Chapter 63
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion (2)
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“Is this… the unit barracks?!”
“What a mess.”
Lumia’s eyes widened in shock. Claude let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
The previous battalion commander had managed the unit exceptionally well, but this building was even worse than the old, abandoned officers' quarters they had used before.
Back then, it was just one building, but now, all five structures on the grounds felt as if they were on the verge of collapse.
“Ugh…”
“I actually like this kind of thing. You don't, Lieutenant?”
“Of course not! You know me, Sergeant!”
While she wasn't as obsessed as Lieutenant Colonel Rockheart, Lumia Blue was also someone who placed great importance on aesthetics.
The state of the new battalion barracks was practically indistinguishable from a ruin.
“This won't do. It'll take several months to completely renovate the buildings…!!”
“Calm down, Lumia. This is just a temporary barracks anyway.”
A familiar voice came from behind Lumia, who was trembling with frustration. She instinctively turned her head and was greeted by a head of striking blonde hair.
“Platoon Leader!”
“Haha… How did things end up like this.”
An entire platoon transferred together. Even Lumia, who had been in the military for over three years, had never heard of such a situation.
Still, it was a blessing that she could be with Enok. At least she didn't have to be separated from him.
“By the way, what kind of place is this? It doesn't seem like a simple battalion.”
“For now, it's a training battalion. Once we complete all the training courses, we'll move to the main barracks and be officially assigned.”
Enok answered Claude's question concisely. A training battalion? Something like a training ground for soldiers and non-commissioned officers.
Lumia traced her memories back to when she first enlisted. The past where she rolled around in smelly mud and barely managed to graduate after enduring all sorts of disciplinary drills.
At the time, she had even considered becoming a training instructor or an assistant instructor. It stemmed from the psychology of not wanting to be the only one to suffer.
Of course, reality turned her into a non-commissioned officer who drifted from one field unit to another, neither one thing nor the other, but perhaps that chance had finally come.
However, it didn't take long for Lumia's face, which had been filled with anticipation, to turn pale.
“So, we're becoming instructors and assistant instructors?”
“No, we're the trainees.”
“Yay— Huh? What…?!”
“You probably haven't heard about the unit organization yet. I'll explain the details once all the platoon members have arrived.”
“Ah…”
“Our 1st Platoon barracks is the building on the right. Since the two of you arrived first, pick a room you like and unpack.”
At Enok's words, Claude roughly gathered his luggage and strode into the barracks. Lumia was about to do the same, but a sudden question popped into her head.
“Wait a minute… So, are you still the Platoon Leader?”
Even if she had been promoted, her term as a platoon leader still had about half a year left. Would she be performing the role of platoon leader in the new unit as well?
“No.”
“What do you mean…”
“From now on, you can call me the 1st Platoon Leader.”
It was surprising news. The 1st Platoon Leader! Of course, since she was a lieutenant, it was the correct designation according to rank.
But the nuance of Platoon Leader and Platoon Leader was different. The title itself changed from a 'leader' to a proper 'commander'.
“Th-then, what about me…?”
“I'll be counting on you, Platoon Deputy.”
Enok answered with a bright smile.
Starting with Lumia and Claude, the others, Bell Mayer and Roxana, arrived soon after, and troops gathered from various other places slowly began to trickle in.
The total number of soldiers in the 1st Platoon I was in charge of was 50. It was a severely insufficient number considering that a standard infantry platoon usually has over a hundred soldiers, but it seemed unavoidable due to the special nature of the new elite unit being formed.
Truthfully, while it was called an infantry battalion, it was closer to a magic battalion in structure.
The organization of the platoon consisted of the headquarters, which included Lumia and Roxana, four squad leaders, and the soldiers under their command.
The peculiar point was that the squad leaders were non-commissioned officers, not officers.
- *Up until now, something was off. The squad leader, who is closest to the soldiers and has to command on the battlefield by getting their hands dirty, can't just be a second lieutenant who only knows theory.*
Chief of Staff Joseph and Battalion Commander Soni Chepelin reportedly shared the same opinion.
