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Chapter 14
Note: I strongly recommend reading the manga for this series. You can read it on MangaDex here. The first 10 chapters cover up to this chapter.
Also, this TL is MTL and the first time I’ve done this so I apologize for any mistakes. There is an ongoing translation of the light novel that you can read here.
Cheers to everyone reading this in 2025! Link to artist’s twitter.
You can download the PDF version of each volume here, though there won’t be any TL notes or as much fan art.
Finally, here is the link to join and hang out in the discord!
I narrowly escaped death thanks to the support of my somewhat scary-looking colleague Rodri.
Rodri’s attack caused blood to spurt out of the enemy soldier like a fountain, rendering him unable to move.
While his timing was perfect, I wish he had thought about the direction the blood would spill after stabbing the enemy in the neck…
“Ahh! My arm, my arm!!”
“Corporal!”
I took a towel out of my backpack and wiped my face, then turned to Corporal Verdi, whose arm had been cut off earlier.
From what I could see, the part that was cut was just above the elbow. The cut was pretty clean, so I thought it would heal if he received treatment soon.
I’ll request medical treatment once the Platoon Leader returns.
“Corporal Verdi, please pick up the severed arm and come over to the trench wall! I’ll stop the bleeding!”
“Ugh, ugh! O-Okay..”
When healing in a trench, you should crouch close to the front wall to make it harder for you to be detected if the enemy charges in.
Well, I have orders to keep an eye on Platoon Leader Garback, so I have to keep my head above the trench.
“I… I picked it up!”
“I’ll clean the wound now. There’s no time for painkillers, so just grit your teeth.”
“Y-Yes. Gaaah! Aaah!”
I continued treating the Corporal’s wound while occasionally glancing at the battlefield.
To prevent infection, I opened the lid of the saline solution in my backpack and rinsed the wound, then wiped it clean and applied pressure with clean gauze.
At the same time, I saw Platoon Leader Garback jump out of the trench on the left. I guess he’ll be coming back soon.
“The bleeding has stopped. You won’t die from blood loss, so please wait patiently. I will request medical treatment once the Platoon Leader returns.”
“Eh? Wait, aren’t you going to use healing magic right away?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have the authority to use healing magic. I need permission from the Platoon Leader.”
I said this and handed him the rest of the saline solution I had used to clean the wound.
“Please drink this.”
It’s important to rehydrate after losing blood.
“Oh, I see. Then, Medic Second Class Touri, I order you to use healing magic on me.”
“Eh? Ah, um…”
“I want to return to the front lines as soon as possible, so could you please treat me?”
Corporal Verdi’s words left me slightly confused. Now that I think about it, Corporal Verdi is a higher-ranking officer than me.
In that case, I can use healing magic if Corporal Verdi gives me the order.
Right…?
“Please hurry, my arm might not reattach if we wait too long!”
“…”
No, let’s stay calm. I don’t want to be “disciplined” by Platoon Leader Garback for using healing magic without his permission.
It’s a matter of command authority. Does Corporal Verdi have command authority over me?
Let’s clarify the command structure calmly.
The platoon leader, Sergeant Garback, has command authority over all of his subordinates.
This platoon consists of two squads: the Allen Reconnaissance Unit and the Verdi Infantry Unit.
These two squads, plus myself as a medic, make up the Garback Platoon.
As squad leaders, Senior Allen and Corporal Verdi each have command authority only over the members of their own squad.
As a non-infantryman, I am not part of either squad. I report directly to Platoon Leader Garback.
In other words,
“I’m very sorry, Corporal Verdi, but as I understand it, you do not have command authority over me.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, the treatment deadline for an amputated arm is still a few hours away. There’s still plenty of time.”
“H-Hey, wait!”
That’s right, not just any officer with a higher rank can order me to perform treatment.
If that were allowed, then Senior Gray, a private first class, would be able to give orders to me as he pleases.
However, when Senior Gray was injured previously, he requested treatment from the Platoon Leader through Senior Murrue, who was the squad leader at the time.
In other words, if I were to treat Corporal Verdi without his permission, both I and the Corporal would face harsh consequences.
“I need to keep a close eye on Sergeant Garback, so I will be off now.”
“Wait, my arm has been cut off!? I’m sure I would be given permission for treatment even without checking with Platoon Leader Garback! Just because I don’t have that kind of command authority, that’s ridiculous!”
“This is not ridiculous. Orders are absolute.”
Corporal Verdi shook my shoulders in an anxious voice, but I was firm.
I have already been disciplined twice for disobeying orders. If I disobey orders again…
“Orders are absolute.”
“Eh? T-Touri?”
“No, I really don’t want to be disciplined anymore. I’m sorry, Corporal Verdi. Please wait for the Platoon Leader to return.”
If I make another mistake, I’ll face an even harsher punishment than before.
Just thinking about Platoon Leader Garback’s angry face makes my body tremble uncontrollably.
I endure his discipline to avoid angering him any further, but his iron fists hurt like death.
“I hope you can accept that…”
“I… I’m sorry. I lost my cool. As you said, I had no authority to command Touri.”
“I’m glad you understand, Corporal.”
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I was being unreasonable.”
Apparently, I looked very pale, which made Corporal Verdi worried instead.
I’ve just realized that Platoon Leader Garback has apparently left me with quite a trauma.
Because of that, I have been made to obey the Platoon Leader’s orders without question.
Is that also his aim?
“Oh, look. The Platoon Leader is coming this way.”
