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20th RECORD
New Blood for Rhine
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Second Lieutenant Alberich Beislchmidt,
we hereby bestow you the rank of First Lieutenant with your merit in Rhine front-

He folded the letter back neatly and placed it inside the envelope, before slamming his head on the table. Ignoring Ludwig's protest about not taking care of his brilliant head, because Alberich was not feeling brilliant tonight.

Alberich already had a bad feeling when Schwarzkopf passed him a letter and told him to not worry too much about leading a squadron. "It doesn't mean everything is okay just because I am a First Lieutenant now!" His time of service was still too short for the promotion! Also- getting promoted with his merit of inventing new doctrine was obviously a made up reason to justify it!

So what if he was First Lieutenant? The only benefit was his pay raise, and that meant nothing when he was stuck in the front line. Other than that however… This promotion came with the baggage of leading a squadron and experimenting the new stealth assault tactic on squadron level! He even got green horns as members!

Alberich missed the sweet privacy he took for granted in his past life, in their barrack there was barely a place to be alone and he couldn't give in to the urge to roll on the floor and scream at the top of his lungs to relieve his frustration.

"Beilschmidt is so touched by his promotion, then again it was the matter of course that Rhine Theater and Central acknowledge his merit!" Ludwig beamed, "He was even trembling with delight."

"...Young Master Sullivan, your overly positive thinking when it comes to Beilschmidt is getting worse." Wolfgang on the other hand was more observant, he could tell Alberich was not happy with his promotion. "Beilschmidt, we would be there with you so cheer up okay?"

"I will turn in early for tonight." Alberich told them, the only solace left in this tent was sleep.

Ludwig and Wolfgang looked at their youngest comrade, who flopped to his bed like a log before rolling the blanket over him childishly. "So he is not happy?" Ludwig wondered in a low voice so as to not disturb Alberich.

Wolfgang heaved a sigh, "Young Master Sullivan… as a Squadron Commander, Beilschmidt will be directly responsible for more life under him not just us."

He wasn't very informed of what the upper brass want from Alberich but he had seen First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf apologetically made the boy write a detailed report on Stealth Assault tactic on top of his already tight schedule as a mage.

Their army was in condition where they would even borrow the cat's paw. They most likely saddled Alberich with something heavy again. One of these days Wolfgang was afraid the weight of medals on his chest would drag him down further to this bloody war.

A few days later…

At last the day of Tanya's arrival to Rhine, but Alberich had a problem to solve. In war, there was no time to assess new recruits' skill. This had proven to be the undoing of most rookies, who was sent to Rhine and ended up as cannon fodder because they couldn't keep up with the more veteran soldiers.

Alberich looked at the files on the new recruit and lamented about how useless it was to assess capability of the rookies just from paper. 'All of them were in the top ten of their class and their grades are stellar but-' Imagining himself who was fresh from cadet school coming to Rhine, Alberich had no confidence these teenagers would do much better. 'It's not like I am that motivated to produce first class flight mage out of them, but I want them to survive for more than a few weeks at least.'

First of all his conscience won't be able to take that kind of damage if they died as fertilizer for Rhine's soil, and there was no telling what his superiors would do if this batch didn't work out. Good if they will just reprimanded him, decide he was not a leader material and send him back under Schwarzkopf. However- if they decided the sacrifice is worth it, would they send another batch of fresh graduates?

'No-no-no, don't think of what if after.' He was overthinking the useless prospect of the future again, Tanya would whack him upside his head if she knew. 'But if not thinking now, WHEN?!'

"So today we will have a full squadron at last!" Ludwig beamed.

Alberich was envious, how could he be so enthusiastic all the time. It was as if the depressed Ludwig from the day of his return was just Alberich's delusion.

"What are you frowning at, Sir?" Asked Hagen, one of the senior members of 206th Squadron and also his second in command.

"I am concerned about the rookies." There was no use hiding it. "Becoming part of the Rapid Response Unit right of the bat after cadet school…"

Hagen frowned at Alberich, he always felt the young mage was quite capable but also too softhearted. "Sir, there's no way around it… they're trained to protect the Empire. If they're not up to par, we can't help them beyond coaching them as much as we can."

