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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Who is this?
Judging by her clothes and the instinctive feeling she exuded, she was clearly different from the women I had seen so far. Platinum blonde hair. Blue eyes. And although slightly damaged, she was clearly dressed in a high-quality dress. She was definitely different from the other female prisoners, who wore rags.
“Mmmgh…!! Mmgh!!”
And not only was she gagged, but she was also bound in chains. It seemed she was indeed a captive of the bandits. A noblewoman who had the misfortune of being captured?
“Release her.”
“Yes, sir!”
At my command, a nearby soldier quickly approached and removed the gag that bound her mouth.
“Hah—!”
As if she had been suffocating, the woman took a deep breath as soon as her mouth was freed. She looked at me and asked,
“Who are you? Did my father send you?”
“We are the 8th Assault Magic…”
“Wait.”
I stopped the soldier who was about to blurt out unnecessary information and gestured to Claude. As if he already knew, he strode toward her and patted her dress. Startled by the sudden touch, she quickly realized it was a simple body search and complied quietly.
Even in this situation, she had the composure to think rationally. She wasn’t just an ordinary person.
“No weapons. Judging by the material of her clothes, she seems to be a high-ranking prisoner.”
“I am Lieutenant Enoch Levandal of the Ukrainian Army. Please state your identity.”
There was no need to reveal my detailed affiliation as a member of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion. Since it wasn’t officially registered within the army, mentioning it would only create unnecessary complications.
After I revealed my identity, the woman finally looked relieved and answered,
“I am Yekaterina Pedro, the second daughter of Count Jacques Pedro, the honorary lord of the Bialystok territory.”
A noble, indeed.
The Ukrainian Duchy had a centralized system, but the aristocracy hadn’t been completely abolished. Even Belle Meyer introduced herself as a member of the Meyer Baron family. As the title “honorary lord” suggested, it was now a largely ceremonial position, but it didn’t mean they had completely lost their influence in regional affairs.
‘But they touched a noble? These bastards really have a death wish.’
I instructed Master Sergeant Claude to remove the remaining restraints.
“Wait a moment. It might sting a little.”
Crackle!!
With a surge of electricity, the tightly wound chains were cleanly severed.
“Thank you…”
“Let’s talk more after we move to a safe location. 1st Platoon, please search the surrounding area.”
“Will do.”
Claude nodded, and I handed over Yekaterina to Lumia and Roxanna. Women would be more sensitive in these matters than men.
Soon after…
The ‘Modor Village Bandit Suppression Operation,’ the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion’s first real combat mission, officially ended. The 2nd Company, deployed to the north, and the 1st Company, deployed to the south, successfully linked up. The 3rd Company, which had infiltrated the underground mine, also safely rescued the captive villagers.
In terms of numbers, approximately 100 bandits were killed, about 30 were captured, and over 70 villagers who had been held captive were rescued. On our side, there were only 5 injuries, none of which were serious. Indeed, it was a very successful outcome, making all the hard work and training worthwhile.
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Yekaterina and her family members were urgently transported by a convoy from a nearby city that had arrived after hearing the news. Fortunately, the bandits hadn’t been depraved enough to harm the noblewoman and her servants. Most of them only showed mild symptoms of malnutrition and were generally unharmed.
“Count Jacques Pedro expresses his sincere gratitude for your dedication.”
A member of the Pedro family saluted Sonya Zeppelin respectfully. If it had been another soldier, the Lieutenant Colonel would have refused the courtesy, but instead of accepting the salute, she pointed at me, who was standing behind her.
“I wasn’t the one who rescued them, it was Lieutenant Enoch Levandal over there.”
“Oh…! My apologies. Thank you once again, Lieutenant Enoch Levandal.”
It was an unexpected situation, but I somehow managed to accept the salute and replied in a solemn voice,
“I just did what I had to do.”
“Count Jacques has expressed his wish to personally commend you for your service in this incident. Is there any particular way you would like to be recognized?”
“A-Are you talking to… me…?”
“Yes.”
Flustered, I looked back and forth between Sonya Zeppelin and Josef Levandowski. They just shrugged, as if they didn’t know either. So, as the field commander who rescued Yekaterina Pedro, I was supposed to decide on my own?
“Um, well…”
I paused to think. Hearts of Iron was fundamentally a military strategy and tactics simulation game, but since it was set in a ‘fictional fantasy world,’ not the modern or near-modern era, the nobility still held significant power.
While their authority as lords or rulers of territories had disappeared, many nobles were still influential in the central government. And as I mentioned earlier, they still held considerable sway in local affairs.
Just because a beast loses its teeth and claws, it doesn’t stop being a beast.
Since the game was set in the 19th century, before World War I, it was historically accurate, in a way. And these nobles were treated as important resources or encounters in the game.
The more nobles supported the player character, the faster the character’s promotion and the quicker they could seize control of the military and regions.
Even Sonya Zeppelin was the same. Even an Archmage couldn’t establish a secret unit like the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion on her own. Training grounds, barracks, supply lines, and so on. Even excluding the military’s high command, she had to obtain permission from nearby villages and the local administrators/lords where the unit was stationed.
‘But that’s only beneficial after becoming a high-ranking commander.’
In procedures that must be carried out ‘systematically,’ like promotions, noble status wasn’t very helpful. Especially a count from a remote territory like Bialystok.
‘What should I do…?’
