It's sudden, but everyone. Do you know about the game genre called FPS? This is a general term for the so-called first-person shooter game genre. The first-person perspective is very difficult. Depending on the equipment, the field of view can be narrowed, and you can often become motion sick from the screen, and most of all, you can't react when someone sneaks up on your blind spot. So, it is not uncommon for you to suddenly die for no reason while just running normally.

However, that is also an interesting point, and there is a pleasure in how to kill unfairly by hitting the opponent's blind spot. I was a god in such an FPS game. My superior search power, extraordinary AIM power, reflexes that respond to sudden shootouts, and above all, my ability to read the opponent's thinking. Having these skills at a high level, I became the world champion of a certain battle royale game.

Then I became a pro gamer with a corporate sponsor. In peaceful Japan, I was just a game addict. But in the world of war, as long as I had a gun, I was invincible.

In the world of 2D, you know.

War in games is just a play. After the fight is over, you can laugh and make stupid taunts with the people you killed.

"────Raaa!"
"Guu"

However, in a real war. A soldier killed by a bullet to the neck spits out dark splashes and foam from his nose and mouth and will never speak again.

"Hey, you! Don't just stand there, charge!"
"Uh, yes, sir"

The squad leader - a young man who is almost the same age as I was in my past life - killed the attacking soldier by stabbing him. And he yells around him, bravely stepping into the enemy's territory. As my duty is to follow him, I can only run behind the squad leader.

"We'll occupy this hilly area. Follow me!"

Amid the screams and death cries, with the stench of excrement and rotting flesh floating in the air, we stepped on something watery and indescribable. On this day, I, who participated in the war for the first time, climbed the hill that was once the enemy's territory, getting covered in someone's body fluids and grease.

58 meters. That's the distance we earned in today's war. It's the distance we advanced by stepping on the lives of many people, advancing and retreating many times.

About 800 people. That's the number of casualties among today's comrades. To advance 58 meters on the front line, 800 people died.

Human lives become distances. Distance means territory...

"Hahahaha! It's a great victory, isn't it, little girl?"
"Congratulations. It's all thanks to the bravery and leadership of the squad leader."
"It was good that you had your first battle under my command. Don't worry, I'll use you up efficiently so you can die without any worries!"

I am a field medic who has been assigned to the western front line against the neighboring country today.

Ha-, hahaha.

"With your command, I'll earn you a meter!"
"I intend to serve my country with distinction.
"Don't worry. If you die, I'll make sure to pass on your heroic tale to your family."

Ah, he's gone mad.

My name is Touli Noel. My given name is Touli and my surname is Noel. In my previous life, I was an FPS addict in Japan.

In this life, my gender has changed, and I have become a girl. By the way, Touli is the name given to me by the orphanage director, and Noel is just a place name. My parents were involved in the war and died in a bombing. However, when the village was engulfed in flames, there was a villager who happened to be alive and took me with him. He left me at the orphanage and disappeared somewhere. And I was taken in and raised at the Noel Orphanage, so I use the Noel surname.

The Noel Orphanage is by no means affluent. They take care of you until a certain age, but when you reach the age where you can live on your own, you either leave or are encouraged to work and make money. Like everyone else, I left at the age of 15 and became an adult, and started working.

"You... have the potential for recovery magic."
"Really?"
"You surely have the aptitude for healing magic. If you polish it, it will shine. Do you have any intention of enlisting? "

On that occasion, I was discovered to have an aptitude for healing magic during the conscription examination conducted by the state. Healers are somewhat rare, so...

"If you have the aptitude for healing magic, you will be eligible for conscription during the national recruitment examination. Even without enlisting, you would still be a valuable asset. However, enlisting would come with benefits and privileges."
"..."
"In addition, you would receive a generous salary. Your orphanage would also benefit greatly from your decision."

I became a military servant with no real choice.

"Thank you for everything, Director."
"... Touli, don't push yourself too hard. If you get injured, don't hesitate to come back."

Honestly, I didn't mind being a military servant. Based on my gaming performance in my past life, I was confident that I could become an excellent soldier. Also, unlike Japan, this world I was reincarnated into is always at war. You never know when and where you will lose your life.

So, "If the war ends, I'll come back here."
"Touli..."
"Please take care." 

