A low-lying lake bordered by mountains, a quiet plain surrounded by five wooden buildings. Anyone could tell that these old-fashioned buildings, which had evidently been hastily repurposed from what looked like former farmhouses, were far from ideal for military use.
“Welcome to the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Company~ Hooray!!”
And standing there against the backdrop of those buildings with her arms crossed in apparent satisfaction was a woman with light purple hair—someone I’d seen so often by now that I was starting to get tired of it.
“Glory to the motherland.”
“That’s enough, enough! You’re saluting again… Anyway, did I not say I’d see you again?”
“I figured as much when you moved my entire platoon here under such bizarre circumstances.”
“Well… I thought maybe you had some affection for your platoon.”
To be perfectly honest, it was really meaningless consideration. Lumina, Bella, Claude, and Roxanna are all good people, but if I were to evaluate whether they would be useful for the plans I intend to carry out in the future, the answer would be an unforgiving NO.
What I need is a well-trained elite unit, not a rehabilitation squad.
“And the reason you specifically called all the members of your platoon here is because I suddenly became curious about their skills.”
“Skills, you say?”
“Come on, aren’t 1st-class mages rare? You know that too. They’re talents too valuable to just stick in field units forever.”
That… is actually true.
Claude had already proven his strength with the title of war hero. Aside from his peculiar dynamic with the officers, he’s an unmatched combatant.
Moreover, the other platoon members also have impressive stats, assuming we overlook their quirks—they’re beyond average, even top-tier.
Of course, those quirks are so severe they practically consume most of their bodies, making them creak every time they move.
“Have all the special notes been confirmed?”
“It’s somewhat unusual, but… let’s just call it character.”
Character? That’s pushing it a bit, isn’t it?
Still, since the decision has already been made, there’s nothing I can do about it. In fact, the original members of Platoon 5, who I’ve spent at least some time with, might actually be easier to manage than complete strangers.
Their condition has improved significantly lately, so it’s possible they’ll make a strong showing here.
“Oh, one more thing! Enok Revendale is a major now. A major who hasn’t even completed his term as a platoon leader! Isn’t that exciting?”
“…Isn’t this technically just a training unit?”
“It’s still important to maintain appearances, right?”
With a dismissive wave of her hand, as if dealing with such trivialities was exhausting, Sony Chepelin stood there. But doesn’t this Assault Magic Infantry Company seem unusually empty for its name?
Sure, the buildings might be temporary constructions for a training unit, but there are way too few people.
“Shouldn’t a battalion-level formation have at least a hundred members?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“So why does it feel like there’s only me and the colonel here?”
“Ah… Well, the rest of the troops haven’t arrived yet. There’s one more person though.”
Sony Chepelin turned her head and looked toward the two-story building at the center. It seemed to function as the headquarters. Compared to the grand headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, it was crude, shabby, and rough.
“Follow me; I’ll introduce you while we’re at it.”
I followed Sony Chepelin as she took quick, light steps into the headquarters.
Creeeak – Squeak.
“The hinges are rusted; we should probably replace them.”
The interior of the headquarters was exactly as I imagined: a structure made of wood that hadn’t been maintained for quite some time. While it avoided the worst-case scenarios like collapsing floors or dangling ceilings, its condition was far from good.
“That long corridor over there houses the personnel office, intelligence operations, logistics, and facility management.”
“Is there a headquarters direct command team?”
“They’re upstairs!”
So even the direct command team exists, meaning the company technically has all the necessary components. Though imagining people working here is difficult, the organizational chart itself is legitimate.
As I was looking around the headquarters, she forcefully opened the door to the second room and shouted.
“Chief of staff! The first company commander has just arrived!”
Dr-r-r-k! Bang! The wooden door slammed against the hinges, spitting out sawdust, and a man who had been lying face down on a desk in the corner sat up.
“Grrrrr…”
He rose unsteadily, looking emaciated. And here I thought I was thin, but how did this guy end up like this?
His swaying arms made him look less like a living human and more like a scarecrow. If I were easily frightened, I might have shot magic at him instinctively.
“Meet our Chief of Staff, Major Joseph Lebandovsky.”
“That… um, glory to the motherland!”
As I saluted, Joseph wobbled his shaky arm to return the gesture.
“Colonel… Is this gentleman alright?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. Look, he hasn’t spit bl**d yet.”
“Cough, cough! Phewk!!”
“Oh, there it is.”
