After a slightly unpleasant night, I was assigned to the field hospital again.
[There was another major offensive on the southern front.]
[...….]
I found myself utterly shocked and bewildered by the sheer number of patients who were in critical condition.
There shouldn't have been any skirmishes recently, but a huge number of wounded people had been brought in.
From what I heard, they were apparently transferred from the southern front.
[I'm sorry for hurrying you, Touri-chan. I know you've already started your rounds, but please go to Ward D.]
[Yes, I understand.]
Yes, this front to which I belong was divided into several medical zones.
The frontlines, spanning nearly 100 km, are divided into three sectors, with medical headquarters established in the northern, southern and central regions respectively.
Field hospitals are being built in tents behind the front, with supplies and assistance from those headquarters.
[We aren't carefree handling the matters here... but it seems things are rougher in the south.]
The Central Medical Headquarters, to which I belong, is the largest in size. It's directly overseen by Head Medic Gale.
That's why, if there are too many wounded to be handed in the southern or northern fronts, they are sometimes transported here.
[I feel like the enemy offensive has intensified as of late. ...Touri-chan, you be careful too.]
[Yes, thank you.]
Last night on the southern front, a major offensive took place and there was a considerable amount of casualties.
As a result, our troops were forced to retreat by 30-40 m, but it's estimated that the enemy's losses were more than double ours.
[Touri-chan, please hang on and survive longer.]
[...? Yes, I will try.]
A jintori battle, with the lives of endless numbers of people as the chips at stake.
I feel like this place really has too much disregard for human life.
For the sake of Salsa-kun, who sacrificed his life to protect me, I can't afford to neglect any efforts to survive.
[Well then, if you'll excuse me, Head Medic Gale.]
[Yes, we're just a little more to go.]
Giving a salute to the Head Medic, I went to the hospital beds as instructed.
At this point, my mind was preoccupied with the day's work, which was surely going to be busy.
[I'm so close to exposing that madman's misdeeds after all...]
Maybe that's why...
I didn't catch the mutterings of Head Medic Gale as I left the tent.
[Uwahhh, that sucks.]
[Well, I knew stuff like that would happen. The guys at the front only see us women as prey.]
On this day, I found a moment during my treatment duties to consult with female Medic Senpais.
The consultation was about countermeasures against sexual harassment by men.
[I can still put up with being touched, but I'd refuse doing something that would get me killed. Last night, I was seriously almost killed.]
[To be honest, I can't even handle being touched by them. The men at the front freaking stink.]
[Yeah, they're just gross.]
[Can't I do something about it?]
I don't want another incident like last night. If I can take some measures in my own way, I'd like to put it into practice.
[In that case, why don't you get a boyfriend in your platoon? Having a boyfriend with as much status as possible would be better.]
[...A boyfriend huh.]
[Yeah, why don't you try hitting on your Platoon Leader? They'd probably hesitate to make a move on a superior officer's woman.]
[Ehhh, but I don't like the idea of having an assault soldier for a boyfriend. He'll just die in no time.]
[Isn't that exactly why there'd be no future trouble for you?]
[...….]
...She might have a point but...
I'm not comfortable with the idea of having a boyfriend. I was a man in my previous life after all.
Well, if I certainly have a boyfriend (?) like Platoon Leader Garback, I don't think anyone would dare attack me.
However, I just can't imagine that violent man being my boyfriend. I mean, just the thought of that is too scary, so I'd like to excuse myself out of that.
As for Corporal Verdi... He doesn't seem to be the violent type of guy, but well, he's kinda like... that.
[Even if she has a boyfriend though, wouldn't a broken-down recruit just attack her without a care in the world?]
[You're right, if they attack you in your sleep in desperation, there's nothing you can do about it. Why don't you talk to your superior and ask to keep you at a distance?]
[That would mean she had to walk a bit, but Touri-chan can also ask to be stationed here in the field hospital where she can sleep.]
[I wonder if Platoon Leader will allow that though.]
Staying overnight at the field hospital, that's definitely something he wouldn't allow, right?
After all, during sudden defense operations, you can never know how long it will take for me to get into position if I'm sleeping at the field hospital.
[In the first place, hospital beds are also never safe. I've been attacked by a patient while I was sleeping here.]
[...…..]
[Being touched during medical examinations is also just an everyday thing. They deliberately put their hands on our chests that their intentions are just obvious.]
[I let them off the hook because they're gonna die anyway... but it just doesn't feel good.]
It seems the Senpais are already used to being sexually harassed by the soldiers.
It's strangely fortunate that I haven't experienced something that extreme yet.
[Well, yeah. At Touri-chan's age, only people with unusual tastes would even consider touching you.]
[Touri-chan certainly is cute, but your physique doesn't exactly stimulate sexual desire.]
[You're the type of person people would want as a daughter or a sister. You're also an obedient child.]
[H- Huh...]
...I see, it seems I was fortunate to have a childlike physique. Not only am I already at the minimum age for military service at 15, but I also look younger than my age.
Thankfully, most people probably don't see me as any sort of target.
However, on the flip side, does that mean that after a few years, when I've grown up, I'd become more vulnerable to such attacks?
[For the time being, be careful of that pedophile freak who attacked you. Freaks like them will definitely do such a thing again.]
[Try to sleep next to someone who is likely to protect you.]
