The Saga of Levi the Just
Chapter 6
Sentry Post 3
Levi handed out an envelope to Wolke. Inside of it was a promotion.
"You're being sent to the rear?" Wolke asked.
"Yes. As of now, you are being promoted to Second Lieutenant. I expect you to take care of the Platoon while I'm gone." Levi said.
"Don't worry sir, I won't let you down!" Wolke said.
"That's the spirit, now be a little more serious, will you?" Levi asked.
"Got it Lieutenant." Wolke said.
"See you later, Lieutenant." Levi said.
Levi got up and left, leaving Wolke to look at the envelope. Levi was on his way to get his things packed. He and Tanya had done a few missions so they could polish their skills before leaving. The two were getting their things packed. Levi looked at his rifle and sub-machine gun. He took care of the two and cleaned and sharpened his hatchet. They were finished packing and went to leave the camp behind. He looked back, looking at the sun. As it fell on the horizon. He thought long and hard about the situation he and Tanya were. Soon, he felt different about the end goal. He soon realized that in order for him and Tanya to live comfortably would mean the utter obliteration of the enemy and breaking them apart until they lost the ability to conduct war.
'That's right….. In that case….. I'll wait. I'll wait until the time is right.' Levi thought.
"Hey you two!" a voice called.
The two turned around. It was Schwarzkopf.
"Oh, Lieutenant." Levi said.
"What are you doing here?" Tanya asked.
"Well, I wanted to see you off before you left." Schwarzkopf said, "Anyway, have a nice stay at the capital."
Their ride had arrived. They got inside and waved. The jeep rolled off and went to the station. They got to the station and got on the train after paying for their tickets. They got in their seats, leaving the rifles on the seats. The train moved out of the station. Levi looked out the window.
"Jeez, you look concerned." Tanya said.
"Its nothing." Levi said.
'Right, nothing.' Tanya said.
The train kept moving towards the capital. Levi was still wondering about the war. He wondered what he could do to contribute to it, rather than just being put on the front lines on one front.
A few minutes later….
Berun
The two got out and made their way to a place to stay in the city. They got their things unpacked and got their things for OCS. Nothing had changed. The people however began to respect them after their exploits became public. Their badge was proof that they were meant for combat. Ross was glad to see them back. Toss asked Levi about the machine gun he gave him and he answered saying the gun wasn't half bad. The two children had studied at the library. They came in every day.
Library, OCS
Tanya was reaching out for a book on a very high shelf. Levi watched as she reached for it.
"Need a ladder, little princess?" Levi teased.
"Mind giving me a boost?" Tanya asked with a tinge Of anger.
"I would gladly do that, which is what I would have said if I didn't mind asking the librarian for a ladder." Levi said.
"I'm going to kill you, slowly," Tanya said.
"No need." A voice said.
The two looked to where it came and Zettour was right there. He grabbed the book and lended it to Tanya.
"Oh, hey General." Levi said.
Tanya gasped. She looked at Levi in shock.
'How could he say that so casually?' Tanya thought, 'It's like he and the guy met or something!'
"I don't think we have met yet Lieutenant Degeruechaff, I am vice chief of Strategic Operations at HQ. General Hans von Zettour." Zettour said.
"Hello there, General Zettour, Sir!" Tanya said as she got the book and saluted, trying to keep herself composed.
"You two seem to be in high spirits. Say, mind coming with me very quickly?" Zettour said.
"Yes." The two said.
Later…
"Our thoughts on the war?" The two asked.
"Yes, I want your opinion on it," Zettour said.
"Well, if I may be so bold, could you be more accurate?" Tanya asked.
"I want to know what will happen in this war. It's not a formal matter as of now." Zettour said.
"Well sir, as far as I'm concerned, if I may be so bold as to say this, the possibility of a world war is something we must look at." Tanya said.
"World War?" Zettour asked.
"Yes sir, we theorized that foreign powers are getting involved. At first, it will be loans and materials, but soon enough, they'll send volunteers and possibly might send their own military forces to intervene." Levi said, "The Empire's military strength is something that even the Russy Federation and the Allied Kingdom cannot ignore and might have to get involved in the war. The countries of the world are left with two choices, either leave the Empire as it is, or Destroy it entirely."
"The effects of such a war could spell catastrophic. The loss of life would be frighteningly devastating, if not immeasurable. We can't even bear to think what effect it will have on the economy. The Empire would fall should it happen." Tanya said.
