Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Approaching Dark Clouds
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Little sister. A presence that's disappointing if you don't have one, but an utter pain in the ass if you do.
Before the possession or after, I'd never had a little sister. Back there, I was an only child. Here, I'm the baby of the family.
In the midst of all that, Marie by Enter's side caught my eye. She was exactly the age of a little sister!
Since she wasn't a real sister, that was +1 point. And her heart was so pure, another +1.
For someone like me who'd always craved a little sister, treating Marie well was only natural.
I remembered sticking pretty close to her. Things cooled off a bit once I grew up, though.
But after coming to the academy, I hadn't even kept in touch.
I had no choice with all the ordeals right from the start, but honestly...
Hmm. Even I could see I was a bad guy. To forget her completely like that.
["Brother Richi?"]
So when I saw Marie's eyes through the communication orb, my conscience was spinning like crazy.
"Hey, Marie. Sorry for contacting you so late. Have you been well?"
["Yes, yes. I've been fine. Were you super busy by any chance? Did I say something dumb to Brother Enter?"]
I hadn't reached out even once, so she must have been really hurt.
Yet here she was, looking terribly worried that maybe she'd done something wrong.
What a good kid. Would she have been the same if she'd been my real little sister? Suddenly I wondered.
"Nah, nah. I was a bit busy, it's true, but now I've got some free time. So I called you right away."
["I see. That's a relief. Oh, are you okay, brother?"]
"Huh?"
["Brother Enter keeps grumbling that he's gonna die. He says the Vengeance Department is hell... and not to do anything like that..."]
"...As a sinner myself, I got nothing to say."
If I said here, "Yeah! I'm fine! Not tough at all!" then Enter would look like a whiner.
But if I admitted, "It's pretty rough," Marie would probably start tearing up with worry right away.
This was a real dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place. My head hurt. It hurt.
"How's the studying going?"
So the path I chose was simple and clear. Change the subject.
Thankfully, Marie was a good girl who didn't latch onto it.
["Yes. I'm working really hard. Doing my absolute best so I can be of help to you, brother."]
"Good job. Still, take care of your health always. Didn't the countess say she'd stop you from reading if you collapsed again?"
Frail Marie. And Enter's mother, who doted on her like a daughter.
Of course the countess wouldn't stand idly by while Marie picked up harmful habits for her health.
["Th-that's... But if I don't study hard, then with brother..."]
"To help me and Enter, studying matters, but health matters more. I've always said it. In the end, who wins?"
["The one who can sit the longest."]
"Right. And who can sit the longest?"
["The one with the stamina to back it up."]
"So Marie needs to take even better care of her health, right?"
Nod, nod―
Marie nodding her head like a child. How was that 19 years old?
She was small for her age anyway, so if you weren't careful, she looked like a 15-year-old just shedding her girlhood.
"Yeah. See you at the academy next year? You'll go to the Administrative Department, right?"
["I think so. If I could, I'd go to the Vengeance Department and the Officer Department too..."]
"No way."
No way in hell. Marie's body was barely holding up with daily life as it was.
She'd improved a bit to this point, but before, she was bedridden.
There were even times when my daily routine was carrying stacks of books to her bedside and reading to her.
["B-but..."]
"No means no, Marie."
["Y-yes, Brother Richi. Sorry."]
The kid drooped and mumbled weakly, and I suddenly felt super guilty.
But what could I do? It was the right call for her health.
"Look, Marie. Anything else is fine, but not that. Got it?"
["...So other things are okay?"]
"Yeah. Anything else, just no physically taxing stuff."
Marie herself knew her body couldn't handle it.
And that collapsing again could be a real disaster.
Thankfully, she didn't push back anymore. Such a good little sister.
"Right. Did Enter tell you about it? How this big brother starved all those fancy noble sons and daughters."
["Uh... I think I heard a bit, but I want to hear it again from you, Brother Richi."]
Of course. Hearing it from the source beats some observer's retelling any day.
I started excitedly recounting my exploits to Marie.
"Looks like something good happened?"
"You scared me."
After a long chat with Marie, I stepped out of my room to report to Enter.
Ar was sitting on a bench or something and slyly sidled up, glancing at me.
Then―
"Hmmm."
"...What're you doing?"
"Weird. Richi, weren't you just coming from your room?"
"Yeah?"
