American Isekai - Chapter 143 (Patreon)

The one good thing about having a slow partner was that I didn’t have to move fast. I could easily perform well above standards, but that didn’t mean I wanted to. Vigor preserved my strength and stamina for me, and I had developed more than enough of those two things during my time at the Magisterium. 

Plus, I was pretty sure that these instructors knew exactly who I was. Maybe they gave me the short end of the stick on purpose, but I didn’t feel any ill intentions and they were treating me rather courteously all things considered. It was only Sein that they were getting on. All their yelling was directed at him while I was just told to keep pushing him for them. 

So long as my life wasn't made more difficult, I was a-okay with anything they gave me. I didn’t even care about running all day. The only irritation was them cutting into my sleepy time, of which there was already little. 

As our first night approached, we finally managed to get called in for dinner. By that time Sein was nothing more than rags. I, on the other hand, had a little pep in my step. I was hungry after missing lunch.

I jumped in line behind everyone, getting served a portion of each food type they had before heading to find a table. Along the way I smelled the musky odor of sweating young adults. Nothing I wasn’t used to, however, given my experience in sports. Not much got worse than a full locker room after practice. 

“John!”

I heard a light voice, turning and finding Abby waving from her own table. 

I smiled and walked over, sitting down across from her. 

“Hey Abby.”

“Hi! How was running? That boy seems to be weighing you down.”

“Heh, that’s one way to put it. But I’m not actually running so all is good on my end.”

I chuckled a little bit. Abby seemed happy go lucky but she had a sense of humor. 

I asked.

“Who’s your partner?”

“Her name is Henrietta. And she’s nice. If not a bit loud…”

“Abbyyy~!”

At that moment there was a prolonged call. A girl came running over, from my guesses Henrietta. 

She jumped into the seat next to Abby, bumping her with her shoulder and setting down her tray. 

My face fell. Red hair, pale skin, no freckles. She looked like a near carbon copy of Henry Holler. 

“John!”

Speak of the devil. I heard another call as Henry came running over with his partner, the two sitting down next to me. 

“Meet Jacks Smithson! He’s my partner!”

“Sup.”

I nodded to them before burying my nose in my food. My eyes occasionally glanced between Henrietta and Henry. 

I asked the girl between bites of food. 

“Henrietta, what’s your surname?”

“Hitchens! And you’re John Cooper, yes?”

“That’s right, this is John Cooper from the Magisteriu-!”

“Holler, shut up.”

“Yes sir!”

I got a salute, Abby stifling another laugh as I went back to eating. 

At some point I heard some heavy breathing, finding Sein heading to an empty table in the back with a tray of food. 

Henry nudged my arm.

“It seems you got the runt, John. You have my sympathies.”

“It’s fine. It’s just basic training.”

“Still. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen someone so… unfit for the military.”

I took another silent glance at Sein. Henry was right. It was almost like the guy was trying to be as unfit as possible. Maybe he was just scared shitless of the military, a fear that compounded into several other issues which culminated into the pitiful form before us. 

Well, at least the one thing he was good at was eating. I watched him inhale the entire tray of food before sitting in silent contemplation, maybe shame. Unfortunately for him, there were no seconds. 

I cleaned off the rest of my tray. The food was bland, hopefully at least nutrient dense. 

“I just need to get through these 6 weeks and I can move on. I don’t care about being weighed down. None of this has any bearing on the future.”

“Certainly not for the Magisterium’s top elite. But for others… impressions mean a bit more.”

Henry’s voice went down to a mutter, Henrietta’s head bobbing in agreement. 

Another reminder that I couldn’t allow myself to be insignificant. Otherwise I’d be tossed around at the whims of those who saw me as nothing more than a statistic, another number to throw at the Scourge. 

For those with no noble backing and no obscene talent, staying safe in the military was probably far more difficult than it would be for me. At least I’d have eyes on me. I’d have value to bigger players. They wouldn’t, and they’d be treated accordingly. 

I glanced around the chow hall. 100 trainees and I couldn’t see a bright future for any of them. None of them mattered, none of them would survive. They’d all be decimated as the Scourge flooded in by the millions, just another 100 deaths to add to the other hundreds of thousands.

“5 minutes, trainees! If you’re not formed up in the Bay before then, all of you will be joining Cooper and Narren on their extra 5 miles!”

“Yes sir!”

Resounding shouts echoed through the hall as a few dozen eyes fell on me. That’s right. We got some more running tonight. 

Everyone rushed out and formed up. The sun was passing twilight, the sky fading from purple to black. A few magic lights illuminated the Bay where we all gathered well before the 5 minute deadline. 

Two instructors stood before us as we stood at attention, sitting there for a few minutes before barking. 

“Listen up! Lights go off two hours past sundown every night! That’s curfew, and unless expressly ordered, none of you are to be found beyond the Bay after curfew under any circumstance! If there is an emergency that we absolutely need to know about, medical or otherwise, you are to report to my quarters right over there in the east sector of the dormitory, room 1. Otherwise, being found outside the Bay after curfew will land you with official disciplinary action! To that end, none of you are allowed to travel beyond the dormitory without your assigned partner! They must remain in contact with you at all times! Do you understand that, trainees?!”

