American Isekai - Chapter 188 (Patreon)

May 19, 624

After another couple days passed and I had gotten caught up with all affairs, the Pathfinders returned from their latest mission. They had been doing recon as most platoons were, but that would soon be changing. 

It was almost like they were waiting for me to return. I had guessed that the Generals were priming for an offensive, but I hadn’t expected it to come so soon. I thought we would consolidate all the incoming troops first, but they didn’t seem to want to wait. It wasn’t like we didn’t have more than enough to go around, but that still meant the intelligence division was handling two things at once. 

Nothing that couldn’t be handled properly, so long as they didn’t go off the rails. 

The new phase started, or so the General said in one of the meetings. I had been allowed to sit in on meetings that I otherwise would have no business being around thanks to Polly, and thanks to that I got to get a look at what it was really like to be among those who ran a war. 

It was nobody I hadn’t already been around, but the setting was completely different. It was where the big boy decisions were made and not just simple stuff like plotting out Bombardo camps so we could strike them. 

Simply being in that room put my name in the minds of those generals and so when the time came to apply for that promotion, there would be a far higher chance it wouldn’t just get discarded. 

Either way, we were moving off the defensive. I was already helping draft mission plans to strike certain encampments. The General had a front that he wanted to establish but before anything on the front could begin, we had to take care of our rear. 

We had the initiative since the Scourge didn’t know that we knew about their flanking army, and thankfully the general knew how to use that. 

It would be an Operation, not just a mission. The first phase of this operation would simply be wiping out the Scourge presence in our back line before moving our armies up in the second phase and establishing a front in the third phase. The death toll would be high and the big players would have to move, but our projections were apparently within the general’s expectations. 

It was dubbed Operation Breakwater, the first major operation at the Treehouse, and the first major operation I’ve ever been a part of. 

And as it turns out, I’d be getting used extensively. 

Managing a major operation out in the field was difficult because no intelligence agent wanted to leave the confines of the base. That meant it would be left up to the warlocks and knights to manage themselves and carry out the objectives, which wouldn’t be an issue if the summoners weren’t so particular about how they wanted things done. That meant that there usually had to be a few intelligence agents who left with any sizeable company or battalion in order to manage people, but that never ended well because no knight or warlock liked the cowardly summoners trying to tell them what to do while they were in their element. 

It usually led to problems, but now, there was a summoner who was at least tolerated, if not respected by a majority of commanders, Chiefs, and Brigadiers. A summoner rumored to be capable of fighting knights and warlocks on an equal level. 

I had earned quite the repertoire, and it was about to get put to the test. 

After another handful of days, the plans were drafted and the soldiers were mobilized. Most companies came back from recon and supply lines were arranged. 

Clearing out the back line would take a full Division of about 12,000 soldiers. Major General Quill would be the head of this phase and would be leaving with us. I would be his direct assistant, because neither Polly nor Jasmine were going to leave base and there were no others who Major General Quill actually trusted to get things done the way he wanted them done. Those he did trust were also staying behind as well. 

That left me. He trusted me and I was leaving anyway, so I was posted at his side. I’d probably get put in charge of all the menial crap but that was no different from what I already did. At least now I’d be getting some action. 

With those arrangements in mind, the two of us started to work together more than normal. About a week passed like that, and finally, the day to depart came. 

……

“Alright, Envoy. Get all the commanding officers on the line and get us moving.”

“It seems that nickname is sticking. Why is that?”

“It’s easier to say than Liaison.”

“Or, you know, people could just call me by my name.”

“Nobody remembers names.”

“You don’t say…”

I sighed at Quill’s words. Even the Pathfinders were calling me Envoy now. The only person who used my name was Polly and the few people I was relatively close with like Jasmine or Amary, the extremely few times I ever actually talked to her. 

Well, I could certainly get called worse. In a way I was the messenger for the kings of the battlefield, the generals. I suppose it was no wonder why that name stuck, and at least I didn’t have to remind people who I was. 

I lifted my aerial, accessing the main channel. We had a mobile Node with us so my own Aerial wasn’t getting used as one. 

I spoke into the channel and got checks from all the COs. Only one Brigade was heading out today while the second would follow tomorrow. Quill and I were a part of that first brigade. 

Many of the COs were either Commanders, Chiefs, or an intelligence agent around the rank of Captain or Major like me. There still had to be some logistical personnel and there was no way the higher ranking agents were getting sent, so they sent the fodder, basically those who could be used as errand boys. 

After all checks were cleared, I gave the green light across all channels. 

“Envoy to all units. Deploy, deploy, deploy.”

The order was simple, and without delay, our vehicles rolled through the outer gates. 

Hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people. We had gotten heavily reinforced and were using the vast majority of our wheels to move this expedition. We had to be fast in order to finish the first phase as quickly as possible. The sooner the Scourge caught on and retaliated, the worse off we’d be. 