In principle, during wartime, many non-commissioned officers also become squad leaders, and in countries like the UK and Germany, non-commissioned officers actually take the position, so it shouldn't be a major problem.
And personally, I preferred this. A second lieutenant squad leader structure inevitably goes through a lot of trial and error.
That's why it's like this; I still vividly remember the other second lieutenant squad leaders freezing up in front of the evaluator during the 3rd Battalion's platoon evaluation.
Even if they were officers selected by Soni Chepelin, their limits were clear as second lieutenants who had just graduated from the military academy.
Moreover, such second lieutenants were already deployed on the field. If we tried to find newly commissioned second lieutenants, we'd have to wait until next year.
As a result.
“…1st Squad Leader, Sergeant Claude Raine! 2nd Squad Leader, Sergeant Bell Mayer!”
Bell Mayer and Claude Raine ended up taking the positions of the 1st and 2nd Squad Leaders.
“Tsk, this is a pain.”
“M-me? A squad leader??”
“It's just a training unit for now. If you do well, you might get transferred to another position.”
“Oh my god.”
Claude seemed rather unconcerned… or rather, he clearly looked annoyed, but Bell was flustered, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Next, Sergeant Erwin Luth will be the 3rd Squad Leader, and Sergeant Hilton Calia will be the 4th Squad Leader.”
New faces.
Thanks to Soni Chepelin's consideration, or lack thereof, we were commanding the same squad members as before, but we couldn't run a platoon with just four people.
So, the first impressions of the two people who were assigned separately from the 5th squad were:
“Glory to the Fatherland!!”
“Glory.”
“It's an honor to meet you, Lieutenant Enok Levandel! I've heard a lot about you!!”
“I'll be counting on you—!!!”
Not bad at all. They were disciplined and their eyes were sharp with intelligence. Non-commissioned officers of this rank usually know how the unit works, so some try to slack off.
At least, these two didn't seem like that type.
“Where were the two of you originally assigned?”
“Sergeant Erwin Luth! I was with the 2nd Magic Battalion, directly under the Western Legion!”
Erwin, whose short-cut black hair suited him well, answered, raising his hand high. In a way, it was a tiresome, by-the-book style, but as a platoon leader, this type was easier to handle.
“Since you were in the Western Legion, you probably haven't trained in mountainous terrain before. Have you experienced any other types of training?”
“Ah… Well, we didn't do much field training either.”
“??”
As I made a puzzled expression, Erwin began to explain in detail.
“In our unit, we didn't conduct any self-directed training besides evaluations. I got sick of it and reported it to the higher-ups, but they treated me like a complete outsider. Fortunately, I seem to have made a good impression on Colonel Soni Chepelin, but if I had stayed in that unit, I would have been branded a failure.”
“I see…”
I shifted my gaze to the 4th Squad Leader, Sergeant Hilton Calia. She was an impressive woman with blue eyes that shimmered like the deep sea.
“What about you, Sergeant Hilton Calia?”
“Ah… I…”
She tried to avoid my gaze for a moment, but then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
“I want to go to war.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to go to war.”
My mind went blank for an instant, but Claude, who had been quietly watching his juniors, spoke up.
“You want to go to war? What are you thinking?”
“…I will get my revenge on them. I came here to learn combat skills. Under Colonel Soni Chepelin, I'll learn stronger and more terrifying magic and sweep away those damned Azov bastards…!”
She gritted her teeth. She looked perfectly fine on the outside, so why was she suddenly like this?
Looking again, what was etched in their eyes was madness painted over their intelligence.
Soni Chepelin…
What was she thinking, bringing in people like this?
As if the Chief of Staff, who was bleeding from his mouth in real-time, wasn't enough.
A mutinous war hero.
A noble heir who periodically suffers from memory loss.
An excessively by-the-book non-commissioned officer.
And finally, a war maniac.
The squad leader lineup had no one to filter out. It was a complete all-star cast!
The image of Soni Chepelin laughing cheerfully in front of my eyes flickered in my mind.
Ah, truly… Amazing!! Brigade Leader!!