It was not something I thought could not happen. International relations originally cannot be clearly divided into who is bad and who is good.
The reasons for the outbreak of war are various. Even if it feels unjust to the small countries caught in between, from the perspective of major powers, they all have their justifications.
Even Hitler was not such a symbol of pure evil until he tried to forcibly annex territories at first.
Anyway, with the pretext of rebuilding the ‘German Empire’ by occupying Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland after the Treaty of Versailles had shattered the country.
At least, it was enough for him to be hailed as a national hero, not even an ‘evil’ figure, by the German people and some imperialists.
However, the Holocaust, that great act of madness and tragedy, completely ruined his image.
Similarly, in Hearts of General.
Although it starts off being divided into two factions, as the game progresses towards the endgame, the power dynamics weaken, inevitably leading to a struggle of power between nations.
The ‘perfect’ victory condition is to occupy all five countries except yourself.
And surprisingly, the condition for a perfect victory might be easier to achieve than the condition for a factional victory.
Therefore, the setting where Count Petrinant received help from Okhraine to develop the first airship might not be so far-fetched.
After all, how would the player know about a series of transactions between Okhraine and Count Petrinant when half a year has passed since the start of the game?
“I mean, it’s still ridiculous even considering that…”
I looked at Sony Chepelin, who was enthusiastically chiming in beside the Count.
Wait a moment.
Come to think of it, is this all connected back to the artifact stolen from the Belgorod Fortress?
I recalled my first meeting with the Colonel. Indeed, he had mentioned that the artifact in question was a crucial part of his plan.
“The Pearl of Foreknowledge,” I muttered.
I knew of the artifact. It wasn’t a thing that could drastically change the course of the war, nor was it a guaranteed drop; it was one of those random items you could acquire.
In fact, artifacts weren’t considered that important in Haohzhe.
There were certainly artifacts that could strengthen specific individuals or provide beneficial buffs to entire units, but most were merely nice to have, not essential.
So the Pearl of Foreknowledge, which only significantly boosts the user’s magic level, wasn’t worth Sony Chepelin’s intense efforts to retrieve.
But what if the Pearl of Foreknowledge was a necessary artifact for developing the airship?
Then it would make sense for Sony Chepelin to devise a plan to infiltrate enemy lines and steal it.
“Is that really true?”
It was just a guess, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the only explanation.
And finally, the Count’s words turned that speculation into reality.
“Now we’re using a crude magical modification, but in truth, we need a special artifact to reach its original output.”
He exchanged glances with Joseph and Sony Chepelin before pulling out a scroll map from his pocket and unfolding it.
“This is the smallest of the airships I’ve developed. In the Rhinehardt Empire’s arsenal, there’s a piece five times larger waiting to be deployed.”
“F-five times!?”
Voices of disbelief erupted from all around.
No wonder the airship developed by the Count seemed small. The true airships were likely left in our own country.
“That’s why you need us.”
While Count Petrinant Ludwig and Sony Chepelin were explaining the airship, the always silent Chief of Staff Joseph spoke up.
“Our 8th Assault Mage Paratrooper Battalion will recover the artifact stolen by the Soviev Empire to complete the next-generation aerial weapon that Count Petrinant and Major Chepelin are working on.”
Bingo.
I expected something like this.
Even from the name “Assault,” I vaguely anticipated this kind of operation.
Though I never imagined they’d use airships…
Sony Chepelin said she intended to use the current battalion to reclaim the artifact in some way.
“…Do you all understand?”
Since only I knew this, the officers and non-commissioned officers of the battalion looked bewildered, unsure what to make of it.
8th Assault Mage Paratrooper Battalion…
We have a long road ahead.
*
“Captain Meyer had some idea of what was coming!”
“A rough one. But I didn’t expect them to use airships.”
“Why didn’t you tell us…!”
Bella Meyer stomped her foot. There was no need to ask for a reason. To her, the mission felt like a s*icide mission.
Boarding a huge, strange balloon and infiltrating deep into the Soviev Empire to steal an artifact?
Given that tactical doctrines for airborne operations and assaults haven’t been established yet, it made sense for her to consider it madness.