There were other strike forces leaving to clear out any scout troops around our soon-to-be flank as well. They would ensure that little to no information would be able to get back to the main Scourge force, or at least not in time to hurt us. 

I sat back within the luxury of what was dubbed the Command Steed. It was specially designed to transport Generals and the like and was the vehicle equipped with the mobile Node. It was a command and control center on wheels, and I was in it. 

Summoners knew how to capitalize on their positions. The Command Steed actually had cushioned seats! It was so comfortable that I almost felt weird sitting down. Was indulging in such luxury okay? Should such comfort even exist?

Suddenly it felt like all my hard work up to this point was worth it. 

Thus the next couple days of travel became bearable. We arrived at our target area afterward where we would build an outpost and settle. Those matters were left to protocol and the grunts. I’d be damned if I had to design the outpost and allocate areas on top of everything else I had to do. 

Plus, I was starting to learn what it meant to delegate. Major General Quill taught me how to do that after he watched me take on what he described as an “ass numbing amount of work.” 

Of course, since I wanted things done right I usually defaulted to doing it myself, but he said that it was more fitting for me to simply correct mistakes than to take on the whole load. That was apparently the way of the superior, something I wasn’t quite used to. 

I had no issues learning though. Being the Major General’s right hand man in this operation came with the perk of being able to order damn near anyone around. I didn’t abuse the position but there were occasions when I found myself smiling while telling someone to go take care of little things like bringing me my food or taking care of night watch. 

Like with the cushioned seats it made things a bit easier on me. Still, I had to manage the overall situation and things were about to get dicey. 

I had never managed thousands of troops before. It didn’t truly fall on my soldiers to do so since the Major General was here, but my position made me think of those things from that perspective and I realized that mistakes on my end wouldn’t just kill a squad or two, but would end with thousands getting wiped out. There was a margin of error of course and we came well prepared, but the stakes were still much higher. It was no longer a personal battle. This was large scale warfare, and I was nothing more than a newbie to the concept. 

It was that kind of thinking that kept me in line. After we arrived and set up the outpost we spent two days preparing for the arrival of the other battalion. Scouting parties were sent out to get a read on the immediate surroundings and patrols were constant. The enemy had likely gotten a read on us and there was the potential for attack at any time. 

Thankfully though, my role wasn’t exclusively passive. In fact my position made it that much easier to simply slip myself into certain missions that I really wanted to participate in. 

One of those missions was the first strike, an ambush on a detachment of Scourge forces which would essentially announce our presence and declare war. 

Major General Quill gave me the Snow Doves and Pathfinders to carry it out. It was more of a spur of the moment thing but we had been planning a first strike and the opportunity showed itself. 

I was all smiles when I rolled out with those two platoons. 

……

“Do we even have any information on this detachment, Cooper?”

“We know where they are. There are also at least 50 combatants.”

“Very helpful.”

Pollux rolled his eyes at me, making me chuckle. 

“We don’t know that much but with the Snow Doves, it really doesn’t matter. Besides, I’ll be doing a quick assessment when we get in the area so I’ll let you all know if we’re fucked.”

“Preferably before we get fucked.”

“Ai, you ask a lot but I’ll do my best. Just make sure to run in my direction when we start escaping.”

“Hmm, you’re in a good mood since you’re joking around. What’s the occasion?”

Pollux kicked his feet back, my smile widening. 

“I’m finally in the field again.”

“Desk work is that hard, huh?”

“I feel like my brain has started thinking in terms of reports and briefings. I could write you up 10 pages on what we’re going to do in the next hour, and then another 10 pages on what we actually did and how it deviated from the original plan, as well as estimations on efficiency changes and correction plans to make sure such things don’t happen again. I can even give you a follow up report detailing my congregations with relevant personnel and the fixes to procedure we implemented. And you want to know the awesome part about all of that?”

“...What?”

He looked at me weird, brow raised when I stuck my nose up proudly. 

“I could get all of that done in 3 hours, with an 8 minute snack break.”

“It sounds like you’ve done that before.”

“...”

My smile disappeared, memories resurfacing and my face turning flat as I shot him a stare. 

“Anyway, my brain has been getting melted for months on end so this is some much needed vacation.”

“Sure…”

I looked down at my watch while Pollux went silent. 

2 minutes out. 

Soon, we pulled up to the target area. I could already feel the Scourge’s Aura in the vicinity and it was nothing to concern myself over. This mission would be smooth. 

That was good for multiple reasons though. It meant this would be a good hunting area to test out my new toys. 

We crested one of the many hills in the area and pulled to a stop. I could already tell that we were getting noticed but as I said before, with the Snow Doves here, it really didn’t matter. 

Everyone started climbing out of the Steeds, Brigadier Nonnen walking over and stopping at my side. He carried my same nonchalance. 

