Chapter 75
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Journey (2)
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"Huh?"
"It's not that. Among the people we rescued in this operation, wasn't there a child of Count Pedro?"
"That's right..."
Bell Mayer nodded. Since she had been the one to check on the health of the prisoners, she had also checked on the condition of Ekaterina Pedro.
"The Count is holding a banquet to express his gratitude, and I've been chosen to represent our unit."
"Isn't that a good thing? But Captain Soni Chepelin is here, and Chief of Staff Josef Levandowski is here too, so why me..."
The daughter and family members who had been kidnapped by bandits had returned safely without a single scratch. That alone was enough to be greatly commended.
However, it wasn't as if Bell Mayer had performed some outstanding feat.
Of course, she had participated in the attack operation and helped with emergency treatment for the wounded, but wasn't the actual rescue of Ekaterina Pedro carried out by Claude Raine's 1st Platoon and Company Commander Enok Levandel?
"That's precisely because they are nobles."
"Captain?"
"I came to check on the wounded, but I didn't expect to find you two having such a private meeting."
Her hair, reflecting the moonlight, shimmered with a violet hue. Soni Chepelin approached the two of them with a smile.
"Is it really okay for me to go?"
"It's precisely because you're Platoon Leader Bell that you can go. I recommended you to the Company Commander."
"There was no need for you and the Chief of Staff to go out of your way like that..."
"No, no, no. Don't think of it as consideration. Think of it as a last-minute match-up, and it'll be easier."
The Colonel snapped her fingers.
"Even if it's a banquet to express gratitude, it's still a Count's household. We need to send someone of matching status. As a Platoon Leader, you should be well-versed in noble culture, right?"
It was a sound argument. She was the daughter of a family that had once held central authority. The culture and etiquette she had been taught since childhood were not so easily forgotten after just a few years.
Furthermore, Bell Mayer knew all too well just how severe the prejudice among nobles could be.
Nobles were the kind of people who wouldn't even properly treat merchants or technicians— the bourgeoisie— who had accumulated immense wealth through commerce.
To them, who valued honor and tradition above all, sending just any officer or non-commissioned officer could be seen as a grave insult.
"I'm busy preparing for the next operation. Infiltrating the Imperial border is completely different in difficulty and scale from what we just did. I don't have the luxury of leisurely attending a party."
"Th-then, what about Chief of Staff Josef..."
"Naturally, the Chief of Staff is in the same boat. So, we decided to send the next highest-ranking officer, the 1st Platoon Leader. It's customary for two people to attend these kinds of celebratory banquets, you know?"
"That's right."
"Lieutenant Enok Levandel was directly promoted by His Highness the Archduke, and he was the one who rescued Lady Pedro, so he's a given. But the other platoon leaders... I'm not sure how the other side would take it."
Noble society is complex. After they gave up their power, all that was left for them was honor.
They placed immense meaning on the intangible value of honor, just as they had been obsessed with their former territories.
No matter how much of a soldier, an officer, or a hero they were, if they were of a lower class like a commoner or a merchant, they would surely not be treated properly.
"Ah, so that's why I..."
"Coincidentally, the person with the highest social standing in our battalion is Platoon Leader Bell."
No matter how much the power of the Mayer family has waned.
They had once backed central authority, and even now, the family head is dispatched as an administrator near the capital.
They might be considered a family with honor comparable to that of a border Count. Having realized this, Bell Mayer no longer had any justification to refuse.
Ultimately, she too was convinced that she had no choice but to attend.
"So, I picked out a banquet dress. Want to go see it?"
As if she had been waiting for that very moment, Soni Chepelin said with a bright smile.
Biyaltok, the northernmost region of the Ukran Duchy. Since most of it is mountainous terrain, compared to the other eight regions, the number of residents is low, and the infrastructure itself is quite underdeveloped.
Nevertheless, the northwestern region had a few trading cities due to its geographical feature of being closest to the Walter 3 Kingdoms.
Among them, 'Subaki City' was a much larger and more bustling city than Chernoh City in the similar-feeling northeastern region.
The banquet hall of the Pedro family, the honorary lord of Biyaltok, was also located in this city.
"I heard the Lady who was kidnapped by the bandits rampaging near the mountain range was rescued."
"Fortunately, it seems nothing serious happened."
"Why did they have to show such useless interest... Tsk, tsk."
The nobles gathered in the Pedro family's banquet hall threw in their two cents. It was a gathering to celebrate the safe rescue of Ekaterina Pedro, the daughter of Count Jacques Pedro.
However, for those who knew the circumstances, Ekaterina's actions were not entirely understandable.
"Count Pedro must be quite troubled."
"Unfortunately, he has no heir to carry on the family line. That's always a problem with a family full of daughters."
"Still... wouldn't it be fine to bring in a decent son-in-law? That way, the family's lineage could be maintained."
"Hah, in the end, it would just be a soldier or some merchant guild master."
"Perhaps he could adopt an heir?"
The nobles' interest was always on succession and the prosperity of the family. Even though their power was not what it used to be, they still had a strong image of being able to rise to much higher positions than commoners, and in reality, that was the case.
"Come to think of it, the people who rescued the Lady were also invited to this banquet. If they seem to have decent value, it might be good to build a connection with them while we're at it."
"They're field-grade officers, aren't they? Quite promising individuals. I heard they're even magicians."
Just as the guests were clinking their wine glasses and making small talk...
"The Special Response Brigade has arrived!"
