A Taste of Memories

"Doesn't it hurt? Even if you received basic treatment, you pushed your mana to its absolute limit and even took emergency mana recovery drugs. It wouldn't be strange if you were bedridden right now from the pain wracking your entire body..."

"I feel fine. Just a bit of aching here and there... The detailed test results didn't show any major issues either. It doesn't seem like I need to be hospitalized, so may I leave?"

"The healer who treated you agreed, and I also think it would be best for you to be hospitalized for a few days of rest... but we can't force a patient who insists they are fine to stay. If you feel up to it, you may go. Just please don't overexert yourself for a while."

"Understood. Thank you."

Immediately after Scarlet Evande's interrogation ended, Martina—who had visited the hospital only because the relief squad's medical team had insisted she be admitted—walked out after receiving nothing but a thorough examination.

Stepping outside, Martina let out a low groan as she stretched, her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face contorting at the sharp, throbbing pain that flared in her chest.

"...Fuck, I lied about being fine, but this hurts like hell..."

To be honest, what she had told the doctor was a blatant lie. It wasn't just a mild ache here and there; it was a severe, agonizing throb.

But being cooped up in a hospital bed was the last thing she wanted, Martina thought, clicking her tongue.

No matter how one looked at it, anyone admitted to a hospital was treated as a patient. And people never reached out to a patient for help, even in an emergency.

She never wanted to repeat the experience of finding out too late that a comrade had been forced into retirement by a severe injury—and seeing a subordinate who used to smile so brightly lose their laughter forever because of it.

"I'll heal up quickly enough without being hospitalized for this," she muttered to herself as she made her way back to the front lines where her division was stationed.

The lounge where the squad members should have been resting was quiet, save for a few lingering soldiers. When she inquired, she learned that the rest had gone out to stand guard, protecting the workers dispatched to repair the barriers damaged by the earlier monster raid and to clear the piles of monster corpses scattered about.

They would likely remain this busy for a while. The Central Committee had already notified them of an upcoming massive construction project: installing a barrier-wide magic circle that would completely block unauthorized teleportation, similar to the one protecting the city, to prevent a Witch capable of free spatial manipulation from launching another surprise attack.

There's no way I, the Captain, can lie in a hospital bed at a busy time like this, Martina muttered. She sought out Canna, her Vice-Captain, who was busy barking orders to the squad members, to report her return.

"Canna, you've been working non-stop. Hand over the duties to me and go get some rest. I'll take over from here."

"...Captain? You're back already? I'm pretty sure the medical team told you to get hospitalized."

"Ah, well, when I went to the hospital for the tests, they said hospitalization wasn't strictly necessary. I felt fine, so I just came back. We're in the middle of a hectic period anyway; how could I not be here?"

"...Ah, I see. You're 'fine' then."

At that moment, Canna, who had been nodding along to Martina's words, suddenly thrust her hand forward.

Martina felt the hand flying toward her chest at a terrifying speed. It was fast enough that a direct hit would certainly leave a mark.

Normally, she could have dodged it with ease, but her body was currently in no condition to react.

Unable to avoid Canna's strike, she braced herself, only for the hand to decelerate sharply right before impact, tapping her chest in what was clearly a playful jab.

And yet—

"—Heugh?!!"

The sudden contact sent a wave of excruciating agony through her already aching chest. Unable to hold it in any longer, Martina let out an incredibly ungraceful shriek.

Clutching her chest and trembling all over, Martina realized she had screwed up and peeked up at Canna.

What met her gaze was Canna's exasperated, pathetic look, her expression practically screaming, I knew it.

"...Did you really think I'd fall for such an obvious lie? No matter what kind of treatment you received, there's no way you wouldn't be in pain after pushing yourself that hard. Why did you crawl back here in that state instead of quietly staying in the hospital?"

"...Because I'm the Captain."

"...As if you didn't hate the idea of becoming Captain in the first place. It's good to have a sense of responsibility, but don't overexert yourself trying to shoulder everything alone."

Martina stared at Canna for a moment before letting out a dry chuckle.

"Canna, you know me far too well for your own good."

It was just as she said. Frankly, when she first joined Astrape, she had never once dreamed of becoming Captain. She hadn't even thought it possible.

After all, the position of Captain wasn't something one obtained merely by being strong.