Zettour began to take it in. He felt convinced of it all. He considered the possibilities and implemented them into the scenario which the two described.
"So then, what are we to do then?" Zettour asked.
"By trying to lessen our losses. By doing that, we can save up our resources." Levi said.
"And if we try negotiating, we could set up trade partners with other countries and use their resources to our advantage." Tanya said.
"If we use the resources provided, then winning the war would be easy." Levi said, "We would not only be using cost effective techniques during the war, but we would also be able to manage our forces so that our losses would lessen while new recruits are being trained."
"So in other words, you wouldn't try to win at all." Zettour said.
The two began to sweat. They knew what happens to cowards. The punishments that happen to those people would be unbearable. Firing squad, hanging, being burnt, the list would go on. They have to say something to make up for that.
"Well, no-"
"What we mean is-"
The two pulled themselves together and breathed.
"What we mean is by lessening the losses we take, we reserve the resources at our disposal." Levi said.
"We could use them to make a unit that could strike with the full force of the Fatherland and become victorious as a result." Tanya said.
"And this unit, if we were to create this unit, what would it be?" Zettour asked.
"A Mage Unit, about Battalion size." Tanya said.
"With a Battalion Of Mages, not only would you have a highly agile and mobile force, you could have them go from one front to the other and they would arrive at their destination within minutes." Levi said.
"So a high response battalion of Mages?" Zettour asked.
"Yes sir, made from the best the army can offer." Levi said.
'A high response mage battalion…. maybe that's what we just need.' Zettour thought, "I'll consider the idea and bring that up in the next meeting. You are free to go."
The two left the room and sighed for relief.
"Man, guess you got me off guard with that delivery." Tanya said.
"Hey, you said something about Mage Battalion." Levi said.
"I guess you were right. I didn't expect that out of me either." Tanya said.
The two walked off as they held their heads up high. The day went by as usual. They went to the cafe in the city, enjoying the tea that was served there. Tanya told Levi everything about her time testing the Type 95 and it's creator, Adelheid von Schugel, Development Chief Engineer of the Empire. She and Schugel had a lot of problems, in the end, the tests before she had to use Gospel for the first time were a failure, it was only when she did use it, by that time, he became a devout believer in god. Levi was impressed. For him, mad scientists wouldn't even bother mentioning god at all, only talking about theories, what ifs, etc. etc. and that was it. Now that Levi thought of it, there must be other applications for magic other than in war. Tanya took care of her rifle every now and then. They kept up with their studies.
Later…...
On a Train
Erich von Reguren was reading a confidential report on a train. His black hair kept in an orderly fashion, his eyes gazing from his glasses, reading the report. After reading it for at least an hour, he left the report to the side. He took his glasses off.
'A world war, a great conflict in which the whole world will be caught ablaze in conflict. The loss of life would be immeasurable, cities would be burned to the ground, the very landscape would be marred beyond comprehension. The Empire would be crushed from this.' Erich thought, 'It's ludicrous, yet not impossible. The way this report was written, you'd have to possess great foresight and judgment to write this all out. Wait a second… could it be that she wrote this? Is that why I'm having this reaction? Yes, this must be something she would write, no doubt about it.'
Erich remembered how confidential it was. Kurt von Rudersdorf, the Brigadier General and chief of Strategic Operations told him to read it while he was traveling, checking on the fronts. He didn't expect this kind of report with this much detail. He had to consider it as a possible scenario, considering that this report also detailed the intervention of other countries involved in the situation of the various borders of the Empire. He tucked the report away and hid it in his briefcase.
Strategic Operations HQ
There was a meeting going on. Rudersdorf was smoking his cigar. He smiled as suggestions were heard in the room as they all continued to sit in their seats around a table.
"A massive military reorganization is impossible at this point, our resources are stretched out." A member said.
"Gentlemen, I think I and General Zettour have a suggestion." Rudersdorf said, "If I have your attention, then allow me and the General to discuss our suggestion."
"I think it's about time we organize a rapid response Mage Battalion." Zettour said.
"The one you submitted from your office?" A member asked.
"Yes, we can deploy them around the entire country quickly and it won't strain our resources," Rudersdorf said.
"But who would-"
"Don't worry, I know the people who can handle the battalion, the report they wrote had excellent foresight and judgment. They are highly skilled and capable of doing the job." Zettour said.
