Chapter 54
The urgency radiating from him was so palpable that both Mia and Etienne turned their heads at once.
“B–big trouble! In the forest—there’s a m–monster, huff— I saw a monster…!”
“Explain yourself.”
Mia pressed him with a skeptical expression.
“It’s exactly what I said. It was nothing like a human, or livestock, or any animal—it came charging at me, and I…”
“And?”
Mia had expected nothing more than a report of a failed reconnaissance. But at the soldier’s next words, her chronic headache began to throb again.
“I… I’m terribly sorry, but I think I m–might have… the tracker…”
“…”
“I think I left it… in the forest…”
Marcel babbled about a shadow taller than the trees coming toward him, teeth he could see even though he couldn’t see a mouth—disjointed nonsense that didn’t line up. At last, Franbé could take no more and stood up.
“Ha! Marcel, aren’t you being a little too soft? You’ve seen things far worse than any monster, and now you’re scared of this?”
“You—you had to have seen it yourself! That wasn’t an ordinary monster. And I wasn’t just mistaking some human-shaped shadow.”
“If it’s that important, then we’ll just go and get it together! Come on, let’s go.”
Franbé grumbled that it wasn’t worth getting so worked up over, while Marcel gnawed at his fingernails and followed him.
If he hadn’t volunteered to retrieve it himself, I would have organized a search team and ordered them to find it.
Mia thought as she watched them leave. Considering the pushback she got from the troops, having someone volunteer meant less hassle for her.
If he hadn’t lost the tracker in the first place, we wouldn’t have had to go back into the forest.
Tsk. She clicked her tongue. It was some comfort that there was one less task to hand to the soldiers, but leaving an item that, if mishandled, could put the entire legion in danger—such a thing was not easily forgiven.
If they manage to bring the tracker back, I won’t need to punish them too harshly…
Still, losing something so important meant there would be punishment regardless.
The loss of a critical item had soured the command’s mood, and the entire legion waited in uneasy silence for Marcel and Franbé to return.
But hours passed with no sign of them. At last, Mia went with Etienne to the forest’s edge to watch for movement among the trees.
“My lord! C–Commander!”
After some time, the bushes suddenly shook violently. Through the dense green leaves, Marcel staggered into view. His uniform was torn in several places, dark stains—likely blood—marked his legs, and his eyes were wide, unfocused.
“I recall another soldier went with you.”
Mia murmured, eyeing his pale face.
“F–Franbé.”
Marcel answered her.
“Franbé… well, he…”
He dropped to his knees as though his legs had given out. His body began to shake uncontrollably, teeth chattering as if from cold despite the mild climate. Tears cut clean streaks through the grime and blood on his cheeks.
Etienne rushed to him, gripping his shoulders.
“What happened? Where’s the man who went with you?”
Marcel’s gaze flicked toward Etienne, but his pupils were still clouded. All that came from his lips was a choked sob. His fingers clawed at the dirt as though trying to anchor himself to reality.
And then—
“He’s d–dead.”
Marcel finally forced out the words, his voice hoarse and ragged.
“Franbé is dead. The monster… the m–monster in the forest… it… it tore him apart, there’s nothing left to recognize…”
He pitched forward mid-sentence, retching dryly as though to vomit, but nothing came but thin bile. His body trembled in constant spasms, as though fighting against the terror he had witnessed.
Mia watched it all with a detached gaze—the darting eyes chasing phantoms, the trembling hands, and the raw fear of someone seeing a close comrade die for the first time. It was horribly familiar.
Ah… perhaps…
For a brief moment, Mia saw herself in his pain. She, too, had memories of a first battle, a first kill.
She had never experienced the same thing as him, but if this was his first war, it took little imagination to understand the weight of his shock.
But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts. They had lost an item of strategic importance, and as operations officer, she had a duty to respond appropriately. She shoved down the unnecessary emotions rising within her.
“The tracker.”
She pressed the still-crying Marcel.
“Did you bring it?”
He nodded slowly, clearly focusing all his will just to respond. His hand went to his pocket and withdrew a small metal device.
Mia snatched it from him without care, and at once her hand was soaked with the blood of a soldier she didn’t recognize.
Marcel looked at her silently, then lowered his head. Her movements were purely businesslike, as if his friend’s death were nothing of note.
“We’ll need to recover the body.”
Etienne’s voice was no different from usual, but it was softer than normal. Mia glanced back at him, noting his hand still on Marcel’s shoulder.
“Can you show us where it happened?”
Perhaps at the thought of returning there, Marcel’s pupils widened in terror. He tried to speak, but only a dreadful sound came out.
Mia’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, then withdrew just as quickly.
“Your part is done.”
Her voice was ice.
“Rest now. I’ll handle the investigation and recovery.”
As Etienne lifted Marcel to his feet and helped him toward the infirmary, Mia turned her eyes back toward the dark undergrowth.
Watching Etienne tend to a soldier who had endured such a shock only confirmed her thoughts once more—Etienne didn’t belong in a place this filthy.
Which is why he throws his life away for his subordinates…
A long-suppressed ache rose in Mia’s chest. It felt almost like respect… or maybe despair.
For all his occasional arrogance or rudeness, the legion commander was, at his core, a good man. Which meant…
He’s far too good for someone like me to stay at his side.
Was it really a problem for a subordinate to be morally rotten? Absolutely. Especially in an empire ruled by an emperor like Antoine Aetos.
In an age where one could be branded guilty just for falling out of favor, having someone like her close by did Etienne no favors.
I’ll have to bring up the matter of replacing the deputy commander soon.
The familiar resolve settled on her shoulders. It was natural to her, yet always heavy.
But what meaning did such thoughts have now? She had to keep Etienne alive—even if it meant sacrificing herself.
If the goddess had resurrected her for any reason, it was surely to protect Etienne.
Her eyes scanned the distance. Whatever had killed the Etalon soldier was still in the forest. She didn’t believe in ghost stories, but if there was danger there, then as an officer and strategist, she had to confirm it herself.
At the very least, in this lifetime, Etienne’s death could not be caused by some unforeseen variable.
