Chapter 2: The Strongest Chess Piece

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Hiiro

Ⅰ

Three days after she was given the special mission.

The special forces platoon under Olivia"s command set off for Fort Lamburg that was garrisoned by the bandits. Their destination was the forest to the southwest of Fort Gallia, close to the midpoint between Fort Gallia and Kaspar castle.

Twenty young soldiers accompanied Olivia. Normally, a platoon would have 50 to 100 men, so 20 was too small a number. And these 20 soldiers just enlisted 2 months ago. They were all out of breath and struggled to follow Olivia, and amongst their numbers was Ashton who was using his spear as a walking stick.

The survival rates of new recruits going to their first battle was one third. However, Ashton and company"s first battle wasn"t that simple. The reason being that their mission had been attempted before several times, and the previous attempts all resulted in over 90% death. Despite all that, there wasn"t a single veteran taking part in this mission. Olivia was probably the only one in this platoon that had battle experience.

Ashton was deep in thought as he looked at Olivia in front of him.

(No no, it can"t be possible.)

He heard of the reason Olivia was appointed as a Warrant Officer from Maurice, but Ashton still couldn"t believe it now. There was no way those slender arms had the strength to lope off heads.

Something occurred to Ashton at this moment. Now that he thought about it, he realized something.

(Speaking of which, I haven"t seen Maurice recently…)

Maurice"s frivolous smile appeared in his mind. Ashton wasn"t that close to him, but he was a comrade who received special ‘instruction" together with him after all. He would be lying if he said he didn"t care.

“Hey, have you seen Maurice lately?”

Ashton asked a dark haired youth, Guile, beside him.

“Hah? Maurice...? Now that you mentioned it, I haven"t seen that guy for a while now.”

Guile who had a deathly face raised his head and answered impatiently.

“You don"t know either huh, Guile… Has anyone seen him?”

Ashton turned back, and Guile followed his gaze. Before them were a group of recruits staggering along, their eyes hollow.

“—— Forget it, there"s no chance they would know. They all arrived at the fort later than us, and had never seen him at all.”

With that, Guile looked at Ashton from head to toe.

“W-What is it?”

“No, I"m just surprised that you can still spare the effort to be concerned about others. I"m envious.”

Guile shrugged. When he heard that, Ashton waved his hands:

“No no, not at all! It just occurred to me, I"m having a hard time too.”

“Well, whatever. Our fates are sealed anyway.”

A bunch of recruits and a girl leader of dubious origins. They had no idea what the higher ups were planning, but Guile"s words. .h.i.t the mark. No one said it out loud, but they all felt that the plan was doomed to fail.

They also know that they would die along with the plan"s failure——

“Hey, Ashton. Ashton!!”

When he realized it, Olivia was looking at him with her cheeks puffed. Ashton was surprised how close she was, and jerked back. Olivia tilted her head quizzingly. She was just doing it offhand, but Ashton couldn"t help being mesmerized by her.

“Y-You don"t have to be so loud, I can hear you. Or rather, please keep your voice down. We don"t want to attract the attention of feral beasts.”

Unlike the plains populated by humans with towns, there were many feral beasts lurking in the forest. If humans were the masters of the plains, then feral beasts ruled over the forest and hills. Even an armed soldier was just prey to the beasts.

When Ashton gave this advice, Olivia brushed it off, saying: “If the beasts come, we can just kill and eat it.” She was even smiling when she said that. Ashton was so p.i.s.sed that he forgot she was his superiors, stuck out his tongue and made a “blearghh” sound three times.

“Uwah! Are you pretending to be a bird!? How interesting, let me try too!”

“I"m not mimicking a bird!”

Ashton retorted on reflex, which made Olivia laugh heartily. The recruits who heard them were also snickering.

“And then, I can get to eat cakes from the capital. Ashton, do you know what cakes are? They are a very sweet kind of dessert.”

“… You are switching topics too fast. Of course I know what cakes are. I also had some. Despite how I looked, I lived in the capital after all.”

“Oh, so you had cake before. Ashton, you are amazing!”

(—— Is this girl making fun of me?)

Ashton thought for a moment, but realized that wasn"t true when he saw Olivia"s eyes. Her eyes were sparkling from admiration. Ashton realized that he would just get mad if he continued the conversation, so he ignored Olivia"s gaze and bashed through the weeds. However, the bugs that flew out of the bushes further irritated him.

There were trails near the entrance of the forest, so it was still easy to walk. But the deeper they ventured, the denser the vegetation gets, blocking their path. Above them, the thick canopy blocked the sunlight, so it was relatively cool. However, they could hear creepy birds caw from time to time, which gave him gooseb.u.mps. It was the same for the other recruits whose eyes dart all over the place.

Ashton took a deep breath and brushed away the sweat on his brow. Just walking in such terrain was tiring.

On the other hand, Olivia was strolling along in the forest, and would gleefully pick flowers from time to time and suck their nectar.

In this forest, there were many poisonous flowers, with the most famous being the 《Bewitching Flower》. Most of the poison would just cause slight numbness, but there are some with lethal poison that induces a life threatening high fever.

Olivia probably knew which flowers to picked, since she never touched the poisonous flowers. Ashton had some knowledge regarding this, but a normal person wouldn"t be able to tell. It seems that Olivia did live in the forest in the past.

(That aside, how is Olivia moving with such an easy gait? Even though she is wearing such heavy armour.)

Ashton and the others were wearing leather armour made from hide. It was light armour with low defence ratings. However, it was heavy for the recruits.

Compared to them, Olivia was in full armour. On top of the chain mail, there were plate armour covering her shoulders, arms, shin, chest and other places. It was way heavier than leather armour, but Olivia didn"t even break a sweat.

“Warrant Officer Olivia, can I ask something?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Warrant Officer Olivia, aren"t you tired? Well… your armour is much heavier than ours.”

“Ehh? I"m not tired at all. And the armour isn"t heavy either.”

“Hah, is that so… It"s nothing, excuse me.”

“?”

Olivia tilted her head puzzledly, but quickly lost interest and looked to the front.

(Even if she is my superior officer, it"s too disgraceful to lose to a girl. Well, we are doomed to be killed by bandits anyway, so there"s no point worrying about this.)

Ashton continued looking at Olivia"s happy profile.

Noon just pa.s.sed, and the sun was heading to the west.

Olivia"s Special Platoon found an open s.p.a.ce to set up camp and rest. This wasn"t on Olivia"s orders, but Ashton who advised her that if they used Olivia"s seemingly endless stamina as the standard, the men would get worn out before they reach the castle.

