Chapter 29
Winter staggered as if something was wrong with his body, yet he didn’t collapse and tried to stand again.
“Winter! Are you okay?”
Yuri quickly approached, forced him to kneel, and discreetly removed the paralysis needle embedded in his neck so the crown prince wouldn’t notice.
“Winter’s condition hasn’t been good ever since he was poisoned by a monster a few days ago. He’s overexerted himself!”
“Winter, if you weren’t feeling well, you should have told us!”
Yuri and Altair shouted with shameless expressions. Yuri, supporting Winter’s left arm over her shoulder, signaled to Ishina nearby.
“Help him quickly.”
“Ah, understood.”
Ishina wrapped her arms around Winter’s right side and whispered,
“Winter, I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s the monster’s poison…”
“You didn’t think the monster’s poison would be that strong? You need more rest!”
Yuri covered Winter’s mouth and dragged him along.
“An unexpected situation must have surprised you! In return, since I’m second-best in swordsmanship in this unit, I dare request a sparring match!”
Altair, having already grabbed his sword, stepped in to fight the crown prince on Winter’s behalf.
“Guh! The aura…!”
“This… using a technique I didn’t expect…!”
“Hoo… quite a formidable opponent…”
“It’s an opening! No, it’s a trap!”
I watched, eyes hardened, recalling Altair’s commentary on the fight and Winter being dragged along by Yuri. Was this really how the second male lead was treated in the original story?
‘Winter became a sergeant, so I thought things might get better…’
But who could have predicted that the crown prince would suddenly appear in the unit, leaving even the company commander flustered?
In this border defense army, if one refuses to bend their beliefs or pride, they are forced to yield—just like Winter.
“The newly arrived commander is truly capable.”
“Indeed. And Altair, who is Winter’s comrade, also seems to be an elite. Just look at him.”
The company and platoon commanders complimented Tarot and Altair as if nothing was unusual about the situation.
“Impressive! To defeat me…!”
Watching Altair speak like a sidekick from a shonen manga, I painfully realized the harsh reality.
‘What kind of ridiculous army is this….’
After that absurd sparring, we had a meal together.
By the way, “together” here includes the crown prince himself… XX.
‘The Beta and Gamma platoons didn’t eat like this… I’m jealous…’
There weren’t completely no outsiders in this unit, but the cooks were all state-employed. Since they knew the crown prince would visit today, the meal was extraordinary.
“Do you always eat like this?”
“Yes, thankfully, His Majesty the Emperor ensures that the army always has sufficient meals.”
“Hmm, to defend the border well, we must eat properly.”
‘Well, yes, it’s true we’ve always had sufficient food…’
I stared blankly at the steak on my plate.
‘When did we ever eat steak…?’
Worse, the seat next to me was the crown prince. Thankfully, Altair, sitting in front of him, absorbed all attention, so the crown prince didn’t look at me. Still, eating calmly in this situation was impossible.
‘How many years has it been since I last had steak?’
I couldn’t remember the last time before possession, and after being possessed, it had been over a year for sure.
My hands trembled as I held the knife to cut the steak, but it was so long since I last did it that I struggled.
‘Do I need to cut along the grain? Why won’t it slice?’
Seeing my awkward movements, Altair, sitting diagonally across from me, silently mouthed a warning:
‘If you look awkward, you’ll die.’
…XX.
‘Act as if you always eat like this.’
…Eventually, I channeled aura into the knife to cut the steak without the crown prince noticing. Winter had told me that even if it wasn’t a combat sword, I could infuse any object with aura. Never thought I’d have to use it on steak, XX.
Karon, seeing me cut steak with an aura-infused knife, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. But it was better than leaving the meal uneaten.
‘Usually in worlds with aura, you can become a Sword Master… right?’
Unfortunately, with this aura, I could only become a Steak Master.
Despite my struggle, the soldiers all ate naturally, as if it was a normal meal. The crown prince seemed satisfied watching them.
“Nothing lacking in military life, it seems.”
“Yes, not at all, haha!”
“Meals are well-supported, and supplies are top-notch.”
Altair and Plato quickly echoed the crown prince’s remarks.