The doors to the banquet hall opened, and a man and a woman slowly walked in. One was in a formal military dress uniform, and the one accompanying him gracefully, dressed in a black dress that matched her hair color, was by his side.
As the guests had mentioned, they were not field-grade officers, but it was impossible to take one's eyes off the two of them.
Their two rank insignia diamonds were rendered colorless by their experienced and dignified appearance. The sharp jawline revealed a masculine beauty without filter, and the emerald eyes, like precious stones, looked cold and noble.
The young noble ladies, who had been chattering away, fell silent as one.
The men were no different.
Though their gazes were fixed not on Enok Levandel but on someone else, their reaction was no different from the other ladies.
With a figure that emphasized the alluring curves of a feminine silhouette and a chest that definitively captured the attention of all males, her appearance was so enchanting that no one could possibly think she was a soldier.
They went inside the banquet hall and stood directly before a visibly surprised Count Jacques Pedro, then offered a greeting with the decorum of an old noble.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Count Jacques Pedro. I am Lieutenant Enok Levandel of the Special Response Brigade. It is truly an honor to meet you."
Lieutenant Enok Levandel.
That name alone was enough to inject tension into the languid noble society.
"So the rumored new officer was the Lieutenant! No wonder!!"
"I am simply overwhelmed by your passion and honor, dedicated to our country."
"Would you perhaps be willing to... give me your address? No, it's not that kind of feeling!! I just thought we could get to know each other better..."
Whoa, what's with these girls flocking to me?
The moment the official banquet began, I was instantly surrounded by women adorned in all kinds of dresses. I had felt particularly intense gazes when I was talking with Count Pedro, but was it these people?
Of course, the situation wasn't much different for Bell Mayer.
Unlike me, who came from a baseless commoner background, Bell was a bonafide noble.
The reputation of the Mayer family was well and truly effective even here in Biyaltok, and there were already several men trailing after her.
As the atmosphere of the banquet gradually warmed up...
Those who were leaving had already left, and the crowd had thinned considerably by the time I managed to slip outside.
"Puhah! I'm really going to die from suffocation."
As I let out all the sighs I had been holding back, someone who was already on the terrace burst out laughing.
"Pfft."
"...Platoon Leader Bell?"
"It looks like you had a good time."
Bell Mayer said, swirling the wine in her glass.
"Don't even mention it. Platoon Leader, you're from a famous family, so... I wonder why I was swarmed like that. I couldn't even properly pay my respects to the Count."
"Are you asking because you don't know? Or are you feigning ignorance?"
"I really don't know."
"...Sigh. Seeing you like this, it seems what you said last time wasn't a lie."
She slightly moved to the side, offering the seat next to her on the terrace.
"Where in the world would you find a perfect man like the Company Commander? Acknowledged by the Archduke, rescuing a Count's daughter from bandits... I'd even believe it if you said he was a prince who just popped out of a fairy tale."
"But his social status isn't that of a prince."
"What's so important about a status that's left with nothing but honor? To those girls, the Company Commander must look like a golden lifeline."
"Is... is that so..."
I couldn't understand it at all, but I just nodded vaguely and stood next to Bell Mayer.
Then, the night view of Subaki City came into full view. Even if it's a local city, it's still a trading city. Even though the sun had long set, the streets were filled with life.
As I stared blankly at the scenery for a moment...
"Company Commander."
"Yes?"
"...Thank you so much."
Bell Mayer said with a gentle smile. Her beautiful, shimmering red eyes. A tear gathering at the corner of her eye sparkled.
"...Even though I didn't do anything."
"It's not that. To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to come to a social gathering like this again. I had lost even the little honor I had left."
Bell Mayer said in a slightly trembling voice. A terrible past that was so awful, just thinking about it could make one lose their memory.
I had only done my best to support her so she could stand back up from that past.
"I only provided a small... motivation for you, Corporal Bell. The one who achieved it was none other than you, Bell Mayer."
"That kind of consideration is what allows me to breathe. It's because I had no such motivation that I fell to the very bottom of my life."
"...It's the natural duty of a comrade and a superior. Please don't think too much of it."
"Hehe, there's no way I could help but like that side of you."
I couldn't bring myself to continue speaking so rashly.
The sound of people's laughter from not too far away, the church bell tower ringing clearly, and the faint, lingering sound of a double bass from behind.
I had a feeling that if I said a few more words here, something... my rationality might just snap.
Bell Mayer is an enchanting woman.
That is an undeniable fact.
Both Lumia and Roxana are beautiful women, but the first person I felt something 'romantic' towards was Bell Mayer.
"Enok."
She calls my name. Without any title like Lieutenant or Company Commander attached.
A pure name.
"When it's just the two of us... would it be okay to call you by your name?"
"You've already been doing so..."
"Then please call me Bell as well."
Her gaze, fixed steadily on mine. Feeling as if my mind was about to go blank, I finally let her name escape my lips.
"Bell."
The gaze, now closer, slowly approaches.
Just as my eyes were about to instinctively close...
"There you two are..."
A woman with platinum blonde hair appeared through the slightly opened terrace door.
"Ah. Ah? Huh?"
Before I could hastily back away, Ekaterina Pedro showed a reaction as if a screw had come loose somewhere, then...
"I-I'm sorry for interrupting!!"
Bang! She closed the terrace door and ran away.
"This is a disaster."
My heart instantly ran cold, and I had to hurriedly chase after her.
"Wait a minute...!! Lady Ekaterina Pedro!! I think there's been a misunderstanding!!"
Oh, what a mess.