The recruits all thanked Ashton with tears in their eyes. Guile even asked him exaggeratedly: “Are you a G.o.d?”

Ashton laughed all that off with a smile, and didn"t respond. To be honest, his main motivation was that he wanted to rest. And now, he would never say that out loud. . Ashton found a spot to sit down with some guilt in his heart, and Olivia sat down beside him as if it was the obvious thing to do.

“Sorry, I"m not tired at all, so I didn"t notice. As expected of Ashton.”

Olivia then clapped twice for him.

“Haha, I already knew Warrant Officer Olivia isn"t tired when I asked you earlier.”

Ashton said self mockingly. Olivia suddenly open her eyes wide in surprise and said:

“C-Could it be, you asked me if I"m tired… to hint at me, the platoon leader, that we need to rest? And you want me to call for a break personally? But I didn"t get what you were implying. So Ashton asked me to stop for a break directly. Am I correct?”

You are absolutely wrong— Of course Ashton wouldn"t dare say that. He averted his eyes from Olivia"s sincere gaze, and saw the recruits who were eating looking at him. He clicked his tongue in his heart. If he told them the truth, the recruits would look at him with condescending eyes. In that case, there was only one choice.

Ashton gulped, and nodded slowly:

“H-Haha, you got me. I"m sorry for overstepping my bounds.”

Ashton answered exaggeratingly, and Olivia nodded happily, saying : “I finally understands how humans feel.” He didn"t know what she was talking about, but it was a big help that the subject herself interpreted it her way. Let"s just a.s.sume that was the case.

Ashton felt relieved, and caught the gaze of the recruits. They all smiled and saluted him.

“Alright then. It"s noon, let"s have lunch.”

Ashton whose back was covered in cold sweat took out bread and jerky from his field pack, and a bottle of his homemade mustard. As Olivia watched intriguingly, Ashton used a knife to cut the bread in half, slide in the jerky, and add mustard on top. He then took a bite, and the spicy and sour taste hit right on the spot.

“Hmm, not bad. I was right to bring my homemade mustard along.”

Olivia looked at Ashton who was talking to himself hungrily. She looked like she was almost drooling, but she didn"t take out her ration. The puzzled Ashton asked:

“Warrant Officer Olivia, aren"t you going to eat?”

“Well, I ate my share already. So I will hunt a couple of birds then.”

When he heard that, Ashton turned stiff. Eating five day"s ration or hunting two birds to eat, there were too many things to retort. Despite what she said, Olivia didn"t move to hunt the birds, and rested her gaze on Ashton"s hands. She continued doing so after Ashton finished eating.

(Sigh… It can"t be helped.)

Speechless from Olivia"s behaviour, Ashton repeated the steps to make another sandwich, and offered it to her.

“Ehh! Can I?”

“I won"t give it to you if you can"t. What if you get attacked by beasts when you are out hunting?”

“Beasts are no problem at all… But thank you for worrying about me. As expected, Ashton is a good human!”

Olivia then took a bite of the sandwich, then shout with a gleeful face: “Delicious!”

(I wonder how many more meals we can get to eat…)

Ashton thought as he watched Olivia"s blissful face. At this moment, a scream came from behind him.

“W-What happened!?”

Ashton turned and saw a quadrupedal beast covered in yellow fur, with a white horned on its forehead— a one horned beast.

“——!?”

Ashton"s hair was standing on ends from fear. One horned beasts were known for being ferocious, and its horn gave it incredible attack power. It was omnivorous, and would even eat humans.

The one horned beast swiftly attacked the recruits in the vicinity. The recruits scattered all over the place.

“W-W-Warrant Officer Olivia! It"s a one horned beast! One horned beast!”

“— Hmm? Oh, it"s true! It"s probably here to play with humans.”

Olivia who was still eating blissfully said calmly. A recruit whose eyes were red from anxiety yelled:

“Hah!? Are you daydreaming! Look at the situation! That thing is attacking us!”

Olivia who was admonished by the recruit finally notice the seriousness of the situation, and glared at the One horned beast with narrow eyes. For just an instant, Ashton thought Olivia was even scarier than the One horned beast.

“Oh, that thing, huh. It"s a rare hunt, but it tastes really bad~”

“Hah!? Taste bad!? Ahhhh!? That"s not the problem!! We have to get out of here!!”

Ashton grabbed Olivia"s arms, and tried to pull her along to escape. But his trembling knees wouldn"t let him move, and he stood there as if his feet were glued to the ground.

(Hey, are you kidding me!?)

He kept trying to move his legs, but his legs defied his commands. The One horned beast probably noticed Ashton"s situation, and pointed its horn his way. The drooling One horned beast howled, then charged towards Ashton.

(— This is it. To think that instead of dying in battle, I will get eaten by a One horned beast instead. This is such a bad joke.)

With that in mind, Ashton gripped his spear with trembling hands. He took a deep breath, then pointed it at the One horned beast.

Ashton knew it was futile. A mere human couldn"t take on this avatar of death head on. This was just his last struggle.

When Ashton was overwhelmed with despair, something ridiculous happened. Maybe she was scared out of her wits, but Olivia was walking leisurely towards the One horned beast.

“——!? Hurry and run! Olivia, it will kill and eat you too!”

“Ahaha, Ashton, you really like to joke.”

“This isn"t the time for jokes! Just run!”

“It"s fine.”

With a faint smile, Olivia drew her sword, and vanished. More accurately speaking, she charged at the One horned beast. At least to Ashton, she suddenly disappeared.

When it saw Olivia suddenly charging it, the One horned beast thrust its horn. Olivia parried the horn with the blade, then stabbed the sword into the One horned beast"s jaw, right through its head.

“Kyaa……!?”

The one horned beast fell with a scream. It all happened in an instant, and shocked everyone. They were all looking at the scene with dumbfounded faces.

Olivia turned back and jogged to Ashton. The dark sword in her right hand was giving out a black mist. When Ashton realized it, he was already sitting on his b.u.t.t.

“Well, didn"t I tell you that beasts aren"t a problem?”

Olivia stood before Ashton and said nonchalantly.

“Hiee! T-That"s right. Warrant Officer Olivia, you are absolutely right.”

Ashton stopped speaking after that.

Three days after Olivia"s Special Platoon set off from Fort Gallia.

“Platoon Leader Olivia, are you hungry? Please have my jerky!”

A recruit gleefully offered up his jerky. After he started it, the others gathered around Olivia, saying “Let me give you mine too” “Me too”, and offering up their bread and dried food. Olivia thanked them as he ate the food with a smile.

Ashton had seen this plenty of times for the past few days.

