Chapter 94
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: To Break and Shatter (3)
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It was late at night.
The office of the headquarters company of the 8th Assault Magic Infantry Battalion.
During the day, the office was a chaotic flurry of activity, but now that darkness had fallen, it was filled with a peaceful silence.
The space was lit by nothing but the moonlight streaming through the window; not a single candle was lit.
Three people were there.
"Alright, let's talk now."
The one who broke the heavy silence was a woman with her silver hair tied back in a single braid.
Her amethyst eyes shimmered clearly even in the dark. She was Lieutenant Lumia Blue, the adjutant and closest confidante of Deputy Battalion Commander Enok Levandel.
"You all know why we're gathered, right?"
"Of course."
The woman with the short hair answered. Black hair, red eyes. Her appearance was striking, but she possessed other, even more eye-catching physical features.
She was Bell Mayer, the leader of the medical platoon.
"It's to decide who will accompany the expedition to the Reinhardt Empire."
"But is this really something to discuss in such a serious, secretive atmosphere...?"
The last one, Roxana Elim, looked utterly bewildered. Every time she tilted her head, her pink hair swayed softly.
"Of course. This is a major issue."
"Is that so...?"
"Absolutely."
It was an incomprehensible situation no matter how she looked at it, but the overwhelming confidence of the two older women left Roxana with no choice but to go along with it.
"We have to decide by tomorrow."
"Can't someone from another department go?"
"The staff headquarters is completely paralyzed, and we can't pull anyone from the other platoons currently in training."
"So, it basically means the surplus personnel have to go..."
Roxana said.
It was a bitter truth, but there was nothing to be done about it. The aviation platoon was just an empty shell with a signboard, nothing had been decided yet.
The medical platoon led by Bell Mayer was in a similar state; it was filled only with personnel who had volunteered to be medics. Among them, only Platoon Leader Bell Mayer and the emergency treatment officer knew how to use magic.
While it was slightly better off than the aviation platoon, it was still not properly established. It would only be fully formed after the new recruits completed their training, or if the staff headquarters' workload decreased.
For these reasons, the three relatively available candidates were selected to join Enok Levandel at the Reinhardt Empire's military expo.
And among the three, one lucky person would be granted the honor of spending a month abroad alone with Captain Enok.
"Naturally, as the adjutant, it should be me who goes."
"Oh really? I think differently."
"Sister Lumia...?"
"Wouldn't it be better for the adjutant to remain at her post? Even if Chief of Staff Yosef takes over the battalion commander's duties, he doesn't have his own adjutant, does he?"
"Sister Bell too...?"
Both were smiling as they spoke, but the atmosphere between them was anything but relaxed. What was this strange rivalry?
"On the other hand, the medical platoon leader can't leave. It's a newly established unit, and it would be strange for its leader to be absent."
"It's fine~ There's nothing for me to do anyway. The trainees all said it's sufficient to have the other mages handle emergency treatment on-site."
"T-then why did you even propose the platoon's creation...?"
"Getting scraped up in training is different from getting shot!"
Tap, tap.
Sparks of an unseen fire flew back and forth. Usually, when they had different opinions, they would compromise with each other. But this time, neither showed an inch of retreat.
Lumia and Bell exchanged a few more words before turning to Roxana almost simultaneously.
"What do you think, Roxana? Who do you think should go?"
"Ahaha, I'm completely out of the running, aren't I, sisters...?"
"Hm? Do you want to go?"
"No, no! I don't really want to go!"
Roxana frantically waved her hands to deny it. Why would she want to insert herself into that mess?
At her words, the stiff expressions on Lumia and Bell's faces softened slightly.
"Well... hmm... if Roxana wanted to, we could send you."
"It's fine. I'm not fully recovered yet anyway."
It was a definite excuse.
To be honest, she wasn't entirely uninterested. It was the Reinhardt Empire, wasn't it? The country famous for its delicious beer and sausages, and for holding festivals every day.
Roxana Elim, born with a predisposition for alcoholism, had never once been overseas.
If Captain Enok Levandel were by her side, she could exchange mana with him, so her condition wouldn't worsen.
However, Roxana chose not to voice her opinion. What would be the point of ruining the mood when the two older women wanted to go so badly?
'Besides, I fly around with Captain Enok often for training, so it's fine.'
With that resolved, she gave a smile to the two sisters who looked guilty.
"One of the two of you should go."
"Right?"
"Yeah, Roxana. I'll bring you a souvenir for sure when I get back."
But Roxana's withdrawal didn't solve the problem. They still had to decide between Lumia and Bell.
"I gave in last time!"
"That was because I had no other choice!"
"Gah... No, Sister Bell. Since when were you so interested in the Captain?"
"I've been interested from the start."
Bell answered with a gentle smile.
Roxana could detect clear shyness and jealousy on her face.
"It's a waste to just watch a man like that slip by, don't you think?"
"...Huh?"
"It's not like you're actually dating him."
"Sister?!"
