Chapter 93
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Break and Destroy (2)
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Boris felt like he was going to die. At first, he was angry and annoyed, but now he just felt like giving up and lying flat on the ground.
They had said that this was a special response brigade's affiliated battalion, and that they only took volunteers who wanted to become elite combatants.
But to be rolled around the moment they arrived, without even getting a chance to change clothes? What kind of situation was this?
His clothes were caked in dust, and his hair, which he had carefully waxed to commemorate his new life in the battalion, was a complete mess.
His legs tingled and his arms ached, but the red guys in front of him didn't even blink, just kept rolling them.
Was this some kind of punishment unit?
Did he get caught for skimming a bit of supplies last time and get sent to the military police instead of the special response brigade?
Just as he was starting to have thoughts like that—
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—!!
A sharp bell rang through the sky. At the same time, the instructors stood the soldiers up all at once.
"Owls, get up from your spots so you can see the sky!!"
The exhausted soldiers clumsily got to their feet, but it didn't take long for their expressions to be filled with shock.
A giant airship flying in the sky was blocking the sun.
"......!!!"
An overwhelming majesty. Just looking at it crushed a person's thoughts, and Boris's mouth hung open.
"Look closely! That will be your future! Sealing that dog-like mindset and spirit firmly into your weak little heads!!!!"
At the instructor's words, a dozen or so people jumped from the airship. Like eagles soaring through the sky without hesitation.
They played freely in the sky, doing backflips and swallow dives.
'Flying through the sky...?'
To be precise, it was more gliding than flying, but there was no reason to nitpick. They were still moving through the sky.
The dream of flying that someone might have harbored as a child.
As the acrobatics of the people who had realized that dream unfolded before his eyes, the romance that had been sleeping in Boris's heart burst into flames.
It was cool.
It was amazing.
'Me, becoming like that...?'
It was an unbelievable sight, but for someone who had witnessed it firsthand, negative thoughts were no longer possible.
Soon, the people who had been flying through the sky all landed in formation on the training ground.
It was only natural that a tremendous cheer and thunderous applause erupted from the soldiers who had been watching in a daze.
And among those soldiers was Boris, clenching his fists and shouting out a cheer.
***
The morale of the new recruits, which had been on the verge of collapse, exploded the moment they witnessed the descent firsthand.
Even while they were being rolled around in real-time, the voices of complaint vanished, leaving only admiring gazes directed at the instructors and trainers.
Thanks to that, the first day's training ended in great success.
And I threw a grand party to boost their morale.
"Welcome to the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion, you bastards!!!"
"Assault! Assault! Assault! Assault!"
"Tomorrow's another hellish training day. Eat up today, 'cause I'm gonna roll you guys hard tomorrow, so look forward to it!!"
"Ahhh—!!!!!"
The new recruits, following the instructors' and trainers' commands, devoured the lavish meat spread. Their eyes already held a spirit of survival, which I found quite pleasing.
'As I thought, you have to recruit volunteers.'
I nodded with satisfaction as I passed by the soldiers' barracks.
If I went in, I'd only disrupt the atmosphere, so I should let them focus on training for now. I heard that Soni Chepelin would be back by the time the real airship assault training started, so it wouldn't be too late to meet her then.
A commander who acts like a friend is only for company leaders.
As someone currently serving as the acting battalion commander, I couldn't act like I did in my company commander days. Especially in an elite unit like this, the commander's charisma is important.
Unlike when I was at the bottom as a greenhorn, it's better to build strong relationships with the non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers under my command now.
As I passed the barracks and entered the pub in Stout Village, the unit members, who had been making a racket in their instructor and trainer uniforms, all stood up from their seats. *Tap tap*, the sound of their military boots was sharp and disciplined.
"At ease, at ease. You don't need to do this, I'm not the battalion commander."
"At ease."
Just as it felt like time had stopped in the pub, energy returned to the place, and those who had shut their mouths resumed their conversations.
They were definitely showing the appearance of perfect elite personnel, doing what they had to do and resting when they could, with none of their former half-baked attitude left.
Does that mean they've been through real combat?
"Is Company Commander Claude here?"
I approached the two non-commissioned officers making a racket by the entrance and asked. A deep voice was heard right away.
"He's here."
"Ah, Second Lieutenant Erwin Rus is here too."
"Have a drink with us, Acting Battalion Commander!"
As I subtly sat down, Second Lieutenant Erwin, who had brought another glass, poured a clear liquid into it.
"The owner pulled out his entire stock because the new recruits arrived."
"Maldivian whiskey. It's good stuff."
I swirled the glass Erwin poured for me slightly, then lifted it. Claude and Erwin lightly clinked their glasses with mine and downed them in one go.
"*Hah*. This is my fourth glass, but I can't taste the alcohol at all."
"My kind of man."
Just as expected of a connoisseur, Claude looked quite satisfied. It was quite moving to see an expression he never showed in the 3rd Battalion appearing frequently here in the 8th Battalion.
"By the way, how was it actually rolling them around?"
"They're still trash. They're volunteers, so their mental state might be a bit better, but you can't expect much from their combat ability."