“Yes sir!”

Another shout that echoed off the walls of the dorms. Then, the instructor waved. 

“Then for tonight, all of you are to retire! Cooper and Narren, remain in your positions until given further instructions! Dismissed!”

Everyone saluted and made their way to the dorms. The instructors also walked off, no intention of giving us further instructions anytime soon. 

I let out a long sigh, and simply stood their at attention as everyone left. We were soon left alone in the middle of the Bay, chilly winds and dark landscapes our only company. That, and Sein’s still-heavy breathing. 

“...Sorry.”

“I don’t like apologies.”

“...”

Sein went quiet after my rebuttal. But it was not without thought. I really didn’t like apologies, a philosophy I carried from a well respected family member of mine. 

I glanced at him in the corner of my eye, waiting a few seconds before muttering. 

“Apologies mean nothing and do nothing for anyone. The only thing that matters is your recompense. In this case, what do you need to do in order to fix this situation?”

“...Keep up.”

“Exactly. So keep up, or work until you can. That will be your apology. I don’t care about anything else so long as you’re doing that.”

“...Yes sir…”

With those words we went silent, and then waited an entire hour until the instructor emerged from the dorms. 

“Cooper! Report!”

“Sir!”

I turned and ran over, the instructor heading past the entrance into the dorms. 

Once on the other side and away from the chilly breeze, I saluted in front of him. 

He spoke first.

“At ease. I understand the situation clearly, Cooper. Nobody with an eye on your name is going to care about your performance here. I’ve got orders to get you through this and out of here without delay. And although you still need to meet the bare minimum standards, don’t worry about being held back by the sack of fat out there. We only paired him with you so that we can ship him out faster, otherwise he’d be going through round after round of basic training with no end in sight. You’ll be compensating for him in a way. And not without reason. We could have picked someone else…”

He trialed off for a second before sighing. 

“Let’s just say it’s another case of nepotism. So please, bear with it. 6 weeks and you’ll never have to deal with this again. Understood?”

“...Understood sir.”

“Good. Now head back out and do 2 miles, then retire. Any more might kill that kid out there.”

“Sir!”

I saluted before jogging out, waving Sein along for the 2 miles. 

He didn’t say anything as we ran, and I didnt allow him to stop. As I had said before, he had to move, no matter how slow. I didn’t care if he had to crawl. He would continue moving forward until the 2 miles was done. 

I ran ahead and did both miles, taking no more than 15 minutes. I didn’t want to be completely idle during these 6 weeks. Plus, breaking a sweat felt nice in the cool night. 

After that I walked with Sein until he finished the second mile, after which he basically had to crawl back to the dorms. 

I washed up and retired right before the lights went out. Sein laid down on the floor without even washing, filling the room with an unhealthy odor. Unfortunately he passed out before I could even say anything.  

So I equipped my hood, the mask filtering out the odor. Thankfully it was comfortable enough to wear to sleep, sparing me the irritation. 

And so our first day ended. 

……

The first week went by slowly, but that was only because everything happening was new. Once we settled into a routine, each day seemed to fly. 

Unfortunately for Sein, things got much worse before they got better. I could practically hear his creaking joints and limbs on the second day, the previous day’s trials taking their toll, and the instructors not knowing the concept of mercy or recovery days. 

Every day of the first week required 4 miles of running in the morning. After that we moved on to drills that instilled all the proper forms for saluting and standing at attention. I couldn’t count how many hours they just made us stand outside while going off and doing their own thing. Sometimes we missed lunch because of that. 

Anything else was all educational. We were taught everything we’d need to know, such as the ranks, their names, and their insignias for both infantry and intelligence ranks. We also learned protocol for communication and appearance, such as when to wear dress uniforms, when to wear fatigues, and how to take care of all our gear. It was all standard stuff that I had no issues following. And I was a summoner so forgetting anything wasn’t really allowed, not that it wasn’t simple. 

For one, the infantry ranks almost always directly corresponded to the person’s Authority. And they were as follows:

A-1: Ensign (Blank Insignia)

A-2: First Ensign (One Stripe)

A-3: Corporal (Two Stripes)

A-4: Sergeant (Three Stripes)

A-5: Master Sergeant (Three Stripes w/ One Arrow)

A-6: First Sergeant (Three Stripes w/ Two Arrows)

A-7: Commander (Three Stripes w/ Three Arrows)

A-8: First Commander (One Sword)

A-9: Chief (Two Crossed Swords)

A-10: Brigadier (Dragon and Sword)

Anybody who went above Authority 10 within infantry was required to train for the intelligence ranks, because by then they would be trusted and powerful enough to lead massive amounts of troops. At the very least, they needed to understand the wider picture, as they themselves were strategic weapons capable of altering the face of a battlefield. 

