Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It’s Quite Late Now - Chapter 125

Chapter 125. The Hedgehog’s Defense

“The front line has been significantly pushed back, Commander Kobako.”

“Wha—!? You startled me! Wait, why are Major General Kamiya and the others here!?”

Commander Kobako raised her voice in surprise as we suddenly appeared in the command room of Junker Fortress, thanks to Hayami-san’s teleportation.

“What’s the situation?”

There was no time to explain everything, so I asked Commander Kobako for a status report.

“The enemy is launching a fierce assault. They’ve deployed five times their usual force. It seems they’ve finally gotten serious about taking this fortress. Twenty percent of the fortress’s territory has fallen into enemy hands.”

Amid the deafening sounds of mortar fire, Commander Kobako gave a brief but grim report.

“Sorry. It’s probably Japan’s fault that the Eastern Union is going all out to capture this place.”

“What do you mean?”

“Japan is about to end its war with the Eastern Union.”

“So, they’ve redirected their surplus forces, previously reserved for Japan, to here?”

“On top of that, the ceasefire will come with harsh terms for the Eastern Union. They’ll need to pacify their angry populace and quickly restore their damaged national pride.”

“I see. So their plan is to take Junker Fortress and display it like a small trophy.”

Commander Kobako chuckled bitterly, muttering about the inefficiency of it all.

“That’s why, if this fortress falls, it would be a bad look for Japan as well. Let me help out a bit.”

“B-but is that alright? What will the homeland say—”

“Commander Kobako, you’ve been ignoring orders and staying at Junker Fortress, so the homeland’s opinion doesn’t really matter, does it?”

I laughed off Commander Kobako’s hesitation and turned to Nyaran, who had teleported here with us.

“Nyaran, could you send an open channel message to the Eastern Union? Tell them, ‘Junker Fortress is currently hosting important dignitaries from your country. Cease your attack immediately.’”

“Understood.”

“Is that really okay, Major General!? You’re putting yourself at risk for us.”

“I’ve got to earn my pay, so this much is nothing.”

“Haa…”

Commander Kobako looked bewildered, not understanding what was going on, perhaps due to her ignorance of the terrible chocolate bar incident involving the girl.

In the background, Nyaran was repeating the message I’d instructed, in both the Eastern Union’s language and in English, into the communication mic.

Nyaran, how many languages can you speak!? You’re too competent.

“It’s true that we’re here for a mission at Junker Fortress. Ideally, they’ll retreat, but…”

After Nyaran finished the communication, I watched the battlefield for a while, but there was no sign that the mortar fire was letting up.

“Nyaran, any response from the Eastern Union side?”

“None.”

“Instruct the communication officer to keep repeating the same message. It’s just to cover our bases, though.”

With that, I moved toward the sand table, a model of the Junker Fortress and its surrounding terrain, including the hills and forests.

It showed, in real-time, the enemy forces’ progress.

[We should focus on covering all areas except the rear, which faces the Euro border. Kon, it’s been a while since we had a job.]

[Yes. Is it time for Igelregen?]

[You catch on quick, Kon.]

[To stop their mortar barrage, we’ll need to rain down fire of our own.]

[Exactly. Alright, let’s do this, Kon.]

“Soul Armor, activate: Igelregen. Don’t let the enemy get close.”

The outer perimeter of the Junker Fortress, which I had been eyeing on the sand table, was suddenly covered with turrets bundled with Gatling guns.

“Commence firing.”

The turrets pointed skyward at various angles, releasing a storm of bullets into the air.

As a result, the enemy’s mortar rounds exploded in midair.

“Igelregen… That’s German for ‘Hedgehog Rain,’ right?” “It got that name because we used it a lot in the war against the Euros.”

The hedgehog is a timid creature that curls up into a ball of spikes when threatened. I imagine the name came from mocking the enemy for hiding in their shell.

“Toshi-nii, this brings back memories, doesn’t it? We used this a lot for base defense.”

“Yeah. Keeping a Gatling gun firing continuously is technically and economically impossible, so to the enemy, this is a dirty trick.”

“Each second of ammunition would cost billions if it were real, after all.”

“Indeed, only someone with Soul Armor could pull off this kind of physics-defying defense.”

Commander Kobako, dumbfounded, looked at the front lines that had been instantly transformed by our attack.

“Well, the mortar fire has stopped for now. So, what will they do? The only option left is for their infantry to charge the fortress head-on.”

“Yuusuke, you look like you’re enjoying this.”

“Yuu-sama, it’s amazing how you’re turning the tide all by yourself.”

Winning battles is always fun.

[Honestly, if they bombed us from high altitude, this fortress would fall in no time.]

[We don’t need to worry about that. It’s within Euro airspace, so the Eastern Union can’t pull that off. If they could, they’d have done it long ago.]

The location, terrain, and political situation all work in our favor. That’s how the Haoti Clan, despite being vastly outgunned, has managed to hold this fortress for so many years.

“But when you leave, Yuusuke, the Eastern Union will attack again.”

“That’s the problem…”

Now that it’s clear that Japan’s key military asset, me, is involved at Junker Fortress, the Eastern Union would likely hold off on attacking for political reasons—at least for now.

But that won’t last forever.

“I’ve got an idea. Hayami-san, Commander Kobako, I need to talk with you.”

The three women huddled together, whispering.

“I see. I’ll check on the children in the camp immediately. Nyaran, accompany Second Lieutenant Hayami to the camp.”

“Understood.”

“What’s going on, Misuzu? What are you up to?”

“Yuusuke, just keep firing.”

“Alright. I can keep this up all night, but it’d be nice if they gave up before dinner.”

I really hope they retreat soon—I don’t want to eat Haoti Tribe food again…

As I watched the sun gradually set, I shuddered at the memory of the Haoti Tribe’s cuisine.