Chapter 29
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Proper Education (3)
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"Battalion Commander, it's the Personnel Officer."
"Ah, come in."
"Glory to the Fatherland!"
Captain Michel Robron carefully stepped into the battalion commander's office.
Luckily, Lieutenant Colonel Rockheart Cromwell's expression was quite good today.
Or rather, upon second thought, it wasn't just today.
Ever since Second Lieutenant Enok Levandel refused Soni Chepelin's proposal in front of all the battalion's officers and bolstered the commander's prestige.
Rockheart Cromwell had been in this state for days. He was grinning from ear to ear all day long.
That wasn't all.
He had even managed to make a solid impression on the 18th Regiment Commander and the 8th Division Commander, Major General Nobgordo.
Captain Michel understood why the commander couldn't easily shake off this good mood. Next year was the year he would be eligible for promotion to Colonel.
In the Ukrainian Army, where connections had a massive impact on promotion, making his name known to a division commander was more valuable than anything else.
If Michel himself were in the same situation, he would have done the exact same thing as Rockheart.
'And they're siding with that bastard Rex? Is there any reason for me to get on the wrong side of the commander?'
The Personnel Officer made up his mind.
He had done plenty of dirty deeds, so he had more than a few things to feel guilty about, but honestly, he wasn't the only one who benefited.
Just as Enok had said, maybe this was his chance to cut ties cleanly.
'The MP unit seems to be realizing the city's situation is a mess. I should stick close before they find some reason to pick on me.'
Surprisingly, field commanders of a battalion's caliber often don't pay much attention to the lives of soldiers or junior officers.
Lieutenant Colonel Rockheart was a similar case.
It would be better to speak up now and take a little scolding than to be interrogated by the MPs later.
Moreover, his mood was good lately, so there was a high chance he wouldn't even get scolded.
"So, what's the matter? I heard you needed to see me urgently."
"A complaint has been filed within the battalion, so I came to report it."
"A complaint? Not from the outside, but from within the unit?"
"Yes, sir."
Rockheart's mustache twitched. The corners of his mouth, which had been slightly raised, fell.
"Shouldn't you handle that kind of thing yourself? Especially if it's internal, not external."
"It's a serious matter."
"Serious? How serious?"
The moment he heard the word "serious," Lieutenant Colonel Rockheart's face hardened. Captain Michel only spoke this way in truly urgent situations.
"It's to the point where it cannot be leaked to the outside."
"Tell me quickly."
"There is a soldier named Corporal Rex, who is assigned to the logistics and supply section of the headquarters company. He reportedly had both his ankles completely fractured by magic yesterday."
"Fractured? Wait... by magic!?"
Understanding the Personnel Officer's meaning, Lieutenant Colonel Rockheart shot up from his seat.
"What kind of bastard would crush a soldier with magic?!!"
The commander, furious as a firestorm, could only make a confused expression after hearing Captain Michel's next words.
"It was Second Lieutenant Enok Levandel."
The person who did it was the promising new officer he had been keeping an eye on.
"Is he protesting because even after he did all that, he's still stuck in that platoon? It's only been a month, so a change of assignment is a bit much...!!"
"That's absolutely not the case, sir. Second Lieutenant Enok has no intention of leaving the 5th Platoon."
"Then why did he attack a perfectly fine soldier... one from the logistics and supply section he has no connection with? Was it another negligent discharge like last time?"
Captain Michel thought a negligent discharge might actually be better.
But since he had already promised to go along with Enok's plan, he couldn't back out now.
"Corporal Rex committed insubordination. Furthermore, he attempted to sexually assault Sergeant Lumia of the 5th Platoon."
"Damn it."
The lieutenant colonel's expression, which had been carefully maintained as calm, crumpled in an instant.
Playing politics isn't anything special.
A conflict that starts with a simple misunderstanding can be detonated by adding just a few light words.
That's how you shape a situation to your advantage.
That is precisely playing politics.
It was something I had experienced to the point of sickness and fought against to the point of sickness. In the military, a space where resources like promotions and ranks are limited, all sorts of trickery and political maneuvering run rampant.
For me, who had run wild like a madman in modern times, a mere corporal like Rex wasn't even capable of being a nuisance, let alone a threat.
To be honest, it was amazing that he had been able to do this much as a soldier up until now.
"Ah, Lumia. That goes here."
"Understood."
I watched Lumia, who was moving a wardrobe, and said. Before officially rebuilding the barracks, we were moving the furniture left in the basement to my quarters.
"Platoon Leader, where should I put this?"
"Put it in the room in the middle over there."
"I'll be using this room, so don't touch it."
It wasn't just Lumia Blue.