Alberich shook his head, "I have no intention to accommodate them beyond what is required of a squadron commander, but I'd like to have a clearer picture of their capabilities before we throw them to the line of fire." He cupped his chin thoughtfully, "At the very least I want them to survive long enough to produce results. It's just too sad if they come this far only to add up the towering pile of bodies in Rhine."

"Commander… you're so kind." They said, looking at Alberich with warm eyes.

Alberich felt gloomy, 'Why are you feeling touched for? I just don't want the rookies to die too soon.' it was also bad to his already strained conscience.

"Then how if we conduct a small exercise to test them?" Suggested Strauss, the wingman of Hagen.

"We don't have the time, we're part of QRF." Ludwig protested. "Sometimes we don't even get to sleep."

Wolfgang approached Alberich, "How about requesting a simpler mission so we can assess the rookies safely?" He suggested.

Alberich considered the idea, "That would be more convenient but-"

"Aren't we overqualified for such a mission?" All of them were veterans, it would be a waste of resources.

"With new members in mind, there should be no problem." Alberich didn't want to throw his weight as national hero around, but it won't be an unreasonable request if he explained properly.

"Right."

Rhine HQ

She had not even put her luggage down and she was sent airborne to deal with Republican Mages. Well, she got another medal that made her uniform heavier. This was the fiercest battlefield, but she had no complaint working with Alberich. It meant she had an almost free reign in this unit, and Alberich had a healthy amount of survival instinct unlike some patriotic idiots in their glorious army. Well, as long as she was close enough to yank his collar because the boy sometimes got carried away with mood.

"Welcome to underworld, Tanya." Alberich greeted her with a very theatric line that didn't match the tone and expression he wore. It wasn't so out of character for soldiers of the Imperial army that still romanticize war and use theatric to fan patriotic flame, but Alberich was obviously being a sarcastic little shit. For soldiers who belong to this era, it was roughly translated as 'You have come to the harshest battlefield, prepare to lay down your life for your country.' but in Alberich's and her connotation, 'You're in the shittiest work environment of war, your human right is stripped away and rewarded with salary and medals that worth crap in comparison.'

Tanya sweat-dropped, "Aaah, I see that the gloomy sky of Rhine does…" She trailed off. " A wonder to your mood."

"I have never felt better." Alberich beamed, his mouth was smiling but his eyes were cold.

She averted her eyes from Alberich to see the duo Ludwig-Wolfgang standing in diagonal behind him. "Well, it seems you are alive and kicking. Second Lieutenant Ludwig and Second Lieutenant Wolfgang, I have feared I won't see my other classmates." Which was very possible because the idiotic Ludwig didn't withdraw from Imperial army with so many people resenting his grandfather, Tanya included. Not that Tanya will take it out on the idiot.

"Of course! Under the leadership of First Lieutenant Beilschmidt, I have full faith we will survive until the Empire reaches absolute victory over our intruders!" Still- the idiot shouldn't be this cheery, did he want someone to shoot him for smiling too much?

Wolfgang looked pained as he listened to Ludwig's rant, while Alberich had an impassive face as if he was deaf to what the blond just said. Tanya knew Ludwig always respected Alberich in spite of his physical age, but this was the first time Tanya saw the guy in awe of Alberich. Also-

"First Lieutenant?!" Tanya knew she was shrieking, or rather she didn't but her little girl's voice made it sound like she did!

More clouds of gloom descended upon Alberich, "I am your Squadron Commander from now on, so let's get down to business right away."

It was saying something Tanya could hear how 'so done' Alberich sounded and followed her fellow reincarnated poor souls to the meeting room. Which had been occupied by other officers, one of it was a ginger haired First Lieutenant named Schwarzkopf. He was a veteran and from medals in his uniform, he was a very accomplished mage. First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf was also the former commander of Alberich.

Tanya felt slight ire at the skeptical look the man shot her and how his eyes wandered from Alberich to her back and forth not so subtly. Obviously the man was comparing them, and Tanya couldn't blame him. Unlike Alberich, the feat that earn her the Silver Wing was an individual accomplishment. Alberich in the other hand was leading a flight already, so the skepticism was understandable.

It didn't make it any less annoying however.

Alberich tapped the pointer stick to the map spread on the billiard table, and because of his petite stature he had to stand on a chair and bend forward to reach specific spot to point. He seriously missed a laser pointer at the time like this, and even though magic can replicate it wasting mana for mundane purpose would get him in trouble.

