You’re Being Kidnapped
[ Static ]
The Empire’s 11 Stars.
They were granted enormous authority by the Empire—authority that allowed them to ignore regulations and laws alike.
That vast authority even included the power to freely organize their own platoons. In practice, almost anything was possible.
Yes, that was right.
Almost anything.
Not everything.
…Muller, you were making brilliant use of that loophole.
—
Klaus Muller, Sergeant First Class, faced Anke Mauer head-on.
“Sergeant First Class Klaus Muller, can’t you hear me? Hm? Care to explain what that means?”
“Private Chloe Winterland is, as of now—no, Chloe Winterland is not a soldier.”
“…What?”
“Literally. It means Chloe Winterland is not a soldier.”
Everyone in that barracks, myself included, took a long moment to process what they were hearing.
Honestly, I couldn’t quite understand what Muller was saying either.
Well, that’s fine by me... I mean, I’m fine with it...
Can that even happen?
“Explain.”
“At present, Chloe Winterland has temporarily lost her magical ability and is in a wounded state. Accordingly, her deployment to the front is on hold, and until the medical officer issues an appropriate judgment and the necessary paperwork, she must remain in the rear.”
“……”
“She is not eligible for front-line deployment.”
That was unexpected.
In other words, my soldier status hadn’t been erased altogether?
Waiting in the rear until I recover. Not bad.
If nothing else, it meant I could get away from Lieutenant Mauer’s platoon for a while.
And in this freezing wasteland, that was reason enough to celebrate.
Yes. I was wholeheartedly cheering for Sergeant First Class Muller.
If Muller wanted, I was prepared to put on a cheerleader outfit and support him from the sidelines.
—
[ Static ]
Ugh... again?
—
Keep it up! Go, go!
Do your best to beat that dangerous, terrifying, beautiful Star whose mind seems to have gone rotten.
I want to go to the rear.
I want a warm bed, proper food, and a rear area full of new people.
I’ve already eaten enough of the army rations here, and I’ve collected plenty of Senior Sergeant Misty’s expressions.
Well, her expressions were fairly excellent, but the flaw was that she shattered too easily, and too often.
The first crack in a porcelain doll can be beautiful, but I wasn’t particularly fond of keeping on breaking a doll that had already been smashed to pieces.
...And honestly, I don’t think there are any more expressions left to see from Lieutenant Mauer.
That woman was a little frightening.
Maybe not just a little. The more I watched her, the more I had to wonder whether she even saw me as human at all—whether for pleasure or attention.
It felt like everyone who could possibly step onto this stage had already appeared, and I was starting to want a new one.
If I was judged fit to remain in the rear, I’d be sent to the rear military hospital, which meant I’d get a chance to meet wounded soldiers, orderlies, maybe even a military doctor.
Wounded people. People who cared for the wounded.
Ah, just thinking about it made my mouth water.
Bang!
Someone slammed hard against the bedside table next to my bed.
While I’d been lost in my fantasies, it seemed the fight had started again.
Lieutenant Mauer had launched an attack at Sergeant First Class Muller.
“How interesting. Sergeant First Class Muller, are you saying you intend to steal one of my subordinates?”
“At present, Chloe Winterland is not your subordinate.”
“I chose her.”
“The paperwork says Chloe Winterland is currently designated for medical evacuation.”
“I brought her back by invoking my authority as a Star.”
“The authority of a Star applies to combat-capable personnel.”
“So if she recovers and becomes combat-capable, she’ll be my subordinate again, won’t she? Why make this so exhausting?”
She still wore that smile, but now it meant something entirely different from before.
...How should I put it? It’s a little creepy.
The kind of smile that looked like someone furious at having to force it onto their face.
“Sergeant First Class Muller, you do understand that Stars can ignore regulations and law, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“And you still mean to stop me?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence followed.
Senior Sergeant Misty stood between them, shifting uneasily, looking more and more lost.
I, on the other hand, had earned a front-row seat to the spectacle by virtue of lying in bed.
Ah, this atmosphere had its own kind of charm.
Two people were fighting over me, after all. Wasn’t that a kind of attention in its own right?
I never would have imagined Muller, so deeply committed to his performance as a decent adult, would abandon his role like this. But even unexpected developments had their own flavor, and this one was delicious too.
If only my body were in one piece, I would have applauded. What a shame.
Lieutenant Mauer broke the silence again.
“You’ll need a reason to stop me, Klaus Muller.”
“First: Chloe Winterland has already been judged unfit for combat by the medical officer.”
“That can be overridden by a Star’s authority.”
