+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Astelia City

July 18, 1539 CE

"So, you are the proponents of the 'Wide Front Plan'?" Empress Elisa d'Ottavio asked. The men in front of her office's desk were the members of the Ygeian Expeditionary Forces.

Ever since she had arrived here, where she formed her temporary provisional government led by her and a few representatives from Ygeia, Nomos, and Asfaleia, work had been heavy.

Her main goal was to coordinate what would become a daring push to the east, something which hadn't been attempted yet. From here, Asfaleia, Elisa was essentially asking her soldiers to march a good six hundred miles eastward, straight to the Imperial Capital in the Principality of Armonia.

That was deep in the Imperial Core. They'd have to go through the Principality of Anesi just to get there, not to mention, their flanks in the northern Principality of Exousia and the southern Principality of Eleos would be wholly exposed.

I know how hard it is…

She had already struggled to break free from the Imperial Capital, breaking out with just a few thousand men. But that was only possible due to her ability to sneak well using her angelic powers, which were already waning.

That, and the mission itself was a suicide mission. Every man she bought here knew that. It was why Sir Marco didn't care about sacrificing everyone else if it meant Elisa escaped. That was the entire point of the mission—to get her here.

But now, I have another obstacle. To make sure everyone who fell didn't die in vain, I have to return.

General Kohler, the current leader of the Ygeian Expeditionary Force, stiffly saluted. It was a weird name in Elisa's mind. 'Expeditionary Force' implied that the YEF was a unit to be deployed in a foreign land. That, by deduction, further implied that the Ygeian Principality saw itself as independent.

That idea spurred trouble in the Empress' mind, knowing that it was possible that in her absence, her subjects had broken away, and they were only symbolically following her now. Perhaps, that was the truth anyway.

These soldiers weren't hers to command, even if she was the Empress.

She'd have to convince them to follow her lead first.

"I continue to advocate for this plan, Your Imperial Majesty," General Kohler stiffly said, his head high. His posture and mannerism did not indicate subordination.

In fact, the way he spoke, and loomed over Elisa indicated otherwise. He saw himself as the ultimate commandant of this mission, not the Empress he claimed to serve.

"But why?" Elisa curiously asked. "I told you already. Time might be extremely limited, and humanity's fate hangs in the balance. Your proposal will take months to execute."

"But such a plan will ensure that humanity's fate isn't going to be determined by a one-off suicide mission," General Kohler said, turning to the man beside him.

He was that lowly Lieutenant again—the Grey Knight. Elisa saw the way he fought last time. He seemed to be the epitome of a true knight. He was brave, intelligent, and extremely protective. The way he kept the Angel of Purity, Captain Adelyn von Wittenstein safe even when she was a much, much stronger entity than him, was beyond admirable.

She also learned earlier that not just that, this 'Grey Knight' also saved, protected, and is now partially raising the holder of the Angel of Purity title, a fallen Vanus noble named Alizée Amboise. She didn't know what this man held secretly, but considering his contributions, the idea that he was a mere Lieutenant was unlikely.

He's going to be a major key in this battle.

Unfortunately, even with Adelyn already on Elisa's side, this man refused to budge. He stayed on the side of General Kohler and Colonel Strobel. That meant she wouldn't be able to proceed with her plans.

So first, I need to take down their plan.

After all, considering this man was a fine tactician and strategist, Elisa knew that surely, even he would understand Elisa's point of view. That the option of standing around here, waiting, was a potentially deadly one.

After all, every second we stay here is another second that the pope keeps my people hostage…

"The plan we propose will ensure a steady advance of our troops toward the Imperial Capital," Hans declared, reading a file out loud for a while. "For one, the distance involved is too great. Our current weapons, equipment, and troops are extremely dependent on our supply lines—"

"Can't we simply live off the land?" Elisa queried.

"No. The West now has robust industries producing the weapons we need. Enchanted cannon balls. Enchanted lead balls. Improved flintlock muskets. High-explosive artillery shells and canister shells. Even the simple things like the dragons we use for our high-speed transport require an open supply line."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Those things. Elisa noted that in her absence, this place had…undergone a minor transformation. Sure, not much changed in the actual day-to-day lives of the citizens over here, but it was clear that military technology had improved.

Her soldiers, comparably, had muskets that were 'normal'. They therefore could live off the land. They could just visit a town and city, and get their armor, equipment, and whatever else replenished and repaired.

On the other hand, the Ygeian Expeditionary Force felt much, much different. Their troops looked terrifyingly well-armed, with each musketeer practically an equivalent of a mid-level caster. Their artillery corps was also quite the fearsome thing.