A scathing critique. As expected of Claude Raine.
"But they seemed to have some life in their eyes after the descent."
"We'll have to see. I'd be grateful if even 80% of the current members make it through."
"...What about the Magic Descent Gear?"
"That was quite usable."
Claude added as he refilled his empty glass.
"I realized that magic engineering is indeed a convenient technology."
The official name was the Chepelin Magic Descent Gear Type 1.
A new invention from Ukran that we're calling the Type 1 Gear for convenience. To be precise, it was a joint invention between Reinhardt and Ukran.
Count Petrinant of the Reinhardt Empire, overjoyed that the Omen Pearl had been safely recovered, immediately began work on his country's giant airship project.
Also, in this operation, the Reinhardt Imperial Army was also seriously considering 'aerial assault'.
It was a next-generation descent equipment created by Soni Chepelin, who had taken the ideas I provided before and argued strongly for it.
The people who descended this time were half magic users, including Claude Raine, and half regular infantry who couldn't use magic.
They had all jumped wearing this Type 1 Gear.
"You can turn and adjust altitude in a revolutionary way. Of course, since it's equipment that's just been developed, it's bound to be imperfect. If it's properly improved, as long as the user isn't an idiot, there shouldn't be any deaths from falling."
I took a notebook from my front pocket and quickly wrote down Claude's words. He was someone who made terrifyingly objective judgments, even among the unit members.
If he acknowledged it to this extent, there shouldn't be any major problems even if it goes into mass production.
"Ah, that's right! Captain, I heard you're being temporarily dispatched to the Reinhardt Empire soon. The beer there is amazing. I recommend you try it..."
"Excuse me?"
What is this nonsense now?
I opened my eyes wide, and Erwin Rus made a similar foolish sound.
"Huh?"
"Wait a minute. Where am I going?"
"The, the Reinhardt Empire... aren't you going? Chief of Staff Yozef said so—."
*Throb*.
My head started to hurt after a long time.
***
I immediately left the pub and went to find Lieutenant Colonel Yozef Levandovsky. The answer I got from him, who was enjoying a cup of tea—
"Ah, my apologies. It seems I forgot. A letter arrived the day before yesterday via General Soni Chepelin. I completely forgot to deliver it."
"No, how did Second Lieutenant Erwin Rus know something I didn't?"
"He was at the staff office for a bit back then."
Yozef brushed it off and took a sip of his tea. I picked up the letter he pulled from a pile of documents and began to read it slowly.
Every time I read Soni Chepelin's scrawling handwriting, confusion bubbled up in my head.
"Is this schedule for a whole month?"
"That's right. It seems the Reinhardt side is also very interested in your other ideas. I heard there's an exhibition happening this time, so they're probably planning to pull you out using that as an excuse."
I already knew that I had become a person of interest to the pro-Sovye factions within the military.
The entire Limansk Ordnance Depot burned down. Even if they controlled the information, there was no way that high-ranking officers, at least colonels or higher, wouldn't know about it.
In any case, now that they held the leash of the Mutant development, the Empire side acknowledged the Limansk Ordnance Depot's destruction as an attack by the Red October to keep things from escalating externally.
But those in the know knew the whole story.
In the midst of that, I'm visiting the Reinhardt Empire? No matter what reason is given, it would be displeasing to the higher-ups in many ways.
However, if the reason for visiting the Reinhardt Empire is to attend an exhibition, it could be passed off as a plausible excuse.
The problem is.
"Why are you telling me this now, with only a week left?"
"How should I know? It's strange to think anyone could predict our General. I thought you had already given up, but I guess that wasn't the case?"
"...Then who will perform the acting battalion commander's duties?"
"Of course, it's me. He said it wouldn't matter if I took over since it's education and training anyway."
Chief of Staff Yozef smiled faintly.
This...! Could it be that he's trying to dodge his own duty and pass it to me?
My reasonable suspicion became a fact with the chief of staff's words.
"If I go, the staff office's work will be paralyzed, so you'll have to work hard for me."
"Good heavens, are you also abandoning me now, Chief of Staff?"
"What if I go and spit up blood or have a nosebleed at an official event? We can't bring national disgrace upon ourselves."
Indeed, the frequency of Chief of Staff Yozef's nosebleeds had definitely decreased recently. As the battalion started to run smoothly, his stress seemed to have been greatly relieved.
But that's a different story from this.
"I, too, have a very frail constitution."
"Hoho, where would you find someone as tall and handsome as you, Captain Enok? I heard a rumor that all the young ladies were flocking to you at the party Count Pedro threw the other day."
Chief of Staff Yozef's eyebrows twitched with amusement.
How did he know that?
Bell Mayer, you traitor!
"It's also not very polite to keep such a talent locked away in this backwater village. Who knows? Could you make some diplomatic connections?"
I had been planning to just observe the training and get some rest, since I had been in charge of all the work, from reorganizing the battalion to establishing training plans...
"Get to work, Captain Enok Levandel. There's still a mountain of work to do. I can't die alone, can I?"
The world started to bully me.