Side: Yuki
The Holy Kingdom of Enaria.
The Enaria Holy Kingdom is a nation that, for about the past five years, has been fighting over territory with the Jilva Empire. Both countries possess comparable national power and land.
Until five years ago, they were both preoccupied with smaller neighboring states and had an unspoken agreement not to interfere with each other. After all, getting involved would require enormous manpower and resources to deal with a major power.
However, that was a thing of the past.
Both nations eventually concluded their wars against the smaller countries and formally declared war on one another.
And thus the current situation came to be.
However, neither side can afford to commit their full strength. The larger a country grows, the more enemies it attracts. The strong nations that survive the constant warfare face even fiercer battles against other powerful survivors.
Their style of warfare involves forming ranks and battle formations. Unlike the other continent, magic users are rare in the New Continent. They rely heavily on enslaving demi-humans and treating them as disposable troops, which gives them a form of specialized long-range attack capability.
Their primary weapons are swords, spears, and bows. Maces and axes exist but are grouped together as close-combat weapons. They also have siege equipment such as battering rams and catapults.
The most special weapon is the Magic Sword. Though inconveniently usable only by women, it is a trump card that allows them to fire magic spells rapidly while consuming little to no personal mana. Apparently, the enemy side also possessed Magic Sword wielders.
This time, Marley—the supreme commander of the Enaria invasion force—has returned after being summoned back to the homeland. With her return, the invasion army that had temporarily halted its advance will resume operations.
* * *
"That's roughly the background of the war between Jilva and Enaria, along with the basic information regarding their style of combat."
Capping my marker, I lowered it from the whiteboard and turned around to face my audience.
I was currently giving a briefing to my subordinates.
If we were going to participate in the invasion of the Holy Kingdom of Enaria, there was information everyone absolutely needed to know.
This wasn't detailed battlefield intel, but having this kind of foundational knowledge wouldn't hurt
"Any mistakes, corrections, or questions?"
As I asked that, I turned my gaze toward Marly—the commander and wielder of the Wind Magic Sword—and the reinforcement commanders Olive and Mist, wielders of the Fire and Water Magic Swords.
"...No, nothing in particular."
"...Yes, it's exactly as you described."
"However, is it really necessary to teach this to the regular soldiers?"
Only Mist voiced a doubt while looking at the goblins sprawled lazily on the simple chairs in front of her.
"Yeah, Boss. It's the same info as before. That's why I'm sleepy."
When Britt said that, the other goblins nodded in agreement.
While my wives were sitting perfectly upright, listening intently to every single word, these bums were practically melting out of their seats.
You, Britt, in particular—you're one of the oldest, most senior summons I have, right along with Steve... Could they at least pretend to be motivated?
"We're goblins, so that's impossible-ssu. Nah, impossible-ssu."
"You don't have to copy Steve's way of speaking."
After that exchange, I turned back to Mist.
"Well, as Britt just pointed out, this is information they already know. As for your question, Mist, why is it necessary to teach this to ordinary soldiers? Britt, answer that for us. Consider it a wake-up exercise."
"Aye, aye, Boss... First, by giving soldiers an accurate understanding of the situation, you prevent them from hesitating when they hear enemy propaganda or the complaints of civilians during operations."
"Exactly. Ideally, soldiers would simply carry out their tasks mechanically, like machines. But in reality, people have emotions. If they lack information, they'll start thinking for themselves and trying to figure things out. During military operations, that's extremely dangerous—not only for the mission, but for their lives as well. The idea that soldiers should cast aside personal feelings and focus solely on their duties is a fine ideal, but it's difficult to achieve. That's why we explain the background and objectives like this—to prevent panic, encourage mission completion, and avoid unnecessary deaths."
"...Next. Second, repeatedly gathering, reporting, and confirming the same information helps verify whether there are any false reports or hidden issues."
"...Wow, look at you. So you actually understood the core rationale perfectly, yet you still complained about being sleepy? Just as Britt stated, verifying the baseline consistency of our intelligence is the only way to accurately determine if we're falling for an elaborate enemy trap or acting on intentionally leaked misinformation. While the immediate geopolitical theater on this continent is strictly limited to the binary struggle between Jilva and Enaria, we can't completely rule out the possibility that a hidden third-party nation is intentionally provoking this meat grinder to systematically drain the national power of both empires simultaneously."
After all, Roshure and Gartz were manipulated by Rithea, and even the Demon King got involved. It took us a lot of effort to put out those fires. We don't need to do the same thing here in the New Continent, and I'm not exactly governing my own country, but gathering information is never a waste.
