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Chapter 14 - Relationship Between the Platoon Leader and Assistant Platoon Leader (4)
"When people found out that the 1st Platoon was without a platoon leader, applicants started lining up. Imagine having a duke’s son as your subordinate—what a stellar career boost!"
[PR\N: Clyden was temporary platoon leader.]
"I know plenty of officers are obsessed with promotions, but being in the guard unit basically kills any chance of that!"
"If they get close to Eres, even if they leave the military, they could land a cushy position somewhere."
"Some insurance policies are worth more than others!"
"Besides, didn’t you form a sworn brotherhood with Duke Azelus? A soldier who's a former duke’s son and a platoon leader who's the duke’s sworn brother? If I were an officer, I’d be after that position too."
"Ugh… is it that bad?"
"Bad enough that the battalion commander came to me for advice! Officers from every military academy faction are flooding him with requests.”
He’s about to lose his mind.
"So, who’s the lucky bastard who landed the job?"
At Clyden’s question, the senior officers smirked and said,
"Go see for yourself."
"Come on, just tell me so I can be prepared!"
"You’ll find out when you get there."
Clyden stared blankly at the firmly shut door before sighing.
"Ugh… I’d rather be fighting enemy officers. This is just unbearable. But seriously, who could it be for them to be grinning like that? This is making me nervous…"
Muttering to himself, he trudged toward the platoon.
With only a week left before their withdrawal, the platoon members were already buzzing with excitement.
Clyden dreaded the bombshell he had to drop on them—that their deployment had been extended for another month.
But when he arrived at the platoon, he found the new platoon leader already addressing the troops.
The moment he saw who it was, he clutched the back of his neck and nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Nice to meet you! From now on, I’ll be leading the 1st Platoon. I’m Lieutenant Lydis Hugh Iron!"
Clyden trudged toward the platoon for another exhausting day of work, letting out a deep sigh.
The shock of having Lydis as their platoon leader and him being the assistant platoon leader made his future feel bleak.
What was even worse were the lovestruck soldiers, utterly mesmerized by her beauty, mindlessly shouting.
"Even if it's hell, we’ll go together as long as it's with our lieutenant!"
The sheer absurdity of it all sent his blood pressure soaring, landing him in the infirmary for a bit.
Deciding to make the most of it, he holed up there for two days but his plan fell apart when he lost a gambling match against a petty medical officer, who promptly kicked him out.
So he had no choice but to go back to work.
"Ugh… I don’t want to go…"
Clyden let out another sigh as he stepped into the guard post.
The moment the platoon members spotted him while preparing to open the gates, they rushed over.
"Assistant Platoon Leader!"
"Welcome back, sir!"
"Help us!"
"W-What? What's going on?"
A group of soldiers suddenly swarmed around Clyden, their eyes welling up with tears as they pleaded.
Clyden visibly bewildered, glanced around at them.
"What the hell? You guys look like you've been through hell in just two days!"
"We're barely surviving!"
"Please, sir! You have to stop the lieutenant!"
"We… we just can't keep up. Ah—she's here!"
Rokin, a man whose large body was entirely at odds with his tearful expression, suddenly turned pale and shouted.
The platoon that had been huddled around Clyden immediately scattered, lining up in two neat rows at lightning speed, standing at perfect attention.
Clyden watched their bizarre display with an incredulous expression.
What kind of circus act is this now?
Before he could question them, a carriage pulled up.
The rhythmic clatter of hooves accompanied the arrival of an opulent, luxurious carriage—the kind only the luckiest nobles ever got to ride.
Surrounding it was an escort of dozens of knights, their armor gleaming under the sunlight.
The carriage came to a precise stop between the two rows of soldiers.
One of the knights swiftly moved to open the door and Lydis stepped out, radiating elegance and grace.
As she descended, guided by the hand of her escort, a knight raised his voice.
"Attention!"
"Attention, my ass!"
Clyden stormed over and delivered a well-aimed kick to a few of the soldiers.
“Are you guys out of your damn minds?! Have you all forgotten your place?!"
