The Difference Is Like Between a Dog and a Cow

21 – After Effects (5)

“I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, I knew you would say that…… Uh? What?”

I answered in a firm voice to her who answered in her bewildered voice.

“It’s really an honor and thank you for being so kind to me, but I can’t accept the Colonel’s offer.”

Sonny Zeppelin didn’t think she would ever be rejected.

“Oh, no…… Why? Maybe you don’t like it because it’s brigade level? It’s at the brigade level because it’s in its infancy, and if I get promoted soon, I’ll go up to the division level unconditionally.”

“No, not like that.”

I looked back at the platoon members. Look at that expression It’s a face that looks like it’s seen a ghost with its eyes wide open.

It wasn’t just our 5th platoon members, the 2nd company I belonged to- no, the entire battalion was making faces of shock.

“I have platoon members that I am in charge of. As much as I promised to be with them, it is my duty as an honorable Ukrnian officer.”

This was also my stubbornness.

To be honest, all of the members of the platoon are not in good shape, but nonetheless, they have plans for how to lead for the remaining year.

I couldn’t even start the plan, and running away was just not to my liking.

“And above all, I need experience. The Special Response Brigade, headed by Colonel Sonny Zeppelin, must be a unit full of elites. I am not yet a vessel to contain the sacks.”

Looking at the personality of Sonny Zeppelin, it seems that I was properly attached to the fact that I clearly pointed out who was behind this incident.

But that’s only because I know what’s going to happen in five years, isn’t it?

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I still didn’t know how to handle mana efficiently, and I lacked actual commanding experience, so I needed those experiences much more.

“And I don’t think I’m abandoning the battalion commander and other senior officers after less than a month since I was appointed.”

I have listed all the reasons. She listened to all I said and then sighed and she just licked her lips.

It was three consecutive hits aimed only at the vital points. No matter how brigade commander, colonel, or great mage, there is no way to do anything about the spicy Koreans.

“…… Ha ha, I thought I would say this.”

“Sorry.”

“Damn, I like it better because it bounces.”

Sonny Zeppelin tapped his boots and turned to Colonel Lockhart.

“Did you really take care of your subordinates, battalion commander? To think that a new lieutenant who had just moved in could talk like this. How on earth did you boil it?”

“Bake and boil, Brigadier General. Isn’t that proof that Lieutenant Enoch Levandel’s personality is just as good, hahahahaha!”

Seal look.

Lt. Col. Lockhart’s beard twitched.

Now that I have roughly grasped the pattern of the battalion commander, that is a reaction when I feel very good but cannot actively express it.

“Platoon leader.”

“Enoch, Enoch Levandel!”

“Think about it though, our special response brigade always welcomes a competent officer like a platoon commander.”

“I will seriously consider it.”

And anyway, what I regret is not me, but Sonny Zeppelin.

It’s me, now a new second lieutenant.

Since the battalion commander’s confidence has been restored to some extent through the raid on Belgordo Fortress, he has no reason to leave the battalion.

And I didn’t know that accepting Sony’s offer now would be a big mistake in my future work.

My goal isn’t to get a good job and get a promotion while whining under the command of the Great Mage Brigade.

Of course, promotion is important, but in order to prepare for the devastating war that will happen five years later, you need to interact with more people.

Stuck with the Special Response Brigade, you could miss out on such valuable opportunities.

To win Hearts of General, a one-man show is impossible.

This is a world where the more colleagues, subordinates, and superiors who believe in me and follow me, the higher the chance of victory.

It’s not empty talk, it’s a real war, a strategy, and a real fight.

For now, it was enough just to imprint my name on Sonny Zeppelin.

“Then I understand the meaning of the platoon commander. I’ll withdraw the order from personnel headquarters.”

“Thank you, Colonel Sonny Zeppelin.”

“If you change your mind anytime, come visit us. I will be waiting for you.”

She recklessly rushed in, and this time, she turned around and disappeared, leaving only a few words of her own.

As expected, the Great Mage.

It was arrogance stemming from the confidence that he had nothing to bow down to, so if he wanted to try it, he would give it a try.

Honestly, it’s arrogant to be 12th on the continent.

After all, it means that you are the strongest person recognized by others.

Usually, he is a person with enough strength to clean up one legion by himself. In a way, it was natural for him to have such a reckless personality.

‘As far as I know, he is the youngest among the great mages… ….’

Well, at least it’s just a train that has already passed.

As Sonny Zeppelin said, if I continue to prove myself in the f*cking Ukrnian Army.

It is clear that she, too, will not dwell on today’s work, even if one day I join the Special Response Brigade. This is also raising the ransom on my own.

“Kuhm, hmm!! Yeah, there was a bit of a fuss. Then I will give you the final orders for this operation.”

After confirming that Sonny Zeppelin had completely left the venue, Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart cleared his throat and cleared the situation again.

“3Rd battalion, withdrawal!”

All operations for the assault on Belgordo Fortress have officially been completed.

***

“Huh.”

As soon as I entered the room, I threw myself onto the hard bed.

