My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

Clank, clunk.

The movement of the wheels twisted my pelvis with each turn. It was my first time riding in a carriage, and I couldn’t believe there was something even less comfortable than a 5-ton truck.

Still, I had thought there might be some fantasy or romance to it.

The compartment was covered with cloth, so I couldn’t see outside, and the sight of various supplies rolling around made me feel like I was just cargo.

‘This is too much…’

In the first place, including the platoon leader, there were only three people in our unit. We ended up on this carriage after being divided among the platoons.

Neither Lumina nor Bella seemed to think anything of this treatment, either.

Just as we were passing time meaninglessly during the journey, Lumina spoke up.

“Enok Revendale, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Did you really use Fireball last time?”

“Of course. I told Debra Director about it accurately just now.”

My response, as if it was expected, caused Lumina’s purple eyes to flicker slightly.

“Did you use Fireball like that originally? I heard that to join as an officer, one must know all five basic elemental magics. What did you do for the officer exam?”

There was such a setting.

Regardless of which faction you chose in Hearts of General, becoming a ‘lieutenant’ five years before the war began was the same.

I couldn’t possibly remember the curriculum for officer training at an academy that wasn’t even mentioned in the game’s settings.

So, I responded somewhat coldly. It’s best to draw a clear line in situations like this.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh.”

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

“I’m sorry, sir. That was an impertinent question…”

“It’s understandable to be curious, but it wasn’t a particularly good time, and I don’t remember it clearly. Isn’t it the same for you, Sergeant Lumina?”

Unpleasant memories are common to everyone. This applied to Lumina, who was sitting right in front of me.

“…I was too short-sighted.”

When I first toured the unit and interviewed each member of the platoon, interviewing the platoon members was the main duty of the platoon leader.

Of course, when I say ‘interview,’ I mean except for one lazy old man and a lady who wouldn’t be surprised by a death notice.

It turned out it was just Lumina and Bella.

And it barely amounted to cross-referencing information from their personal files.

Still, I had a rough understanding of both Lumina and Bella.

Lumina Blue.

Unexpectedly, she had been a promising non-commissioned officer in magic before joining the current unit.

‘She had pretty good stats for a squad member assigned early on. That means she has ability.’

The problem started shortly after she joined the battalion, with some kind of ‘incident.’

“Lumina, can you talk about this incident?”

“Sorry, sir.”

Lumina drew a clear line. Despite her cold expression, she had always been kind and gentle.

But at that time, her voice was the coldest I had ever heard.

As if warning me not to cross the line.

‘It’s definitely something serious, but I can’t tell what happened.’

Since she kept her mouth shut, I decided not to press further.

A person who received an overwhelming A rating in performance reviews could suddenly fall into ruin due to an event.

The penalty of Lumina’s tendency to avoid combat and her mental instability likely stemmed from this experience.

However, it would be unwise to force her to recall such traumatic memories that affected her daily life.

‘Persistently questioning won’t lead anywhere but to unnecessary conflict.’

Anyway, whether I liked it or not, I had to endure for at least a year. It wouldn’t make sense to lose even a little bit of trust over such trivial matters.

Of course, Lumina didn’t change her attitude afterward. She probably knew I was trying to be considerate.

“Well, I figured you’d be like this from the start.”

Bella stretched languidly as she spoke.

“What are you talking about?”

“The platoon leader. All the previous ones who handled our platoon were either oddballs or demoted officers.”

“…Sergeant Bella!”

“That’s not wrong, is it?”

Lumina immediately reprimanded her, but Bella just shrugged.

“Still, you’re better than the latter. They often blamed us for their demotions.”

“You’re talking about the previous platoon leader?”

“There was that one, too…”

Bella wiggled her feet and spread out four fingers.

“They all couldn’t last long and left? Our platoon surprisingly had a great effect. It was perfect for demoting officers to be forced into retirement.”

Though she said it casually, I realized there was sincerity in her words.

Self-deprecation flowed naturally from the realization that struggling wouldn’t improve the situation.

“I like the platoon leader. I hope he stays with us for a long time.”

“What are you saying…!!”

“Was I too presumptuous?”

Bella’s gaze fixed on me. Even though the carriage jolted, she kept her head upright, looking straight at me.

“No, thank you. At least Bella thinks I’m doing well, so I won’t get betrayed.”

Let me emphasize again, I have no intention of staying in this miserable platoon forever.

