Chapter 58
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Squad Evaluation (5)
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KWAAAAANG!! KUONG!!
Even as the deafening sounds rattled his eardrums, Colonel Viktor Zelensky watched the scene unfold. He had witnessed countless spells during the inspection of the three golden chrysanthemums pinned to his shoulder, and just by the formula structure and total mana expenditure, he could roughly identify what kind of spell it was.
'It's exactly intermediate magic level, no more, no less.'
The firepower was certainly higher than what the other squads had shown, but that was less due to the spell's level and more due to forcibly cramming in mana to deploy it. It was a brute-force approach.
The momentary firepower might be high, but its sustainability was significantly lacking.
'Still, given the 'Great Magic Battle' scenario assigned to them, they must be trying to show off by pulling out as much firepower as possible.'
It wasn't a bad performance for a show, but to Colonel Viktor Zelensky, it wasn't exactly something to be highly rated. He was about to mercilessly deduct points from the squad's tactics, which hadn't managed to escape the mindset of merely decorating themselves with a good facade until the very end, when—
KWANG! Fssssu—.
Colonel Zelensky's eyes widened at the piercing magic, Blaze Ballista, fired by Lumia.
It was already a spell boasting far greater penetrating power than other intermediate spells, and with the added firepower, it had the气势 to easily pierce even an advanced magic barrier. This wasn't a performance technique; it was a genuine spell intended to break through the barrier.
However.
From beyond the pouring flames, an alien mana burst forth from the faintly rippling magic barrier.
A defensive spell? No.
It was definitely an attack spell, albeit a weak one. Probably Magic Missile.
'Using a separate spell while deploying a magic barrier? A talent like that wouldn't be in a backwater like this...'
Not all mages are created equal. Aside from beings beyond规格 like a Grand Archmage, Dual Casting—simultaneously activating two spells, especially opposing ones like attack and defense—was an incredibly difficult feat.
Even Colonel Viktor Zelensky himself could only manage Dual Casting under "limited conditions."
Curiosity once again flickered in Viktor's eyes, which had been maintaining a lukewarm attitude until now.
"Fire Rain."
Following the Blaze Ballista, another fire spell surged into the air. A typical area-of-effect intermediate spell that rains down a barrage of fire arrows over a wide range.
Only then did Colonel Viktor Zelensky realize that his expectations had been completely off the mark.
It wasn't Dual Casting.
'It's the principle of implanting a separate magic circle into a gap in the magic barrier and then activating it remotely!'
It was an incredibly ingenious idea to come from the squad leader of a mere field unit. The new form of magic barrier was enough to catch Viktor's eye, but once he realized the reason why the magic circle had to be overlaid on top of the barrier, his surprise turned into awe.
⟨ Defending Magic with Magic ⟩
He had thought of it before, but seeing the theory unfold before his very eyes was a first. The evaluation ended there. It was more than enough.
"Halt! Major, halt the evaluation!"
"Yes, understood!"
Upon hearing the evaluator's command, Captain Arendt Schultz hurriedly approached Lumia and Claude and stopped their attack spells.
As the thick cloud of dust covering the entire clearing settled, the sturdy, unyielding magic barrier was revealed. It was damaged in places by the impacts, but the formulas themselves hadn't suffered enough to be destroyed.
Consequently, the scarecrows set up as targets were merely covered in a bit of dust, showing no signs of being directly hit by magic.
The barrier had effectively blocked all intermediate attack spells, including the Blaze Ballista.
'Now that I look again, the mana density forming the formulas is unusual too. This is a barrier designed from the start with a 45-degree angle in mind.'
It was a fascinating magic barrier. Having never seen such an experimental attempt in a field magic unit, Viktor Zelensky nodded and scribbled a number on his evaluation sheet.
5th Squad, 10 points.
It was a perfect score.
"5th Squad Leader."
"Lieutenant Enok Levandel!"
Viktor took the bait. His satisfied expression was proof enough.
