As Taro had predicted, more soldiers began exhibiting strange symptoms as the march went on.
Though few reacted as violently as the soldier earlier, many were now seeing distorted paths and walking with their eyes closed, moving only their legs.
I wasn’t an exception.
“Damn it...”
At this point, the only thing coming out of my mouth was swearing. I was just thankful I wasn’t seeing hallucinations like the others.
“Short break!”
The words, second only to a discharge order, sounded like salvation to my ears. Soldiers all around collapsed to the ground, and I followed suit, dropping into a seated position with my eyes half-closed.
“Haa... haa...”
“Are you okay?”
Aquila’s voice came from close by, likely because he had approached during the break.
“It’s cold.”
“...Cold?”
Before he could respond further, I turned my face toward the direction of his voice and buried it into him. A comforting warmth radiated from him.
“Yeah, it’s cold... But at least I’m not seeing any hallucinations...”
“Are... are you okay?”
Aquila stammered, uncharacteristically flustered, but I couldn’t muster the strength to lift my head.
“Give me some water.”
“Salvia, do you want some water?”
Ishina’s voice joined Aquila’s. I nodded to signal my answer.
A canteen was brought to my lips, and I bit down on it.
...Then, silence fell between them.
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I was still too out of it to see clearly, but through my hazy vision, I could make out Aquila’s scarlet eyes staring at me. He was holding eye contact, seemingly frozen.
“Water...”
Since no water was coming out, I mumbled around the canteen, signaling him to tilt it for me.
When Aquila remained motionless, I suddenly felt my body being hoisted upward without warning.
Someone’s arm slid under my shoulders, lifting me as though I were weightless. The sensation of being pulled up was disorienting, like breaking through the surface of deep water.
I turned my head slightly and saw Ishina’s green hair. He was the one supporting me from behind, making sure my legs stayed steady on the ground.
“What are you...?”
“Come on, follow me. You need to be isolated for a bit.”
I tried to ask what was going on, but Ishina cut me off and began dragging me a short distance away. Too weak to resist, I stumbled along in his grip.
Once we reached a spot a little removed from the rest of the soldiers, he sat me down and crouched in front of me.
“So, Salvia. Are you feeling more alert now?”
“...What?”
I glanced around at my surroundings: the dense forest, the exhausted soldiers slumped nearby, barely acknowledging each other, and finally, Ishina’s concerned face. His dark green eyes seemed to reflect the forest itself as he studied me closely.
Then, he reached a hand toward my face and wiped something from the corner of my mouth.
...Saliva.
“Oh... I’m sorry...”
Judging by how I’d been drooling, I really wasn’t in my right mind.
‘Damn it... my dignity...’
I tried to apologize again, but Ishina, expression grim, simply wiped my lips with his hand.
“You’re really high-maintenance.”
“...What?”
“Can you see clearly now? How many fingers am I holding up?”
He held up three fingers in front of my eyes.
“...Three.”
“And who am I?”
“You’re Ishina... sir?”
He sighed deeply, shaking his head.
“Haa... You’re seriously high-maintenance.”
“...What?”
“Do you realize you were hallucinating just now?”
“...What?”
I stared at him with wide, confused eyes, and he looked back at me with an almost exasperated calmness.
“You weren’t biting a canteen. You were biting Aquila’s fingers.”
“...What?”
“Honestly, he’s the bigger problem. Why the hell didn’t he pull his hand away? I’ll have to have a proper talk with him when we’re back.”
“...What?”
At this point, I had said “what” so many times that I must’ve sounded like someone trying to start a chant. But wait a second.
‘...I could’ve sworn it was a canteen.’
If one of your comrades suddenly started gnawing on your fingers, freezing up in shock would be a reasonable reaction. Looking back, Aquila and Ishina’s awkward reactions made so much more sense now.
Just then, the call to resume marching echoed through the forest. Struggling to my feet, I swayed unsteadily.
Ishina glanced at my limp, disheveled hair and visibly cringed. Without a word, he sat me back down and began tying it up for me.
“Honestly, honestly... you’re so high-maintenance.”
***
"Yuri, how are the soldiers in our platoon holding up?" Winter asked, walking steadily at the front of the group.
Gasping for breath, Yuri answered, “Uh, Sanchez is taking care of the rookie, Benny is being looked after by Sanchez, and Milphy... Sanchez is handling him too.”
“...What?”
