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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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As I exited the barracks and went up to the first floor, the hallway was incredibly crowded. Shouts and soldiers in uniform running around. My nerves were on edge. A familiar, yet never truly accustomed-to sensation.
This was a real situation.
I instinctively returned to my room. Since I had gone to see Belle Meyer immediately after being discharged from the infirmary, I was still in casual clothes.
I quickly changed into my uniform and put on my black coat. I didn’t forget the pistol at my waist.
By the time I left the quarters, the personnel, divided by company, were lined up in formation on the parade ground.
I quickly located Captain Ardent and joined the 2nd Company’s ranks. Lumia and Belle, who were already there, waved at me.
“Over here, Second Lieutenant!”
“What’s going on?”
“Bandits.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but smack my forehead. It was always like this around the Principality of Ukraine.
Located precisely in the center of the continent, the Principality of Ukraine shared borders with six different nations.
Besides the Free Democratic Republic, inspired by France, and the Soviet Empire, inspired by Russia, of the Free Allied Forces…
There was also the Reinhardt Empire and the three Walter nations caught in between.
Sharing borders with many nations meant that the border regions were incredibly chaotic. The predominantly flat terrain, a vast grain-producing region, was ideal for bandits and marauders from various countries.
Of course, this wasn’t unique to Ukraine; the Walter nations in similar situations faced the same issue. I had personally spent countless hours in the game suppressing bandits who constantly crossed the borders when I played as the Walter nations.
The soldiers were moving swiftly without any signs of panic. As I had expected, it seemed to be a common occurrence.
“Where are the other two?”
“Sergeant Claude is away in the city and will likely join us later with the other absent personnel.”
Sergeant Lumia Blyue answered my question. Her silver hair, tied in a single braid, was visible beneath her black combat coat.
“…Hmm.”
“It can’t be helped. Just consider Roxana as absent.”
I couldn’t say anything about Roxana, considering she had collapsed in front of the Battalion Commander.
And look now. The gazes of the surrounding mage soldiers were quite cold. It was fortunate that the strange rumors were circulating, but for those who didn’t believe them, I was already branded as useless.
‘Even I would think I was useless.’
I had destroyed the barracks wall with a misfired spell and then collapsed in the Battalion Commander’s office. It was as if I had slept for two days straight. Undeniably useless.
‘Damn it.’
“Are you alright, Second Lieutenant?”
“I’m fine. The medical report said it wasn’t anything serious.”
“Yeah, you seem fine to me. You were even joking around.”
Just as Belle chimed in,
“Second Lieutenant Enoch.”
Ardent, who had been checking the personnel, approached me. Glory to the motherland.
I saluted as soon as our eyes met, and the Company Commander returned a brief salute.
“How are you feeling?”
Naturally, his first words were a greeting.
“I’m fine, sir.”
“That’s good… I was surprised when the Battalion Commander told me you had collapsed.”
“I apologize.”
“You have to take care of yourself. They said it was stress-induced shock from overwork. I noticed you haven’t been sleeping well lately, so I guess my worry wasn’t unfounded.”
I was already acutely aware of that. I shouldn’t underestimate the penalties. It would be hopeless if I kept collapsing like this on the battlefield.
Even if it was due to accumulated fatigue, it meant that it could happen again at any time if it went beyond a certain threshold.
It had only been a little over a week since I had entered this body. But I felt the need to manage myself much more thoroughly from now on.
“Anyway, your platoon won’t have a separate mission. You’ll be deployed with us, but I’ll try to be considerate.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“Don’t be modest.”
At first, I thought he was intentionally being unkind, but seeing his eyes, it didn’t seem like that. He genuinely seemed concerned about his subordinate officer.
“I know you’re working hard, so there’s no need to prove yourself. You have plenty of time anyway.”
I didn’t answer. It wasn’t something to complain about. The platoon members were strange, and the platoon leader in charge of them had just regained consciousness after collapsing.
He wasn’t even an original member but a newbie who had just been assigned a week ago. Ardent couldn’t rashly deploy troops whose capabilities hadn’t been properly verified. If anything went wrong, it would be entirely his responsibility.
‘I understand.’
Even from a general perspective, Ardent was absolutely right. Besides, even I didn’t know how mage soldiers fought in reality.
In the game, I could only observe from above, so I was curious to see how they fought in reality.
‘Come to think of it, this is better.’
I readily agreed and accepted Ardent’s instructions. I didn’t have the authority or ability to protest anyway.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Not at all. I’m grateful that you’re concerned about me, Company Commander.”
“It’s probably just a small group of marauders causing trouble near the border. Let’s have a drink together after the operation. Haven’t you been to the unit bar yet?”
“No, sir.”
As I nodded, Ardent grinned, revealing his white teeth.
“It’s on me. Let’s hang out. The other platoon leaders are all good people. I’m sure you’ll get along quickly.”
“I look forward to it.”
Captain Ardent patted my shoulder and left to check on the other platoons.
Once the personnel check for each company was complete, Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart, also fully armed, appeared in front of the formation.
“Soldiers! Once again, bandits from beyond the Soviet Empire have violated our border!”
