Patty and Matty were obscenely rich—probably the wealthiest individuals in the entire unit.
Patty, who claimed to have worked for a merchant guild, was actually the heir to a massive trading conglomerate. Matty, who mentioned farming in the countryside, turned out to own vast lands comparable to an entire estate.
They hadn’t even known they were Arkons until they were suddenly conscripted into the Border Defense Army. The trace of Arkon blood from their mother’s side had blindsided them with a draft notice.
Their parents had sent them off to the army with the same sentiment as holding a funeral for their children. But...
Patty and Matty, being the comedic relief characters that they were, survived. Not only that, they later befriended Dalin, the heroine.
Thus, Dalin gained Benny, who provided “power,” and Patty and Matty, who brought “money,” as her allies.
‘This is why I even bothered remembering the original plot,’ I thought.
In an emergency, Patty and Matty would undoubtedly be invaluable.
So, it would be wise to befriend them.
But...
‘...Will a conversation with them even make sense?’
Considering their mental state, it seemed more likely that I’d lose my patience and start scolding them instead of becoming friends.
Still, there was another way.
In the original story, Jason, their mutual friend and the only normal person among their peers, often acted as a mediator. If I could get close to Jason, I’d naturally have an in with Patty and Matty as well.
...There was just one problem.
‘They were friends in the original. Why are things so different now?’
Currently, Jason was suffering immensely because of Patty and Matty.
“Haa...”
Jason sat on the ground, crouched over with a deep sigh, as Milphy and Benny tried to console him with sympathetic expressions.
“Jason, why are you sighing so much?” I asked, attempting a casual tone.
Jason looked at me with a face that screamed utter despair.
“I’m really struggling...”
“Yeah, I can see why.”
Jason was a perfectly average recruit.
He made the usual mistakes, got nervous in front of senior soldiers, and occasionally daydreamed about desertion.
But compared to Patty and Matty, Jason somehow came across as an elite.
When Patty and Matty were wreaking havoc, Jason’s mere existence seemed reliable by contrast.
As a result, senior soldiers often told him things like, “Can’t you manage your peers better?” or “You think it’s enough to just take care of yourself? Look after your friends too!” or “Do you even understand shared responsibility?”
However, expecting Jason to single-handedly handle the legendary troublemakers that even the seniors couldn’t control was, of course, impossible.
“I can’t understand what goes on in my peers’ minds...”
“Yeah, none of us do.”
According to the senior soldiers, most incompetent recruits—so-called “troublemakers”—suffered from a lack of confidence. Their mistakes caused their confidence to drop further, creating a vicious cycle.
In those cases, the seniors explained, encouragement and support could help them regain confidence.
But Patty and Matty didn’t fit the mold of typical troublemakers.
They acted thoughtlessly, making mistake after mistake, but showed no fear or guilt about it. Even after being harshly scolded, they would just laugh it off, leaving their seniors clutching their necks in frustration.
Even the “violence and fear” training seemed ineffective against them.
“I’ve never seen anyone like them in my life,” I said, agreeing with Jason.
Jason looked ready to burst into tears.
“I hate my peers. I really, really hate them...”
‘Thank God my peer is Aquila,’ I thought.
But seriously, how had they been close in the original story?
Normally, I’d advise Jason to be more open-hearted and accept his peers, but recalling the sheer volume of chaos Patty and Matty had caused made it hard to even suggest such a thing.
‘...I guess I’ll just have to give it time.’
Who knows? Maybe, like how Aquila and I became close, they’d eventually have their moment of camaraderie.
Unable to offer Jason any words of comfort, I quietly slipped away, leaving him to his misery as he clutched his head in despair.
***
"Ah, Ishina!"
Spotting Ishina down the corridor, my face brightened.
Ishina—despite being a shadowy figure in the grand scheme of things—was someone exceptionally skilled in handling interpersonal relationships.
He got along well with the juniors and could even communicate with that chaotic mess, the infamous 85th batch. That alone was proof of his abilities.
‘Maybe I should casually ask Ishina what he thinks about Jason and his group.’
He might have some solid advice.
I was making my way toward Ishina with light steps when I suddenly froze in place.
No way. That bug on the window...
"KYAAAAA!"
Practically leaping backward from the window, I screamed at the top of my lungs.
What the hell is that? Seriously, what is that thing?!
