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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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Chapter 21 - Private Attack! (2)
In the military, there are five fundamental administrative branches.
Administration, Personnel, Education, Ordnance, and Logistics.
These divisions exist even at the company level and are essential for maintaining the army.
However, Clyden's unit was newly established and not at the battalion or company level.
Every single duty fell squarely on Clyden's shoulders.
Clyden dumped all of it onto Eres.
Of course, Clyden didn't forget to offer some advice.
“Eres, from now on, you’re the administrator. That means you handle administration, personnel, education, ordnance, and logistics—everything!”
Eres turned pale.
Whenever a superior officer announced an inspection, the administrators were the ones who suffered the most and the workload was beyond imagination.
Even a single duty was overwhelming enough that an assistant was assigned, but dumping all five onto one person? That was a death sentence.
“Please, have mercy.”
“Tsk! If there’s a mess in administration, I’ll chew you out! If the guys lose their leave, I’ll chew you out! If the training schedule isn’t balanced right, I’ll chew you out!”
“If the weapons aren’t properly maintained, I’ll chew you out! If the supplies don’t come in on time, I’ll chew you out! If you don’t wanna get chewed out, do your absolute best!”
Eres looked like he was about to cry.
He thought about venting to Lydis, but she was too caught up in her newfound passion for construction and barely showed up at the platoon anymore.
“Wait! Now that I think about it, our unit is relocating tomorrow, but the new site is still under construction! We have to vacate this area, so where are we supposed to sleep?”
When Clyden brought up the issue with Lydis, she confidently assured him that she had it all under control.
Clyden figured she’d just set up some tents until the construction was done, so he didn't think much of it.
The next day when the platoon gathered with the 3rd Platoon of the 9th Company for the handover, Lydis dropped an absolute bombshell.
“This is absurd! Are you trying to get someone killed?!”
“What’s the problem? It’s all been approved by command.”
Clyden looked at Lydis as if he was about to lose his mind.
“What do you mean, a whole month of leave?! We didn’t even return from war! That doesn’t exist anywhere in the world!”
“It’s already settled. Command approved it, so why are you making such a fuss?”
Lydis tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
While Clyden was having a meltdown, the soldiers of the 3rd Platoon of the 9th Company looked at Clyden’s platoon with pure envy upon hearing about the month-long leave.
Clyden’s platoon members gazed at Lydis with unwavering loyalty and admiration, their eyes practically sparkling.
Clyden suddenly found himself completely overshadowed.
Lydis had secured absolute devotion from the troops with an unexpected masterstroke—a month-long leave.
“The soldiers might be happy, but I’m going to suffer!”
Clyden had planned to drag things out until the relocation was complete and pass off the transition as smoothly as possible.
But now, this turn of events was giving him a massive headache.
It seemed that word had already spread, as the administrative officers were now gathered with their documents, eyeing Clyden like predators stalking their prey.
“The decision is final. Leave starts today, so everyone get ready and go enjoy your time off!”
At Lydis’s words, the platoon members erupted in cheers and immediately began preparing for their leave.
Clyden desperately tried to hold them back, but they weren’t paying him the slightest bit of attention.
“You! Where do you think you’re going, you little rascal?”
Clyden swiftly grabbed Eres by the collar just as he was attempting to slip away unnoticed.
“I’m on leave starting today too.”
“Like hell you are! Do you think an administrator can just abandon the handover process and go on leave? You clueless idiot! Does that sound reasonable to you?”
There was no way Clyden was letting Eres escape, he wasn’t about to suffer alone.
For Clyden, it was a wise decision.
For Eres, it was pure torment.
“Eres? Why aren’t you going?”
“Well….”
“Haha! Eres is staying behind to help me with the handover before heading out.”
Clyden quickly clamped his hand over Eres’s mouth and blurted out the answer before Lydis could question him further.
Lydis simply shrugged.
“Is that so?”
She walked toward the construction site, completely uninterested.
“Commander!”
Lydis already lost in her obsession with the construction work.
She was far too distracted to hear Eres’s desperate plea.
A tense and ominous atmosphere settled around them as the administrative officers closed in on Clyden and Eres.
