“Roxanna!”
At that moment, an old man in a white coat rushed out from the opposite side of the hallway. He wore military uniform underneath and had patches on his shoulders, unmistakably marking him as a military doctor.
However, I couldn’t tell who he was at all.
Even after consistently visiting the infirmary since my transfer, I had never encountered this military doctor before.
Didn’t I hear that there were only two military doctors permanently stationed in the battalion?
‘Who is this?’
For a moment, I was puzzled, but Roxanna scratched her head and looked at the old man.
“First, take it easy…”
“I’m completely recovered now! Look, I just supplied mana, and I’m fine!”
“What? Mana supply!?”
The old man hurriedly approached and felt my pulse. I could feel a faint but clear mana at the tip of his fingers.
Although it was a new sensation, I realized that he was checking the mana flowing through my veins.
“…It’s true. Roxanna! What were you thinking doing something like this?”
“How could I just watch when she showed signs of mana shock right in front of me?”
Roxanna answered firmly. The old man seemed even more shocked; he let out a sigh and shook his head.
By the way, I heard that Roxanna had serious issues with her heart, so is it okay for her to be wandering around like this?
“Wait, what’s your unit…”
“I’m Lieutenant Enok Revendale. It’s been about a month since I joined the battalion.”
“Enok Revendale?! So you’re… ”
The old man looked back and forth between me and Roxanna, then clapped his hands.
“So, you’re Roxanna’s new platoon leader!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Unintentionally revealing my identity, Roxanna’s green eyes locked onto my face. Her lips parted slightly, seemingly in disbelief, and a soft voice emerged.
“Platoon Leader?”
“…I didn’t expect to meet you like this. Nice to meet you, Roxanna Elrim.”
Indeed.
From the very first meeting, things weren’t easy.
*
“Tell me, how did you graduate from the Military Academy?”
The elderly military doctor examined various parts of my body while asking. He seemed to be looking at me as if I were some strange life form.
“Even the military doctor from the 18th Infantry Regiment said something similar.”
“A mage with deformed muscles and a deformed core. This is the first time I’ve seen one. It’s almost like a body modified solely for spellcasting.”
That might be the awe of having a ‘maximum combat stats.’
In order to be good at combat, despite having a body riddled with debuffs, this kind of deformed body must have developed.
“Why does this keep happening? If the body is modified solely for spellcasting, then even a slight strain would result in mana deficiency…”
“Have you never heard the medical opinion during your initial physical examination?”
Of course not.
I woke up in the battalion’s tent, so there was no way I could remember such details.
Silent, I nodded, and the elderly military doctor pressed his forehead.
“Even if you are a conscript sent to the Military Academy or a manager evaluating magic suitability, doing things improperly is equally unacceptable.”
He cleared his throat and adjusted his voice, then prodded the area where my core was located.
“The reason you waste too much mana is truly justified. Your core is in severe calcification.”
Calcification? Does he mean hardening? The moment the doctor mentioned calcification of the core, fear gripped me.
Pulmonary fibrosis, bodily calcification—these are serious conditions.
Could it be that I have a fatal illness…?
“Don’t look so worried. Calcification of the core is surprisingly common. To be precise, it’s not really a disease.”
“Then what exactly is calcification of the core?”
“Like how muscles need to be used to become flexible and gradually stronger, the same concept applies to the core. From what I can see, you haven’t used magic properly until now.”
“Yes, that’s correct…”
“When magic manifests, you should start using spells to some extent. However, your core appears to have never used magic after that.”
There must be some backstory to this.
Though I became Enok Revendale, I couldn’t know anything about what happened before possession.
I had become an active mage officer from a retired army officer, Kim Jin-hyuk, in just one month.
In the world of Hearts of Generals, there were many small settings that I hadn’t yet grasped.
Who would care about core calcification or when someone first used magic in a strategy simulation game?
Besides, it wasn’t even listed in the status window.
“So, calcification of the core means…”
“It means that if you try to use a muscle that hasn’t been used before, you can’t use it properly, and the core itself can’t react properly either.”
“You won’t be able to control mana well, so mana will escape from your body dangerously.”
The military doctor finished speaking, and Roxanna, who had been sitting beside him, continued.
“For example, if a Fireball normally requires 10 mana, your core uses 100 mana, unnecessarily increasing the power of the spell. It’s an extremely inefficient method of mana control.”
Hearing this, I suddenly felt the reality.
Until now, I thought I was just a fool, but it turns out I couldn’t help but become one.
I lowered my head and looked at the core, which was faintly dispersing mana.
d*mn, what kind of situation is this?
