Chapter 7

When I heard that, I was burdened with a certain worry.

We were told that upon graduating from here, we would be in a position to have subordinates, so we needed to pull ourselves together.

Upon hearing those words, I realized something.

While I had wished for a death in the line of duty, akin to suicide, I wondered if it was right to take along subordinates who had nothing to do with that act.

I am not a monster.

I didn't want to involve subordinates who had nothing to do with it.

I had to find a way to resolve this contradiction over the next three years before graduation.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, the entrance ceremony marked the start of the rigorous training to cultivate elite officers.

Naoh would face great difficulties here.

He would almost give up many times, but to achieve his goal of dying in battle, he had to become a soldier.

Otherwise, he couldn't die.

However, he also suffered from the contradictions he carried.

Naoh's troubles were not limited to this; in fact, his biggest struggle was his poor practical skills.

His academic performance was top-notch in strategy and tactics.

Especially in logistics planning, he outperformed everyone else.

However, when it came to practical skills, he was a burden to his class.

He barely managed to pass practical subjects like ship handling and damage control, but when it came to shooting and combat, he was completely hopeless.

Especially in combat using a power suit and a battle axe, he failed to pass.

However, the school was not in a panic.

They did not abandon him.

Every year, students like him appeared, so there were measures in place.

While his case was extreme, he still managed to graduate from the elite officer training school in three years.

It is worth noting that this was possible thanks to the cooperation of his classmates, including Mark.

One of the characteristics of this elite officer training school is the strong emphasis on cooperation within the same year.

This is a school that cultivates such values, and the founding spirit is that only through cooperation can one lead an army.

A military officer who cannot coordinate with various departments is essentially useless.

This is drilled into the core of those who become elites.

Naoh benefited greatly from this.

Not only did it help him graduate without dropping out, but the biggest benefit, as Naoh saw it, was that he received hints from them to resolve the contradictions he had been carrying since his enrollment.

The turning point came during his final year, when a popular fantasy opera in the kingdom, especially in the capital star region, had a recurring line where the protagonist, in a dire situation, would protect others and say, "Leave me behind."

The story unfolded with the protagonist protecting others and escaping each crisis in a superhuman manner.

This opera was popular among his classmates, including Mark, and they often discussed it.

One day, Naoh overheard this conversation and felt as if he had received divine inspiration.

This is it.

This is it.

Protecting subordinates and dying in the line of duty.

This is the only way.

From then on, the worries that had plagued Naoh vanished like a lie, and he approached his studies with renewed enthusiasm.

Similarly, or perhaps even more so, he spent his free time thinking of his catchphrase for the moment of his death.

It was at this time that Naoh, albeit belatedly, developed "middle school syndrome."

From then on, Naoh seemed to have something to let go of, and he devoted himself even more to his studies while constantly thinking of his catchphrase.

Eventually, he graduated from the elite officer training school and was commissioned as an officer.

While the school was used to students like him, they were probably relieved.

After all, his performance was extremely polarized.

Even with such extreme performance, graduation is graduation.

The next department to be concerned was the one responsible for his assignment.

From his academic performance, it was clear that he had the aptitude to be an intellectual military officer, and ideally, he should have pursued a career as a staff officer.

However, his background stood in the way.

As an orphan, there was no way he could enter the staff officer course, which was reserved for the children of nobles or high-ranking military officials, at least admirals and above.

Even if he had the ability, or rather, because he had the ability, it was impossible to let him advance.

If Naoh were to enter this course, complaints would come not only from the nobles who had traditionally entered it but also from the lesser nobles and influential business families who had been excluded.

No one wanted to handle such a problematic assignment, and Naoh himself would likely refuse.

After all, his goal was to die in the front lines.

Thus, he had no place to go.

He received a unanimous "no" from all front-line commanders.

Even with the aptitude for a staff officer, or perhaps because of it, and with no aptitude for a soldier, no commander would take him.

Moreover, there were no other options.

It was not an option to leave him unassigned.

This was a school that trained domestic military elites, and while it was possible to cover up a dropout, it was not an option for someone who had graduated properly.

His assignment, involving the upper echelons of the military, ultimately landed him in the Capital Star Region Security Force, affectionately known as the Coast Guard by the public.

As the name suggests, this organization is a powerful force responsible for maintaining the security of the capital star region, with its jurisdiction limited to the space of the capital star region.

Interestingly, this organization was established to alleviate the burden on the military as the kingdom's environment became more challenging, and its first leader was Admiral Bruce, a national hero.

As such, the upper echelons of the Coast Guard are all military veterans.

While "veterans" sounds good, it has become a place to send military personnel who are no longer useful.

The equipment used by the Coast Guard is all second-hand from the military, and it is a convenient place to assign personnel who do not fit into the military organization.

After all, the job is to secure the capital star region.

While the entire universe may be dangerous, the capital star region, located in the deepest and safest part, can be managed even with somewhat incompetent upper echelons.

Due to these circumstances, the morale of the Coast Guard's upper echelons is very low, and the people gathered there are not exactly the best in terms of ability.

The main job of the Coast Guard is to combat piracy and monitor smuggling.

The organization has survived without collapsing, thanks to the high morale and ability of the field personnel.

Why is there such a disparity between the field and the upper echelons?

In fact, the Coast Guard is quite popular as a place of employment for the general public.

The workplace is limited to the capital star region, it is relatively safe as a practical organization, and the salary is decent among the kingdom's civil servants.

While promotion is limited to the rank of lieutenant colonel due to the upper echelons being military veterans, most people do not reach that rank, so it is not a major concern.

Naoh was assigned to the Coast Guard as a transfer from the space military, supported by the field personnel.

There was no opposition from the field because they did not have access to military information and were unaware of Naoh's true nature, and the system did not allow them to interfere with personnel decisions, which was convenient.

Incidentally, like a corporate transfer to a subsidiary, a transfer comes with a one-rank promotion.

Typically, graduates of the elite officer training school are commissioned as ensigns in the space military, spend 1-2 years in the field for practical training, and then advance to the rank of lieutenant and pursue their careers accordingly.

However, in Naoh's case, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant upon transfer to the Coast Guard, following past precedents.

The rank of lieutenant is a level where one must work as a commander in the field, and this is true not only in the military but also in the Coast Guard.

When the Coast Guard's personnel department first received Naoh's personal data, his extreme performance caused issues, and after much deliberation, he was appointed as the leader of the 2nd Boarding Team on the space frigate "Akeshi" of the 3rd Patrol Squadron, and immediately after graduation, he found himself in charge of 30 subordinates.

Incidentally, the boarding team is the unit that boards suspicious ships discovered by the Coast Guard using armed cutters, essentially the cutting edge of the Coast Guard.

To be honest, this assignment was completely opposite to Naoh's aptitude.

Why did such an unreasonable decision go through, even in an organization known as a dumping ground?

Because this was a dumping ground within the Coast Guard, a dumping ground for the Coast Guard's unwanted personnel.

In short, it was a department for the Coast Guard's unwanted children.