Ch.1The Sea Breathes

# War Broke Out the Day After Discharge

The war broke out the day after I was discharged from military service.

The Holy Spirit Kingdom launched a preemptive attack. I don’t know the specific reason. What mattered was our country’s response. Instead of humanitarian protests or negotiations, the Magic Kingdom government declared merciless retaliation.

I didn’t even have time to collect my thoughts. The draft notice arrived in less than half a day.

“Ah.”

Drafted again after being a reservist for just one day.

I should have just gone to graduate school twice instead.

Complaining wouldn’t change anything. I sighed and checked the notice. I’d been assigned to the front lines. If I stayed like this, I’d be dragged off and end my life as cannon fodder.

However, there was a way out.

[Those wishing to be commissioned as non-commissioned officers or officers, please visit the nearest military affairs office.]

I immediately put on my coat and headed out.

“During wartime, the demand for officers increases too. If you meet the conditions, becoming an officer would be better for you.”

“Can I change my military branch?”

“Yes, of course.”

Air Force.

To survive, I absolutely had to transfer to the Air Force.

I received a booklet listing military specialties and flipped through it. Choosing my re-enlistment path like a restaurant menu filled me with self-loathing, but I had no choice. My life was at stake.

[(Technical Specialty) Magic Stone Officer]

A position responsible for creating and maintaining artifacts, including military magic stones.

I vaguely knew this position existed. I had looked into it when I was debating between enlisting as a soldier or an officer. I ultimately chose to be a soldier because of the shorter service period… Damn, who could have known things would turn out like this?

“Can I apply for this specialty?”

“You mean Air Force Magic Stone Officer? Just a moment.”

The civil servant left his seat and returned shortly with a testing plate.

“Magic Stone Officer is a specialized position with strict requirements. It requires at least a master’s degree in Magic Stone Studies and a Level 2 National Mage qualification. Do you meet these requirements?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’ll verify your information. Could you place your hand on the stone plate?”

Following his instructions, I placed my hand on it, and my personal information appeared on the screen connected to the magic stone plate. Several dozen seconds passed.

“Confirmed. You’re eligible to enlist as a technical officer.”

A smile spread across my face.

Whether it was a smile of relief, self-mockery, or just the expression of someone who’d gone mad, I wasn’t sure.

Either way, the fact that I had to serve in the military twice remained unchanged.

“Kids, daddy will be back soon.”

After saying goodbye to my pet stones carefully enshrined at home, I re-enlisted.

I skipped the temporary enrollment and basic training stages and went straight into officer training. I learned tactics, logistics, map reading, and other subjects over two months, while breezing through specialty education thanks to my major.

“You’re much better than others. Are you experienced?”

“I worked on a few defense industry projects while getting my degree, sir.”

“Hey, we’ve got an ace here. Take good care of him.”

All in all, I think I spent those two months quite productively. Above all, I lived near the capital during training, so it was sweet as honey.

Until then, I thought I would serve in the rear without any hardship and then be discharged.

But who could have predicted it?

That I would beat the odds and be assigned to the front lines.

“Welcome to the 8th Fleet.”

A small archipelago in the south, far from the mainland.

My duty station was an air wing under the joint naval-air force command based here.

Of all the Air Force units, I had been sent to the one closest to enemy territory.

Talk about rotten luck.

The situation wasn’t good, but I decided to think positively. Well, at least I’d gotten a higher rank.

By the way.

“This is Fleet Admiral Abraham Dietz, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Joint Forces Command.”

A naval admiral greeting a mere second lieutenant at his unit assignment?

There was something suspicious about this, but I just accepted it. He must be someone who takes good care of his subordinates. Maybe I’m being too sensitive.

“Air Force Second Lieutenant Erich Lohnstein, sir. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Excellency.”

“I hear you’re a Level 1 Mage.”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s quite an achievement at such a young age. I look forward to your contributions.”

So far, things were going reasonably well.

Yes, up to this point.

“Air raid!”

“Everyone to the shelters!”

Less than an hour after my arrival, we were attacked by enemy aircraft.

I ended up following Admiral Dietz to safety in the confusion.

After barely calming my racing heart, I looked up at the sky through a small gap in the shelter. Several dragons were flying over the base, dropping bombs.

The explosions hammered at my eardrums. While soldiers covered their heads and staggered, the admiral stood straight, watching the front.

“Lieutenant, do you know what those are?”

“They look like Dragon Riders, sir.”

“Good eyes. That’s right. Very nimble and vicious creatures.”

