Chapter 56
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Squad Evaluation (3)
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“What? What are you talking about, no way!”
Bell Mayer was so startled by Roxana Elim’s bombshell that she immediately tried to stop her. It wasn't just Bell; even Debra Bennett, the person directly involved, looked visibly shocked.
“Wait… You’re Corporal Roxana, right?”
“Yes, Lieutenant Debra Bennett.”
“I heard you’re a Mana Sickness patient. What are you planning to do?”
The Facilities Management Chief was in an equally awkward position.
She had asked out of courtesy, but even so, using a patient like a ‘Mana Tank’ was problematic in many ways.
If something went wrong, who would take the responsibility? Besides, this was Mana Sickness. Not a frail constitution like mine, but a genuinely incurable disease.
“I can regulate the mana output, just like turning off a faucet. I can’t handle it, but I can definitely adjust the Mana Core…!”
“It’s good that you’re enthusiastic, but… even so…”
The Lieutenant scratched her cheek, looking troubled. The majority had a lukewarm reaction, so Roxana eventually came over to me and said.
“Squad Leader, I heard there’s a high probability you’ll be transferred out in June for your promotion.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“That means there are only about three months left. And aside from this squad evaluation, most of the training schedules are concentrated in the latter half of the year… so this squad evaluation is the first and last training I’ll be doing with you.”
Roxana said this and grabbed my hand. From her small, sprout-like hand that couldn’t even fully cover mine, I felt a powerful will.
“I want to show you my best performance as well.”
In the end, the conclusion was that she was asking for permission to cast the magic barrier during this evaluation. Roxana was making her case with an intense appeal, her emerald-like eyes shimmering.
I tried to avoid that gaze and was about to say just one thing.
“Corporal Roxana. As I said before, I cannot grant permission…”
“Why don’t we let her try.”
Claude, the sergeant who had been quietly listening to Roxana’s words, spoke up.
“Sergeant.”
“Even if she’s a Mana Sickness patient, the fact that Roxana is in our squad and a soldier of Ukran hasn’t changed. If we were just going to lock her up in a room, we wouldn’t have treated her as a squad member in the first place.”
Actually, he was right.
I knew just how miserable it felt to be excluded because your body couldn’t keep up, even if you really wanted to do something.
During the Thousand-League March I conducted after first joining the unit, my knees had been shattered. Back then, the seniors had practically dragged me out when I insisted on training anyway.
How unfair that felt at the time.
Even now, just thinking about that situation makes my body tremble.
“…Squad Leader, are you really thinking of granting permission?”
Lumia, standing next to me, asked with a worried look in her eyes.
I had to seriously consider it. As Sergeant Claude said, Corporal Roxana Elim was undeniably an Ukranian magic non-commissioned officer.
Even if I left the battalion, she would have to continue her military life with the new squad leader who would take my place.
We couldn’t just keep her hidden inside a room forever, as much as she wanted.
After all, if war breaks out, she too would be deployed to the battlefield 100% as a 1st-class magic officer.
If she’s just going to be left to rot as a Mana Sickness patient without making any notable contributions there, and then be helplessly killed…
Wouldn’t it be better to give her a chance, even if it’s a bit risky?
“Corporal Roxana.”
“Corporal Roxana Elim, sir!”
“I have a condition. I’ll leave the deployment of the magic barrier to you, but you are not to deploy it alone.”
“Excuse me…?”
“Squad Leader, what do you mean by that? How can you say she can’t deploy the magic barrier alone.”
I answered the squad members who didn’t understand my meaning.
“For the squad evaluation, the magic barrier will be constructed by Roxana and me together.”
***
A few days after Debra Bennett showcased her own Dispel-Defense magic.
“Th-then… I’ll be getting on now.”
“Hup!”
“It, it’s on!”
Roxana’s arms wrapped around my neck. I grabbed her legs tightly and pulled them to firmly attach her to my body.
Even so, she seemed a little embarrassed about piggybacking, as she flinched every time her skin touched my hands.
“A-aren’t I heavy!?”
“Not heavy at all. I don’t even feel like I’m carrying you.”
Just like when Bell fainted in the capital of Kyiv, the weights of my squad members seemed much lighter than I expected.
Even Bell felt that way, but Roxana’s weight felt less than half of Bell’s.
“Corporal Roxana needs to supplement her nutrition a bit more. She doesn’t have a single muscle on her…”
“Ahem, Squad Leader!! That comment is dangerous!!”
I was just stating a pure observation, but Lumia waved her hands in a panic.
