The Black Magic Investigation Special Forces
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Yuri finally lost her patience and shouted after reading the letter spread out on the table. Normally, she always maintained a calm, level voice, but if her own comrades were dragging her into reenlistment, she couldn't just sit still.
"And our dear senior soldiers are captured? I don’t even know who they are, but I already feel sorry for them!"
Yuri thought of the seniors she had been close to—Louise, Plato...
The ones who had been discharged before them had already fallen into April's clutches and ended up reenlisting. The thought of their suffering made her eyes sting with pity. And now, April was using them to threaten the rest of them?
"Yuri, don't get so worked up. Just think about it carefully~."
Unlike her, Altair calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We've already completed our military service. If we join, we get to skip training and start directly in the officer program, unlike regular citizens."
"So what? That place is probably crawling with high-ranking officers. Why does that matter?"
"The salary's different."
"Ah...."
Yuri’s face immediately calmed.
Sure, they had received generous compensation during their service, but having a steady income was always preferable. And no matter what kind of job they took, it was unlikely to pay more than joining the Black Magic Investigation Special Forces.
"But more importantly..."
Altair continued, this time with a more serious expression.
"Shouldn’t a real man take on a grand challenge like this at least once in his life?"
"Shut the hell up, you old geezer!"
Yuri, exasperated, smacked him. Then, she turned to Winter, silently pleading for help.
"Hey, talk some sense into him! Are you really just going to sit back while your fellow recruit walks into hell?"
"Yuri, it doesn’t matter what you say. That guy has only one person in his head right now."
With a playful smirk, Altair casually dropped the name they were all undoubtedly thinking of.
"Salvia."
Winter wasn’t even considering whether or not he should join. The only thing on his mind was how useful it would be to Salvia if he joined.
That statement set off a fierce argument between Yuri and Altair.
"You're really going to reenlist for that reason?! Wake up, Winter! You belong in society, not the military! How many times do I have to tell you to work on your social skills? What else do you even have besides money?"
"My face? And my body?"
"...Yeah, okay, fair point. But still! You’re hopeless. What do you even have over the other guys around Salvia besides money?"
At that moment, Winter’s eyes gleamed.
"Money, huh...."
"...What the hell is with that ominous expression?"
"If I can just see Salvia again...."
As if he had finally made up his mind, Winter spoke in a firm voice.
"I've decided."
April had given him the address to send a letter to, but Salvia hadn’t written him back.
Which meant that now, he had to go find her himself.
But how was he supposed to locate her with no means of contact?
The answer was simple. He just had to exist in every place Salvia might be.
‘First, I’ll find out what areas she might be living in.’
There were only a handful of places in the empire where discharged Border Defense Army soldiers could reasonably settle.
And as Yuri said, he had money.
So, he'd buy houses in each of those areas and sell them at relatively affordable prices exclusively to Arkons.
That way, if Salvia needed a house, she might show up among the buyers. And then, they would meet again.
Of course, that method might not work. So he needed a backup plan.
What would Salvia do after being discharged? Sit at home doing nothing? That wasn’t possible—Salvia hated being cooped up.
‘April mentioned offering her something. There’s a high chance she tried to recruit Salvia even after discharge.’
Countless bits of information about Salvia flashed through Winter’s mind.
‘She’s incredibly curious. She was always trying to learn more about this world. And she had a strong resentment toward the empire.’
Which meant the obvious conclusion was—
"I’m joining the Black Magic Investigation Special Forces."
"Whew! That’s gonna look so cool!"
"HEY! YOU CRAZY BASTARDS! Winter, I told you to reenlist, not to drag everyone else into it! You insane motherfuckers!!"
Yuri screamed in despair, but between the determined looks Winter and Altair exchanged, her protests were completely drowned out.
***
How the hell did my life end up like this?
As I stood there, unable to hide my sense of defeat in the face of this ridiculously delayed obsession, a familiar girl ran toward us.
"Karon! ...Oh! Lady Salvia, greetings!"
It was Luka, Karon’s junior from his platoon.
With her brown hair tied into two pigtails, she still looked just as cute as ever.
But I wasn’t an idiot—I no longer saw Luka and Karon as a potential romance.
Karon’s feelings for me might not be the typical romantic kind, but one way or another, he was obsessed with me.
And when a male lead obsessed with the heroine, any other woman in his life became a liability. Which meant Luka had to be just a loyal subordinate to Karon.
As I stood there, awkward in the face of Karon’s rare hostile expression, Luka grabbed his arm and whispered urgently.
"Karon, we talked about this type!"
"I know, but I just can’t hold back my anger...."
"Obsessive men are oversaturated right now! If anything, you should be aiming for the blue ocean market!"
‘...I can hear you, you know.’
Before I could fully process that conversation, someone else called out from behind me.
"Salvia."
"Aquila!!"
The moment I recognized the voice, I immediately turned and brightened.
Aquila was approaching with those sharp, affectionate eyes. And behind him—
"Salvia, have you been well?"
"Benny, it's been so long!"
Benny! My most treasured junior!
Her short brown hair had grown out while I was gone, now long enough to be tied back. Her face had matured a little, but her bright smile remained the same.
