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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“GAAAAAH!!!!”
As I ground the cigarette butt into his forehead, the bastard screamed in pain and collapsed. Pathetic bastard. The way he rolled around on the floor was a truly unsightly spectacle.
I picked up the cigarette pack and lighter he’d dropped, took out another cigarette, and lit it. The acrid smoke filled my lungs, and the seething emotions inside me calmed down a bit.
“Fuck—!! You son of a bitch!!”
Rex cursed and got up. Just as he was about to throw a punch, I flicked my finger.
The mana emanating from my body glowed green, and a translucent ring bound Rex’s ankles.
Basic wind-attribute magic, ‘Air Bind.’ A spell that condensed air to restrict the opponent’s movements.
Along with Wind Cutter, it was one of the basic wind spells introduced in the “Introduction to Elemental Magic” textbook.
True to the wind attribute, known for its relatively simple magic structure compared to other attributes, there was no need for any special visualization.
Rex, his ankles bound, stumbled and fell again, screaming in pain.
“GAAAAH!! Agh! My, my ankles!!”
“Quit exaggerating. It’s just a binding spell.”
I watched Rex writhing on the ground, cigarette dangling from my lips.
“You… you think you can get away with this?! You used magic on a fellow soldier?!?”
“Huh, still can’t grasp the situation? You need to come to your senses.”
I pressed down hard on the back of his stiff neck and gave him another cigarette burn in the same spot.
“Guh… UGH!!!!”
He trembled uncontrollably. His once-vicious eyes were now filled with fear.
“Do to me what you did to Lumia.”
“Y, you… I’ll report you to the personnel officer and make sure you get disciplined-”
“Shouldn’t you be the one getting disciplined, Sergeant? Your current attitude warrants summary execution.”
“I’m Sergeant Rex!! You little second lieutenant!!! I’ll have the boss beat you to a pulp if you ever set foot in the city again!!”
He was still putting up a fight despite all this. He certainly had guts.
And the boss… Was he referring to the leader of the thugs I had seen in the city? I had heard from Belle Meyer that there were gangs controlling the back alleys of Chernoe City.
Even if he was a sergeant, the reason Rex, a mere soldier, could act so brazenly was probably because he was part of those gangs. It happened in real life too.
Sometimes, those connected to local influential figures or with gangster backgrounds would join the military and disregard rank and hierarchy.
Even the military couldn’t be completely self-sufficient. The support of local residents and those in power was often essential for unit maintenance and even promotions.
But that wasn’t important. What was important was that this bastard had crossed the line, and hard.
It seemed he had been acting up because many people had let him off the hook. But I couldn’t stand for that, a mere soldier running his mouth against a superior officer.
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Ugh… I’ll report you for assaulting a soldier and have you beaten to a pulp if you ever step foot in Chernoe again—!!!”
His whimpering threats weren’t scary in the least.
“Oh, really? So, if you shut up, they won’t know I did this.”
I lightly channeled my mana. Blazing flames hungrily consumed the air.
“If I burn your mouth, you won’t be able to talk.”
“What… Ah—Hot!?! W, wait!!”
I slowly brought the flames closer to Rex’s face. It wasn’t even magic. Just manifesting red mana.
But it was more than enough to burn the roof of his mouth. All I had to do was put the flame in his mouth.
“You think you can get away with that!?”
“I’m already branded as useless; it can’t get any worse. And it’s just one soldier. I think it’ll be hushed up as usual, don’t you think?”
“…!!”
Rex, who had been trying to resist until the end, finally shut his mouth. He was the type to expertly exploit the closed-off system of the military.
“Just like what you’ve been doing to Lumia.”
He immediately realized the same logic could apply to him.
“S, s-sorry! I, I, I was too… I went too far! Please forgive me!!”
“Good.”
I grinned, extinguished the flames, and punched him right in the eye.
Wham!!
“Gah, agh! My eye!!”
With my body aching from the cold, I couldn’t inflict as effective blows as yesterday in the city. So I just had to target the weakest vital point.
