The Difference Is Like Between a Dog and a Cow

52 – Audience (2)

The number of diamonds on the epaulet of the robe increased from one to two. Even the king himself fixed the epaulettes and put them on.

Of course, the special promotion wasn’t the only reward.

All platoon members, including Lumia and Bell, were awarded the 3rd class White Medal. Performance bonuses were paid in recognition of special meritorious service.

It was a reasonable reward for catching the ‘spy’ of Cherno City in just one day, without the need to mobilize a large-scale manpower.

Roxanna…… I couldn’t help it. She wasn’t even assigned as an operational personnel in the first place.

I was a bit wary that only the platoon leader was rewarded with special promotion, but Lumia and Bell took it for granted.

She was even scolded for thinking that way.

“Of course, the platoon commander should receive more compensation. If he hadn’t been for the platoon commander, he wouldn’t have caught La Mour.”

Of course, even in the real world, there are people who achieve the same feat and receive more.

Especially in a situation like now—a quasi-war (though that concept doesn’t seem to exist yet), it was only natural that the commander’s hierarchy would be treated a little higher.

After the public congratulations are over.

What followed was a light Q&A from Prince Orlando Ruth.

To say it was a question and answer session, there was nothing special.

Just how he made that judgment, what he thinks was the reason he was able to make such a feat as soon as he was first appointed, and so on.

Because I didn’t ask about the most important part that I can answer, which is the future situation and what kind of strategy Ukraine should take.

Well, it’s not that I don’t understand.

I made a great achievement within one month of being commissioned, but at least I went from being a second lieutenant to a lieutenant.

It was clear that he was judging that it was still too early to discuss strategy and tactics.

Even most of the generals gathered there right now, I don’t think there’s a single person who sees me and the platoon members as ‘talented people who must be taken.’

In the Principality of Ukraine, it seemed that this was how the magician class was originally treated.

Even the generals seemed to think that once they had completed their 5-year mandatory service period, they would leave the army except for a few really outstanding people.

Especially in the case of the magic sergeant.

In the first place, mana is more useful in the civilian world than in the military.

Unlike military magic that simply destroys, burns, or explodes something, the limits of its development are limitless if you start applying all five attributes represented by fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind to civilians.

With the existence of a private organization called the Mage Tower, which focuses on research and commercialization of such elements, the leakage of magic soldiers, noncommissioned officers, and officers in the Ukrnian military was at a serious level.

‘It feels like the Air Force.’

Like an Air Force officer who has a rank of captain or major, voluntarily discharges himself to go to a private airline with a much higher salary and treatment compared to soldiers.

There must be a reason for the sorcery officers and sorcery noncommissioned officers to remain in the rotten Ukrnian army after 5 years.

Even in our unit, there were many senior magic officers and noncommissioned officers who did not seem to be very interested in achievements or promotions.

To the extent that he invests most of his day in his personal magic research rather than running troops. They are designing their own post-discharge life.

I don’t know what to say…… It is a frustrating attitude when you know the tragedy that will happen in just a few years.

Not only the individual, but also the government’s overly optimistic values.

‘It’s still too early to accept it.’

And I had no intention of pulling aggro from myself.

If I said it first, I might end up wearing a gun for no reason. Or, there was a sufficient risk of being branded as a reactionary element that creates anxiety.

From now on, I should carefully prepare for war, but I thought it would be better to think about it after getting out of this crappy battalion.

A general’s adjutant of at least the division commander level or a staff member belonging to the command must be in charge so that his remarks can be weighted.

There are too many restrictions as a platoon commander of the magic battalion on the outskirts of the frontier.

Now, I have no choice but to be satisfied with the unconventional greeting of a ‘special promotion for lieutenant’ after one month of so-called appointment.

That’s how the King’s audience ended.

While Belle Meyer and Rumia Bluet went back to their lodgings, I still haven’t left the palace.

Because I had to attend an unofficial ‘after party’ hosted by the generals who were gathered there.

‘f*ck, I’m choking.’

Looking over there, it was a star, looking here, it was a star.

There is no way that a new lieutenant with only one medicine cabinet can breathe properly in the midst of generals who have all kinds of medicine cabinets engraved on their robes.

At least Major Lannister would have been able to talk…… In the meantime, I couldn’t see where it had disappeared.

All I could do was sip a few glasses of wine in the corner of the after-party banquet hall. Even so, it’s the first time I’ve felt like running away with the third generation.

“Lieutenant Enoch Levandel!!”

It was then that a clear voice came from behind.

“No, no. Lieutenant now. Lieutenant Enoch Levandell?”

As I reflexively turned my head, a particularly striking light purple hair caught my eye. She is a woman who cannot be forgotten even if she is to be forgotten.

The Great Mage of the Sky, Colonel Sonny Zeppelin.

“I met you sooner than I thought, right?”

She looked at me and let out her giggle. Did he attend the party in his own way as he was the closest aide to the king?

As I saluted, Sonny Zeppelin waved her hand roughly.

“Okay, what a salute. Because that’s all vulgarity.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I used to work in the capital city. Isn’t the title also a special response brigade under the direct control of the ‘Central Corps’?”

It certainly did.

“Originally, I don’t attend parties like this because I don’t like them, but today I came because the lieutenant was attending.”

