My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

“If the new officer of the Third Platoon is the only one who joined the First Platoon this time.”

Rex could easily recall Enok Revendale’s face. He had a handsome appearance, but at the same time, there was something unpleasant about him.

When he first asked for a cigarette, Rex had momentarily been drawn into his charm.

Though usually not one to be easily swayed by others’ influence,

There was something untouchable about that new platoon leader.

‘Shit, what’s the point? He’s just a weakling. He collapsed from a bit of stress, didn’t he? And I heard he got injured during this operation too.’

The sergeant wasn’t a combat soldier. Most soldiers in the magic battalion handled administrative or supply duties or were security personnel guarding the unit.

They weren’t often deployed into battle.

It was the same for Sergeant Rex. Unless there was a major event requiring the entire headquarters to move, he was always on standby within the unit.

Therefore, Rex didn’t know exactly what Enok Revendale accomplished during this mission.

He had only heard from another officer working in the same department that he wasn’t as bad as rumored.

He dismissed it without much thought.

‘And even if he did perform well, so what? Is the platoon leader or battalion commander going to change their mind because of that?’

It was just an expedition to capture some bandits; how much accomplishment could there have been?

An officer who was said to have performed well in central operations couldn’t even sway Sergeant Rex.

Instead, they ended up requesting cooperation from him first.

Why would someone like Rex cower before a newly appointed lieutenant dragging all sorts of trouble with them?

‘But damn, that guy really drew a short straw, didn’t he? Getting tangled up with Gabial.’

The sergeant shook his head and thought.

– That kid recklessly messed with our people. He seems like an inexperienced officer who doesn’t understand worldly matters; we might need to teach him a lesson.

Judging from the story, he must have gotten into a spat with the lower ranks and threatened them with some kind of magic.

That much was obvious.

“Tch… Still, it might help if we gently pressured him a bit when doing the job.”

The Fifth Platoon.

Although the whole battalion mocks them as the worst platoon, in reality, they are almost at the level of the Rose Knights when it comes to appearances.

There’s Lumina, Bella Meyer, and Roxanna Elrim.

To Rex, who values conquest as the highest virtue, they were all trophies worth pursuing.

Even Roxanna Elrim!

However, greed often leads to indigestion. Rex’s method of seducing women involved gradual infiltration and careful savoring.

“Using the platoon leader as bait to subtly pressure her will ensure that Miss Lumina has no choice…”

“What did you say, Sergeant?”

The hand lighting the cigarette stopped. A sharp voice cut through the air. When Rex turned around, a woman with violet eyes glaring at him stood there.

Lumina Blue.

Damn, terrible timing.

Sergeant Rex sighed deeply and gave her a sly smile.

“Lieutenant Lumina, it’s been a while. I heard you were injured. Are you feeling better?”

“What did you say?”

“Ah~~~.”

He stuck out his tongue playfully.

“Well, it seems Lieutenant Enok made quite a fatal mistake recently.”

Lumina must be aware of the unwritten rules of Chernov City.

“It might even get to the point where he can never enter Chernov City again. You know how extreme their boss is.”

“Hmph…”

She fell for it. There was no way she wouldn’t have known.

Considering yesterday’s incident, and given that Bella Meyer was likely nearby, there’s no way Lumina wouldn’t have heard about it from her fellow platoon member.

The corner of Rex’s mouth twitched upward.

“But who knows? If Lieutenant Lumina uses her influence, I might be able to do something about it…”

An overt appeal.

Rex had already crossed the line with Lumina. Since there was no turning back, he decided to fully embrace the situation.

“I mentioned before that Lieutenant Enok’s path might be blocked. You wouldn’t want that, right? Although… since you’ve only known each other for a short while, you could ignore me if you wish.”

Despite her seemingly cold demeanor, she was excessively kind.

Rex was gradually provoking this aspect of her.

“Don’t talk that way.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m simply informing you out of loyalty, Lieutenant Lumina.”

His shameless and repulsive attitude made Lumina’s stomach churn.

She wanted to slap him immediately and use magic if necessary to ensure he’d never speak again.

Yet, considering the platoon leader, staying silent would probably be worse.

One of the reasons Rex, despite being just a soldier, receives preferential treatment in the battalion is not solely because he handles tasks efficiently and takes on many responsibilities.

It’s because he’s a member of the Gabial crime syndicate that controls the back alleys of Chernov City.

Lumina knows.

She knows why every weekend, platoon leaders and battalion commanders gather in groups to visit the city.

She also knows what happens in the dimly lit back alleys of the city at night.

Though it’s a clear violation of military law, in the extremely closed-off military organization, there aren’t many people willing to expose such misconduct.

Honestly, how could anyone know if even Commander Lockhart isn’t involved?

Could she and the platoon leader overturn such a system?

It’s an impossible task.

“Lieutenant Lumina, you just need to look the other way once, okay? Especially since you don’t have any experience anyway.”

“Sergeant!! Show proper respect!!”

“Let’s not make things unnecessarily difficult for each other. You don’t want to make the already incompetent platoon leader even worse, do you?”

Gritting her teeth, Lumina tried to endure but couldn’t.

“You, bastard!!”