"Just as I heard. They say you stand out in many areas, and that's no exaggeration. I am Colonel Viktor Zelensky."
"It's an honor to meet you, Magic Staff Officer."
I politely grasped his outstretched hand and answered in a clear voice. It seemed the operation had been a success for now.
"Are you saying you conceived and created all of this by yourself?"
From here on, the key was how I played my cards. I continued my answer, looking the Colonel straight in the eye.
"That is not the case. For the slanted barrier maintained at a 45-degree angle, I provided the idea, but the Dispelling-Defense magic was only possible thanks to Lieutenant Debra Bennett's perfect design and the support of my company commander, Captain Arendt Schultz."
"Dispelling-Defense magic, you say..."
"It operates on the principle of deploying a separate magic circle on the upper part of the barrier, where the mana density is relatively low, and using an attributeless magic to reduce the power of the enemy's attack."
Colonel Viktor Zelensky turned his head to look at Roxana, who was dismantling the magic barrier.
"So, Lieutenant Enok provided the idea, Lieutenant Debra Bennett designed it, Captain Arendt Schultz supported it, and Private Roxana Elim operated it?"
"That is correct."
The evaluator turned around with a faint smile. There stood the company commander, looking confused.
"It seems you and your company commander are on very good terms. Your trust runs deep."
"Uh... Ah, thank you."
"The era of superiors hogging all the credit is long gone. A superior who acknowledges and supports their capable subordinates is a true officer. I like your mindset."
Though he never intended it, it seemed the Captain had also earned some points with Colonel Zelensky.
I secretly gave a thumbs-up to the dumbfounded company commander. By scoring points with the company commander like this in advance, he might take better care of the squad members even after I'm gone.
"Well then, I will conclude the evaluation here. The 3rd Battalion, 2nd Company's total evaluation score is 7 points. That's the highest among the companies I've evaluated recently. You should be proud."
If 7 points was the highest, just how badly had the other companies been torn apart? I could almost hear the screams of the other company commanders who had been mercilessly torn to shreds by the evaluation.
Captain Arendt Schultz, seemingly not one to turn down a free meal, relaxed his stiff expression, puffed out his chest, and answered.
"Thank you!!"
"You worked hard preparing, Company Commander."
"Thank you as well, Battalion Commander!"
It seemed like the evaluation would end on this warm and happy note for everyone, with the consensus that they had at least passed with a decent score, but then—
"Me too! I'm here too!! U-uh!? Kyaaaaaahk—!!!"
With her face covered in soot, as if she had been in the middle of her work and had just come running, Lieutenant Debra Bennett fell from the sky.
"I'm sorry..."
Lieutenant Debra Bennett hung her head so low it looked like she was about to bury her face in the ground.
She had tried to fly up to the sky with brute force and nearly crashed headfirst into the ground. If Bell Mayer, who was standing quietly by, hadn't cast a 'Featherfoot' spell on her in time, a great tragedy might have occurred where she broke her neck and died.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!!"
"I heard Lieutenant Enok spoke very highly of you... You were in a hurry, I get that, but there was no need to go that far."
Colonel Rockheart clicked his tongue and chided her, causing Lieutenant Debra Bennett's eyes to go wide.
"R-Really?"
"Lieutenant Debra, did you perhaps not trust me?"
"No... that's not it... I just thought I might have forgotten..."
Debra scratched her cheek awkwardly.
It was a completely un-soldierly attitude, but the evaluator, Viktor Zelensky, seemed to find her demeanor amusing rather than annoying.
"You have quite a few oddballs in your battalion?"
"Haha, things just turned out this way. Still, they're all great friends who do their jobs well. It's actually quite enjoyable."
"That's the right way to think about it. You are blessed, my boy."
Colonel Viktor Zelensky let out a hollow laugh and added. Colonel Rockheart laughed along with him, but the mid-ranking officers remained stiff, with only awkward smiles on their faces.
"I'm also stepping down from my position as the Legion's Magic Staff Officer this time. I wish the people I'll be working with were filled with young, interesting friends like these."
