Rumors Aren't Worth Believing (2)
"Captain! Have you lost your mind?!"
Single-handedly subjugating the Magic Dragon's Nest was an achievement that transcended simple praise and deserved to be sung as legend. Yet the welcome awaiting Wolfgang upon her return to the garrison was a barrage of scolding from her adjutant.
Galina’s silver hair, tied back in a style similar yet subtly different from Wolfgang’s, framed sharp blue eyes that twisted with beast-like ferocity. They looked ready to bite anything in their path without hesitation. In truth, the description wasn’t far off. Galina, adjutant of the Vendetta Legion, was also known as the Mad Dog. The nickname and her position seemed at odds, but she performed her duties flawlessly while possessing strength more than worthy of the Vendetta.
When the beast-like ears atop her head stood rigid and her tail pointed straight to the sky, it signaled towering rage. At such times, the wisest course was to stay silent and endure.
"I encountered it during reconnaissance. There was no choice."
"Don’t lie to me! You flew straight there the moment you saw it!"
"……."
Making excuses with clumsy lies would only invite a far more venomous counterattack. Even her carefully prepared deflection had been sliced apart like a blade through silk.
"I know exactly why you went alone, Captain."
Perhaps deciding that scolding alone wasn’t enough, Galina had shifted to gentle admonishment. The moment Wolfgang heard those words, however, her heart jolted.
She knows the reason?
As previously noted, Wolfgang fought for deeply personal reasons. And precisely because those reasons had never been discovered, she was hailed as a war hero. But if the truth came out? If the Vendetta Legion itself learned the secret?
In the worst case, the fangs of the Vendetta, sensing betrayal, might turn against her.
At last Galina’s expression softened into sorrow, and she spoke the reason she believed to be true.
"It’s because you were worried about us, wasn’t it?"
"……?"
"Don’t pretend otherwise. I already know."
Galina had made a spectacularly wrong assumption. From her perspective, however, no other conclusion was possible. Every member of the Vendetta owed their lives to Wolfgang in one way or another. To her eyes, the sight of their captain hurling herself alone into the Magic Dragon's Nest looked like nothing short of self-sacrifice.
She fears we might die or be injured, so she handles everything by herself. That was the conclusion Galina had reached, and the very thought had sent her fury soaring.
Galina’s hands gently enveloped one of Wolfgang’s.
"Just as you worry for us, Captain, we worry for you more than anyone else."
"……."
"I know your strength is nearly invincible… but please, consider our feelings a little. All right?"
I’ve never worried about any of you. Not once.
Still, a beneficial misunderstanding was better left uncorrected. Since Galina had kindly filled in the blanks with a flattering interpretation, there was no reason to shatter the illusion.
"I’m sorry. I’ll make every effort to keep that in mind from now on."
"That’s all I wanted to hear."
Thanks to the sincere apology, the sharpness left Galina’s expression. With some breathing room restored, Wolfgang pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her lips.
The troublesome business was finally over. The crash of the Magic Dragon's Nest had caused some collateral damage, but the area had already been confirmed uninhabited. Once the cleanup finished, she could return and rest.
It was not an entirely mistaken judgment. Nothing tasted sweeter to a weary soldier than combat leave.
But.
The cleanup, it seemed, had far more left to it than she anticipated.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The vibrating earth made her flick away far too much cigarette ash. Sensing the abnormality, Wolfgang tossed the cigarette aside and rose to her feet.
Something was coming this way.
"The Magic Dragon's Nest is a treasure trove of demonic energy that monsters crave. Even the mere crumbs falling from it are enough to draw hordes of them from below."
Rumble rumble rumble!
"And since the mother who fed them has been slain, it appears they’ve come for revenge."
They were like nestlings. The difference was that baby birds simply ate what their mother brought, while these creatures possessed the power to exact vengeance.
Yet the imperial soldiers showed no fear at the oncoming wave of monsters. Instead they gripped their weapons and prepared to engage. At the very front stood Galina.
Wearing the same uniform as Wolfgang, she pulled her military cap down firmly. It was a declaration that she intended to fight.
"Captain, allow me to show you."
"……."
"I may not reach your level, but I am not weak either."
Galina ordered the soldiers to withdraw. She would face the horde alone.
The monsters nourished by the demonic energy of the Magic Dragon's Nest were far stronger than ordinary beasts. Facing them single-handedly? It was madness. No, it was suicide. Any adventurer with even passing knowledge of the Magic Dragon's Nest would have seen her as nothing but a death seeker. Even a complete novice would have reached the same conclusion.