Not only could they move them fast now with those land dragons, but they also were able to seemingly supply them well using wagons again pulled by land dragons. The organization, professionalism, and capabilities of this military force were so immense, that indeed, he had a point.

"So we cannot maintain all of that without the West," Elisa concluded.

"Indeed. While the YEF is fast, each engagement we fight is another engagement that drains our limited supplies," Hans said. "Even back during the reclamation of Asfaleia, we struggled, because our forces had to conduct a stop-and-go advance method."

"Stop and go?"

"It means, we go forward, we fight a demon, and then we're grounded for hours or days, until supplies arrive. We truly simply cannot push forward under bad supply conditions. All that we worked for, would be lost if we're caught in a bad spot."

"I understand that, but…the same would be true if we're unable to do this mission soon."

"...It doesn't matter. How can we trust your words?"

Those words from Hans made Elisa pause again. She looked down.

"I…truly have not a lot of proof to show," she admitted. "I escaped for my life. That's all I have. What I do know though is that even if the pope's plan is untrue, nearly two million people are trapped in the Imperial Capital, going about their daily lives, unsure about what will happen next, or what's happening in the hallowed walls of St. Angelo's Basilica."

"Millions of hostages, huh…" Hans placed a hand on his chin. "I see, even without the question of mankind's survival, that does sound like a truly pressing matter."

"We should still focus on raising more troops and massing our supply," Colonel Strobel declared. "There's not much point in charging into save hostages when we could die on the way there."

"Indeed."

Elisa felt her grasp over the situation dwindling. She felt hopeless inside, though of course, her face remained neutral. Her eyes locked on Hans. He was the closest to Adelyn, whom Elisa had already convinced.

She hoped that he had something at least. Sure, he may be on the other side, but…

"I have a question," Hans spoke up.

"What?" Elisa perked up.

"Can you move us through a land infested by demons, for six hundred miles, and ensure that we won't fight demons more than once?"

+++

"So she's the 'Angel of Love'?"

"Who would have thought?"

Hans, Ebert, Jonas, and surprisingly, General Kohler, were now in one of the private hotels of Astelia to discuss what had just occurred over wine and steak.

"So her ability is that she can hear everyone," Hans said, frowning. "Are you all telling me that right now, she can hear us?"

"Who knows?" General Kohler said. "I suppose it makes sense. As the Empress, the ability to hear each of her subjects is certainly a boon. Must be why she stayed on the throne for so long."

"Makes you wonder how she got herself caught by the pope's trap…allegedly," Jonas said, quite skeptical.

"But her power does have its strategic use," Ebert said.

"Indeed. I can already see how she must have managed to get her with that measly contingent of hers. She must have been playing hide-and-seek with Hubris and his ilk," Hans said. "If we can do the same…we might…"

"Hey, hold on," General Kohler stopped slicing his steak, interrupting the three officers. "Even if we can get the main army to dodge the bastards on the way there, who told you we can do the same to the supply guys?"

"Yeah, you can't exactly make a supply line zigzag," Hans said. "Our supplies would always move on the available roads to get to us."

"Not to mention if we're constantly moving wildly they'd have a hard time finding and supplying us," General Kohler added.

"Indeed…that indeed is a problem," Hans said. "If we use her ability, we'll still be a force that's effectively cut off from our supply lines, charging forward. But that's why I asked her about it."

"Why so?" Ebert asked.

"Because if we can charge into the Imperial Capital without conducting a single engagement, so long as we have a month of supplies carried with us, we'll be in full combat condition once we reach that place," Hans said.

"I'm not too confident regardless," General Kohler said. "Remember, in the last battle we had, while our casualties weren't that high, for just around twenty demons, we expended ninety percent of our munitions. What if Hubris and whatever he has with him are too strong?"

"We'll run out of munitions even if we reach the Imperial Capital," Jonas concluded.

"This is why we plan for the Wide Front Plan," Ebert said, frowning. "With more brigades and more supplies, once we reach the Imperial Capital, no matter what he throws at us, we'll be able to eventually triumph."

"We can even lose battles in this case," General Kohler added again. "Once we have well-established rear supply lines, we can cycle our troops endlessly on offensive operations. It's simply the better plan."

"But again, working on the main intel we have, what if the pope finishes his plan?" Hans asked. "Even if we reach the Imperial Capital, if we're too late, all means to defeat him might be gone. Remember, everything that we have only works to what we previously faced."

Hans' voice turned cold.

"I fear that if the demons find a way to get stronger than they are right now, none of our progress will matter, and we'll be back to square one. That's…"

Everyone turned to Hans with bated breath.

"Unacceptable."

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