I crossed the drill ground. Then, I heard the voices of soldiers who were working.
"Did you hear? About the new company commander appointed to our unit."
"Ah, that woman? Her name is Seraphina von Reinhardt, I heard. They say she's noble-born."
"Nobility or not, I heard she's drop-dead gorgeous? Her face is a work of art, and her figure... *damn*."
One bastard gulped down saliva with a lewd expression. The others chimed in as if they had been waiting.
"Hey, a captain's rank isn't just for show. They say her skill is the real deal. There's even a rumor that she wiped out an orc squad by herself on the northern front."
"Face of an angel, deeds of a devil. Women like that, at night... you know?"
"You crazy bastard. How many lives do you have? Her nickname is 'the Ice Witch.' If you get on her bad side, she'll snap your waist in two."
"Still, don't you want to hold her just once? Imagining that ice-cold woman getting all excited and disheveled... just the thought of it..."
Their snickering voices polluted my ears. I pretended not to hear and kept walking.
Captain Seraphina von Reinhardt.
It wasn't as if I hadn't heard the rumors myself. A figure who had been appointed unprecedentedly to the seat left vacant by the previous company commander's death in battle. Even before her assignment, she had been the talk of the soldiers, owing to her outstanding skill, her temperament cold as ice, and her goddess-like beauty.
'The Ice Witch, huh...'
Her nickname was born from the cold-heartedness she displayed on the battlefield, but it was also due to the frigidness with which she refused to let any man near her. Countless noble scions and officers had approached her, but it was said they all returned having only heard icy rejections cold as a frozen lake.
Before long, I stood before the company command post. The sentry guarding the entrance recognized me and rendered a salute with a stiff expression. I answered with a short nod and stepped inside.
The interior of the command post was emptier than I had expected. A single desk, two chairs, and a large tactical map hanging on one wall were all there was.
Every trace of the previous occupant had been erased—a space fully prepared to welcome its new master.
In the center of that space stood a woman, showing only her back.
Silver hair that evoked a pristine snowy field swayed past her shoulders. The officer's combat uniform, tailored to fit her body snugly, revealed her slender waist and voluptuous hip line without reserve.
Though I approached, muffling the sound of my combat boots, she turned as if she already knew I had entered.
Her lips parted. A voice cold as ice and clear as a bell echoed out.
"First Lieutenant Max Jaeger."
It felt as if my breath had stopped.
The soldiers' words had been no exaggeration. Skin so pale it was nearly white; a straight, statue-like nose; red lips.
More than anything, what seized my gaze were her blue eyes, shining coldly like jewels.
"First Lieutenant Max Jaeger, reporting to the Company Commander!"
I straightened my back and rendered a hand salute. She received my salute without so much as blinking an eye.
"...A pleasure. I am Captain Seraphina von Reinhardt."
Her gaze swept from the top of my head to the tips of my boots. But I wasn't intimidated at all. No, it was more accurate to say I couldn't be intimidated.
Because the skill 'Indomitable Spirit' was smoothing all my emotions into an even calm.
'Status Analysis.'
While maintaining my posture, I quietly activated the skill.
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Captain]
[Status: Evaluating the newly assigned unit, cold observation of the subordinate before her, suppressed fatigue hidden in her depths]
'...Hidden in her depths? ...Suppressed fatigue?'
It was unexpected information. Meaning that while she appeared perfect on the outside, something was concealed within? But it wasn't information I particularly needed right now.
"Sit down."
I obediently took a seat.
Captain Seraphina lifted a file folder from the desk. The cover with my name and rank caught my eye.
"I have read the report on you, Lieutenant Jaeger. A promotion just six months after commissioning... You are exceedingly capable."
"Your praise is excessive, Captain."
I answered as calmly as possible.
"It is not praise, Lieutenant. It is confirmation of the facts."
She continued, placing the file back on the desk.
"The previous company commander was incompetent. Thanks to that, our company became the biggest headache in the regiment. Discipline was lax, and casualty rates were the highest."
Her blue eyes pierced straight through me.
"I intend to make this company the elite of the elite. To do that, I need your abilities."
"If there is anything I can do, I will do it."
It was an immediate answer.
"Good."
Pleased by that, Seraphina nodded briefly.
"In the last artillery battle, not only the previous company commander but several officers died. You are aware that among them was the 3rd Platoon leader."
"Of course."
"I intend to place you in that position."
I flinched slightly. As expected, Seraphina added an explanation.
