My Platoon is Fucking Hopeless – Chapter 20

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Sony Zeppelin’s eyes wavered. She fell into thought for a moment, then lowered her head.

“I’m sorry, Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel.”

The colonel chose a clean apology instead of making excuses or turning the tables. For a colonel, and an Archmage at that, apologizing to a newly commissioned second lieutenant and a sergeant, even if it was a misunderstanding, required considerable resolve.

So I decided to let it go.

“No, I think it was a situation that could be easily misunderstood… Ugh!?”

As I tried to move, pain shot through me like a bolt of lightning. This was really bad. A man’s back was his lifeline.

“Platoon Leader!”

Seeing me in pain, Belle Meyer rushed over and supported me. As she extended her hand, the throbbing pain subsided.

A first-rate blue mage. As a manipulator of water, the source of life, she could also use some healing magic.

“…Anyway, doesn’t this prove my and Belle Meyer’s innocence?”

“Hmm, I suppose it does.”

“Then, would you grant me one request?”

“What request?”

“I’d like to ask for your understanding, Colonel, regarding Lumia’s desertion. She has trauma, so she definitely didn’t leave the front lines intentionally.”

“Ah, ah~ Well, I don’t really care about that. Deserting the front lines isn’t that big of a crime.”

Unexpectedly, Sony Zeppelin was lenient in this aspect. She was a truly unpredictable woman.

“But, tell me. You did encounter those mages, right? Then, did you happen to see something like this?”

She described a round sphere with her hand. “It sparkles, you know? Like a jewel.”

Bingo. I was certain my hypothesis was correct. Something special was being stored in Fort Belgorod, and those unidentified mages had instigated the bandits to attack the fort and then stole the object.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t see it. But judging from the circumstances, it’s certain they took it.”

I added with a grin, “Are you talking about something special that was being stored in the fort?”

“Second Lieutenant, I can’t overlook that statement.”

Sony Zeppelin’s demeanor shifted again. The redeployed magic power sent a tingling sensation through my body. I had definitely caught her attention. She seemed to be wondering how I knew that.

“It was something I could easily deduce. Otherwise, there’s no way you, Colonel, would have come all the way here for the fall of a mere remote fort.”

“Keep talking. I’ll listen.”

My plan was proceeding smoothly. This was my chance to prove my innocence and firmly imprint my name in Sony Zeppelin’s mind. I had to establish a connection with her before the war anyway. It was a bit earlier than expected, but…

‘Even better.’

I calmly began explaining my hypothesis.

“When I first heard the news of Fort Belgorod’s fall, I received a report from the company commander about an observed explosion.”

At the time, I hadn’t been certain it was a mage’s attack. I had simply assumed they had brought some explosives.

“But the moment I encountered the systematically moving bandits and the suspicious group of mages at the end, I realized…”

I drove the point home.

“…that it wasn’t a simple fort raid.”

Now, Sony Zeppelin’s gaze was completely fixed on me. She even nodded from time to time as if interested.

I told her everything I had seen there, without leaving anything out. That all five were skilled mages using at least intermediate-level magic. And that they had used an artifact called a Remote Return Rune in the end.

The colonel had crossed her arms midway through and now said with a serious expression,

“Enoch? You’re Second Lieutenant Enoch, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Colonel.”

“Second Lieutenant, do you have any idea where they might be from?”

“I’m certain it’s the Sobiye Empire.”

“…Wow.”

A short exclamation. It worked. It had hit the mark.

Sony Zeppelin tapped her foot on the floor a couple of times, then hurriedly exited the infirmary, shouting,

“Second Lieutenant, sorry, but I’ll come back later!”

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Sony Zeppelin couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed. His insight was frighteningly sharp. Of course, having directly encountered the spies, he would have noticed more than others…

He was the first to grasp that the mages’ objective wasn’t simply a rear disturbance or provocation through the fort attack, but to retrieve ‘something’ that might have been stored inside.

Even Division Commander Novgorod was still insisting it was a simple bandit raid.

And on top of that, he even accurately pinpointed the nation behind it.

She realized that Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel was an unpolished gem with tremendous potential. His will and courage to assert his point even in front of her, an Archmage and a colonel.

The charisma emanating from his subtly cold and detached expression, the confidence that always filled his words.

There was nothing about him that Sony Zeppelin disliked.

Bang!

“Ah, you scared me!! Colonel! Please stop slamming doors!”

In Sony Zeppelin’s temporary office, set up in a corner of the regimental headquarters building, members of the ‘Special Response Brigade’ she had personally selected were organizing data.

Both the division’s own inspection department and the National Guard were conducting investigations at the scene.

But the reason Sony Zeppelin had brought these people was because of a special order from the Duke.

‘The existing military can’t be trusted, so have the Special Response Brigade investigate directly.’