Marching down the line, he kicked each soldier in turn, barking insults.
Max, Karl, and Rex, the squad leaders, got it the worst.
"And you three—what the hell is wrong with you?! I made you squad leaders to keep these guys in line when I’m not around, not to join them in their idiocy!"
"Ugh! No, sir!"
"Shut up! Hand over your squad leader badges! Do you think senior soldiers should be goofing off with the recruits?! Huh?!"
As Clyden continued his rampage, a knight suddenly shouted.
"How dare you! Do you have any idea in whose presence you're causing such a commotion?!"
Clyden's head snapped toward the knight.
The knight flinched under his gaze.
A smirk crept across Clyden's face as he strode toward the man.
"Heh… so it’s you?"
"W-What are you talking about?!"
"You were the one giving my men orders just now, weren’t you?"
"We are Lady Lydis’s personal knights! Of course, we have the authority to do so!"
Clyden tilted his head slightly.
"Authority? You mean, as her guards?"
"As Lady Lydis’s knights, we have every right to command the soldiers under her leadership."
Clyden turned his gaze toward Lydis, silently asking if this was true.
She shot him a sharp, displeased glare but said nothing.
The other knights' eyes also held a dangerous glint.
"Heh… unbelievable. You all lost your damn minds together, huh?"
Clyden extended his right hand to the side.
Rex, still groaning on the ground, immediately caught on.
He hastily removed his helmet and handed it over.
"Authority, huh? That’s a nice word."
Clyden’s tone was almost amused as he weighed the helmet in his hand.
"Since we’re talking about authority, let me give you an order—don’t move."
"Hah! And why the hell should we obey a mere sergeant?"
"Of course, I have every right to give orders to my brother’s subordinates! I am Azelus's younger brother, after all!"
"That’s nonsense! A complete fallacy!"
"Oh yeah? So saying that someone’s subordinates are also yours just because you serve
the same person isn’t a fallacy? Idiot!"
Clyden bellowed as he charged toward the knights.
However, for warriors who had spent decades training their swordsmanship and cultivating mana, dodging a mere charge was effortless.
"Oh? You dodged?"
"Sergeant! If you continue this insolence, I will no longer tolerate it!"
"This is my last warning, too. Imperial soldiers are being treated like private troops by the retainers of a noble house. Do you seriously think that’s a minor issue? To me, it looks an awful lot like treason. You muscle-brained morons."
The knights bristled at Clyden’s words, but they couldn’t act recklessly.
If someone in power decided to interpret the situation in the worst possible way, it could be construed as treason.
A small issue but one that could spiral into something much bigger.
"Heh. That’s what I thought."
Clyden suddenly pointed at the knight who had been barking orders at his men.
"You! Yeah, you!"
The knight flinched, his expression shifting to one of unease as he met Clyden’s gaze.
Clyden smirked and turned to address the rest of the knights.
"All of you—heads down. Now!"
"W-What?!"
The knights stared at him, utterly baffled.
Clyden snapped at his soldiers instead.
"You! Heads down!"
"B-But, Sergeant…"
"Tsk! Squad leaders—one hand up, one foot up, and balance a rock on your damn foreheads!"
Without another word, the soldiers dropped to the ground, assuming the classic punishment posture—foreheads pressed to the dirt, hands behind their backs.
Clyden turned back to the knights.
"You see that? Now, you do the same."
"How dare you treat knights this way?!"
"Because you look like dumbasses to me. Now get moving! Or should I go tell my dear brother about this little stunt of yours? Want to lose your knighthood? Is that what you want?"
The knights turned their desperate gazes toward Lydis.
She opened her mouth to intervene, but Clyden cut her off.
"Lieutenant, why don’t you head inside and rest? I’ll clean up this mess and join you soon."
"But, Sergeant—"
"Ah, just head inside for now."
"But—"
"Ahem. If you keep this up, I will tell my brother."
At the mention of Azelus, Lydis had no choice but to retreat into the guardpost.
The knights who had been silently pleading for her help were now drowning in despair.
Clyden grinned.