“We have some unfinished business, don’t we?”
“Hahaha… I’d rather not have any business with you. How about handling everything with Eres? I hereby delegate all tasks to him!”
“Let’s start with logistics, shall we?”
The officers completely ignored Clyden’s attempt to throw Eres under the bus.
They grabbed both of them as if they were criminals being dragged off to face justice.
As their desperate screams echoed through the base, Clyden’s last words rang out.
“Just deal with Eres instead!”
“My leave…!”
By the time they were finally released, the sky outside had darkened.
A faint starlight illuminated the world.
Most people had finished their exhausting day and were now resting, awaiting the sunrise of a new day.
But for Clyden, rest was nothing but a fantasy.
“Hngyaaah! Ugh, my body aches all over.”
“What are you even complaining about? You barely did anything.”
“Hey, just sitting around and watching over everything isn’t easy! Do you have any idea how boring it is? So hurry up.”
Eres let out a long sigh.
It had already been three weeks since Clyden had roped him into the role of administrator.
For the entire time, Eres had been stuck handling endless handover duties and learning every administrative task that normally would have been divided among multiple officers.
Typically, even the most complex transitions took no more than a week.
Since Eres was shouldering everything alone.
The process naturally dragged on far longer than usual.
The training and handover work were finally complete.
Eres finished the last of the paperwork, looking relieved.
“You’re done? Damn, took you long enough. So slow… Tsk tsk.”
Eres shot Clyden a silent glare, but Clyden didn’t care.
“Whew, I can finally get some rest.”
Clyden smiled happily, thinking about his remaining leave.
“What are you talking about? We’re back on duty starting tomorrow.”
“What do you mean? We have a whole month of leave! There’s still a week left.”
“There was an official notice. The engineers finished construction earlier than expected, so everyone’s ordered to return. Haven’t you seen it yet?”
“What?! They can’t just cut our leave like that!”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? If you have a problem, talk to the commander.”
“…You’re awfully snippy, aren’t you?”
“Oh, should I have been smiling while being dumped with all the administrative work? You think I’m happy about losing my leave too?”
“Hey! Most people would kill for an administrator position, and here I am giving you one easily! You should be thanking me.”
“That would only apply if I had just one role! Do you seriously think handling all the work alone is ‘easy’?”
“Wow, this is what I get for being considerate? You should learn to appreciate when someone looks out for you!”
“Hah! As if.”
“You should try going back to the old Eres. You’ve gotten way too irritable lately.”
“I’d love to, but thanks to a certain someone, my personality has permanently changed. So I’ve decided to just live as my true self.”
“Damn it… Hey! Put in a leave request for me!”
“You’re joking, right? Do you think that month-long leave just came out of nowhere? You already used up your entire annual leave quota.”
“What the hell?! But I didn’t even get to enjoy it!”
“Well, you are still on leave. It’s truly inspiring how dedicated you are to work even during your vacation. Should I recommend you for a commendation?”
“Aaaah! My leave!”
“I remember yelling the same thing before… but someone completely ignored me.”
As Clyden and Eres bickered, yet another day came to an end.
The next morning marked the beginning of Clyden’s life as a special forces member.
“What the… Is this a barracks or a mansion?”
Clyden stood there, mouth agape, completely dumbfounded by the sight in front of him.
The once dreary and crumbling barracks had vanished without a trace.
In its place stood a massive two-story, U-shaped mansion.
The empty lot had been transformed into a neatly landscaped training ground with a small grassy drill yard and a well-maintained expansive garden.
“Well, this is a damn spectacle…”
The highlight was the series of reflective panels installed atop the tall walls surrounding three sides of the compound.
Designed to compensate for the lack of natural sunlight, the panels gleamed brightly, casting light over the barracks.
Clyden stood there, staring at the absurdity before him.
"Everything’s fine, but the drill yard is tiny. They wasted all this space on a giant garden? Is this a military base or a noble’s estate?”
The interior was even more astonishing.
The central area housed the administrative office, with living quarters flanking either side.
Each living space was designed for two occupants and came equipped with individual beds, personal lockers, desks, private washbasins, and showers.