"You're getting promoted soon, right?"
"Yes! And I think I’m going somewhere sweet."
Sweet? That had to mean she was being assigned to an easy, comfortable post.
Only someone who knew her true identity would appreciate the weight of that statement.
It had been a long time since I’d seen any of my juniors from the Cledore Mountain Battalion aside from Aquila, Isina, and Karon. I had plenty to talk about, but before I could say anything—
Benny’s gaze locked onto Luka.
"Benny? What’s wrong?"
The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.
Suddenly, the two of them were glaring at each other with fiery eyes.
***
The moment Benny laid eyes on the cute-looking girl with twin braids of brown hair, she realized something.
She’s one of us.
That girl was clinging to Karon, clearly fond of him, but there was absolutely no romantic intent in her gaze.
A strategist type.
Her eyes held the warmth of someone who was supporting Karon’s love story, rather than starring in one of her own.
In other words, she was just like Benny.
No way!
Of course, Benny would have supported Salvia no matter who she ended up with, but she still had a personal preference.
And ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) that preference was standing right next to her—Aquila.
Benny imagined Salvia with the various men around her.
If she was with Aquila, they’d be locked in a mutual obsession.
If she was with Winter, she’d be the one getting swept away.
If she was with Karon, she’d be the one leading.
Isina, though... I can’t get a read on him.
He had a habit of defying expectations. Outwardly, he might seem like the exhausted voice of reason trying to rein Salvia in, but who knew what was going on inside his head? If anything, it would be interesting to watch them together....
No, this wasn’t the time for that!
Benny’s allegiance had already been decided—Aquila.
With a quick scan of Luka, Benny’s mind instantly laid out the relationship chart before her.
If her father had seen this, he would have scolded her for wasting her strategic abilities on romance instead of using them for military operations.
I support Aquila, that girl supports Karon, and Altair is on Winter’s side. And...
Benny recalled Yuri preaching about how "men need social skills" to the new recruits.
No doubt about it. Yuri is backing Isina.
The moment she realized that each of Salvia’s suitors had their own backer, Benny’s eyes burned with determination.
I’m going to win this.
She knew Salvia better than anyone.
Did any of those other backers know that if Salvia was in a good mood, she only checked the dust on the windowsills, but if she was annoyed, she’d inspect the cracks in the floorboards?
Did they know that if broccoli was on the menu, they needed to be extra careful that day?
Of course not.
Besides, Benny came from a military lineage. Strategy was in her blood.
She had lived alongside Sanchez, where survival was all about winning.
For the honor of her father and Sanchez, Benny would never lose—not in this battle, not in any battle!
***
"Karon, are you alright? You were suffering so much, saying you missed Lady Salvia...!"
"Aquila, I hope you enjoy your time catching up with Lady Salvia. You always wrote her such consistent, heartfelt letters."
"...And despite all your emotional suffering, Karon, you never once neglected your physical training. I truly respect you! A man of both heart and strength!"
What the hell?
Luka and Benny were now practically shouting their words at each other. It wasn’t even a conversation anymore—more like a battle of declarations.
I’d like to remind everyone—I am not oblivious.
The Border Defense Army had beaten my romance novel instincts to hell, which is why I used to scream internally, Why aren’t these bastards obsessed with me yet?! But before all this, I was perceptive.
And now that my life had fully shifted onto the romance novel track, my instincts were back online.
They each have a male lead they’re supporting....
It didn’t take me long to figure out what these two were up to.
But it was still so fucking awkward.
Can’t they just leave it alone and let me figure this out myself?!
Besides, Karon’s obsession wasn’t even the romantic kind—it was the little brother type!
Wait a minute.
Are these two... possessed by readers or something?!
"Urrgh, zuhhghh, grr."
I gritted my teeth and growled.
Thankfully, Benny and Luka finally shut up.
"Just let me handle this myself and get lost!"
"Yes, ma’am!"
Even after getting yelled at, they couldn’t quite hide their excitement as they scurried away.
Which somehow made me even more pissed off.
The moment they left, Aquila strode up to me and took my hands in his. The warmth I had grown so familiar with seeped through his fingers into mine.
"Salvia, I received your response."
"Oh."
The chaos had distracted me, but now I remembered.
Not too long ago, Aquila had proposed to me.
And I had accepted.
As soon as I realized that, I turned away in embarrassment—
"Whoa...."
Only to lock eyes with Ash, Luna, and Norman, who were all staring at me.
Their expressions were so bewildered that they started pinching their own cheeks or rubbing their eyes.
"You little shits, are you gonna keep staring or what?"
I growled in warning.
Aquila chuckled as he looked at me.
"Salvia, that tone just now was so adorable."
"R-really...?"
This was not the time to be worrying about those cocky juniors.
I turned my attention back to Aquila.
"Oh, thank god. The other person is just as crazy."
"Whew, I’m relieved. At least he might be able to handle Lady Salvia."
"Fortunately, it seems no civilians will be harmed!"
...Of course, my juniors still had the nerve to whisper behind my back.
I’d deal with them once we got back to base.