The recruits looked like devotees giving offerings to the G.o.ddess Citresia. And this was because Olivia instant killed the One horned beast. This showed everyone that Olivia wasn"t just a girl, but overwhelmingly powerful.

Guile even called Olivia the “Silver Haired Valkyrie”, and revered her. His pa.s.sion influenced the other recruits, and resulted in this situation. The morale of the recruits were raised to the roof as they marched behind Olivia.

During this time, Ashton thought about Olivia"s sword. He couldn"t forget the sight of the black mist covering the blade. No matter how unfamiliar he was with weapons, Ashton could tell that Olivia"s sword wasn"t normal.

“What? You look s.p.a.ced out. Are you hungry?”

Olivia then took out a bread from her bulging back pack. Ashton shook his head with a face that said “Cherish the offerings from your devotees.”

“I"m not hungry. Rather than that, can I ask a question?”

“That"s fine… But before that, that honorifics thing? Can you stop using it now? It feels complicated, I don"t like it.”

“I can"t.”

Ashton turned her down without a second thought.

“Muu— but why? You spoke to me normally back in the mess hall.”

Olivia was unhappy about Ashton"s answer, and puffed her cheeks.

“I didn"t know you are a superior officer back then. So even if you ask me to change my tone…”

“Hmm~ the army sure is troublesome… That"s right! In that case, then I will make this an order! Ashton is prohibited from using honorifics when you speak with me! Ah, the same applies to everyone, don"t force yourself to use honorifics with me.”

Olivia thought of an idea and clapped. The recruits were baffled by the sudden command, and only Guile kneeled on one knee when he heard that, and said: “If that is the will of the valkyrie.”

Even Olivia was shocked that he went that far.

Ashton was grateful that Olivia gave that order. It hadn"t been that long since his meeting with Olivia in the mess hall, so his manner of speech right now felt unnatural. Normally, he couldn"t be so disrespectful to a superior officer, but it wouldn"t be a problem with this order. Ashton tried to convince himself with that.

“I will do just that then. I want to ask you what that black mist from your sword is? I"m sure I wasn"t seeing things.”

“Oh~ you are curious about this sword. This is——”

“Platoon Leader Olivia, this humble Guile has sighted a fort!”

Guile who was walking in front turned back and waved his hands hard, cutting off Olivia"s words.

“That seems to be the fort.”

A soldier checked the map to confirm. In front of them was a stone fort covered in vines. It was still some distance away, but the fort had deteriorated a lot, and had obviously been abandoned for a long time.

“We have finally reached, huh. Okay, everyone, let"s hurry on over!”

Olivia raised her fist high, and walked boldly towards the fort.

(I didn"t get my answer on her sword. Never mind.)

The recruits hurried after Olivia.

Ashton quickened his pace too.

“Wait! Olivia! This is too rash!”

“Platoon Leader Olivia, this isn"t good! Please come back!”

“Ahaha, it will be fine. Let"s go!”

Olivia ignored Ashton and Guile, and charged towards the fort. With no other choice, Ashton and the others followed while staying wary of the surroundings.

“It"s in a horrible state.”

Looking at the fort from up close, the deterioration was even more prominent. They could see the collapsed walls, and the ones still standing would probably collapsed with a bit of force. Was there any point in reclaiming such a fort? Ashton started to doubt.

“By the way, that"s the base of bandits, so why is it so quiet?”

Guile peeked at the entrance. Ashton agreed with his a.s.sessment. Olivia didn"t answer, and s.n.a.t.c.hed a spear from a recruit, saying: “Let me borrow this.”

“Ehh!?”

The recruit was surprised by her sudden actions. Olivia didn"t pay him any mind, readied the spear, and threw it far away. The spear tore through the air and landed in the bushes.

A sound like a frog getting squished echoed out. Ashton and Guile looked at each other and said:

“… I heard something.”

“I guess I wasn"t hearing things then.”

They nodded at each other, then creeped towards the source of the sound with the other recruits. They pull the bushes aside, and found a man on the ground, with blood and brains scattered all over. A spear was pinned to the tree nearby.

It was obvious how the man died.

“Oh, right on target.”

Olivia who had arrived without them noticing cheered when she saw the corpse.

“O-Olivia, what is…!?”

“Hmm~ how should I put this. He had been following us suspiciously for a while now, and is probably a bandit? Or a gutter rat?”

Olivia laughed as the recruits looked on with a pale face. After exchanging looks silently, they braced their spears and got ready for battle. As Ashton and company watched their surroundings cautiously, a man with a spear on his shoulder walked out boldly from the shadows of the fort. He was tall, had long hair, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk.

“Hmmp, I"m impressed you lot sensed his presence. Who did that?”

The man then checked out the group with appraising eyes. When his eyes fell on Olivia, he stopped moving and said:

“— It must be you. The air about you is completely different from the others. Are you the female leader of this platoon?”

“Yes, I"m Olivia. Nice to meet you.”

Olivia waved her hands and greeted him casually. The man waved with a wry smile.

“Oh, thank you for your self introduction, I will remember that. My name is Wulf— just to be sure, why are you here?”

Wulf snapped his fingers, and a band of bandits showed up at the entrance of the fort. They numbered around 40. They all smiled coldly as they held their weapons with ease. It was clear from their faces that they had no hesitation on killing people. The recruits were the ones whose teeth were clattering from fear, while Olivia didn"t move at all.

“We are here to retake the fort. It can"t be helped since it is our mission, but I still find it strange to take back something that had been thrown away.”

“Haha, you got that right, young Miss. In that case, can I ask you to turn back? It"s a ha.s.sle to take care of the bodies.”

Wulf said with a shrug. A bandit immediately grumbled: “We are the ones who have to clean up though.” While the bandits were trash talking the soldiers...

“Ehh? I won"t take care of the bodies. Can I leave it to everyone?”

Olivia said as she looked at the recruits. They nodded in unison with a pale face. And of course Ashton and Guile did the same.

The smile was gone from Wulf"s face, and he asked with a fierce gaze:

“… Just to confirm again, what do you mean by ‘taking care of the bodies"?”

“I mean exactly what I said, what"s wrong? You don"t understand what I"m saying?”

Olivia"s provocative words angered the bandits, and the air grew tense. Wulf stopped his men, and started spinning his spear. The sound of the spear head cutting through the air could be heard, and the gra.s.s swayed with the spinning spear.

“You sure talk big, little Miss. Or are you just r.e.t.a.r.ded? The people who said such things to me are all dead.”

“In that case, I will be the first one to survive.”

