Tracking the Footprints (1)
A major upheaval had arrived in the unit. Even though I was essentially no different from a new recruit with a shorter career than any other soldier stationed at this outpost, I could say it with confidence.
“I transferred into this unit starting today.”
“……”
As usual, we finished morning roll call and headed for the mess hall. We got in line right away, received our pork rice bowls, and sat down. For the search unit seniors who had grown sick of watching me eat the same menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for months on end, it was a bomb that suddenly went off.
No one could bring the fluffy rice and stir-fried pork scooped up with their spoons to their mouths. Not just me, but the seniors at the same table and even the soldiers from other units at different tables. Everyone was staring at me and Seo Hayun. As if time had stopped, no one moved and no one spoke a word.
In the heavy silence, Seo Hayun looked at me with a joyful smile.
“You really… Ha…”
I tried to say something but swallowed the words. I wasn’t even aware of what had just come out of my mouth.
Those who wield the seven attributes of magic possess extremely rare talent, but those who use light magic are rarer still. For that reason, they do not belong to the allied forces but to an independent organization called the Holy Temple. In other words, the allied forces and the temple simply cooperate with the shared goal of subjugating demonic beasts and protecting humanity; mutual interference is impossible. That also means they cannot meddle in each other’s personnel decisions.
Unless there were special circumstances, Arisha had no grounds to reject Seo Hayun’s transfer request. Given the nature of frontline units where fierce battles against demonic beasts rage constantly, the presence of a priest capable of treating the inevitable flood of wounded was an incredible blessing. At the same time, it made her the center of attention.
I could picture exactly how much Arisha must have suffered without even seeing it. There would have been countless complicated issues surrounding Seo Hayun’s transfer procedures alone. When I was still a slave soldier, Rumia—who had commanded the special operations unit—must have faced similar headaches.
“Why…? You don’t like it…?”
Seo Hayun watched my reaction anxiously. Had she assumed I would obviously be happy? She seemed unsettled that my response differed from what she had expected.
“…No. It’s really good.”
I couldn’t bring myself to mention the complicated circumstances. I couldn’t possibly scold Seo Hayun when she was looking at me with such hopeful eyes. I knew all too well the feelings she carried when she leaned on me. The guilt gnawed at my conscience for having to pretend ignorance despite understanding everything.
I stroked Seo Hayun’s hair and gave her a clear affirmation.
“Yeah.”
At my gesture, Seo Hayun’s expression brightened noticeably.
“Ugh, I can’t watch this. Seriously.”
“Having to witness the youngest’s romance right in front of my eyes…”
The search unit seniors eating breakfast at the same table frowned and shot me dirty looks.
“I get that you two are lovers, but keep it in check, yeah?”
Their mouths smiled, but their eyes did not.
Military units already had an overwhelmingly male population. Seo Hayun, hearing the seniors’ words, flinched in surprise.
“L-lovers…? We’re not like that…”
“Sheesh…”
Seo Hayun’s reaction had been so blunt and irritating that the seniors’ faces twisted.
I wanted to escape their glares as quickly as possible.
The transfer procedures went through with astonishing speed. She was assigned directly to the 4th Search Unit of the 9th Defense Division. The fact that she hadn’t been attached to the division as a whole but to a specific squad inside it was absurd. There could have been interference from the temple, yet it seemed her own wishes had carried the greatest weight. It was much like when Rumia had first arrived. When I first heard about it, I had thought, No way. They actually allowed this? The reactions of those around me were similar.
“I’ve lived a long life and I’ve never seen anything like this…”
Kalant muttered on the first day of the mission after Seo Hayun’s transfer. Who could have imagined a priest being permanently assigned to their own squad? The expression on everyone’s faces was closer to pure disbelief than surprise or awe.
“Indeed,” Garan, who served as squad leader, smiled bitterly as if he had never witnessed such a situation before.
“Fuck, the youngest. I’m so damn jealous.”
“What’s so great about a guy like him anyway…”
A few seniors glared at me and grumbled, but I deliberately turned my head to avoid their stares. In moments like these, staying quiet was the best strategy.
“All right, enough chatter. Please focus now. I’ll begin the briefing for this mission.”
At Garan’s words, the other search unit members stopped talking and gave him their full attention. The atmosphere turned serious naturally, and even Seo Hayun—who had been feeling embarrassed—looked at him attentively.
“This mission takes us back to the northwest region we explored last time.”
“Ugh, are you serious?”
The search unit seniors made disgusted faces. I didn’t say anything, but I felt the same reluctance. Everyone was probably recalling the battle against the kobold pack from the previous mission.
I thought back to that fight and asked Garan.
“…Is it because of that battle?”
“Correct. Our squad is the only one that has explored the northwest region once, and we survived the encounter with the new variant kobold we met there.”