“It looks like he finished over there.”
Meanwhile, that fearsome man returned.
Platoon Leader Garback made his way across the battlefield, gunfire flying, slashing, and killing enemy soldiers.
I felt that this was more frightening than the enemy that had attacked me earlier.
***
“It looks like the assault is over. Alright, go ahead and treat Verdi.”
“Thank you, sir.”
My decision not to treat him without his permission turned out to be the right one. When I asked the Platoon Leader about treating Corporal Verdi, he replied, “Wait until the battle is over.”
Platoon Leader Garback had no intention of allowing his subordinates to use healing magic until his own safety is ensured.
If I had carelessly followed Corporal Verdi’s orders, I would probably have been shot to death.
“[Heal].”
“O-Ohhh?”
“Corporal, please don’t move. I’m going to bandage you up.”
Using the magical power I somehow managed to muster, I managed to stick Corporal Verdi’s arm together.
…It feels like the effect might be a bit weak. Maybe I didn’t have enough magic power.
“Platoon Leader, Corporal Verdi was given emergency treatment. He will need continued treatment at the field hospital in order to make a full recovery.”
“Thought so. Alright, get him over to the hospital.”
Not confident in my treatment, I decided to have him head to the field hospital.
Will this be ok? Won’t the strap come loose and cause his wrist to fall off while he’s walking?
To prevent that, I’ll apply a bit of extra binding.
“Ah, Platoon Leader. Before Verdi leaves… should we go and do ‘that?’”
“No… There’s no need to salute Naridome.”
The Platoon Leader said this as he glanced at Naridome’s body, which was lying on the ground with a hole in its forehead.
By “that,” he means… the salute we do when someone dies in battle.
“Dead anyway. A recruit who has given up hope isn’t going to be of any use on the battlefield.”
With a look of complete indifference, Platoon Leader Garback turned away from Naridome’s body.
***
“…Hey, Rodri.”
“Ah?”
Rodri was tasked with carrying Naridome’s body to the rear.
In this unit, carrying the bodies of comrades is the job of the newest recruit.
“Thank you for today.”
“Huh? What’re you talking about?”
Today, my life was saved by Rodri, a foul-mouthed rookie in my platoon.
So, I figured I’d at least thank him, but… his reply was just a puzzled look.
“Umm, you saved me when I was in a dangerous spot.”
“I did?”
“You know, when that enemy soldier jumped into the trench?”
“Oh… right, you were close to dying then.”
It seems he didn’t even realize he’d saved me.
To him, it was just…
“There was an enemy in front of me with his back turned, so I just killed him.”
“…”
Yes, that’s right. He hadn’t given my safety a second thought.
“Actually, why didn’t you fight back when the enemy was right in front of you? Are you even motivated to fight?”
“I’m a medic. I wasn’t issued any combat equipment.”
“What are those arms for? What are those teeth for biting into? Even without a weapon, if an enemy is in front of you, you should be trying to kill him.”
With a sneer, Rodri pointed a finger at me.
“You were the least useful person on the battlefield today. No one here’s going to go out of their way to save you.”
“…”
“I killed the enemy because I could, that’s all. Don’t be creepy and try to get all chummy with me. Do you want me to protect you or something?”
He spat those words out.
“The thing I hate most is people who are weak but good at sucking up to others. Like you.”
“I see…”
“Don’t ever talk to me again, damn it.”
With those words, Rodri turned away and walked away.
While dragging the body of Private Naridome.
***
That night, after the Platoon Leader had ordered me to rest, I sank into the trench as usual and drifted off to sleep.
I close my eyes under the night sky, grateful to have survived today.
Though Naridome was no longer with us, just in case, I asked to sleep next to Senior Gray again.
Senior Gray seemed happy about something, but Rodlri was looking at me with eyes like he was looking at trash.
“Man, I can’t wait to kill more tomorrow.”
“…”
Rodri’s grumbling echoes throughout the trenches in the middle of the night.
He isn’t here fighting reluctantly, but is here with a clear determination to fight.
I suppose that’s the right mindset. At the same time, I feel like he looks down on me since I can only heal.
It’s a bit uncomfortable.
“…”
At a time like this, I can’t help but think about Salsa again.
When I first met him, I felt he was unreliable and treated him carelessly, thinking of him as a careless and stupid colleague.
“Number 1 Salsa, gonna have a nude dance!”
“Touri’s still young, you know, she’s still 15 years old. Let’s hold off on the indecent
discussions, Senior.”
“I repeat the order: I shall protect Second Class Medic Touri even at the cost of my life.”
Salsa really was the best comrade I could ask for. He was friendly, gentlemanly, and didn’t swear.
If he had survived, how much solace he would have brought me?
It was only after I lost him that I truly appreciated Salsa’s existence.
This is a manga exclusive scene not in the WN/LN that adds more characterization to Garback.
Also, here are light novel illustrations for WN chapters 1, 2, 7, and 8 as well as the manga covers that are out. Volume 3 in the manga starts around this chapter in the WN.
Note [02/13/26]: An official English translation for the light novel has been announced. Link here.
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5 responses to “Chapter 14”
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Peak
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Thanks for the chapter!! 🥲
I just read the latest chapter of Conqueror of Dying Kingdom the other day and now this. I was listening to the music player and Sacrifice from Rwby played. Sadness overload and I think Im gonna cry again.
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Forgot to mention, its chapter 313 of Conqueror of Dying Kingdom
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Thank you very much! It’s been a great read so far
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