Chapter 69: Aviation
After being seen off by Shia Onee-sama, I made my way—just like yesterday—to the residence of General Newsbeck, where I was once again granted an audience.
“…Ah, you’ve come.”
“Thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you, I was able to spend some quiet, uninterrupted time with my sister—just the two of us, like a proper family.”
That time… it had meant more to me than I could easily put into words.
“So then, what are your plans for today?”
“……”
In response to my question, General Newsbeck fell silent. There was something unusually rigid about her expression, as though a weight pressed heavily upon her thoughts.
“…General Newsbeck?”
“The situation has changed. We move to the battlefield immediately.”
“Already?”
“Ah. The Kingdom of Friez has begun another full-scale offensive.”
“Again? Was seizing the mining region not enough for them?”
“They intend to end the war. They’ve abandoned any attempt to reclaim their own territory and are instead marching straight into ours, trampling through it without hesitation.”
“……”
To end the war.
On that point alone… I agreed.
“…Brigadier Willard?”
“Then this is our chance. We hold back their offensive—and then launch a counteroffensive of our own. It’s the same approach I used at the very beginning.”
“…It won’t be that simple. Aircraft… I did not expect them to change the battlefield this much.”
“Aircraft?”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the word. It wasn’t something I had expected to hear brought up in this way.
“Ah. Aircraft were originally used for reconnaissance. It seems the Kingdom of Friez had already implemented such operations during our initial offensive. Observing their methods, our nation also began adapting aircraft for military use—reconnaissance, measuring artillery impact points, and so on. However… Friez has gone further.”
“…Don’t tell me they’ve found another way to use them?”
…No.
…………That couldn’t be right.
Surely they hadn’t already advanced beyond that stage—hadn’t already developed aircraft capable of meaningful combat deployment?
No, that didn’t make sense.
If my memory was correct, practical aircraft equipped with guns—capable of shooting down enemy planes—had only appeared about a year after the war began. Until then, aircraft were limited to auxiliary roles at best, unable to properly interfere with one another in combat.
I had picked up quite a bit of knowledge about military equipment from a friend who was obsessed with that sort of thing, so I was confident I wasn’t mistaken.
“The mages of the Kingdom of Friez… appear to be flying.”
“…What?”
I had been bracing myself for what she might say next.
But the words that actually left General Newsbeck’s mouth were so far removed from my expectations that a dumbfounded response slipped out before I could stop it.
“Aerial bombardment. A simple tactic—board an aircraft and drop bombs from above. It’s something that has been seen even on the New Continent. However, this method has two major weaknesses. First, the amount of bombs that can be carried is limited. Second, before bombs can even be dropped, the aircraft is often intercepted and shot down from the ground. These two flaws have always made such attacks unreliable.”
“Yes… that’s right.”
That was common knowledge, even in this world.
Unless the situation was overwhelmingly favorable, aerial bombardment simply wouldn’t succeed.
“However, the mages of the Kingdom of Friez have solved those problems. At altitudes beyond the reach of anti-magic barriers, they construct physical barriers. Those barriers deflect bullets.”
“…Physical barriers… Right, those existed too.”
“Indeed. One could ask what era such barriers belong to. These days, when people speak of barriers, they mean anti-magic barriers.”
A shield that could be nullified by a single anti-magic barrier held little meaning.
“Then couldn’t we simply send our own aircraft closer and have them deploy anti-magic barriers against those?”
“No. For some reason, they cannot be nullified.”
“…Why?”
“That remains entirely unknown. We will have to see it firsthand on the battlefield. For now, the only information we have is this—our forces are being pushed to their limits by simultaneous offensives from both the sky and the ground. We must stop their advance as quickly as possible, staking everything we have on it.”
“I’m ready. I can depart at any time. Shall I have my company prepare a vehicle?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. A vehicle I arranged arrived earlier than expected. We’ll use that.”
“Understood. I make it my principle to remain ready for battle at all times. I can leave immediately.”
“Excellent. Then let us head to the vehicle at once… My apologies, it seems we won’t have time to go buy gummies.”
“That’s alright. I was able to see Shia Onee-sama and received the courage I needed.”
“Heh, I see. Family truly is a wonderful thing.”
At my words, General Newsbeck nodded, then rose to her feet and picked up the firearm resting beside her.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Together, General Newsbeck and I began walking toward the vehicle early in the morning.
“…By the way.”
At that very first step—just before we exited the office—she suddenly stopped.
“Yes? What is it?”
“…Do I smell?”
“…What?”
“Well… we’ll be riding in the same vehicle, after all. I thought perhaps the scent might be an issue…”
“Are you still holding onto what Her Highness Princess Emma said about you smelling?”
“No, not exactly her specifically… but still…”
“There’s no need to worry. That was simply because you hadn’t bathed at the time, wasn’t it? Now that you’ve had a proper bath, there’s no problem at all.”
To be fair, General Newsbeck’s natural body scent was somewhat strong.
There was always a faint sweetness to it.
Under normal circumstances, it wasn’t unpleasant—but when combined with sweat from not bathing, that underlying sweetness turned into something… quite overwhelming.
“I see! That’s a relief! Then let us go!”
“…Yes.”
The heavy, rigid atmosphere she had been carrying until now suddenly softened, and she began walking forward with renewed energy.
…Wait a second. That serious, tense aura she had earlier—was it not because she was contemplating the harsh battlefield ahead… but because she was worried about how she might smell in the car?
…No, surely not. Right?