"Then why do you keep smelling like a girl?"
Ah. That? I was just gossiping with Marie, who's like a little sister!
Want me to introduce you? She's a bit frail, but super sweet and hardworking at everything! Haha!
If I said crap like that, the guy was definitely some asexual freak, physically or mentally.
A dead romance radar means no right to date. Go dig a hole or something.
In that sense, I wasn't idiot enough to confess honestly.
"Ridiculous. You saying I snuck a girl into my room?"
"Yeah, that doesn't make sense."
Thankfully, Ar coolly dropped the suspicion.
Sorry, Ar. Didn't bring her to the room, but I did let her into the comm orb.
"Hey, Richi!"
"It's Enter. Isn't he avoiding me again? Should I vanish this time?"
"Hey, what did you do? Did you contact Mar―"
Oh, shit.
"Huh?"
"Yeah?"
Enter, who'd clamped his mouth shut the second he spotted Ar mid-sentence.
Too late, though. Ar wasn't deaf; he heard it all.
"Oh, right. Gotta go do that assignment. See ya, Richi."
Enter, who'd been approaching me, spun exactly 180 degrees the other way.
That bastard's trying to hurl shit my way and bolt! You little punk!
I had to grab him and give him a piece of my mind right now! I had to―
"Hold it, Richi."
Ar grabbed my arm with a smile playing on his lips.
"Who's Marie? Tell me about her."
"... ."
Friend. Thanks a ton. Next time, I'll grab you by the collar.
Time flows on without stopping. It's fair to everyone.
To the ordinary farmers of the empire sweating as they tend their fields.
To the merchants bustling everywhere, keeping money and goods flowing smoothly.
To the bureaucrats granted both rights and duties, making the empire prosperous.
To the students at the academy striving to become future protagonists.
Among them, a few were twice as busy as the other students.
"Hey, get up. Enter. You're gonna be late for Administrative Department lecture."
"Ughhh... Just kill me... ."
"We'll be late at this rate. Ar, sorry, grab Enter's books."
"You gonna carry him?"
"I'd love to just drag him, but he's a friend, so I'll spare him."
As expected, the Vengeance Department was hell itself. Could they keep this up for four years?
Worrying about that, Richi dragged Ariete and Enter all over both departments.
"No, you idiots. You think this setup works? Redo the deployment. Forgot how those Koeni morons botched their formations and lost whole armies already?"
He'd also sharply critique his Officer Department classmates, laying into them with lectures.
From their perspective, they were just first-years, first semester barely ending.
They couldn't fathom why he was pushing them so hard.
'Not much time left now. The Koenihesen summer offensive is coming soon.'
After finals, Officer Department students would head straight to units.
Planning to gain some experience or get a feel for the front lines.
The problem? An unforeseen massive tidal wave crashing in before they knew it.
No escaping it. They'd sworn to be the empire's breakwater.
So they had to win smarter. Protect more lives.
Someday, countless imperial soldiers would await their orders.
["...To the 1st Cavalry Division?"]
"Yes, Division Commander."
On top of that, Richi chose the 1st Cavalry Division, now at the foremost front.
While most picked safe units for easy experience, he volunteered for the riskiest, toughest spot.
["... ."]
Douglas was silent for a moment. No intent to dissuade his brother.
Richi had called him not "brother" but "Division Commander." He knew it was a declaration to serve strictly as a cadet officer.
["Richi. You know this isn't my call alone."]
"I do. That's why Supreme Commander himself approved it."
Using connections for an easy post? Sure, problematic.
But volunteering for hell? Who'd complain?
["Lately, ominous reports keep coming in."]
"... ."
["You still want to come here. Richi Reinhardt."]
"Yes, Division Commander Douglas Reinhardt."
Hoo―
Douglas sighed, realizing the moment to decide had come.
["Fine. Investigate all Officer Department personnel coming to the 1st Cavalry Division, document in detail, and report formally."]
That ended the brothers' discussion. The rest they'd handle on-site.
'It's finally starting.'
Richi clenched his fist, awaiting the massive war ahead.
His heart pounded. Tension rose. Strange excitement surged. Fear welled up too.
Soldiers inherently shudder at war's destruction.
Yet crave the glory it offers. Dual beings.
Only those navigating that balance survive to the end.
"... ."
Richi looked up through the window, toward where the empire bordered Koenihesen.