“Do you agree?”
“Yes, yes?!”
The crown prince suddenly addressed me.
“What’s your name?”
“Salvia!”
The words came out stiffly from my throat due to tension.
“Salvia… Do you have any requests regarding the unit?”
‘XX… what do I even say here…’
If I went crazy and honestly said, “I want to desert!”, “The treatment of other races is unfair!”, “The training is too brutal!”, I didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.
I hesitated, then met the eyes of Altair and Yuri, who were silently telling me:
‘Think about the aftermath.’
‘Answer properly.’
How could they communicate so much with just a glance…?
“You… I’m very pleased!”
What came out was a mechanical response.
“I feel healthier every day since joining the unit because I can feel the energy of nature. Moreover, my seniors and peers help me a lot, making military life enjoyable! It’s an honor to dedicate myself to the Adolb Empire!”
I held back tears. When I finished, all the soldiers looked at me with moist eyes.
“Hmm, everyone’s well-disciplined.”
Does the crown prince actually believe me? Since when has he been so annoyingly naïve?
Damn it… I thought after being possessed into a luxurious fantasy world, I’d live comfortably like the crown prince… Now seeing greenhouse flowers makes me inexplicably irritated.
‘XX, I have to show the crown prince the taste of Earth…’
Usually, Earth-born heroines show modern conveniences—like Korean food, math formulas, fashion trends, or inventions. Among them, Korean cuisine is often used to win the picky male lead’s heart.
But the “taste of Earth” I wanted to show this crown prince was different.
‘Revolution. I need to show this XX the taste of revolution…’
If there is a true “red taste,” it’s not food but revolution, right?
I started longing for April. From now on, my life goal was to destroy the system.
‘Revolution. Only revolution…’
While thinking about showing the crown prince the guillotine’s taste, the suffocating meal ended.
“Thank you all for your efforts.”
The crown prince spoke solemnly at the entrance, though his youthful voice and previous behavior made him just annoying.
“Thanks to you, I could reconsider the country I will govern and reaffirm my resolve. And we had a good sparring match.”
“It was a great honor I will never forget.”
“Yes, we also enjoyed watching the sparring.”
Altair quickly flattered with a smile, and Plato nodded in agreement.
“Hmm, truly enjoyable?”
But the crown prince tilted his head unexpectedly.
‘XX, this feels off…’
As I sensed, the crown prince really had no situational awareness.
“Since it’s like this, staying a night wouldn’t be bad.”
“Cough, cough!”
“Ugh!”
‘My stomach…’
It seemed the steak I had earlier was weighing me down. Other soldiers also looked the same: Yuri looked like she was about to vomit, Tarot’s dark circles reached his chin, and there were choking coughs all around.
“Hahaha… it’s unfortunate that Your Highness is in such a humble place…”
“This is where my citizens, devoted to the country, live. Humble? I hope you understand I’m not that foolish.”
“Y-yes, but it’s too… for the crown prince…”
The platoon commander’s voice trembled, and my head spun faster than ever.
‘I have to send this crown prince XX away.’
Even one second longer in this unit is unacceptable!
“Mo-monsters…”
The word flashed in my mind, and everyone’s gaze turned to me. Senior soldiers’ sharp eyes pierced my skin, but the priority was to send the crown prince away.
“S-sometimes we have emergency deployments at night due to monsters…”
I said, giving Altair a meaningful look. The master of tact understood and continued:
“Yes, sometimes we are deployed at night because of monsters, so Your Highness could be in danger.”
“Exactly. Additionally, since our unit is always on guard, nights are restless as well.”
With the company commander supporting Altair, the crown prince nodded in agreement. The seniors looked at me with warm eyes I had never seen before.
‘XX, I’ve never had to think this hard before.’
The longer I stayed in this unit, the more I felt drawn to violence and fear…
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Truly regrettable.”
The platoon commander said, showing no regret, then noticed his own expression and slightly lowered the corners of his mouth.
“Salute the crown prince!”
Following his order, we all saluted, and the crown prince finally left the unit.
As his figure disappeared down the mountain and even the horse’s hoofbeats faded, Tarot slumped to the ground, staggering.
