My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

“I refuse.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that… Wait, what?”

To her dazed response, I replied firmly.

“It’s truly an honor and I’m very grateful for your kind regard, but I cannot accept your offer, Colonel.”

Sony Chepelin, seemingly not expecting a rejection, wore an expression akin to someone who had just been turned down romantically and swayed unsteadily.

“Ah, no… why? Is it because it’s only at the brigade level? It’s early days now, so it’s at the brigade level, but I’ll definitely be promoted soon, and we’ll definitely reach the division level.”

“No, it’s not that.”

I looked back at the squad members again. Look at those faces. Their eyes are wide open, and they look like they’ve seen a ghost.

It’s not just our 5th Platoon; not only the entirety of the 2nd Platoon to which I belong, but the whole battalion was struck with shock.

“I currently have squad members under my charge. Since I’ve already promised to stay with them, it’s my duty as an honorable officer of Okhraine to keep that promise.”

This is also my stubbornness.

Frankly, none of the squad members are in great condition, but even so, I do have a plan on how to guide them for the remaining year.

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I ran away before even starting that plan.

“Besides, I need more experience. The Special Response Brigade commanded by Colonel Sony Chepelin is surely filled with elites, but I am not yet worthy to join such a unit.”

Judging from Sony Chepelin’s personality, she seemed to have taken offense at my clear implication about the events behind this matter.

But that’s only because I know what will happen five years from now, right?

I still don’t know how to efficiently handle mana, and my actual command experience is woefully insufficient. I need more of these experiences.

“And it doesn’t seem right for me, who has been here for less than a month, to abandon the battalion commander and other senior officers.”

I laid out all the reasons one by one. She listened to everything I said and merely clicked her tongue.

A triple strike aimed directly at the core. No matter if you’re a brigade commander, a colonel, or even a grand sorceress, there’s nothing you can do against the spicy Korean retort.

“…Haa, I didn’t expect you to argue this much.”

“I apologize.”

“Damn it, rejecting me makes you even more appealing.”

Sony Chepelin tapped her boots lightly and then spoke to Lieutenant Lockhart.

“You really have good subordinates, battalion commander? For a newly transferred second lieutenant to speak like this is impressive. How did you manage to train him?”

“To ‘train’ him, ma’am? Isn’t this proof of Second Lieutenant Enok Revendale’s exceptional character, haha!”

The lieutenant’s beard twitched.

From what I could tell, this reaction indicated he was quite pleased but chose not to express it actively.

“Platoon leader.”

“Second Lieutenant, Enok Revendale!”

“Still, think it over carefully. Our Special Response Brigade always welcomes capable platoon leaders like you.”

“I’ll seriously consider it.”

And anyway, it’s not me who feels regretful—it’s Sony Chepelin.

After all, I’m just a newly appointed second lieutenant, and since I’ve somewhat regained the battalion commander’s trust through the Belgorod Fortress incident, there’s absolutely no reason for me to leave the battalion.

Moreover, accepting Sony’s offer rashly might turn out to be a big mistake for future endeavors.

My goal isn’t to sit around farting under the grand sorceress brigade commander and secure a cushy position for promotion.

Of course, promotions are important, but to prepare for the horrific war that will occur five years from now, I need to interact with many more people.

If I get stuck in the Special Response Brigade, I might miss out on those valuable opportunities.

There’s no way to win in Hearts of Generals with a one-man show.

In this world, the more comrades, subordinates, and superiors who trust and follow me, the higher the chances of success.

That’s real warfare, strategy, and practical combat.

For now, imprinting my name on Sony Chepelin is more than enough.

“Well, I understand your intentions, Platoon Leader. I’ll cancel the order with the personnel department.”

“Thank you, Colonel Sony Chepelin.”

“If you change your mind anytime, come find me. I’ll be waiting.”

True to form, she barged in unannounced and left after leaving just a few words.

Indeed, a grand sorceress.

Her arrogance stems from confidence—if you’re going to challenge her, go ahead and try.

Honestly, if you’re ranked around 12th in the continent, you have every right to be arrogant.

After all, it means you’re universally acknowledged as the strongest.

A person of that caliber can usually take down an entire corps-level force alone. Having such a reckless personality is almost inevitable.

‘As far as I know, she’s the youngest among the grand sorcerers…’

Well, even so, it’s a train that’s already passed.

If, as Sony Chepelin said, I continue to prove myself in this wretched Okhraine military…

Someday, even if I join the Special Response Brigade, she won’t dwell on today’s incident. This is also my way of increasing my value.

“Hem, hem! So, there was a brief disturbance. Now, let me issue the final orders for this operation to the troops.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lockhart cleared his throat and reorganized the situation once he confirmed that Sony Chepelin had completely exited the hall.

“Battalion 3, withdraw!”

With that, all operations related to the Belgorod Fortress attack were officially concluded.

*

“Haa.”

