497

Episode 497 I'll try my best. (2)

"Attention."

At Giselle's words, all the squad members lined up on either side.

Jiselle looked around at them with a slightly displeased expression and said.

"This 'squad leader' is very disappointed in you today."

"… … ."

Everyone kept their mouths shut. 'Squad Leader Dougley' became famous for his foul temper. He never accepted any rebuttal or counter-argument.

Jiselle continued speaking while looking at Victor, who had been tormenting her.

"Victor."

"...yes."

"Why are the barracks so dirty?"

"That's… … because the training was too hard… … and I couldn't clean up on time… … ."

"This squad leader doesn't like excuses. Everyone get down. Get going."

"practice!"

The soldiers of the 'Dougley Squad' quickly fell to the ground. If they were even a little late, they would be legally beaten by that 'devil'.

Jiselle walked back and forth between them, speaking.

"If the barracks are unclean, it can cause various diseases. It doesn't matter if you are dirty alone. However, if you spread the disease to your comrades next to you, it will ultimately result in lowering the fighting power of the squad members. How many times have I told you this?"

"… … ."

"answer."

"Yes! That's right!"

The soldiers answered Giselle's nagging with a loud roar. And Victor lay face down and ground his teeth.

'Damn it, you know what is the furnace.'

It was a famous anecdote that Earl Fenris overhauled his territory and reorganized the entire system to increase the fighting power of his soldiers.

In Victor's view, the man was just a guy who was impressed by the Earl of Fenris and was following his example.

'Oh, if only I hadn't lost my seat.'

Victor was furious. That guy's skills were simply too great. He was indeed from the Leipold Army, who had defeated the barbarians and occupied the East with the Fenris Army.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep up. So the higher-ups gave him the position of squad leader.

'Just go somewhere else quickly so I don't get to be squad leader again.'

Rumor has it that after this negotiation with the Duke of Gwangju is over, he will move on to a higher position, such as a training instructor.

Victor really wanted Dougley to get promoted.

In fact, at first, no one cared even though Dougley took the position of squad leader.

This is because they thought that since they were veterans, they just had to be moderately polite.

But that was their mistake.

'That kid is a devil.'

It wasn't just him who thought that way. The other soldiers thought the same.

It was hard to endure how he manipulated people by talking about fighting power at the end of every sentence.

Especially those with poor skills had to give up their break time and continue training.

"Every drop of sweat you shed during training is a drop of blood in real combat! The more you sweat, the less blood you will shed!"

He was really vicious in manipulating his squad members while shouting things like this.

The higher-ups who saw that gave Dougley more authority, citing his contribution to increasing fighting power and establishing discipline.

The original name of the 5th squad was to become more famous as the 'Dougley Squad'.

Then Dougley became even more violent.

"Roll forward."

"Roll back."

"Roll sideways."

If you're going to roll, you really have to roll. There were some guys who couldn't stand rolling around like that.

"This kid is real! Let's see, let's see!"

Bam!

All the men who attacked Dougley were knocked down in one blow. Victor attacked several times, and sometimes attacked all at once, but the result was the same.

Squad Leader Dougley was also very good at fighting.

From then on, the squad members became very polite to Dougley.

Jiselle was satisfied with seeing such squad members.

'I really like this situation.'

I was frustrated because I had to be careful not to cause an accident, but it was great to be able to do it legally after receiving strong authority.

Even the commanders turned a blind eye to the slightest care they received. They liked it even more when they were treated like devils during training.

Anyway, as the days passed, the skills of the 'Dougly Squad' were improving.

Jiselle, who thought she had done enough to make things worse, opened her mouth.

"rising."

"rising!"

"In order to maintain fighting power in the future, the barracks must be kept clean at all times. Do you understand?"

"all right!"

"Next, I will check my personal equipment."

Urrrrrrr.

Everyone laid out their equipment in front of them. Jiselle, who was looking around, picked up Victor's spear and looked around, then said.

"The squad leader was disappointed once again."

"… … ."

"Can you maintain your fighting power with a weapon like this?"

Victor went to a corner and lay down on his stomach. The training was so hard that he couldn't even properly clean his spear after it was over.

It would have been better to just volunteer for punishment rather than get beaten up again if I kept talking nonsense.

Jiselle clicked her tongue at that. If she had been a little more open, she would have loosened up her hands a bit today too.

Although he is a man who never forgets grudges, he never examines them more intensively because of old grudges(?) that remain.

"Victor has neglected his personal maintenance and will be doing all the squad's laundry today. Understood?"

"...yes."

"Keep it clean to maintain fighting power."

Giselle, who had given the order, spoke to the squad members again.

"As you all know, there will be a company tactical training evaluation soon. You all know that the company that wins first place will be the first to stand in front when the corps is aligned."

