WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 247: Farewell (3)

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There were more people assigned to the administration office than expected. Not soldiers, but officers and NCOs. In a normal Company, aside from the executive officer, the only cadre should have been the First Sergeant, weapons NCO, and supply NCO.

‘The communications officer is one thing... but they even have an operations officer and an intelligence officer. Their ranks are each one step lower, but add just a little more and they could form a battalion-level command structure. Are they already preparing to expand the unit?’

If the Company were promoted to a battalion, a personnel officer and supply officer would be assigned. The Plans Officer, who would effectively be the deputy commander, would likely be the current XO, Captain Singh.

"Company Commander. If there is anything you do not understand, please tell me right away."

The intelligence officer said that to Gyeoul, who was reading personnel files before Captain Singh arrived.

"It's fine, Lieutenant. I'm just checking their backgrounds. And relax. Why is everyone so stiff? If we're counting service time, aren't I the shortest-serving person here?"

The light joke eased the atmosphere a little. Gyeoul singled out the weapons NCO.

"It's been a while, Corporal D'Angelo. You've changed so much I almost didn't recognize you. Your rank went up too."

"Puhah. Could I possibly compare to you, Company Commander? Anyway, it's an honor that you remembered me. I really wanted to meet you again."

The laughing corporal was named Evelyn D'Angelo. When Gyeoul had seen her late last year, she had been a Sergeant attached to the 1st Battalion of the 160th Regiment, Seventh California. The 1st Battalion was a force that had joined Fort Roberts after its garrison, Camp San Luis Obispo, collapsed during the Christmas Eve attack. According to the documents, she had volunteered for the independent company during the unit reorganization.

"You wanted to see me? That's unexpected. Didn't you say you didn't make friends with people who didn't know how to handle cards?"

"Wow, you remember even that? You really are amazing. In all kinds of ways."

"I usually don't forget someone once I've met them. Though names can get a little blurry. The person who was with you back then... Penwood? Right? What happened to him? He looked like he would have a hard time staying in service."

The scale was simply smaller. The shock the 1st Battalion soldiers had experienced back then was no less than what the defeated troops gathering here now had gone through. Private Penwood had severe PTSD symptoms. He stuttered, his hands shook, and he could barely walk properly. Corporal D'Angelo lost her smile and gave a small nod.

"He was discharged in the end. By now, he's probably sunbathing on a beach in Miami."

That was a good thing. It was proof that the people above were still functioning with common sense. Psychological trauma was often treated as less serious than physical trauma. Even the U.S. military, with all its experience in this field, had shown plenty of ugly sides across multiple apocalypses. Once the mood turned bad, thinking tended to become rigid.

Gyeoul turned a page and asked the intelligence officer,

"Lieutenant Murray. It says you also volunteered to come to this Company?"

"As far as I know, not just me, but every Company cadre member except the platoon leaders volunteered to come."

"Ah, really? May I ask why?"

The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, then lifted their chin at parade rest.

"I hope you won't think this is flattery... but it's because Company Commander is here."

Gyeoul turned his gaze.

"Then what about the rest of you?"

The communications officer, who had been watching the mood, answered.

"No objection."

"Objection...? I understand what you mean, but isn't that phrasing a little strange?"

"I apologize. I'm nervous."

It was like watching a recruit who had just entered boot camp. Their career, though, was nothing like that. Lieutenant Todd Evans. Though they had been commissioned only recently, they had fought on the quarantine front from the early days. They even had a record of receiving the Bronze Star for guiding danger-close fire and repelling a mutant horde.

D'Angelo laughed again.

"I heard the competition was fierce. I was lucky to get assigned early, while things were still uncertain."

At that moment, the doorbell chimed. The person who entered was Captain Singh. He saluted Gyeoul. He wore ordinary combat fatigues, but still carried his weapons.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting. Did I miss anything?"

"No. We were just talking about each other. Your turban looks good."

At Gyeoul's words, the captain gave the faintest flinch.

"Thank you."

"I expected it from your name and the blade, but you really are Sikh."

"...You speak as if you already knew about Sikhism."