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

It’s strange how this place already feels like home, despite having possessed this body for such a short time.

Of course, the wall of the room I destroyed remains damaged.

We’ve patched it up with some boards, but wind still blows through the holes.

The engineering team is currently working on repairing Belgorod alongside the divisional engineers, so I’ll probably have to endure this for a while.

At least the ventilation is good—dammit.

Still, after being overworked in the field for several days, fatigue washed over me. As expected, the best cure for insomnia is physical exhaustion.

When you push yourself to the limit, your brain shuts down first.

Even the bed, which was usually too hard and uncomfortable, feels much more stable and comfortable compared to the makeshift tent bed.

Drifting off under the covers, sleep started creeping in.

I should change clothes, but my body felt too limp to do so.

“They said the whole unit would be on leave from today until tomorrow, so I should sleep well now.”

Just as sleepiness enveloped me and my consciousness began to fade…

“Platoon leader… Are you there?”

A faint voice from beyond the door woke me up. My eyes snapped open, and the sleepiness vanished instantly.

A soft, hesitant voice.

It was Sergeant Blue Lumia.

There goes my chance to sleep.

With a heavy sigh, I got up and opened the closed door.

“Oh.”

“Come in.”

Lumia was still in her uniform.

Unlike me, who sustained relatively minor injuries, Lumia was a severely wounded casualty due to gunshot wounds and was evacuated earlier—but she hasn’t changed out of her uniform yet?

“You shouldn’t be moving around. Your injuries aren’t fully healed yet. You need to rest.”

Even though my precious sleep was interrupted, I spoke kindly to her.

I had a vague idea why she came to see me at this hour.

Surely, she came to apologize.

And my guess was correct.

“I’m sorry, Platoon Leader. I don’t know what to say…”

Lumia trembled as she spoke. Her voice was slightly raised, showing that she was genuinely apologizing.

Panicking during a critical situation, deserting the front line, and causing significant damage was bad enough, but she was also captured by unknown mages.

Such mistakes are catastrophic for any soldier.

Desertion compounded by defeat at the hands of the enemy—how disgraceful must that feel?

Lumia wasn’t someone indifferent to the military. She took pride in serving her country.

This had nothing to do with her personal trauma.

However, when she learned that I rescued her and even covered up her mistakes with lies…

Lumia must have been overwhelmed with self-blame and self-loathing.

Knowing full well what she had done, she probably lacked the courage to face me, the victim.

“Lumia.”

When I called her name, Lumia bowed her head deeply.

“That wasn’t my intention. I knew I shouldn’t, but somehow…”

I felt pity.

Seeing her crushed by guilt reminded me of my own past.

“It’s alright, Lumia. You did your best, and I know that.”

“Yes…?”

“This is partly my responsibility too. I knew you had a tendency to avoid direct combat but failed to pay proper attention to it.”

Her expression faltered at my words. Emotions surged, and her eyes quickly became moist.

Her face looked like it would burst into tears at the slightest touch.

“Besides, you played a crucial role. If you hadn’t encountered those mages, the background of this fortress attack would have been completely buried.”

Indeed, Lumia did more than just run away. Upon discovering the mysterious mages, she engaged them in battle immediately.

Thanks to that, I was able to witness them, providing vital clues to the military police and Sony Chepelin investigating the conspiracy.

Even if it was sheer luck, it was undeniable that this outcome was thanks to Lumia.

“That… isn’t true.”

“While panicking, you held your ground against five opponents. That bullet wound on your shoulder is proof of how fiercely you fought—it’s a badge of honor.”

Perhaps they could have been saved much earlier.

Not only Lumia but Claude and Roxanna, whose faces I haven’t even seen yet.

The reason they ended up in such dire straits was likely because no one paid attention to their stories.

“You’ve worked hard in many ways, Lumia.”

With those words, I hugged her tightly and patted her slightly hunched back.

Yes, she’s still young.

Even though she wears the rank of sergeant and dons a proper uniform.

Lumia is still too young to be considered a real soldier, and the burden on her shoulders is far too heavy for her to bear.

It’s remarkable that she’s managed to hold on this long.

“You don’t need to say anything else. Sometimes, showing vulnerability is human. Soldiers are human too, and that’s natural.”

The bottom-tier squad.

Though we’ve only been together for less than a month, I feel like I can somewhat understand the emotions harbored by all the squad members.

Ultimately, whether someone becomes bottom-tier or an ace is shaped by circumstances.

With the right guidance, anyone can shed the stigma of being bottom-tier.

I’ve experienced this transformation, and I aim to provide the same guidance.

They can certainly achieve greatness too.

“For the remaining year, please trust and follow me. I’ll definitely help you. I promise.”

“Platoon Leader…”

Tears rolled down her cheeks at my words.

Time seemed to stand still in the tiny room. For a long while, Lumia sobbed quietly in my embrace.

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