It was a bombshell. Lumia's jaw dropped. All those times she'd casually mentioned how tempting a man like Captain Enok was... was that all a joke, or was she serious?
The momentary shock soon passed.
Lumia bit her lip hard.
"Since when?"
"Who knows. I just fell for him. Do you even know when you started liking him?"
Bell Mayer's words pierced Lumia's heart.
At most, it had been eight months. But in the 23 years Lumia had lived, there was no man who had stirred such strong romantic feelings in her as Enok Levandel.
If she had to name the reason...
It was because he was the one who had pulled her out of the swamp of defeat, a place she thought she could never escape from, where she had a future with no answers no matter how she struggled, and a past weighing her down with mistakes.
Even though she had caused a huge nuisance in a real battle after knowing him for only a short time.
Enok Levandel had comforted her instead, saying it was fine. He said if it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have noticed the forces behind the fortress attack.
She was forgiven, and at the same time, recognized.
How much had she longed to hear those words?
"You know it too, Sister!"
"I do. I know it all too well. But you know it too, Lumia. The Captain's grace isn't something you alone received."
Bell Mayer placed a hand on her own chest.
"I was saved too. I'm just being true to my own feelings. I have no intention of telling you to give up."
"Then...!!"
"So you can't tell me to give up either."
My goodness.
They had been together for over a year, but this was the first time Lumia and Bell had fought over a man.
Usually, their disagreements were about Claude. Even then, it was always Sister Bell getting angry and Sister Lumia calming her down.
Now, neither of them seemed willing to yield even a single step.
In the end, Roxana, who couldn't watch any longer, jumped in.
"Wait! Wait!!"
"...?"
"Fighting here won't change anything, will it?! Then why don't we just decide it fairly with rock-paper-scissors?"
Fair and square.
In Roxana's opinion, both Lumia and Bell's arguments were valid. It would be ridiculous for either one to give in.
"That's not a bad idea."
"Yeah, then Roxana, you can be the referee."
Lumia and Bell's eyes locked in a straight line. At first, there was a hint of trying to hide their feelings, but now, only a firm resolve remained, refusing to give the other a single chance.
Where had it all gone wrong?
Wondering about that was ultimately meaningless. Besides... she wasn't all that different from the two older women herself. Captain Enok Levandel was special. Could there be a woman who could meet him up close and not develop feelings for him?
'...Still, it's fine if it's the two of them.'
She thought as she averted her gaze from her sisters. She was a patient with alcoholism. For someone like her to covet him, Enok Levandel was far too great a gem.
"Shall we start then? Rock, paper, scissors!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Yo! Have you been well?"
"Brigadier General, are you seriously doing this?"
"You were the one who said we had to move quickly, weren't you, Captain?"
Brigadier General Soni Chepelin, standing at the entrance of Stout Village, brazenly burst into laughter. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
"That's one thing, but not wanting to go is another."
"But it's the Reinhardt Empire! The country with the most advanced technology on the continent! And the schedule just happens to overlap with a festival, doesn't it? Think of it as a vacation. You haven't taken a single vacation yet, Captain."
"A vacation..."
That was true.
Newly commissioned officers usually get leave after about six months, but here I was, almost eight months in, and I hadn't had a single proper vacation.
It wasn't that I hadn't planned to go to a nearby mountain valley or lake to relax over the summer.
But with battalion formation and training plans being the top priority, taking an actual vacation hadn't even crossed my mind.
"The expo schedule isn't that long, and the rest is just meeting a few people with Count Petrinant!"
"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad."
"Of course, that's excluding the part where you'll be exhausted from being swarmed with people."
"When you put it that way, it sounds pretty bad."
"Keh heh heh! Your reactions are amusing. As expected of our deputy battalion commander."
As Soni Chepelin clapped her hands, a person in a formal uniform descended from an ornate carriage parked behind her.
"You can leave your luggage with him."
"I will serve you with all my heart."
Since this was an official trip, the royal family must have provided a special carriage. I handed my bags to the driver and turned to the people who had come to see me off.
"I'll be off now."
"Have a safe trip."
"By the way, Platoon Leader Bell Mayer, why does your face look like that? Did you not sleep last night?"
I had never seen such a gloomy expression. For a moment, I was worried she had lost her memory, but Roxana, standing next to her, panicked and said it was nothing.
"She said her stomach was a bit upset yesterday!"
"Hmm, is that so? Make sure you both take care of yourselves while I'm gone, Roxana, Bell."
"We'll be sure to!"
Claude and the other company and platoon leaders were probably busy drilling the new recruits.
These people were enough for a send-off.
"Well then, Lumia, let's get going."
"Yes! Deputy Battalion Commander!!"
"Why are you so excited?"
'Lumia's tension is even higher than usual. What's with these polar opposite reactions?'
I had a strange premonition, as if I'd been caught up in something inexplicable. It was probably just my imagination, right?
Well, it's just an expo, how troublesome could it be... I boarded the carriage with a strange feeling.
Clatter, thud!
The carriage started moving with a clatter the moment the door closed.
The end of the road led to the Reinhardt Empire.