My Platoon is Fucking Hopeless – Chapter 30

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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After Sergeant Rex was taken away by the military police, Lumia and I were summoned to the Battalion Commander’s office. We were, after all, the parties involved in the whole incident.

And the first thing we heard upon entering was:

“I apologize, Platoon Leader Enoch. I should have been more cautious.”

It was a sincere apology from Battalion Commander Lockhart. It was unexpected. I thought he would at least reprimand me, but he accepted the situation so readily.

I didn’t know if it was because he favored me or if he genuinely considered it a serious issue.

However, since he had taken decisive action by having Sergeant Rex taken away by the military police, I expressed my gratitude.

“It’s alright, Battalion Commander. I didn’t expect Sergeant Rex to go that far. However… it is true that I used magic on an unarmed soldier, so I’ll humbly accept any disciplinary action.”

“Disciplinary action? Nonsense. It was the right thing to do. And…”

Battalion Commander Lockhart’s gaze shifted to Lumia, who was standing at attention beside me.

“You’ve been through a lot, Sergeant Lumia. Keep up the good work.”

Keep up the good work.

It wasn’t something you’d say to a victim of harassment. But Lumia showed no reaction. She simply bowed her head to Battalion Commander Lockhart.

“I’ll make sure that Rex bastard never sets foot here again. The military police will handle it even without my intervention.”

“I have no doubts about that.”

“Right?”

Lockhart twitched his mustache.

“If something like this happens again, make sure to report it through me. Both of you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Of course.”

“Good, good.”

So that was it. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. He was thanking us for informing him before higher command intervened. Indeed.

Just saying, “You’ve been through a lot,” meant Lockhart hadn’t even been aware of the harassment Lumia was facing. The Personnel Officer and Company Commander, who should have reported it, hadn’t done their jobs.

But what if I were still considered a useless platoon leader by Lockhart, or if Lumia had bypassed the chain of command and reported directly to him?

I doubted we would have gotten the same result. Rex would have been punished, but would it have been this clean and without repercussions? I didn’t know.

And Lumia, as the victim, would have felt that keenly.

“Lumia, you’re dismissed.”

“Only Sergeant Lumia, sir?”

“Yes. There’s someone who wants to see you, Platoon Leader.”

Lockhart gestured toward the pantry connected to his office.

“Greetings, Platoon Leader Enoch Levandal.”

A man with a refined appearance emerged. I hadn’t noticed anyone was in the pantry due to the angle.

Unlike the standard magic corps uniform, which was a white base layer with a black coat, he was dressed in black from head to toe, with red accents.

A silver medal adorned his right breast, and a single chrysanthemum was embroidered on his gold-braided epaulet.

“I’m Major Lannister Cale, Commander of the 1st Military Police Unit, Northern Branch of the National Guard.”

“Glory to the motherland! Second Lieutenant Enoch Levandal, 5th Platoon Leader.”

His sharp gaze and the imposing military police uniform were quite intimidating. It was true that military police, who dealt with other soldiers, had to appear tough, but Major Lannister was also physically imposing and had the most rugged face I had ever seen.

He was the first person I’d met who seemed more intimidating than Sergeant Claude.

He returned my salute crisply and gestured to Lumia.

“Sergeant, would you excuse us for a moment?”

“Ah…! Yes, sir.”

Lumia, momentarily flustered by the sudden appearance of a military police officer, hurried out of the office. Major Lannister sat down next to Battalion Commander Lockhart.

“Platoon Leader, have a seat.”

‘What is this?’

I didn’t know why the Military Police Commander had singled me out, but it clearly wasn’t just about Rex. It was just one soldier.

If it were just for reference in the investigation, a high-ranking official like the Military Police Commander wouldn’t have come personally, nor would he have dismissed Lumia.

In this case, he wasn’t just looking for a witness… He clearly wanted something else from me.

“I heard you performed quite well during the recent Fort Belgorod incident.”

“It wasn’t much.”

“You engaged in combat with Sergeant… Blue, was it? Along with her.”

Now I was certain. Major Lannister hadn’t come to the 3rd Battalion for follow-up action regarding Sergeant Rex. He was here to question me about the Belgorod Fortress attack.

I answered the major’s questions truthfully, omitting Lumia’s desertion.

“Excellent work. It helped our National Guard realize it wasn’t just a simple bandit raid.”

“I agree. Our Second Lieutenant Enoch did a great job. Hahaha!”

Lockhart chimed in cheerfully, but Major Lannister simply stared at me.

“Let me ask you something. Platoon Leader Enoch, why do you think I came here?”

An unexpected question. But I could easily answer. I could see right through his intentions.