“But there’s something odd. If your core was really like that, then using magic even once or twice should have led to a deficiency state.”
“That’s right.”
“The capacity and density of your core aren’t normal. I’ve been in this field for quite a while, and I’d really like to dissect your core.”
The military doctor casually spoke a terrifying statement.
“What?!”
“Just joking. But I am curious.”
Isn’t this guy completely psycho?
At first, I thought he was just a kind old grandfather, but hearing him, he seemed like a mad doctor who had seen it all…
Feeling uncomfortable, I quickly changed the subject.
“Oh right, so is Roxanna Elrim’s condition okay? According to the doctor, if my core’s capacity needs to be filled, that much incredible mana is required…”
Right after I collapsed, thanks to Roxanna supplying mana, I could move like this.
If it weren’t for her, I would have been lying on the floor until someone came from the infirmary or soldiers came up for their duties.
That means she must have drained a lot of mana from someone as weak as me.
I wanted to return it if possible. The military doctor said there wouldn’t be any big problems, right?
“It’s fine, there’s no need to worry. I know Roxanna’s condition best. Although I was worried, she seems to have managed it well.”
“…Managed?”
“Roxanna has a more serious problem with her core than you do.”
Heart Core Disease.
A congenital disease where the core and heart, which should be separate, merge at birth.
While the heart performs the functions of the core, the density, quality, and efficiency of mana are incomparably better than other mages.
However, if too much mana accumulates beyond what the heart can handle, or if too much mana is consumed to maintain the heart, it leads to d*ath.
Roxanna Elrim was in such a state.
“As a result, Roxanna enlisted purely for treatment. There’s nowhere else to receive mana supply and discharge except in the Mage Battalion.”
So that’s why the special note in the documents I saw for the first time suggested keeping her in the infirmary.
Though the puzzle pieces fit together, Roxanna didn’t seem satisfied with the military doctor’s explanation.
“Uncle Edward! You promised not to say that!”
“At least, you should tell the truth to the platoon leader.”
“No, I didn’t come here just to receive treatment.”
Roxanna approached me. Her emerald eyes shimmered.
“I can do it too…! You saw it just now! I can be helpful too!”
She actively emphasized her necessity. I could recall a conversation I had heard from Bella and Lumina before.
– Roxanna was hospitalized in the infirmary because she overexerted herself during the last training.
Back then, I just brushed it off, but thinking about it, it means a heart disease patient underwent regular training.
A heart core disease patient undergoing training? Is she completely insane?
“Roxanna Elrim.”
“Don’t say that to the platoon leader too. I can take care of myself.”
“Didn’t you say you were carried away during the last training?”
“That, that was…!!”
Clearly hitting a sore spot, Roxanna’s strong assertion softened.
“That time, I overdid it… The training was important for all battalion members, so I pushed myself a bit harder than usual…”
Honestly, her enthusiasm was impressive. When I first read the documents about Roxanna, I didn’t consider her as part of the force.
But upon meeting her, I found that Roxanna was bolder and more enthusiastic than I expected.
It was hard to believe that she had just recently been in the infirmary, fighting for her life.
What kind of officer would dislike a subordinate who challenges themselves, even if it means burning themselves out?
However, the difference between pushing oneself and risking d*ath is significant.
“I don’t intend to exclude Roxanna. She is also a valuable member of my platoon. However, her current health condition is indeed too risky.”
While enthusiasm is good, as the platoon leader, safety is more important to me.
If something happens to her due to overexertion, it would affect more than just her.
At my words, Roxanna bit her lip hard. She tried her best to compose herself and lowered her face.
“I understand…”
“But.”
“…”
Adding another sentence, her head shot up.
“Military doctor, Roxanna Elrim can be discharged, right?”
“That’s possible.”
“As long as it doesn’t put too much strain on her heart. Apart from training, I hope she can return to our platoon and live with us again.”
“Really?”
Her gloomy expression instantly brightened.
It feels like watching a dog eagerly waiting for its owner’s approval.
‘Anyway, the relations among the platoon members don’t seem bad. We’ve rebuilt the barracks, so we should hang out together sometime.’
After putting on my shirt properly, I approached the pink-haired sergeant and extended my hand.
“Pleased to meet you officially, Sergeant Roxanna Elrim. I am Lieutenant Enok Revendale, newly appointed as your platoon leader.”
“Oh…! I, I…”
She grabbed my hand tightly and burst into a wide smile.
“I am Roxanna Elrim! Nice to meet you!”
Despite the numerous mishaps in between,
we finally gathered all the platoon members.