The second floor was even more outrageous—right from the door itself, which radiated an air of luxury.
A golden nameplate on the door boldly displayed the words Commander’s Office.
“Locked? What’s this girl hiding in here, a stash of gold or something?”
Clyden tried to take a peek inside out of curiosity, but the door was firmly shut.
Losing interest, he turned his attention elsewhere.
The second floor also featured various amenities, but calling them amenities was an understatement.
These were high-end salon-style facilities, only the most prestigious nobles would frequent.
As Clyden wandered through, still struggling to process, he mumbled to himself.
“This is why the rich get richer… If they had this kind of money, they should’ve just given me a raise.”
Just as he was grumbling, a voice called out from downstairs.
“Sir! Where are you?”
“Here.”
Down in the administrative office, Eres was fidgeting anxiously.
The moment Clyden came down, Eres rushed toward him.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“What? I showed up for work. But where is everyone? Didn’t they all return from leave? I don’t see a single person.”
“What are you talking about?! You forgot today’s transfer report at headquarters? Everyone’s over there!”
“Wha—?! No one told me! Who set me up?!”
“What do you mean?! The Commander told you before we went on leave! Don’t you remember?!”
“You think I listen to that girl when she talks?! And if it was something this important, you should’ve reminded me!”
“I thought you already knew! Ugh, whatever. We need to hurry.”
Clyden and Eres bolted toward headquarters.
When they arrived, the reporting process was already over.
“Sergeant! What do you think you’re doing?! Do you even have the nerve to call yourself an Imperial soldier?! If it were me, I’d be too ashamed!”
Lydis, looking delighted to have caught him red-handed, tore into Clyden without hesitation.
Ignoring her, Clyden turned to the platoon members and spoke.
“Damn it, am I late?”
“Yes. The transfer report is already done. The commander just took the salute.”
“Well, I’d feel awkward if a duke’s daughter was saluting me.”
“Sergeant! Are you ignoring me right now?”
Clyden was chatting with the platoon instead of acknowledging her.
She raised her voice.
Clyden only gave her a smug look.
“Oh? Sergeant? You should address me as Staff Sergeant.”
“Staff Sergeant? What nonsense are you spouting, Sergeant?”
“Well, I got a one-rank promotion, so I’m a Staff Sergeant now.”
At Clyden’s words, Lydis scoffed as if she had just heard the funniest joke of the year.
“Sergeant, you have a knack for making people laugh! Alright, I’ll grant your promotion. From now on, you’re a Staff Sergeant.”
“As if a platoon leader has the power to promote people…”
“Oh! Staff Sergeant? My mistake. You’re demoted one rank.”
“…Huh?”
“Since you were a Staff Sergeant and got demoted, that puts you back at Sergeant, doesn’t it?”
“What kind of ridiculous logic is that?!”
Clyden exploded, while Lydis wore a satisfied smirk.
“Did you really think the military would just let you off the hook after you beat up a foreign prince? You thought a simple punishment would be the end of it?”
“Son of a—!”
Clyden stomped his feet like a madman while Lydis enjoyed every second of his misery.
Clyden's eyes landed on Eres’s rank insignia.
His irritation flared anew. He grabbed Eres by the collar.
“Why are you a sergeant first class! If you're promoted from corporal, you become a sergeant! Daring to wear the sacred non-commissioned officer rank! What kind of nonsense is this?!”
“Why are you taking it out on poor Eres now?”
“Shouldn't he be a sergeant if he was promoted, not a sergeant first class?”
“Um...I am a sergeant first class.”
“What nonsense! Does a young master skip two ranks every time he's promoted? You went straight from private second class to corporal, didn't you?”
“Well, I was due for sergeant this month... Since I was promoted to sergeant and then received a special promotion of one rank, sergeant first class is correct.”
At Eres's words, Clyden said with a defeated expression.
“What kind of military promotes someone who's already been promoted! This military is corrupt…”
“Who's that?”
“There's someone like that!”
“Hmph, sergeant! You should be grateful you kept your sergeant rank instead of being demoted, thanks to me!”
Lydis raised her nose high and puffed out her chest.
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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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