Negotiating with the Duke was currently the most important task for the Royal Army. As such, soldiers with excellent fighting skills were scheduled to stand at the front.

Of course, soldiers hate standing in front. The higher-ups know this, so they have put up a big reward for this tactical training.

Thanks to that, there were quite a few enthusiastic soldiers. Jiselle also had no intention of losing first place.

"I heard that our company always came in last during tactical evaluations. But that was when I was away."

"… … ."

The squad members all looked at Jiselle. They wondered what on earth a mere squad leader could be talking about.

Jiselle continued speaking with a very arrogant expression.

"This squad leader hates losing so much. So now our company is always number one. If we lose to another important team, I will live and you will die. Do you understand?"

A mere squad leader is saying what an infantry company commander should be saying. No matter how well a squad does, how can the company win?

The squad members kept their mouths shut, not knowing how to react.

"… … ."

"answer."

"yes...!"

"Get down."

The squad members immediately fell to the ground with tearful faces.

Even if the answer is late, he goes into a state of arrogance right away. Squad Leader Dougley wants his squad members to respond immediately to his orders. That's how they can properly demonstrate their fighting power, right?

It was almost an obsession. Rumors were rife that he was completely addicted to imitating the Earl of Fenris.

Jiselle shouted again, clenching her fists.

"We will win no matter what! I only want victory no matter what! Do you understand?"

"All right!"

Jiselle smiled and nodded at the loud answer.

The closer you are to the front of the lineup, the more advantageous it is for you to check and steal items.

I absolutely could not miss this opportunity.

But that wasn't the only reason.

'If I'm there, we have to win no matter what.'

It was a matter of pride. No matter how much I was acting, I couldn't lose in battle. It was like an instinct engraved in my body.

"Okay, let's train hard today too!"

"yes!"

Under the leadership of Jiselle, the 'Dougley Squad' trained to the point of being absolutely savage.

Even resting was only possible with Giselle's permission. Everyone's heads were filled with thoughts that they would really die if things continued like this.

'But why don't you die?'

'Shouldn't it have collapsed a long time ago?'

'Why... ... is it getting more and more doable?'

I felt like I was going to die, but I didn't. Rather, I was getting more and more used to the training.

Jiselle carefully observed each and every body of her squad members and repeated rest and training according to a truly optimal schedule.

Others didn't notice it and just thought he was just rolling with it.

After so much hard training, the day of the company tactical evaluation finally arrived.

The 3rd Infantry Company commander, who had been in last place in the 2nd Corps for years, shouted in a voice full of resentment.

"This time, we must take first place! … … Even if we can't get to the top, we have to get to the middle! If you don't get to the middle, we'll all be beaten to death, so know that!"

Tactical training wasn't something that could be done just by soldiers. Commanders had to be good at planning tactics and commanding their soldiers well.

But in a situation where even his current seat could be in danger, the company commander could not accept that it was solely his responsibility.

"This time, we're the ones attacking! We have to break through somehow!"

Tactical training is divided into defense and attack, and involves defending or occupying high ground.

The chosen high ground was a low hill, so climbing it wasn't difficult. The fighting was the problem.

Since it was a training exercise to see how well one could manage troops, the commander's ability was more important than the soldiers' fighting ability.

The 3rd Infantry Company commander wished in his heart that he could win just once. He just had to avoid coming in last.

"Fight with the determination to die!"

The opponent was the 5th Infantry Company. The two sides lined up in an orderly manner and advanced toward each other.

The company commander, who had been quietly watching the situation, shouted.

"charge!"

"Wow!"

The men of the 3rd Infantry Company all ran out. They thought as they ran.

'It's the same as last time, right?'

'Why is it always a charge?'

'Ah, that crazy kid who's charging.'

That's right. The 3rd Infantry Company commander was someone who had a romantic interest in assault. The position of company commander did not suit his aptitude at all, as he had no particular interest in anything other than assault.

"Anyway, in a battle between infantry, the stronger one wins!"

It was easy to say, but the reality was different. In the first place, charging was a tactic used by cavalry. It could not be said to be the infantry's specialty.

The 5th Infantry Company commander laughed.

"Oh my, that kid is always the same."

The adjutant next to him also laughed.

"There is a saying that if the 3rd Infantry Company Commander comes in last again, he will be fired."

"He should be cut off. To be honest, if a guy like that continues to sit in that position, the soldiers will just die. To be honest, he's sitting in that position because he's a noble."

The 5th Infantry Company commander was a laughing stock. The 3rd Infantry Company commander had not even studied military science properly.

This is because his parents, who were merchants, bribed a nobleman to put him in the position of captain.

"It's fortunate that it's extremely rare for a company to participate in war."

