Corporal Hannah stood at attention, watching the training exercises with sharp focus. Her eyes were locked on the newly appointed Staff Officer Second Lieutenant as he led the drills.
"You're too slow! There's no point in moving slower than the enemy! Pick up the pace!"
Second Lieutenant Krombelts barked out his orders, holding a narrow hourglass in one hand as he marched alongside the squad, his voice sharp and commanding.
"Reach the battlefield before the enemy! If you secure the terrain first, the fight is already half-won! So move faster!"
His training emphasized speed above all else—almost to an extreme. Even in retreat, speed was paramount.
"Retreats need speed too! If you're slower than the enemy, they'll catch you!"
With that, Krombelts began walking toward Hannah's position.
"You're all good soldiers," he said with a gentle smile. "Your dedication shows in every step."
(...He really does smile a lot for a soldier...)
Hannah couldn't help but think that. Coming from a humble background, officers had always seemed like distant, untouchable figures to her. Even after rising to the rank of Corporal, that feeling hadn't changed.
The officers she'd known before had cold expressions and arrogant manners. Even a small mistake could get you slapped. It had been normal, expected.
But Krombelts was different. Harsh in tone, yes—and terrifying when he shouted—but not once had he laid a hand on anyone.
Most of the time, he spoke with an almost disarming softness.
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked suddenly, noticing Hannah staring absentmindedly.
He sounded genuinely concerned.
"N-no, I'm fine, Staff Officer! Just a little distracted!" she blurted, snapping to attention.
(Oh no... spacing out while talking to a superior? Normally, that'd get me hit.)
But instead of reacting harshly, Krombelts nodded with a smile.
"Heiden Corporal is always serious. It's no wonder Her Excellency Althea entrusted a third of the troops to you."
(...Did I just get praised for zoning out...?)
That in itself felt like a problem.
Unaware of her internal panic, Krombelts' expression turned thoughtful.
"But don't push yourself too hard," he said. "During peacetime, it's ideal to operate at around 60 to 70 percent of your maximum. Overworking only builds fatigue. You'll start making mistakes, and in a crisis, you won't have anything left to give."
Hannah blinked. A Staff Officer was telling her not to give it her all?
(...Isn't that kind of insane!?)
She stared hard at Krombelts. He looked so cheerful standing there—like he belonged in an entirely different world.
Then suddenly, his expression softened.
"Don't look so serious," he said warmly. "I know how hard you're working. I'll handle things here, so go take a break in the cafeteria."
"E-Eeeeh!?"
The sound escaped her lips before she could stop it.
Krombelts chuckled under his breath, lowering his voice.
"This is just my experience talking, but... the serious ones are always the first to die on the battlefield. I don't want that to be you. So try being a little less serious, Heiden Corporal."
(...My heart just skipped. Did it just go thump...?)
Hannah had never experienced kindness from a man before. Her tall, strong build had always earned her strange looks—treated more like a beast than a woman.
That's why her feelings toward Krombelts began to grow so quickly.
But the Staff Officer seemed entirely unaware. He gave her a casual wave.
"Go on, now. It's one of the perks of being a Corporal. Take it easy, and keep up the good work."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Without realizing it, Hannah snapped a perfect salute.
After leaving the training ground, she made a quick stop by the Brigade Commander's office before heading to the cafeteria.
"You two were having a pretty cheerful chat," said Lieutenant Colonel Althea with a soft laugh, her desk buried under a small mountain of paperwork.
Hannah's face flushed as she stood at attention.
"Staff Officer Krombelts is... a very friendly person."
"I think so too. What's his reputation like among the troops?"
"Very good. Some are nervous around him because he's a man, but he's kind, an excellent instructor, and popular overall. He has a very... clean image."
(...And he's cool, and gentlemanly...)
That part, Hannah kept to herself.
Althea nodded lightly, eyes still scanning the thick stack of documents.
"I see. By the way... did you notice his speech patterns?"
"His speech?" Hannah tilted her head. "Hmm..."
Then she clapped her hands—loudly.
"Ah! Right! It kinda sounds like the lower town dialect!"
"Exactly," the Lieutenant Colonel replied, signing off another paper. "That's very unusual for someone who came from the officer academy."
She paused, setting down her pen.
"For commoner officers, speech is something they're trained to polish. Any accent becomes a barrier when working with nobles. So they're trained hard to eliminate it."
"Right. Noble speech is totally different. You can tell someone's status the moment they open their mouth."
"Exactly," Althea said. "I use the traditional noble dialect myself. Even in complete darkness, you'd know who's noble just by their speech. Krombelts uses noble-style phrasing, but the pronunciation... it still carries the commoner tone."
Althea gave a small, tired smile, then her gaze turned serious.
"In terms of military discipline, he's excellent. He's far more logical and intelligent than the officers who came before. If he wanted to change his accent, he could. But he hasn't. So naturally, the other noble officers don't like him."
"Now that you mention it... it is kind of odd," Hannah murmured. She couldn't quite grasp the reason why.
Althea leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
"Krombelts was born in a small town in the provinces. He's never left Schwider. Both his parents are natives. But his mother tongue... isn't Schwider. His speech patterns have little quirks—ones typical of foreigners, especially in how he uses particles."
Even though he was born and raised Schwider, and his parents were native citizens... his first language wasn't Schwider?
Hannah struggled to understand how such a thing could be possible.
Althea tapped a folder on the desk with her fingers—the documents on Krombelts' background.
"Something about him doesn't quite add up. He must be hiding something."
"Hiding something...?"
"If he were a foreigner, his way of speaking would make sense. But his personal history doesn't reflect that. I used my family's resources to investigate. Everything checks out."
Coming from the Medelin family—one of Schwider's Five Royal Houses—it was no surprise Althea could get access to that kind of information. If she wanted to dig into someone's past, no matter how deep, she had the tools to do it.
She smiled faintly.
"We checked everything. In the end, we only confirmed that he's competent and sincere. There's no connection to Duke Litreille either. It's almost... too perfect. And that unsettles me."
"I see..."
"I suppose I'm just a coward."
Althea stood and walked to the window, looking outside.
"But so far, Staff Officer Krombelts has shown nothing but excellent performance. We'll let him continue for now."
Out on the training field, Krombelts was spinning his cap in the air, shouting instructions with a cheerful grin.
Notes:
• Hannah - Hannah Heiden. Female. A Corporal in the 6th Special Task Brigade. Her appearance is tall with broad shoulders and a reverse triangle athletic build. She has a confident and assertive demeanor. Her relationship with Second Lieutenant Krombelts is initially formal but becomes more respectful after recognizing his rank. She is strong and capable, easily carrying heavy luggage.
• Althea - Colonel Althea Medelin. Female. Brigade Commander of the 6th Special Task Brigade. Young woman in her twenties with long black hair. Noble from the Medelin family, a rival to the Litreille clan. Professional and disciplined, yet approachable. Holds a high rank despite her age, indicating exceptional ability. Relationship: Superior to Euner Krombelts, welcomes him to the brigade.
• Schwider - The country where the story takes place. It is ruled by nobility, with the 'Five Royal Families' holding the highest status. The language and culture are distinct, with a strong emphasis on class and accent.
• Duke Litreille - Female. Politician from the Litreille family, not a soldier. Beautiful woman around 20, wearing military uniform with a family crest. Described as suspicious and of high caution. Relationship: Rival noble family to the Medelin clan, encountered by Euner on his journey.