Night is the stage for knights.
Ordinary humans cannot see in the darkness. But knights with superhuman eyesight can perceive their opponents even in the dark.
Therefore, night raids by Wyvern Units have long been a traditional tactic.
...However, I never imagined they would make such a rash move before the Empire even had a chance to mediate.
Apparently we seemed quite threatening to them.
"What is the expected direction of the attack?"
"It is toward the factory district near the capital, the 5th District. In the 5th District, one air defense battalion and thirty Anti-Air guns are installed."
Considering we wiped out sixty Wyvern Knights with sixteen Anti-Air guns without any damage, thirty guns might provide sufficient firepower as well.
But I was a little uneasy.
It is night now. No matter how many flares and tracer rounds we use, visibility will inevitably be shorter than during the day.
It seems additional troop support will be necessary.
"What is the estimated time of arrival?"
"If they come in a straight line following the recorded radar trajectory, it will be approximately 30 minutes."
The 5th District is the port area right next to the capital. If it falls, it means the Army might come pouring in right through that spot.
Fortunately, we had an intelligence advantage.
And an intelligence advantage was the most precious asset in this situation.
"Immediately dispatch two Anti-Air artillery battalions and thirty Anti-Air guns from the Capital Defense Order and deploy them to the 5th District."
Because a strategic redeployment that would have been unthinkable normally was possible.
As it happened, the staff officers were gathered here.
My order spread throughout the entire Southern Army in just a few minutes.
"Your Grace! We have contact from the 3rd Air Defense Battalion, which is in charge of air defense for the 3rd District! They report that they can support the Anti-Air battle in the 5th District!"
"No, tell them to hold their position for now. A part of the Wyvern Unit might split off and raid another factory district."
I turned my gaze toward the Minister of the Navy.
The destroyers that had just finished repairs were waiting at the naval port.
If not now, when else would they gain combat experience like this real battle?
"Contact the Destroyer Squadron and tell them to set sail into the waters off the 5th District. The destroyers will block the rear of the enemy Wyvern Unit."
Of course, this alone is not enough.
The number of Wyvern Units the West can bring will reach hundreds.
No matter how strong the Anti-Air guns are, it is night and there are so many enemies that some will inevitably slip through.
It was the Army that would fill that gap.
"The Army will move in platoon-sized groups and monitor the area around the port. If there are any knights who have crashed, infiltrated, or approached the ground, suppress them with firepower."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
The operation was simple. Grind down the enemy with Anti-Air guns, and take out any who get close with machine guns.
"Do we have enough flares?"
"Yes, we have enough, Your Grace."
"Good. Then combat preparations are finished with this..."
For now, the Western Army arriving immediately is probably just the Wyvern Unit.
Even in a world where magic exists, transporting a large-scale infantry unit over a distance of 400 km requires considerable time.
What remained was to wait for the results.
After completely annihilating the West's Knight Orders here, we will execute the plan to occupy the West.
Of course, a perfect occupation is difficult in reality. As I said before, I had no intention of even establishing colonial rule.
First, we need to extract railway construction rights, extraterritoriality, mining development rights, and so on.
And over time, we will conduct propaganda by showing the mess inside the
Empire and the orderly, developing South.
"Ah, and the intelligence department."
The final goal is the merger of the South and the West.
The Empire was originally a union of five nations, but a thousand years blurred the sense of difference. The bloodlines of the South and West were not that different.
This is because the impassable wall of the Arbel Mountains separated the Imperial Center from the West and the South.
Thus, compared to the North, East, and Center, which had blended together in the center over a thousand years, the peripheral South and West walked a separate path.
For a thousand years, the West interacted solely with the South, and the sense of kinship built up that way is by no means small.
Enough to attempt an absorption merger if woven well.
"The intelligence department, try to shape public opinion within the West around that. For now, by shedding light on corruption inside the Empire. If that seems to work, then move toward emphasizing the relationship with the South."
"Understood, Your Grace."
The pieces are all laid out.
All that remained was to apply my plan to reality.
"Let's cross the river of no return."
The events so far could be seen as merely a battle of nerves between the West and the South.
After all, there had not yet been any direct invasion of each other's territory without justification.
