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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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What was this? A max-level scarecrow? That thought crossed my mind, but I saw that the magic barrier I’d cast was completely shattered.
The one thing I could confirm was that the magic barrier had indeed functioned. It seemed to have successfully blocked Second Lieutenant Debra’s Solar Prominence but had vanished without a trace in the aftermath.
There was no other way the scarecrow could have remained intact. However, how it had blocked the attack was still a mystery.
“Platoon Leader Enoch! Did you use some kind of magic?”
“Weren’t you the one using magic, Chief?”
“That’s impossible! A 4th-grade magic barrier absorbing the full impact of Solar Prominence?”
Debra Bennett rushed towards the scarecrow. She carefully examined the scarecrow and the surrounding ground, then turned back to me with a startled expression.
“Hmm, it was a 3rd-grade barrier… The shape was unstable, but the density was definitely on par with a 3rd-grade. You really are a genius, aren’t you?”
“Does the fact that it was a 3rd-grade barrier have any relevance to the current situation?”
“Of course it does. It’s absolutely impossible for a 4th-grade magic barrier to block advanced magic. Even a 3rd-grade barely manages.”
Then what was this situation? An imperfect 3rd-grade barrier neutralizing Solar Prominence, an advanced Red Magic spell?
I remembered Solar Prominence so clearly among the countless spells for one simple reason: it was one of the most cost-effective offensive spells in Hearts of General. Every military branch required resources for war or operations.
Infantry consumed food for sustenance, ammunition, and gunpowder. Cavalry added the cost of fodder for their mounts and riding equipment. Artillery was no different; gunpowder and shells were non-reusable.
And Magic Troops also consumed resources: Mana.
Without mana generated by their mana cores, Magic Troops were no different from frail Infantryman A. Tactically, they were even more flawed than regular infantry.
Would mages run mountain drills or dig trenches if they had nothing better to do?
Just looking at our battalion, it was paradise compared to the barracks life of the K-Army. Even the KATUSA’s in Pyeongtaek and Osan, renowned for their comfortable lives, wouldn’t have it this good.
Regular conscripts did the manual labor, maintenance was handled with magic, and personnel with no specific duties spent their time sleeping or engrossed in research. This was the reality of a magic troop unit.
Even the battalion commander’s daily routine consisted of decorating the base or socializing with other units. Firing practice? That only happened during specific periods.
Individuals could train whenever they wanted, but that was if they wanted to. If they didn’t, they might only handle a gun once a year.
In actual combat, without mana, they were practically armed civilians. Therefore, for Magic Troops, mana was a resource more valuable than bullets. It was practically their lifeblood.
Among the spells, Solar Prominence, true to its Red Magic nature, boasted high power while requiring relatively little mana. A single-target fire spell that condensed mana into a high-powered sphere, unleashing a raging inferno upon reaching its target.
That’s why it was the most commonly used spell by Magic Troops throughout the early, mid, and late game, considered a universal and efficient offensive spell.
“But it’s still strange. The angle was clearly tilted, right? The top part wasn’t even fully formed.”
Debra Bennett couldn’t accept what she had just witnessed. I was just as bewildered.
‘Was it simply due to the nature of my mana core, as Edward mentioned?’
He’d said my mana core was extremely inefficient. While the total amount of stored mana was immense, I couldn’t control it, quickly losing control and using mana haphazardly.
But if that were the case, having just deployed a 3rd-grade magic barrier, I should have started feeling unwell. But I felt fine. What was going on?
While Debra Bennett, I, and the observing squad members were searching for answers, Sergeant Claude Rain, who had been silently observing with his arms crossed, spoke.
“It’s the angle.”
“What?”
“The magic barrier was tilted at a 45-degree angle. And Solar Prominence is a direct-fire spell.”
“Ah…!”
‘Sloped armor?’
Sloped armor. Angling the armor of weapons like tanks, aircraft, and vehicles to maximize defense against direct attacks. But did that apply to magic as well?
“There was a similar situation during the Quernen War. It’s how I survived the Azov shamans,”
Claude said in a distant voice, as if reminiscing about the distant past.
“Lightning and fire magic are mostly fired directly. So, by deploying a barrier at an angle, the mana density naturally increases.”
Debra Bennett sighed at Sergeant Claude’s explanation.
“Huh, then why hasn’t this principle been established until now?”
