—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Late at night.
In the command office of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion’s headquarters company. The office, usually bustling with work during the day, was filled with a tranquil silence as darkness descended.
Not a single candle was lit; the moonlight streaming through the window was the only source of light. Three people were there.
“Alright, let’s talk.”
The one who broke the silence was a woman with her shimmering silver hair tied back in a single braid. Her amethyst eyes, which seemed to glow even in the darkness, were fixed on them. It was Lumia Blue, Second Lieutenant, the adjutant and closest confidante of Deputy Commander Enoch Levandal.
“We all know why we’re here, right?”
“Of course.”
The woman with the bobbed hair answered. Black hair, red eyes. A striking appearance, but she was more known for another, even more prominent physical feature. It was Bell Meyer, commander of the medical platoon.
“We’re deciding who’s going on the dispatch to the Reinhardt Empire.”
“And we need to have this conversation in such a serious and secretive atmosphere…?”
And finally, there was Roxana Ellim, who had a bewildered expression. Her pink hair swayed gently every time she tilted her head.
“Of course. This is a company matter.”
“Is it…?”
“It is.”
Although she couldn’t understand the situation, the two older girls’ determination was so firm that Roxana had no choice but to go along with it.
“We have to decide by tomorrow.”
“Can’t someone from another department go?”
“The staff office is completely paralyzed, and we can’t pull anyone from the other companies that are in the middle of training.”
“So, a spare person has to go…”
Roxana said. It was a painful statement, but it was the truth. The aviation platoon was just a name; it was an empty shell with nothing decided. And although Belle Meyer’s medical platoon was technically established, it consisted of only a few people who had volunteered to be medics.
Among them, only Belle Meyer, the platoon leader, and the emergency medical officer could use magic. Although the situation was better than the aviation platoon, it wasn’t properly organized. It would only be fully staffed after the new recruits completed their training. Or if the staff office’s workload decreased.
Anyway, for these reasons, the three of them, who had relatively more free time, were selected as candidates to accompany Enoch Levandal to the military exhibition in the Reinhardt Empire. And among the three, only one would be the lucky one to spend a month abroad alone with Captain Enoch.
“Of course, as his adjutant, it should be me.”
“Really~? I think otherwise.”
“Lumia…?”
“Since you’re his adjutant, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay? Even though Chief of Staff Joseph is acting as the battalion commander, he doesn’t have his own adjutant, right?”
“Bell…?”
Although both of them were smiling, the atmosphere was anything but comfortable. What was this strange competition?
“But it wouldn’t be right for the medical platoon leader to be absent. It’s a newly established unit, so it would be strange for its leader to be gone.”
“It’s fine~. We don’t have much to do anyway. The trainees said that the emergency treatment provided by other mages in the field is sufficient.”
“Th-Then why did you suggest creating the platoon…?”
“Getting a scratch in training and getting shot are two different things, right?”
Crackle, crackle.
Invisible sparks were flying. Usually, if they had a difference of opinion, they would yield to each other. But this time, neither was backing down. Lumia and Belle exchanged a few more words and then, almost simultaneously, looked at Roxana.
“What do you think, Roxana? Who do you think should go?”
“Ahaha, I’m completely out of the picture, you two…”
“Hmm? Do you want to go?”
“No, no!? I don’t really want to go!”
Roxana frantically waved her hands in denial. Why should she get involved in that? At her words, Lumia and Belle’s tense expressions softened slightly.
“No… well… if you want to go, Roxana, we can let you go.”
“It’s fine. My health hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
It was a solid excuse. Honestly, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to go. The Reinhardt Empire. A country famous for its beer and sausages, a country that seemed to have a festival every day.
As someone born with a congenital heart condition, Roxana Ellim had never been abroad. Honestly, if Captain Enoch Levandal were with her, they could exchange mana, so her heart condition wouldn’t worsen. But Roxana didn’t voice that opinion.
The two older girls wanted to go so badly, so why should she ruin it?
‘And I… get to spend time with Captain Enoch during flight training, so it’s okay.’
She steeled herself and smiled at the two apologetic older girls.
“It’s right for one of you two to go.”
“Right?”
“Yes, Roxana. I’ll definitely buy you a souvenir when I get back.”
But even though Roxana had given up, the problem wasn’t solved. They still had to choose between Lumia and Bell.
“I let you have your way last time!”
“That was an unavoidable concession!”
“Ugh… no, Belle. When did you become so interested in the Captain?”
“I’ve always been interested.”
Belle replied with a gentle smile. Roxana could clearly detect shyness and jealousy in her face. “It’s a shame to just watch such a man from afar, isn’t it?”
“……Hmm?”
“It’s not like you’re dating him, Lumia.”
“Belle─?!”
It was a bombshell. Lumia’s jaw dropped. So, the occasional remarks about how she coveted Captain Enoch weren’t jokes, but genuine feelings? Her surprise was brief. Lumia bit her lip.