If that guy becomes the commander of the legion, the troops under him will just charge and be completely destroyed.

"Okay, put your shields up! This time it'll be easy!"

The 5th Infantry Company all carried wooden shields. Their weapons were also straw clubs, but they were hard enough to hurt anyone who got hit.

Soon the two sides clashed.

Kwaaang!

"Push!"

"Stop it!"

Both sides gritted their teeth and swung clubs made of straw.

However, the 5th Infantry Company, which was tightly formed and holding shields, had the advantage over the 3rd Infantry Company, which had recklessly charged.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Ouch, oh, oh, oh!"

The 3rd Infantry Company members who had just charged forward were beaten without being able to break through even a single line.

As the enemy soldiers fell one by one, the 5th Infantry Company commander laughed loudly.

"Poohahaha! Hey, you idiots! Is that possible if you just charge in blindly?"

Even if a bunch of non-cavalrymen came charging in, how could they break through the wall of shields? It would be impossible unless they were quite strong soldiers.

The 3rd Infantry Company commander shouted in a voice full of anger as he watched the 3rd Infantry Company soldiers fall helplessly.

"Why are our soldiers so weak! Even though we trained like that!"

"… … ."

The adjutant next to him remained silent.

It was not a question of training, but of tactics. You can't win by just charging in.

Of course, the 3rd Infantry Company commander also put a lot of thought into organizing a formation that was advantageous for the assault. However, he did not have the ability to do more than that.

But there was one thing that everyone, including the commanders on both sides, did not know.

There's a guy here who really loves and is good at finishing assaults.

Jiselle gestured to her squad members and said.

"Hey, is everyone ready?"

"Yes! I'm ready!"

The Douglas squad is in the middle row and has not yet engaged their opponents.

While they were conserving their strength like that, the front row began to crumble.

Jiselle smiled and spoke to her squad members.

"No matter how well you block it, if you hold out, you'll eventually get tired. When I give the signal, don't look around and just follow me. I'll be in front. Got it?"

"all right!"

Jiselle held the straw club tightly and stared ahead. She had no intention of using mana. That would be no fun.

Rather, I intended to fight with less force and at a level appropriate to the soldiers.

Jiselle, who had been watching the battle with her eagle eyes, shouted as soon as the soldiers standing in the front row fell.

"now!"

Pfft!

Jiselle ran forward and struck the head of the enemy soldier in front of her.

The soldier was completely unable to respond to the sudden attack that came before he could even catch his breath.

Phew!

"100 million!"

The soldier lowered his head and staggered. Giselle took advantage of the opportunity to kick the soldier in the stomach with her foot, knocking him down.

Then he stepped on the fallen soldier and attacked the soldier behind him.

"Wow!"

The squad members of the Douglas squad also shouted and dug into the gap. The opposing soldiers naturally tried to block it, but it wasn't easy.

"What, what is it!"

"Why are these kids so strong!"

"Stop it! Stop it!"

The Dougley squad was different than before. Each and every soldier had become much stronger through the hellish training they had undergone.

They advanced, swinging their clubs wildly, digging into the enemy formation like sharp awls.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Eww! What the heck are these guys!"

The opposing soldiers were confused. Some kind of club was flying nonstop at an incredible speed.

In particular, Jiselle's performance was overwhelming. He didn't use any special swordsmanship. He just used basic military techniques and swung the straw rope wildly.

Still, the soldiers who were hit fell down one by one.

"Wow!"

The soldiers from other squads fighting alongside them cheered. Finally, a gap had appeared in the enemy's solid formation.

What would happen if there was a gap? Everyone would naturally flow towards it like water being sucked into a bottle.

"Hey! Let's go with the Douglas Squad!"

Everyone dug into the hole with someone shouting. After all, there was no other answer than that.

The more this happened, the more the gap in the enemy's formation widened.

The 5th Infantry Company commander was so shocked by the sight that he stood up from his seat.

"What! What! What's going on here!"

The road was going straight. As other guys started coming in one after another, the formation on the side of the road began to collapse.

The 3rd Infantry Company commander also jumped up from his seat and shouted loudly.

"Good job! Do it! Push it like that! Look! You can do it! You can do it!"

The unbelievable is happening. For the first time in my life, I successfully completed an infantry charge.

The battlefield heated up in an instant. Everyone was so excited that they were busy swinging their clubs.

One person who came to see me, worried after hearing the news of the company's tactical evaluation, was watching me tremble.

'Why! Why! You're fighting so hard!'

It was Baron Share, who had come as an observer. He stamped his feet with a pale face.

'Why are you making a name for yourself here?'

I was going crazy. He was hiding his identity, but he was running wild, even with the squad leader.

As rumored, he was a real fighting madman.