Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin (Alderamin on the Sky)

We made it...

Your knees okay?

I think so...

Hey, you guys!

What are you doing here?!

Alafatra Mountain Range 3800 meters above sea level

This is the front lines... the very front!

The Fate of a Small Honor

So, things are bad enough that you're being sent here?

Um, First Lieutenant?

Actually, it's "Captain" now.

Just provisionally, though.

My apologies, Captain.

Would you tell us the current state of the war?

Yeah.

We're nearing the end.

Three forces are heading to fight the Sinack via separate mountain routes.

When the enemy splits up, we whittle them down,

then meet up on the ground at the other side.

Therefore driving the enemy into a single, decisive battle.

That's Lieutenant General Safida's plan, huh?

Um, Captain Sazaluf,

may I ask a few things?

No pointing out fundamental problems with the plan.

Too late for that now.

You've made it this far.

We've got lots of safe jobs for you to do.

I know. I'll combine all five of your platoons into one company.

Warrant Officer Ikta, from now on you're company commander.

Congratulations.

Right, got it.

So what, exactly, should we do?

First, the simple job of starting the bonfires.

Don't let their whining get to you.

As if killing us and stealing from us wasn't enough,

now you burn our homes?

You are monsters!

Ah, please wait a little longer.

As soon as the flames go out, we'll take you to a village to the west.

Looks like I underestimated Captain Sazaluf.

Especially his sense of humor, if he's calling arson "lighting bonfires."

This was better than it could have been, though.

What if we'd been ordered to kill them?

That would've been the plan if the Captain hadn't spoken up.

He's burning their villages and isolating the people in another area.

He's cutting off the enemy's supply source,

and he can use them for negotiations.

It's a hell of a lot better than Lieutenant General Safida's haphazard strategy.

I was shocked when I saw that map.

All the routes we're following are separated by over 100 kilometers.

The forces can't help one another,

and it's clear we're going to see a lot of deserters.

It's a massive failure as a strategy.

And to make matters worse, not only are we paying the price for these mistakes,

but so are the Sinack.

Unlike this area, where the Captain's plan was put into effect,

everyone is being slaughtered in the villages to our rear.

Nothing about this is scientific.

It's a ridiculous war.

Sinack Village Refugee Camp

Okay, eight to this house.

We can have the Sotoi family here,

and then...

Ow!

Get lost, imperial dog!

Next, the Gitonko family can go...

Give it back!

Give back our village!

Young man, I understand.

Once this is done, I promise we'll disappear completely.

Can you let me go?

What are you doing, you wretch?!

Brave boy!

Are you all right?

I apologize for my comrade's behavior!

That nosebleed is a sign that you stood up against something unfair!

It's something to be proud of!

Splendid!

I punished the man who did this to you.

But that is probably not enough.

Now we match, young hero.

A-Are you okay?

How dare you lay hands on a child?

I'm disgusted with you, Ikta Solork.

How could you do that?

We have our reasons—

You have a problem with it?

No, I don't.

Thank you.

While you're at it,

think you could take care of getting them set up?

I don't think they'll hate you.

Of course, gladly, but...

Thanks.

Why did you back down?!

Making a child bleed was my mistake.

Warrant Officer Deinkun handled it for me.

I should be grateful.

I refuse to accept that!

We're at war!

Our job is...

to kill lots of them.

He should be doing the same thing!

It's hypocrisy!

Hey, Suya, if you think unconditional kindness is good,

and any sort of kindness that comes with conditions is hypocrisy,

you should reconsider.

People can only achieve as much as the situation allows.

But...

We have to kill the ones who fight us,

but I want to take care of the ones who aren't fighting us as best I can.

Warrant Officer Deinkun's just like us.

It hurts him to fight our comrades.

The same?!

You had rocks thrown at you

and got punched so hard, your face is swollen!

Sorry, Suya.

I just choose the right one for the job.

Warrant Officer Deinkun's a real knight, not like me.

He shouldn't be doing the jobs that make people hate him, right?

Several Days Later Camp, 4200 meters above sea level

The end of the battle draws near!

The remaining Sinack forces are gathering in a large village

on the other side of this canyon!

That will probably be the location of the last battle!

I ask you to fight hard

and make their blood an offering to those who have fallen here on Great Alafatra!

We leave in the morning,

so for tonight, rest up for the last battle!

Dismissed!

The average age here looks a lot younger than when we started.

Of course it does.

We started with 18,000 men in three brigades.

Now we've got less than half of that.

And most died from altitude sickness,

not wounds.

Completely ridiculous.

Haro, want to go wipe ourselves down?

We can use hot water tonight, it seems.

That sounds great.

I'll go with you.

Hey, I wanted to ask you something...

What is it, Ma-kun?

How do you handle them during the war?

I mean...

your... needs.

Matthew, my friend.

That question divides us into two types of people.

Heroes who rely on bonds with others,

or warriors who live in solitude.

That's quite the metaphor.

Torway, which are you?

A hero or a warrior?

I-I don't really...

Cut him some slack, Matthew.

Hotties like him are usually stubborn warriors.

Yeah, maybe.

But the question here is about you, Ikta.

Intercourse during wartime, both hetero- and homosexual,

is against military regulations.

Why are you, of all people, bringing up regulations?!

From what you just said, I bet you're doing it with somebody.

Who is it?

Someone from your platoon?

Come on, even I know better than that—

Another platoon, then?

No, maybe it's more realistic to assume it's another officer.

Could it be Yatori or Haro?!

Matthew, can you imagine an Igsem family heir breaking military regulations?

And Haro's a lot more proper than she looks.

Good to see you've got lots of energy,

but if you're gonna talk about that, keep it down.

I-I'm sorry!

This is embarrassing, Ma-kun.

So sorry.

By the way, how are you handling it, Captain Sazaluf?

A former hero, I guess.

Not that I can talk about it.

As I'd expect from an elder.

When we get back to base, tell me the stories of your glory.