April.
Yeah, I had definitely thought she was insane when I saw her reading a military law book.
Reason #1 why Winter wasn’t the one who put this note here: Winter has no reason to read blank pages.
Reason #2: Winter would NEVER rip a page out of a book.
Since April had hidden the note in a blank page, Winter probably missed it despite reading the book thoroughly.
Of course, there was still a chance that someone else had put it there, but my instincts were rarely wrong.
Just how much did April know?
She had once said there was something wrong with this world. But what if that wasn’t just a hunch?
What if she had come to that conclusion after collecting a mountain of evidence?
Maybe she had been far more informed than I had ever realized.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocking on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced at Jenny, who was closest to the door.
She was Dalin’s direct senior, so she quickly jumped up and opened it.
“Oh, it’s you, Blue.”
My fellow recruit from Beta Platoon, Blue, raised a hand lazily in greeting.
He was the person I had been waiting for.
“So, you’ve finally got the news?”
Blue had always been my most reliable source of information. He was probably here to deliver the final verdict on my punishment.
Truly, having an informant for a comrade was invaluable.
“Haaah....”
His face darkened, and he lowered his voice cautiously.
“Yeah. Your punishment has been decided.”
“Alright.”
“...You’re way too calm about this. Aren’t you even worried?”
“Just tell me.”
Blue shot me a suspicious look, but he got to the point.
“First, you’re getting ten days in military prison.”
Hearing the word prison in this world pissed me off to no end.
If someone transmigrated into a romance fantasy novel, wasn’t the worst punishment supposed to be house arrest in a luxurious mansion?!
“And on top of that, the company commander was deeply disappointed with the lack of discipline in your platoon. So he’s decided to let the commanding officers get even more involved in the unit’s operations.”
“Hm.”
Well, if I was in prison, Rosan wouldn’t be able to bully me directly.
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So he was probably trying to make sure he could still mess with me even after I got out.
“Thanks, Blue. I appreciate the info.”
“...Seriously, what are you planning that’s making you this calm?”
“Don’t worry. This will be resolved soon.”
Of course, I wasn’t worried at all.
Because I still had a wildcard up my sleeve.
Ever since Rosan started this power struggle with me, I had been considering multiple ways to take him down.
‘...I can’t use the same method I did with Gagne.’
To take down Gagne, I had used the influence of the seniors above him.
But with the commanding officers, there were no seniors I could use to counter them.
‘But I can’t fight them directly, either....’
Then, one day, I had a sudden realization.
‘...Wait. Is there really no one I can use?’
No.
I did have someone above them that I could use.
And they weren’t just slightly higher up—they were leagues above Rosan.
Of course, Blue had no idea about my thoughts.
He just sighed, clearly exasperated, and got ready to leave.
“Well, I’ll head back now. Take care, Salvia.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the info, Blue.”
“Oh, right—”
Blue suddenly paused, as if he had just remembered something.
“Hey, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Hm?”
“Who do you like more, Aquila or Ishina?”
“...What?”
For a moment, I thought I misheard him.
But Blue’s expression was completely neutral, like he was just making casual conversation.
“...That’s like asking if I like my dad or my mom more.”
“Oh, come on. Just answer.”
“Well... if we’re talking about a senior versus a fellow recruit, then obviously, I’m closer to my recruit. But of course, they’re both important to me. I’d keep in touch with both even after discharge.”
“...But why are you asking this?”
“Oh, I’ve just been studying the differences between seniors, recruits, and juniors lately. Anyway, I’m off! See ya!”
Before I could say anything else, Blue ran away like a thief in the night.
I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back.
...What the hell was that about?
...No. That wasn’t important right now.
I needed to fix this prison situation first.
Before heading back inside, I took a deep breath.
Then—
“Oh, God!”
“S-Salvia, sir?”
“Ah, life is just too hard....”
I staggered into the barracks like a drunk, then dramatically collapsed onto my bed.
The recruits around me stiffened in alarm.
I sneakily glanced around.
Benny was staring at me wide-eyed.
Dalin and Jenny weren’t looking directly at me, but their bodies were turned toward me, clearly listening.
“...Benny. Life is so difficult... haaah....”
“W-Wait, sir?! Is this because of the black magic artifact?!”
“Yes... I really am going to prison....”
At that moment, Dalin’s hands started trembling.
She must have realized that if I went to prison, her life was over.
Because the second I got out, she was dead meat.
—Not that that was the point right now.
“Haaah, Benny... life is just too hard....”
“Salvia, sir....”
I had never shown this kind of defeated expression to my juniors before, so Benny was starting to look genuinely concerned.
“A-Are you really okay? Is there no other way out of this?”
“This was the company commander’s decision, Benny. What power do I have? Haaah....”
I let out the most exhausted sigh I could muster.
“...And if I go to prison, my discharge date will be pushed back....”
“...Wait. What?!”
Now Benny was starting to pace around the barracks anxiously.
Sensing the perfect opportunity, I pressed the attack by bringing up my delayed discharge again.
“A delayed discharge... does that even make sense...?”
“No, it does not! It makes no sense at all!”