“...Yeah, now that I’m saying it out loud, it does sound strange. But it’s true.”
“I see...”
Under normal circumstances, Winter would have reprimanded anyone for putting so much responsibility on one person. But since it was Sanchez, he quickly accepted it without question.
“Oh, right. Blair and Topio are walking along while cursing like they’re casting hexes.”
“They always do that... It’s inappropriate language, but if that method works for them, it’s best to let them be.”
Winter couldn’t personally keep an eye on the soldiers at the rear, as he had to lead from the very front. Instead, he diligently confirmed that there were no stragglers or dropouts.
As Yuri mentally reviewed the details she’d just shared, she realized she had left something out.
“Oh, and Salvia wasn’t in great shape earlier because of a hallucination, but she’s okay now. Aquila and Ishina are looking after her.”
“Ishina’s stamina is that good?”
“He looks tired, but for some reason, he’s determined not to leave it all to Aquila.”
Winter nodded at that. Confirming there were no fallen comrades in the platoon, the situation didn’t seem bad.
Yuri glanced at Winter’s composed profile as he walked alongside her and asked, “Aren’t you worried?”
“About what?”
“Salvia. She said she had a hallucination. Isn’t she in your circle?”
But Winter replied in a calm voice, “Salvia is strong. I thought she’d be fine.”
“...You think too highly of her,” Yuri muttered, but before she could say more, a voice suddenly shouted from behind.
“Monster on the right!”
Behind them, perched on the thick branch of a massive tree, two glowing yellow eyes glinted in the darkness. The dim light obscured the details, but it was unmistakably a monster.
El, a corporal nearby, reached for his gun, but someone behind him moved faster.
Half-lidded yellow eyes snapped open, and pale hands swiftly adjusted their grip on a rifle. A figure in a navy-blue uniform aimed at the tree.
Bang!
Before anyone else could react, Salvia had already fired her weapon.
The massive, snake-like creature that had been coiled on the branch slumped lifelessly, sliding to the ground. Altair stepped forward to slice its body with his sword, ensuring it was dead.
Yuri, impressed by Salvia’s quick response, was caught off guard by the words that came from beside her.
“See? I told you, Salvia is strong.”
Winter’s voice was firm, filled with quiet conviction.
***
“Damn it... I’m dying...” I groaned.
“...Should I carry it?” Aquila offered cautiously, tapping the heavy pack slung over my shoulders.
But I gritted my teeth and shook my head. “No, absolutely not...”
Saving Altair was my goal, but I had more reasons to finish this march in one piece.
Ahead of me, Yuri was marching steadily, and Lisa from Gamma Platoon was walking with determination.
I might have been relying on Aquila and Ishina’s help, but I still wanted to complete the march on my own. I needed to prove that I was strong enough to survive in the Border Defense Army.
‘I can’t let the rookies see me fail.’
Dignity wasn’t just for the male leads. I had my pride too.
I might joke internally about how the male leads' dignity was constantly in the negative, but if I failed to complete this march, my dignity would be in the negatives too.
The thought of Jaiden, the arrogant recruit, only fueled my stubbornness. I bit down hard on my lip.
“It’ll be over soon. Just hang in there...” Ishina said, his voice tired but encouraging.
Lifting my gaze, I saw the once-black sky had lightened into a soft blue. Dawn was approaching.
I didn’t like dawn skies. Not for any deep, dramatic reason, but because of guard duty—damn it.
Watching the dawn while on guard from 3 to 6 a.m. made me bitter. Knowing I’d start my day without any sleep after my shift always made me furious. And now, here I was, marching instead of guarding. Damn it. I’m getting mad again.
“Almost there! We’re close to the starting point!” Deor shouted energetically.
We had taken a turn along the route earlier, and it seemed we were circling back to the 16th Company’s starting position.
I glanced around.
In the distance, I could see one of the 16th Company’s outposts. It really did look like we were almost there.
‘...But Skarper hasn’t appeared yet.’
As the march neared its end, my tension only grew. It was a clear sign the monster would show up soon.
“Aaaahhh!”
A sudden scream pierced the air. I snapped my head toward the sound, adrenaline coursing through me.
“That’s...!”
A massive tiger-like monster had its fangs sunk into rookie Dory’s neck. Dory thrashed wildly, flailing his limbs as the monster dragged him away.
“That’s not Skarper—it’s a Ghost Tiger?”