“Since when?”
“I don’t know. It just happened. Do you know when you started liking the Captain?”
Belle Meyer’s words pierced Lumia’s heart. It had only been about eight months. But in her 23 years of life, she had never felt such a strong romantic attraction to anyone as she did to Enoch Levandal. What was the reason?
A future without hope, no matter how much she struggled. And the past mistake that weighed on her shoulders. Enoch Levandal was the one who had pulled her out of the mire of defeat she thought she would never escape.
Even though she had caused a huge mess in a real battle not long after they met, he had comforted her, saying it was understandable. He had even praised her, saying that if it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have noticed the mastermind behind the fortress attack.
She was forgiven and acknowledged at the same time. How much she had wanted to hear those words.
“You know it too, Belle!”
“I know. I know it all too well. But you know it too, Lumia. You’re not the only one who owes the Captain a debt of gratitude.”
Belle Meyer placed her hand on her chest.
“You’re not the only one who was saved. I’m just being true to my feelings. I have no intention of telling you to give up.”
“Then…!!”
“So you shouldn’t tell me to give up either.”
My god. Although the three of them had been together for over a year, this was the first time Lumia and Belle had fought over a man.
Weren’t most of their disagreements about Claude? And even then, it was always Belle who got angry and Lumia who calmed her down. But now, neither seemed willing to give an inch.
Finally, Roxana, who couldn’t watch any longer, jumped in.
“Wait! Wait!!”
“……?”
“Fighting here won’t change anything! So why don’t we decide fairly with rock-paper-scissors?”
Fair and square. Roxana thought both Lumia and Belle’s arguments were valid. It would be strange for one of them to just give in.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Okay, then you can be the judge, Roxana.”
Lumia and Belle’s eyes met. At first, they had at least tried to hide it, but now, there was only a firm determination not to give the other a chance. Where did it all go wrong? It was pointless to even wonder.
Besides… she was no different from the two older girls. Captain Enoch Levandal was special. Could any woman who had spent even a little time with him not develop feelings for him?
‘…But it’s okay if it’s one of them.’
She thought, glancing away from her two older sisters. She had a heart condition. Enoch Levandal was a jewel too precious for someone like her to covet.
“Then let’s start? Rock, paper, scissors!”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Yo! How’ve you been?”
“Brigadier General, are you serious?”
“It was the Captain’s idea to get things moving, wasn’t it?”
Brigadier General Sony Zeppelin chuckled shamelessly at the entrance of Stout Village. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“That’s that, and not wanting to go is not wanting to go.”
“But it’s the Reinhardt Empire, right? The country with the most advanced technology on the continent! And the timing coincides with a festival. Think of it as a vacation too. The Captain hasn’t had a single vacation yet, has he?”
“A vacation…”
It was true. Even newly commissioned officers were given a vacation after about six months of service, but it had been almost eight months, and I hadn’t had a proper vacation yet.
I had had a vague plan to go to a nearby mountain valley or lake for a change of pace and rest during the summer, but since reorganizing the battalion and establishing a training plan was the top priority, I hadn’t even dreamed of actually taking a vacation.
“The exhibition schedule isn’t that long, and for the rest, you just have to meet a few people with Count Ferdinand, and that’s it!”
“When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Except for the fact that you’ll be swamped with people to the point of exhaustion.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds pretty bad.”
“Hahaha! Your reaction is so funny. As expected of our Deputy Commander.”
Sony Zeppelin clapped her hands, and a person in a formal uniform got out of the magnificent carriage behind her. “You can leave your luggage with him.”
“I’ll take good care of it.”
Since I was going on official business, the Royal Palace had provided a special carriage. I handed my luggage to the driver and looked at the people who had come to see me off.
“I’ll be back.”
“Take care.”
“But what’s with Platoon Leader Belle Meyer’s face? Didn’t she sleep last night?”
It was a gloomy expression I had never seen before.
For a moment, I was worried that something might have happened to her memory, but Roxana, who was standing next to her, quickly reassured me, “She said her stomach was a little upset yesterday!”
“Hmm, is that so. Well, both Roxana and Belle should take care of themselves while I’m gone.”
“We’ll keep that in mind!”
Claude and the other company and platoon commanders would be busy hazing the new recruits. This was enough of a farewell.
“Then, Lumia, let’s go.”
“Yes─! Deputy Commander─!!”
“Are you that excited?”
‘Lumia’s excitement is even higher than usual. What’s with this extreme reaction?’
I had a feeling that I had gotten myself into some kind of strange situation that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Was it just my imagination? It was just an exhibition, so how troublesome could it get? I got into the carriage with a strange feeling.
Thump, clatter!
As soon as the door closed, the carriage started moving with a jolt. Its destination was the Reinhardt Empire.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
