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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Hearts of General had a distinct difference from other strategy games.
All systems, including unit organization, were unlocked based on rank.
While typical strategy games started with the player as a supreme commander controlling hundreds of thousands, even millions, of troops, in Hearts of General, every player began as a second lieutenant unless they used a special mode or changed the game settings.
So, the initial gameplay involved nurturing squad members and increasing their individual stats, as if setting up hero units.
Expanding achievements to earn promotions, encountering random events like acquiring artifacts or forming special units, and ultimately influencing the world war five years later. That was the gist of Hearts of General.
This was the reason I was hesitant to join either Sony Zeppelin’s Special Response Brigade or Zygmunt Blachowicz’s National Military Police. First, the Special Response Brigade, led by an Archmage.
Earning achievements would be easy, but building a primary support base would be difficult. As the name suggested, it was a special forces unit. It would be better to establish connections and join later.
Next, the National Military Police. Considering Lieutenant General Zygmunt’s personal favor, I might be able to snag an adjutant position, equivalent to a first lieutenant’s role. That would give me a significant advantage, gaining influence within the group closest to central power, controlling the strongest force in the entire Ukrainian military.
But the problem was, I wasn’t a politician. While I had MAX Politics, that was a military stat. Talking my way around battalion and division commanders was one thing, but I wasn’t sure I could do the same with civilians and nobles.
That’s why I wanted a position in research or education. Not a training center, but a unit that actually developed doctrines and tactics. Build a foundation first, and then face the world war as a field commander.
The most likely scenario, as Sony Zeppelin had mentioned, was the Soviet Empire invading first, as in the Belgorod Fortress incident. Then, the Free Union’s Fru-Bretton Allied Forces would arrive to defend the northwestern buffer zone of Ukraine.
Influenced by Fru-Bretton’s participation, the Reinhardt Empire would join, leading to the complete destruction of this small principality. However, this also meant that if I could somehow delay the initial Soviet invasion, I could turn the tide of the war.
Soviets first, then the Allied Forces, followed by Reinhardt joining as the Soviet Empire’s ally. If I could withstand the first Soviet invasion, there would be no justification for Reinhardt to intervene alongside the Allied Forces.
If I could buy time and forge an alliance with other neutral nations, putting pressure on the Soviet Empire from all sides…
I could carve a path for the Ukrainian Principality to survive this damned war. And for that, I needed superior technology.
And now… one of those key technologies had been born at this very moment, from the hands of someone whose first impression was “a self-righteous, old-fashioned, senior officer.”
“This is amazing!! Viktor Zelensky? He’ll definitely recognize its value!! If he doesn’t, he’s an idiot!”
Unable to contain my excitement, I grabbed Debra Bennett’s hand and raised it. Second Lieutenant Debra, seemingly taken aback by my enthusiastic reaction, looked flustered.
“W-Wait… Platoon Leader? I know it’s a great technique, but it’s just a Fireball, right? The output isn’t that high… I was planning to improve it with your platoon’s help in the remaining time…”
“Of course! We’ll give you our full support in improving it!”
This was an unexpected and tremendous achievement.
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“Fireball!!”
BOOM—!!
The fireball Lumia launched vanished just before hitting the magic barrier, neutralized by another spell.
“Not bad. But its weaknesses are too obvious.”
“In what way?”
“It seems like you’re diverting some of the mana used to form the magic barrier, inscribing a separate formula while maintaining the barrier’s shape, and then manually activating the magic circle. Am I right?”
“Um… Yes.”
Debra looked incredulous at Claude, who grasped the principle just by watching it once. As expected of a war hero; his insight stemming from experience was remarkable.
“First, because it’s visually activated, it’s vulnerable to fast lightning magic. The caster needs to accurately perceive the timing of the magic to activate the formula.”
He began listing the flaws of Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett’s prototype Defense-Dispel magic without mercy.
“Second, its effectiveness is maximized only against magic like Fireball, which covers a wide area with weak energy. Against penetration magic, which concentrates power on a single point, its defensive efficiency is worse than a regular magic barrier.”
Debra, listening intently to Claude, pulled out a notebook from her breast pocket and quickly jotted down notes.
“Lastly, why Magic Missile? Using beginner magic to reduce power only works against other beginner magic. It’ll be pierced the moment they use intermediate magic.”
Based on Claude’s explanation, it was indeed a prototype. No, it hadn’t even reached that level yet; the formula was too flawed for practical use. Still, his ability to pinpoint the flaws suggested he might have solutions.
“Then what should we do?” Second Lieutenant Debra Bennett, filled with anticipation, asked Claude, who had identified issues even the developer hadn’t noticed. His answer was—
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“If I knew, I would’ve quit this shitty army long ago and joined a magic tower or a magic development department.”
It was a harsh truth. Debra Bennett and I were stunned by the unexpected answer. The only one to object was, as always, Belle Meyer.
“What’s the point of listing the flaws if you don’t offer solutions?”
“Please. I’m not a magic formula researcher. I’m a soldier.”
“That’s very irresponsible of you. As always.”
“Sergeant Belle, Sergeant Claude! Stop it!”
Lumia frantically intervened, seeing the two about to clash. Then, Roxana, who had been silently watching the demonstration, spoke up.
“…I don’t know about the first flaw, but for the second and third, wouldn’t increasing the mana density of the formula solve the problem?”
“That’s true, in a sense. The first one depends on my reaction speed, so there’s nothing I can do about that,” Debra agreed, nodding at Roxana’s suggestion.
“But increasing mana density reduces efficiency. My mana is limited.”
It was a fundamental problem. Claude’s points stemmed from the overall lack of power in Debra’s prototype Dispel-Defense magic. In Hearts of General, for Dispel-Defense magic to become practical, the development of equipment like ‘Magic Treasures’ and various magic formulas was required.
Even if Second Lieutenant Debra was a genius, it was impossible to refine a simple idea into a battle-ready spell overnight. It was like a modern unit appearing in the medieval era for ‘some reason.’ Limited deployment might be possible, but mass production and further development were impossible without prior research.
Debra, realizing this, said with a sigh,
“Well… then this isn’t something to showcase during the evaluation. It should be presented as a supplementary research achievement after the main evaluation.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…!”
“Do you have another idea, Sergeant Roxana?”
“If we use my and the Platoon Leader’s magic to brute-force the output… it should be enough for the evaluation.”
“????”
Everyone except Claude was taken aback by Roxana’s unexpected suggestion.
“I’m not good at handling mana. I can’t perform feats like inscribing separate magic formulas into a magic barrier like the Facilities Management Chief.”
She was a Mana Heart Disease patient. Too much mana was dangerous, and too little mana, allowing it to build up in her mana core beyond a certain point, was also dangerous—a walking contradiction.
This was why she joined the military as a Magic Troop. A magic battalion was the perfect place to freely use mana and receive emergency replenishments when needed.
“But I can release a burst of mana at once… although inefficiently.”
“Sergeant Roxana, you mean…!”
“Teach me this formula. I’ll make sure to successfully cast this magic during the platoon evaluation.”
Roxana’s green eyes gleamed.
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THE WALL!🧱🛡🔰