Currently, our squad was the only search unit with experience in the northwest. That was why the mission had fallen to us.
“Tsk. Can’t be helped.”
“No other choice, I suppose.”
Though it was an unpleasant assignment, the search unit seniors all seemed to accept it. They recognized that military discipline required obedience to orders and that Arisha’s judgment was entirely reasonable. Subjugating demonic beasts that posed threats on the battlefield was a soldier’s duty.
“Squad Leader, will there be a special bonus or something after this mission?”
“There should be.”
“I’m definitely going to make a formal suggestion to the captain.”
Though his tone was insolent, the squad members obediently finished their preparations to depart. Garan simply smiled bitterly and nodded.
In truth, our search unit’s achievements were considerably ahead of the other squads. If things went well, even Vice-Leader Kalant might earn a promotion.
“Hey, Vice-Leader. Now that I think about it, you’re due for promotion soon, right?”
“You’ll have to treat us to something, Vice-Leader.”
“You annoying bastards… Fine! It’s not like I can’t buy you a meal! Just get that promotion! I’ll stuff you until your stomachs burst for an entire day!”
Kalant answered with a chuckle.
Everyone grumbled, but none of them truly wanted to avoid the mission. Seeing that atmosphere, Seo Hayun smiled softly.
“It’s a good place.”
“Yeah.”
I agreed completely. I had come to like this unit quite a bit.
The 4th Search Unit set out once again for the northwest region. Everyone clearly recalled the previous clash with the kobold pack and carried visible tension, yet their expressions were not particularly dark. Rather than sinking into gloom at the thought of their own deaths, their faces held the confidence that, though it would be difficult, they would survive this fight too and make it back.
It was probably thanks to having already survived one battle there. On top of that, they now had a dedicated priest who had just transferred in. The perceived risk of the mission felt like it had dropped sharply.
The northwest region was still largely unexplored even by our unit. Therefore, the danger from demonic beasts remained high.
“…Just a moment.”
While scouting at the front, I spotted something on the ground and raised my hand.
“What is it?”
Garan, positioned in the center, immediately came over to me.
“There’s something here.”
“Hmm.”
Garan shifted his gaze to where I pointed. It looked like a mark left by something scraping across the ground. But it didn’t appear to be a demonic beast’s trace. After examining the marks, Garan’s face hardened.
“This is…”
“They’re human footprints.”
Hearing my words, he gave a small nod as if convinced.
“Military boot soles.”
They matched exactly the tread pattern of the allied forces’ boots we wore. The forest here was extremely humid and the ground muddy. Even if the prints had been partially damaged, recognizing them as human footprints wasn’t difficult.
“Moreover, the depth and roughness of the marks suggest urgency. It looks like someone was running desperately, as if being chased.”
All the search unit members’ eyes focused on the footprints at once. While ordering the squad to stay sharply alert of their surroundings, Garan asked in a low voice.
“Let me ask again—have any of you heard of another unit being sent on a mission to the northwest?”
“No. Isn’t that why we were sent?”
“I haven’t heard anything about other units receiving missions in this direction either.”
It had been a just-in-case question, but Garan already knew the answer. The existence of the Kobold Shaman we had reported carried considerable uncertainty. It was still unknown how many demonic beasts had evolved into such grotesque forms or what other variants might exist.
Given Arisha’s personality, she would never dispatch a unit to the northwest without solid information or certainty. Nevertheless, the reason our 4th Search Unit—which included me—had been assigned this mission again was because we had returned without a single casualty.
In an unknown environment where any danger could appear, we had been recognized for our quick adaptability and ability to respond. That was how cautious Arisha’s nature was.
“Could there be a survivor wandering the forest like the youngest, someone who never returned to the military?”
One of the seniors glanced at me as he spoke.
I couldn’t outright deny it as impossible. After all, I was living proof.
“No. That possibility isn’t very high. Even if we consider it unlikely, let’s rule out that slim chance for now.”
Perhaps because he knew my circumstances well, Garan dismissed the idea.
“Yeah, that’s true. This guy is a very special case.”
He shrugged as if he hadn’t held much hope in his own suggestion.
Then another senior offered a different possibility.
“Or they could have crossed over from somewhere else, right? This area is still near the entrance, after all.”
“That makes sense.”
Garan nodded at the squad member’s words. It was plausible. If they had come up from the western side, this direction was possible. And if so, the reason was likely—
“They were probably fleeing from something.”
“That does seem likely…”
Garan groaned in agreement with my words.
“……”
Garan stared at the footprints and fell silent. He was thinking deeply. After a moment, he seemed to reach a decision. He straightened the knee he had been resting on and stood up.
“Let’s track these footprints.”