"Do you have a specific assignment?"
"I'm going to be the head of the Magic Research Department at the newly reorganized Central Education and Technical Research Institute."
The Central Education and Technical Research Institute.
It was an organization formally established to research and develop the doctrines and technologies of the Ukran military, but for now, it was treated like a ghost department that only looked good on the surface.
The reason was that despite the institute's existence, all the weapons and equipment supplied to the soldiers were imported. They hadn't even改良ed existing equipment, let alone conducted any research, so how could they produce weapons independently?
Furthermore, the military magic formulas and doctrines were only superficially touched up from the old days when Ukran was still a duchy.
In essence, it was a department that had no real meaning to exist from a military standpoint.
Given that, it was only natural that it became the number one target for the 'Ukrain Military Reform' currently being pushed by Prince Orlando Ruth III. And yesterday, all the department heads except for the practical staff of the Education and Technical Research Institute were transferred to other posts.
That's how Colonel Viktor Zelensky ended up filling that empty spot.
"Fortunately, His Highness the Prince seems to have taken a liking to me. The problem is, since the institute itself is a rotten organization to the core, we're going to need to fill the ranks..."
As the Colonel said this, he looked at Debra Bennett. The meaning of that gaze was clear, even without him saying a word.
"Your transfer is scheduled for June, I believe?"
"...!! Y-Yes!! That's correct!!"
"I'd like to see you at the Research Institute. The 'Dispelling-Defense magic' you planned, if we just refine it a little, could raise our military's level in an instant."
"Thank you so much!!!"
For Colonel Viktor Zelensky, bringing Lieutenant Debra Bennett over wasn't a bad thing at all.
She was an officer who had abandoned her ongoing work just to crash the evaluation. That showed how desperate she was.
By nature, only those who challenge something can seize it.
To the Colonel, Lieutenant Debra Bennett felt like someone trying to seize her chance. With that level of desperation, she wouldn't be slacking off in the new department, at the very least.
Laziness and complacency.
Those were the two things Colonel Viktor Zelensky hated the most.
'But Lieutenant Enok Levandel, who actually received the evaluation, doesn't seem to have much on his mind.'
In reality, he had only promised benefits to Lieutenant Debra Bennett for now.
For Captain Arendt, it made sense; whether he liked it or not, he had to stay in this battalion for another year.
But Lieutenant Enok Levandel, who had been promoted a rank and had his unit's morale soaring, also had a transfer scheduled for June. Yet, he showed no sign of pushing to be taken along like Debra Bennett.
'Does he have no interest in research?'
The Colonel felt a strange feeling from the blonde officer. Based on his face alone, he didn't seem like someone with much affection, nor the type to be loved by his subordinates or superiors.
But during the evaluation, he strangely praised his direct superior, the company commander, and his attitude toward his subordinate NCOs was also different.
Rather, it was the complete opposite.
He does things well without being told, and he has both the ability and the character? And he's a newly commissioned officer who just graduated from the military academy?
'What a waste. If he had been a bit more assertive, I would have taken him along with Lieutenant Debra Bennett.'
Viktor Zelensky clicked his tongue in regret. In truth, an officer who showed this level of ability must have a plan for his future.
That was beyond his jurisdiction, and even if he put in a word for him, his influence was limited to positions related to the Northern Legion he was currently in.
If he had no intention of staying in the field legion or wasn't interested in the technical research field he was newly assigned to, it was understandable that he didn't show a big reaction to his offer.
Still, since he already had a firm opinion of his own, it was clear he wasn't someone who had enlisted as an officer without any conviction.
'He's definitely the kind of guy who deserves a lieutenant promotion just one month into his commission. The rumors weren't exaggerated after all.'
A tree that will grow well is different from the start, as they say.
'We might meet again at the top of the military someday.'
Just looking at the new officer who was listening to his words with a cool gaze,
Colonel Viktor Zelensky thought that.