It’s been a while since I’ve been possessed by this body, but it was strange to feel like I was back home.

Of course, the walls of the room I destroyed were still in ruins.

Even though the temporary wall was made of planks, the wind blows in through the holes here and there.

The Facility Management Division’s troops, along with the Division’s Engineer Corps, have been put into Belgordo repair work, so we’ll have to stay like this for a while.

Ventilation is good, damn it.

Still, after being overworked in the field for several days, I was completely exhausted. After all, the best way to treat insomnia is to overwork the body.

If you push yourself to the limit, your brain will stop first.

A bed that is usually hard and uncomfortable feels much more stable and comfortable than a camp bed spread out in a tent.

Since I was lying on the futon, I fell asleep.

I had to change my clothes, but I couldn’t because my body was languidly exhausted.

‘The entire unit is off from today until tomorrow, so I’ll have to get some sleep now.’

When the eyelids are closed due to drowsiness, and consciousness slowly fades away.

“Platoon commander…… Anybody home?”

A voice vaguely heard from beyond the door awakens consciousness. My eyes light up, and my drowsiness dissipates like the wind blows away.

A gentle voice that is carefully recited.

Lumia Blue was a sergeant.

At this point, it is already wrong to fall asleep.

I let out a deep sigh, got up from my seat, and opened the closed door.

“Ah.”

“Come in.”

Rumia was wearing a military uniform.

Unlike me, who was relatively lightly injured, Lumia was seriously injured with her gunshot wound and should have been transported first…… Has she not changed her clothes yet?

“What is it? My injuries haven’t healed, but I need to rest.”

Even though it interrupted my precious sleep time, I said in a sad voice.

Because she vaguely knew why she was looking for me at this time.

He must have come to apologize to me.

And that prediction came true.

“I’m sorry, Platoon Commander. I am…… There is nothing I can say.”

Rumia said, shaking her body. Her voice was also a little heated, and she was now sincerely apologizing.

In a panic in an urgent situation, it was not enough to cause great damage by breaking away from the front line, but she was overpowered by a group of unknown mages she encountered by chance.

As a soldier, this is the worst mistake.

Death to the enemy because desertion wasn’t enough. How humiliating is that?

Rumia wasn’t someone who didn’t mean to be in the military. Rather, she was a person who took pride in serving her country.

That had nothing to do with her own trauma.

But from the moment she heard that I, the platoon commander, had saved her and even covered up her mistakes by telling ‘lies’.

Rumia must have been overcome by her self-reproach and her self-loathing.

Since she knew exactly what she had done, she probably didn’t have the courage to face me, the victim.

“Rumia.”

When I called her name, Rumia lowered her head.

“I didn’t mean to. Unbeknownst to me, even though I know I shouldn’t…….”

It was pitiful.

The way she shrank to the fullest, weighed down by her guilt, seemed like she was looking at me in the past.

“It’s okay, Rumia. The sergeant did his best. I know.”

“Yes…… ?”

“This is also my responsibility. Even though Rumia knows that she tends to avoid interpersonal combat, she doesn’t really care.”

Her Rumia expression shook at my words. As if her emotions fluctuated, her eyes quickly became moist.

It was a face that would burst into tears if touched.

“Besides, the sergeant played a very important role. If the sergeant hadn’t run into the mages, the background of the attack on the fortress would have been completely buried.”

Actually, Rumia didn’t just run away. When she discovered the mysterious mages, she immediately engaged in battle.

Thanks to that, I witnessed them.

I was able to provide important clues to the military police and Sonny Zeppelin, who were investigating the background.

Even if she was lucky to the limit, the result could be said to be thanks to Rumia.

“That…… It’s not like that.”

“Didn’t you hold out against five people even in a panic? The bullet wound in her shoulder is a medal that proves how fiercely Rumia fought.”

Maybe they could have been saved long ago.

Not only Lumia, but also Claude, and even Roxanne, who has never seen her face.

But the reason they had to go this far was probably because no one paid attention to their stories.

“You have suffered a lot in many ways, Rumia.”

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With those words, I hugged Rumia tightly and patted her on the back as she was slightly cowering.

Yes, I am still young.

Even if he wears a sergeant’s rank insignia and wears a decent military uniform.

Rumia was still too young to be a real soldier, and the burden on her shoulders was too great for her to bear.

Because what I’ve endured so far has been enough.

“You don’t have to say anything else. Sometimes it is people who show weakness. Soldiers are people too, so it’s natural.”

A decommissioned platoon.

It’s been less than a month since I’ve been together, but I feel like I can understand the feelings of everyone in the platoon.

In the end, bad grade or ace is made.

As long as there is someone who can guide them correctly, they can escape the stigma of being a delinquent.

I did, and I did the same.

I’m sure they can do it too.

“For the rest of the year, please trust me and follow me. I will definitely help. I promise you.”

“Platoon commander…”

Tears fell from her eyes at my words.

Time stopped in the narrow room. With Rumia in my arms, she cried silently for a long time.