Sonny Zeppelin passed me by, filling her wine glass with wine.

“Should I start with salting?”

Chang─. Said Sonny Zeppelin, clinking glasses briskly. The colonel nodded after taking a sip lightly.

Even though I had been publicly rejected as a scout the last time, I didn’t feel any signs of backstabbing me.

‘I acted like this because I thought it would be like this……. I never thought he would even show it.’

He was also an unusual person.

“Congratulations once again on the special promotion for lieutenant. This is the second second lieutenant who made a special promotion after one month of commissioning.”

“The second one?”

“There you are. Central Magic Brigade Commander. As soon as I was commissioned, the Quernen War broke out, and I heard that I had a hard time rolling there.”

Following her gaze, he turned his head to see a red-haired man chatting with other generals on one side.

From noble mtl dot com

Despite his youthful appearance, which appears to be in his mid-thirties, the star on his epaulet left a deep impression.

“Still, the story of being promoted in peacetime and being promoted in wartime are very different. I also got a clue thanks to the lieutenant.”

“You mean stolen artifacts?”

“Yes, it is clear now that the Empire took Sobie. They keep sticking out their flippers over there, but…… You’ll know it when you see it yourself. A recovery plan is in the works.”

“Yes? If it’s a recovery plan, are you planning on sending troops to bring it back?”

“The stolen artifacts are essential treasures for the future of the Principality of Ukraine. We have to endure a series of blood loss and condemnation from the international community.”

Sonny Zeppelin’s eyes flashed.

“In the first place, the one who crossed the line first was over there.”

What kind of future is she looking at? It was still uncertain whether it would match what I imagined.

When I was about to remain silent on a very serious subject, she immediately grabbed my hand.

“So you still don’t want to join our brigade? Did you know that June of this year is the job change date? Lieutenant Enoch suddenly went through special promotion and his rank collapsed.”

“That…… Let me think about it.”

The situation was a little different from the last time I rejected it mercilessly.

As she said, she won’t be able to stay in the battalion she is in now, since she ran out of first lieutenant ranks.

For the sake of preserving the existing culture of riders, it would be better in many ways for a person like me to move to another unit.

“Huh!? Is it real!?”

“Uh-huh, Colonel Sonny Zeppelin. You can’t start playing already.”

Behind Sonny Zeppelin, who brightened at a more positive answer, a man with a burly build approached and said,

She seemed to recognize who it was just from her voice, and reacted with disgust.

“Ugh…… Commander Zygmunt Vlakovic.”

“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Enoch Levandell.”

A black uniform stands out among the pure white robes.

The atmosphere felt from the three brilliantly sparkling stars and the large insignia symbolizing the military police itself is overwhelming.

It was the commander of the National Gendarmerie, Lieutenant General Zygmunt Vlakovic.

Major Lannister standing next to him wasn’t the size to be fooled anywhere, but compared to Commander Sigmund, he felt like a bear cub.

“Glory to the motherland!”

“Glory. Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant. I received the progress from Major Lannister. You did a great job.”

“Thank you, Commander!!”

I couldn’t help but be very nervous. Why do I feel more nervous than when I faced Prince Orlando Ruth?

“By the way, I think you are better suited for a military police than a simple magician. Why don’t you change your place of work at this point? Even the military police have magicians and TOs.”

“What!? Commander Sigmund, isn’t this too much?”

“Sonny Zeppelin, don’t you think you are a bit of a waste of talent to be dragged into a brigade that is just being piloted?”

Colonel Sonny Zeppelin screaming against three stars when two stars aren’t enough. It was a really crazy year.

In the meantime, Commander Sigmund only smirked at her, as if this had happened not once or twice.

“Ugh, even the commander of the military police is not allowed to snatch like this!”

“Then why not ask the person directly? I want you to choose between the military police commander and the special response brigade commander.”

“Oh ho~? Would you be so confident? Great. Lieutenant Enoch! Decide! Who do you want to be under?”

My head felt dizzy. The eyes of the brigadier general (Jin) and the active duty lieutenant general are pinned on me. It felt like an indescribable weight was pressing down on my body.

“Okay, I didn’t hear that…… ?”

“Simple! It’s about where you want to be deployed in June.”

Sonny Zeppelin punched me in the chest and began to express his opinion eagerly.

“I’ll take all the platoon members! Why are we suffering from a manpower shortage? I don’t know about the procedure, but it’s not difficult as long as it’s just moving a platoon! Oh, and the brigade commander’s authority grants the temporary rank of captain?”

Provisional rank of captain…… ?

Was such a thing originally possible?

I don’t know if it just ended here, but isn’t it like making a love call as if Lieutenant General Zigmund couldn’t lose?

“Don’t talk too long. Gendarmerie, lieutenant general line, central power.”

Three unconventional words. Sigmund snapped his finger with a relaxed expression.

“For a talented person like you, it shouldn’t be difficult to wear a chrysanthemum on an epaulette within a few years.”

“That, uh… ….”

“Lieutenant Enoch! You’re not going to fall for that flattery and cheat on me twice, right?”

The words did not come out of my mouth. In a different sense, it is f*cked up.

Hey generals…….

Why are you doing this to me…….