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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Wow…!!”
Lumia kept exclaiming in admiration. I was just as surprised. Our assigned quarters were comparable to a five-star hotel suite. No, honestly, it was even better than a suite.
It felt more like the room of a king or queen from a fantasy story. The sheer number of maids and servants solidified that impression.
“This annex is reserved for VIP guests granted a private audience with His Majesty. Please do not hesitate to call if you require anything.”
An elderly butler with snow-white hair bowed respectfully. Judging by the other servants and maids trailing behind him, he seemed to be the head butler or manager.
“Then, please rest comfortably.”
After the manager bowed, the servants lined up behind him also bowed in unison. Their dignified demeanor was impressive enough, but seeing them march out in perfect synchronization, like a military parade, made me chuckle.
Insane discipline. Without exaggeration, their discipline seemed even stricter than the 3rd Battalion’s.
‘The capital is indeed different.’
Aside from the staff’s attitude, the opulent quarters assigned to our 5th Platoon also played a part. While our battalion headquarters was presentable, it couldn’t compare to the annex managed directly by the royal palace.
The spacious lounge was filled with expensive-looking furniture, and the black-and-white color scheme of the wallpaper and furniture created a sleek and sophisticated atmosphere.
Magic stones hung on the walls, emitting a soft glow, and a polished spiral staircase led to a terrace connected to the outside.
A terrace. I imagined myself raising a wine glass against the backdrop of the Milky Way.
Romantic, check.
“Platoon Leader!! This is insane!”
The most excited among the three of us was Lumia. True to her interior design enthusiast nature, she was already running around the quarters, having lost her composure.
“Gasp…!! Isn’t this a painting by the legendary Natalese artist!? It-It’s not a replica!”
From the small shelves to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Lumia’s eyes darted around, taking in every detail. I watched her hopping around like a rabbit and then turned to Bell, who was standing next to me with a complex expression.
“Sergeant Bellee Meyer, you seem strangely familiar with this place.”
Since arriving in Kayef, she’d been observing the scenery with a melancholic gaze and had been silent since entering the annex. She looked like she had returned to a long-lost home.
As if I’d hit a nerve, Bell scratched her cheek sheepishly.
“Was it that obvious?”
“You had such a wistful look, it was hard to miss.”
“I didn’t live here, but I visited often. I used to live nearby.”
Belle Meyer said, gazing at the cityscape of Kayef visible through the large window.
“If you lived nearby… were you from some noble family, Sergeant Belle?”
“Yes, didn’t you know?”
“???”
What was she talking about? Seeing my confusion, Belle Meyer also looked bewildered.
“I thought you knew…?”
“I didn’t.”
“Wasn’t it written in your personnel file?”
“…Hmm.”
I had skimmed through the personnel files on the first day and hadn’t looked at them since. Back then, I only checked for special notes and moved on.
I could check the information through the status window anyway; there was no need to read the physical documents.
“You didn’t read it properly?”
“W-Well, I’m not really interested in backgrounds or social status.”
“Ah… I see. I thought you were indifferent from the beginning, so that’s why. The mystery is finally solved.”
“How were the other platoon leaders different?”
I asked. Belle Meyer shrugged nonchalantly.
“They were surprisingly from influential families. The Meyer family. So, I was their last resort, the only lifeline for officers demoted for various reasons.”
Ah. I could understand. They probably tried to use Bell’s status to climb back up the ranks.
“At first, they would do anything for me, treating me kindly while ignoring the other squad members. But once they realized I wasn’t interested and that my family didn’t hold much power, they started mistreating me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
But why was the daughter of such an influential family stuck in a remote magic battalion?
‘Come to think of it, there wasn’t a ‘noble’ trait in her status window.’ I meticulously checked the ‘Platoon Management’ status window, even if I didn’t memorize the personnel files.
Although I hadn’t checked recently, since her stats and traits hadn’t changed in the month since then.
‘But a noble trait wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere, would it?’
As I pondered this confusing situation, Belle waved her hand dismissively and smiled.
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter! It’s a good day, so let’s only talk about good things. Didn’t you say so yesterday, Platoon Leader?”
“What?”
“You said I didn’t need to worry so much. It’s not like my family abandoned me. I was thinking of visiting them this time.”
“Ah…”
She seemed to have misunderstood, thinking I was being considerate of her family situation.
I was actually thinking about the game system, but… well, now that I was already here, what did the system matter? Such details weren’t even part of the strategy simulation game.