Bell Mayer and Sergeant Claude Raine were also silently moving their own luggage.
Even Claude, who was blunt in everything, was very favorable toward moving quarters.
- I was going crazy being cooped up in the basement. This is good news to hear in the middle of all that.
Ever since he rejected Soni Chepelin's proposal in front of the battalion members, Claude Raine's attitude toward me had softened a bit.
He still wouldn't salute and would pretend not to see me even after making eye contact, and he still didn't show up for official schedules like roll call, but...
He would answer when I asked a question, and he even expressed his willingness to participate in renovating the abandoned barracks.
Considering he swore at me the moment he saw me in the barracks for the first time, this was a pretty huge development.
"It looks so empty now that I see it like this, since it was all crammed into such a small space. It looked cozy in the original barracks."
"That's because not all the furniture is here yet. I'm thinking of going into the city with Lumia this weekend."
"I-Into the city...? Platoon Leader, wouldn't it be safer to just order from here?"
Lumia showed a strange reaction to my words.
Was she afraid that the hooligans in the city would cause trouble after she clearly confronted Rex yesterday?
I could understand why Lumia was worried like that.
On top of already drawing a massive amount of aggro from lightly subduing a few hooligans on an outing with Bell Mayer, if Rex joined in, it would become a real headache.
But unfortunately, that wouldn't happen.
THUD!! CRASH!!
The barracks door opened, and a man came inside. Because he was on crutches, he tripped on the doorstep and tumbled inside.
It was a completely embarrassing situation, but he approached us with a face covered in tears.
"Second Lieutenant Enok! Sergeant Lumia!! Please, help me!! I was wrong!!"
It was Rex.
"I did something terrible without knowing my place!! I'll take full responsibility for Gavial too, so please, just let me off this once!!"
He rubbed his hands together and kept banging his head on the floor. The pride and confidence Corporal Rex once had, thinking he was the real power of the 3rd Battalion, were gone.
I subtly raised my head and looked at the people standing outside the door.
Deep black dress uniforms and a transport truck parked next to them.
They were dressed the same as the members of the MP unit I saw at Belgorod Fortress last time.
It seemed the battalion commander, having heard the Personnel Officer's report, had issued the appropriate instructions immediately. As expected of Rockheart, he doesn't hesitate in situations like this.
"Please!! Just give me a break once!! You don't want this to get any bigger either, do you, Platoon Leader and Sergeant!?"
"The MPs are already here, so what's the use of that? If you were going to do this, you should have apologized to Lumia yesterday. You should have told the Personnel Officer, not me."
"Hrk, heurgh!!"
I had given him one chance, but he was someone who refused to back down.
At this point, I had no intention of accepting his apology myself. Unless the person involved, Lumia, wanted to.
"Platoon Leader... what is all this...?"
"Lumia, what are you going to do? I will follow your will, Lumia."
The choice now belonged to Lumia.
Then, Rex dragged himself over to Lumia and shouted.
"Sergeant!! I was wrong!! I'm sorry! I'll never do anything like that again!! I'll even salute properly every time I see Sergeant Lumia, and I won't say anything weird! Please!!"
Even if he was the real power of the battalion and a member of a criminal organization with roots in Cherno City.
That was only true in the local area.
When looking at the entire army, Corporal Rex was nothing more than the worst soldier to cause a breach of discipline.
Just like in other armies, for the MPs, who need 'achievements,' there was no easier target.
In the worst-case scenario, he could even be assigned crimes he didn't commit and receive a harsher punishment.
"Sergeant Lumia, please!!"
Rex couldn't possibly be unaware of this fact. Being transported by the MPs was nothing short of a death sentence for a soldier.
Maybe from the moment the Personnel Officer shut his mouth, Rex should have decided to desert.
Well, it wouldn't be easy to desert with his ankles already shattered, though.
Lumia quietly watched Rex, who was wailing at her feet. There was no longer any pity for him in her eyes.
"..."
"S-Sergeant?! Sergeant!!"
Lumia's silver hair fluttered. She turned around and disappeared into the room.
A clear sign of rejection.
The confirmation of punishment.
There was never any last chance for Rex to begin with.
"I think that's your answer, Corporal."
"This can't be...!!"
"It was shitty meeting you, let's never see each other again."
"Please, just forgive me once!!"
The MPs, waiting outside the building, came over to drag him away as he struggled desperately.
What kind of end the corporal would meet was no longer my concern. The sentence would be decided by the investigators. And since his crime was so heinous, it was certain he wouldn't get off with a light punishment.
So, there was only one thing I could leave him with.
"Life is the real deal, you little shit."
I looked at Rex and gave him a bright smile.