My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

The place where the battalion’s troops were deployed was the garrison of the 18th Infantry Regiment. Already, with white field tents fluttering in the background, the platoon leaders, including me, gathered together.

We had gathered to hear the operation plan.

“Attention.”

“Attention-!!”

At Captain Arrendt’s words, we all echoed in unison. Since he would die if he couldn’t use an FM radio, he tapped his documents with satisfaction and smiled.

“I will quickly convey the contents of the operation. As you are all respectable mages, please engrave the details in your minds instead of on paper.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Other platoon leaders answered casually, as if it was nothing. Only I could not smile.

“The objective of this expedition is to relieve the Belgorod Fortress, which is about 4 kilometers away from our current location. The force currently pressuring the fortress has been confirmed to be a band of thieves that crossed the border from the Soviev Empire.”

This is nothing particularly surprising.

It’s not uncommon for bandits to attack military fortresses in Hearts of Generals.

Whether in peacetime or wartime, these pests loot supplies and gradually erode already insufficient forces.

Therefore, when playing in areas with high probabilities of bandit occurrences like the Soviev Empire or the Walter Tri-Countries, issuing a ‘pacification decree’ to drastically reduce the appearance of bandit groups was almost a rule.

‘I’m not in a position to issue such a decree now.’

I sighed bitterly and listened again to Captain Arrendt’s briefing.

“It is estimated that there are about two hundred men. The situation at the fortress is that only the external watchtower has been captured, and the rest of the facilities remain intact.”

“That’s what I expected. Even Belgorod wouldn’t fall to just a few bandits.”

First Platoon leader, Crunfus Adel, nodded and chimed in.

As the vanguard platoon of the battalion, he was a captain with experience and a sense of seasoned command.

“Therefore, we will prepare our unit over the course of one day and set out with full strength at 6 AM tomorrow. Our Second Battalion will provide magical support to the left wing of the infantry regiment. Any questions?”

“No sir.”

“Good! Then disperse for today. Five Platoon Leader, stay behind for a moment.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Captain Arrendt pointed directly at me. I had a bad feeling about this.

He waited silently until the other platoon leaders left the battalion commander’s tent, then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

“How about smoking a cigarette?”

Crack.

I quickly grabbed a match, lit it, and lit the battalion commander’s cigarette.

“Huuu… Thanks.”

“Not at all.”

“Your actions are quite brisk and perceptive for someone newly appointed as a second lieutenant straight from the officer academy. Could it be that you’re a re-enlistee, Five Platoon Leader?”

“Absolutely not.”

When I firmly denied it, Captain Arrendt burst into his usual chuckling laugh.

“Hehe, I was just joking. After all, you arrived right at the perfect age. Even though our principality is short on manpower, we don’t draft minors who haven’t even had their coming-of-age ceremony yet.”

Actually, this was only true up until the start of the war. Once the world plunged into full-scale war, the demand for child soldiers increased in any country on the continent.

“Anyway… I called you aside because there is a significant change in tomorrow’s operation.”

“May I ask what it is?”

“…We can’t move the reserve units. Your Fifth Platoon will take over the support at the far left flank.”

“Really?”

This was unexpected.

Didn’t he personally come to tell me that no separate assignment would be given before departure?

I thought it would either be rear support or assigned to the reserves.

“Frankly, even the battalion commander seems worried, but the Second Infantry Battalion, which is in charge of the left flank, strongly advocated for your platoon’s involvement in the operation.”

Why is that?

Of course, as an infantryman, seeing support troops being used inefficiently might be frustrating.

After all, the position of a mage tends to be relatively safer and more comfortable compared to frontline infantrymen who are exposed to artillery fire.

Isn’t this similar to how people argue daily about which positions are more difficult in reality?

This seemed to be the case here too.

‘But why my platoon? It’s only three people including myself, and Lieutenant Lockheart hinted that there were issues.’

However, as someone who knows all the circumstances, I could only feel bewildered.

‘Well, the battalion commander can’t afford to deceive the regimental commander. Moreover, he’s the commanding officer of the support battalion.’

In the end, our magic battalion was to play a purely supporting role in this operation, with command and decision-making authority resting with the main force’s ’18th Regiment Commander.’

If the commander of the Second Battalion requested it and the regimental commander approved, then Major Lockheart had no choice but to comply.

“Anyway… since it’s come to this, there’s something I want to ask of you.”

Captain Arrendt is just a battalion commander after all. He must follow orders from above.

“Please do everything possible to keep Sergeant Blue Lumia out of combat. If we make another friendly fire incident like last time, it could be disastrous.”

“Another friendly fire incident?”

“Yes. I won’t mention this to Sergeant Lumia, but I’m telling you as the platoon leader.”

Only then did I understand why Sergeant Lumia had been reluctant to discuss past incidents.

‘She must have accidentally caused damage by misfiring magic.’

“Sergeant Lumia’s magic power is top-notch. Frankly, it’s a waste to leave such talent in a subpar platoon. However…”

I casually continued Arrendt’s statement, smoke escaping from my mouth.

“Even with such value, they didn’t take special measures from a higher-up unit, so they must have judged her to be more dangerous.”

“Yes. That’s accurate. And Sergeant Bella Meyer seems to be in good condition recently, so we can assume she won’t cause a magic surge.”

A magic surge.

A state where a person instantly loses control and starts firing spells indiscriminately, affecting both allies and enemies alike.

It can turn a battlefield into chaos, making it the most catastrophic event.

This was also one of Sergeant Meyer’s critical flaws.

“Are there any warning signs?”

“If her focus in her eyes disappears and she acts rigidly, forcibly put her to sleep. That’s the answer.”

I received invaluable advice from the battalion commander. I firmly etched the current information into my mind, more than the initial operation outline I had heard earlier.

Do not involve Lumina in combat as much as possible. If Bella Meyer’s eyes lose focus, forcibly restrain her.

Although it may seem excessive, it was actually a way to protect them.

If there were a friendly fire incident or a magic surge during regular operations, even Captain Arrendt couldn’t easily shoulder the responsibility.

“…I sincerely ask you. Anyway, you’ve given a chance to the Fifth Platoon Leader.”

“I understand.”

I shook off the finished cigarette and crushed it into the ashtray on the field desk.

“Just leave it to me.”

Captain Arrendt seemed to have many concerns. It was understandable. He suddenly found himself burdened with an unexpected bomb.

However, from my perspective…

‘It’s actually better.’

This could be seen as a gift from the heavens.

If this operation is successfully completed, I can at least show that I am firmly in control of the platoon.

I will not let this golden opportunity slip away.

“I’ll head back now to get some rest. I’ll also discuss tomorrow’s operation with the squad members.”

“Alright, well done. Maintain that confidence and successfully complete the mission.”

“To our motherland!”

“Honor!”

With a crisp salute, I left the battalion commander’s tent.

By now, the sky was filled with red twilight. It was the eve before the first operation. I needed to prepare thoroughly.

Time was generous.

Since we were setting out at 6 AM, I should have enough time to rest.

…But I soon realized how naive that thought was.

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