“It’s obvious to the touch. I didn’t mean it in a weird way.”
Wasn’t it Lumia Blue who suggested the piggyback in the first place? She said it was because the Mana Cores would be closest to each other, allowing for a quick response if needed.
Normally, carrying her in my arms would be best, but that wasn’t a pose an adult man and woman could easily do.
The piggyback was the best alternative, but inevitable physical contact was to be expected.
However, her skin was excessively soft. It felt exactly like the slime I used to play with as an elementary student.
I felt a strong urge to poke and prod at it, but I suppressed it with mental fortitude and waved my hand to Debra Bennett.
“Then we will begin.”
“Okay! Give me the signal and I’ll fire!”
I turned my head slightly to look at Roxana, and she silently raised both hands high into the air.
“Deploy.”
Thump-thump, the sound of her heart beating fiercely was felt clearly. With every breath she exhaled, the thick scent of mana scattered into the air.
A cluster of green light covered my vision, forming a magic circle that enveloped my entire body.
Intermediate defensive magic, ‘Wind Protection.’
Unlike the attribute-less Protection, this was a magic barrier that could fully utilize the skill of Roxana, a 1st-class green magic officer.
Perhaps that’s why. Unlike my worries, Roxana was handling the mana quite stably.
“Huuup…!”
“You’re doing well, Roxana.”
Roxana unfolded the barrier in an instant. As expected of the massive amount of mana she poured in, the Wind Protection she deployed was thick enough to easily block at least advanced magic just by itself.
But the main purpose of this evaluation wasn’t an ‘inclined magic barrier.’
The key was to complete the prototype of the Dispel-Defense magic that Debra Bennett had established.
“Now… the interception spell…!!”
She wiggled her fingers and adjusted the mana of the barrier. Another magic circle was layered on top of the relatively thin upper incline.
This was the very essence of this squad evaluation.
Drip. A bead of sweat rolled down Roxana’s cheek and fell onto my head. She was in a state of intense concentration. I held my breath as much as possible so as not to break her concentration and watched the Dispel-Defense magic unfolding before my eyes.
“It, it’s done!”
Roxana, who had finally perfectly deployed the magic, tapped my shoulder, and I gave a signal to Debra Bennett, who was standing in the distance.
“Squad Leader! Over here!!”
I had to assume the possibility of the barrier being penetrated by Debra Bennett’s attack, so I hurriedly moved behind Lumia, who had already deployed her magic barrier.
Kyiing—! Hwaaahk!
The moment I safely got out of the range, a scorching heat bloomed from the fingertips of Lieutenant Debra Bennett.
“Let’s go!”
A massive flame shot up, then immediately transformed into the shape of a beautiful bird. Advanced red magic, Phoenix Strike. A magic with outstanding penetration power and firepower.
‘She said she’d go easy…! Is this what she calls easy!?’
The flame swallowed everything visible in front. Even though I had put some distance between us, I could feel the ferocious heat.
Despite the overwhelming power, Roxana didn’t back down. Instead, she stared at the charging firebird and carefully calculated the timing.
“Now!”
“Now!”
With shouts that erupted almost simultaneously, Roxana’s magic circle spewed out a flash.
It was a magic so powerful it was hard to even call a Magic Missile. A missile? It might be more accurate to call it an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Just as the firebird was about to touch the magic circle, the Magic Missile, condensed to its limit, collided directly with Phoenix Strike.
Kwaaaang—!!!
It was louder and more intense than any explosion I had ever heard. Not only did I temporarily lose my hearing, but the ringing dug painfully into my eardrums.
Phoenix Strike is by no means a light magic. It’s not a power that can be easily blocked even if you deploy an advanced defensive magic.
Even if Roxana had projected more mana than a normal Wind Protection to make it thicker, and even if the destructive power of the Magic Missile was suspiciously strong, it was ultimately a collaboration between an elementary interception magic and an intermediate magic barrier.
There was no reason to be disappointed if it couldn’t withstand the impact and broke. After all, it was Lieutenant Debra Bennett’s fault for saying she’d go easy and then unleashing Phoenix Strike.
With that sense of resignation, I looked past the dust cloud that obscured my vision.
However.
“Ah.”
As if to mock my expectations, Roxana’s barrier stood firm even amidst the explosion.
“……!!”
Lumia, completely taken aback by the unforeseen result, covered her mouth in shock.
Roxana, who had finally succeeded in deploying the magic after a long and arduous special training, let out a cry of joy.
“I, I did ittttt!!”