Soldiers can contribute to the finances of orphanages in the form of "sympathy and condolence money" when they die. Even if they themselves die, they can still provide funds to raise and care for orphans like themselves. The Noel orphanage has been of great help, so if one's life is uncertain, they would want to use it for the benefit of the orphanage. 

By the way, there were two orphans who enlisted in the army from the orphanage this year. One was me, and the other was a mischievous boy named Bernie Noel. Bernie and I were the same age and had played together since we were young. You could say we were childhood friends. Even though he was in the army, he said he would come to see me. It was very reassuring to have at least one acquaintance going to war.

However. On his first day of deployment, he was ambushed, enveloped in the enemy's flame magic, and burned to death. As we shared the same surname, I was treated like Bernie's family and was able to face his body. The boy I had talked and laughed with until yesterday was now contorted in pain, his body swollen, eyes wide open, and dead. The death of the only acquaintance I had in the military, and my childhood friend, was very painful. Please tell me it's a lie.

"Yesterday was a disaster, suddenly we were thrown into combat. Today, the enemy will take a break," the captain said.
"Yes," I replied.

The next day, I received orientation from the squad leader, as I had been suddenly deployed to the battlefield.

"Alright. It seems you can use recovery magic. For now, stay behind me..."
"I cannot use it," I replied.
"Huh?"

I realized there was a big misunderstanding here. While it was true that I had been identified as having an aptitude for recovery magic and enlisted in the army, I had not yet learned it. Without being taught recovery magic, I had been sent to the battlefield without even a detailed explanation of military regulations. I was told to learn on the spot.

"What can you do, girl?" the captain asked.
"Nothing," I replied.
"Then what did you come here for?"

I didn't come here because I wanted to come. I was sent to the battlefield with almost no other choice. Well, I won't say that out loud, or I might get punched. 

"I wanted to contribute to the country, even if I couldn't do anything."
"Ha! You're pretty cheeky for someone who can't do anything!"
"... ugh!!"

In the end, I got punched. 

"You are a nuisance, a worthless insect, a parasite that feeds on nothing. I will introduce you to a veteran medic, so hurry up and learn the skills."
"Thank you."

This is a terrible world. Is this what real war is like? Considering that the world has strong fantasy elements, I thought they would be fighting in a more lively and cheerful manner. With magic like 'Hero, Cast Magic: BOOM!' or 'Dragon, Release Your Breath: WHOOSH!'

"Come on, follow me. Don't step on the corpses around here, maggots are breeding."
"... I will be careful."

Well, there aren't any heroes or anything like that. The war was just like in my past life, where humans killed each other in bloody battles. Even in a fantasy world, it seems that war is a dirty and messy thing. 

"I see you got assigned to Garback's unit as a new recruit. My condolences."
"..."

The person who led me saying "Come and learn" as the squad leader was a kind-looking older sister wearing a nursing cap. The medic had teary eyes, but she was still charming and beautiful with big breasts.

"He's an idiot...oh, wait, he's here. He only thinks about charging ahead, so it must be tough for those who have to go along with him."
"Well, I'm new here, so"
"Oh, is that so? You'll understand soon enough then."

What the kind-looking older sister told me was bad-mouthing about the superior officer. Strictly speaking, this older sister has a higher rank than Sergeant Garback, the squad leader.

"Garback is an excellent soldier when it comes to charging into battle. He prioritizes the exhilaration of killing the enemy over the fear of being killed. With his exceptional abilities, he charges fearlessly into enemy lines and has achieved considerable results in battle."

The veteran medic looked a little troubled after saying that, and added, "However, he's infamous for using his subordinates as shields. When he thinks he's charged too far, he'll abandon his troops and run away like a lizard's tail."
"..."
"And he doesn't seem to feel any guilt about it. Garback seems to think that it's better for his subordinates to die than for him to die, as that would result in less damage overall."

Not something I wanted to hear. 

"My name is Gael. Gael, Chief of the Medical Department, equivalent to Second Lieutenant rank."
"Oh, I apologize. I am Touli, Second-Class Medic."
"Well, nice to meet you. I'll teach you the minimum skills required as a medic. I'll also tell Garback to treat you well, so try to stay alive as long as possible."

I see. Based on Gael's words, it seems I have encountered the worst type of superior.

