Free Web NovelDuring their conversation, Margaret's speed began to increase.
Countless pieces of information reflected a cold light in her pupils.
Soon, the information flow began to slow down; the pop-up windows closed one by one, and the chaotic waveforms gradually subsided.
Finally, all the afterimages came to a complete standstill, freezing on a single document.
Frederick noticed Margaret's fingers tremble slightly.
It was the kind of tremor caused by hesitation or shock.
He found it hard to believe his eyes.
That was an Imperial Major General, the person in charge of special projects at the Royal Knights Academy, someone who had experienced countless life-or-death trials in the past.
What could possibly make her waver or be shocked?
Although, after that moment, her hands regained their stability and continued to weave between the light screens, as if nothing had happened.
Frederick's heart sank.
He had never seen Margaret von Oppenheimer show any form of hesitation.
Never.
"General?"
He asked tentatively, "Did you... find it?"
Margaret did not answer immediately.
Her gaze remained fixed on a light screen in front of her.
That light screen displayed a battle record from the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau; the date, location, unit numbers, weather data—all the information was there, arranged neatly like entries on a death certificate.
The silence lasted for about five seconds.
Amidst the howling blizzard, those five seconds felt as long as five centuries.
"Month of Twin Stars."
Margaret finally spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Like the surface of the sea before a storm.
"The Month of Twin Stars at the beginning of this year, the Eastern Front, the Usar Union Third Army Corps salient counter-offensive."
Frederick blinked.
As a "man of action," his grades in academic subjects were not exactly ideal.
His understanding of the Eastern Front situation was limited to the sanitized battle reports taught in academy classrooms and the occasional snippet heard from upperclassmen.
Nevertheless, he knew the name "Third Army Corps salient counter-offensive."
Every student attending the Royal Knights Academy knew it. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Because that battle had been written into this semester's tactical textbook.
As an example of a "classic counter-offensive."
"That battle..."
Frederick frowned, trying hard to recall the content from class.
"It was an encirclement and annihilation battle planned by the Imperial Army General Staff Department, right?"
"The Usar Third Army Corps advanced too quickly, exposing its flanks, and was—"
"...jointly strangled by the Empire's Second Mech Knights Corps and Fifth Mech Knights Corps." Reinhardt took over.
Frederick turned his head to look at him.
Reinhardt's expression remained indifferent, but his action of poking the fire stopped.
"The Second Mech Knights Corps cut in from the north flank, and the Fifth Mech Knights Corps flanked from the south. The two units converged behind the Usar Third Army Corps, completely cutting off their supply lines and retreat route."
His voice was low and steady, as if reciting a text he had long since memorized.
"The Third Army Corps' Dragon Dragoon Regiment attempted a breakout but was crushed head-on by the Second Mech Knights Corps. Subsequently, the entire structure of the Third Army Corps began to collapse, and an organized retreat devolved into a total rout in less than six hours."
"To buy time for the main force to retreat, the Third Army Corps command ordered all reserve units and Punishment Camp units to establish defensive lines on the spot, delaying the Imperial pursuit force's advance at all costs."
Reinhardt paused.
The fire crackled, a spark popped up, tracing a brief orange arc in the air before extinguishing in the cold air.
"After this battle, only three of the Punishment Camp units under the Third Army Corps retained their designations."
"The rest—" freēwēbnovel.com
"Were completely wiped out."
The stone cave was quiet for a moment.
Frederick suddenly realized something.
If the void realm of Pavela was presenting this battle.
And the scene presented by the void realm was the 'deepest, most ingrained memory in the spirit' of the void realm's owner.
In other words—
Pavela had personally experienced this battle.
A girl no older than sixteen.
Experienced that 'classic counter-offensive' written into the textbooks.
Experienced that meat-grinder battle that could be called purgatory.
Frederick's throat tightened.
How on earth did she survive?
"General."
Reinhardt's voice interrupted Frederick's thoughts, "If this is the salient battlefield of the Month of Twin Stars—"
"I know what you want to ask."
Margaret raised her hand, closing the light screens one by one.
Those pale golden characters and graphics dissipated into the air like smoke blown by the wind, and finally, only one remained.
On the last light screen was a portrait.
No, not a portrait.
It was a standard portrait photo from the Imperial military archives.
The photo was of a man.
He looked to be in his early forties, with a resolute and cold face, high cheekbones, and a jawline as sharp as if carved by a ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) knife.
His salt-and-pepper short hair was combed back meticulously, revealing a broad forehead and deep eye sockets.
He was wearing the full dress uniform of the Victorian Empire The Order, his chest covered in medals and sashes, the golden emblems on his epaulets gleaming with a cold light in the illumination.
But what was most striking were his eyes.
They were a pair of gray eyes, like polished steel, devoid of temperature, devoid of emotion, possessing only a mechanical precision and coldness.
Below the photo was a line of text:
Helmut von Clausewitz
Commander of the Imperial Second Mech Knights Corps
"The most powerful existence in this battle."
Margaret's voice came from behind the light screen, every word sounding as if it had been precisely weighed.
"Not the Usar Dragon Dragoons; they were routed in the early stages of the battle. Not the commander of the Fifth Mech Knights Corps; he was responsible for the southern flank encirclement, and his primary opponents were retreating regular troops, with combat intensity far lower than the northern flank."
Her finger tapped lightly on that portrait.
"The northern flank."
"Crushed the Dragon Dragoon Regiment head-on."
"Then led his troops in pursuit of the routed army."
"Personally commanded the breakthrough of the Punishment Camp defensive line."
"From the start of the battle to its end, his The Order advanced forty-seven kilometers and destroyed over two hundred Usar mechs, at least thirty of which were his own personal tally."
"Helmut von Clausewitz."
"One of the strongest active Mech Knights in the Empire."
"His nickname—"
She paused.
"'Iron Wall'."
Frederick felt his blood run cold.