"With the current situation in mind, we will switch to mobile defense strategy to buy time."

All things considered, Western Theater had been doing their very best to defend Rhine from Republican Army. However a full might of a Great Power wasn't easy to suppress and now they had to switch to mobile defense from simple delaying operation.

"The effort of mustering our main army didn't go as well as we hoped it seems." Tanya commented dryly.

So true, like he discussed previously with First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf, plan 315 was logical but not practical even with the extensive railway route the Empire had built. Like Tanya taught him, moving a large number of human resources and logistics wasn't a simple affair, you always had to expect countless delays ranging from exhaustion, insufficient supply, accident, etc.

"Well, back to the board…" The first lieutenant turned to the billiard table and tapped the top with his cue. "Within the mobile defence formation, our 205th and 206th Assault Mage Squadron has been selected to be part of the QRF."

In the end, the performance of First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf's squadron during the initial stages of enemy assault as well as their overall level of training had resulted in them being selected for the role of the Quick Reaction Force; along with Alberich's ragtag squadron that formed afterward. Their role was to rush to reinforce places that needed assistance.

"We are the axis behind counter attacks. As a comrade with this heavy responsibility, I look forward to your performance." Said Schwarzkopf.

How typical, it was partly Alberich's fault for making himself too useful so he had to do a lot of heavy lifting. "Thank you for your trust, First Lieutenant. I will do my best to protect the Fatherland."

As always, a perfect answer from a model soldier. "Alright, any questions?"

"Yes, Sir. Will we be based within the defence line? Or behind the defense line?"

Tanya looked hopeful, most would call her eager but Alberich knew better. "It's the frontlines, of course." He answered promptly, beaming at Tanya who hilariously still expected they would be lounging around in the rear. With that medal and topped by the so called masterpiece orb, Tanya should be smart enough to know they weren't going anywhere but straight towards hail of bullets.

"It's my honour." Tanya's smile was strained, which served her right for being so optimistic.

Tanya still had a very hopeful look when Alberich passed her the list of new members. All traces of expectation evaporated from her face three seconds later, which was the same one he wore when Schwarzkopf gave the same list for him to inspect. Tanya shot her a silent demand, inquiring if the upper brass had gone crazy. "Sir, these mages are…"

Alberich just crossed his arms, "Yes, they're fresh rookies. You might as well consider them untrained recruits." Or to be precise somewhat trained in their accelerated cadet course.

"Sir, I am sure you are well aware of my capabilities. You will utilize me the best as a solo fighter than pair me with a rookie of this level." Basically Tanya was telling them that they were wasting her potential.

The red haired reaper inwardly agreed, but his words denied the other child soldier. "It just has to be done according to the upper brass' wish." There- Tanya halted whatever protest she had ready in her lips. Frankly, as Tanya said it was a waste of resources if their purpose was just to pile more enemy corpses. "You can do it, can you not?" Since their superiors ordered it to be done.

She nodded, her expression resigned but he was sure Tanya was still unhappy and he would ask questions once they had their privacy. "Give me an order to do so Sir, and I will get it done."

Another model soldier's answer, he could almost imagine officers standing behind him were wearing satisfied expressions with how well behaved Tanya was.

As soon they were out of sight and earshot, Tanya directed her glare at her premium meat shield. "They made us babysit rookies."

"I am well aware of the irony." Alberich had the gall to roll his eyes, she was right Rhine had done wonder to his mood as well as his attitude. "But what our superiors ask, that's what we do… you know better than anyone else how it works." Tanya was the first who taught Alberich this, even before their drill sergeant whipped it into him.

Tanya narrowed her eyes, "There's something more to this ridiculous arrangement, and why did they make you lead a squadron?" Promotion was to be envied, but Tanya could smell the stink of conspiracy from this arrangement.

"I will explain later, but for now-"

"SIR! First Lieutenant Beilschmidt, you're asked for an emergency mission, Sir!" Came the voice from behind them.

Alberich tilted his head up, and rolled his eyes so hard it might roll off of his eye socket. "I will be there." And dismiss the frantic corporal before he turned to Tanya. "Duty calls, so I will leave the new flight to you."