“Second: that same individual is one of only two survivors of the False Star platoon annihilation incident, and remains under preservation until her ability to testify has recovered.”
“That, too, I can ignore.”
“Third: that individual’s internal magic circuits have been contaminated by raw magic stone consumption, leaving open the possibility of lost or altered magical ability. Therefore... she may no longer qualify as active-duty personnel.”
Lieutenant Mauer’s smile vanished.
“…Continue.”
“Chloe Winterland is not currently eligible for service. She is underage.”
“……”
“She was eligible only because she had magical aptitude. As things stand, she may no longer possess that aptitude. Do you understand?”
“That’s just wordplay.”
“Requisitioning a girl who lacks magical aptitude falls far outside the scope of a Star’s authority to organize a platoon. After she undergoes a precise examination at the rear military hospital and her magical aptitude is confirmed once more, she can return to duty.”
“That’s just wordplay!”
She shouted, and Muller calmly agreed, without the slightest sign of denial.
“It is wordplay.”
“……”
“But it is also a legally valid fact.”
“Muller.”
“Yes.”
“So you’re going to wave paperwork in my face?”
“Yes.”
“And if I tear it up?”
“Then I’ll simply rewrite it.”
“And if I burn it?”
“There are copies.”
The fingertips of the False Star moved.
Those fingers pointed at Muller’s throat.
“If I kill you here and now—”
“In that case, the inspection would be converted into an internal investigation.”
“…Huh?”
“I would die, of course, but you would likely find yourself dealing with a rather troublesome situation.”
It was incredible bravado, to say something like that without even blinking.
Why is that man willing to risk his life to get me out of here?
Is it really just some pathetic sense of pity? Because I’m young? Or because I’m pretty?
Any reason would have been fine.
I just liked that man’s expression too much.
Ah, why are my eyes like this right now? I wish my vision would come back faster.
Only being able to see such a precious sight in a blur felt like losing half of my life.
Then, quite suddenly, the False Star began to laugh.
“I like you.”
“I don’t like you.”
“Ugh, harsh.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Fine. I like that honest, insolent side of you.”
Were they both insane?
While Muller and Lieutenant Mauer continued their silent contest of wills, the military doctor finally moved.
He stepped in to stop the two of them from making the place even more unbearable.
“Both of you, get out. Please. The patient needs rest. Must you really argue over authority and assignment rights in here of all places?”
Lieutenant Mauer’s gaze shifted to the doctor.
Ah, it seems the target has changed.
“Military doctor.”
“Yes.”
“You want me to leave?”
“Yes.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“One of the Empire’s 11 Stars, Lieutenant Anke Mauer, the False Star. Leave.”
“I’m a Star.”
“I’m a doctor. Get out. Inside this tent, the patient comes first. And I’m a lieutenant too, so get out.”
That was a new flavor altogether.
It was like finding a new toy in a place I hadn’t expected.
Lieutenant Mauer looked at the military doctor for a moment, then shrugged as if she’d decided that was fair enough.
“Fine. I’ll leave.”
Sergeant First Class Muller glanced sideways at the doctor, gauging his reaction.
“You too.”
“…Understood.”
He backed out more obediently than I’d expected.
The curtain fell shut again.
Footsteps receded, and in the barracks it was left with just Senior Sergeant Misty and me.
The military doctor and the medics came and went now and then, but they had so little presence that the atmosphere made it easy to treat them as if they weren’t even there.
Senior Sergeant Misty sat beside my bed and said nothing for a long while.
Still holding my hand tightly, she lowered her head and sobbed.
“……”
I looked at her.
Since I couldn’t move my neck, I could only shift my eyes to see her.
Her expression was dark.
Guilt, anxiety, fear, and a little obsession, all tangled together in a complicated look.
Well, it had flavor. Definitely had flavor, but... I was starting to get tired of it.
Human emotions were not so different from food; if you ate the same thing too long, you got sick of it.
I wanted to go to the rear and taste something new.
Since I’d survived, wouldn’t that be a reasonable reward? Hm? I thought it was pretty fair, all things considered.
Perhaps Misty had read my mind, because she suddenly asked,
“…Do you want to go to the rear?”
I answered by blinking once.
You really hit the nail on the head!
How did you know? Was a spirit basically a kind of AI?
“I see. Then that’s how it should be.”
I had no idea what she meant.
It sounded like a goodbye.
—
[ Static ]
And that was how I was transported to the rear military hospital, where I met again someone I had never wanted to see twice.
Haaah. Phew.
Ah, no, this isn’t that kind of sigh. That’s a magic inhaler.
You know my body, don’t you?
They’ve come out with a new model.
—
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