It felt wasteful to just let this opportunity go. It wasn’t easy to gain connections with a count’s family. Moreover, I wasn’t going to stay in the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion forever. The grand plan I envisioned was to become a ‘national hero’ who would save Ukraine from the ravages of war.
I wasn’t going to be stuck here forever. I had to become a battalion commander, a regimental commander, a division commander, a corps commander, and even a general.
‘Then, it’s probably best to approach this as building connections.’
In short, a sponsor. Considering what I had to do in the future, I needed to secure sufficient support from both the central government and the local administration. My minimum goal was to become a captain in a key position before the war broke out.
But since I had already been promoted one rank in just a few months, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to aim for field officer rank, would it? That would greatly expand my options during the war.
My mind started racing. I felt a rush, like a CPU overheating.
“I…”
I looked directly at the butler and said,
“I would like to have an audience with Count Jacques himself.”
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“So the bastard is frantically stuffing gunpowder into his gun! I calmly aimed and pulled the trigger!!”
“…but the gun didn’t fire, and you got shot in the ass. Congratulations, Rick Hanson.”
In the field hospital set up in a corner of Mchensk Fortress, Bell Meyer looked at the soldier boasting about his exploits with a look of exasperation.
“Come on, Platoon Leader Belle. You’re ruining the romantic story!”
“Of course, if it had hit just a little to the side, you wouldn’t be having any children. That would be romantic.”
Rick Hanson’s face instantly paled. His gathered comrades burst into laughter.
“Anyway, stop crowding around and making noise. The wounded need to rest.”
“Yes! Understood, Platoon Leader!!”
Belle Meyer, a 1st-class Blue Mage, was tending to the wounded soldiers with other Blue Mages. They specialized in healing, manipulating ‘water,’ the most essential element for the human body. They often showed exceptional talent in ‘healing,’ sometimes even more so than in combat.
“By the way, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. My ass throbs from time to time… It feels weird. Like I got hit 200 times with a bat.”
“But don’t let your guard down. Wounds healed with magic have a high chance of reopening if they’re not fully recovered.”
“Thank you, Platoon Leader.”
Rick Hanson expressed his sincere gratitude. Bell Meyer had provided him with quick first aid, and she was currently on the front lines, caring for the wounded. Who wouldn’t be truly grateful for her dedication?
“How’s everyone doing? How’s the ward?”
It was then that Captain Enoch Levandal, the 1st Company Commander, entered the ward.
“Glory to the Motherland!”
The non-commissioned officer who had been rummaging through medical supplies immediately saluted, and the soldiers, who had been chatting noisily with their comrades, fell silent and saluted.
“Glory to the Motherland!!”
“Glory to the Motherland, at ease.”
“At ease!!”
They were clearly disciplined. They had been much better than the 3rd Magic Battalion I had been in before, even when I first saw them, but the unit members who had gone through two weeks of training and one real battle exuded the air of an ‘elite’ unit. The fact that they could laugh even with gunshot wounds was proof of that.
“Seeing your relaxed expressions, it seems you’re all doing well.”
“Why do you say that, Captain? It’s all thanks to us fighting hard, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. If you get injured again next time, I’ll make you do PT exercises again. Be prepared.”
“You’re going to make us do that hellish training even when we’re injured? You’re a devil.”
Sergeant Tchaikovsky, who had suffered the most during the parachute training, said in genuine disgust, and others chimed in with jokes.
“Hey, at least you’ll keep your fiancée now, right? Since you even got shot.”
“That’s right. If anyone tries to hit on her, show them your wound. Ask if anyone else has been shot.”
“That would be awesome, Captain!”
Belle Meyer chuckled as she watched the Captain exchanging jokes with the soldiers.
“Platoon Leader Bell, you’ve been working hard too.”
“Not at all, I’m just providing treatment and taking care of things. Is the post-training maintenance complete?”
“Yes, the rescued personnel have all been safely returned to their village. They were all truly grateful.”
Belle Meyer was inwardly relieved at Enoch’s words. Having had a similar experience as a child, she could empathize with how painful those days must have been.
“By the way, what brings you here? I don’t think you came just to give us an update, and if you have something to discuss with the soldiers, I can leave.”
“No, it’s not that. I have something to discuss with you separately, Platoon Leader Bell.”
“What?”
At those words, the ward fell silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers.
“See! I told you!”
“I told you the Captain was into Platoon Leader Belle~! Who were the bastards who bet silver? Pay up!”
“What?! I have great instincts!”
The soldiers were making a fuss. Enoch Levandal sighed and shook his head.
“I was wondering who was spreading such rumors, and the culprits were here all along?”
“Uh…”
“Everyone, heads down.”
“We’re sorry!”
As the soldiers bowed their heads to their knees, Enoch Levandal led Belle Meyer outside the ward tent. Of course, as soon as they left, all sorts of whistles could be heard.
What? What is it? Did the Captain have something to say to her?
Belle Meyer looked confused. Having spent several months together, she was certain that what the soldiers were imagining wouldn’t happen, but the atmosphere was a bit strange.
“…So what did you want to talk about?”
“Platoon Leader Belle.”
The captain’s rough hand rested on her shoulder. Belle Meyer flinched. Enoch then spoke in a husky voice,
“I need you to accompany me.”
Those words were more than enough to make Belle Meyer’s mind go blank.
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