Chapter 56: The Sergeant Majors’ Report

The four magical girls arrived side by side. First, they raised their right hands and saluted Nore.

Then they turned their gaze to Luka, who stood next to Nore. Their eyes were filled with appreciation and respect.

Some smiled and nodded at him. Others gave him a thumbs up.

Still others looked at his small, youthful figure with regret and pity.

Luka nodded back to each of them, surveying them with curiosity.

These four had flown much faster than the other magical girls, so they were the first to arrive.

Each of them emitted an extraordinary aura of magic.

It was nowhere near as pure and dense as Nore’s, the battle group leader beside him, but it was clearly much stronger than Moye’s and Alesia’s.

Looking at the military badges on their chests, the lowest rank was captain, and one of them actually held the rank of major.

‘These people, judging by their ranks, every one of them is a Sergeant Major level officer!’ Luka was secretly shocked.

The term “Sergeant Major” was a respectful way to address magical girls who possessed battalion commander strength and the rank of captain.

After all, a magical girl at this level was already considered a champion among veteran soldiers, the top qualification among junior officers.

A step above Sergeant Major, and you were no longer a junior officer but someone like a battle group leader, beyond the grassroots, with a commanding role.

As an elite air force unit, the largest formation for magical girls was only a thousand-person battle group. A battle group had just ten hundred-person battalions, each led by a Sergeant Major.

So in both experience and strength, Sergeant Majors were the backbone and absolute main force of the magical girl troops.

‘Moye and Alesia are both magical girls at the Two-Star Sprout realm, which gives them captain-level strength. They are the cream of the magical girl elites.’

Luka mused silently. ‘Then Sergeant Major level experts are likely at least at the Three-Star Bud realm. Compared to captain level, they have a qualitative leap in both combat experience and magical power.’

With that thought, Luka instinctively glanced at Nore beside him.

So this Canary Battle Group leader, just how far had her magical flower seed grown? ‘Could she be at the Four-Star Flower Bud realm?’

While Luka was still lost in thought, Nore turned around and swept her gaze over the four magical girls in turn.

“Heartflow, Fire Phoenix, Firm Jade, Dream Sleep. You’re here.”

Nore nodded. “It seems that among the ten Sergeant Majors, only you four are still alive and nearby. Report. What are the battle losses?”

Luka was briefly puzzled by these four names that didn’t sound like people’s names.

Then he realized: these were the tactical codenames of the Sergeant Majors. A magical girl who reached Sergeant Major level could earn a codename that matched her fighting style.

It was both an honor and a convenience for the battle group leader to better understand her abilities and make the most suitable arrangements.

“Reporting, ma’am. The situation is not optimistic.”

The first one, a purple-haired magical girl with a somber expression, spoke up.

“My First Battalion was almost completely wiped out. Only one squad still has a fairly intact formation. The rest of the squads either died on the spot or completely lost contact. Most likely, they’re in deep trouble.”

This magical girl, whom Nore called Heartflow, had purple hair and purple eyes and a mature temperament. She was the only major among the four.

Her demeanor and tone of voice both carried a refined, scholarly air. She felt less like a military officer and more like a librarian who had just come out of a library.

“My Third Battalion is about the same. Bloody tragic!”

A magical girl with tangled fiery red hair, sharp upturned tips, and thick eyebrows, casually hung a magic gun over her shoulder, hands on her hips, and cursed as she spoke.

“Damn it! The cannon demon’s bombardment blasted my battalion apart! I only managed to save two squad leaders, but then we ran into a huge group of Eagle Hunter Demons, and both of them died!”

As she spoke, the red-haired girl punched the air fiercely. Threads of flame seeped through her knuckles.

Luka recognized this crass, bold red-haired girl. She was Fire Phoenix, the Sergeant Major of the Third Battalion he belonged to.

After Luka had been assigned to the Canary Battle Group, on the night before the operation, he had reported to Fire Phoenix.

However, with Fire Phoenix’s careless personality, she clearly didn’t remember Luka as a new recruit. When her eyes swept across his face, there was no hint of recognition.

After listening to Heartflow and Fire Phoenix’s reports, Nore’s expression darkened.

She had expected the Canary Battle Group to be in a tragic state, but hearing with her own ears about such high losses in two battalions still made her heart heavy.

Nore shifted her gaze to the third magical girl. “Firm Jade, what about your Seventh Battalion?”

“Reporting, ma’am. I thought my side was already pretty unfortunate, but now it seems I’m actually pretty lucky compared to Heartflow and Fire Phoenix.”

The magical girl called Firm Jade rubbed the back of her head honestly and said helplessly, “Of my ten squads, half of them still have complete formations. The other half were scattered and lost contact. I have no way to find them for now. I was afraid that having too many people would make too big a target, so I already had the five intact squads break into smaller groups of three to five and go breakthrough separately. Ugh, if I’d known we’d be fighting the Sky Eye Demon, I’d have kept my troops by my side! Now I can’t contact any of them. I don’t know how many can still come to support!”

This Sergeant Major, codenamed Firm Jade, had fair skin, a delicate face, and golden braids. She looked quite honest, more like a village girl than an officer.

In contrast to her youthful, pretty features, her height was astonishing. She was probably over 1.8 meters tall.

Standing next to the other magical girls, Firm Jade looked like a female giant among a flock of chickens, completely out of place.

After hearing Firm Jade’s report, Nore’s expression relaxed a little.

“It’s fine. The fact that your Seventh Battalion suffered fewer losses is the best news.

“Even if most of them can’t make it here to fight, as long as they can break through, that’s already reassuring.”

Luka listened carefully to their reports, making a mental note of each one’s characteristics.

Heartflow, the purple-haired girl of the First Battalion, had a mature temperament and the highest rank. She was likely the strongest of the four.

Fire Phoenix, the rough red-haired girl of the Third Battalion, had a fiery temper and a carefree personality. She also seemed to possess fire-related magic, making her seem like a destructive force to be reckoned with.

Firm Jade, the golden-braided girl of the Seventh Battalion, had a tall and strong body, but her face was delicate and cute. Her honest and simple air gave off a dependable feeling.

Now, what about the last Sergeant Major?

Luka turned an expectant gaze toward Dream Sleep, who had been standing silently in the corner, looking very inconspicuous.

After the previous three had reported one by one, Dream Sleep remained silent for two seconds before speaking slowly.

“…The Tenth Battalion… how is it… I don’t know…”

For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

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