She was strong, yes, but she lacked the confidence to shoulder the heavy responsibilities that came with the title. To be honest, her style had always been to do whatever the hell she wanted.

That was why the previous Captain had intended to pass the mantle to someone else, not her.

To Yoon Siwoo's father—a man who possessed both an unwavering sense of responsibility and the deep respect of his peers.

However, due to the tragedy fifteen years ago, both the previous Captain and that man had died in the line of duty, leaving the position vacant.

The 4th Division, having lost its core, desperately needed a new leader. Thus, she had no choice but to step up and take the position.

And the burden of leading others proved to be far heavier than she had ever anticipated.

Though she always acted as if it were nothing, there were times when it felt overwhelming. It seemed she couldn't hide it from Canna, who had spent so many years by her side.

Just then, Canna sighed and pulled something from her uniform, holding it out.

"Here, take this. I figured you'd pull something like this, so I had it drafted in advance."

"What is this... a vacation order? Why would you..."

"You hate hospitals. I knew you'd rather die than stay admitted, so I'm sending you on vacation instead. Go rest until your body is fully recovered. Do not show your face at headquarters for at least a week. This is an official order, so disobeying it means insubordination."

Martina stared at Canna, dumbfounded.

"Hey, I'm the Captain. What do you mean, 'official order'..."

"When the Captain is absent, the Vice-Captain acts as the Captain. If you disobey, I, as the Acting Captain, won't let it slide. Now go rest."

"...And what if I do disobey?"

"I'll cry. Out loud, like a toddler. If you don't want to see that, you'd better follow orders."

Canna crossed her arms and glared at her with a sassy look, as if asking if Martina could handle the consequences. Martina let out a helpless chuckle, took the vacation order, and slipped it into her pocket.

She certainly didn't want to see Canna bawling like a baby, so she had no choice.

Deciding to take this opportunity to get some rest, Martina turned to leave when Canna's voice called out from behind her.

"Oh, right. On your way out, take that rookie crouching in the corner with you. I sent him on a mandatory three-day vacation too. He was coughing up blood like crazy, and yet he insists he's 'fine.' Honestly, the Captain and the subordinate are cut from the exact same cloth."

Looking around at her words, Martina spotted Yoon Siwoo. He was huddled in a corner of the barrier, staring blankly at the working squad members with a deeply troubled expression.

A vacation with Yoon Siwoo. If it had been a while ago, she might have been thrilled, but now...

Martina let out a soft sigh and approached him.

"You got kicked out on vacation too, huh?"

"...Captain."

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind. I know just the place for times like this. What do you say? Want to grab a drink?"

The place Martina took Yoon Siwoo to was a quiet bar tucked away in a secluded alleyway.

The interior of the bar was dimly lit, and with no other patrons inside, it exuded a strange, quiet atmosphere.

Yoon Siwoo looked at his superior with a slightly uncomfortable expression and spoke up.

"...Um, Captain. I'm still a minor, so alcohol is a bit..."

"Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to feed you alcohol. The fresh fruit juice here is amazing. I highly recommend the orange juice. Shall we go with that?"

"...Sure, I'll have that."

"Got it. Hey, barkeep! A martini and an orange juice, please!"

Shortly after Martina called out, a taciturn, middle-aged man emerged, placed two glasses in front of them, and vanished back into the back.

A martini garnished with an olive, and a moderately sized glass filled with orange juice.

Yoon Siwoo took a sip through the straw, his eyes widening slightly after a moment.

"...This is actually really good. Even though it's just orange juice."

"Right? I don't know if they just use high-quality fruit, but no other place compares. Well, almost nobody comes to a bar just to drink juice, so it's exclusive information you'd never find out unless someone told you. I'm only sharing it because it's you. I actually found out about this place after being dragged here myself."

Martina gazed at Yoon Siwoo with a distant, nostalgic look as he sipped his juice. She took a small sip of her martini and murmured,

"...By your parents, that is."

Yoon Siwoo froze for a moment before slowly turning his head to look at Martina.

Seeing the complex, indescribable expression on his face, Martina continued as if talking to herself.

"...When I first joined the 4th Division, I had a lot of rough edges. I absolutely detested losing to anyone. Well, I still hate losing now, but back then, it was to an extreme degree."

"..."