"Huuuuuh?!" Now that no one was within earshot Tanya could voice her displeasure as she pleased. "Al…" She hissed.

"You will be sent for a standby mission, see how the rookies react to the real battlefield and assess how good their skill is." Alberich told her.

Basically he wanted her to take them for a walk in trenches in fine weather or fine, cloudy with a shower of bullet and artillery. Just wonderful! "You mean how bad they are?" She corrected him.

"What the difference? I have an appointment with Republican gentlemen who wants my head on a stick, no need to be so eager to see them so go accompany the kids."

She contemplated the information for a moment, before exhaling a long sigh. "Fine."

Abandoned cafe (Temporary Frontline HQ)

A cafe with a bar at night was always a bustling place in the Empire, full of men quenching thirst after a hard day at work with mead or single men looking for company at night or even for the rest of their life. They could almost smell the lingering scent of alcohol and tobacco, giving a nostalgic scent of life. Followed by emptiness after the place was abandoned, tinted by the scent of blood and gunpowder from war in the horizon of western border of the Empire.

Of course, it was just hallucinatory in her part. They had been sent to the frontline to defend their homeland, but they were too far behind the line to wax poetry about war. Only if they were pelted by bullets and shells, they passed the trial of fire and iron. Not that Erya wanted it to happen anytime soon, even though a conscript like her had been indoctrinated to protect Fatherland for her family, she wasn't as eager as volunteers for some action.

"They're making us wait for too long." Impatient voice snapped her out of her musing.

Erya rolled her eyes at her classmate, Kurst von Walhorf as his name implied was a noble. A junker to be exact, one of many low rank noble families whose status depend on their contribution as soldiers of fatherland. Kurst' family wasn't of a main line so they held no land nor peerage in their name, but the boy was as proud as one all the same. Aside from that, Erya couldn't see how Kurst was nobler than herself. The teen was a hot head, patriotic but also short tempered and impulsive.

In Erya's amateur opinion, the blond mage wasn't the ideal soldier he thought he was. 'Also, he is overly eager for action.'

"It's been an hour." Another chimed in, "Will our commander really come today?"

"They'd better be." Kurst murmured, "As soldiers of the Empire we shouldn't waste each other's time prostinating like this."

"Yeah, I agree with you Kurst."

And here was the Kurst's follower, Harald von Vist who came from similar background. He was apparently Kurst's childhood friend, but in Erya's opinion it wasn't an equal friendship like one she and Visha shared. The stout teen seems unable to made up his own mind or to see things his own way, he was always told what to do by Kurst and agreeing with whatever the other teen said. Frankly, he got on Erya's nerve even more than the high and mighty Kurst.

"Oh, pipe down boys…" She told them.

Visha shushed her, most likely afraid she was picking a fight with Kurst and Harald. "Erya!"

"What if First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf catch you complaining about the wait? We're soldiers, so shut up and obey our orders." Erya had no patience to deal with his bratty complaint.

"Ck." Kurst clicked his tongue at her, "I know, you don't have to tell me!"

Visha looked relieved Kurst was calming down. "Sure." Seriously, waiting was hardly the worst thing their superior could ask from them. The order could come dressed up prettily in patriotic speech, but basically asking them to lay down their life as a meat shield.

They waited for another half an hour, and they got even more anxious. As if sensing their impatience the door opened to reveal First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf. Who Erya had assumed was their squadron commander and her intel was wrong. However she was right as always about being part of a squadron led by a national hero.

"His service was requested in the battlefield for an emergency reason."

Apparently being a dashing hero he is, their squadron commander had flown off to thefrontline without them to save comrades in peril.

'That's not a good sign for our survival rate.' While it was a well known fact that Mage was the best in assisting operations of other branches of the military and were pulled around as a result, it would be triple if not quadruple worse for them who were led by a national hero. This 206th Squadron was even sent without full three flights, the urgency of their mission couldn't even wait for the rookies who just came from Central.

Erya supposed Kurst couldn't complain now, because their commander wasn't prostinating to test their patience. Heck, Erya doubted they would have idle time in this squadron. They would be told to work harder than the draft horse back at her family farm.

"I will introduce your flight commander in 206th Squadron, I am sure you have heard of her reputation. Come in… Second Lieutenant."