But... once war begins, it is different.
The Imperial Center will definitely attempt to intervene.
The original 'Heroine' might also notice that something is wrong.
From the moment I ignore the Imperial Center's intervention and reach out to the West, the original storyline I know becomes meaningless.
Still, one thing I could be certain of.
That the future I will change will be far happier than the path the original Empire would take.
***
The night sea of the South is dark.
The beautiful sea and resorts that come to mind when thinking of the 'South' are much farther south. The sea around Albion is a cloudy, rough sea with waves all year round.
And above that sea, there was a group of wyverns flying.
Ten Knight Orders, a total of 300 wyverns. It was a Knight Order gathered by the Western Grand Duke in preparation for war.
"The remaining distance to Albion, the capital of the South, is approximately 25 km! We are expected to arrive in 15 minutes!"
"Yes. I can see it too."
The splendid coastline of the South came into the sight of the Wyvern Knights. The port of the satellite city, shining as bright as midday despite it being night, was so splendid that it was clearly different from the West.
However, none of the knights were daunted by that fact.
No matter how splendid it is, in the end it is just a sandcastle that will collapse with a single touch.
"Now, everyone, get ready!"
For this moment, they had flown without rest for several hours. Without any light, they crossed the sea relying on the cloudy moonlight of the night.
It was a flight only skilled knights could achieve.
"No one would have expected us to carry out a surprise attack like this!"
Moreover, even if they had expected it, it did not matter.
For stealth, they deliberately painted the wyverns black and wore black armor. It would not be easy to identify black knights over the cloudy sea at midnight.
It did not matter even if the weapon they first saw at Sarsen was threatening.
By the time they prepared for battle, the Wyvern Knights would already be within minimum range and would slaughter them all.
Charles Raymonds gave the order in a confident voice.
"Burn them all! Destroy everything, kill everyone! Those bastards are the enemies of the 12th, 13th, and 14th Knight Orders!"
"Waaaaaah!!!"
The Wyvern Knights raised a shout in unison and increased their speed. Before they knew it, the city's high-rise buildings began to come into view one by one.
The wind was on the side of the Wyvern Knights. The strong wind rushing from behind pushed their bodies, making the flight even lighter.
The situation was also favorable. The cloudy night with all moonlight hidden perfectly concealed the flight path of the Wyvern Knights.
The distance gradually closed. 25 km, 20 km, 15 km, 10 km...
It was at that very moment that Charles Raymonds felt something was wrong.
Charles Raymonds, originally from the West, did not know much about the cities of the South. Since Kyle took the position of Grand Duke of the South, he had not even looked toward the South.
Therefore, Charles Raymonds did not know how the developed cities of the South operated.
However, even Charles had one piece of common sense.
Cities are always crowded.
"...It is strangely quiet."
In his vision as an outstanding knight, he saw a silent city. There was not a single person at the port in the middle of the night, when it should have been bustling.
That was not the only strange thing.
From atop the high-rise buildings, Anti-Air guns were aimed exactly at them.
As if preparing for war.
"How..."
He had definitely not told anyone. There could be signs of war preparations, but he had not informed anyone of the direction from which they would attack.
Feeling an instinctive unease, Charles Raymonds pulled the wyvern's reins.
"Everyone, stop!"
However, the other Wyvern Knights following him could not do so.
First, the sound the wyverns made was too loud. Amid the flapping sounds and the cries of the wyverns, Charles's voice could not be heard properly.
Furthermore, because they had covered themselves entirely in black for the night raid, even his allies did not properly recognize that Charles Raymonds had stopped.
Thus, there was a slight delay in the order being relayed to the other Wyvern Knights.
And that delay was far too fatal.
A moment after the Wyvern Knights overtook Charles.
EEEEEEEE!!!
An eerie siren sound echoed over the quiet water of the port.
"Everyone, retreat for now! Reorganize the formation and..."
BOOM!
And then, a small sun rose from beneath their feet.
Dozens of flares began to brightly illuminate the dark night sky.
Knights in black clothes floating in the bright sky.
They were the most ideal targets for the air defense unit.
The deployed Anti-Air guns all opened fire at once.