“How would I know? Maybe the heroes of the Quernen War all died. Or the military killed them,”
Claude replied curtly. He’d been momentarily helpful, but he was back to his usual self.
By the way, the Quernen War? I’d heard that somewhere before. After some thought, I remembered that the inland sea located in southern Ukraine, bordering the Red Sea, was called Quernen.
And if it was a war, had there been a conflict between Ukraine and the natives of the Red Sea in Quernen? There was indeed a city-state called Azov in the Red Sea. I remembered it clearly because conquering or allying with it granted naval and maritime trade bonuses.
Like Ukraine, it was often conquered or joined alliances early in the game.
‘So, Claude was a war hero who distinguished himself during the war between the Ukrainian Principality and Azov.’
Claude’s veiled past was gradually coming to light. So, Ukraine and Azov had already clashed before the start of the game. Regardless, I was once again reminded of how weak this country was.
They couldn’t even win a war against a city-state? So reliable~! Ukraine! Of course, international relations had to be considered, but it was still a principality, with a population far exceeding that of a city-state.
Lost in my thoughts about Ukraine’s pathetic state,
“Platoon Leader Enoch!”
Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett grabbed my shoulder. Her topaz-yellow eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement.
“Let’s work on something together!”
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“What is it?”
Enoch Levandal asked, perplexed. Debra Bennett, brimming with excitement, bounced on her feet as she replied, “It’s your company evaluation, right? You know that evaluators come from the next higher unit, don’t you?”
“I do.”
The next higher unit referred to the superior unit of the superior unit. In other words, the superior unit of a company was a battalion, and the superior unit of a battalion was a regiment or brigade.
In the case of the 3rd Battalion, where they both served, it would be the Northern Corps.
The Northern Corps. Since the evaluation would be conducted by a corps-level unit, the evaluator would be someone of higher rank than Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart Cromwell.
Debra Bennett was certain it would be Colonel Viktor Zelensky, the Corps Magic Staff Officer. He had a reputation for grilling officers during evaluations, having done so just last month during the 2nd Battalion’s company evaluation.
And Colonel Viktor Zelensky was known to be intrigued by “unique and practical” things.
‘To catch his attention, the usual level of performance won’t be enough.’
As the Facilities Management Chief, Debra Bennett belonged to the battalion staff and wasn’t directly involved in the company evaluation.
However, she wanted to get involved if possible. Even with her practically guaranteed promotion to captain, being assigned to a key position immediately after promotion was a separate matter.
If she was stuck in some rear unit or assigned to the Southern Coastal Defense Force with the rank of acting captain… it would be the start of a difficult path, far from the elite course she desired.
‘That’s absolutely unacceptable.’
Debra Bennett was ambitious. If she was going to be a Military Mage, she wanted to reach at least the three-chrysanthemum rank. And to do that, she needed a powerful backer.
Like the second lieutenant in front of her, who had grabbed hold of the golden rope that was Colonel Sony Zeppelin upon commissioning.
“As you know, the 5th Platoon’s evaluation is currently abysmal. Even if things have improved since Platoon Leader Enoch arrived, the evaluator won’t necessarily see it that way,” Debra argued logically.
Enoch remained expressionless, but Debra didn’t mind.
“We need impact. Impact that will erase that insignificant past in one go.”
“I agree, but… can I ask what the point is?”
“The defensive magic you demonstrated earlier. We’ll improve it and showcase it during the evaluation.” Debra’s eyes gleamed.
“I’ll help you. On the day of the evaluation, just show the magic to the evaluator and mention that it’s a barrier jointly developed with me.”
Even she knew there was no reason for Platoon Leader Enoch to refuse her offer. The idea was entirely Enoch’s, but the magic barrier was currently unstable.
Refinement and restructuring of the mana structure were essential. And on top of that, he had to train his squad members and prepare for the evaluation?
Even for a superhuman officer, that would be an incredibly difficult task.
“Leave the technical development to me. You just need to help me a little.”
She was offering to invest her time and effort. Not just taking the credit, but improving it for use in the evaluation. This was a win-win situation.
Enoch Levandal seemed to consider her words for a moment. He seemed to understand her intentions. A brief silence followed, and Debra Bennett gulped.
And his answer was…
“Alright, let’s do it.”
“Yessss!!!”
Debra Bennett exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.
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I like this series. Great job with the translation!