Western Front
"Are you sure they were all in full agreement?" Erich asked.
"Yes Colonel, the Brass has fully agreed on the decision." An Officer said.
"But what about the report about her time in the academy and the demeanor she had?" Erich asked.
"They believed she had changed." The officer said.
"And him, what about him?" Erich asked.
"They said he can't do it alone, the same could be said for her." The man said.
'A person's true nature can't just change in that much time and that much study. Clearly, he would be more suitable and yet-"
He looked back to the briefcase and opened it. He got the report out. His face tensed as his hand clenched the report.
"Is that why they told me to read it? It's because they both wrote it?!" Erich asked, 'Of all the things, why?! Why did it have to be her of all people with him?! How could he possibly stand her?!'
Strategic Operations HQ, Dining Room, Berun
Levi and Tanya were invited to the dining room at HQ.
"Thank you, people for inviting us over." Levi said, "I never thought you'd invite me and my trusty friend with me."
"We are honored to be here." Tanya said.
"Thank you." A General said, "We have several posts at the rear echelon after you two finish up at the academy."
'Good, with this, I've beaten you Being X.' Tanya thought.
"Most of them are safe enough for anything you're willing to do. Now there is another option, but I think I'll be going now." The man said before he got up and left.
Levi and Tanya seemed assertive about all of this.
"I know I won't be wasting time, so I'll get straight to the point." Zettour said, "As of now, you two will be in command of a rapid response mage battalion that you two suggested."
'A battalion?' Levi and Tanya thought.
Flashback
"A Mage Unit, about Battalion size." Tanya said.
"With a Battalion Of Mages, not only would you have a highly agile and mobile force, you could have them go from one front to the other and they would arrive at their destination within minutes." Levi said.
Flashback Over
'Crap baskets! It was our suggestion!' Tanya thought, "Sir, I don't-"
"Gladly sir." Levi said as he smiled.
'Eh?!' Tanya thought as she looked at Levi.
"My, you seem more energetic." Zettour said.
'That's because my own suggestion cleared the path for me, all thanks to me and Tanya.' Levi thought, "Well sir, me and Tanya can handle a Platoon, why not a Battalion?"
Tanya wanted to slap Levi. She couldn't believe what he just said.
'Leading a battalion is harder than surviving on the front lines, you idiot!' Tanya thought, "Sir, we-"
"You will be promoted to major as soon as you and Levi organize the battalion. He will be organizing it with you as your organizer." Zettour said, "be as quick as possible with this thing, I hear being an organizer can be simple, yet stressing when it comes to handling the papers."
"Don't worry sir, I'll gladly organize it." Levi said.
"After you're done with the organization, I'll have you promoted to Captain and have you and a First Lieutenant be vice commanders of the Battalion." Zettour said.
"Thank you, sir." Levi said.
'What have I done to myself?' Tanya thought.
"We'll be leaving now, come on Tanya." Levi said.
He held Tanya's hand and walked out with her. They got outside.
"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" Tanya asked.
"Don't be so angry, once we take to the front, our enemies will cower in fear, even Being X will think twice before he lays a finger." Levi said.
"Can't we just hang out in the rear?" Tanya asked.
"Don't you want to contribute to ending this war?" Levi asked.
"You know, If I had left you behind, none of this would have occurred." Tanya said.
"Guess that's on you then." Levi said.
The Next Day….
Organizer Wing
There was paper everywhere. Levi was moving the stacks around. Tanya laid her head on the desk.
'I can't believe it. I sabotaged myself. What was I thinking?' Tanya thought.
"These stacks don't move by themselves." Levi said, "You worked in a office before, so this shouldn't be problem."
'Be glad I haven't stuffed you in a pillbox where you can die.' Tanya thought.
She remembered those two idiots who went against her orders, how satisfying it felt when she heard about their death in a pillbox. She knew that a pillbox was doomed to artillery should it be in range.
The door was knocked.
"Come in." Tanya said as she lifted her head up.
The door opened. The two were surprised at who came in.
"No….." Levi said.
"Impossible…" Tanya said.
"Second Lieutenant Viktoriya Ivanova Serebryakov, reporting for duty!" Viktoriya said.
"Second Lieutenant Wolke Himmel, reporting!" Wolke said, "It's been a while sir."
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