That was their first meeting with the cold and noble Argent, and merely by walking in Erya couldn't remember if anyone had ever left such a strong first impression to her before.

"I am Mage Second Lieutenant , Tanya Degurechaff. Nice to meet you comrades in arms." She said with a salute.

Her skin was as fair as snow, unhealthy complexion offset by her sharp icy blue eyes as they couldn't imagine she was a sickly child. Her hair was the color of wheat but the cloudy sky of Rhine cast a hint of grey that gave the little girl a vampiric image instead of fairy like she could be. Tanya Degurechaff was a girl Erya couldn't pinpoint how old she was exactly, height and appearance wise… she was perhaps around seven years old. However the air she had around her made Erya could only imagine a war hardened veteran.

Second Lieutenant Degurechaff was a child, but she looked like she was born to wear their uniform more than anyone else in the room. Erya suddenly found herself feeling like a village girl being worn by the fancy army uniform again. 'But still…' Their national hero, Argent was…

'Such a beautiful girl!' Erya couldn't help but thought as she looked unabashedly at Second Lieutenant's doll-like face, what a shame she was a soldier. 'She is a sight for sore eyes…'

"Hm?"

That pair of predatory eyes turned to them, and Erya wondered if Second Lieutenant Degurechaff noticed her stare. Beautiful or not being looked at appraisingly by this girl made Erya's scalp tingle for some reason. Erya didn't like how this girl looked at them. 'I feel like a frog stared at by a snake.' Or pig on butcher day being inspected of how many pounds of meat she would worth.

"Introduce yourself." She ordered curtly. "Give me your name, rank and unit."

She was about to open her mouth when Kurst's voice echoed in the room. "I am Corporal Kurst von Walhorf from Idal-stein C Wing, 1st Squadron!"

"I am Corporal Harald von Vist, also from Idal-stein C Wing, 1st Squadron!"

Erya regretted being beaten to the punch by their volunteer classmates. She wasn't ashamed she was a conscript that dragged by their ears to serve Fatherland, but telling their superiors that she and Visha were not here by choice after the noble duo was awkward. Visha thought her skin was thick enough to laugh it off. Erya couldn't blame Visha for thinking so because she was the one who boasted that they should held their head high even as conscript.

'Easier said than done.' She had talked big and now she just had to go through it. ""I am Corporal Victoriya Ivanovna Serebyakov from Idastein D Wing, 3rd Squadron!" Unexpectedly VIsha went first.

How could Erya cower now, so she held her head high and introduced herself. "I am Corporal Erya Arnim, Idal-stein, also from D Wing, 3rd Squadron!"

Judging from Second Lieutenant Degurechaff's age, she was undoubtedly a patriotic volunteer. From her experience in joined magic combat class, their instructors were biased against volunteers. It was to be expected for them to favor their fellow volunteers instead of conscripts. In her mind Erya ran through strategies to get on their superior's good side, the same thing she did in Cadet School.

She was so engrossed with her plot, the red head almost missed the encouraging pat on her arm and Visha's. "My deepest respect for fulfilling your duty, Corporal Serebyakov and Corporal Arnim." Did she just say, respect and not disappointment? "The battlefield will be harsh, but do your best to survive."

Erya could feel her cheeks and Visha's were reddening, relief and joy because they met a superior that doesn't look down on them for being volunteers.

Her encouraging words sounded sincere in spite of the stern tone, and Erya was surprised when Second Lieutenant Degurechaff turned to Kurst and Harald with admonishment instead. "As for you two who volunteer to be here, please don't die after us."

She meant by us were… the three of them?! Why?! Judging from Visha's wide eyes, she was as astonished as Erya.

"It's one thing if you're here because of obligation, but since you enlisted yourself to be an Imperial Soldier- I expect you to make yourself useful to justify donning our uniform." She pointed at their green forest uniform, pinning them with her chilling stare.

The childish voice was even and stern, speaking the same tone she used to encourage them as if she didn't treat the other two differently. The little girl was nothing like their drill inspector, and Erya wondered if a veteran mage that was baptized in blood and iron was all like Argent. Or Tanya Degurechaff was a completely different species of soldier.

"If you lag behind your duties, that's just straight evil for our glorious army. You have two choices, prove yourself worthy or die."

