“I’m sorry!!!”
“From now on, let’s have the first platoon follow and run behind…”
Just before hitting the ground, I barely pulled my face up and activated Feather Fall; otherwise, I would have been truly turned into minced meat.
How close it was— even with Feather Fall reducing the fall speed instantly, I still rolled several meters mixed up with Sergeant Bella Meyer.
As a result, I sprained my ankle properly.
That was why Sergeant Bella Meyer was currently pressing her head to the ground and massaging her ankle.
With recovery magic also activated, I could feel my muscles relaxing each time she clenched her fist. Seeing the bruise gradually fading confirmed that it was indeed effective.
“Is Sergeant Bella okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be seriously injured. It was worth sacrificing my ankle for this.
…Was it really?
Anyway, the first platoon surprisingly completed their mission except for the battalion commander who got injured.
Wind attributes, like water attributes, are relatively easy to control.
A magician can easily carry three adult males if they can ride the air currents well.
The platoon leaders, deputy leaders, and the battalion adjutant, Lumina, and the march leader, Roxanna, were all included among the ten magicians.
All thirty soldiers and the magicians successfully completed the landing with their spells.
“Gah…!”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Did it hurt?”
“It’s fine. Well, being treated by someone as pretty as Sergeant Bella is enough for me.”
“Really, Commander, how many women have you hit on? The vibe from your tone is just…”
“I haven’t done anything like that.”
I chuckled. This was the first drop. And it was a training exercise without proper understanding of airborne or infiltration operations.
In fact, the bravery of the other battalion members who calmly jumped out was quite impressive.
“How about next time, do you think you can handle it alone?”
“…I think I need a bit more preparation.”
“There are some difficulties in the drop for other battalions as well. I’ll suggest to Chief of Staff Joseph to form a special team.”
“I’m afraid that might be too much trouble…”
“If we were handling the parachute training, we could have transferred them to another unit. Unfortunately, that task has been assigned to another unit.”
This was the overall plan outline Sony Chepelin and Joseph Lebandovsky had explained.
The target was the munitions factory in the northwest of the Soviev Empire. A secret facility located in a remote area, known to very few within the Soviev Empire army.
Therefore, it was perfect for the Soviev Empire to plot something and for Okhraine to avoid a major incident.
Thus, there were two attack routes. Through the Waltar Tri-Countries, which had a friendly relationship with Okhraine, the Special Response Brigade’s 3rd Rapid Response Battalion would infiltrate by land.
Meanwhile, our 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion would board the prototype airship ‘Diabolus,’ invented by Sony Chepelin, and cross the Calpas Mountains to join the Rapid Response Battalion and attack the target force.
“This is my first real combat…”
Sergeant Bella Meyer said with concern. It couldn’t be helped. No one, including Bella Meyer, had combat experience.
I patted Bella’s shoulder encouragingly while she diligently stretched her muscles.
“Sergeant Bella will do great. I believe in her.”
“Commander…”
“And let’s focus on mastering the drop first before worrying about anything else.”
That should be the priority for now.
“One, I can do it! Two, I can do it! One!”
“I can…!!”
“Two!!”
“I can do it…!!”
“Are you telling me that the elite unit that will be the first to conduct an airborne operation in the Okhraine Army can only produce such weak voices?! Didn’t most of you volunteer to join?!”
“Yes, Sir!!”
“If you understand, raise your voice louder! One!!”
“I can…!!”
“Two!!”
“I can do it…!!”
Soldiers were rolling around. Next to them, non-commissioned officers were rolling. And nearby, officers were rolling as well.
Sony Chepelin couldn’t help but marvel at the sight, regardless of rank and position.
“What kind of treatment did you receive at the military academy to be able to endure such near-perfect harshness?”
“That’s not harshness, Major. That’s a structured training program.”
“To me, it looks like nothing but rolling. With that tone and gesture, you’re more suited to be an instructor than a commander!”
The first drop training of the 8th Mage Paratrooper Battalion yielded quite remarkable results.
Out of 160 personnel, only 15 sustained minor injuries during the actual combat operation involving 130 personnel.
However, despite the 15 minor injuries, about 20 personnel hesitated to participate in the training.
Predicting that the training content, which involved jumping from a giant flying vehicle, would be hard to accept, this outcome wasn’t entirely surprising.
While struggling over what to do with the problematic personnel, 1st Platoon Leader Enok Revendale suggested establishing a specialized drop training unit.
Sony Chepelin readily approved the proposal.
And this was the result.
“Next, go up! Everyone, quickly ascend!”
Enok Revendale led the troops up a small wooden tower set up on one side of the drill field.