"You’ve got three seconds to line up in front of me. Move!"
The knights scrambled off their horses, rushing to stand in formation.
Clyden's grin widened.
"Alright, all of you, heads down. Except you!"
He suddenly pointed at the knight he had singled out earlier.
"W-Why me?!"
The knight awkwardly straightened up, looking nervous.
"You… you’re the ‘middle-of-the-pack’ type, aren’t you?"
"Middle?"
"Yeah. Not too high, not too low. Dead center. You know why?"
"I don’t know?"
"Because scraping the bottom means you get nothing but suffering, no recognition, no perks."
"And the top?"
"Ah, that’s even worse."
"The ones who try too hard end up getting themselves killed, dumbass."
The knight hesitated but didn’t dodge as Clyden swung at him, taking the hit squarely.
He endured without complaint as Clyden’s blows continued until his helmet was smeared red.
Once Clyden finally stopped, panting from exertion, he pointed at the knight again.
"Now, you—get down too."
The knight obediently assumed the punishment stance.
Clyden swept his gaze over the groveling knights before turning to his soldiers.
"Alright—on your feet."
In perfect unison, the soldiers sprang up.
Clyden paced between them, his voice sharp.
"So let me get this straight—you’re telling me that just because some fancy knights showed up and gave you orders, you forgot who your actual superior is?"
"No, Sir!"
Their voices rang out like thunder.
"Your unit is?"
"The 1st Platoon, 11th Company, 3rd Battalion of the Imperial Capital Defense Division!"
"Then remember that next time you decide to take orders from outsiders like a bunch of fools!"
Clyden exhaled, rubbing his temples.
"And squad leaders—where the hell do you think you’re going?"
"Uh… getting ready for duty?"
"The hell you are. Get down there with the knights."
"Sergeant, please—"
"You want to do it one-handed with a rock on your head while carrying a rookie on your
back?"
"N-No!"
Clyden exhaled again.
Now, the biggest problem.
With a sigh, he walked into the guardpost.
Lydis acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
When Clyden’s voice started to ring out seriously, she snorted and glared at him.
"You know, I already told my brother once—this is the military. A strict hierarchy is what keeps everything running. But here you are, newly appointed and already showing up to work in a fancy carriage with an entire escort of knights? That’s not even funny—it’s just ridiculous."
"I am a princess of the Empire! Having a knight escort is only natural!"
"But from what I hear, you’re not weak enough to need protection, are you? At least, that’s what Eres told me."
"T-That may be true, but… a noble’s dignity must be upheld…"
"If dignity was your concern, you shouldn’t have joined the military in the first place."
“…Hmph. I understand your point. I will consider it."
"And just to be clear, my soldiers are Imperial Army troops, not your personal guards. Don’t forget that."
Lydis’s face contorted in anger as she snapped at him.
"Sergeant Clyden! Do you think you have the right to lecture me?!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Clyden finished what he had to say, listened to Lydis half-heartedly, and went out.
A large crowd had gathered near the gate to watch the commotion.
The spectators murmured among themselves, eyes flicking between Clyden and the knights.
"They say the Mad Dog of the Southern Gate went after the princess’s knights this time?"
"Look at that! The knights are being punished! Even the duke’s knights can’t handle that mad dog!"
"Unbelievable! Never thought I’d live to see the day knights were getting disciplined by a sergeant from the city guard!"
The knights, hearing the gossip wanted to curl up and die.
No humiliation could be worse than this.
They would be mocked for years.
Clyden scanning the crowd, noticed a few well-dressed individuals scattered among them.
A thought crossed his mind—why not take this opportunity to solve a few lingering headaches all at once?
"Oh? Not keeping your posture straight? Dropping your hips, huh?"
Clyden kicked one of the knights lined up at the end of the row.
Like a row of dominos, the knights collapsed in succession.
"You lot better hurry up and get back in position! Now!"
As they tried to fix their stances, Clyden kicked them again, sending them toppling once more.
The knights, drenched in sweat and desperation corrected themselves, their faces burning with shame.
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