His mouth was so filthy I had considered kicking his groin, but I decided to show him some mercy. I had to maintain a minimum level of decency.
“If you utter a single word other than answering my questions, I’ll really shoot a fireball into your mouth.”
“Y, yes, sir…!!”
“What were you trying to do to Lumia?”
“That-”
Wham!
I gave Rex another punch as his eyes rolled back.
“Ugh… Why, why are you hitting me?!”
“Don’t try to be clever. Answer me.”
“I, I was trying to… blackmail her into sleeping with me!”
“Whose idea was it?”
“M, mine! I really wasn’t going to do anything after that!!”
“I never asked about ‘after.’”
“Gulp…”
The cigarette in my mouth burned down to the filter. I spat out the almost completely burned butt and continued interrogating Rex.
“I know what you were trying to do, so don’t even think about making excuses. Who else is involved? Are there others from our unit?”
I stared into his terrified eyes. Rex confessed everything.
No one from the unit was involved. They didn’t like getting involved with the useless platoon. But it was different outside the unit. He was told to seduce and bring a pretty, isolated non-commissioned officer from the unit.
Having heard that much, there was no need for further questioning.
“Violation of military discipline, disobedience of orders, insubordination, attempted assault on a superior officer. These are serious offenses. You deserve summary execution.”
“I’m sorry—!! Platoon Leader! P, please spare my life!!”
“You want to live?”
“Yes!! Yes—!! I, I want to live!!”
People only come to their senses after getting beaten up. Just a few minutes ago, he had been acting all cocky, but now, only the pathetic sight of him begging for his life remained.
Subdued by a spell that did nothing more than restrict his movement, he had been complaining about his ankles.
It was all an act, acting tough when he had no right to.
“Go to Lumia and apologize properly. Show some respect. And don’t ever look at her or go near her again.”
“Yes, sir! I will!”
“Now answer me properly, giving your rank and name.”
“S, Sergeant Rex!!”
“Get lost.”
Lumia hadn’t returned yet. Or rather, even if she had, she wouldn’t show herself after what I had done.
Snap!
I flicked my fingers again, and the Air Bind holding Rex’s ankles dissipated. But Rex just kept groaning and trembling, unable to get up.
“What are you doing? Go.”
“Ugh… B, but Platoon Leader, I think I really sprained my ankle…”
He tried to move his leg, but his ankle kept giving way. It was wobbling, unable to support his weight.
What, did he really break it? Was this bastard even weaker than me? Looking at his pained expression and his struggling leg, it didn’t seem like he was faking it.
I clicked my tongue.
“Hey, whoever you are, come out and help him.”
I called out to the presence I had been sensing. A figure hiding behind a tree hesitantly emerged.
“P, Private Eric!”
“Eric, was it? Take Sergeant Rex to the infirmary.”
“Y-yes, sir!! Understood!!”
It seemed he had witnessed the entire scene. Eric answered loudly, his voice full of military discipline.
He helped Rex up and slowly disappeared in the direction of the infirmary. I sighed, watching them go.
‘Sigh, I came out looking for Lumia, and this is what happens.’
Instead of getting medicine, I ended up smoking a bunch of cigarettes. The tension must have gotten to me, because as soon as the situation was resolved, I felt drained, and my body started to shiver again.
The dizziness was getting worse—was I going to faint again like last time?
Just then,
“Platoon Leader! Are you alright?!”
Lumia came running from afar. She had a handful of medicine from the infirmary.
“S, Sergeant Rex…”
“I took care of it. By the way, could you help me back to my quarters? I have a headache.”
As soon as I asked, she put my arm over her shoulder. The fresh scent of her silver hair tickled my nose as she came closer.
“Platoon Leader…”
“We’ll talk later. Let’s go back to the quarters now.”
Having just given a lesson in discipline, I returned to my quarters with Lumia’s support. It was resolved for now. Of course, I didn’t think a bastard like Rex would back down so easily.
And as expected,
I woke up from a short nap to find a visitor in my room.
“Platoon Leader Enoch, let’s have a talk.”
It was Captain Mikel Lovron, the battalion personnel officer.
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