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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“What? What are you talking about? No!”
Belle Meyer, startled by Roxana Elim’s bombshell declaration, immediately tried to stop her. Not just Belle, but Debra Bennett herself looked quite surprised.
“Wait… Sergeant Roxana, was it?”
“Yes, Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett.”
“I heard you have Mana Heart Disease. What are you planning to do?”
The Facilities Management Chief couldn’t help but be concerned. It was one thing to ask politely, but using a patient as a ‘mana tank’ was problematic on many levels.
Who would take responsibility if something went wrong? And it wasn’t just any condition; it was Mana Heart Disease. Not just frailty like mine, but a genuine incurable disease.
“I can control the amount of mana I release, like turning off a faucet. I can’t manipulate it, but I can control my mana core…!”
“It’s good that you’re motivated, but… still…”
The second lieutenant scratched her cheek, looking troubled. Seeing the generally unenthusiastic responses, Roxana turned to me.
“Platoon Leader, I heard there’s a high chance you’ll be transferred in June due to your promotion.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then there are only about three months left. And aside from the platoon evaluation, most of the training schedule is concentrated in the latter half of the year… which means this platoon evaluation is the first and last training we’ll have together, Platoon Leader.”
Roxana grabbed my hand. A strong will emanated from her small hand, which couldn’t even fully cover mine.
“I want to show you how well I can perform, Platoon Leader.”
Her request was clear: she wanted permission to cast the magic barrier during the evaluation. Roxana’s emerald eyes sparkled with determination. I tried to avoid her gaze, about to offer a gentle refusal.
“Sergeant Roxana, as I said before, I can’t give you permission…”
“Why not give her a try?”
Sergeant Claude, who had been silently listening to Roxana, spoke up.
“Sergeant.”
“Even with Mana Heart Disease, the fact remains that Roxana is a member of our platoon and a soldier of Ukraine. If we were just going to keep her locked up, we wouldn’t have considered her a squad member in the first place.”
He was right. I knew how disheartening it was to be excluded from something you desperately wanted to do because your body wouldn’t cooperate.
I’d experienced it myself during the thousand-mile march after being assigned to the unit, when my knees gave out, and my seniors practically dragged me off the training grounds. The memory still made me shudder.
“…Platoon Leader, are you really considering this?”
Lumia, standing beside me, asked with a worried look.
I had to think this through seriously. As Sergeant Claude said, Sergeant Roxana Elim was a Magic NCO of Ukraine. Even after I left the battalion, she would continue her military service with the new platoon leader. I couldn’t keep her sheltered forever.
When war broke out, she would be deployed to the battlefield as a 1st-grade mage, no question. It was better to give her a chance, even if it was risky, than to have her die meaninglessly on the battlefield, unable to perform her duties due to her condition.
“Sergeant Roxana.”
“Sergeant Roxana Elim!”
“On one condition. I’ll entrust you with the magic barrier deployment, but you can’t do it alone.”
“What…?”
“Platoon Leader, what do you mean she can’t deploy the barrier alone?” I addressed my confused squad members.
“Sergeant Roxana and I will deploy the magic barrier together for the platoon evaluation.”
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Several days after Debra Bennett demonstrated her Dispel-Defense magic…
“Th-Then… excuse me.”
“Okay!”
“I-I’m on!”
Roxana’s arms wrapped around my neck. I pulled her legs closer, securing her position on my back. She seemed a bit embarrassed to be piggybacking on me, flinching slightly whenever her hands touched my skin.
“A-Are you sure I’m not too heavy!?”
“Not at all. I barely feel you.”
Just like when Belle Meyer fainted in Kayef, the squad members seemed lighter than I expected. Belle had felt the same way, and Roxana felt less than half Bell’s weight.
“Sergeant Roxana, you need more nutrients. You have no muscle…”
“Platoon Leader!! That’s dangerous territory!!”
Lumia exclaimed, waving her hands in a panic.