Yet the result defied all imagination.
The single person who had appeared to be courting death had eradicated the countless monsters in under an hour.
That was why, despite their tiny numbers, they were called a Legion.
Each member was a one-man army capable of opposing an entire military force. That was the Vendetta Legion under her command.
Who exactly is worrying about whom?
My own nose is already three feet long.
Military Discharge.
A goal most men in conscription states dreamed of at least once. Some might even call it salvation. Wolfgang’s circumstances, however, were slightly different. She had volunteered rather than been drafted.
Of course, the situation had been nearly coercive; not enlisting would have meant death. Still, a volunteer enlistment was a volunteer enlistment. She could never build immunity to the phrase Dragged into the army, huh?
Moreover, the memorable quotes she had uttered during the Winter War to boost morale had painted her into a corner. The imperial army’s faith in her had grown beyond imagination.
If that near-religious belief were to shatter?
The aftermath was too terrible to contemplate. In the worst case, disillusioned soldiers might unite in open revolt. Wolfgang was not the kind of pyromaniac who could watch people burn and remain perfectly sane.
How can I retire safely?
Even while standing before the emperor to receive direct commendation for subjugating the Magic Dragon's Nest, her mind was filled with thoughts of discharge. Yet after long consideration she was forced to admit the truth.
Retiring immediately carried far too much risk. The oversized position of Legion Commander alone was the problem. It was not a post that could be swapped overnight. Doing so might throw the entire imperial army into chaos. A proper handover was required.
That was why she could not leave at once. Until she raised a successor capable of taking her place, she had no choice but to remain.
Still, even if no answer was visible now, effort would eventually yield a solution. Honestly, the retirement issue was trivial compared to the days of the Winter War, when every battle carried the genuine risk of either dying in combat or starving to death.
Right. So what now?
She tossed aside her uniform jacket, now bearing yet another medal on the chest, and dropped into her chair. Her ample breasts pressed against the desk.
"This still feels utterly disgusting."
Ten years ago, when she had been a girl, it had not been this bad. But once she entered her growth period her chest had swelled without mercy until it became two enormous mountains. Setting aside the discomfort that arose from memories of her former male life, the sheer size—at least an F-cup—created constant inconvenience.
One major issue was cross-dressing. Whether due to lingering memories or instinctive resistance, she disliked being seen as a woman. She therefore dressed as a man, yet her bountiful chest always betrayed her. She had even spent her own money commissioning mages to create magical compression bandages.
Even those could not fully relieve the constriction. So whenever she was alone, she liberated herself like this.
A woman’s body really is inconvenient in so many ways.
Her breasts, finally free again after so long, rose and fell gently with each breath. Ignoring them, she turned her thoughts to future plans.
Returning to the main topic: if immediate discharge was impossible, she would simply proceed step by step. First she needed to select a successor. Galina, her adjutant, was the obvious choice. Her skill and talent were already acknowledged by Wolfgang herself.
She would begin the handover process, gradually yielding her position while moving to the rear to observe the situation before retiring. It was a solid plan, steadily taking shape.
Right at that moment—
"Captain!! Did you hear that ru— whoa?!"
"……?"
A boy with long purple hair that fell like a rocker’s burst through the door, then immediately flushed crimson and fled. Wolfgang smiled wryly.
"What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to pester me for our usual match?"
"I suppose the sight was too stimulating for a little brat. I understand."
"Ugh…!!"
The kid still counted as male after all. She didn’t enjoy being treated like a woman, but when he reacted with such virginal panic, she couldn’t resist teasing him even more.
Still, if she left things as they were, conversation would be impossible. Wolfgang lazily pulled her uniform jacket back on. Her chest instantly flattened as if by magic.
Timing it perfectly, the boy peeked through the door crack, confirmed she was dressed, and let out a sigh of relief before stepping inside. Watching him, Wolfgang grinned.
"So? What brings you running here, kid?"
"I’m not a kid! I have a name—Jackal!"
"I already know that."
"You don’t act like it… Anyway. There’s a strange rumor going around."
Wolfgang tilted her head. Jackal was not the type to care about rumors. For him to come all this way to tell her about one?
"What rumor?"
Instinct told her this was something she needed to hear.
"Well… they say the Captain is actually the villainess who was banished from the kingdom."
And that instinct proved perfectly accurate.