An army, from the top brass down to the lowest soldier, tends to prefer conservative approaches.
Entering a massive balloon, dropping from the sky to assault enemy fortresses?
Even I, who hadn’t experienced military life firsthand, would have thought it insane.
“Bella, are you very afraid?”
“Isn’t Captain not scared?”
“Well… I’m used to it.”
“What do they teach at officer school?”
Not that it mattered.
Still, as someone with genuine experience in paratrooper training, I had undergone regular jumps.
A stationary airship, even if it moves quickly, would be safer than a transport plane diving at high speed.
“There are some things we do.”
I dismissed it lightly.
Bella Meyer’s life had never been easy. Her mental illness likely stemmed from a horrific past she endured as a child.
But experiencing a terrible past doesn’t mean one can’t enjoy peace.
Okhraine had been peaceful.
For a long time, excessively so.
The Quernen War itself was more akin to a localized conflict than a full-scale war.
In reality, it was labeled a war because forces from the Azoff region landed on the Principality’s territory and occupied parts of the south.
It was too minor in scale and impact to be called a proper war.
That is, except for those in the south and near the border, most had lived in peace for over a century.
Peace must be maintained, but it also clouds judgment.
Given the state of the country, it’s no wonder Bella Meyer didn’t seem unusual.
If told to go fight right away if war broke out in South Korea, how many would readily agree?
I bet less than half.
But now, that won’t do.
War will happen regardless, and I must prepare for the future with the remaining time.
“Once you try it, it’ll be different. The sensation of flying is surprisingly excellent.”
“R-really…?”
Unlike Bella Meyer, who still looked skeptical, the other platoon leaders accepted it calmly.
“An assault? Quite an interesting approach for the Ukranian military.”
“Ohhh!! As expected of Captain Claire!”
Erwin Ruth, the platoon leader, diligently followed suit, checking his equipment carefully. Hilton Callia, another platoon leader, silently donned his gear.
Roxanna and Lumina, belonging to the headquarters staff, were similarly engaged. Roxanna was particularly excited.
“Flying! I never imagined it would be possible in my lifetime!”
“An assault unit… That means we’re elite, right? We must work harder to live up to that expectation!”
“Eh…!”
Seeing her enthusiastic colleagues, Bella Meyer couldn’t remain indifferent.
“If you’re scared, I’ll jump with you. From now on, it’ll be nothing but practice jumps.”
It wasn’t for nothing that Sony Chepelin treated the soldiers to delicious meals.
Starting today, rigorous parachute training began.
After enduring 72 hours of survival training, the order came to board strange weapons and fall from the sky.
The soldiers, no less shocked than Bella Meyer, faced their fates grimly.
“So… Please rely on me.”
“Once you get the hang of it, it gets easier.”
If you can’t avoid it, embrace it.
Moreover, with the existence of the legendary cheat code ‘magic,’ the jump training planned by the battalion commander and chief of staff was nothing compared to real parachute training.
It was just a matter of falling and activating the intermediate wind spell ‘Featherfoot’ at the right moment.
There was no need to endure the terrifying 11-meter model tower training.
Nor was there any need to learn complex parachute operation techniques.
Even if you mastered parachute operations, the risk of severe injury upon landing remained.
“This is going to be easy. If they give out paratrooper badges for this, they’ll be real paratrooper badges.”
This was the first jump training I thought would be easy.
“Jump!”
“Jump jump jump!”
“Alright, Captain Bella, just look straight at me and jump, okay?”
“Yes…! Yesyesyesaaaah–!!”
As soon as they jumped from the airship, their screams were nearly deafening.
“Wait!! Calm down!! Bella!!”
“Gyaaah!! Mom!!”
“Guh…! Uh!!”
Bella Meyer buried her face in my chest. The clear sensation of soft warmth…
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. We were in free fall.
“Bella, Sergeant Bella! I can’t breathe…!! Let go of this first! I can’t see properly to cast spells… Gack!!”
“Ahahahaha!! Captain!!”
“d*mn it…!”
Indeed, everything that had gone smoothly until now was frustratingly problematic.
It was a total mess.