Joseph Lebandovsky spat out bl**d. This situation was incomprehensible. Was I dreaming?
“He’s just physically weaker than others. You know, frail constitution and all that.”
“Spitting bl**d is not something you can classify as ‘just a little weak’!!”
I helped the bl**d-spewing chief of staff back into his seat. His dark circles stared blankly at me.
“Hmm… Enok Revendale… lieutenant, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Major Joseph Lebandovsky.”
“Thank you… I stayed up all night last night… so I’m a bit tired…”
“Then you should have gone to bed earlier instead of doing whatever you were doing.”
“I passed out.”
This was madness. My body is far from normal, but if the deputy commander of the unit looks like this, what kind of shape is the assault magic infantry company supposed to be in?
Maybe we should rename it the Emergency Medical Unit.
I gave the colonel an incredulous look, but she simply shrugged as if it didn’t bother her at all.
“You’ll see him often. I’ve prepared so many bl**d transfusion packs for Major Joseph.”
‘So this is why you considered the state of my platoon members as mere ‘character’?’
After all, compared to a major who spits bl**d right in front of you, the relatively mild (if eccentric) mental issues of my platoon members could be considered mere quirks.
They seemed almost charming compared to someone who looks more critically ill than Roxanna, who suffers from seasickness.
“I don’t always act like this…”
“Mostly, yes?”
“Only when focus is required…”
Major Joseph trailed off. Sony Chepelin patted his shoulder and said,
“Then go rest for now; there’s nothing to do today.”
“Understood…”
Joseph shuffled out of the room with great difficulty. I started to follow him, worried, but Sony Chepelin stopped me.
“There’s no need. Lieutenant, Major Joseph is tougher than you think.”
“How can someone who spits bl**d upon first meeting be considered fine?”
“He’s a specialist trained under the Pry Free Democratic State. He even graduated top of his class from the Mountain Assault Division.”
“What?”
I knew very well about the Mountain Assault Division of the Pry Free Democratic State. It’s the second most powerful division after the “Foreign Legion” units in Pry, known for its immense strength.
It’s a large-scale division covering the entire mountainous terrain across the country, composed only of soldiers selected after extremely arduous and harsh training. They excel in both offensive and defensive situations, maintaining 100% combat effectiveness and even gaining bonuses in mountainous terrain where other units struggle.
Major Joseph graduated top of his class from their training program? I couldn’t believe it even hearing it directly.
“Are you joking?”
“Haha, Lieutenant, don’t let it go to your head. Your potential is exceptionally high among the soldiers I’ve seen, but there are many others in the military with far more experience and training.”
Sony Chepelin smiled faintly, but her tone was sharp, drawing a line.
“Don’t get too cocky. The position of battalion commander I gave you is only temporary. It can change anytime.”
I straightened my posture again and answered loudly.
“My apologies! I’m sorry!”
The colonel had returned to her usual tone.
“Well done, Lieutenant. Your quick situational judgment is one of the reasons I value you.”
Just then, another question came to mind.
“I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Before arriving here, His Royal Highness visited me personally.”
“Wha…?! No, really? I clearly told him not to.”
Sony Chepelin’s expression showed a hint of concern. I immediately understood that she was worried about the security surrounding the king and the operation.
“No, he left before anyone else could suspect anything.”
“Anyway… What’s your question?”
“His Royal Highness mentioned that this is a training unit. How exactly does the temporary rank system work? Are we here to receive training or to give it?”
In response to my question, Sony Chepelin raised a V with one hand and answered.
“Obviously, both!”
“If both…”
“We have a total of ten officers, including Lieutenant Enok, and fifty non-commissioned officers, including members of Lieutenant’s previous platoon. Additionally, there are a hundred soldiers who graduated top of their class from the training camp.”
In total, 160 people.
“Based on the training plan developed directly by the Pry Mountain Division, all 160 temporarily assembled members will be simultaneously engaged in training.”
The colonel’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Throughout this process, real-time evaluations will take place, and those who survive until the end without being eliminated will be assigned positions based on their performance. The evaluation criteria are quite detailed, ensuring we can accurately assess whether someone is suited for staff roles or command.”
Listening to Sony’s confident declaration, I couldn’t help but feel flustered.
“Sounds like a survival format?”
“It’s a competition to see who can endure the longest and perform the best.”
So, Lieutenant, it would be wise not to get too arrogant and stay alert.
Sony Chepelin added with a smile.