About 10 meters high. A crude structure, yet a respectable “building” made by Captain Debra Bennett, a former facility manager.
Although sturdy enough to be recognized by Sony Chepelin, it appeared to be on the verge of collapse to those without magical knowledge.
Enok Revendale lined up the personnel in a row and slowly circled around them.
The soldiers who successfully passed the drop training found this amusing and gathered around the tower.
“Name!”
“Private Chaykovsky!”
“Chaykovsky, seeing your ring, you must have a girlfriend, right?”
“Fiancée!”
“Hooray! Fiancée!”
Soldiers cheered and whistled in response.
“Ah, is that so? Then, how do you think your fiancée would feel when she sees your cowardly behavior at this height?”
“She’d think I’m a coward!”
“Correct! With that mindset, you might end up being worked on by some country bumpkin with blonde hair and tan skin! Are you going to do it?!”
“No, Sir!”
“Then jump! Count to three and call your fiancée’s name while dropping! One, two, three! Drop!!”
“Aaah!! Lena, I love you!!”
As the soldier closed his eyes and flew toward the ground, Lieutenant Roxanna Elrim cast Feather Fall at the right moment, ensuring a safe landing.
The same happened for the others. Under Lieutenant Enok Revendale’s loud command, the person standing on top of the tower jumped.
Finally, after Sergeant Bella Meyer jumped last, Enok Revendale dismissed the troops.
The soldiers, thoroughly exhausted, trudged back to their units. Naturally, their comrades, who had witnessed the entire training process, approached to tease them.
“Lena, I love you? What a sweet guy! Your nickname from now on is Sweetkovsky.”
“Hahaha, the whole battalion knows your fiancée’s name?”
“I saw you rolling on the ground. It looked so comfortable.”
“d*mn, crazy bastards! I’ll remember this. Jumping out of an aircraft is nothing!”
Sony Chepelin finally understood why Enok Revendale adopted such a unique ‘training method.’
By subtly pricking their pride and exposing their weakness to the entire battalion, he strongly motivated them to jump.
If the problematic personnel were officers or NCOs, the soldiers would mock them for being cowards unable to jump.
For the soldiers, the usual hierarchical differences that might protect them from ridicule disappeared, leaving them open to even more vicious mockery.
There was no one who enjoyed being mocked.
This method effectively stimulated personal will and strengthened the cohesion among unit members.
“…How did you come up with this training method?”
“Harsh treatment is common in other training units, but I added an element of shame to make the reason arbitrary. Excellent.”
“I wonder if I shouldn’t just keep you here as a trainer.”
“This training method can be systematized. After this operation ends and the battalion returns safely, we can entrust them with training new recruits.”
Joseph and Sony envisioned a not-so-distant future.
The battalion members, returning triumphantly from a successful mission, laughing and joking together.
And the battalion members standing in a line, training new recruits.
“Yeah, that’s how it should be.”
Sony Chepelin nodded slowly. This was, after all, her own child-like battalion, selected by her herself.
She was determined to bring every member of the 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion home safely.
Hell Week.
It wasn’t as intense as I expected.
Considering the training the Okhraine Army has undergone, it might be appropriate to call it Hell Week.
Compared to the brutal training I endured, which was twice as harsh, this was just a warm-up.
Those two chaotic weeks.
The members of the 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion, including my 1st Platoon, stood resolutely in front of the airship, fully equipped.
The sun had long since hidden behind the darkness.
All that was visible were the twinkling stars. There, Lieutenant Colonel Sony Chepelin spoke with her purple eyes gleaming.
Not her usual playful tone.
As the commander of the Okhraine Army, the brigade commander of the Special Response Brigade, and the commander of the world’s first established airborne battalion.
“Despite the tough training, you’ve all done well. And today, after this final training, the 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion will officially be transformed.”
Sony Chepelin slowly took in the sight of the 160-strong force, all looking directly at her.
“I once said that training should be like real combat, and real combat should be like training.”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Today is that day. The final training is real combat. As you’ve been informed, we will be deployed in real combat today!”
Colonel Joseph continued where the battalion commander left off.
“To make it seem like just a warm-up. The objective is to eliminate the bandit group entrenched in the north of Biyaltock.”
The first real deployment before entering the Soviev Empire.
Boarding the airship and flying to the target, then dropping and sweeping the enemy.
A real combat operation to conclude the training.
“Let’s complete this and return safely! Don’t d*e at the hands of mere bandits.”
“Yes, Sir!!”
“Everyone— embark!!”
“Embark!!”
The thunderous voices of the 8th Airborne Mage Infantry Battalion echoed through the night sky.