After Olivia said that, Wulf thrust mightily. To Ashton, there wasn"t any time to react. However, Olivia turned and dodge right before the tip reach her heart. She then clamped the spear under her armpit, and slid right into Wulf"s arms.

“H-How is that possible!?”

Wulf tried to shake Olivia off his spear, but couldn"t move her an inch.

“Spears are great for mid distance fights, but it"s useless when the enemy sneak up close. A sword is still the best.”

Olivia drew her sword and push it against Wulf"s throat. Wulf lost his will to fight, let go of his spear and pleaded:

“I-I get it! I yield! We will leave this fort!”

“That won"t do. Adjutant Otto doesn"t want me to give him head, but his orders is to kill you all.”

Olivia didn"t hesitate to stab the dark sword through Wulf"s head. Blood splurt out, dying the ground dark red. Wulf"s face lost all hints of life, and his body stopped moving after a short spasm. He came fast, and left fast.

Olivia lost interest in Wulf, and tossed his body aside. She then swept her gaze across the remaining bandits.

“Phew— okay, let"s finish off the rest quickly!”

While the bandits were still shocked by the scene before them, the dark sword gleamed in the light.

“d.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it! What the h.e.l.l! How did things turn out this way!?”

The man cursed as he pounded on the ground. The screams and cries had stopped, and he could only hear his ragged breathing.

——Soldiers from the Royal Army were here to reclaim the fort.

When he heard the news from his comrades, the man got excited. He wanted to try if his new sword was sharp, and a prey came to them. And the enemy was different from the previous batches, everyone of them looked capable of screaming wonderfully.

“d.a.m.n it! I should be…”

The man thought back to his heroic figure last time when he killed the weak soldiers from the Kingdom easily. The scene of him and his comrades running the soldiers through with corpses as the backdrop.

It should be the same today, but now—

“— Really now, are we done playing tag now?”

The girl walked over and her footsteps created squishing sound in the blood. Her black sword covered in blood was covered with an ominous mist.

“Hah, hah, p-please! Spare me! No, no, please spare me!!”

The man pleaded for his life with all his might. He collapsed on the floor, having lost his strength to flee. His sword had snapped, and couldn"t function as a weapon. The suffocating blood stench was just an afterthought to the man now.

(Everyone except me is already…)

He looked around him, and saw his 40 comrades were all gone. Or rather, they had turned to silent heaps of corpses on the floor. And this was all done by the silver haired girl, who was an avatar of death. It wouldn"t be an exaggeration to call her a Death G.o.d.

For the first time in his life, the man prayed to the G.o.ddess Citresia.

(Please! I won"t rob again! I won"t kill again! I won"t rape again! So please, please save me from this Death G.o.d!!)

A bell-like voice reached the man"s ears, and sounded like the music of a Death G.o.d.

“Hmm~ Isn"t it lonely that only you are alive?”

“Not at all! I will live properly on my comrades behalf too!!”

“Sigh~ even if you tell me that, it"s troubling for me. Adjutant Otto wants me to kill you all, and this human is even crying from loneliness.”

The girl stuck her sword into a head, then tossed it gently over. The head drew a nice arc in the air, and landed before the man with a thud.

“Hiee!”

It was the head of his best friend, Dennis.

His face was frozen with fear in death, and a red liquid was flowing from his eyes.

“Hiee—!?”

“Well, as you can see, I"m right. Well then.”

The girl stood before the man and raised her dark sword with her smile still on her face.

He was probably hallucinating from being stressed out by fear.

For some reason, the man thought the thing being raised was a dark scythe—

After sending a messenger back to report the mission"s success, Olivia"s Special Platoon moved on to their next task. They were to hold this fort before the garrison unit moved in. This was more of a formality, and they didn"t really need to do anything in particular. Since the bandits had been eradicated, they didn"t have to worry about being attacked. The only thing they had to do was to bury the corpses to avoid attracting feral beasts. And of course, as Olivia said previously, she didn"t take part in that task.

The bored Olivia then hunted or fished with the recruits all day. She also trained them as they mulled the time away carefreely.

Those were fleeting days that were meaningful and peaceful.

One night, the recruits gathered around a bonfire under a starry night and talked about Olivia.

“Anyway, Platoon Leader Olivia is amazingly strong.”

“I think so too. Skewering that One horned beast is incredible, but slaughtering 40 bandits alone is normally impossible.”

“If I told the guys back at Fort Gallia about this, they wouldn"t believe me.”

All the recruits nodded in agreement.

“Compared to her, we are…”

“Don"t! We all agreed to not bring that up… We are such a disgrace.”

At that, they all got depressed. While Olivia was cutting down the bandits one by one, instead of helping her, the others just stood still and trembled. Some of them even lost control of their bladder out of fear.

But they weren"t mocked for that. They all knew it was just a matter of whether they could hold it in. It was shameful for these men, but this was the consensus of all the recruits.

The bonfire crackled in the darkness.

One of the recruits said with regret:

“We are really disgraceful. But that"s why we asked Platoon Leader Olivia to train us, so we can be of use in the next battle?”

“T-That"s right. We just need to learn from our mistakes.”

Another soldier clenched his fist with determination. But some other soldier said uneasily:

“But is Platoon Leader Olivia"s training useful?”

“I"m thinking the same thing. I thought she will teach us how to wield swords or spears, instead…”

“Is there a point to that training? I don"t get it.”

The recruits all looked puzzled.

Olivia"s training was simple. The soldiers paired up, one will attack, and the other will defend. The attacker has to keep striking with wooden swords, and the defender needed to defend with shields. They would switch after some time, and this process kept repeating.

Compared to the training at Fort Gallia, there wasn"t any weapon training, or striking at dummy targets. It might sound practical, but it wasn"t too different from play fighting when they were kids.

“By the way, we have to observe our opponent"s movements? We can become strong if we did that? Oh, I don"t mean I"m doubting her, but…?”

Watch, observe, inspect.

Lines formed from dots, and circles drawn with the lines.

The recruits were confused by what Olivia said. They asked for a simpler explanation, and she told them to observe their opponent"s movements carefully.

“I can"t be certain since training has just started, but I don"t feel I will become stronger with just that.”

“But we can only trust her, right? Since Platoon Leader Olivia— our Valkyrie says so.”

The recruits all looked at the Valkyrie in question— Olivia, who was eating a roasted chicken gleefully. Beside her were Guile who was plucking feathers from a bird, and Ashton who was brushing something onto the bird as he roasted them.

“… That"s right. Platoon Leader Olivia saved our lives. And it"s rude to suspect her, since we are the one who asked for it.”

“You are right, if it"s another Leader, we would be dead.”