The precious artifact, the ‘Pearl of Premonition,’ had been stolen. It was an artifact that had been transported in secrecy, routed through Walter III, to avoid being traced.

That was also why a separate escort hadn’t been attached. If an escort was dispatched from the central command, there was a high probability that the information would leak to ‘hostile forces’ one way or another.

But of all places, while briefly passing through the border fortress of Belgorod, bandits attacked the fort, and the artifact disappeared.

It was clearly deliberate. Even after all the bandits were eliminated, the Pearl of Premonition wasn’t recovered.

That’s why Sony Zeppelin was certain that the ‘enemy’ was within the Ukrainian army, not anywhere else.

“Ah~ Sorry, sorry. By the way, Captain Marcel, bring me all the documents related to Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel and his platoon from the 3rd Magic Battalion under the direct control of the Northern Army Corps.”

“The 3rd Magic Battalion, you say?”

“Yes, no one else, just Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel.”

The colonel’s eyes gleamed. Perhaps he was the perfect second lieutenant for her Special Response Brigade.

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While I was recovering in the infirmary, the situation was quickly resolved. It wasn’t a complicated situation to begin with.

All the bandits who attacked the fort were eliminated. The remains of the fallen soldiers were recovered, and the restoration work of Fort Belgorod was steadily progressing.

Of course, the investigation into the unidentified forces behind the attack and the theft of the ‘artifact’ stored in the fort would continue.

However, since that wasn’t publicly disclosed information, as far as the simple fort attack was concerned, the aftermath was almost over.

Since even the soldiers in our battalion were preparing to withdraw, one by one…

My sudden first real battle had concluded safely.

Quite a few people had made achievements in the process.

It was thanks to Platoon Leader Enoch’s appropriate response. Thank you sincerely.

Second Lieutenant Ivan, who had been in charge of the flank and had desperately fought to prevent a breakthrough, had made a strong impression on the higher-ranking officers.

Actually, I believed in you from the beginning! Our Second Lieutenant Enoch did a great job!

Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart, who had also received praise from the division commander and regimental commander, puffed out his chest and showered me with compliments.

And to think he had been cursing and calling me useless before. He was a true example of an opportunistic soldier.

Still, it wasn’t a bad thing. It meant that the damage from breaking through the perfectly good barracks wall had been offset.

Furthermore, combined with the news that I had chased the attackers to the end with a spirit of self-sacrifice and found a clue to the incident, both I and the entire 5th Platoon had gained some value.

At least we had succeeded in shedding our negative image. The fact that the division commander even came to me and Lumia to personally acknowledge our contributions meant we had done really well.

I thought that was it – I had received excessive praise, made achievements, and all that was left was to comfortably return to the unit…

But why was this happening?

“Battalion Commander Lockhart? I’m thinking of transferring Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel, who’s under your command, to our Special Response Brigade. Any problems with that?”

Right before the final withdrawal, as the officers and non-commissioned officers of our battalion, including Lockhart, were gathered, Sony Zeppelin dropped a bombshell.

“Excuse me…? What do you mean, Brigade Commander?”

“Exactly what I said. We’ve decided to urgently assign Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel to our brigade.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart’s face contorted in shock. Even I, the person involved, was dumbfounded.

“You heard, Battalion Commander. The fort attack incident is over, but the investigation into those behind it is ongoing.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel is essential for that investigation. So, can I take him?”

“Brigade Commander! Even so, there are proper procedures…!!”

“I’ve already talked to the personnel command. Unless he refuses, it should be processed within a few days.”

She was truly relentless.

“Platoon Leader Enoch? Come here for a moment.”

At her call, everyone’s eyes turned to me.

‘What the hell, why is she like this?’

I had no choice but to slowly step forward. My back, not yet fully healed, throbbed with pain.

“Second Lieutenant, if you say you’ll go right here, even your battalion commander can’t stop you. I really like you. I looked at your record, and it seems they assigned you a platoon of strange people.”

She added, her voice full of confidence that I would accept,

“It’s a newly established combat unit directly under the Central Army Corps. It’s practically recognized as the most elite unit in the entire army. Don’t you want to climb higher than this ordinary field unit?”

Everyone was waiting for my answer. Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart looked at me with anxious eyes, while Colonel Sony had a triumphant air about her, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

I glanced back at my platoon members. Lumia, Belle, and even Claude seemed to think I would accept.

It was certainly an offer that could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As she said, the Special Response Brigade was treated as Ukraine’s decisive weapon even in the main story of Hearts of General.

Not only could I quickly build up my skills, but I would also accumulate a lot of achievements, paving the way for promotion.

“This kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often.”

But…

To the colonel, who smiled triumphantly, anticipating my acceptance, I opened my mouth without a moment’s hesitation.

“I refuse.”

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