Our anti-aircraft guns blazed away, but they couldn’t do more than deter the enemy. The Dragon Riders skillfully avoided the fire and leisurely flew away.

Soon after, they appeared with new packages.

A second wave of explosions erupted all around.

Our forces launched interceptors. They seemed to be putting up a decent fight until the dragons breathed fire, creating smoke screens before fleeing into the distance. Only a few were shot down.

“Dragons can’t carry that many bombs, so they come and go like that. Like flies. Better than bombers, I suppose, but they do this periodically. Tsk.”

The air raid finally ended three hours later.

Smoke was rising from various parts of the base. The downpour that had just started prevented the fires from spreading too much, but we couldn’t avoid casualties.

“If you have hands to spare, come help quickly!”

“Does anyone know telekinesis magic? Someone’s trapped under here!”

“Nnngghh.”

Seeing the medics moving quickly through the heavy rain, I couldn’t just stand by. I hastily created floating stones on site and used them to clear away the collapsed debris.

A military doctor triaged the wounded. The triage tags were all black. It felt like I saw more corpses that day than I would in my entire life.

And this was just a harassment-level air raid.

By the time the situation was being resolved, what I felt wasn’t fear. It was anger. Most of the dead and injured were around my age. What sin had these young people committed?

“Good work.”

Admiral Dietz brought over some coffee. He looked like a drowned rat, just like me.

“Did you help with the rescue work too, sir?”

“And you. What use is a valuable Magic Stone Officer if he wears himself out like this?”

“I believe rank and position shouldn’t matter when it comes to saving lives.”

“Hmm.”

The admiral took a sip of coffee with a bitter smile.

“Not just position? Rank is the same too.”

“Aren’t you the commander who leads the fleet, sir? If something were to happen to you, it would cause great confusion in the military.”

“Is there any military that isn’t in chaos during wartime?”

With that, our conversation paused briefly. I needed time to organize my thoughts.

“Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You saw the Dragon Riders’ evasive maneuvers today. Can you create magic stones that would effectively counter them?”

“I’ll do my best, sir.”

“Answer only with ‘can’ or ‘cannot.'”

“I can, sir.”

“Mediocre magic stones won’t do. There’s a particularly troublesome unit out there… just thinking about dealing with them gives me a headache.”

“Has a famous unit already emerged?”

“Indeed.”

The admiral adjusted his cap and sighed.

“The Valkyries, an all-female Iron Dragon attack unit.”

“Valkyries, you say?”

“They’re the elite of the Holy Spirit Kingdom’s air force and particularly hostile toward mages. If we want to regain air superiority, we’ll eventually have to fight them.”

A unit particularly hostile toward mages.

“An execution squad, then.”

“That’s right.”

A chill ran down my spine. Execution squads don’t take prisoners. Encountering them means death.

“It seems there’s a strategic element to it as well. Most of the mages they’ve killed so far were excellent ones, Level 2 or higher.”

“That’s strange. How do they find mages?”

“Thanks to the dragons’ pit organs. Some species can detect not just heat but also mana. The Iron Dragon is a prime example. They’re also intelligent enough to inform their riders about the flow of magical power.”

“So we shouldn’t carelessly leak mana.”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds. Especially for someone compassionate like you, it’s important to always maintain your composure.”

I calmed my mind and body. And I realized what I needed to do.

As soon as I settled in, I began developing new magic stones.

To shoot down more Holy Spirit Kingdom Dragon Riders, to kill more enemies. Believing that was the only way to survive.

A month later, the tide of war began to change when I successfully synthesized “Red-flow Stone,” a variant of garnet. The yttrium and aluminum employed in the Red-flow Stone greatly enhanced the speed of shells.

With the help of optical mages, technology was born that could guide light to pursue enemies. I called the magic bullets incorporating this technology “guided missiles.”

The Red-flow Stone played a major role in the battle that followed soon after. The Holy Spirit Kingdom’s air force was literally shattered.

“Such achievements just a month after commissioning—Level 1 Mages truly are different.”

“You flatter me, sir.”

“Keep up the good work.”

I was promoted to First Lieutenant in recognition of my contribution to developing these magic stones. It was also from this time that I began to catch Admiral Dietz’s eye.

And so, one year, two years passed.

I created more magic stones and artifacts.

Our forces advanced along the sea routes. Bodies piled up in proportion to the size of the front we pushed.

As we killed enemies, our own casualties increased.