"I met someone once. That person was also Singh. I heard people who believe in Sikhism all use the same family name? As a religious custom. I was told only men and women differ."

"That is correct in principle, but these days it is not always the case. Young people dislike old traditions. Still, I am glad you already know. What kind of person was the one you met? Was he a soldier, by any chance?"

"Hmm, I suppose I should say a former soldier... Anyway, he was a good person."

It was not from this round, so Gyeoul had no choice but to gloss over it.

"Of course he was."

The captain showed his pride. Fortunately, he did not dig any deeper.

From his blind spot, Gyeoul could see the other cadre members looking a little awkward. It was not dislike. Of course not. According to the records, every one of them had received excellent personality evaluations. There was, of course, a chance they had chosen their answers intelligently.

"In truth, I was worried Company Commander might feel uncomfortable."

That worry might have been why he had deliberately come wearing the turban. To test Gyeoul's reaction.

Gyeoul had actually expected him to arrive in personal combat gear. Even if the garrison was stable and rest after work was guaranteed, the man himself gave off an extremely strict impression.

‘They really mean business.’

That thought was not about Captain Singh. This independent company was also a tool for civil affairs and psychological warfare.

"I was actually worried you might have been uncomfortable, Captain. Was anyone rude to you?"

"..."

The silence was answer enough. Gyeoul let out a short sigh.

"I'm sorry. I'll apologize on their behalf."

"It was their misunderstanding and their fault. You have no need to apologize, Company Commander."

"Still..."

"It was a misunderstanding I was used to anyway. After they found out I was not Muslim, many people apologized... and above all, I came here to fight that misunderstanding."

The captain paused briefly, then spoke again.

"In truth, I do not mind being mistaken for a Muslim. They are also treated unfairly, so if my efforts improve their image as well, that is something to welcome."

He really is a good person. Thinking that, Gyeoul opened Captain Singh's file. The award history showed a Medal for Valor and a Silver Star. In the special notes, there was an assessment calling him a specialist in close combat. He had trained in martial arts for quite a long time.

"This is a question for everyone, but have there been any problems with communication? Is it difficult to get along with the Company members?"

Unlike the front-line platoon leaders, who were all from allied forces, the NCOs and Company Headquarters personnel were filled with people who had been U.S. military from the start. Gyeoul understood the intent behind the formation, but from a commander's perspective, this was something he had to watch.

The reason he had not called the platoon leaders here followed the same logic. He wanted answers that had not been dressed up.

The operations officer, Lieutenant Foster, answered.

"No. Everyone's English is quite good, and... I don't know if it is just my own experience, but when I am present, everyone seems to try to speak in English."

"Aha."

"It's true that I feel a bit of a wall, but I believe time will solve that in the end. If there is anything you wish us to teach them about, please tell us. The educational materials didn't seem accurate."

"Educational materials?"

"We received prior training before deployment. It included precautions for dealing with Korean soldiers. From the start I wondered if it could really be true, but as expected, it was different from reality."

"What did it say...?"

"To give one representative example... It said Korean soldiers believe they may suffocate to death if they sleep with a fan on in an enclosed room, so we should be careful when sharing quarters. It said it could become a cause of conflict and clashes. It was so strange that I asked the soldiers after assuming my post, and most of them did not actually believe it."

"..."

"The materials are over there, so it would be better for you to see them yourself."

Gyeoul took out the document the lieutenant pointed at. Lieutenant Foster, who briefly came closer, pointed out the page for him.

‘It really says that...’

It stated that the material had originally been for educating U.S. Forces Korea. In truth, Gyeoul had also first encountered this superstition in a world reconstructed based on the past. It made him think people in old times really had believed things like this. At the point of 「Days after Apocalypse」, it seemed to have mostly disappeared. Gyeoul shook his head.

"If you just follow ordinary service ethics, there shouldn't be many problems. If something seems strange, ask either the person involved or me. Like you experienced, the soldiers will probably try to adjust for most things."

"Understood."

Rather than saying the Company members were all simply nice, it would be more accurate to say they had no choice.

"Are there any other issues?"