“Indeed— Alright then! Let"s toast to our Platoon Leader, the Valkyrie!”

““Cheers!!”””

The recruits raised their mugs with a laugh.

Ⅱ

Royal Army, Fort Gallia, Commander"s Office

Neinhart who came to Fort Gallia as a liason, reported the battle plan for the First and Seventh Army to coordinate and retake Castle Kaspar to Paul. Otto frowned as he perused the report.

“— I see. This is something Lambert would do. After recovering Kaspar castle, we won"t have to worry about our rear, and move our troops to attack Fort Kiel… However.”

Paul sighed at this moment, and looked up at the ceiling. The smoke from his cigar covered the office in a thick fog.

“… Is there anything that worries you?”

“Yes, quite a number… but mainly, I don"t understand the rationale in retaking Fort Kiel now. Looks like age is getting the better of me.”

Paul"s vague answer made Otto smile awkwardly as he scratched his face. Seeing them like this, Neinhart lifted the corners of his lips.

(I see. It seems Lieutenant General Paul and Lieutenant Colonel Otto are against this plan.)

Retaking Fort Kiel was Alphonse"s edict. Paul was doing so in a roundabout way, but what he said could be construed as lese majeste. However, Neinhart didn"t intend to point that out, since he shared the same view. Cornelius and Lambert wouldn"t say it out loud, but they thought the same too.

After all, Alphonse"s edict was too reckless.

Alphonse wasn"t stupid, but he ascended the throne at a terrible time. When the Benevolent Emperor declared his intention to conquer the continent, Alphonse had only reigned for two years. He would have time to improve on the way of kings if the times were peaceful, and he would become a fine monarch. However, this was chaotic times, and the Kingdom was struggling on the verge of destruction. Alphonse couldn"t afford to take his time and learn, and didn"t have the ability to issue orders to match the fluid situation.

After agonizing over it, his plan was to send the First Army to retake Fort Kiel. The Kingdom was shaking like a boat in the storm because of the fall of Fort Kiel. He probably thought he could turn the tide in one shot by seizing Fort Kiel.

Neinhart a.n.a.lyzed Alphonse"s consideration, and used it as the basis to convince Paul:

“— I understand your concerns, Lieutenant General Paul, but His Majesty"s words are final. And we can"t turn the situation around just by defending.”

“… That"s true. I have said too much. Back to the topic, if we march on Kaspar castle, where do you think the Imperial Army will intercept us?”

When he heard Paul"s question, Neinhart pointed to a spot on the map. Otto thought the same, and nodded in approval.

“The Imperial Army would definitely deploy on Iris plains. This is the best spot to field an army. We will probably march through here too.”

If they were to attack Kaspar castle, then going via Iris plains would be the shortest route. The alternatives would be marching through a vast forest, or brave the cliffs and valleys. That meant taking a detour, and using routes not suitable for a large army. There was only one option.

“I feel the same way. But that means we have to defeat the enemy at Iris plains, and then a.s.sault Kaspar castle. That will be extremely difficult.”

Paul said bitterly. Neinhart nodded silently in agreement. Compared to Kaspar castle"s estimated 50,000 army, the combined forces of the First and Seventh was 55,000. The Royal Army had the advantage in numbers, which couldn"t be made up easily with strategy. At a glance, the Royal Army had the upper hand.

However, the situation would be reversed if Fort Kiel sent reinforcements. The Kingdom would have no other choice but to withdraw. That was what Paul was hinting at. And Neinhart didn"t have any solution for this problem. Otto furrowed his brows and didn"t say anything.

As the air grew heavy around the three men, someone knocked on the door of the Commander"s Office. With Otto"s permission, a soldier entered.

“An urgent report?”

“Yes Sir, pardon my intrusion. A messenger from Olivia"s Special Platoon just arrived, and reported that Fort Lamburg has been successfully reclaimed.”

“Oh~! That"s wonderful news.”

“The bandits have been wiped out. The platoon is proceeding with the second mission, end of report.”

“Understood. I will give them new directives later. Let the messenger stand by at the base for now.”

“Yes Sir!”

The soldier quickly left the Commander"s Office. The sudden good news cleared the heavy air. And the reason for this easy atmosphere was the smiling Paul.

“Fufu, Warrant Officer Olivia has completed her mission splendidly. I will have to prepare an extra large cake for her when she comes back, or she will be mad.”

“Sigh… You are saying that again. She will get conceited, so please don"t do that.”

In response to Otto"s advise, Paul said: “You don"t have to be that serious.” and laughed heartily. Otto shook his head in resignation and sighed. Neinhart was also an adjutant, and sympathized with Otto, but that didn"t matter right now. He heard a name he couldn"t ignore, and asked.

“Is the person in question that Warrant Officer Olivia?”

“Hmm...? Yes, that"s right, the Warrant Officer Olivia mentioned in the earlier reports.”

(As I suspected. So she isn"t in this fort right now…)

One of Neinhart"s objective in visiting Fort Gallia was to meet Warrant Officer Olivia. He knew that he was mixing his private affairs into official business, but he wanted to thank her personally.

“Why do you look so distracted?”

“— Ah, my apologies. Actually, the person Samuel killed, Major General Lance, is my good friend. I wanted to thank Warrant Officer Olivia for avenging him.”

After hearing Neinhart"s reasons, Paul"s expression softened and turned a little awkward.

“I see, you are Major General Lance"s… I see. His death is a great loss for all of us.”

Paul touched his balding head and muttered. It was short, but more than enough to mourn the dead.

“Thank you very much. Major General Lance would definitely feel honored by your kind words in the next world, Lieutenant General.”

“Sigh. Who knows…”

Paul snuffed out his cigar in the ashtray. The mood turned heavy again, and Otto clapped his hands suddenly.

“What is it? You thought up a plan?”

“Yes Sir. I have an idea that warrants a try. If it works, we might be able to reclaim Kaspar castle before enemy reinforcements arrive.”

“Oh~ that"s great… but you are thinking of exploiting Warrant Officer Olivia again, correct?”

Paul said with a speechless face. Otto smiled faintly when he heard that.

“Your Grace, Warrant Officer Olivia is now the strongest chess piece of the Seventh Army, so of course I will make full use of her. Even more so if it will increase the chance of success.”

“I know, I know. Then tell me what you have in mind.”

Otto cleared his throat beside Paul who was smiling wryly, and explained his plan with a map after a short moment of silence.

Neinhart was shocked. Otto was an absolute pragmatist. He wouldn"t over or under estimate both friends or foes. And Otto called Warrant Officer Olivia the strongest in the Seventh Army, which intrigued Neinhart even more.