I witnessed the deaths of comrades and received news of friends’ passing.

I faced seniors buried in acrid gunpowder smoke, poured drinks for classmates recovered from the sea all bloated, and erected memorial stones for juniors who became cadavers from unknown diseases.

By the time my direct superior was killed by the Valkyries, I was promoted again to Major, filling his vacant position.

“We’ll seize air superiority with this battle.”

Finally, a large-scale operation was planned. The command gathered all available main fleets and troops. I was included in those forces.

I was assigned to board the flagship that the admiral would be on, overseeing the magic stones used to enhance the ship’s anti-aircraft guns.

I wanted to run away. I didn’t want to participate in combat.

But what could I do? The military is a place where you do as you’re told. There were no other options.

“I miss my daughter’s face today.”

The admiral lamented.

“She’s the same age as you, and I haven’t seen her for too long. She must have grown into a fine lady by now…”

“You’ll be able to see her once the war ends.”

“I hope so.”

That was the end of our small talk.

We approached the operation area. The admiral said, fingering his baton:

“From now on, you and I will share the same fate. If you die, I will die too; if I survive, you will survive as well.”

After exchanging salutes with the admiral, I went out to the deck and assembled my battalion. Facing rain drops as thick as bullets, I ordered them:

“Everyone, survive. If we can just hold out today, we might be home by the end of the year!”

The troops cheered enthusiastically.

However, that enthusiasm was broken like a reed as soon as the battle began.

Not ordinary Dragon Riders, but the Valkyries appeared from the start.

“It’s the White Lotus Battalion!”

The White Lotus Battalion was the Holy Spirit Kingdom Air Force’s elite unit, composed only of aces with twenty or more confirmed kills among the Valkyries.

They avoided our fire net instinctively and set fires all over the fleet. Water sprayed up everywhere.

Everyone fought their best, but we couldn’t completely block the Valkyries who were enraged by repeated defeats.

Eventually, our anti-aircraft network was breached.

“Port side hit! Port side hit!”

The flagship began to sink after being struck by lightning.

“Kill the mages first!”

Three Iron Dragons landed on the battleship. They shot and killed mages who were resisting and burned those trying to jump into the sea with their breath.

Landing on a sinking ship just to kill people was inefficient. The Valkyries were driven by religious conviction.

“There’s another one over there!”

Three dragons looked at me. My mouth went dry.

At that moment, the ship tilted sharply, causing the Dragon Riders to momentarily lose their balance.

Simultaneously, I saw a blood-soaked corpse sliding down the incline and falling into the sea.

David.

One of my battalion members and also a junior from the academy.

Upon seeing his corpse, I lost my reason and ran to an anti-aircraft gun.

I saw an anti-aircraft gunner collapsed with blood streaming from his ears. After silently wishing him peace, I grabbed the controls.

[“Sea, breathe.”]

I enhanced the shells with White Phosphorus Stone that I had completed a few days ago. Then I gave a taste of their own medicine to the two women aiming their incantations at me.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The bullets I fired like thorns blazed fiercely even in the downpour.

The two Valkyries screamed and frantically tried to undo their safety equipment, only to fall from their dragons and break their necks. They probably died instantly.

“Daisy, Olivia! No!!”

The remaining Valkyrie glared at me with murderous intent and charged.

“How dare you, you mage—!!”

In that split second, her golden eyes flashed behind her goggles. They were burning with rage like the sun.

Playing the victim? You bitch.

I put magic bullets into her dragon’s neck and wings too.

The Iron Dragon howled and writhed. Thanks to her emotional state, I was able to exploit the opening.

I was about to aim at her head to avenge my subordinates.

A wave rose high and separated us.

I was able to avoid being washed away because I was gripping the controls tightly, but she rolled off the ship with her severely injured dragon.

“…Ha.”

I was soaked to the bone. My shoulders slumped.

I had overcome the immediate crisis. But the situation wasn’t good. There was no way to prevent the flagship from sinking. Escape was the only solution.

“Your Excellency! Where are you? Your Excellency!”

Shouting at the top of my lungs was useless against the sound of the rain. The rain had intensified to the point where I couldn’t see a foot in front of me. I couldn’t even tell where the command room was, or which end was the bow and which was the stern.

That’s why finding a small lifeboat was nothing short of a miracle.

I could hear the fierce flapping of dragons’ wings. If I stayed here any longer, I would die one way or another, either by drowning or in battle.

The deliberation didn’t last long.

I lowered the lifeboat and jumped into the sea.