As Gyeoul looked around at everyone again, Captain Singh spoke.

"Communication is fine. What bothers me is the shortage of experienced soldiers."

"I did think they might not be fully adapted to the equipment yet."

Gyeoul tapped the Company equipment list. Perhaps because independent operations were in mind, Humvees and armored vehicles were mixed in. There was even one CBRN reconnaissance armored vehicle. It was hard to see this as simply dumping spare equipment on them. In the modern sense, it was enough to call them a cavalry company.

They had not yet received more than half the equipment, but everything was expected to be ready by the operation start point Major General Rogers had mentioned. Once that happened, there would be no troops walking on foot.

"That is not it. MOS training has been done properly."

"Hm, then you are worried the soldiers may freeze in actual combat, Captain?"

"The exact opposite. The platoon leaders are excessively aggressive, and the soldiers are even blindly obedient, so they lack the flexibility needed in actual combat and do not know when to pull back."

It was an unexpected answer. The image Gyeoul still had of them was nothing like that, but it seemed they had changed a lot while he had been away.

‘I would understand if Jin-seok overdid things to fill the gap I left, but I don't really know about the others...’

Lieutenant Foster agreed.

"I share that view. This Company's first mission, under the provisional name David Task Force, was searching for survivors near Fort Roberts. From the way it felt then, they only worked hard at exactly what they were told to do. Even the platoon leaders should not be like that."

"Hmm..."

"Even Ensigns from West Point often get swallowed by the situation in front of them during real combat. How much worse would platoon leaders commissioned through accelerated training be? Company Commander is the exception among exceptions."

‘Is that so? Had I ever proven my command ability?’ For a moment, Gyeoul was puzzled, but he soon accepted it. Even looking only at the battle near Santa Margarita Lake, they could objectively assess that his field of view had been wide.

Captain Singh added his opinion.

"It is normal for an Ensign to be like a combat boot before it has been broken in. Usually experienced soldiers compensate for that, but the real problem in this Company is that we cannot expect that. I understand why the combat personnel were drawn only from refugee backgrounds, but I think too much attention was paid only to that side."

"I see. Then you are saying we need personnel reinforcements?"

When Gyeoul asked, the captain said yes.

"Most of the soldiers joining us here are personnel who need reassignment. If we pick out people who are still intact after going through that hardship, they will be excellent assets unless they are psychopaths."

It was the accepted view that people immune to PTSD were psychological deformities. But Gyeoul wondered if this case was different. On the quarantine front, guilt over killing was close to nonexistent. Soldiers who still considered mutants human were extremely rare.

"I ended up talking only about the negatives."

It was Lieutenant Foster.

"It is true that they are somewhat rigid. But that means their will to fight is high. In battles against monsters, that is a major advantage. Especially in this situation."

Apparently, the lieutenant was worried Gyeoul might feel hurt. Gyeoul made himself smile.

"Nothing can be perfect from the start. If something is lacking, we can fix it one thing at a time. For that, all of you will have to help me a lot. In truth, I'm only a Major by rank."

"What are you saying..."

Not only Foster, but everyone showed distress. It was a relief that they did not seem to harbor even the slightest doubt about the ability of their suddenly promoted superior. Of course, they had probably selected and sent only people like that in the first place.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Q&A

Q. Kyogre: @Honestly, Author, your age... no, your years... no, your lifespan is around 3,000, is it not? Looking at your writing, you do not feel exactly ancient, more like a dragon lol. P.S. Around what chapter do you expect the ending? Since we keep going back and forth between Ossuary and Halkeginia, I am curious when this will end and what will happen to Halkeginia.

A. Questions about the final chapter count keep coming up. Hmm, as I have said before, I am really terrible at predicting length... I do think it will not reach 400 chapters, no matter how many there are.

As for Halkeginia... I will write it, if only because the development I thought up would be a waste... The problem is that I will be unemployed until I release my next commercial work. Writing is my livelihood, after all. Haha.

Q. FallenAbaddon: @Have you maybe played a game called Dying Light?? It feels like those church people are doing something like the religious group in the Dying Light expansion, like injecting the virus.

