Rachel Lockhart.
The deputy commander, whose subordinates’ capabilities were written in the status window.
The angle of her salute was close to perfect, and her uniform, flawless in every way, made me guess what kind of person she was.
An elite who graduated early from the National Military Academy.
She would not tolerate any disarray.
I was puzzled by Rachel’s salute that didn’t end, but soon realized the reason and returned her salute.
Only then did Rachel relax her posture.
I was already out of breath.
“…Nice to meet you, Deputy Commander Lockhart.”
I thought about using honorifics, but I figured she would find it strange if I did, since she always followed proper protocol.
As expected, she didn’t show any discomfort even when I spoke informally and only nodded.
“I’ve heard about the commander from His Majesty.”
Rachel, who had been speaking, suddenly sharpened her gaze.
“Even about the things he’s done until now.”
This status window, the performance is certainly reliable.
Even a passing 5-year-old child would know that Rachel was wary of me.
I thought that, if the king had any good image of me, it was likely that he had passed it on…
“…Hmmm, there is a lot of gold in this room.”
“The previous commander liked gold quite a lot. He said, ‘Displaying power is the best way for a soldier to show strength.'”
I shifted the conversation to the previous commander to avoid the topic turning to me.
As expected, the previous commander was truly obsessed with luxury.
With such a person in charge, it was no wonder that the 1st Corps was barely operating under Rachel’s command.
Given that, it was understandable that Rachel would develop a dislike for the position of ‘commander.’
In that sense, Rachel seemed to be seeing me through the lens of the former deputy commander.
Normally, it would be better to gradually build rapport with Rachel first before doing anything, but…
“Commander, you must be tired from just arriving, but there is something urgent you must do.”
“…Is that what you’re referring to?”
“Yes.”
Unfortunately, the problem was that I didn’t have the luxury of time.
“A large-scale invasion from the neighboring country is expected soon. You need to prepare for battle.”
It’s an unfortunate truth, but just because you play WarCraft a lot doesn’t mean you improve as a commander.
Just like how being good at shooting in a game doesn’t make you a battlefield berserker, and playing dating simulators doesn’t make you an expert on women.
WarCraft was a very friendly game, so it often provided the right strategies or had the commanders and generals I deployed automatically charge into battle.
In other words, it was closer to a tycoon game.
‘I’m glad I studied history thoroughly.’
At this point, I had no choice but to base my strategies on historical battles.
If it worked in the past, there was a high chance it would succeed in the game as well.
Of course, there were variables, but… I would have to trust this status window.
But there was a bigger problem.
“…Are all the battalion commanders vacant?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Rachel calmly relayed the serious information to me.
The battalion commanders who should be executing the strategy were all absent.
“How did this happen?”
“After the last battle, the previous commander died in action. As a result, the battalion commanders judged it was hopeless and fled, believing victory was impossible. They’ve all deserted and will never return to the army.”
Wow.
This is worse than I imagined.
Haha.
“What about the number of soldiers?”
“We have nearly 3,000 soldiers.”
That was fortunate, in an unfortunate way.
No matter how well you strategize and set up favorable conditions, what’s the use if you don’t have troops to deploy?
Still, the fact that there were so few commanding officers was the worst situation.
“There’s no choice then. Are there any competent officers among the white commanders?”
“They are all capable individuals. Even as the war was nearing defeat, they fought bravely to the end.”
Since they survived, they must be veterans.
At least we could avoid the worst-case scenario.
“Then, Deputy Commander, could you select a white commander worthy of promotion to battalion commander?”
“Me? Are you asking me?”
Rachel looked puzzled at my words, as though it was the first time I had said something like this.
“I’ve only just arrived, it hasn’t even been a day. Therefore, it’s you, Deputy Commander, who knows the soldiers in the corps well. Am I wrong?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“I’ll have you recommend the soldiers you select for promotion to the battalion commander position. Since His Majesty has high expectations of me, they will all be able to fulfill the role of battalion commander.”
Even soldiers can rise through the ranks to become battalion commanders.
If I tried to find proper officers in a kingdom like Stral Rent, the country would already be doomed.
