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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The unrest in Chernoe City was quickly resolved. Originally, the plan was to sweep through all units connected to the city simultaneously, but with such clear evidence discovered, there was no longer a need for that.
Major Lannister, having seized all authority from Lamure, immediately freed Union Chief Shakov, who had been confined underground.
As soon as the Union Chief, who had been waiting for the arrival of the military police, opened Pandora’s Box with Chief Secretary Alpera, the city was turned upside down.
The ledger Shakov had kept meticulously detailed the corrupt practices of the merchants and security forces (excluding his own faction).
The evidence was so extensive and detailed that even Major Lannister was stunned and disgusted.
– You weren’t just a big shot in this backwater, but even in the central region.
– You flatter me.
With the momentum shifted, the military police ignored whatever Lamure’s faction argued.
Everyone knew that the evidence Shakov presented was recorded with bias. However, in reality, history is written by the victors.
With Lamure’s faction falling apart, their defeat was a foregone conclusion.
Thus, dozens of people were arrested at once, from the security forces and merchant guild to the city’s autonomous administrative government.
The city’s security forces were reorganized, primarily with personnel who harbored resentment towards Lamure and hadn’t committed illegal acts.
And most importantly, Anatoly, the mayor of Chernoe City, who had turned a blind eye to the whole situation, was quickly removed from office.
With even government officials being arrested in droves, the end of the Gavial, a clear criminal organization, was inevitable.
Lauro, including the boss and his gang, were summarily executed in the central plaza, and their bodies were left hanging there for three days as an example.
Soon, Lamure was also scheduled to be executed for treason, so the brothers would meet again in hell.
A happy ending, indeed.
The swift and decisive punishment was commendable, but with all the officials swept away, Chernoe City’s administrative functions were practically paralyzed.
Major Lannister and the military police had to request support from nearby units to prevent the inevitable public security vacuum and administrative paralysis.
Naturally, under Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart’s special order, our 3rd Magic Battalion also dispatched personnel from logistics and human resources to carry out those duties.
And the additional mission assigned to me and our 5th platoon, which arguably played a major role in this incident, was…
“Platoon Leader, please move this.”
“Yes, sir.”
Decorating the barracks.
“Hmm, I think we’ve moved most of the furniture, right?”
The lounge, which had been sparsely furnished and felt empty despite its size, was now quite neat and cozy.
They installed a new wool sofa, a high-quality rocking chair, and an antique fireplace.
Belle Meyer’s parrot’s cage was placed in a corner of the lounge.
‘…It was a bit random. A parrot.’
Since the lounge had been renovated, they wanted to keep it in a spacious area, so I just allowed it.
A pet or two wouldn’t hurt, right?
It seemed rather cozy.
And most importantly, all this furniture was provided ‘free of charge.’
It was thanks to Union Chief Shakov pulling some strings. I would have come up with countermeasures on my own, but I was solely responsible for his immediate release after his detainment.
As Lumia, happy with the arrangement of the furniture, shrugged, Sergeant Belle began to whine.
“Lumia~!! Let’s stop now~~~!”
“Hey! Sergeant Belle, you can’t do this.”
“Aah… I don’t care… I’m tired…”
Despite the firm refusal, Bell jumped onto the sofa and lay down to protest.
“Tsk, I’m going to rest since there’s nothing left to do.”
Sergeant Claude looked at her with a disapproving expression, then slipped away to his room.
With the mood fizzling out, Lumia had no choice but to give up.
“Sigh, alright. Then, shall we end today’s work here? We’ve brought all the furniture inside anyway.”
“That’s not a bad idea. There’s no need to do it all today.”
Unfortunately, I was also starting to get tired.
I wasn’t actually using any physical strength, just using simple wind magic to move things around, but since the water cannon incident, where I used a considerable amount of mana, I had been experiencing slight dizziness whenever I used even a little bit of magic.
“Ah… right! I’m sorry! I should have considered your condition, Platoon Leader…!”
Lumia looked startled, having finally noticed my poor complexion.
Belle, who had been trying to tease me playfully, also quietly got up and approached.
“Platoon Leader, are you dizzy again? Shall I cast a healing spell?”
“No, I’m alright. I can still bear it. I can’t keep relying on Sergeant Belle or Sergeant Lumia forever.”
“You said you haven’t fully recovered from your body aches yet.”
“That’s true, but…”
I had jokingly said that I might get body aches, but I actually did get them the day after Lamure’s arrest.
The medic said it was because I moved around too much when I wasn’t fully recovered.
One of the traits I had equipped, the ‘Slow Recovery’ debuff, seemed to be working a little too effectively.
‘Damn it.’
But I couldn’t rely on the two of them forever. Even while sick, I had been slowly training, so from today onwards, I would have to power through it with sheer willpower.
“Then I’ll go to the infirmary to get some medicine.”
