Night Knight.

From the recent operational deployments of the Third Army Group, it was evident that the Imperial General Staff of Dazilet had certainly learned of the Northern Alliance's plan to launch a joint offensive. Several divisions had already been stationed in advance along the eastern edge of the Lubina occupation zone, where it bordered the Kingdom of Skolavo, to prevent Skolavo's forces from striking into the rear of the Third Army Group. The few assault artillery battalions available were also pulled from the northern front to reinforce the east, and even the northern offensive's momentum had slowed as a result—clear proof of the General Staff's concern over Skolavo.

On the day the Northern Alliance declared war, these divisions deployed on the flank immediately advanced eastward as planned. However, Skolavo's forces had long been prepared: their active-duty troops were already positioned along the border before the declaration of war. As such, the Third Army Group's eastern offensive failed to breach their defenses. Upon receiving the news, the General Staff ordered the attack to halt, instructing them to wait until the "Mozik" Army Group—tasked with striking the Kingdoms of Skolavo and Biskuhn—began its own offensive, at which point they would join in at the opportune moment. Until then, their mission remained to ensure that the rear of the Third Army Group would not be broken by Skolavo's forces.

To the east, on the island nation of the Savancha Empire, naval forces were also being mobilized at Dazilet's instigation—both to guard against the Church's possible southward advance through the eastern seas and to exert maritime pressure on the Kingdom of Biskuhn. This maneuver would form an encirclement, enclosing the Luvina Empire, the Kingdom of Skolavo, and the Kingdom of Biskuhn. Meanwhile, to the northwest, the Holy State of Davole also entered the war, sending troops southward to attack immediately after its formal declaration. It had been nearly eighty years since Dazilet last clashed with the armies of Davole, and in the early stages, their unpredictable and uncanny sorceries inflicted considerable losses on Dazilet's border defenses—a far cry from the days when Davole's forces relied solely on cold steel and infantry phalanxes.

However, the situation began to improve once the Fourth Army Group reached the front in stages. Under the cover of heavy-caliber artillery and a complex trench network, the defensive line stabilized. The greatest credit, however, went to the brand-new atmospheric battleship Rendstein.

Finally, there was the suzerain of the Holy State of Davole—the Holy Church itself, the true chess player capable of deciding the war's outcome. Even before the Northern Alliance declared war, the Church had been secretly aiding the Luvina Empire. The elusive judgment cells operating behind the Third Army Group's lines caused considerable trouble, much as Dazilet's own Night Knights had done to Luvina. According to reports from the General Staff, these judgment cells possessed some form of teleportation magic—capable of sending up to two hundred troops to any location within a five-hundred-kilometer radius of the spell's casting point. As a result, the Third Army Group could only react passively to their raids. The limited number of Night Knights had to be withdrawn from the front and redeployed to guard strategic locations such as transportation hubs, supply depots, and command posts against sudden incursions.

The only real countermeasure was to destroy the teleportation arrays—and the fastest way to achieve that, aside from sending in flesh-and-blood infantry, was to deploy the long-reserved Heidrig atmospheric battleship. The generals of the General Staff were well aware of the immense power of such a weapon: a 1.5-kilometer-long vessel bristling with artillery of every caliber, capable of unleashing an unparalleled torrent of fire, moving through the air to bypass obstacles with ease, and protected by alloy armor averaging over four hundred millimeters in thickness across its hull—making it effectively invulnerable on the battlefield. No aircraft or anti-air gun could harm it.

It was precisely because they understood its power that they had resisted committing it to action. After all, if a single atmospheric battleship could end the war, what use was the General Staff? Perhaps even the army itself would no longer need to be maintained at such massive strength.

Parotno himself wished for a steady resolution to the conflict at minimal cost, which would allow him to claim the great achievement of "uniting the southern continent." Such a feat would silence those who questioned the legitimacy of his succession, and the people would rally to his side in the glow of postwar victory. Even so, he still had to consider the stance of the General Staff. With only himself, the Night Knights, and two atmospheric battleships, conquest might be possible—but ruling the south would not. Furthermore, in the sixty years since these Conquest Era–designed weapons had been completed, only two had been built. Most of that time had been spent constructing production lines and coordinating resources, and the Academy of Sciences had stated that even at full effort, it would take ten years to build just one. If Parotno insisted on using an atmospheric battleship against the generals' wishes, and they collectively resigned in protest, he would be in serious trouble—he needed the army not just to fight, but to defend the legitimacy of his reign.

The long-missing imperial princess remained a thorn in his side, and the Archsage's ambiguous stance only deepened his unease. The only way to win over the war-hungry generals was to lead them into the conflict they most desired. And yet, the war could not end too quickly—lest the generals be left idle once more. Parotno had no intention of going to war with the Holy Church.

...

"Sennia, you've come..."

Inside the camp of the Night Knights' Eleventh Company, Company Commander Andrea and the four platoon leaders were already gathered inside the tent. Edwin and Nordhausen had also been granted permission to attend. Everyone was waiting for one person—and as promised, she arrived, accompanied by a cold-faced personal guard.

"Thank you for waiting, everyone."

Hielaina strode quickly to the long table and sat in the empty seat beside Nordhausen. Shatiel remained outside the tent, standing watch.

Upon returning to camp that day, Hielaina had revealed her true identity to the company commanders. Like Otto and Nordhausen, Andrea had already known, though it had taken the other three platoon leaders quite some time to accept the fact. They had all pledged their allegiance to Hielaina in accordance with the rites of imperial succession, and Hielaina, in turn, needed time to grow familiar with these comrades who would fight alongside her in the future.

For reasons of discretion, the imperial princess and the commanders sat on opposite sides of the table, with Andrea, as company commander, in the center—making it look like a standard operational meeting. Although this was inside the army group's headquarters and any interruption would be inconvenient, there would still be time to react if someone approached. Even so, Hielaina privately wondered if Nordhausen was being overly cautious. But since he insisted on treating the princess's safety with utmost care, the others agreed, and Hielaina chose not to press the issue.

"Let's begin the meeting."

Andrea picked up a document folder, opened it, and removed the papers inside.

"An order from the General Staff. They want us to reach Tarang within five days and come under the command of the Fourth Army Group."

He spread the papers out on the table. Along with the brief order bearing the two-headed dragon emblem, there was a marked map and a transportation itinerary.

"Transferred to the Fourth Army Group?"

Rogm stroked his large beard, the deep creases in his brow like the weathered ravines of a mountain range. He was not alone in his puzzlement; the others also seemed uncertain about the order.

"We've settled well into the Third Army Group and know this front like the back of our hand—why move us over there?"

Given the unit's current unique circumstances, such doubts were entirely reasonable.

"Has the usurper caught wind of us already?"

Nemilic spoke up, voicing his suspicion.

"Even if they have, what good would moving us there do?"

Trenchap immediately countered, then added:

"I think this is just a routine transfer order. Now that full-scale war has broken out, the complexity of the battlefield has increased sharply. Such redeployments aren't unusual."

"I agree with Trenchap," Nordhausen said with a nod. Though only a squad leader, his experience commanded the respect of everyone present.

"So, how should we proceed?"

Andrea finally turned the question to Hielaina—after all, she was the one who had the final say.

"We go to Tarang as ordered."