Ch.249The Black Coast of Yenisei. Lorelei Federation (5)

“Reinforcements!”

When one of the lookouts shouted, all our heads turned with a cracking sound.

“My lord! Reinforcements visible at the stern! It’s the Lorelai Federation fleet!”

I couldn’t see the stern, but judging by how quickly the enemy’s offensive slackened, reinforcements had definitely arrived.

I handed Simon a mana potion, then cleared my throat again.

“Lookout! What is the strength of our allied fleet?”

“From current observations… 60 airships and numerous tactical aircraft! Radar measurements will be available soon!”

“Results are in! Approximately 100 tactical aircraft!”

It was 50 aircraft fewer than promised, but they must have their reasons, and I wouldn’t complain about the size of the force they sent.

Considering how exhausted both the enemy and our forces were after hours of battle, even a small reinforcement could turn the tide.

[This is the Lorelai Federation Air Force. We’re here to support the Army of the Sun!]

“You’ve arrived just in time! The enemy is currently exhausted! Don’t hesitate, hit them hard!”

[Ha! I like the sound of that! We’ll follow your orders!]

The Kairalie Alliance Air Force, already withering from severe losses and shortages of fuel and ammunition, realized they had no chance of winning when the Lorelai Federation Air Force appeared, and began to withdraw hastily.

However, the fresh Federation Air Force hunted them mercilessly. Over 100 tactical aircraft, armed with full ammunition and fuel tanks, began shooting down enemy aircraft, showcasing Lorelai’s true strength as they unleashed their weapons.

“Now’s our chance while the Federation Air Force controls the skies! Commence ground bombardment and second drop!”

“Yes, sir!”

“All gun crews prepare for ground strikes!”

“Second drop units assemble! Dropping in three minutes!”

Ground bombardment commenced immediately, and the Alliance ground forces, who had been engaged in fierce combat on the ground, had their formations completely shattered when high-explosive bombs hit their concentrated ranks.

Tanks and armored vehicles fired their main guns and machine guns at the enemy forces who had just lost half their troops again, while infantry provided fire support with grenades and mortars.

The Alliance Army, with both formation and command structure collapsed, crumbled miserably just like before, and the Federation Air Force delivered hell to the completely retreating ground forces.

[Show no mercy! Thoroughly punish these invaders who attacked our land and innocent citizens!]

[Death to the invaders!]

Indeed, the nationalism of an invaded country, something outsiders couldn’t fully comprehend, was powerful.

Especially in a relationship built on historical animosity. After being diplomatically hindered for so long, it’s understandable that their resentment would explode.

“The enemy is retreating!”

“We’ve won! Long live the Sun!!!”

But that wasn’t what mattered now.

What mattered was that we had finally claimed victory on this northern front.

All this glory achieved through the great compassion of the Sun… Everyone praise the Sun!

*

The battle ended after a total of 7 hours, including the cleanup of stragglers and reorganization of the front line.

I say battle, but considering the fierce fighting across the entire front, it was essentially a small war that our Army of the Sun had led to victory.

“Haah… I’m tired. Simon, are you alright?”

“Ugh… getting old is the worst… my tongue feels like it’s about to fall off after chanting spells all day.”

“Still, we survived thanks to you. You reinforced the armor against missiles, even if it was temporary.”

“It’s because the Sky Warden was sturdy to begin with. We got pounded for four hours but only needed about 10 spells. That’s fortunate.”

He was right.

If it had been water armor, we would have been destroyed without a chance when we took those first hundreds of missiles.

As I poured Simon a drink, the dwarf brothers, covered in soot from head to toe, entered the bridge.

“Captain! We’ve put out the urgent fires. Self-propelled operation should be possible for now… but I recommend getting professional repairs soon.”

“Berkman… even with your skills, it’s just a temporary fix?”

“It’s nice that you have high expectations of dwarves, but… we’re not specialists for this kind of vessel. We’re infantry weapons experts. I like armor-piercing weapons, and he likes weapons that burn unarmored targets. Asking us to take care of a ship too?”

