—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Daybreak arrived.
Lumia, having poured out all her pent-up tears, had returned to her quarters before lights-out, but I, still plagued by insomnia, finally managed to fall asleep around 4 a.m.
“Bam~ bam bam pa~ bam bam pa ram pam pa ram pam bam~!”
And as always, the reveille blared at 7 a.m. I practically stumbled out of the barracks in a half-zombie state.
“Huuuaaaahm…”
“Good morning, Platoon Leader.”
“Good morning, Sergeant Belle.”
As I headed towards the spacious parade ground, Belle Meyer, already prepared, greeted me.
“You look especially tired today.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. And is Sergeant Claude excused again today?”
“Of course. He was snoring away.”
I had half given up on Sergeant Claude.
There was no way I could do anything about someone whom even the battalion and company commanders left alone. Moreover, during the last battle, I had witnessed a glimpse of Sergeant Claude’s strength.
His combat power wasn’t 90 for nothing. He was superior in speed, attack sense, strength, and magic.
In short, he was someone who would do well even if left alone.
“Where’s Lumia?”
“She’ll be out soon. By the way, what did you talk about yesterday that made her come back crying so much?”
“Hmm…”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. It was a little… embarrassing to say it myself.
“I just comforted her.”
“You’re not seducing her, are you?”
“No, what are you talking about? That would never happen.”
“haha.”
Belle Meyer let out a playful laugh. The slight curve of her eyes was alluring. It seemed like she was the one who was charming, not me.
“Sorry, Platoon Leader. I’m late.”
Just as we were chatting, Lumia joined us on time. Water droplets clung to her still-damp hair.
“Sergeant Lumia? Your face is puffy.”
“…It’s not.”
As soon as Lumia arrived, Belle Meyer, like clockwork, started teasing her, and Lumia averted her gaze, denying it. Though even I could see that her face was indeed puffy.
‘It’s a good thing they’re close. If even they were completely at odds, it would have been truly hopeless.’
With that thought, I reported the assembled personnel to the company commander.
“Total five, two excused, one in the infirmary, one on standby.”
“…Sigh, alright. Standby for a moment.”
Company Commander Arendt sighed deeply after hearing my report. It was one hundred percent because of Sergeant Claude.
Still by-the-book, he greatly disliked Sergeant Claude, but he also deeply understood how a war hero like him had been driven to this point.
He had said he grew up listening to Sergeant Claude’s heroic tales. To have once admired a hero and now meet him as a completely useless platoon member, it was quite a twist of fate.
“No issues with the 2nd Company personnel.”
“Good. Did everyone sleep well?”
Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart, standing on the platform, said.
Usually, the battalion commander, who lived in an off-base residence, didn’t show up for roll call, but it seemed he made a special appearance today due to the day off.
“Today is a rest day after the operation, so make sure all unit members get plenty of rest! Rest is always important.”
“Yes, sir-!!”
“Dismissed!”
Since we were a magic battalion, unlike other units that had to inspect their weapons and equipment after deployment, rest was essential for mages, whose bodies were their weapons.
In a way, it could also be considered ‘maintenance.’
However, just because it was a day off didn’t mean we could only play around. I was planning to go into town today. As it was a day off, short outings were freely permitted.
As soon as roll call ended, the gathered people dispersed, and Belle and Lumia approached me, asking,
“What are your plans for today, Platoon Leader?”
“Ah, I’m…”
Wait a minute. This was my first time going outside the base, wasn’t it? I had been in this unit since I first arrived in Hearts of General. Then I would need a guide.
“I’m thinking of going into town. I heard from the 3rd Platoon Leader that it’s not a bad city to look around.”
“Oh, are you going to Chernoe?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Chernoe City. One of the few trading cities in northeastern Ukraine and geographically the closest to the border. It was also a fortified city that served as the first line of defense for the Ukrainian Duchy army in case of border fortress breaches or large-scale wars, like the recent incident.
“But I’m not familiar with the geography here, so would you mind accompanying me?”
“I’d love to!! It’s so boring to always stay at the base.”
Belle Meyer answered with a bright smile. She was already excited.
Compared to her, Lumia seemed a little hesitant.
“What about you, Sergeant Lumia?”
“Ah… I…”
She seemed a little restless. What was it? She didn’t seem to be in her usual condition today.
“I’ll just rest today.”
“Alright. I suppose you still need to rest.”