Spitting out a curse word she rarely used, she swung her arm. Crack! The cigarette flew out of Rex’s mouth as he was slapped across the face.

Lumina raised her arm again, but this time the sergeant grabbed her wrist.

“Ha, I gave you half a chance, and now you’re getting cocky? Really, thinking you’re higher-ranked gives you the right to physically assault someone, huh?”

At that moment,

A soldier approached with cigarettes and greeted Rex warmly.

“Hey, Lieutenant Rex, are you smoking now-”

“Hey, make sure no one comes near here from now on.”

He quickly assessed the situation.

The junior soldier froze stiff and silently nodded.

“Lieutenant, follow me if you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone.”

As soon as Rex led Lumina away,

“Get out of the way.”

A blond officer shoved the frozen soldier roughly aside.

*

Lumina couldn’t resist.

She had no acquaintances in the unit. She had no one to ask for help, and initially, she didn’t trust anyone outside her platoon anyway.

This kind of humiliating words and actions weren’t rare occurrences.

Complaining to the platoon leader would only provide temporary relief.

Captain Arrendt did draw a clear line, but he didn’t take any substantial measures.

Probably because the personnel director, who decides punishments, has close ties with Rex.

And the personnel director was Captain Arrendt’s senior.

In a military organization that values rank over age, Captain Arrendt had limited ways to protest against the personnel director.

Click, zzzz.

The cigarette in Rex’s mouth ignited. Then he blew smoke directly at Lumina’s face.

“Do you really want to mess with me?”

“Shut your mouth. I could kill you right now.”

“Ha, finally showing your true colors, huh? Go ahead and try killing me. Once you’ve killed once, twice should be easier, right? Isn’t that so?”

Rex’s words pierced deep into Lumina’s mind.

Memories she shouldn’t recall resurfaced—the facts she had forcibly denied and avoided came back to the surface.

“T…that.”

“Why are you denying it? Everyone knows. The only person in this battalion who doesn’t know is your precious platoon leader. Do you wonder what expression he’ll have when he learns you’re a murderer? That you killed a comrade with magic. That’s not something that can be easily overlooked, is it?”

“N…no… that’s not possible.”

Her breathing became more labored.

As Lumina staggered backward, Rex grabbed her arm again and said,

“Where are you going? Let’s have a proper conversation. Seriously. Adult to adult.”

Smirk.

Rex wore an expression of ecstasy. How long had he waited for this day?

Since the first time he saw Lumina, he decided he would make her his.

So he gradually befriended her.

As she opened up more, he manipulated her, clouding her judgment until she eventually obeyed his commands.

The fact that she was a non-commissioned officer and a mage didn’t matter much to him.

He had similarly toyed with and discarded the daughter of a baron like a used tissue. Now, it seemed rather amusing that she was acting superior based on a few ranks.

“Come out tonight. Then I’ll properly tell Gabial.”

“Who says I’ll come out anywhere?”

However, the voice that spoke wasn’t Lumina’s.

“…Platoon Leader?”

“Huh.”

The controversial Fifth Platoon leader was right there. Without even glancing at Rex, he addressed Lumina.

“Lieutenant, did you bring the medicine?”

“Uh…? No, not yet.”

“Then hurry back. What are you doing after telling me to wait just a little?”

Lumina’s eyes wavered with anxiety.

Enok lightly patted her shoulder and reiterated his order.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Please go fetch the medicine. My headache has been making me dizzy since earlier.”

“Understood.”

Now, all she could do was fully trust her platoon leader.

As Lumina managed to leave the scene, a heavy silence enveloped the area.

“Don’t misunderstand, Lieutenant Enok. I didn’t say anything unusual. I just relayed something I heard from a close friend yesterday.”

The one who spoke first was Rex.

This newly appointed second lieutenant had only been in the unit for about a month. While maintaining minimal courtesy, there was no particular reason to treat him specially.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sir. It was a sensitive topic involving you, so I thought it best not to get you involved.”

The sergeant glanced sideways to gauge Enok’s reaction.

A cold, rigid face.

His unreadable expression was no different from usual, but the atmosphere seemed slightly changed.

‘Does he think he can say something just because he’s an officer?’

“Rex Sergeant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Can I borrow a cigarette?”

The reply was surprisingly unexpected.

And simultaneously, a premonition flashed through Rex’s mind.

Collusion.

‘What? I thought he was completely clueless, but he’s surprisingly quick to read the situation.’

After all, after saying what he did, anyone with half a brain would understand what he meant.

Perhaps he intended to apologize or suggest keeping quiet about Lumina’s issue.

Thinking about it, the unit was leaving anyway.

Given the recent success in eliminating the bandits, his tarnished image had improved somewhat. Building connections with actual power players wasn’t a bad decision.

“Here you go.”

Rex adjusted his slightly casual attitude and politely handed over the cigarette.

Ping! He even pulled out an expensive lighter from his pocket and lit it for Enok.

“Whiff… Hoo.”

Enok deeply inhaled the smoke and cautiously began speaking.

“Sergeant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t scream in pain. Wouldn’t want you losing that handsome face, would we?”

Before Rex could process the meaning,

The red-hot cigarette tip seared into Rex’s forehead.

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