And that led into the Intelligence ranks:

I-1: Ensign (Blank Insignia)

I-2: Lieutenant (One Silver Bar)

I-3: Officer (Two Silver Bars)

I-4: Captain (Three Silver Bars)

I-5: Major (One Vertical Arrow)

I-6: Lieutenant Colonel (Two Crossed Arrows)

I-7: Colonel (Three Arrows)

I-8: Brigadier General (Dragon w/ One Pair Wings)

I-9: Major General (Dragon w/ Two Pair Wings)

I-10: General (Dragon w/ Three Pair Wings)

I-11: Marshal (One Crystal Star)

I-12: Sovereign (Custom Insignia)

The title of Sovereign was exclusive to Authority 12s. They were the pillars of the Kingdom’s combat power as well as the leading authority on, well, everything. They may not be the greatest tacticians, especially considering that there were many more summoners who were several times smarter, but nobody could trump their sheer power. That alone was the deciding factor most of the time regarding major decisions. 

Still, most of the work involving leading the military fell to the Marshals. That was the rank of Umara’s mother Talexia. Though considering some of the things I’d heard, Talexia only became a Marshal because she had to. Apparently all the paperwork fell to her husband, the poor man. 

Another detail I learned was how one person could hold two ranks. Unlike on Earth however, one rank didn’t inherently supersede the other. An A-4 Sergeant was a higher rank than an I-3 Officer, but equivalent to an I-4 Captain, and underneath an I-5 Major. 

The intelligence ranks were mostly composed of weaklings, putting it simply. Many ordinary people who enlisted went there and carried out logistics. Summoners went there too, and they were often trained into higher intelligence roles, getting put in front of the intellectually demanding tasks such as tactics. 

Because of that, they coudn’t be allowed to outrank all the infantry ranks like officers did in Earth’s militaries. Those with actual power wouldn’t allow themselves to be ordered around by some powerless summoner. Only if that summoner outranked them directly would they be forced to comply, and even then it depended. 

But there were those with power who also took to the intelligence roles, and when that happened, they would sport two ranks. They could be both an A-6 First Sergeant while also being an I-4 Captain, and they would wear both insignias, one on each shoulder. 

These were all things that they taught at the Magisterium, though I hadn’t been there long enough to learn them. Now I was though and it was nice to put things into perspective. 

Umara’s mother stood at the peak of the Kingdom’s military, holding some of the most devastating power humanity had to offer in that little feminine body. Thinking of it that way, I felt weird about treating her the way I did. That thought only lasted for a second though. She was just a nice lady, and would eventually be my mother-in-law. Like Umara, she was also too pretty to look scary. 

…

“Report to the Bay in 5 minutes!”

Everyone heard the announcement, rushing to the Bay and lining up in formation. 

There was silence before the instructor continued. 

“The second week is upon us, and now, we will be shifting into combat and formation drills! All of you must know how to operate when called upon to fight! You must know how to stand on a wall, how to obey commands given by your commanding officers, how to launch spells, and where your presence will be appropriate in combat scenarios! Teaching you all how to conduct yourselves in and out of combat will take no less then three weeks, starting now! All of you, double time to the eastern fort walls! Move, trainees!”

With shouts we were herded and sent off toward the walls of Fort Lauder. Those walls weren’t here for defense, but education. 

Once at the walls we were rushed up the stairs and lined up on the ramparts. When I looked back at the base from that vantage point, I could see some of the other squadrons being trained and drilled. We were only one group of many. 

“Cooper, step aside.”

I turned when I was called, finding another instructor waving me over. Right then, the warlocks listened in as they were taught standard procedure. 

I, on the other hand, got some private instruction. 

“You’re a summoner and I’ve heard about your weapons. You’re a ranged fighter, so most of what we’ll tell you here will be applicable in some way. However, anything relating specifically to spells will go right over your head. All I want you to do is follow along the procedure. You’ve been up on walls before, so you should have a good idea of what’s expected.”

“Yes sir.”

I acknowledged. Although I usually ended up doing my own thing, that was only when I was trying to kill as many as possible. Here, that wasn’t necessary. I would just shoot once whenever they told us to fire. It would be too easy. 

“Alright, 5 groups spread out along the wall! On my count, one section will unleash a simple spell at the targets down below. You will await your turn and fire precisely when we tell you to, not a moment before or after! Is that understood, trainees?!”

“Yes sir!”

“Then divide!”

Some other instructors came and separated the 5 groups. I was put into one, and once set up, each group formed a long line that spanned the entire portion of the wall we were on. 

I looked down and found some massive targets set up on the side of boulders. 

The first instructor yelled. 

“Section 1, ready! Fire!”

With his word all the warlocks scrambled to get their spells off, weak or otherwise. A variety of elements crashed down around the targets, pelting it with fire, which was doused by water, and the steam carried off by gusts of wind and dust. 

The boulder was hardly harmed, and the next instructor stepped up. 

It was my turn. I slung an M1 Garand and aimed through the irons, finding a smaller target a bit farther away. My safety flicked off right when I heard the instructor. 

“Section 2, ready! Fire!”

I pulled the trigger a half second after his command came, the crack of my gun echoing in the distance as my bullet richocheted off the rocky target. I heard a slight buzz. 

And sure enough, dozens of eyes floated over my way. I glanced around before focusing back on the targets beyond the walls. Using my vision with the sights on my guns was still an art I was perfecting. Might as well make an otherwise boring exercise productive. 

“Section 3, ready! Fire!”