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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Battalion Commander, it’s the Personnel Officer.”
“Ah, come in.”
“Glory to the motherland!”
Captain Mikel Lovron cautiously entered the Battalion Commander’s office. Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart seemed to be in a good mood today.
Actually, it wasn’t just today. Ever since Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel had refused Sony Zeppelin’s offer in front of all the officers, boosting the Battalion Commander’s pride, Lockhart Cromwell had been in high spirits.
And that wasn’t all. Enoch had also made a strong impression on the 18th Regimental Commander and Major General Novgorod, the 8th Division Commander.
Captain Mikel understood the Battalion Commander’s continued good mood. Next year, he would be eligible for promotion to Colonel.
In the Ukrainian Army, where connections were crucial for promotion, being recognized by the Division Commander was invaluable. Mikel would have felt the same if he were in Lockhart’s shoes.
‘And I was going to side with that Rex bastard? Do I want to get on the Battalion Commander’s bad side?’
The personnel officer reaffirmed his decision. He had plenty to hide, having accepted many favors, but he wasn’t the only one. As Enoch had said, this could be a chance to cut ties.
‘It seems the military police are catching wind of the situation in the city. Better to get on his good side before they come sniffing around.’
Surprisingly, field commanders at the battalion level often didn’t care about the lives of soldiers or junior officers. Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart was the same.
It was better to tell him in advance and risk a reprimand than be interrogated by the military police later. And with him in a good mood lately, he might escape a reprimand altogether.
“So, what’s the matter? I heard it was urgent.”
“I’ve received a complaint within the battalion.”
“A complaint? From inside the unit, not from outside?”
“Yes, Battalion Commander.”
Lockhart’s mustache twitched. His smile faltered.
“Shouldn’t you handle such matters yourself? Especially internal issues.”
“It’s a serious matter.”
“Serious? How serious?”
At the word “serious,” Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart’s face hardened. When Captain Mikel used that word, it was usually a serious situation.
“It can’t be leaked outside.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s a soldier named Sergeant Rex in the Logistics and Supply Department of Headquarters Company. Both of his ankles were completely fractured yesterday, by magic.”
“Fractured? Wait… by magic!?”
Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart shot to his feet.
“Which bastard used magic on a soldier?!”
Despite his outburst, he couldn’t help looking confused after Captain Mikel’s next words.
“Second Lieutenant Enoch Llevandel.”
It was the new officer he had been watching.
“Is this a protest for being stuck in that platoon? It hasn’t even been a month; a reassignment is a bit much…!”
“That’s not the reason, Battalion Commander. Second Lieutenant Enoch has no intention of leaving the 5th platoon.”
“Then why did he attack a soldier from Logistics and Supply, someone he has no connection with?! Another accidental discharge like last time?”
Captain Mikel wished it were an accident. But he had already agreed to cooperate with Enoch’s plan and couldn’t back down.
“Sergeant Rex was insubordinate. He also attempted to sexually assault Sergeant Lumia of the 5th Platoon.”
“Damn it.”
The Lieutenant Colonel’s forced composure vanished.
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Playing politics wasn’t difficult. A simple misunderstanding, with a few well-placed words, could escalate into a major conflict. It was about manipulating the narrative.
I had experienced and dealt with this countless times. In the military, where achievements and rank were limited resources, scheming and political maneuvering were rampant.
Having navigated the corporate world, someone like Sergeant Rex was child’s play. I was frankly surprised he’d gotten away with so much as a mere soldier.
“Lumia, put that here.”
“Yes, sir.”
I watched Lumia move a wardrobe. We were relocating furniture from the basement to my quarters before the barracks renovations.
“Platoon Leader, where should I put this?”
“In the middle room.”
“I’ll be using this room, so don’t touch anything.”
It wasn’t just Lumia. Belle Meyer and even Sergeant Claude Rain were quietly moving their belongings. Even the stoic Claude seemed positive about the move.
– Being cooped up in the basement was driving me crazy. This is good news.
Since I refused Sony Zeppelin’s offer publicly, Claude had softened towards me.
He still didn’t salute, often ignored me even with direct eye contact, and skipped official events like roll call, but he now answered my questions and even volunteered to help renovate the abandoned officer’s quarters.
Considering he’d cursed me out when we first met, it was considerable progress.
“It looks a bit bare now that we’ve moved everything. Our old quarters felt cozy.”
“That’s because we haven’t moved all the furniture in yet. I’m planning to go to the city with Lumia this weekend.”
“T-To the city…? Wouldn’t it be safer to just order furniture here, Platoon Leader?”
Lumia reacted strangely. Was she worried about retaliation from the city thugs after my confrontation with Rex? I understood.
I had already attracted their attention by subduing a few of them, and adding Rex to the mix would be a headache.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Thud! Crash!
The door flew open, and a man on crutches stumbled in, tripping on the entrance step. Despite his humiliating entrance, he crawled towards us, his face streaked with tears.
“Platoon Leader Enoch! Sergeant Lumia! Please help me! I was wrong!”
It was Rex.
“I acted out of line! I’ll take responsibility for everything with the Gavial; please, just give me another chance!!”
He kowtowed repeatedly. The pride and confidence of Sergeant Rex, who had considered himself a big shot, were gone.
I glanced at the people outside – black uniforms and a transport wagon. They were military police, the same as I’d seen at Fort Belgorod.
It seemed the Battalion Commander had taken action immediately after the Personnel Officer’s report. As expected of Lockhart; he didn’t hesitate.
“Please! Have mercy! You don’t want this to escalate, do you?!”
“The military police are here; what good will that do? You should have apologized to Lumia yesterday, instead of complaining to the Personnel Officer.”
“Sob, sob!”
I had given him a chance, but he had stubbornly refused. At this point, I had no intention of accepting his apology unless Lumia wanted it.
“Platoon Leader… what’s going on…?”
“Lumia, what do you want to do? I’ll respect your decision.”
The choice was Lumia’s.
Rex crawled to Lumia and cried,
“Sergeant! I was wrong! I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again! I’ll salute you properly, and I won’t say anything inappropriate! Please!!”
Even if he was influential in the battalion and part of a criminal organization in Chernoe, that was only local.
In the larger military context, Sergeant Rex was just a soldier who had severely violated military discipline. For the military police, who needed results, he was an easy target.
He could even be framed for other crimes and receive harsher punishments.
“Sergeant Lumia, please!!”
Rex knew this. Being taken by the military police was a death sentence for a soldier. Perhaps he should have deserted as soon as the Personnel Officer turned on him.
Though deserting with broken ankles wouldn’t be easy.
Lumia stared at Rex, devoid of pity.
“…”
“S-Sergeant?! Sergeant!!”
Lumia’s silver hair fluttered as she turned and walked away. A clear rejection. A sentence delivered. Rex never had a chance.
“I think that’s her answer, Sergeant.”
“This can’t be…!!”
“It was a displeasure meeting you. Let’s not meet again.”
“Please, give me another chance!!!”
The military police waiting outside moved in to drag away the struggling Rex. I didn’t care what happened to him. The investigators would decide. And given his offenses, he wouldn’t get off lightly.
I had only one thing to say:
“Life’s not a game, you little shit.”
I smiled at Rex.
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Cathartic therapeutic Relaxing