(It"s hard to believe, but she is the girl who killed that Samuel. She must be incredibly buff.)

After arriving at that conclusion in his mind, Neinhart listened to Otto"s plan.

Ⅲ

Two weeks after Olivia"s Special Platoon retook Fort Lamburg.

Fort Gallia was busy with the garrison of the First Army during this time, with the transportation of resources and the preparation to attack Kaspar castle. On the other hand, Olivia"s platoon was having fun in Fort Lamburg.

But when the garrison force arrived at Fort Lamburg, the platoon was literally chased off, and head back to Fort Gallia. Shortly after returning to the fort Otto summoned Olivia to the commander"s office. Olivia looked at her Pocket Watch, confirmed the time, then knocked on the office"s door.

“Warrant Officer Olivia, reporting on time.”

Right after that, Olivia could hear a stifled laugh from behind the door, and a familiar voice said “Enter.” She went in, and saw three men seated inside.

Olivia looked at the group, which includes the gently smiling Paul, and the stern looking Otto. She didn"t recognize the man with wavy blonde hair. The man kept opening and closing his mouth when he saw Olivia, maybe he was mimicking a fish? Olivia thought that if he was trying to do so, then he was pretty bad at it.

“Warrant Officer Olivia. Reporting. On. Time.”

Otto glared at Olivia who took out her Pocket Watch, and said “I know, put your Pocket Watch away.” He then added “Are you looking for trouble?” It seemed there was no reward for reporting on time. The Pocket Watch was important, so Olivia kept it carefully. Paul tapped on the couch beside him, gesturing for Olivia for seat, and she did just that.

“Warrant Officer Olivia. Sorry for summoning you right after you came back. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes Sir, thank you for your concern!”

“I heard there"s a skilled spear wielder amongst the bandits, did you have any trouble?”

Paul"s question made Olivia tilt her head puzzledly. She really didn"t remember someone like that amongst the bandits.Did she forgot? But Olivia was confident in her memories. She could remember the contents of every book she had read.

Ashton even commented that her memory was incredible. Even so, she had no impression of that, so that opponent was not a big deal. He was killed in one blow, so it would be strange if she remembered him.

And of course, she wouldn"t forget her happy experiences. For example, when she went hunting and fishing happily with the recruits. When Ashton almost drowned, Olivia laughed at the riverbank. When she saved him, Ashton complained really angrily.

Guile was a hunter, so his bowmanship was excellent. Especially his skills in plucking feathers from a bird. When she told him that, Guile got down on one knee and said “I honed this skill for the sake of the Valkyrie.” Olivia thought he was lying, but didn"t say it out loud. For some reasons, she felt it would be bad if she refuted him.

And the food she ate at the bonfire under the stars with everyone was really delicious.

“— I don"t remember the battles. All of them died to my sword in one hit.”

“Hahaha! I see, you killed them with one hit. Do you hear that, Otto? To Warrant Officer Olivia, that skilled spear wielder is no different from your run of the mill bandit.”

Paul slapped his thigh and laughed. Otto sighed speechlessly. The blonde man stared with his eyes wide. Olivia was a little worried that his eyes would fall out.

“Oh right, I got too engrossed and forgot the reason I called you. Warrant Officer Olivia, I asked you to come in order to give you this.”

Paul then put a white box on the table onto her lap. On his urging, Olivia opened the box, and found a colorful and luxurious cake. The sweet aroma a.s.saulted her nose, and Olivia cried:

“Uwah! This is a cake! A cake, correct!? Thank you Lieutenant General Paul!!”

“Fufu. I"m glad you like it.”

Paul was all smiles. Olivia impatiently took a piece of cake, but suddenly remembered that the books said that cakes were so delicious that it would melt your face. Otto seemed to be saying something agitatedly, but Olivia didn"t care. She was worried about her face melting because of the cake, but couldn"t resist the temptation. Deciding that things would work out in the end, Olivia shoved the cake into her mouth.

(—— Sweet. And so soft!)

However, it tasted so good that Olivia"s cheeks became loose. She quickly touched her face, and was relieved that her cheeks were fine. She could enjoy the cake without worries now.

Before Olivia could pick up a second slice, someone grabbed her hand. She looked up, and saw the flushed Adjutant Otto with trembling lips standing before her. Olivia felt he was just like the “Red Devil” depicted in books.

“Adjutant Otto, you want cake too? But Lieutenant General Paul gave this to me. Even if it"s Adjutant Otto, I won"t give them to you.”

“Who told you that I want the cake? You wench, do you know where you are? How dare you eat cake here!?”

Olivia was baffled. When she entered the room, she checked the sign on the door which said  《Commander"s Office》. This was obviously the Commander"s Office.

“… Adjutant Otto, did you hit your head?”

“What are you blabbering about?”

“Well, I read in a book that a human"s memories will get confused if their heads got hit hard. This is definitely the Commander"s Office. In my humble opinion, Adjutant Otto, you should seek treatment from a doctor quickly.”

“W-Why you...!”

Otto was shaking, and he lifted his fist up, put them down, and repeated that again. From Olivia"s experience in the interrogation room, Otto probably wants to smash the table. Olivia got even more confused from Otto"s reaction. It was only information from book, why did he have to be mad?

Z once told her that humans differed from beast, because they yearned for knowledge. Otto should be happy instead of mad. If Ashton was with her, he would definitely give Olivia splendid advice.

When she thought about that, Olivia looked at the cake on her lap.

(… So Adjutant Otto wants to eat cake after all. It"s such a delicious dessert, so it can"t be helped. How can anyone not want to eat it?)

Otto did take good care of her, and even gave Olivia a nice silver Pocket Watch. She might receive even more stuff in the future.

Olivia made up her mind, and offered a piece of cake to Otto.

“I will only give you one, okay…?”

“I said I don"t want your cake!”

With that, Otto slammed his fist on the table. “So you are still going to slam the table, huh.” Olivia said. Otto slammed a few more times because of that, and Paul watched his reactions intriguely. Paul then said to Olivia:

“We still have important matters to discuss. Warrant Officer Olivia, you may return to your room and take your time to savor your cake.”

“Yes Sir, Warrant Officer Olivia will now return to her room to eat cake!”

Olivia gave the most crisp salute of the day. If Otto was beside her, she wouldn"t be able to enjoy her cake. Hence, Paul"s words were a G.o.dsend. She swiftly left the room.

And of course, she took the all important box of cake with her.

“How should I put this, she really is a strange girl.”

As Olivia"s footsteps faded into the distance, Neinhart gave his comment. The girl was not what he imagined in all sorts of ways.