“If my discharge gets pushed back, that means I’ll be stuck in this goddamn Border Defense Army even longer.... Farewell, fresh air... I was dragged here straight from the orphanage, and now it seems I’m never meant to return to society.... Has society abandoned me...?”
“Salvia, sir....”
...She should be taking the bait by now, but she’s not.
I couldn’t give up yet.
I needed to wring every last ounce of desperation from my words.
“Haaah... If my discharge is delayed, I won’t get to eat any real food... I’ll have to see snowfall from inside this damn military... I won’t get to see the New Year’s fireworks festival....”
“That is unacceptable.”
“And the herb festival that I planned to go to with Aquila—I won’t be able to go because I’ll miss the date....”
“THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!”
“...H-Huh?”
“HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! This CANNOT BE ALLOWED!!”
I had been trying to make Benny pity me, but she wasn’t pitying me at all—she was furious about something.
She suddenly raised her voice like a battle-hardened general, repeating the same phrase over and over.
“Salvia, sir! This must be stopped! This CANNOT be allowed to happen!”
“Uh... Y-Yeah, exactly.”
“Wait here! I will PERSONALLY solve this problem!!”
“B-Benny...?”
“OUT OF MY WAY!!”
Dalin and Jenny scrambled aside as Benny stormed through the barracks, flung open the door, and charged outside like a raging tiger.
...What the hell just happened?
...Well, whatever it was, I think it went according to plan?
My original plan had been for Benny to take pity on me, reveal her father’s identity, and use her family connections to get me out of this mess.
Since I had helped her out when she was struggling before, I figured she’d be willing to return the favor at least once.
Sure, exploiting Benny’s goodwill like this was a bit underhanded—but I trusted her character.
She was an honest, upright person.
Even in the original novel, Benny had revealed her identity to clean up the mess Dalin had caused.
Benny seemed way more fired up than I expected, but...
Whatever. I’ll just wait and see what happens.
***
Sitting across from the company commander was Commanding Officer Rosan.
They were discussing unit discipline over a cup of tea.
“Company commander, in the unit I came from... the senior soldiers always filed meticulous reports on their assigned duties.”
“Hm. That’s a good system.”
The commander was very pleased with Rosan’s suggestions.
After all, discipline in the unit had deteriorated so badly that a soldier was caught possessing a black magic artifact.
He was deeply disappointed in his subordinates.
But Rosan, the new commanding officer, seemed capable of bringing order back to the unit.
He had already decided—he would re-educate the senior soldiers and let the commanding officers take charge of overseeing recruits.
The afternoon was going smoothly—
Until—
“COMPANY COMMANDER, SIR! I HAVE AN URGENT MATTER TO REPORT!!”
BANG!
The office door was thrown open with tremendous force.
The company commander’s face twisted in irritation.
Standing at the door was Sergeant Benny from Alpha Platoon.
He recognized her immediately.
Early in her service, Benny had struggled to adapt and had even consulted with him personally.
But at some point, she had adjusted completely and was now considered an elite soldier due to her exceptional swordsmanship.
She was well-liked among both seniors and juniors, making her one of the most respected soldiers in the unit.
Because of that, the commander held back his anger.
Something serious must have happened for someone like Benny to barge into his office like this.
“Sergeant Benny, what’s the issue?”
Benny took a deep breath, walked up to the commander, and spoke.
“There is no issue.”
“...What?”
“I have simply been in the army for a long time now, and I miss my family. I wish to send a letter to my father.”
“...What?”
The commander just sat there, stunned.
A soldier had stormed into his office just to ask permission to send a letter home?!
“My father is currently serving as an officer in the Border Defense Army as well. I thought the company commander might assist me in sending him a letter.”
“Wait, hold on—what?”
The commander had been about to scold Benny for making such a ridiculous request, but—
He suddenly froze at one particular detail.
“...Your father is an officer?”
“Yes, sir. My father advised me not to reveal my family background so I could experience military life fairly. However, today... I miss him too much.”
“W-Who is your father...?”
A sense of unease crept into the commander’s chest.
His gut instinct, which had never failed him in his years of service, told him that this situation was very, very bad.
“My father is currently serving as the division commander of the 303rd Special Forces Division.”
“...Wait. What?”
“He holds the rank of Major General. Would it be possible to send my letter?”
“MAJOR GENERAL?! WAIT, THAT MEANS—”
“He is a two-star general, sir.”
“HOLY SHIT.”
The company commander shot to his feet, completely pale-faced.
One of the soldiers he had been disciplining all this time was actually the daughter of a two-star general?!
Her father was a high-ranking officer?!
“I-I UNDERSTAND! I will make sure your letter is sent within the hour! P-Please, come back then...!”
“Thank you, sir.”
Benny nodded, her mission complete, and left the room gracefully.
The commander, meanwhile, stood frozen, his legs trembling.
And then—he finally remembered that Rosan was still sitting across from him.
But everything Rosan had suggested earlier was already erased from his mind.
“...I-I failed to recognize the daughter of a two-star general....”
“Company commander, sir...?”
“I AM DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF!!!”
“...Excuse me?”
“CALL EVERY SINGLE OFFICER TO MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY! ALL OF THEM!!!”