Second Lieutenant Degurechaff's words were harsh, like a knife for proud volunteers like Kurst and Harald. She sounded like she was giving preferential treatment to conscripted mage like her and Visha, but Erya knew that wasn't the case.

She was fair. Under that speech veiled by tongue lashing, Erya could find no bias but naked truth. Being a volunteer, they were demanded to perform better than conscript. To the like minded officers who volunteer to serve the country, Kurst and Harald have a head start to get their recommendation. As a conscript she knew it was her fate to be led by volunteers who get a higher chance to be commander, and there was nothing more unfortunate than being led by incompetents.

Kurst looked like he wanted to retort but thankfully he reigned his temper, First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf was still in the room. Erya didn't miss the warning glare he shot them when they were told to wait, which followed by an advice to act like a proper imperial soldier instead of rowdy cadets. She had a feeling the veteran mage don't want them to make trouble for their young commander.

"That's all." Having said everything she deemed necessary the Argent turned to the older Mage.

"Very well, Second Lieutenant Degurechaff." Obviously the other mage understood what the speech was about, and Erya wondered if the clueless duo holding back their temper by her side had just failed some sort of test.

He cleared his throat, "As you have been informed, your squadron commander is unavailable." First Lieutenant Schwarzkopf turned to the youngest mage in the room. "However, you have been assigned on a standby mission."

Huh?

"Basically." The child soldier drew on, "Our squadron commander wants us to take a walk as a bonding exercise."

Wait-

"You know our Paladin well, Second Lieutenant Degurechaff."

What?!

"It's a product of familiarity, Sir."

Rhine Border, Defense Line 3

Mage was the most mobile force in Imperial Army, with maneuverability that surpass airplane and agility that would make them unrealistic target for infantry and artillery. It was without a doubt Mage Corps had the highest survival rate. However, this advantage was all theoretical. Mage was still human being. Unlike planes that run on fuel, Mages run on limited mana in their body.

So it wasn't a rare occurrence to miscalculate mana capacity and stuck in the front line while fighting. Which would be worse if they were fighting against fellow mage, so the fight would be in even ground. Usually whoever was further from ground and air reinforcement would lose. Such was the predicament 302nd Squadron face, a newbie squadron got stuck with unpleasant mission and encounter enemies and outmatched. Following the basic doctrine of mage battle, they should regroup and retreat because they weren't in condition for anti-mage combat.

Hence, they requested reinforcement. So Alberich with 206th rushed to their rescue in hope their comrade won't be completely wiped out by the time they arrived.

They had covered a good distance from HQ and Ludwig's nerve was getting worse due to certain loli mage left behind in HQ. "Degurechaff would be pissed you made her babysit the rookies first thing at the moment of her arrival!" Shouted Ludwig to their squadron commander.

Alberich could only sigh as he imagined what kind of face she would make at him for this. Indeed, Tanya won't be happy to be saddled with such a troublesome job. However there was nothing he could do as 205th Squadron was still exhausted after their previous mission that ran longer than expected and his 206th was the remaining squadron that had rested well for a mission.

"It's just a standby mission in trenches…"

The rookies would fight against infantry mostly, as long as they didn't lose their head and stay vigilant there would be little that could kill them on the ground. There's periodic shelling from artillery but a mage shell could take care of that. This was all in conjunction with the assumption that they had proper training, but if they don't, the rookies won't survive in QRF anyway. Also it was a bonus if they died before he knew them long enough to feel responsible for their lives.

"There's no specific mission objective to accomplish, as long as they survive by the end of the day it would be enough." Basically kill whatever comes your way and make sure you're still in one piece when he sees them later.

Hagen, the leader of the second flight chimed in. "Well, a rookie's job in the front line is surviving long enough and growing to be a good enough mage to fight for our country."

"Everyone gets their turn to be the rookies that drag everyone down." Another member of the second flight, Reger said.

They were the survivors of the original 206th squadron led by First Lieutenant Hess. Much to Alberich's relief, they accepted him as their leader without protest. This was already an unwanted promotion, and while nobody said it they should know being placed in an experimental squadron was almost a death sentence. With this risk in mind, he'd rather not deal with being an unwanted leader on top of it.