“What’s the plan, Cooper?”

“The plan is to send a message and have fun doing it. I count 119 enemy combatants. Max threat level sits at Authority 9. There are two Royals at that level and one at Authority 8. Easy pickings if we perform a flanking maneuver. The Pathfinders can take that job.”

“Sounds fine to me. Now, what will you do, mister summoner? Want to start drawing up reports while we work.”

Nonnen snickered, making me frown.

“I’m feeling… underestimated. So I think I’ll fight with you guys. 

I deployed my hood and mask, straightening out my coat before letting my Aura wrap around my body. 

I disappeared from my surroundings, noticing several people trying to lock onto me. Nonnen was the only one who could do so before I took off. 

I made my way down the hill, my boots activating and wind enchantments carrying me farther with every step. Crossing nearly a mile was almost effortless. 

I flanked the entire Scourge force undetected, kneeling down while raising my hand. 

In it appeared the first “modern” rifle I had so far procured. 

The XM117, aka the Colt Commando chambered in 5.56. Utilized by various covert forces during the Vietnam War, the Colt Commando had a shortened barrel with a large moderator that vastly reduced the flash signature and barely reduced the noise level while making the weapon a bit more wieldy. 

I tapped in a 30 round magazine before pulling back the bolt. 

I kept it open and smelled the interior, getting an invigorating whiff of the steel and brass. 

“Fuck… smells like freedom.”

I let the bolt slide forward before finally shouldering the rifle and taking aim. 

The Snow Doves were proceeding down the hill, attracting the Scourge’s attention while the Pathfinders flanked around. They were obvious but there was nothing this little attack force could do about it. 

As for me? I opened fire before they could start doing battle. 

My first bullet found an Authority 6 spiked wolf. There were scouts in this troop but those fragile targets weren’t my concern at the moment. 

Instead, I went for some of the tougher targets. Sure enough, my round tore through the wolf and dropped it instantly. 

Iron sights worked well with my eyes in general, so I had no issues getting perfect aim. More than that, my entire body felt more precise, another benefit of the Mind Palace technique. It did much more than just affect my memory. 

The noise attracted everyone’s eyes, but there was nothing here that oculd possibly pick me out with ease. Knowing that, I let off one round after another, dropping body after body. One shot, one kill. It was too easy when my aim felt perfect. 

With my visualization I could induce some of those feelings of perfectly acquiring my target. It was a feeling I only felt with the White Death’s rifle, but now I was getting a rudimentary version of that by default. 

Everything from my body, to my weapon, to the surroundings were all visualized in my mind. If things didn’t match up, like my aim, then I would know. I could also envision my accuracy and use that to get a read on whether my shots would hit my targets. 

Plus, I was also really close, so hitting my shots was too easy. The only thing holding me back was my own speed. 

The Scourge scrambled and I saw several spells start getting flung around in my direction. They couldn’t see me but they could hear me. Fortunately the gun was too loud to precisely pinpoint my location. 

I shrugged off some of the surrounding explosions while replaicng my magazine. By the time I had run out, the Snow Doves finally started attacking. I had already killed 30 though. 

Knowing that Nonnen would be livid if I outmatched him, I started trying to shoot faster. It ested my target acquisition by stressing my speed, semi-automatic starting to sound like automatic as I got faster. 

However, when I reached my 45th kill, I saw Nonnens body flash forward. 

He unsheathed his sword with one smooth motion and let out a blade of vigor. It swept through the entire army, bissecting them all cleanly, not a hint of resistance capable of being put up. 

Since I was kneeled I didn’t bother ducking, and the blade sailed right over my head. It didn’t so much as kick up the wind around my hood. The guy was incredibly skilled. 

And incredibly boring. 

I stood, just about all of the army dead. My arms flailed in exapseration.

“I said to have fun!”

“Hah! It’s fun when I get the most kills! And you’re 50 years too early to try and beat me, summoner!”

Nonnen’s laughs echoed through the mountains, making me click my tongue and send the gun away. 

Pollux came walking over while the others confirmed kills. 

“What was that about a flanking maneuver?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m gonna go write my report.”

“Huhu.”

Nonnen started chuckling as I walked away. He was a Brigadier so I couldn’t just call him a buzzkill to his face. It would be in a more roundabout way, spread across 2 pages in my report. 

……

I handed in my 4 page report to Major General Quill. 

“How was your first mission?”

“It was fine.”

I gave a succinct response, walking to another desk to take care of assorted affairs. 

After a few minutes, I heard a cackle. 

“Bahahaha! Nonnen ruined your fun, huh? Imagine thinking you can best a Brigadier!”

“I was trying to be strategic!”

“Puahaha! Ahh, I enjoy your reports, Envoy.”

He chuckled a couple more times as I tossed aside some stupid reports from other stupid platoons. 

Stupid knights.