“Should I come with you?”
“No, it’s alright. Sergeant Lumia, please get some rest too.”
Since I was planning to sneak a cigarette anyway, there was no point in taking Lumia with me.
I walked out of the barracks, leaving behind the two with their worried gazes.
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“Cough! Cough, cough!”
I spat out the cigarette I had in my mouth. I had only taken one puff, but suddenly, I started feeling dizzy.
My body swayed, and my head spun.
‘Ah… this isn’t good.’
I quickly stamped out the cigarette butt with my foot and headed straight to the main building where the infirmary was located.
Was it because I had drawn too much mana from my core at once, and the production couldn’t keep up with the consumption?
Normally, in this case, it could be easily resolved by receiving mana from a third party, but the problem was that the density of my core was ten times that of a normal mage.
The medic had said that even if we brought in a 1st class mage like Lumia or Bell, they would have to supply mana until they were almost exhausted before I felt even slightly better.
He had said that just a few days of complete rest would be enough… but just moving a few pieces of furniture had brought me to this state.
‘This is driving me crazy. Slow Recovery, this is really holding me back.’
In Hearts of General, some debuff traits could be changed or removed through experience and effort.
For example, ‘Frail’.
These were debuffs that could be sufficiently overcome through consistent training, but on the other hand, there were some debuffs that you could never get rid of, no matter what.
A prime example was this ‘Slow Recovery’ trait that I keep talking about.
Although it was an insurmountable debuff, it just meant that injuries and illnesses took longer to heal, and it took a bit longer to recover lost mana.
It wasn’t a debuff that would decide the outcome of a war. It wasn’t even a trait that caused much trouble in establishing a position or getting promoted early on.
That’s why it was one of the debuff traits I often used, but experiencing it firsthand was really annoying.
Especially as a magic officer, it was fatal that my mana recovery was slow. At this rate, it was questionable whether I could even fight properly on the battlefield five years from now.
“Damn it…”
Sway.
My vision blurred, my foot missed a step on the stairs, and I managed to prevent myself from falling by grabbing the railing.
I was fine until just a moment ago, but I should have brought Lumia with me if I knew this would happen.
As I struggled to climb the stairs, I regretted my foolish choice.
“Huu.”
I took another deep breath. Since the most basic symptom of mana deficiency was shock from difficulty breathing, it was important to maintain consciousness and control my breathing.
Even though I possessed this useless body, it had been almost a month since I was forced into it.
I had gained some know-how, to some extent.
“Haa, haa.”
I felt dizzy with every step I took. Was a mere two-story climb always this high?
It was a different kind of discomfort from when I collapsed from stress in front of Commander Lockhart.
The sensation of my body hitting its limit came crashing down, and at the same time, a tremendous sense of self-deprecation washed over me.
I should have been just a slightly useless person, but to be a literal radioactive waste dump?
As I somehow managed to climb the stairs to the second floor and staggered towards the infirmary.
Thud.
“Aah!”
Unable to see properly, I collided head-on with someone coming from the opposite direction. With that light impact, the consciousness I had been barely holding onto snapped.
I fell backward and hit my head on the floor with a thud.
Fortunately, the carpeted floor meant that the back of my head only throbbed; I wasn’t seriously injured… but damn it, I couldn’t move.
“Eh?! Oh, no! Are you alright!?”
“Me, dic. Me, dic.”
As I managed to move my lips with difficulty, a woman with pink hair popped her face in front of mine.
“Yes!? Could you say that again, clearly!?”
“…Medic.”
“Ah-! Medic!! J-just a moment! But these symptoms look exactly like the symptoms of mana deficiency…”
She looked around, then straddled me.
“What, are, you, do…”
“Just wait a moment!”
Her small hand was placed on my heart, and an incredible concentration of mana flowed into my core in an instant. I could instinctively feel it.
‘What is this?’
The mana was incredibly fresh, as if it had just been generated from a core. Its density was also richer and more abundant than any mana I had felt before.
My blurry vision quickly cleared, my breathing calmed down, and my head naturally became clearer.
The muscles that had lost control returned to their normal state.
Mana supply.
Like a blood transfusion, she injected her mana into my core.
I quickly checked her condition.
The medic had said that even 1st class mages like Lumia and Belle would be exhausted, but she had supplied enough mana for my core to function normally in just a few seconds.
With this amount, her own core should have been overloaded.
But the mage in question simply sighed in relief, as if nothing had happened.
Moreover… this person, she seemed familiar.
Although I couldn’t see her rank because she was in civilian clothes, she had light pink hair, emerald eyes, and a thin body.
Could it be?
As I sat up, she held out her hand and smiled.
“I’m Private Roxana Elim. It’s the first time I’ve seen you in the unit! Are you newly assigned?”
As expected.
It was my last squad member, who had always been hospitalized.
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damn strong mage but strong restrictions