Even though the treatment was complete, and her wounds were fully healed thanks to healing magic, the aftereffects of being shot would likely linger.
“I’m sorry, I forgot about that.”
“Oh! No! It’s okay! You don’t have to apologize, Platoon Leader…! Th, then I’ll be going!”
She couldn’t meet my gaze and hurriedly turned away. Was she still bothered by last night’s events? There was no need for her to feel sorry for showing weakness.
However, that was ultimately up to her. I could only help her as her platoon leader.
“Then, Sergeant Belle, let’s get ready to go out. I’ll be waiting here at 8.”
“Yes, sir~!”
Belle answered in a gentle voice and trotted after Lumia.
Well, Sergeant Claude wasn’t the type to complain about not being asked, so there was no need to invite him.
It would be a relief if he didn’t curse at me, asking why he would even go. It was much more comfortable and preferable to just go with Belle rather than risk being cursed at for asking.
“Now… then I should get ready quickly!!”
My first outing in the world of Hearts of General. I felt a flutter of excitement.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Why are you in uniform?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t have any civilian clothes besides my fatigues.”
“What, really?”
“Really.”
This was a problem I hadn’t considered until now. Whatever kind of guy this body belonged to before I possessed it, he didn’t have a single piece of clothing other than the ones issued by the military.
I hadn’t felt any inconvenience until now, as I had been too busy with paperwork and studying magic to think about going anywhere…
But since I would be going out more often from now on, I needed to buy some clothes.
“Then we’ll have to go shopping together. Alright, leave it to me.”
Belle Meyer said confidently. She did seem to have a good sense of fashion, matching her confidence.
The black skirt with a tucked-in white blouse and the tailored jacket over it suited her very well. Her hair was black, and the matching outfit gave her a very neat and mature image.
That mature beauty was, of course, also due to her ‘physical characteristics.’
“Believe it or not, shopping is my hobby. I know a good store, so I’ll guide you there.”
“I’d appreciate that very much.”
“Then let’s go!!”
Once Belle Meyer and I boarded, the coachman shouted from atop the carriage. This was an era without public transport like buses or taxis.
And we couldn’t walk either. So coachmen from City Hall were always on standby at the base, just like modern taxis.
Since word had spread about our return from the operation, the main gate was bustling with carriages from the city.
I thought to myself that whether it was reality or here, human life wasn’t all that different.
“So, Platoon Leader, which city are you from?”
“Ah… me?”
Belle Meyer’s sudden, sharp question. My place of origin wasn’t even listed in the status window. I had no choice but to vaguely say Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Even in Korea, if you answered Seoul when asked where you were from, people usually didn’t ask any further questions.
“Oh! Kyiv! You’re a real city boy~.”
Poke, poke.
Belle Meyer nudged my side playfully. Fortunately, as I had expected, she easily accepted my claim of being from the capital.
It was a relief that she was surprisingly simple.
“But why did you suddenly want to go to the city? Just because you were bored?”
“That’s part of it, and I also wanted to familiarize myself with the surrounding geography. And I wanted to look at some furniture.”
My quarters, essentially my living space, were practically like a studio apartment that I was renting entirely. The other rooms were just dusty and empty.
So I thought, since I wasn’t going to use them anyway, I might as well decorate them.
The battalion commander placed a particular emphasis on aesthetics, so there wouldn’t be any problems as long as the interior was neat. If they told me to vacate the room, I would deal with it then.
“Hmm… furniture. Lumia is good at interior design.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Lumia decorated our quarters too. When we were first assigned, I thought it was a prison.”
Indeed. Unlike the beautifully decorated ground floor, the basement wasn’t managed at all.
Nevertheless, the 5th Platoon’s quarters were quite decent. A sofa, a fireplace, and even what seemed to be a rather expensive air purifier.
There were no windows due to being in the basement, but that made it feel even cozier. It felt like a secret underground hideout, which was better than I had expected.
“Lumia also decorated the battalion commander’s office.”
“Oh.”
If even our mustache-loving Lieutenant Colonel, who lived and breathed design, acknowledged her, there was no need for further explanation.
“Then I’ll have to come with Sergeant Lumia next time.”
“There’s plenty of time.”
As we continued our idle chatter, gray walls appeared beyond the stretch of forest.
“Ah, we’re almost there.”
Belle Meyer pointed at the towering spire.
“This is Chernoe, the largest trading city in northeastern Ukraine and our battalion’s supply base.”
It was Chernoe City.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