But interacting with the platoon members is a different matter.

Even now, I need the platoon members to achieve my objective.

Even if my stats are maxed out, I’m still just one magic officer.

I could handle ten bandits easily, but twenty would be tough.

Thirty? I’d have to run without looking back.

If there was even one mediocre magician mixed in? I’d have to worry about my own life.

Hearts of General was never designed for solo heroism.

If that was the case, I would have preferred AOS or RPG genres rather than hard strategy simulation games.

War.

Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of troops mixing together, pushing and pulling at borders.

Occupying and retaking capitals, continuing offensives.

Deploying defensive lines, conducting delaying actions, and throwing away hundreds of soldiers as bait to achieve strategic objectives.

Solo performances are impossible. The premise is set that way.

Amidst all this, I ended up as a half-baked magic officer who couldn’t even cast spells properly.

To fully utilize my MAX stats, I needed at least some obedient subordinates.

Even if they were treated as ‘useless.’

“Just follow me and trust me. I don’t care about your past.”

“Sergeant…”

“We’re already on the same boat, comrades.”

As soon as I said that, I felt a warm sensation rising from my chest.

‘Wow!! This is getting intense!’

Even I thought it sounded pretty cool. In the end, it was just about obeying me.

How someone perceives things depends on how you frame it.

But Bella Meyer herself remained silent. An awkward silence filled the carriage.

“… ”

“……”

Hmm, was it too much? Did it come across as too strong?

We were all trying to do our best, but perhaps my intentions weren’t conveyed well.

“Um, Sergeant Bella Meyer. What I meant was…”

Just as I was about to add another sentence,

Clank, clunk, rattle!

The carriage jolted a couple of times and then stopped. Glancing over, I saw a long gate ahead.

“Thank you for your hard work! We’ve arrived!”

The young soldier driving the carriage announced cheerfully.

North Corps 8th Division 18th Infantry Regiment.

After three hours of continuous travel, we reached the border guard base responsible for the northeastern part of the Duchy of Okhraine.



“Light.”

With a flick of her hand, Bella Meyer caused the tent’s fabric to rise high into the sky.

It’s been four years since I served in the military.

With countless operations under my belt, setting up a field tent was easier than using elementary magic.

In mere seconds, Bella perfectly erected the tent and began organizing the bedding inside.

“Night Dewdrop.”

Murmuring the incantation lightly, a small magical circle appeared, releasing tiny droplets of water.

It was nothing more than condensing moisture in the air and spraying it like dew.

Even if it’s a low-level water spell, it’s incredibly useful for clearing the dust from my lungs.

“If you get dust all over you, it can damage your skin.”

She was a soldier, but also a woman.

While unavoidable dirt is part of the job, it’s natural to want to avoid it as much as possible.

“Oh! You’ve already set everything up?”

Just then, Lumina entered from outside.

Since the platoon leader was in the carriage, they usually called each other by their names casually.

Despite Bella being two years older and thus an elder sister, they shared the same rank.

“Lumina, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“Our platoon leader.”

Her question carried multiple meanings. After a moment of contemplation, Lumina spoke.

“It seems different.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“But maybe it’s because he came directly from the officer school. We’ve never had a platoon leader from the officer school before, have we?”

“So that’s why…”

Honestly, I didn’t trust him. No—my lack of trust remains unchanged.

Most officers were like that.

Commander Arnet was a model commander whom his subordinates could trust, but it was true that he intentionally neglected the 5th squad.

After all, he was just someone who would stay briefly and leave.

Given the fact that their platoon was known as a garbage bin and a graveyard for officers within the entire battalion.

There was no real reason to improve their environment.

They just needed to avoid causing trouble.

That’s all they did.

“Guess we’ll have to watch him closely.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“We don’t know how capable he is yet. He might just be all talk.”

I didn’t want to get hurt.

I didn’t want to risk betrayal by giving my heart away unnecessarily. I’d rather have despised him from the start and seen him off.

This was the same for Lumina and Bella.

The phase of lashing out at others with anger had long passed. Ever since realizing that nothing would change no matter what, they accepted their reality.

Worthless soldiers in a worthless platoon.

Just living like that, quietly retiring without anyone noticing.

Ending the bright future as a magician they had once dreamed of for a brief moment upon enlistment.

That was the only hope and goal in the hearts of these two soldiers.

A different kind of warmth, like the sun’s rays starting to shine through.

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