“Colonel Neinhart, please pay her no mind. She just lack common sense and a proper upbringing.”

Otto said angrily, and was probably still fuming since his hand holding his cup was shaking a little. Neinhart couldn"t help smiling at the upset sight of this man who was always composed. When Otto noticed, he glared at Neinhart with a sharp gaze, which made Neinhart tense his face.

“What do you think, Colonel Neinhart. She is a cute kid, right?”

In contrast with Otto, Paul asked with a gentle smile. Neinhart didn"t know how to answer, and responded with a warm smile. Paul probably thought of her like a granddaughter. In fact, Neinhart heard that Paul"s granddaughter was about this age.

And of course, Neinhart had no objection that she looked cute. If she dresses up with some accessories, Neinhart would not suspect anything if someone says she is a daughter of a n.o.ble house. If she attends a ball, the gazes of the men would definitely be drawn to her. And of course, the ladies would be jealous of her.

(I did something really rude when I imagined her to be too swole to control.)

Neinhart smiled awkwardly in his heart, then reached for the tea on the table. Right now in the Kingdom, even an ordinary beverage like tea was now a luxury. Affected by the economic blockage by Sutherland under the excuse of a poor harvest, they had to rely on illegal smuggling instead.

Neinhart took a sip of tea melancholically, and noticed that Otto had gotten over his rage. Otto ma.s.saged his red fists, remembered the conversation earlier and asked:

“By the way, didn"t you want to thank the Warrant Officer?”

“Yes, I was planning to, but the Warrant Officer"s left too impactful an impression, so I couldn"t find the chance to speak.”

“Should I call her over again?”

“… It"s fine, you don"t have to go that far, let"s save that for another day. And I think her mind"s probably preoccupied with cake right now.”

After saying that, Neinhart realized he had misspoken. As expected, Otto grumbled “It"s all because you spoil her too much, Your Grace.” as he glared at Paul. But Paul wasn"t fazed at all, and even leaned back heavily into the sofa and enjoyed his cigar.

“Adjutant Otto, don"t grumble so much. Your plan is only possible because Warrant Officer Olivia took back Fort Lamburg. If you keep admonishing her, what will you do if she runs off to join the Imperial Army?”

“Ugh, w-well…”

Paul"s words. .h.i.t right where it hurts, and Otto"s eyes darkened a lot. He probably felt that situation was quite plausible.

Desertion was a problem that had been plaguing the Royal Army. Desertion was one thing, but there were quite a number that joined the Empire instead. There was a ridiculous case of an entire platoon deserting their post and joining the Imperial Army.

To warn against future transgression, all deserters were immediately executed.

They were crucified, burned alive, or even executed with a guillotine.

Despite the examples, there were still many soldiers who deserted at the risk of death.

On the other hand, publicly executing the deserting soldiers only increased the unhappiness the citizens felt towards the Royal Army, which was ironic. It was regrettable, but the Royal Army was in a precarious situation.

Neinhart remembered Olivia"s blissful face as she ate her cake.

According to the reports related to Olivia, she joined the Royal Army voluntarily. She even brought the heads of many Imperial Soldiers as a gift. With that in mind, Neinhart felt it was unlikely for what Paul said to happen to her.

But even so, there was no guarantee that she wouldn"t betray them. From her frivolous att.i.tude, she was definitely not patriotic. And she didn"t seem that she signed up with the army to make it big.

Olivia gave the impression that if the Imperial Army bribe her with a mountain of cakes, she would turncoat immediately.

(So, why did that child join the Royal Army?)

The question that suddenly came to his mind made Neinhart hold his chin in deep thought.

The Kingdom was like a crumbling tower, and it wouldn"t be a surprise if it collapse at any moment. With Olivia"s abilities, she would be treated better if she joined the Imperial Army. It wasn"t proper to say this, given Neinhart"s position, but he couldn"t understand why she joined the Kingdom instead of the Empire.

“Lieutenant Colonel Otto, have you asked Warrant Officer Olivia why she joined the army?”

Neinhart asked the Otto who had a bitter face just like him. Normally, the military wouldn"t ask a soldier the reason they signed up. The army just needed to know whether the soldier could fight.

However, Olivia who had exceptional marital prowess was an exception. Neinhart felt the careful Otto would definitely ask her about that.

“… I did ask, but I got a nonsensical answer… the Warrant Officer said this is a way for her to find ‘Z".”

Feeling glad that Otto didn"t betray his expectations, Neinhart continued and ask:

“So she joined the army to search for someone?”

“It appears so.”

“It"s true that searching for someone will be easier with the army"s information network… But Z, huh. What a unique name. What kind of person is he?”

“It sounds preposterous, but that Z the Warrant Officer was referring to is a ‘Death G.o.d".”

“— Hah? Death G.o.d? The one that wields a scythe?”

Neinhart made a gesture of a scythe, and Otto nodded with a bitter face. The skeleton in tattered robes wielding a scythe was really famous. There might be variations between the description of authors, they were all about the same.

“This is ridiculous.”

“… Hmm, that"s true…”

Otto muttered.

(Hmm? His att.i.tude seemed kind of vague.)

When he saw Otto stroking his chin, a question occurred to Neinhart.

“I don"t think it"s possible, but Lieutenant Colonel Otto, do you think it"s true?”

“Let"s forget about believing her for now… normally, no one would fabricate such an outrageous lie. I also thought that it is too ridiculous in the beginning too.”

Unable to reach a conclusion by himself, it was rare seeing Otto so troubled. Neinhart didn"t know what to say either, and just acknowledge vaguely. Paul wasn"t aware of this issue, and just smiled intriguely and said “I see, she"s searching for a Death G.o.d.”

(This is unfathomable. Is her Death G.o.d a metaphor? From what I heard, she is searching for a person—— whether it"s a person or not, that is the reason she joined the Royal Army. However…)

Neinhart was about to about to think further, but the doc.u.ments on the table entered his view. There were tons of problems he had to deal with, and had no time to think about Olivia"s words.

Neinhart took a deep breath, and reached for the doc.u.ments on the table.

Ⅳ

Royal Army, Fort Gallia, Lieutenant Colonel Otto"s office

“Oh~ so you are the officer Colonel Neinhart recommended…”

“Warrant Officer Claudia Lung, reporting to the Seventh Army for duty! I"m here to meet you as requested!”

“Yes, thank you. Please take a seat at the couch over there.”

“Yes Sir, excuse me.”

Claudia sat on the couch as ordered. Otto took out a spare cup from the cabinet, and reached for the white porcelain teapot.