"I grew up without parents too, you see. So, to prevent anyone from looking down on me for that, I tried to stay ahead of everyone in everything. But no matter how talented you are, pushing yourself like that has its limits. I constantly clashed with my squadmates over the pettiest things. Then, one day, the squad had a drinking contest. I came in dead last because I couldn't drink at all. I felt so incredibly bitter about it. I kept thinking that the reason I couldn't drink was because I had no parents to teach me."

"..."

"So I was crying all by myself in a corner when your father and mother dragged me here to comfort me. At first, I thought they were mocking me. Bringing someone who was crying over not being able to drink to a bar? But then, they ordered three glasses of orange juice instead of alcohol and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠told me... honestly, they preferred this over alcohol anyway. They told me not to worry about stupid things like who could drink the most of something that tasted awful."

Martina cleared her throat a few times as her voice grew thick with emotion, then continued.

"...It was such a simple thing to say, but I can't tell you how grateful I was back then. We became close after that, and the three of us would often come here to drink. They were the ones who eventually taught me how to drink alcohol, too. Even though we weren't that far apart in age, to me... they were like parents. I just wanted to tell you that."

"...They sound like wonderful people."

"...They really were."

Martina replied softly, taking a few sips of her drink.

Yoon Siwoo hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and spoke.

"...Thank you for today. For granting my request."

"...Ah, that? To be honest, I wrestled with it a lot. But when you went so far as to beg me like that, I couldn't just turn you down. Besides, she didn't seem like a bad kid."

Martina replied with a bitter smile.

Before returning to the border area after rescuing Scarlet, Yoon Siwoo had gone so far as to drop to his knees, begging her not to tell anyone about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what she had witnessed today.

That was why she had hesitated so much when questioned during the interrogation earlier. Considering the potential dangers that might arise in the future, the right thing to do would have been to testify exactly to what she had seen.

But had she spoken the truth, that girl, Scarlet Evande, probably wouldn't have escaped unscathed today.

Yet, Martina chose to keep silent about what she had witnessed. Because she wanted to believe.

It wasn't that she blindly trusted the girl. She trusted the resolve the girl had shown during their training.

She trusted the heart of the girl who had sacrificed herself to save the students, to save the people.

Martina wanted to believe in those heroic deeds.

Still, there were lingering doubts she couldn't entirely shake off, so Martina spoke up.

"...However, in exchange for keeping my promise, can I ask you a few things?"

"...Yes, go ahead."

"...Did you tell any lies during the interrogation today?"

"...No, I didn't lie. I hate lying."

Martina caught her breath and asked him,

"If you didn't lie... then did you mean what you said back then?"

Even without her specifying what "that" was, Yoon Siwoo understood. He slowly nodded.

"...Yes, I meant every word."

"...Did you know everything beforehand?"

"...I had a general idea."

"...I see. Yoon Siwoo, let me ask you just one more thing..."

Martina spoke, recalling the sights she had witnessed today.

The girl who had remained perfectly fine even amidst the Magi that constantly tried to invade her body, despite layers of protective mana.

The girl who had taken a direct hit from a monster's flames—flames hot enough to melt the very earth—and walked away unscathed.

"...What on earth is she?"

To that question, Yoon Siwoo answered without a single shred of hesitation.

"Scarlet is just my precious friend."

At his words, Martina slowly nodded. That answer was more than enough.

Please, let there never come a day when this boy has to put his words to the test.

As Martina sipped her drink with those thoughts in mind, Yoon Siwoo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watched her for a moment before asking,

"...Captain, you said you couldn't drink before. Are you okay now?"

"...Yeah. After drinking for so long, my tolerance naturally went up."

"Is it really delicious enough to force yourself to build up a tolerance? I've never had alcohol before, so..."

Martina stared at her martini for a moment at his question, then offered him the glass with a gentle smile.

"...Do you want to try a sip if you're curious?"

"...Is that alright?"

"It's fine, just a sip."

"Then, I won't refuse..."

Taking the glass from Martina, Yoon Siwoo took a small sip of the martini. His face puckered slightly as he handed the glass back to her.

"...It's bitter. I don't understand what adults find so appealing about this."

"Yeah, it's just bitter. Honestly, I still don't know what it's supposed to taste like either."

"...Then why do you drink it?"

"...Well. If I had to find a reason..."

At Yoon Siwoo's question, Martina looked down at her martini glass, her mind drifting back to the day she had tasted this drink for the very first time.

"—Memories, perhaps."

Martina murmured, tilting her martini glass back.