"...Third, understanding our own position, avoiding friction with the inhabitants of occupied territories, building friendly relations, and gaining their cooperation so that future operations proceed more smoothly. I believe that's the last major point for now."
"Correct. We'll go into more detail once the actual target is decided."
"Right then, you heard the Boss. Our squad is officially on standby until the primary invasion targets have been finalized. Alright, dismissed! Maintain tight perimeter security, and don't let your guard down!"
"""Okaay~"""
Under Britt's command, the goblins dispersed lazily.
Meanwhile, the generals of the invasion force who had listened to the briefing sat there dumbfounded.
"There is logic to it..."
"Indeed."
"But at our scale..."
For the record, our mercenary unit was stationed separately from the main invasion force.
Aside from Marley's direct subordinates (2,500 troops) and the 1,000 troops led by Olive's group, we were unfamiliar with the rest of the army. This separation was to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The total size of the Enaria invasion force was 25,000. It wasn't nearly enough to conquer the entire Holy Kingdom—its realistic limit was probably seizing a single region. When Marley left previously, she had left command to a capable vice-commander who had followed orders faithfully and maintained the camp. If we acted too arrogantly, the majority of the invasion army who didn't know us would likely react poorly.
Consequently, since we found ourselves with an abundance of free time while waiting for our formal deployment orders, I had decided to run through a quick review session with my units. It was precisely as we were wrapping up that session that Marley and her entourage arrived on the scene.
"Anyway, whether you adopt this approach or not is up to you. More importantly, how was the condition of the army you left behind?"
"Ah, yes. There were no significant problems with the invasion force. I brought along the vice commander who guarded the army in my absence—the counterpart to my Jessica. Come in."
"Yes, ma'am."
Another female knight entered the tent we were borrowing.
Seriously?
Marley and Olive were one thing, but why were all these vice commanders women?
"I understand your thoughts. However, the military is one of the few places where women can serve under normal conditions when attached to a Magic Sword wielder."
"Ah, so that's the reason."
"Yes. Just because Magic Swords can only be used by women doesn't mean women as a whole are better at fighting than men. Men are still more in demand for heavy labor. That's why units led by Magic Sword users tend to have more female soldiers."
'A workplace where women can thrive.'
—Military Public Relations Department
Something like that.
"My apologies for interrupting. I am Hivia, formerly a colleague of Jessica's."
Hivia stood beside Marley and bowed.
She had light blue hair—even lighter than Rurua's, almost ice-white with a faint blue tint—and a well-featured face. Her eyes were gentle drooping eyes that softened her otherwise strict military image, and they were the same color as her hair. Her chest was smaller than Jessica's but larger than Marley's, putting her in the "big" category.
The unfortunate part was her height: Marley > Jessica > Hivia.
She gave off the same youthful impression as young Derieu. Since she served as Marley's vice-commander, I wondered if she was more of an assassin type.
"Now, before the explanation, allow me to greet you properly—"
Without warning, she threw a small knife toward me.
"Whoa there. Could you not throw dangerous things at Yuki-san?"
Riel caught it effortlessly.
"Hmm. Your fighting style suits your physique, but you've still got a lot to learn. I'll teach you sometime."
While Riel was speaking, the knife had already vanished from her hand.
"Eh!?"
The next moment, it was back in Hivia's possession—stuck into her own clothes. Riel had returned it with precise control, carefully avoiding the hem of her skirt.
"S-Sorry! Hivia was simply carrying out her duties as my vice commander..."
Marley hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Don't sweat it. Riel wasn't being serious either."
"Yep. There was barely any killing intent behind it. Barely."
"…I apologize for my rudeness. It seems you truly defeated Marley-sama, Olive-sama, and Mist-sama. It was a shallow act. I offer my sincere apologies. However, Jessica—right now he is your superior. Shouldn't you have moved first?"
After apologizing to us, Hivia turned to scold Jessica, who was standing beside me.
"That's true, but Hivia wouldn't have been satisfied otherwise. Besides, there's no way Yuki would get hurt by something like that, and there are others here. I only move as a last resort. I'm the weakest one here, after all."
"I truly sympathize with your new workplace."
"Would you like to switch places?"
"I respectfully decline."
After the light exchange between colleagues, Hivia stepped in front of the whiteboard.
"I was observing from outside earlier. This board seems very easy to write on and erase. May I use it for my explanation?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
I sat down where the goblins had been sitting. My wives followed suit, and then Marley's group as well.
"Then allow me to explain the current situation of the invasion force targeting the Holy Kingdom of Enaria, as well as our intended objectives."
Now then.
Let's hope the invasion objectives are the kind that don't require our involvement.
I hate troublesome work.
Note: Illustration From Game Version.