"Unfortunately for us, this is the front line… Most rookies aren't so lucky to get tutoring from seniors under the hail of shells and spells." There was no mirth in Second Lieutenant Hagen's voice.

Indeed, these newbies weren't so lucky to have the cloudy but blood free sky of Rhine as their training ground. "Well then, we're already within shooting range of our enemies." It seemed they made it in time, their comrades were still alive. Mostly- He wasn't sure if their limbs were still intact or if they would make it to the medic tent.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sir."

Wolfgang cocked his head to the side, one hand covering his ears as he listened to a radio wave reading his orb. "Their communication wave is spiking, they noticed our presence already." Or rather…

Alberich was ticked at the stare his squadron discreetly sent his way. Most of the time Republican Mage didn't care about the rest of his squad, just him. "It would be troublesome if they call for reinforcement." Republican were experts in teamwork. "Deploy interference spell! We have to isolate them!"

If there was anything new they learned about Alberich since they were placed under his command, it was his unfailing belief to spare no effort in disorganizing enemy mage beyond repair. Look at them, trying and failing to contact their CP. It would be a brief disconnection, but that short moment was enough to increase panic when pelted by bullets from enemy reinforcement.

Cut off from their command post, thrown to disarray by decoys and spells, and the enemy would bare their neck and be decapitated. It was a fatal weakness for Republican Mages that rely heavily on teamwork. It would be troublesome if Republican came up with a way to deal with their tactic, while it wasn't possible to keep intel secret forever in war they had to.

Order from above said, they would even eat loses just to ensure complete annihilation of enemy mages. Alberich could only obey. "Leave no survivor."

All that was left was swooping in and granting them death.

Rhine Defense Line 3

Second Lieutenant Degurechaff sounded quite… kind when she gave them encouragement, but now she knew better it was just an illusion. After the briefing, the next thing Erya knew was running with Visha to get their battle gears and put their coat on. The rookies weren't given a chance to digest they were already given a mission, even if their squadron commander and the rest of the squadron were in who knows where in the cloudy sky of Rhine. There was no amount of planning and practice preparing Erya and her fellow rookies of what was waiting for them in the real battlefield.

Also, she and Visha strongly disagree with what constituted as a walk by the Argent. Sure, they were walking on dug out paths but getting a bullet and shell shower periodically from Republican side wasn't the ideal weather for leisure walk.

"Get moving! Even in trenches, a direct hit can still kill you!" Barked Second Lieutenant Degurechaff.

And their senior said it, one hit you're dead. They weren't experienced enough to deploy an active shell, not in this kind of environment where enemies can pop up anytime.

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea for their child commander to startle them with the prospect of death, as she and Visha tripped over nothing and collapsed together against the trench wall. Visha had her cheeks smeared red while Erya had her front splashing something wet, sticky and warm. It took awhile for the two female mage to realize the coppery scent that hit their nostril, and the disgusting warmth on their skin.

They regretted looking up, as a still bleeding torso with intestines hanging like ribbon from the torn gut appeared before their eyes. "AAAAAAAAH!"

"Kyaaaa!"

"NOoooo!"

They couldn't even tell who was screaming what as they clung to each other in fright, tears streaming down their face at the gory scenery.

Her calm voice cut through their hysteric one. "Hush, you two! How disgraceful." As if they just let out an unladylike snort instead of screaming their heads off from witnessing the macabre scene.

The disgraceful comment alerted Erya of her shameful appearance, she couldn't even be mad for the reprimand. Because sitting on muddy ground as screaming nonsensically was indeed embarrassing, not to mention the warm pooling on the apex of her thighs. They had soiled themselves, but it wasn't a shower and a change of clothes that came to mind. In the frontline, fighting for their life comes first.

No one made comments about their shameful state, not even sharp-tongued Kurst was coherent enough to make sexist comments. Or rather the little girl leading them through this foul-smelling trench didn't give them a chance to think but move forward. Their feet felt unsteady as they ran, but survival instinct and pumped adrenaline pushed them to a deeper abyss of war.