The Soviet Empire this time? As expected of a nation inspired by Russia, the Soviet Empire boasted a vast territory and harsh environment.
Vast territory and harsh environment. The central government’s influence couldn’t reach all corners of the land, and the barren land meant they always suffered from food shortages.
It was the perfect breeding ground for bandits. And with the Ukraine Principality’s vast grain fields, it became a prime target for bandits to raid periodically.
The Battalion Commander continued in a powerful voice,
“They moved systematically at night, broke through the border patrol, and are currently surrounding and laying siege to ‘Belgordo Fortress’ in the northeast!”
“Therefore, our mission is to subdue those damn bandits who are surrounding the fortress and rescue Belgordo!”
“As always, we’ll rain magic down on their heads and turn them to ashes! Do you understand?!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
The assembled personnel shouted in unison. Despite the urgent mobilization, their morale seemed to pierce the sky.
They knew that even if the bandits were organized, they were no match for the regular army. In Hearts of General, the Mage Corps was treated as a strategic weapon.
The fact that one mage battalion was comparable to an entire infantry regiment, excluding external factors like support and terrain, spoke for itself. They were elite troops with powerful firepower, perhaps even overkill for bandits.
“Then all troops! Deploy!!”
As soon as the Battalion Commander’s order was given, the personnel quickly boarded the waiting carriages.
“Let’s go, Second Lieutenant.”
It had been a week since I was possessed as Enoch Levandal, an officer in Hearts of General.
I, who couldn’t even properly handle a Fireball, was heading to the battlefield.
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“We’ve captured the watchtower outside the fortress. These are the supplies we retrieved.”
A gaunt man dumped the guns he was carrying in both hands onto the ground. There were quite a few, and they seemed to be in excellent condition.
Seeing the gleaming weapons, a man sitting in a corner of the tent stood up and approached.
“…Are you sure this is what you want?”
A gravelly voice, as if he had smoked dozens of cigarettes in a row. And a face to match.
Tartulke, the leader of the West.
He was the leader of the bandit group currently raiding the fortress across the Ukraine Principality’s border. Tartulke picked up a gun, examined it, and handed it to a man standing quietly in the corner.
“Well… it’s not like our men are short on weapons. This should be enough.”
“Just the right amount.”
The man nodded and accepted the rifle. It was undoubtedly a Summerfield rifle. It even bore the seal of the Breton United Kingdom, indicating it was officially manufactured there.
The fact that the Principality, which ostensibly maintained a neutral or pro-Imperial policy, had imported standard weapons from the Western Bloc was not welcome news for the Soviet Empire.
“So they’re playing both sides after all. Even equipping the front lines with these new weapons.”
Even though it was just a mutter, Tartulke felt overwhelmed. He was the leader of a criminal organization that readily resorted to lawlessness, but the man in front of him was someone even he couldn’t easily defy.
The man was an inspector dispatched from a special agency called the ‘Information Bureau.’ It was an agency with the chilling nickname of “The Empire’s Guillotine,” and its personnel were practically dispatched directly by the emperor.
Even Tartulke couldn’t afford to provoke him. No, more than provoking him… he had nearly wet himself at their first meeting.
Tartulke was a seasoned killer and plunderer, but he couldn’t approach the ‘dangerous’ aura the man exuded. He was that kind of man.
“Comrade Tartulke.”
“Yes?”
“How long do you think it will take to capture the fortress?”
“Hmm… their resistance is stronger than expected. They should just surrender quietly. What do they think they’ll achieve by defending a border fortress?”
“So how long will it take?”
The man cut off Tartulke’s grumbling. Despite his large build, Tartulke replied in a subdued voice,
“…Give me one more day.”
“Good, one day. I won’t be coming back after today. But remember that we haven’t just let you go.”
A thinly veiled threat. Tartulke vigorously nodded, compelled to prove his loyalty.
“Of course!! H, how could I not know that? Don’t you worry, comrade!”
“You’re a ‘warrior’ renowned for your ruthlessness, aren’t you? We’re entrusting you with this task. Don’t fail.”
As the leader of the group, he shouldn’t have shown such a servile attitude, but he had long since stopped caring about his subordinates’ gazes. His own life was on the line; nothing else mattered.
“Then I’ll be going. I hope to see you in our homeland in a day.”
“Th, thank you! I’ll definitely complete the mission!”
“I’m counting on you.”
As the man lifted his finger slightly, the weapons scattered on the ground floated into the air.
As the man left the tent, the five people waiting in the darkness bowed their heads in unison. Mage soldiers directly trained by the Empire’s Guillotine.
They weren’t even first-rate, barely meeting the standards, but they were far too valuable to be lending their services to random bandits.
“Have you all received your orders?”
“Yes, Comrade Inspector.”
“For now, focus on securing the ‘relic’ stored in the fortress.”
“Understood.”
The apparent leader of the group replied with gleaming eyes at the inspector’s words.
They had to resort to using bandits for ‘diplomatic’ reasons, but in the end, as long as the result was good, it didn’t matter.
“I wish you luck.”
Yegor Ivanov, a high-ranking inspector of the Information Bureau, acting on the Emperor’s orders, spoke.
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