第１８８８堀：軍の増員状況について (Part1)
Chapter 1888: Regarding the Expansion of the Military
Regarding the Expansion of the Military
Side: Jessica
"…And that’s the situation."
"Yeah, everyone’s finally starting to look the part."
"I see. So, the navy is progressing smoothly, then."
I am currently sitting face-to-face with Dressa, who leads the Weed navy, and her assistant, Hiiro, to review the current status of the Weed military.
"Though in terms of raw combat power, we’re still less than half of what a regular army would be."
"I think part of the reason the monsters’ motivation has dipped is because Aslin went off to survey the southern part of the New Continent."
"I can’t really argue with that. We technically have command authority, and they do listen to us, but Aslin possesses a certain… charisma."
The core of our naval forces consists of monster soldiers.
While we do have human soldiers, they are primarily there to operate the ships; they aren’t specialized for combat on the high seas or underwater.
It would be ideal if they were, but in Weed, we have monsters specialized for surface and underwater warfare—a classic case of the right tool for the right job.
Aslin had been the linchpin of that operation.
She has a personality that monsters naturally gravitate toward. It’s a strange phenomenon where not only wild monsters but even those summoned by Yuki listen to her.
Of course, that’s only because Yuki permits it.
But setting that aside, the fact remains that she is away on other business, and the efficiency of the monsters’ training has dropped as a result.
"Well, it’s not that the previous situation was abnormal, but relying entirely on Aslin’s personal skill was the real issue. We shouldn't be using Aslin as the benchmark; we need to aim for an average that anyone can meet."
"Ah—well, I suppose that’s true. Among Yuki’s inner circle, we’re still on the younger side, so we haven’t really thought much about successors or legacies, but you’re right—we have to start considering those things."
"Is that so?"
Hiiro tilts her head, looking like she doesn't quite grasp the concept.
Well, expecting Hiiro to understand is asking a bit much.
"I’ve been teaching you various things, haven't I, Hiiro? From fleet operations to personnel management. My goal is for you to grow, but in another sense, it’s to ensure things can be operated properly even when I’m not around. That’s why..."
"Oh—you mean you’re doing this training so the unit doesn't fall apart when you’re away?"
"Exactly. It wasn't a problem before because we had the veteran monsters, but those veterans are valuable assets to us as well. Thinking they’ll always be there in the rear guard is just wishful thinking."
She’s right.
It’s the same for human units; eventually, talented personnel are sent to the most grueling—if I may use that word—frontlines, where results are expected.
In those cases, the attrition rate rises.
Attrition refers to those lost in battle or discharged due to injury.
If that continues, the veterans disappear, leaving only the rookies.
If that happens, the unit will be left without the know-how to operate, the military will fall into chaos, and everything will crumble. I won’t stand by and watch that happen.
That is why we must properly raise our subordinates. Future commanders, as it were.
"Muu. So Hiiro has to raise people like that too..."
"Not yet, Hiiro. You’re still in the middle of being trained by me. Besides, as for unit training, the people you’ve taught should be handling that already."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"That’s right. Though there is an aptitude for it. There are monsters who are good at teaching, and of course, humans too."
"Either way, it means that high-level commanders aren't something you can just create overnight."
"True. Even when it comes to commanders and unit leaders, they usually start as rookie unit leaders."
"Ah—I see. Just because they’re soldiers doesn't mean they’re leaders from the start, huh?"
Exactly. Being an excellent soldier doesn't necessarily mean they’re cut out to be a unit leader or a commander.
"Well, we had the boost of Aslin’s charisma, but what about the human military side of things?"
"Ah, right. We were supposed to increase the number of humans at the same time as the monsters, weren't we?"
"Ah, yes."
I answer that question with a wry smile.
Seeing that, Dressa frowns...
"That look. It’s not going well, is it?"
"If you ask if it’s going well, the answer is no. The problem, as always, is the people. Unlike the monsters Yuki summons, we can’t just raise their stats however we please."
"Well, that’s true."
"Oh, right. We can’t just slap skills on them willy-nilly, can we?"
Exactly. As Hiiro says, there’s almost no way to artificially boost them.
We are Yuki’s inner circle, and because we understand his purpose, we have the luxury of having our power levels raised, but that’s a special case.
"It’s hard to explain those circumstances to soldiers who know nothing..."
"Even if they were to become officers, if we treated the rank-and-file that way, other nations would become suspicious."
"Naturally. If we could just grant skills at will and level up easily..."
"Leveling up is off-limits too?"
"Because the method we used defies common sense."
It wasn't through fighting, but by attacking immobile targets to gain experience—a hollow method that builds no real skill, only a superficial level.
Well, that was only for the initial batch of soldiers. Now, they are steadily gaining proficiency through real combat against monsters.
Because of that, raising humans is much harder than raising monsters.
"So, the training speed simply won't increase. The same goes for the commander and unit leader classes."
"Well, that’s to be expected. Still, they’re treated as rookies, right?"
"They’re less than half-baked, even for rookies. After all, we only decided to increase the numbers after the Great Outbreak. Ever since the incident with Saurus. It hasn't been that long since then, after all."
"Come to think of it, that’s when Weed’s lack of manpower started to become noticeable, isn't it?"
"That’s right. I thought it was just a Great Outbreak, but it turned out the Dark Guild, the neighboring Kinauf Kingdom, and the Irina Kingdom were pulling the strings. That’s when we followed the trail and found Canaria-onee-sama, right?"
That’s right. From the Great Outbreak in Saurus, we chased the shadows of the Dark Guild, arrived at the slave auction, rescued Canaria—a princess of the former Vinosia Kingdom—in the town of Wean in the Ewai Kingdom, negotiated with the Hinsa Kingdom, headed for the former Vinosia capital to try and capture the Dark Guild members, but in the end, some of the remnants fled to the coast, which led to the construction of the port town of Glass.
I recalled the flow of events easily, but...
"...I was just remembering the sequence of events up to now, but the navy in the port town of Glass was formed because of this whole affair, wasn't it?"