“What can I do when it’s so obvious? I didn’t mean anything by it.”
It was Lumia Blyue who suggested the piggyback in the first place, saying it allowed for the closest contact between mana cores, enabling quick reactions in emergencies. While a frontal hug would have been ideal, that wasn’t an appropriate position for a man and a woman. The piggyback was a compromise, but it inevitably involved physical contact.
But her skin really was incredibly soft. It reminded me of the slime I used to play with as a child. I suppressed the urge to poke and prod and waved to Debra Bennett.
“Let’s begin.”
“Okay! I’ll fire when you give the signal!”
I turned my head slightly to look at Roxana, and she silently raised both hands.
“Deploy.”
Thump-thump.
I could clearly hear her heart pounding. The scent of mana wafted in the air with each breath she exhaled. Green light enveloped my vision, forming a magic circle large enough to cover my entire body.
Intermediate defensive magic, ‘Wind Protection.’ A magic barrier that fully utilized the abilities of Roxana, a 1st-grade Green Mage, unlike the attributeless ‘Protection.’ Perhaps that was why Roxana was handling mana surprisingly stably, contrary to my worries.
“Haa…!”
“You’re doing well, Roxana.”
Roxana deployed the barrier in an instant. As expected, with the sheer amount of mana poured into it, the Wind Protection she cast was thick enough to withstand even advanced magic.
But the main objective of this evaluation wasn’t the ‘sloped magic barrier.’ The key was completing the rudimentary form of Debra Bennett’s Dispel-Defense magic.
“Now… the interception formula…!!”
She wriggled her fingers, adjusting the barrier’s mana. Another magic circle overlapped the relatively thin upper slope. This was the essence of this platoon evaluation.
Drip.
A drop of sweat trickled down Roxana’s cheek and landed on my head. She was incredibly focused. Careful not to break her concentration, I minimized my breathing and watched the Dispel-Defense magic unfold before my eyes.
“I-I did it!”
When Roxana, finally finished deploying the magic, tapped me on the shoulder, I signaled Debra Bennett.
“Platoon Leader! Over here!!”
I quickly moved behind Lumia, who had already deployed a magic barrier, in case Debra Bennett’s attack penetrated the barrier.
Whirr—! Whoosh!
As soon as I was safely out of range, intense heat emanated from Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett’s fingertips.
“Let’s go!”
A massive flame erupted, transforming into the shape of a magnificent bird. Advanced Red Magic, Phoenix Strike. A spell boasting both penetration and firepower.
‘You said you’d go easy… Is this going easy!?’
The flames threatened to consume everything in their path. Even at a distance, the intense heat was palpable. Despite the overwhelming power, Roxana didn’t flinch. She calmly watched the approaching firebird, carefully timing her attack.
“Now!”
“Now!”
With our simultaneous shouts, Roxana’s magic circle flashed. It wasn’t just a Magic Missile. Missile? Intercontinental ballistic missile might be a closer description. Just as the firebird was about to collide with the magic circle, the fully charged Magic Missile struck the Phoenix Strike head-on.
KABOOM—!!!
The explosion was louder and more intense than anything I’d heard before. Not only did I temporarily lose my hearing, but a ringing pierced my eardrums. Phoenix Strike was no ordinary spell. It wasn’t something you could easily block, even with advanced defensive magic.
Even with Roxana pouring more mana than usual into a thicker Wind Protection, and even with the unusually powerful Magic Missile, it was still just a combination of beginner interception magic and an intermediate magic barrier. There was no reason to be disappointed if it was destroyed.
It was Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett’s fault for using Phoenix Strike after saying she’d go easy.
Resigned, I looked beyond the dust cloud obscuring my vision.
But then.
“Ah.”
Mocking my expectations, Roxana’s barrier stood firm, unscathed by the explosion.
“…!!”
Lumia gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
Roxana, finally successful after long and arduous training, cried out in joy, “I-I did iiiit!!”
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