It would be safer to select a few from the white commanders that Rachel vouched for and place them in the battalion commander roles.
It was fortunate that there was a system that allowed soldiers to rise to the rank of battalion commander.
‘Hm?’
I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but Rachel’s eyes seemed to tremble oddly.
Did she not like my orders?
But at this point, it was the best option.
A single commander cannot manage each white commander individually and still respond quickly.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“…Understood.”
Rachel stood up, saluted me, and then left the conference room.
I heard her footsteps fade away.
I leaned against the table and rested my head.
“…I’m already tired.”
It wasn’t easy to have a private conversation with Rachel.
Just the atmosphere alone was enough to make a person feel exhausted.
Will I be able to get through this smoothly?
As I worried about that, a window suddenly appeared before my eyes.
「Rachel’s trust in you has increased.」
“All of a sudden?”
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at the unexpected message.
No, but I didn’t even do anything?
Did I say something strange without realizing it?
No matter how much I thought about it, I hadn’t done anything that would earn Rachel’s trust yet.
“Status window.”
Feeling puzzled, I opened the status window to check Rachel’s status.
「Perception: Thinks you are strange.」
“…That’s really weird.”
It seemed like Rachel’s perception of me had changed to something slightly more positive.
It’s better to be thought of as strange rather than being outright distrusted.
Although the sudden change in wording made me uneasy, I decided to let it go for now.
Well, isn’t a good thing just a good thing?
I hope I can continue to break down Rachel’s wariness like this.
Rachel, who had just received the legion commander’s order, was quickly making her way to the training grounds.
The order was to find a suitable candidate among the centurions for the position of battalion commander.
“…”
The moment she heard that, Rachel doubted her own ears.
She had never imagined that the legion commander would say such a thing.
Although she had received some background information about a man named Leo Branzilte beforehand, she had also done her own research.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the king’s commendation.
However, because the king had repeatedly corrected his own political statements, Rachel didn’t trust him very much.
As a result, she found that the information she had received differed from the rumors circulating among the people.
According to public opinion, Leo was no different from the previous legion commander.
No, he might even be worse.
‘Could the information be wrong?’
The chances of that were slim.
But the Leo Branzilte that Rachel had personally observed was different from the rumors.
She hadn’t just looked into one or two sources.
He was someone who would lie without hesitation if it benefited him, and he would ruthlessly eliminate any group that threatened his power.
That was the general assessment of Leo Branzilte.
‘But this isn’t the kind of order someone like that would give.’
Rachel recalled the previous legion commander and the corrupt battalion commanders.
They were all nothing but trash, completely unfit to be soldiers.
Drunk on their own power, they shamelessly committed corruption and treated their own troops like insignificant ants.
“Are you referring to the opinions of the centurions? Haha, Vice Commander, with all due respect, you don’t need to listen to those fools. The legion commander’s decisions could never be wrong, after all.”
When Rachel recalled what the Second Battalion Commander had said, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
Contrary to that man’s dismissive remarks, the soldiers of the 1st Legion that Rachel had seen were far from incompetent.
As soon as she was appointed vice commander, she had thoroughly assessed all the centurions.
They were soldiers with such strong patriotism that they didn’t even consider their own safety for the sake of their country.
And their military intellect was just as remarkable as their unwavering patriotism.
With the right instructions, they could execute any operation.
Rachel had grown weary of officers who ignored such capable soldiers and only pursued their own interests.
If this new legion commander turned out to be the same, she was prepared to abandon her position as vice commander at any time.
However, after what she witnessed today, a small sense of expectation had started to form.
Regardless of public opinion, Leo Branzilte seemed to recognize the excellence of his troops.
But it was still too early to tell.
Humans, by nature, tend to put on an act when they first join a group to make a good impression.
Even if it’s just a flimsy facade.
‘Leo Branzilte.’
In this war, it will soon become clear whether Leo is a competent commander or just another inept politician.
But if—by some small chance—he truly proves himself to be the kind of leader Rachel had hoped for…
‘I’ll keep watching.’
She thought it was unlikely.
But at the same time, a lingering hope remained—that maybe, just maybe, they could achieve victory.
That was the current state of Rachel’s mind.