"However, even if the orders are stupid, absolute obedience to superior orders is necessary. Garback executes anyone who disobeys orders without mercy."
"I understand."
"If you are executed for disobeying orders, you won't receive condolence money for your family. If you're going to die anyway, it's better to die according to that idiot's orders."

Based on that reasoning, it seems like my death is almost certain. I thought I might be able to utilize my FPS skills from my past life on the battlefield, but soldiers are completely dependent on superior orders. There's hardly any opportunity to make judgments and take action on your own.

"Well, please try to stay alive as long as possible. I look forward to working with you in the future."

War in games is so much fun, but real war is hell. Because of the half-hearted fantasy elements, I realized I was a little too optimistic. Ah, now I regret enlisting as a soldier. I should have just escaped without worrying about the orphanage or my reputation.

However, there's no going back once I've come to hell. I'll just have to struggle as much as possible.

"Well, [heal]! Is this right?"
"Oh, you're good at it."

In the three days since being assigned to the Western Front, there has been no major combat except for the first day. During that time, several other newbies received a lecture alongside me from Gael, the Chief of the Medical Department.

"Congratulations, now you're officially a medic."
"Thank you."

The Chief's lecture was easy to understand, and all the new medics became able to use healing magic. As long as they could use healing magic in some form, they were recognized as medics, even if their healing magic was only enough to heal scrapes and bruises.

"There are about a few dozen medics on the front line. In other words, there are very few soldiers who can use healing magic on this vast battlefield."
"Yes."
"The five of you are very valuable assets. Please work hard."

The Chief of the Medical Department stood at the top of those few dozen medics. There are nearly 100,000 soldiers on this front line. In terms of proportion, medics make up about 0.04 to 0.05% of all soldiers. Those who can use healing magic are very rare.

"Your magical power is a bit higher, Touli. So if you work hard, you can use healing magic twice."
"Twice?"

My healing magic can be used twice, according to my magical power. As a magic user, isn't that a little unsatisfactory? Gael, who was lecturing in front of me, had already used healing magic four or five times during the class.

"Well, it's an impressive number for a newbie."
"For a newbie..."
"Magical power can be trained. If you survive and gain experience repeatedly, you'll be able to use it more and more. If you can use it more than ten times, you can be transferred to the rear unit as an excellent mage."

I see. So the reason why I can only use healing magic a few times is that I'm still a low-level user. And if my magical power increases, I will be rewarded with the ability to move to a safer place?

... Isn't it the other way around?

"Excuse me. Isn't it more efficient to send us healing magic users to the front line after we have gained experience and can use it more?"
"We don't have the time, place, or facilities to slowly educate medics in the rear. This country is in the final stages of decline. We can't afford to send girls who aren't even soldiers to the front line."

I see, there's no room for such luxury. Even though they are such valuable healing magic users, I want to say that they should be treated with more care. The war has been going on for more than ten years. Surely, all the soldiers and leaders who were excellent in some way have already died... Therefore, it seems that such a foolish policy is prevailing.

"Oh, that's right. Touli, I'll teach you the [Shield] magic."
"[Shield]?"
"Yes. If you're going to follow Garback, you need to have a way to protect yourself instantly or you'll die. It's actually a magic for armored soldiers, tanks, but it's often learned by us medical soldiers."
"Those who are interested, come to Touli's side." Said the head of the medical department and cleared her throat.

I'm very interested in that magic. It seems to be directly related to my survival rate.

"This [Shield] can create a magical barrier instantly."
"A barrier?"
"It can block light attack magic, bows, arrows, and throws. But it can't block intermediate or higher-level magic or guns."

A thin, purple glass-like plate appeared where the head of the medical department held out her hand. When I touched it, it was like a moderately strong plate.

"This can save lives in an emergency. Not just yours, but also your comrades'."
"Oh..."
"Touli must learn it, but if other children are interested, try practicing it."

Certainly, this seems to be useful. I think I had a similar skill in my past life's game. It could even block bullets. This advice from a veteran medical soldier is very appreciated. Let's learn the techniques we were taught and prepare for Garback's reckless requests.

And thus, my life in this different world war, without any cheats, began. At that time, I had no idea. This war, which had been going on for over ten years, was still in its "early stages". The war that later came to be known as the "East-West War" would continue to accelerate the number of casualties from the year I served. The true madness of using people as disposable items without considering them as human beings had not even begun.

However, at that time, I was only experiencing war for the first time and was simply scared.