"KYAAAAAA!"
As I stood flailing my hands and shrieking, overwhelmed by a deep, crawling discomfort, Ishina came running toward me and clamped a hand over my mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmphmm?"
With my mouth still covered, Ishina glanced at the window. He slapped it sharply to chase the bug away before finally letting me go.
"Seriously, Salvia... all that over a bug?"
"But it was huge! You saw it too, Ishina!"
This damn base was built in the middle of nowhere, on a mountain surrounded by all sorts of creepy crawlies. I'd seen bugs here that would make people call me a liar if I described them.
Like that time I saw a moth as big as my hand. No one would believe me, but unfortunately, that thing was pretty common around here.
Still, the bug on the window today? Even I, who’d gotten used to this mountain’s horrifying insect collection, was utterly shaken by its grotesque appearance.
It looked vaguely like a green moth, but its body and antennae were unnaturally long and...ugh, just thinking about it made me shudder. Better not dwell on it.
"Ha... you need to calm down," Ishina said, giving me a pitying look.
I clamped my mouth shut. Maybe I’d overreacted.
Ishina, now wearing a serious expression, glanced out the window again.
"Still, you’re not entirely wrong. That bug was unusual."
"See? I wasn’t just overreacting!"
"No, you were overreacting," he said flatly.
"Yes...."
"But something feels off. I should report this."
As Ishina walked off, I had a sinking feeling that something big was about to happen.
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
Forget my death, Patty and Matty’s antics, or Jason’s misery. That bug might just be priority number one right now.
So much for a peaceful day.
***
A little while later, the company commander gathered us with a grave expression.
"It seems a swarm of fairies is headed in this direction."
‘...Excuse me?’
Fairies? As in fairytale creatures or the whimsical fae from romance novels? I had never heard of anything like that in this world.
But the senior soldiers’ faces turned grim at the commander’s words.
"Prepare for the fairy swarm. During the attack, there’s no need to stand guard. Act swiftly before the commander loses patience!"
"Yes, sir!"
‘What the hell is going on?’
***
Later, I finally learned what "fairies" were.
According to the seniors, "fairies" were the nickname for a certain insect: the red-eyed green-bodied yellow-legged moth. The name "fairy" came from its unnatural size and appearance, which often made people mistake it for a magical creature.
"And fairies tend to move in swarms."
Hundreds, even thousands, of these bugs traveled together, leaving devastation in their wake. It sounded eerily similar to locust swarms on Earth.
The "fairy" I’d seen earlier must have been a scout, moving ahead of the main swarm. In other words, the rest were heading straight for our company.
"Are fairies considered monsters?" I asked.
Yuri shook her head.
"No, surprisingly, they’re just ordinary insects."
"Wait... they don’t look ordinary at all."
"They’re stronger than most monsters."
Yuri frowned.
"Even monsters avoid them. They can cross borders freely because even monsters steer clear of fairy swarms."
"...Shouldn’t they just be classified as monsters at this point?"
"Agreed. Take it up with the Dark Magic Classification Association."
"The... what?"
Yuri gave me a puzzled look.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"You know, like a Magic Tower? Where mages gather to manage magic and classify magical phenomena?"
"What are you talking about? There’s no such thing."
Looking at Yuri’s genuinely confused face, I realized something: this world didn’t have a "Magic Tower."
No genius, dashing master of a Magic Tower? Just the military, and nothing else. Damn it.
"Do these fairy swarms just roam freely? Can’t they be exterminated?" I asked.
Yuri’s face darkened instantly.
"Have you learned nothing about this place? Be thankful no one’s ordered us to exterminate them. If they did, guess who’d be doing the job? Us."
"Ah... you’re absolutely right, Yuri. My mistake."
I nodded quickly, agreeing with her. Yuri glanced at me and muttered.
"Actually, technically speaking, this might fall under the jurisdiction of the Special Dark Magic Investigation Unit."
"Wait, but didn’t you just say fairies aren’t monsters? Why would the dark magic unit handle them?"
"Oh, you wouldn’t know. But... well, you might as well hear it."
After hesitating, Yuri glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then beckoned me closer.
Lowering her voice, she whispered into my ear.
"I’ve heard rumors that this particular swarm of fairies is likely the side effect of dark magic used by a black magic practitioner."