for war. What do you even keep those eyes for?"
Laura snorted. I folded the telescope and tapped her lightly on the forehead with it.
"At least I'm better than Laura, who has no aptitude for anything except war. So what's so unusual?"
"The number of soldiers eating. They're not eating in consistent groups — some have ten, some twenty, some thirty. The numbers are all over the place. That's the key to the deception."
"Huh?"
What does the number of people eating matter?
When I stared at her blankly, still not getting it, Laura shook her head slowly.
"If what you said is true, the Habsburg Republic has been training intensely. The Consul would have picked only elite troops and stationed them here in the capital. But soldiers mixing haphazardly during something as basic as meals — that's impossible. Look again."
"Mm."
I raised the telescope once more and studied the enemy camp more carefully.
Only then did I spot what was off — or rather, what felt wrong. Most of the soldiers were eating in consistent groups. About ten, it looked like — groups organized by tens. However, there were occasional groups that were far too large — say, thirty-five soldiers gathered together. They weren't common, though.
"...?"
"Good grief, you still don't get it?"
Laura sighed.
That stung a little.
"The Republic's Consul probably organized her entire army by tens. It's the most standard approach. But the fact that there are groups of dozens instead of ten means those units haven't been trained."
"Ah."
"They must be hastily conscripted forces."
Laura spoke calmly, as if humming a tune.
"Why wouldn't she organize these hastily conscripted troops into groups of ten? From that, we can draw two conclusions. Understand, my lord?"
"Damn it."
The curse slipped out of my mouth.
"I don't, so explain it yourself. What is it? You find it amusing to make fun of me?"
"Naturally. Teasing my lord is as sweet as the finest wine in the world."
Laura cackled.
Damn her. I was always calling Laura an idiot. She was clearly getting her revenge for all the times I'd mocked her.
"First, consider this. Why did the Republic's Consul leave the new recruits in such disarray? There's only one reason — because it's more efficient."
"Not organizing them into groups of ten is more efficient?"
"That's right. Rather than forcing unfamiliar systems on new recruits, it's better to leave them in formations they're already comfortable with."
Laura gazed at the enemy camp.
"Those new recruits are militia drafted from cities and towns. City and town militias have their own established formations. For them, fighting in groups of twenty-five or thirty is the most natural."
Ah.
That made sense. There was no point forcing a system of tens and hundreds on freshly conscripted militia. It was far better to let them form squads with the hometown comrades they'd been fighting alongside for years.
In other words, the soldiers eating in groups of more than ten weren't Elisabeth's elite troops. They were militia hastily rounded up from nearby cities and towns.
"The Consul would be fully aware that battle was imminent. She would have ordered every squad to remain at their posts during meals, so they could respond immediately if we launched a surprise attack. That's why, except for a few squads, every other group of soldiers had gathered in neat groups of ten."
"I see... So excluding the fifteen thousand, the rest are all militia."
"Exactly."
Laura smiled.
"My lord. Do you know what the second conclusion is?"
"Yes, yes. I'm the world's biggest blockhead, so please, Your Grace, say whatever you'd like."
"Hehe."
Laura chuckled.
"Think about it. If the Republic's Consul intended to move her elites and militia together, she would have forced the militia into groups of ten, no matter the cost. Because you can't face our Imperial Army with a force whose squad sizes are all over the place."
Laura's blue eyes, which had been carrying a hint of amusement, suddenly sharpened like those of a lioness.
"The militia would be organized into their own most efficient formations. The elites would be prepared in their own most efficient formations. In this situation, there's only one conclusion — she would keep the militia and the elites completely separate."
"..."
"So how would she deploy them separately? Make the militia a separate task force? That wouldn't work either. Their training level is far too low for a task force. Using them as the main force wouldn't work either. They'd collapse the moment our army charged."
Laura's eyes narrowed further. It was the gaze of a predator locking onto its prey.
"The Republic doesn't have the resources to organize a separate task force. Both the elites and the militia would have to serve as main forces. In other words, the militia takes the first line, and the elites hold the second and third lines. That is the Republic Consul's strategy."
Athena was the goddess of wisdom and the goddess of war.
I'd never understood why wisdom and war were paired together. But watching Laura, I finally understood. She had scouted the enemy camp and read through their strategy in a single look. If you couldn't call a person like this the goddess of wisdom and war, what could you call her?
"She'd use the militia in the first line to absorb our army's initial attack. And when our forces had worn themselves out dealing with the militia, she'd strike with the elites in the second and third lines. Hm. A textbook yet cunning approach."
Laura turned her horse around.
"Let's go back, my lord. We've read the enemy's intentions. Now it's our turn to respond."