The Difference Is Like Between a Dog and a Cow

10 – First Battlefield (2)

Rumble, rattle.

My pelvis twisted every time the wheel moved. It was the first time I rode a wagon, but I never thought there would be a ride worse than a 5-ton truck.

But deep down, I thought it was a fantasy feeling, even though I thought it would be romantic.

The boarding compartment was covered with cloth so that the outside could not be seen, and the appearance of it lying around with various supplies was unmistakably treated as baggage.

‘It’s too much… ….’

In the first place, there were only three people, including the platoon leader. After being divided into platoons, they boarded the remaining wagons, so there was nothing they could do.

Rumia and Bell didn’t seem to think much of it either, as if they were used to being treated like this.

Around the time when I was just passing the time with no meaning between moving around like that, Rumia started talking to her.

“Platoon Leader Enoch Levandel.”

“Yes.”

“That…… Did you really use the fireball last time?”

“Of course. I also told Chief Debra exactly.”

Rumia’s purple eyes shook slightly at my answer as if it were natural.

“Is it like that when you used Fireball? I heard that you must know how to use all 5 basic elemental magics to be commissioned at the military academy. What did you do in the officer exam?”

Is there such a setting?

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In the first place, no matter which faction you chose in Hearts of General, becoming a ‘second lieutenant’ in the world five years before the outbreak of war was the same.

There’s no way he remembers the officer training curriculum of the military academy, which is not even in the setting in the game.

So I spat out a rather cold answer. In this case, it is better to draw a clear line.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”

“Ah.”

Rumia’s lips parted slightly. She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Platoon Commander. A question too presumptuous…….”

“You may be wondering, but it wasn’t a good time to remember. Isn’t Sergeant Rumia similar?”

Everybody has memories that they don’t want to talk about. It was the same for Rumia, who was sitting in front of her.

“…… I was thinking too short.”

There was a time when I toured the unit for the first time, met with the platoon members one by one, and conducted interviews. Interviewing platoon members is the main job of the platoon leader.

Of course, with the exception of one old man with a crane and a lady who wouldn’t be surprised to hear the news of an obituary tomorrow.

In the end, it was just Rumia and Bell.

Even that was only at the level of cross-verifying the contents specified in the personal statement.

Still, I had a rough understanding of Rumia and Bell.

Lumia Blue.

Unexpectedly, she was a magic sergeant with quite a promising prospect before coming to the current unit.

‘The stats were pretty good for a platoon member assigned in the beginning. It means that I have that much ability.’

The problem arose from a certain ‘incident’ that she experienced shortly after she transferred to this battalion.

– Sergeant Rumia, could you tell me about this incident?

– I’m sorry, Platoon Commander.

Rumia drew a line. Her face may be cold, but she is the one who has always treated me in a kind and gentle manner.

But at the time, she had the coldest voice I had ever heard.

As if warning me not to cross the line.

‘I’m sure something happened, but I don’t know what happened, so I won’t.’

Since he kept his mouth shut, I decided not to dig further.

An event in which a person who was so outstanding that he received an overwhelming A in the personnel evaluation would collapse in an instant.

There is a high probability that Lumia’s penalties, her tendency to avoid interpersonal combat and her mental and physical weakness, are also side effects from her experience at this time.

However, it was natural that it was not a good choice for me to forcibly bring up those memories at the point where they became traumatic enough to interfere with daily life.

‘If I try to persist, it will only add to unnecessary conflict.’

Anyway, I like it or hate it, but I have to endure for a year, but it’s not worth it to lose even a little bit of trust with just one trivial thing like this, right?

Of course, Rumia didn’t change his attitude after that either. Because you know that I care to some extent.

“Well, it seemed like that from the beginning.”

Belle, who had been silently listening to the conversation, stretched her body and said.

“What do you mean?”

“Platoon commander. The nobles who have been in charge of our platoon until now have all been strange or demoted.”

“…… Sergeant Bell!?”

“You’re not wrong, are you?”

Rumia immediately scolded her, but Belle just shrugged her shoulders.

“Still, the platoon commander is in a better situation. As for the latter, I was demoted because I made a mistake, and everything was often blamed on us.”

“Are you talking about a full-time platoon leader?”

“There is that person… ….”

Bell wiggled his feet and spread his four fingers.

“All four of them couldn’t hold out for long, did they? Our platoon is surprisingly very effective. It’s the best way to make a demoted nobleman go crazy and get him discharged on his own feet.”

Those words were brushed off casually, but I realized that they were sincere.

Self-deprecation that comes from the thought that struggling will not improve the situation.

“I like the platoon commander. I hope you stay with us for a long time.”

“What are you talking about…… !!”

“Did I say something too rude?”

Bell Meyer’s gaze was fixed. There was a rattle, the carriage rocked a lot, but she kept her head upright looking at me.

“No, thank you. At least Sergeant Bell said he likes me, so he won’t stab me in the back.”