She shot Republican soldiers invading their trenches, relief washed through her mind after she saw red blooming on their dark blue uniform. Her vision was dyed in red as well, the color of death could soothe her nerves because it meant their enemies are dead.
Her ears were ringing from the booming explosion, following the whistling sound of a bomb dropped by aircraft. It was nothing like her father's terrible whistle, and not as soothing.
Smoke and dust rising in the air as the warm body turned to corpses fell on the ground. Heady smell of gunpowder that reminded her of rotten eggs* back home invaded her nostrils, mixed with the coppery scent of blood. Erya refrained breathing from her nose, inhaling dusty air through her mouth as Lieutenant Degurechaff scolded them for being slow.

At some point, Harald made a mistake of sticking his bayonet in random and forgetting to apply a mage knife spell on it. His bayonet stuck on the enemy's rib cage and he couldn't pull it out. Kurst was panicking for his partner and shielded Harald with a mage shell instead of kicking the corpse hindering Harald. Lieutenant Degurechaff had to save them, blowing the group of Republican infantry sky high and clear up their path.

"Use your head! Don't panic!"

In the first battle situation, Erya couldn't think much. How could Lieutenant Degurechaff demand them to use their head when all they could think of was fear of death and desperation to survive? It was already good they weren't screaming in terror while sitting on their puddle of piss. Wait- they already did that.

Visha was also stuck on her own bayonet fencing, and Erya couldn't reach her in time before their leader cleave her opponent in two. Erya wondered if she looked like Visha, eyes vacant as they bore witness to horror of war but not a sound could escape their lips, she would see her reflection bearing the same looks. Suddenly she felt the heat of scorching sun on her back lessened, and that was when she noticed a shadow over her. It was a republican soldier, holding a machine gun with trembling hands. He was wobbling, sustaining heavy injuries on the stomach that bleed profusely. It seemed in his dying breath, he wanted a company and chose her.

Erya wanted to dodge but remembered that Visha was behind her, looking elsewhere. If she moved, Visha would be killed. At this point blank distance… a clumsily casted shell won't be sufficient. What a short tale of her life as a soldier, but if at least she could protect Visha…

The stench of blood rose in the air but contrary to Erya's assumption, it wasn't hers. She opened her hazel eyes slowly, and saw the man who was about to kill her was cleaved from the waist up along with his machine gun. The lower half was kneeling on the ground, dripping blood like overflowing wine glass. Such gore sight wasn't what caught her eyes, she was frozen with terror by the cloaked figure floating beside it.

"Мрачный жнец..." Visha whispered to her ears as the girl clung to her in fear. "The grim reaper…"

Were they dead too, so they could see a reaper coming to harvest their soul? Or-

"So at last you saw it fit to say hello, Squadron Commander?" Came a sarcastic voice of a little girl that interrupted her thought. "Mage Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff, reporting Sir. As you commanded we have taken a short walk around the trenches and let the rookies have a taste of real battle." It sounded alien to Erya that for the first time the icy faced lieutenant didn't sound so emotionless. There was a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Noted…" If she wasn't so close she wouldn't be able to comprehend that reaper was talking, his voice sounded like a heaved sigh. Then Erya realized the grim reaper was actually a soldier wearing their army poncho and not black cloak like in the myth. Or rather, there was so much blood on the poncho it lost most of its original forest green colour. Under the light of the setting sun, the cloak gains a luster of rust from the bloodstain.

Her barely coherent mind also noted. The one wearing it was petite, around the size of Lieutenant Degurechaff.

Another child soldier.

From the sky the rest of their squadron descended to the ground, with helmet and google Erya couldn't tell their gender and age but at least none was as young as the pair of child soldiers.

"Welcome to the Rhine, rookies."

Welcome to war, the hell on earth God blessed us with.

So the new chapter hype me up because we have Erya being a bad ass and that Kingdom's spy got served his due. Sorry for the looong hiatus, this chapter is actually done forever ago but I have my doubt to publish it but hey- I think... let me jump to the pit and see if I can make my way out later. THis will be one of RARE instance of Alberich being in the same place as Tanya.
Now then my fellow hikkikomori... make your days brighter with more fanfic updates! Before we die of boredom, because from the way I see it- boredom will kill us first before this pandemic did.
* so rotten egg is the smell of gun powder is the popular description- well yeah- but GenShadow who is in the army enlighten me that it smells of badassery and burn carbon. Maybe because it's a modern version of gun powder, who knows- as much as I want to use it smell of badassery- that's not gonna fly with Erya or Alberich.