Second Life as a Soldier

The supply sergeant did not back down, but he did remove his hand from his badge. Anger crawled across his face as it turned red. He took a few deep breaths, thinking about his next actions.

“Kid, you are a new sergeant. I would suggest you pick your sides wisely. Anything can happen to your squad members, but your future is with us. I would suggest ordering them to start moving my crates out, and I will forget your lapse in judgment, especially after you failed to secure the only watchtower of the clearing,” he said, as if he were doing me a favor, but I had stopped listening midway through his sentence.

“What do you mean anything can happen to my squad?” I said, still keeping my spear lit with my mana. “Did you just threaten a squad, half of which is made up of people who fought during the Grand Beast Tide? A squad that spent more than one month defending this clearing?”

Before he could reply, I raised my finger, stopping him.

“I suggest you pick your next words carefully. I will not work according to your directions. I have already chosen my side. From where I stand, I am not the one who broke the rules of the Royal Army. I would also like to make it clear that my squad is an infantry unit tasked with protecting this clearing. My squad members are not yours to order, even if it is to move supply crates, and I will not direct my men to do anything that is not within the purview of this mission,” I said.

“YOU—” Just as he moved forward, Sergeant Cole’s hand stopped him, while he placed another hand on my shoulder, stopping me as well.

“Sergeants, fighting like this is not going to set a good example for your squads. Sergeant Darric, even if you have a problem with Sergeant Edward’s squad, please show some respect to Sergeant Edward. He is an Iron Medal winner. He deserves some leeway,” he said, then removed his hand from Darric’s shoulder. Sergeant Darric’s face did not change, but the people behind him looked surprised.

“Sergeant Edward, threatening a sergeant with more experience than you is not something I expected from you,” Sergeant Cole said, slowly removing his hand from my shoulder.

I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. I turned to Sergeant Cole, then nodded.

I was not fully convinced by Sergeant Cole’s statement. Knowing my squad, getting into a fistfight with another sergeant would be something most of them would enjoy, except Peter, maybe.

I was also not completely sure that Sergeant Darric did not deserve to be threatened. I did not know what happened before I arrived, but he used the oath on Kael even though Kael was not part of his squad. Personally, I did not feel that moving some crates was something to pick a fight with a sergeant over, and if my squad picked a fight for that reason, I would have hard words with them about it. Even then, I could not justify Sergeant Darric’s actions in any scenario.

But Sergeant Cole was right about one thing. Me losing control of my emotions would not help my squad. Most of them were already loose cannons. They needed a sergeant who controlled himself, not one who lost his temper.

Sergeant Darric also controlled his emotions, nodded, then turned around.

“Men! Start taking out the crates and start setting up my tent!” he said, then left, walking toward his squad.

I also turned and checked on Kael, who was still lying on the ground.

“How are you?” I asked, crouching down to check on him.

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“Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me five minutes,” he said, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, most likely circulating his mana to regulate its flow.

From what I have learned about the mana oath, it causes pain by forcing a large amount of mana through a person’s body, especially through areas like the heart or head, where the mana channels are narrower. This is why using a mana oath to hurt a Tier 3 requires significantly more mana. In Tier 3s, the mana channels are far more refined and resilient, requiring greater internal mana movement to achieve the same effect.

Once Kael stood up, I patted his shoulder.

“Gather everyone around the campfire in five minutes. I want a report on this incident,” I said to Kael. Then I turned toward Sergeant Cole.

“Sir, I am confused about something. Is it okay if I ask you a question?” I said, to which Sergeant Cole nodded.

“From what I know, a supply sergeant should not have an oath badge. After all, supply squads do not have any dangerous criminals assigned to them. Has he been provided this badge just because of this mission?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Your return to Fort Darrow will be with them, without Vanguard present, so their lieutenant requested the badge for extra protection.”

Suddenly, I remembered the return trip from Fort Dunvale to Darrow. Just the two of us leading the journey back would be a nightmare. That realization only increased my worries.

“Does it not create a chain of command issue? I would hate to have someone from my squad getting incapacitated during active combat just because he does not agree with my formation.”

“Hmm, this is the first time I’ve dealt with this type of issue.” Pausing, he looked me in the eye. “Your style of leading a death squad is unique.”

After thinking for a few seconds, he continued.

“Hmmm. This is what we’ll do. I will speak with Sergeant Darric. His safety will be my responsibility until we reach Fort Dunvale. I will make sure he does not use that badge again.”

After a brief pause, he added in a commanding tone, “I will also be judging your leadership capabilities.”

He observed me critically, as if searching for any sign of hesitation.

“Thank you, sir. That would be helpful,” I replied without hesitation. I had no issue with him evaluating my actions. While I was not entirely sure about his stance toward my squad members, he had not criticized me for standing up for them. I chose to take that as a good sign. Perhaps he might even offer some useful guidance.

“Also, I would suggest talking to Sergeant Darric.”

I frowned.

“I am not asking you to make friends with him, but you two will spend a lot of time together while returning. You need the ability to coordinate. I will tell the same to Sergeant Darric as well.”

I nodded, took my leave, and made my way toward the campfire.

Once everyone was gathered, I looked at Peter first.

“Please tell me this entire fight was not because our squad had a problem moving crates. Report everything you observed before I arrived,” I said, getting straight to the point.

Peter was the one speaking with the sergeant when I arrived. While I trust my squad members, I knew that if Lieutenant Cicero or Captain Darrow asked for a report on today’s events, they would likely rely on Peter’s account.

I was also curious about what Kael had been doing near the supply carts when I had assigned him to guard duty.

“Yes, sir. I was talking with one of the privates of the Vanguard when Kael guided the supply unit toward the clearing.” When I looked at Kael for confirmation, he nodded.

“I went ahead to speak with Sergeant Darric while you were occupied with Sergeant Cole. Before I could reach him, Sergeant Darric ordered the crates to be moved from his carts. Seeing this, I instructed Oren and Brakk to handle the crates while Kael began returning to his assigned position. That’s when the sergeant told Kael to set up his tent. Kael replied that he was on watch duty and that setting up tents was not part of his assignment,” Peter said.

“And that prompted him to use the badge?” I asked. It did not feel like something that would require the amount of anger I had seen in the sergeant when I arrived.

Listening to my question, Peter looked at Kael as if he were disappointed in his actions.

“No. The sergeant said he would speak with you later, but for now, Kael was to follow his orders. Kael ignored him and kept walking, which led the sergeant to try to stop him by grabbing his arm. Kael then forcibly pulled free and told the sergeant to fuck off,” Peter said.

Hearing that, Barry and Varric burst into full-on belly laughs.

I looked at Kael and sighed, finally understanding the situation. While this complicated things, especially with the escalation caused by Kael, it was also good to know that Sergeant Darric, while still a jerk, had a reason for his anger and was someone I could potentially reason with.

“That’s when you arrived,” Peter finished.