I want to emphasize once again, I have no intention of staying with this crappy platoon for ten thousand years.

However, having rapport with the platoon members is a different matter.

Just right now. I needed a major, and in order to achieve that major, I must connect with my platoon members.

Even if my stats are maxed out, I’m still a single magic officer.

I can easily defeat ten bandits, but…… Twenty people will be difficult.

Thirty people? Run away and don’t look back.

What if there was even one lousy mage mixed in? I had to worry about my life, let alone run away.

Hearts of Generals is not a game originally designed with one-man incomparability in mind.

If I was going to do that, I would have enjoyed AOS or RPG genres rather than hard strategy simulation games.

War.

Thousands, tens, and hundreds of thousands of troops mingled together, pushing and pulling the border.

Occupy the capital, recapture it, continue the offensive.

It is a game whose main goal is to set up a defensive line, delay, and throw hundreds of soldiers as bait without hesitation to achieve operational goals.

A one-man show is impossible. That’s how the premise was laid.

In the meantime, a half-penny who couldn’t even use magic properly became a magician.

In order to properly utilize the stat MAX, the ability of a fire fighter, he needed subordinates who would follow the minimum order.

Even those who are treated as ‘throwaway’.

“You just have to trust me and follow me. Whatever past you have, I don’t care.”

“Platoon commander… ….”

“Aren’t they ‘comrades in arms’ already on the same boat?”

The moment I uttered those words, I felt something hot welling up in my chest.

‘Big!! It’s boring!!’

I think it sounded like a cool line. In the end, it’s just that you follow my words.

The way people accept it depends on how it is packaged, isn’t it?

However, Bell Meyer, the person in charge, was silent. An awkward silence settled inside the carriage.

“… ….”

“……… ….”

Um, isn’t it? Was it too much?

In the end, it was about trying to do well together, but the meaning was not conveyed well.

“That, Sergeant Bell Meyer. I mean…….”

That was the moment I was about to add a word.

Jerky, rattle, purr!

The wagon rocked a couple of times before coming to a halt. Involuntarily, I turned my head to look at the driver’s seat and saw a long wooden fence.

“You worked hard on the wagon! We are here!”

The young soldier who served as coachman said in a lively voice.

The 18th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Division of the Northern Corps.

After 3 hours of downhill riding, we arrived at the border guard post in charge of the northeastern part of the Principality of Ukraine.

***

“Start up.”

Bell Meyer waved his hand, and the tent fabric floated high into the sky.

It has already been 4 years since I served in the army.

As far as the number of operations involved can easily exceed ten fingers, setting up a field tent was easier than using basic elemental magic.

Bell set up the tent perfectly in a matter of seconds, crawled inside and started making his bedding.

“Night Dewdrop.”

As I lightly chanted the chant, a magic circle filled with blue mana spread out, pouring out small water droplets.

A level of magic that simply liquefies the water vapor in the air and scatters it like dew on the ground.

Even if it’s magic that can’t even enter the basic level of the water element, it’s extremely useful for clearing the dry dust that fills your lungs.

“It’s easy to damage your skin if you cover it with dust.”

She was a soldier, but she was also a woman.

Even if it is unavoidable to get dirty, it is natural to want to avoid it as much as possible.

“Ah! Have you already installed everything?”

Just in time, Rumia came inside from outside.

It was because there was a platoon commander in the carriage, but usually the two of them were comfortable calling each other like this.

She was two years older than Belle, but she was of the same rank.

“Rumia, you…… What do you think about it?”

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“What?”

“You mean our platoon commander.”

It was a question with multiple meanings. Rumia pondered for a moment before opening her mouth.

“It seems different.”

“Isn’t it?”

“But that might be because he just transferred from the military academy… …. There has never been a platoon commander who came straight from the military academy, right?”

“Is that so… ….”

She honestly didn’t trust me. No- it was the same that I still do not trust.

Most of the officers were like that.

Company commander Arendt is an exemplary company commander who can be trusted and followed by other subordinates, but it was true that he intentionally left the 5th platoon alone.

A person who will stay for a while and leave anyway.

As far as the platoon to which the two belonged, it is known as a trash can and the grave of officers in the entire battalion.

There was no particular reason to improve the environment they were in.

Just make sure you don’t get into an accident.

I have only taken such measures.

“Should I watch it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Because I don’t know what my abilities are yet. Maybe he’s just a talker.”

I don’t want to be hurt more.

I hate it even more to be betrayed after giving my heart. I wish it would disappear after looking at it with contempt from the beginning.

It was the same as Rumiana Belle.

The stage of being crooked and expressing anger at others has long passed. It was like that from the moment I realized that nothing would ever change.

A member of a derelict platoon of a derelict platoon.

To just live like that and then be discharged without anyone knowing.

When he first enlisted, he was dying without being able to realize his bright future as a mage that he had dreamed of for a while.

In the hearts of the two soldiers, that was their only hope and goal.

The warm sunlight began to shine, feeling a little different from before.