Chapter 2
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Feel Like I'm Going Crazy
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“No, wait. Calm down.”
I took a deep breath.
Nothing is certain until you see the stats. Even if the paperwork says they're a complete disaster, their actual performance could be different.
Why, even Napoleon had health problems before he became emperor. Some records say he had a mental illness, too.
Maybe they're a rough gem of that sort?
A mental illness is something that can be treated with consistent care and attention.
“Status window!”
I called up the interface I had dismissed just a moment ago.
Just as expected, the squad management screen, which had been blank until a moment ago, was now filled with four faces.
[Northern Legion, 3rd Magic Battalion, 2nd Company, 5th Platoon]
Platoon Leader: Enok Levandel
Lumia Blue
Bell Mayer
Claude Raine
Roxana Elim
The personnel management system of Hearts of General is built on a fairly complex and sophisticated mechanism.
There's a reason it has firmly held its place as an unrivaled hardcore strategy simulation for over a decade.
Generally, before the war begins, there are three conditions you must satisfy to bring your subordinates' stats to a top-tier level.
First, understand the tendencies of the soldiers, NCOs, and officers under your command and provide 'training solutions' tailored to them.
The battlefield is all about efficiency.
How efficiently you train them and raise the skills of your unit members determines their stats when the world war begins.
A soldier who could have been nothing more than a generic soldier A if left alone.
Can be turned into a warrior capable of single-handedly charging and taking an enemy general's head with the right training solution.
That is the power of training emphasized in Hearts of General.
Second, fill their 'real combat experience'.
Before the war starts, arrange missions to annihilate nearby bandits or focus on criminals and subduing magical beasts.
This increases the probability of obtaining artifacts held by magical beasts or criminals, and of course, it rapidly builds up real combat experience.
Training is important, of course. But real combat is naturally more important.
One real combat experience is far more efficient for raising subordinates' proficiency than a hundred training sessions.
The higher the real combat experience, the more likely they are to receive a 'Veteran' bonus when entering battle.
And lastly.
Raise 'loyalty' to the commander.
Have you ever heard the term 'Morale Break'?
It refers to when the troops' morale hits zero (0), causing them to flee upon entering combat.
In short, it's an 'unconditional surrender'.
A situation where they abandon the fight, reorganization, the armory, and their allies to run away.
They can't stop the enemy, and it's as good as a breach in the defense line, so once a Morale Break occurs, that battle is pretty much a loss.
Therefore, to prevent this Morale Break, the subordinates' loyalty to the commander, that is, the player, must be high.
Suitable training solutions.
Abundant real combat experience.
Loyalty.
If these three elements are satisfied, any worthless platoon can be transformed into a weapon of war.
So, it's not time to give up yet.
Who am I?
A veteran who has played Hearts of General for over 10,000 hours, to the point of being rotten.
My pride won't allow me to run away, sobbing in despair over a mere worthless platoon.
And besides, it doesn't seem like I can run away anyway.
“First, I need to check the stats.”
I was about to manipulate the screen to check Lumia Blue's stats when it happened.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone knocking on the door outside came through clearly. A crystal-clear voice followed.
“Platoon Leader Enok Levandel? Are you perhaps still asleep?”
Before I could even think 'Who is it?', the words 'Platoon Leader' pierced my ears.
A subordinate of mine? Or an aide?
What should I say? For a moment, my mind went blank, and I was just standing there like an idiot, babbling.
“……Ahem. Then, please excuse me.”
The firmly closed wooden door opened.
Sunlight, which I couldn't see due to the lack of windows, shone brightly, and silver hair, sparkling in the light, swayed.
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
“You're… awake?”
A much prettier impression than what I saw in the documents, yet at the same time, a cynical one.
Amethyst eyes looking at me, and her lips, bitten into a brilliant scarlet, all came into my view at once.
She was Sergeant Lumia Blue.
“Yes.”
I answered dryly to Lumia. I didn't do it on purpose. It was just that in my fluster, such a reaction instinctively popped out.
That's because she's a character from a game.
In a situation where I hadn't properly decided how to act or what to say. So I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
“Ah… I'm sorry. If I knew you were awake, I wouldn't have come in so recklessly.”
“It's fine.”
Awkward, as expected.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Ah, it's nothing much!! It's your first day today, so the Battalion Commander is calling for you!”
A slightly stiff, well-composed answer came out, different from her slightly relaxed demeanor from before.
I didn't point it out, but why is she acting like that?
Actually, the important thing right now wasn't Lumia's changed attitude. A meeting with the Battalion Commander. That one sentence made my head spin.
I'm this flustered just facing my subordinate, Lumia. And you're telling me to face the Battalion Commander?