“Hmm….”

When he put it that way, I had nothing to say.

No matter how skilled I am with a sword, I would most likely lose in an archery contest against Lucia.

“I understand. So, what’s the damage?”

“The armor plating is basically in tatters. No need to explain further when we took machine gun fire, missiles, and cannon fire all at once. Many of the ship’s guns were damaged and bent during the fierce battle, and more than half of the turrets are torn with damage to the turret rings. Of the 360 CIWS turrets, 114 are damaged and non-functional. 12 of the shuttles on the flight deck have vanished without a trace.”

“I just received a report that our armored units also suffered heavy losses. Seems like the rookies panicked at the human wave tactics and got caught off guard. Out of 400 armored vehicles deployed, only about 130 are still operational! And needless to say, the infantry…”

“Sigh… so what’s the estimate?”

“200,000 gold coins. That includes parts procurement, labor costs, and the cost of replenishing expended personnel and ammunition.”

“Whew… makes the 1.3 million coin payment seem meaningless… Still, at least we won…”

I muttered while calling for the military chaplain to order the collection of bodies.

Having died literally in a foreign land far from home, if left abandoned on a battlefield filled with deep grudges, they would surely rise as undead.

Even without the Sun’s blessing, if they received the grace of the gods, they wouldn’t rise as undead, so I gave the order to the priest while trying to shake off the uneasy feeling.

*

That night.

After retrieving the deployed ground forces and supplies, we landed on the leveled ground to reduce the burden on the Sky Warden, and engineers were running around trying to patch up the damaged armored vehicles and the battered lifeline of the Sky Warden.

And I was in the captain’s quarters, floating a crystal ball to talk with the liaison officer.

[You defeated so many Alliance troops. Truly impressive. It was the power of the Army of the Sun led by the Luminator that saved our country. I express my deepest respect.]

“Spare me the flattery. I merely did what needed to be done. Anyway, the northern front seems stable now. How’s the eastern front?”

[We’ve achieved a great victory on the eastern front as well. Military spending really does pay off. Thanks to our mercenaries fighting valiantly, the Alliance’s more passive mercenaries suffered devastating losses.]

“That’s good news. The war will end soon. Their navy and air force have been annihilated, and their army is on the verge of destruction, so they’ll probably bow their heads at the negotiation table.”

[Haha! That’s a sight I’d love to see. By the way, I heard your losses were quite severe…]

“That’s right. We lost 1,300 men, and 270 armored vehicles are being repaired in the arsenal. As for the Sky Warden… it’s a miracle it can still fly at all.”

[Hmm… that’s unfortunate. Regrettably, our country doesn’t have facilities to repair a massive warship of 230,000 tons. Once the war ends, we could repair it for a fee, but… I’m sorry, but right now our regular forces take priority.]

The liaison officer showed genuine regret.

He knew there was nothing he could offer to the hero who had single-handedly held the entire northern front, but I didn’t mind much.

It was a natural choice to prioritize maintaining regular forces over mercenaries in a total war situation.

“A few more battles and the war will be over. They had decent troop numbers, not bad leadership, and reasonable strategy and tactics… but we came along and ruined it all.”

[They merely received their just deserts.]

“Well… I’m an outsider after all.”

I felt some sympathy for Kairalie and its allies.

Setting aside ethics and morality, their strategy was quite rational.

Boosting their own industries while sabotaging other countries’ specialties, forming alliances to increase their national strength, and launching a full-scale invasion with a plausible pretext…

As a result, the Lorelai Federation was forced to fight on two fronts due to overwhelming power differences, and until a few days ago, they were gradually pushing back the Federation forces thanks to superior numbers and the element of surprise.

Even from my perspective, there were no tactical flaws or incompetent leadership, but unfortunately, they happened to encounter an army led by an Apostle of the Sun and were utterly destroyed.

As the liaison officer said, they received their just deserts, so I didn’t feel too much sympathy, but if we hadn’t been there, Lorelai would have been destroyed or suffered comparable damage.