＊ ＊
It was back when I still wore the insignia of Second Lieutenant.
「Hey, Second Lieutenant Fonkt.」
As usual, the Battalion Commander lazily called out to me.
「Are you pro-Emperor, or anti-Emperor?」
I stopped sorting the papers and turned around, slightly tense.
「Is this one of those questions where I have to pick one side or else?」
「I don’t recall giving you permission to ask questions.」
Even as she said that, the Battalion Commander was clearly enjoying herself.
At this rate, it seemed safe to keep talking.
「There’s no way any officer of the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion could be anti-Emperor.」
「I see. Then shall I take it as you being pro-Emperor?」
The Commander was grinning slyly, looking almost cute, so I chuckled and shook my head.
「If I were a model soldier who swore loyalty to His Majesty, I’d have answered more decisively.」
「Then you’re neither one nor the other…」
She put on a blank expression. But behind her glasses, her eyes were sharp, like a hawk that had spotted prey.
I tapped the papers into alignment and let out a sigh.
「This officer sincerely wishes for His Majesty’s reign to continue long and prosperous, but at the same time I think it impossible to go along with every imperial edict. Absolute dictatorship has its limits.」
「That’s blasphemy. Enough to get you shot.」
The beautiful blonde woman threatened me—but of course, she wasn’t serious. Still, if she felt like it, she could have me shot. Terrifying.
I handed the stack of papers over to the Battalion Commander and answered with a straight face.
「This officer only wishes for the peace and prosperity of the homeland, for his own sake. I have no interest in being pro-Emperor or anti-Emperor.」
「Cheeky brat.」
The Commander gave a short laugh, took the execution report I’d handed her, and swiftly skimmed through it. Then she spoke.
「Very well. From tomorrow, you’re a First Lieutenant. I’ll make you Vice-Captain of the Company.」
「That’s the position that automatically comes with being First Lieutenant, isn’t it.」
「At least show a little joy. Your next promotion won’t come for ten years.」
Yeah, figures. Captain was the end of the line anyway.
The Commander looked satisfied and sat herself down on my desk.
「You’ve become a fine officer. I expect much from you.」
「I shall work diligently. By the way, Battalion Commander.」
「What is it?」
She leaned in close with a sweet smile. I couldn’t hold it in.
「Please don’t put your ass on my desk.」
「Ah, fine, fine, I got it.」
The beautiful Commander puffed out her cheeks.
＊ ＊
「That’s how it happened,」 I explained to Second Lieutenant Crimine, then dipped bread into the cheese fondue pot.
「You’ll be asked the same question by the Battalion Commander within a few years. Meinen said he was asked around the same time too. Think of it as an informal interview.」
Second Lieutenant Crimine was my junior, and right now my partner.
She was also the type who didn’t give a damn about imperial edicts, so she would probably be promoted to First Lieutenant as the Commander’s confidante soon enough.
I lowered my voice.
「Our Imperial Ceremonial Battalion is directly under the Emperor, but the Commander’s intentions are slightly off from that. That’s why we get missions like the last one. And because of that, it’s possible some faction is keeping us under surveillance. We’re even being tailed right now.」
The problem was that our position wasn’t clearly defined.
「On the surface, we kill anyone so long as there’s an edict. We dutifully carried out the purge of pro-Emperor Lord Grien, yet in the case of Yuoh Nevilnel, we helped anti-Emperor Lord Humarzov. Anyone aware of the details could see ideology in that.」
I twirled the cheese-coated bread on my fork.
「Is the Ceremonial Battalion the Emperor’s hunting dog, or a worm gnawing the lion from within? An ambiguous existence will be seen as dangerous. Whichever way the scales of the Empire tilt, the dangers surrounding us will only grow.」
Damn, I sounded cool today. Like some veteran officer with steel nerves.
I wanted to tell my past self—see? If you redo your life, you can actually pull this kind of thing off.
I even half-expected Second Lieutenant Crimine to look at me with respect. Instead, her reaction blindsided me.
「So the Commander really was trying to sneak ahead after all…」
「What the hell are you talking about.」
Were you even listening? I’d just nailed the perfect speech and it went to waste.
She muttered seriously to herself,「First strike wins…」, then lifted her gaze to me.
「In other words, First Lieutenant, you’re aware that your own life is in danger, correct?」
「Huh? Oh, well, yeah.」
Did she suddenly connect the dots? I wasn’t sure.
I wasn’t very smart, so when conversation veered in unexpected directions, I couldn’t keep up. Sad truth—reincarnated or not, an ordinary man stays ordinary.
I coughed lightly to cover myself and answered.
「Our Battalion could be seen as the enemy by either side. And neither side is united. Nobody knows where the next bullet will come from.」
The lords of Kavallaf like Humarzov were mostly anti-Emperor, but they probably weren’t allied with other anti-Emperor factions.
And the pro-Emperor side, though in the center of power, spent most of their time tripping each other up.
The situation was chaos. Joining either side didn’t guarantee safety.
Since the conversation had turned complicated, I tried to lighten it with a smile.
「That’s exactly why we should keep harmony inside the Battalion. The resolve you showed on our last mission was admirable. I’ll be counting on you.」
「Yes, First Lieutenant. I’ll strive to be worthy of your trust.」
She snapped off a salute with ridiculous precision.
So you can do a perfect salute like that? How about doing it all the time?
The conversation felt slightly mismatched, but since it ended neatly I was relieved enough.
「Now then, let’s think about how to deal with those tails outside.」
「Yes. It would be nice if we could turn it around and catch them.」
Oh? She actually studied the basics. I’d thought being a semi-noble young lady, she’d be sloppy. But her officer training seemed solid. That helped.
「Indeed. Depending on support from the Company Commander, it might be possible. But if the tails’ identities are troublesome, arresting them could cause problems later. Sometimes it’s better to let them be, even return to Battalion HQ with them stuck to us. Keep that in mind.」
「Understood.」
Just then, a knock came at the door.
「‘Laundry Man’ and ‘Baker’ are here, yes?」
「Come in, ‘Toy Shop’.」
It was Captain Yugi’s voice. A woman entered, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a dress.
So she came herself after all.
We both immediately stood and saluted, but Captain Yugi only smiled.
「I suspected we were being tailed, so I changed outfits twice on the way. Sorry to be late.」
She looked around the room. Her gaze fixed on the bed with two pillows.
「…Would it have been better if I’d arrived later?」
「No.」
That kind of unnecessary consideration was painful.
「Also, I left Corporal Decott outside.」
「Ah, the one who looks exactly like me.」
Poor guy—same build as me, so people at work sometimes mistook him for me. Silent, earnest, but also a forger of documents. Quite the character.
「We disguised ourselves as a semi-noble couple. So please go outside in these clothes. We’ll take your place and receive the tail.」
「Then shall we counter-tail them?」
Captain Yugi looked troubled.
「That’s the plan, but since we don’t know who they are, the Commander’s order is to act cautiously.」
「It might be a trap disguised as a tail.」
If the tails were amateurs, fine. But if not, then trouble. They could even be using amateurs as disposable pawns for something deeper.
I gave the Captain a smile to reassure her.
「As always, I’ll only work for the pay I’m given. Rest easy.」
「Mm… ha ha ha.」
Why the hell was that a bitter laugh.