"The 3rd Platoon has especially many problems. Veteran soldiers have fallen into lethargy, and new recruits are paralyzed with fear. Increase their training intensity twofold starting tomorrow. If there are complaints or insubordination, I will grant you the authority for summary execution. In return, I will be watching to see if you can properly bring the platoon to heel."
"Understood."
"Very well. Then you are dismissed. I expect much from you starting tomorrow."
"Yes, Captain!"
I rose from my seat, saluted, and exited the command post. Only after the creaking wooden door closed did I let out the breath I had been holding in a long exhale.
'She is no ordinary person.'
I could tell from our brief encounter. Seraphina von Reinhardt was no mere noble-born officer.
She had accurately identified the company's problems and possessed concrete plans and the will to solve them. That she had arrived early to take command, and that she had called for me separately—all of it showed she was deeply determined to make this work.
'When a superior's will is strong, subordinates grow weary.'
But conversely, it also meant subordinates would have that many more opportunities to distinguish themselves. Perhaps this was a chance to demonstrate the true value of the skills I possessed.
*
The next morning, I headed toward the area where the 3rd Platoon's barracks were gathered. It was right after morning roll call, but the atmosphere was more lax than I had expected.
The majority were gathered in groups of threes and fives, smoking or lying sprawled in the shade of the barracks making small talk without even properly polishing their boots. I even saw a group laying out mats and openly gambling in one corner.
'...So this is why they're called a headache.'
Even though I had appeared, not a single one of them rendered a proper salute. They glanced over and went back to snickering amongst themselves. Just how incompetent had the previous platoon leader been for things to come to this?
In the center was a particularly large staff sergeant. The bastard was a tattoo freak. A black pattern was blatantly etched on his forearm. He had even unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his combat jacket in a manner unbefitting his rank.
The surrounding soldiers appeared to be completely organized in a hierarchy centered on him.
'That bastard must be the cancer here.'
I quietly activated my skill.
[Using skill 'Status Analysis' on Staff Sergeant Gunther.]
[Name: Gunther]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: Imperial Army 7th Infantry Regiment]
[Rank: Staff Sergeant]
[Status: Testing and mocking the new platoon leader, excessive confidence in his own influence, slight hangover from drinking heavily last night]
'Excessive confidence and a hangover, huh...'
As I slowly approached, one soldier finally noticed me and reluctantly rose from his spot.
"Hey, it's the new platoon leader."
At those words, Gunther turned his head. Without rising from his place, he lay askew and looked me up and down.
"You look pretty decent. Think you can get along with guys like us?"
Snickering laughter burst from those around us. I approached him without a word.
"On your feet, Staff Sergeant."
At my voice, Gunther's brow twitched. He slowly rose. He was a giant easily over two meters tall.
"What's your name?"
"Staff Sergeant Gunther. Second... no, First Lieutenant, sir."
He deliberately pretended to confuse the ranks. A clear provocation.
"Uniform violation. Button up."
"...What did you say?"
Naked displeasure settled on Gunther's face. The snickering voices around us cut off sharply.
"I'll give you five seconds. Five, four, three..."
I began the countdown. As the numbers decreased, Gunther's expression grew vicious. It was enough to make one flinch at his momentum.
[Skill 'Indomitable Spirit' is active.]
[Resistance to all fear and confusion states has greatly increased.]
With the skill 'Indomitable Spirit,' I didn't feel the slightest sense of intimidation. It was merely laughable that a mere staff sergeant was putting on airs.
"You greenhorn bastard...!"
Before my count reached one, Gunther's patience ran out. He strode forward, reaching out to grab my collar.
But it was a sluggish movement. A movement riddled with gaps, born from a mixture of last night's hangover and excessive confidence in himself.
Without hesitation, I extended my right arm. The target was the back of Gunther's neck.
"Guh-urk!"
A shriek like a slaughtered pig burst out. The two-meter giant collapsed without strength. I grabbed the bastard's hair and slammed his face into the dirt floor.
"I don't repeat my orders twice, Staff Sergeant."
I whispered into Gunther's ear as his face was pressed into the dirt. Then I straightened up and looked around the platoon. The smiles had vanished from their faces.
"I've heard that the 3rd Platoon is the regiment's trash dump. As of today, that shame is lifted."
Wherever my gaze fell, soldiers flinched and lowered their heads.
"This is the Company Commander's order. Starting today, the 3rd Platoon's training intensity is doubled. Anyone with a complaint, speak now. I'll have you transferred to another company, no questions asked."
No one opened their mouths.
"Good. Then here is your first order. Full combat gear, everyone on the drill ground within ten minutes. Anyone even one second late had better be prepared for the stockade."