[Understood.]
Someone who might protect me.
...What comes to mind are the faces of the slightly gaudy Grey-senpai and the calm veteran Allen-senpai.
From now on, let's ask one of them to let me sleep next to them.
[Well, don't worry. Worst case scenario, if you get pregnant, military regulations will have you flown to the rear by your last month of pregnancy.]
[....]
[So, if there's really nothing you can do, you can just let things happen.]
Now that she mentioned it, female soldiers who became pregnant were transferred to the rear.
In exchange for having an unwanted pregnancy, I'm starting to feel like it might be worth it if it means escaping from this hell.
[Have there been such people before?]
[Yes, there were. It's just, the one I know had a miscarriage due to overwork in the Medic services and killed herself from the shock.]
[.....]
Well, with such harsh working conditions, miscarriage is certainly bound to happen.
What a disgusting story.
[I mean, Touri-chan, you got a boyfriend back home?]
[You got any experience?]
[Ah, no. I'm...]
[It seems like the frontline guys are going to get seriously attacked one day. If you don't have any experience, it's better you find a good guy and cast aside your first time.]
[Among the Medics here, I'd recommend the Manager. His parents are very rich!]
And without much fruitful information, the senpais moved on to talk about love life.
This is the front line of the war, and there's little supply of hobbies or luxury goods.
So, the only common pastime for the girls in the medical department seems to be that.
[In fact, there's this adult world where you can earn money with that... but I guess it's a bit too early for Touri-chan?]
[No, you shouldn't invite her to that. How old do you think she is?]
[...]
And it seems that that rumor of "medics prostituting themselves" that Grey-san had mentioned before seemed to be true.
These women around me probably do those things.
[If you're interested, I can introduce you to someone I think is safe.]
It seems like I talked to the wrong people.
I genuinely felt that way.
It was probably around the evening of that day...
[Quick announcement, there has been an offensive on the front line! All personnel, please be on alert.]
[...…..]
Such an alarm roared through the field hospital.
Seemingly conducting an unrelenting onslaught, the enemy forces were on the offensive again today.
[Again!? There are no more sickbeds left!]
Head Medic Gale screamed.
It's no wonder, they've been attacking us three days in a row.
Could it be that the enemy has become numb and is planning for an all-out attack?
[Second Class Medic Touri! Platoon Leader Garback wants you to return to your unit.]
[Yes, understood.]
Since it was a defensive battle, I, who belonged to a platoon, was naturally called back to the front line.
I already knew this, but it seems the option of avoiding going on a mission while working at the hospital really doesn't exist.
[Touri-chan, don't panic and check your equipment carefully before heading out. You'll be under fire only for a few hours there.]
[Understood, Head Medic.]
At this time, the sound of explosions was already echoing from the distant frontmost line.
I don't know whether to be thankful or not, but there's plenty of time to spare until this bombardment is over.
Enough time for me, who was in the field hospital, to rush to the front line.
[...…]
The enemy offensive has gradually intensified.
Perhaps the enemy is getting impatient.
They may have been forcing themselves to attack in order to settle this unending war.
If that's the case, I wonder if a "ceasefire by moving the frontlines to a more favorable location" will occur in a little while?
I, who had only set one foot in this war with no end in sight and was on the verge of despair, was optimistically thinking about such things at that time.
Although I had no way of knowing it at that time, the enemy actually was losing their presence of mind.
In the Federation, the effects of the long, endless war had created turbulence among the populace. Anti-war radical movements were on the rise.
Their momentum was increasing day by day, and if things continued, they could have overthrown the state.
And so, at this time, the Federation was squeezing its budget and desperately carrying out a series of offensives.
In other words, these were political offensives to create a superior war situation and show that the war was nearing its end.
In actuality though, a few dozen meters of frontline movement wouldn't hasten the end of the war, but was merely a futile advance that cost many soldiers their lives.
In the midst of all this, a certain person was selected as the General Staff Officer in the enemy army.
A major turning point in this war was the entry into the war of that General Staff Officer————- Sylph Nova, who was a 15-year-old girl at the time.
A complete contrast to me, who joined this war as a single soldier from an orphanage...
She's the daughter of the enemy commander-in-chief, recognized for her exceptional talent and was suddenly selected as a General Staff Officer.
Her selection may have been due to her parent's partiality.
In actuality though, Sylph was an excellent mage and had a brilliant mind, being the top student at military school.
This led her to gaining the position of General Staff Officer without gaining any frontline experience.
In the eyes of later historians, the evaluation of war commanders is often divided.
When one looks at the results alone, they may appear to be a defeated general who couldn't do anything and was beaten badly. However, if one digs deeper, one may find that they had actually devised clever strategies that were suitable for the circumstances at that time. Their defeat could just be a matter of bad luck, and in reality, they were quite talented.
In other words, war commanders weren't evaluated solely on the basis of their battle results. Real wars involve a great deal of luck.
In such a situation, the evaluation towards her———– Sylph Noval by the people of the future has always been constant.
She, who had risen to the frontline command at the same age as me, and had left behind her many achievements in the war, had been unanimously assessed by future historians as such:
Sylph Nova was the worst in history, the "Foolish General" who excels only in empty theories.
With her entry into the war, the balance on this frontline started to collapse.
The countdown to the real hell had begun silently and without a sound.