Chapter 78: The Trump card

If my memory serves me correctly, it was something developed in the Netherlands.

When it comes to fighting in the skies—aircraft against aircraft—it’s simply not realistic to rely on standard ground equipment like rifles or pistols. Trying to pilot a plane while engaging in a gunfight at the same time? There’s no way that would succeed. The very idea is impractical.

Amid such limitations, the Kingdom of Friez arrived at its own answer to aerial warfare: the creation of magic aerial soldiers.

It was a method that could only have been born in a world where magic exists.

However, the conclusion reached by our company—guided by the knowledge I brought from Earth’s history—was to mount machine guns onto aircraft.

Of course, if you fire a machine gun normally, the bullets would strike the propeller.

To solve this, a Dutchman… who was it again? Well, someone developed a mechanism that synchronized the rotation of the propeller with the firing of the gun, ensuring the bullets wouldn’t collide with it.

I had that system reproduced in this world as well.

“Honestly… I owe that guy one.”

This, too, was thanks to the fact that I had a friend who was a military otaku.

Because of him, I had a rough understanding of this mechanism. I never thought the day would come when I’d be glad I listened to his passionate, obsessive ramblings.

Though, to be fair, the truly remarkable ones are the engineers in our company who managed to turn my vague knowledge into a working reality.

“Did you say something, Brigadier General Willard?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head at the man beside me and turned my gaze back to the sky.

There, the magic aerial soldiers of the Kingdom of Friez were being riddled with bullets, their bodies torn apart before falling helplessly to the ground.

The opening strike—the very first shot—had gone perfectly.

Flight magic was still relatively new. Most people couldn’t even perceive mana, let alone use it. Under such circumstances, spreading flight magic would have been extremely difficult. Even for the Kingdom of Friez, magic aerial soldiers must be a rare resource.

This blow would hurt them.

But it wouldn’t be enough to win.

“Brigadier General Willard. Enemy magic aerial units are ascending in altitude.”

A man’s voice echoed from the radio at my chest.

“Understood. Maintain targeting.”

“Roger that.”

The machine guns roared, their relentless fire chasing after the rapidly ascending enemy.

Several bullets struck true, piercing through bodies and sending a number of soldiers plummeting to the ground.

But soon enough, the remaining magic aerial soldiers escaped beyond the range of the machine guns.

“We can’t hit them any further! Enemy contacts are above us!”

Aircraft and human beings.

The difference in size between the two is immense, and that directly translates into agility.

No matter how hard they maneuvered, there was no way for the aircraft to stop the magic aerial soldiers from evading them and taking position above.

From there, the enemy raised their guns, aiming down at the pilots—

“That’s why we’re here.”

Before they could pull the trigger, I launched myself into the air.

Deploying an anti-magic barrier, I took to the skies using flight magic.

“What—!? Where did he come from!?”

“Good day.”

A perfect surprise attack.

Closing the distance in an instant, I gave them no time to react. My bayonet flashed, slicing into one man’s abdomen.

“The enemy’s alone!? Kill him!”

“No, wait—!?”

Their first shock had been the machine-gun barrage from the aircraft, which had already cut down many of their comrades.

But they recovered quickly, identifying the aircraft’s structural weakness and regaining the advantage.

Then came the second shock—my sudden ambush, and the loss of one of their own.

That second disruption was enough to break their composure.

The magic aerial soldiers of Friez, now fixated on me as the primary threat, failed to notice the presence of our own magic aerial units.

Following my lead, the Kingdom of Lunoa’s magic aerial soldiers surged forward, shooting down the now-disorganized enemy.”

“Too slow.”

“The third shock.

With their attention drawn to the newly arrived Lunoa forces, the Friez soldiers let their guard down against me.

Holding my breath, I pulled my bayonet free and swung it again, lunging at another soldier.

“C-Calm d—ugh!?”

It was a massacre.

Right before their eyes, I moved freely through the air, my blade carving through them without restraint, while from below, Lunoa’s forces poured gunfire into them.

Where should they aim?

Who should they target?

Unable to decide even that, the soldiers of Friez couldn’t even raise their guns properly. They were simply overwhelmed and crushed.”

“W-Where is he coming from…!?”

A Friez soldier stared blankly at the bayonet rushing toward him, seeking an answer even as death approached.

“Oh, nowhere special. I was just clinging to the underside of the aircraft.”

A parting gift.

I answered the question of a man about to die.

“With magic, it’s not that hard to stick to an aircraft. And since someone using flight magic can’t really attack with magic at the same time, in modern battlefields—where everyone assumes anti-magic barriers—physical enhancement magic can slip through surprisingly easily.”

One per aircraft.

A magic aerial soldier had been physically clinging to each plane using magic.

All it took was drifting slightly away and revealing themselves with flight magic to turn it into a perfect ambush.

A tactic only possible in a world where magic exists.

“…Looks like things are going smoothly over there as well.”

The Kingdom of Friez didn’t have many magic aerial soldiers to begin with.

It wouldn’t take long to eliminate them all.

And once their escorts were gone, it didn’t take long for the Lunoa Kingdom’s machine-gun-equipped aircraft to shoot down the remaining enemy planes.

“A perfect game.”

Even though I had personally selected the most capable soldiers from Lunoa’s ranks, they had learned flight magic far later than their counterparts.

In terms of skill, the Friez forces had the advantage.

And yet, through strategy—and with me as the irregular factor—we had achieved a complete victory.

It was a result well worth using our trump card.