“Lieutenant Colonel Otto, you don"t have to trouble yourself!”

Claudia tried to get up, but Otto stopped her.

“But—”

“It"s fine.”

Otto cut Claudia off, and poured the tea with practiced hands. Seeing how well he did it, Claudia wondered if Otto didn"t have a secretary. Otto placed the cup on the table before Claudia, and the aroma of the tea leaves entered her nose.

“Sorry, but our resources are limited, and we are out of sugar. Please bear with us.”

“You are too kind. Please excuse me.”

Claudia sipped the tea politely, and returned the cup onto the table. She kept her back straight, looked Otto in the eyes and asked:

“…Lieutenant Colonel Otto. If it"s fine with you, may I know the reason why I was transferred from the First Army to the Seventh Army?”

“Huh? Didn"t Colonel Neinhart explain that to you?”

Otto was surprised.

“Yes Sir, he didn"t tell me anything. Since he seemed to be busy, I have no choice but to ask Lieutenant Colonel Otto directly.”

Otto smiled wryly when he heard Claudia"s explanation. She was expressing her displeasure towards Neinhart in a roundabout way. If he didn"t know Claudia was Neinhart"s cousin, he wouldn"t have discerned what she was implying.

“I see, then I will get straight to the point. Your transfer orders is to take on the post of Warrant Officer Olivia"s deputy— No, she"s a Second Lieutenant now. Your a.s.signment is Second Lieutenant Olivia"s deputy.”

With that, Otto handed a doc.u.ment to Claudia.

“I"m a.s.signed to become a deputy… Allow me one moment to read the doc.u.ments.”

Claudia perused the doc.u.ments in her hand. It stated the extraordinary accomplishments of the subject. Slaying Samuel of the Violent Thrust, apprehending and killing two spies who infiltrated Fort Gallia, and almost single handedly reclaiming Fort Lamburg.

“S-Sir… are these all true? Aren"t they…”

“Well, it"s normal for you to think that. But it"s all true. However…”

Otto suddenly sighed.

“Is there a problem, Sir?”

“… As you can see, the subject"s martial prowess is flawless.”

“Of course. Do you mean she has some problems that isn"t stated on the reports?”

When Claudia asked that, Otto nodded to affirm that:

“It is as you say, Warrant Officer Claudia. Second Lieutenant Olivia extremely lacks common sense and etiquettes. To be honest, it"s a big headache.”

“Hah, etiquettes huh…”

Claudia didn"t know what to say, and just repeated those words. Because etiquettes didn"t seem like a big deal.

“You might think that the problem is cute… No, never mind. Forget what I said.”

“Yes Sir, I will keep that in mind.”

“Sorry. As you know, we are preparing to retake Kaspar castle. The success of this operation all hinged on Second Lieutenant Olivia. And so, we need an excellent officer to be the Second Lieutenant"s deputy.”

“… Pardon me for being frank, but another officer can perform this task too, correct?”

The Seventh Army shouldn"t be hurting for talented officers. Claudia pressed with that in mind, but Otto shook his head immediately.

“There aren"t many who can rein in the Second Lieutenant. She might look bright eyed and pretty, but she"s a wild brat on the inside. So it will be easier for someone of the same gender to handle her. This will be very tiring, but I will be counting on you.”

“Yes Sir, I will do my best to a.s.sist Second Lieutenant Olivia as her deputy!”

Claudia"s answer made Otto turn stiff.

“Good. I already told Second Lieutenant Olivia that you will be visiting her. She should be in her room. Go pay her a visit later.”

“Understood, I will head there to greet her right away.”

“I see. That"s all for now, you may leave.”

“Yes Sir, excuse me.”

After leaving the office, Claudia sighed. From Otto"s att.i.tude she had taken over a troublesome task.

(It"s all his fault for arranging all this without informing me.)

Claudia grumbled at Neinhart who recommended her, and headed for Olivia"s room.

Outside Olivia"s room, Claudia checked her dressing. Judging that it was fine, she knocked on the door, and heard a clear sound from inside.

“Claudia?”

Claudia turned stiff when her name was called. She raised her voice and answered:

“Yes Mdm! I"m Warrant Officer Claudia Lung, and will be serving as Second Lieutenant Olivia"s deputy from today onwards! I"m here to greet you!”

“Yes, I heard about it from Adjutant Otto~ come in.”

“Yes Mdm, please excuse my intrusion.”

When she opened the door, Claudia gasped at the sight before her. The girl lying p.r.o.ne on her bed was too beautiful, as if she was a doll. When Claudia was mesmerized by Olivia"s beauty, their eyes met. Careful not to step on the books scattered all over the floor, Claudia saluted hastily.

“I"m Olivia, nice to meet you!”

Olivia propped her body up and returned the salute with a smile. She then laid back down and continued reading.

(… Ehh!? That"s it!?)

Claudia thought it was some kind of test, but she just looked engrossed in her book. Claudia then remembered what Adjutant Otto said. Since she was her deputy, Claudia had to better understand Olivia"s situation.

With that in mind, Claudia tried chatting her up.

“E-Erm, Second Lieutenant Olivia? There sure are many books in your room.”

“Hmm... ? I bought all the books Ashton said was interesting from the capital. Thanks to that, my bonus pay from Lieutenant General Paul is all gone now. Books are really expensive.”

Olivia answered with her eyes on her book. Claudia was surprised by the response, but still kept the conversation going.

“Second Lieutenant Olivia, so you like books. By the way, who is that Ashton that you mentioned?”

“……Claudia asked the same thing as Adjutant Otto. Ashton is Ashton. A human.”

Olivia finally shift her eyes from the book, and looked at Claudia confusedly. Her dark eyes showed no signs that she was joking.

(I see… This is really something. Neinhart onii-san you jerk, I will remember this.)

Claudia complained in her heart, but still showed a humble face.

“It is as you say, Second Lieutenant Olivia. I apologize for asking something so obvious.”

Claudia bowed in apology, and Olivia shook her head:

“Yes~ it"s fine. But how strange, why does everyone like to ask obvious questions…? Is it my fault that I can"t convey my words properly to other people?”

“No, that"s not true.”

“I see… very well then. You are done with your greetings, right? You can go now.”

Then, Olivia returned her gaze to her book for the third time. That was all she had to say. Claudia saluted Olivia who was lying p.r.o.ne on her bed:

“I will be taking my leave then! Please don"t hesitate to find me if you need anything!”

“Yes, got it.”

Claudia left the room, then leaned against the wall to sighed for the second time today, which was much heavier than the first. She then took quick strides and headed straight for Neinhart"s room.