“If it’s alright with you, Sergeant Belle, we have a free day. Visiting your family wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Right?”
I replied vaguely. While family matters should be handled delicately, I wasn’t particularly interested. Just because Bell was a noble from an influential family didn’t mean I’d benefit in any way.
If that were the case, it would have happened already, with the previous platoon leaders.
“Now, let’s unpack. We need to go to the military uniform store and pick up the dress uniforms the Battalion Commander prepared for us.”
“Ah…!! Okay!!”
Lumia, who had been running around, quickly grabbed her luggage and picked a room. It seemed to be to her liking. Belle chuckled at the sight and chose another room for herself.
After Belle and Lumia changed into their civilian clothes, we left the annex and entered the city.
“Wow.”
“This is… the capital, Kayef…”
Lumia and I were overwhelmed. A massive crowd and beautiful, towering buildings. The clatter of carriage wheels and the voices of people filled the air. The fragrant smells wafting from the restaurants lining the streets tantalized our senses.
The bustling atmosphere, imperceptible inside the carriage, finally hit us. We were truly in the capital of the Ukrainian Principality.
It was similar to the shock I felt when I first arrived in Seoul for my military academy interview. And since the first city I visited in this world was the remote Chernoe City, the contrast was even more striking.
I had thought that city was lively and crowded… but the capital, Kayef, was as large, bustling, and crowded as the entire city of Chernoe, just within a single block. No wonder Sergeant Claude Rain hated it.
“Sergeant Belle? The instructions said to go to this clothing store. Do you know the way?”
“Hehe, don’t worry. Just follow me!”
Belle Meyer checked the small map she’d been given and confidently led the way to the clothing store. Despite the complex streets and numerous alleyways, she navigated them effortlessly.
‘I heard she hadn’t been here for a long time, but she knows the way so well. She must have lived here for a long time.’
This area was right next to the royal palace and the annex, so frequenting it would be impossible unless she was from a noble family.
‘…Then why is she stuck as a magic NCO? In Hearts of General, NCO’s are essentially expendable, unless they’re special cases.’
Belle Meyer’s family couldn’t have been unaware of this. Magic NCO’s were called “NCO’s,” but they were treated no differently from soldiers who could use mana. Just look at Sergeant Claude.
He enlisted as a regular soldier and later became a magic NCO after awakening his mana. While his rank increased, despite being a war hero, his promotion to Sergeant Major was all he got.
Even if there were unavoidable circumstances for her enlistment, her family should have at least ensured she became an officer for the sake of appearances.
Several scenarios came to mind.
Was she forced to enlist as punishment for opposing an arranged marriage? Or was she such a villain that she couldn’t be reformed without being sent to the military…?
All sorts of nonsensical ideas popped up, but I shook my head and dismissed them.
‘That’s impossible.’
Neither scenario fit Belle Meyer. The reason for her depression was likely related to her military enlistment. Lost in thought, I followed Lumia and Belle.
“…? What’s this?”
The two of them stopped, blocked by a large crowd. Dozens of people were lined up on the street, watching something. They were shouting obscenities and throwing stones.
“What’s going on?”
I asked, sensing the hostile atmosphere.
Lumia leaned in and whispered, “It looks like they’re escorting a criminal.”
I looked up and saw a Military Police escort carriage passing by. Inside the makeshift wooden prison, a man sat bound by chains.
Reading the sign hanging around his neck and seeing the skull tattoo on his arm, I immediately recognized the criminal.
Strigoi.
A cult-like, anti-government group that appeared as random encounters in the game. Damn bastards who persistently threatened national security even in the late game.
They were essentially a group of corrupted Black Mages, possessing considerable military power, making them much harder to subdue than bandits or guerrillas.
‘That bastard deserves to be publicly executed.’
My momentary pity vanished as soon as I confirmed his identity. During wartime, when everything was chaotic, a sudden riot in the capital or a special economic zone could be disastrous.
Failure to suppress it in time could easily lead to civil war. Recalling my frustrating defeats in the game due to such uprisings, I felt a surge of anger.
‘In a country like Ukraine, they need to be dealt with more decisively. If those guys join forces and rebel, the country will be overturned in an instant.’
I was about to tell the others to move on to the clothing store when…
“Ugh, uh—!!”
“Sergeant Belle?”
“Ugh… Urgh.”
Belle Meyer suddenly turned pale and started retching.
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Oh no trauma alert