“The National Guard suspects an information leak within the nearby units.”

The crux of the matter was this: How did the forces behind the bandits know about the artifact in the fortress?

‘It had to be a spy. Someone leaking information from the inside.’

Sony Zeppelin and I agreed on this. The fortress attack couldn’t have happened otherwise. The supplies were left untouched, and only the artifact was gone. It was incredibly suspicious.

When I answered without hesitation, Major Lannister smiled faintly.

“Haha… as sharp as I’d heard.”

“I’ve already spoken with Colonel Sony Zeppelin.”

“I can see why that eccentric Archmage has her eye on you.”

He pulled out a document and handed it to me.

“What is this?”

“A request for cooperation. I’ve already received permission from Battalion Commander Lockhart.”

I slowly read through the document.

Not just me, but the entire 5th Platoon? And that wasn’t all. The document wasn’t just about providing testimony or assisting with the investigation.

“You’re… turning the entire city of Chernoe upside down?”

“Yes, that’s correct. To be precise, all military units stationed near Chernoe City are targets. Including the city guard.”

The scale was unimaginable. I could understand if it were about a national treasure-level artifact, as Sony Zeppelin had said, but…

Turning the entire city upside down? Even I was surprised.

In Hearts of General, sabotage and information leaks by spies were common. In war or peace, the damn enemy spies were like bears, tearing through our intelligence network and stealing classified information.

That’s why increasing the military police force or establishing a dedicated intelligence agency to root out spies was a necessary procedure before full-scale war preparations.

Naturally, a city or unit might be turned upside down in the process, but there had never been a case like this operational plan, involving all units in the region.

There was no reason for that unless it was a country like the Sobiye Empire, where revolutions and coups were commonplace.

‘Wait, no… this is Ukraine, isn’t it?’

The Ukrainian Duchy. The undisputed weakest nation. Only a nation with stable military and policing power could deploy its military police like this.

And Ukraine, lacking in manpower, resources, and time?

‘It might be better to burn down the whole house to catch a single flea.’

Thorough investigations required control, resources, and technology. A botched attempt without sufficient capabilities would not only fail to catch the flea but also spread disease.

And if the flea carried the plague? It wouldn’t just be the house; the whole family would perish.

‘If the National Guard is mobilizing like this, the Duke must be truly pessimistic.’

I finally understood why Sony Zeppelin, a completely independent force, was granted investigative authority in this case. Simply put, the current military couldn’t be trusted.

“It seems you’ve realized why the investigation is being conducted this way.”

I nodded silently in agreement. Everything was clicking into place.

Why a high-ranking official like the Military Police Commander was involved in the escort of Sergeant Rex, a relatively minor offender. And why they wanted to cooperate with the 3rd Battalion, and specifically, my platoon.

This was a classified operation. A secret operation known only to Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart, me, and Major Lannister.

“The official investigation will begin next week. Additional military police are being dispatched from Central Command.” Major Lannister continued, “But it’s difficult to conduct the investigation solely with military police, so we’re requesting the 3rd Battalion’s cooperation.”

“Our battalion has been cleared of suspicion.”

The Battalion Commander shrugged beside me. So that was why he was in such a good mood despite the military police’s involvement.

“But Commander Lannister specifically mentioned your platoon. Since you engaged with those suspicious individuals, I also believe your platoon is best suited for this joint operation.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Don’t be so humble. It’s the truth. Wahahaha—!!”

As expected of the temperamental Battalion Commander, Lockhart burst into laughter. He was practically beaming, knowing the National Guard favored his battalion.

“Of course, you deserve credit, but this is all thanks to my usual upright conduct. Isn’t that right, Major?”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel. Of course.”

The Military Police Commander skillfully handled Lockhart’s nonsense, then turned to me.

“Unfortunately, Second Lieutenant, you don’t have a choice in this matter. The situation is that urgent. But as official National Guard business, you can expect to be rewarded.”

I gulped. This was both an opportunity and a definite career boost. A solid stepping stone to soar high right after completing my service in the 3rd Battalion and getting promoted to First Lieutenant.

There was no way a mere junior magic officer like me would be handling these cases, like with Sony Zeppelin before.

Currently, there were many limitations on fully utilizing my maxed-out stats. In the military, the more outstanding you were, the more various factions tried to pull you down.

As a mere second lieutenant, I had no choice but to be cautious.

But by quickly accumulating achievements like this, I could reach a position where I could spread my wings before anyone could pull me down.

That way, I could make a difference in the devastating war five years later.

I stood up, saluted Major Lannister crisply, and declared, “I’ll do my best!”

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