A. I do want to play it, but I have not yet. My specs are not enough, and the game is expensive too... I am planning to get a graphics card in the one-million-won range by next Christmas, so I might try it then.

Q. ClearFlowLotus: @It feels like it has been a long time since I commented! During that time, I was only recommending and reading. In small ways, there were ten rereads of Ossuary and twenty rereads of Seal Breaker. I hope Author does not get hurt by comments. (Omitted) It may be foolish to judge an author only by the form of the work, but even so, I believe Author is a good person, and I expect you will show an even better form of childlike innocence. Fighting! oso)/

A. Please understand that I omitted part of the comment because of the Author’s Note length issue. But you read Ossuary ten times and Seal Breaker twenty times?... Uh, is this perhaps a summer horror special? I suddenly feel the temperature dropping.

Anyway, thank you for the kind words. I am not sure whether I am a good person. First, I will try to become a person. oso)/

Q. Calpis: @Can Gyeoul stop a helicopter by grabbing it like Captain America?

A. I have not seen all the Captain America movies, so I cannot really picture what scene this is. Hmm, grabbing a helicopter?... Would that not be impossible?

Q. OneChance: @Watching the Black guy say, "We Americans like war, damn it," reminded me of that officer from the movie Forrest Gump whose name I cannot remember, the one whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all died in battle lol. America really does go to war every time people almost forget...

A. That person was probably Lieutenant Dan. I remember the line "Lieutenant Dan?" As you said, they fight at least one major war almost every generation.

Q. GodofDestruction: The person who created this Joara comment culture in the first place... Some works will not answer questions unless you use the at sign, so really. It is not like they are discriminating, but in those cases I wonder if they even read my comment. Personally, I dislike this Joara culture where you have to express it like "please pay attention to me." - I am enjoying the work. I end up paying for Noblesse every month only for this work.

A. It is difficult to answer every comment, and I also feel a little self-conscious about answering only comments with the at sign. There have been people for a while who said they disliked Author’s Notes getting long... I tried saying that it was okay not to read them, but there is nothing I can do about people who feel disappointed when they thought pages were left, only for the Author’s Note to appear. Since readers' demands contradict one another, I think answering at signs is the best option for now.

Even now, I wonder if the Author’s Note is getting too long...

Q. BurningToDeath: @The DLC talk reminded me, there is that munchkin package, right? The one viewers buy and give to streamers. They say DLC has extra fees depending on viewer count, so if viewers gift something like a munchkin package, does the recipient have to pay an extra fee too?

A. It depends on the type of DLC. Things like ammunition supply generally do not have extra fees, and celebrity packages usually do. Like a guarantee fee.

Q. TradeWagon: @I think a presidential election was mentioned in the distant past. Are they not doing it yet?

A. The time in the story is May, and the U.S. presidential election is in November.

Q. Serfu: This is a fundamental question I had while reading. When the Chairman traded for Gyeoul's body in the first place, why did he not give him a newly cultivated clone body? The Chairman is the only one who rejects clones. If Gyeoul can live in a clone body instead of dying, would that not be fine? Then there would be no need to worry about disposal, and judging from later descriptions, cultivating clones seems quite fast. Or could he not make him a clone body even now?

A. This is a question I answered once before. First, from the Chairman's position, it is a useless extra expense. Clone cultivation costs more, and in the Chairman's words, it is not economical. Above all, he purchased the exclusive usage rights to the body. There is no way the Chairman, who wants to start a new life in a new form, would tolerate someone else using the same body.

Q. Irrefutable: @I am enjoying the story. I do think it is natural, in a way, that you cannot do one chapter per day at this level of quality, but either way, it is unfortunate. I want to help somehow, but as you always said, you will not accept it, so if I buy a Noblesse pass and donate coupons or tickets, does it have much effect? I feel like they will take a lot out in the middle.

A. Uh... It does have an effect. Without manuscript fee coupons, I do not make one million won a month. Noblesse distributes revenue based on views.

I will omit some comment answers because of the Author’s Note length issue. Please understand even if that displeases you.

Footnotes:

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