I'm a fully-fledged soldier myself. Even if this is the world of Hearts of General, it's only natural for a new second lieutenant who just joined the unit to attend a meeting with the battalion commander.
I also painfully know that a second lieutenant's first impression is usually decided at that meeting.
‘I can't just approach this as a game element. From now on, I have to be careful with every word and action.’
Interaction.
The point where I could only grasp the situation through a monitor is long gone.
From now on, I have to watch, understand, and utilize everyone who reacts to my words and actions.
Of course, I must not forget that I need to elicit those reactions to get what I want.
The current situation is no different.
If I screw up my first impression with the Battalion Commander, a terrible military life will be waiting for me from then on.
Plus, my platoon members' status isn't exactly great, so there's no need to be on the bad side of the unit commander.
For a smooth game clear, the cooperation of unit commanders like the Battalion Commander is 100% necessary.
“…….”
“Ah, I'm sorry, but Second Lieutenant Enok. You must attend. It's a kind of ceremonial event that all second lieutenants participate in.”
“No, it's not that. I'm not saying I won't attend……”
I organized my thoughts for a moment. I steadied my breathing and regained my composure.
Now that I think about it, there's no need to overthink it.
A meeting with the Battalion Commander, how many times haven't I done that in the army? They probably won't ask any particularly difficult questions.
And since I'm a veteran who already knows the world of Hearts of General inside out, if they ask about international politics or the military, I should be able to handle it to some extent, right?
I haven't possessed a game I don't know, so there shouldn't be any questions that are hard to answer.
“Could you please just guide me to the Battalion Commander's office? I'm still not familiar with the geography.”
“Ah…! If that's all, there's no problem!”
Luckily, Lumia accepted readily.
You shouldn't judge people by their documents alone, but she seemed like a much better person than what was written in her peculiarities.
“Then, please follow me.”
I followed Lumia's guidance and left the shabby room.
It seemed the place where my room was located had been neglected for a long time. The hallway was full of dust from the start, and there were spiderwebs in the corners.
It felt as if they had hastily cleaned up just my room because a new officer was coming.
I seemed to be the only resident.
Treatment of a newly appointed rookie is trash no matter where you go.
“Um… Platoon Leader?”
“Yes, Sergeant Lumia.”
“Have you seen our platoon's personnel information?”
Of course, I've seen it.
When I nodded instead of answering, Lumia let out an "Ah," and sighed. Does she know what's written in the peculiarities section herself?
Well, it's strange if she doesn't know since it's written so blatantly.
As I reacted that way, Lumia averted her gaze and continued to speak hesitantly.
“Ah, um… Please don't worry about it too much, and you can submit an objection to the higher-ups.”
“That's fine.”
“Pardon?”
“I won't know until I see them for myself.”
Anyway, I can't change the platoon without the Battalion Commander's approval.
And there's no reason to give up just because there's a weird description next to good stats.
As I said before, I haven't even opened the status window yet, so I can't judge their performance preemptively.
A total basic stat sum of over 300 is already quite a decent level. Besides, there was a chance that various traits could create synergy.
“You won't know until you see them for yourself……”
Lumia muttered something to herself, but I brushed it off lightly. As soon as we exited the entrance, a magnificent Western-style building appeared before my eyes.
A long, rectangular gray brick building. The roof was finished with red paint sloping along the incline, giving it a strong European architectural feel.
I glanced sideways at the building where the barracks was. A wooden structure, completely different from the brick one.
Honestly, it looked like it would collapse if you gave the wall a good kick.
‘Tsk…’
Feeling the difference firsthand made it all the more bitter. I clicked my tongue and asked Lumia.
“Is the Battalion Commander's office in there?”
“Yes!? Ah, yes, that's correct. It's the main building.”
Ah, the main building.
Then it's understandable. It's not just the barracks; all the offices should be located there too.
I nodded and answered Lumia.
“This is enough guidance for now.”
“Yes, understood. By the way, the Battalion Commander's office is on the second floor!”
“Thank you, Sergeant.”
“Glory to the Fatherland.”
Click. Lumia brought her legs together, placed her right hand on her chest, and bowed her head slightly.
It was a sharp, disciplined movement.
I immediately recognized it as a salute here and returned it in the same way. It was quite simple, so I could imitate it without difficulty.
‘I didn't even know the salute. If I had met him without knowing this, it could have been a disaster.’
A new platoon leader who just stands there dumbly when meeting the Battalion Commander. He'd deserve to be told, 'A platoon like this deserves a leader like you.'
‘That's the one thing I absolutely cannot do.’
My goal is to save this foolish country from the world war that will happen in five years and then return splendidly to reality.
I have no intention of messing up the very first step towards achieving that.
‘Well, the worst that can happen is I lose nothing.’
Leaving Lumia, who was standing there looking at me, behind, I confidently entered the main building.