Chapter 76
At last, when Etienne raised his hand, Mia, as if she had already anticipated it, stepped back. His fingers, tinged with regret, still lingered in the air.
“Mia…”
“That’s why you must be careful. Don’t keep anyone close to you, and don’t give away your heart.”
“But…”
“If it’s trust, then let the soldiers give that to you. But don’t risk your life for the sake of your subordinates.”
“Wasn’t that conversation already settled long ago?”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be away, so I’m saying it again. Even without me in the legion, the campaigns must continue.”
“Mia.”
“Don’t forget—the most important duty given to you is to survive.”
It wasn’t advice that suited a legion commander who had to lead from the front. But even so, Etienne nodded. He now knew Mia wasn’t urging him to run away.
They said that without a commander, an army falls apart. Yes, that wasn’t wrong. Still, Etienne couldn’t shamelessly dump all that heavy responsibility on Mia and then simply leave.
“You must be careful too. You must return.”
He whispered the words.
Their eyes met once more, for the last time. Etienne forcibly turned away from Mia.
Even the sun, to keep shining, had to constantly burn something away. Etienne prayed that it would not be Mia’s own life.
The thin winter sunlight filtered through bare branches. Damp snow underfoot mixed with mud. No soldier would dare expect luxuries like romance in the army, but compared to the main force, their situation was clearly far more wretched.
Squelch, squelch. The unpleasant sound of heavy boots trudging through mud echoed, Mia at the lead.
Two soldiers she had chosen carefully followed behind, stepping into the footprints left by the operations officer. Hours of marching through mountain paths were grueling even for veterans who had been deployed many times.
The freezing weather didn’t help—sweat that ran down their backs froze in an instant. With only three people, they couldn’t even rely on shared body heat to endure the cold. The situation could hardly be called favorable.
Alain, who had walked without a word until they had crossed three snow-white peaks, finally spoke. His voice was lower than usual, tense.
“Your Excellency, could you check once more that we are heading in the right direction?”
He tried to hide his discomfort and maintain respect as he spoke.
“Oh? Are you trying to say the path I chose is wrong?”
“No, not that… but it seems the farther we go, the more impossible it becomes for people to pass through…”
Mia paused and turned slightly. Not that? He was barely hiding his doubt and hesitation.
What you really want to ask is whether I have the right to lead you at all, isn’t it?
Mia smirked. Etienne was far better at leading people, earning their trust, and gaining respect.
All she had was a reputation based on calculations of gain and loss—people believed that siding with her wouldn’t harm them. Somehow she had also gained the trust of the populist faction, though she didn’t know how. And there was her lingering obsession from her previous life.
Even Mia didn’t think she was fit to lead. She didn’t need Alain’s suspicious eyes to remind her that she wasn’t a “good person.”
But since the role had already been given to her, she had resolved not to run away passively like in her past life.
Against such a massive goal, she had no compassion or tolerance to spare for something as trivial as a single soldier’s complaint.
“There’s no mistake in our direction. Have you already forgotten the tracker that your comrade sacrificed his life to return to us?”
At the mention of Franbert’s death, Alain flinched. It wasn’t something he wanted to hear in this situation.
“But the tracker only works if its twin device is at the destination, doesn’t it? And isn’t one half of that device with you, Commander?”
“Exactly. That’s why if we’re moving farther away from the main force, then it means our path is correct. I also chose this route because the terrain is difficult—it’s harder for enemies to follow.”
Mia continued indifferently.
“Or do you want to go out onto the plains with just three of us and get ambushed? That would certainly send you after your friend in no time.”
Alain flushed red. As if it weren’t enough to mention his dead comrade, now she was insulting him outright. His anger, long held back, was nearing its limit.
But his lack of respect for Mia was still a personal matter. No matter how he felt, he was far below her in rank.
“Of course, that too is a valid concern, Your Excellency. I only ask that you consider adjusting the pace a little for those of us who don’t have your stamina…”
Perhaps Alain thought he sounded neutral, but Mia could read the doubt in his eyes. Her patience was wearing thin.
“I understand your concern. But I didn’t bring you here for tactical advice. I brought you here because I expected you to follow orders without question.”
With that final remark, Mia turned forward again.
“We keep moving.”
Her command was firm.
“Stay alert. Unless absolutely necessary, remain silent. We are entering more dangerous territory now.”
Mia sighed inwardly. She should never have yielded Alain to guard Etienne in the first place. If she had given Etienne the other soldier—the quiet, gentle one—he would never have made such outrageous objections. Even with the sudden reassignment, she could have made up any plausible excuse.
Like saying the commander prioritized his lover’s safety over his own personal guard.
It would have been a ridiculous lie, considering that soldier’s combat ability, but no one really believed he was in that position because he could actually protect Etienne anyway. So it wouldn’t have mattered.
Even days after the detachment moved out, the two Holy Legions still hadn’t left the mountains. The slightly colder-than-usual weather and the sudden complaints from several soldiers—claiming it was impossible to march in such conditions—were to blame.
They’ve marched just fine in even colder weather before…
But the number of soldiers refusing to move, and the public opinion slowly forming around them, was too great to dismiss as mere weakness. If someone was orchestrating this, then it was wiser to uproot the problem before it spread further.
And I have a strong suspicion of who it is…
Etienne turned his eyes to a scene unfolding a few steps away.
Even in the cold they claimed they couldn’t endure, training continued.
In the fading sunset, the soldiers’ shadows stretched red across the ground. At a makeshift training ground beaten flat by boots, two officers were locked in a sparring match. Etienne’s gaze fell on Faber.
Whatever trick was being played, Leonard’s scheme was clearly working.
Faber and Leonard were demonstrating the enemy’s “peculiar” fighting style to the troops. Enough time had passed that Faber should have completely overwhelmed Leonard—but the match was going very much against him.
Faber’s arm shook violently as he gripped his sword. Under such conditions, defending himself was nearly impossible. Clang! A sharp ring of steel was followed by a suppressed groan.
How uncharacteristic…
A few soldiers rushed in to help steady the staggering Faber. Rumors had already spread that he was overworking himself for the sake of training the men. To them, this must have looked like nothing more than exhaustion.
But could a warrior of his caliber really collapse like this after only a few days of pushing himself harder than usual? Each stumble, every ragged breath—it didn’t add up.
And yet all Leonard offered him was a single bottle of water. Worse, he pressed Faber to continue the duel, even more fiercely than before.
The enemy might fight with frenzied irrationality, but Leonard’s sword didn’t look like a faithful imitation. It looked more like he was pouring old, festering grudges into every blow.
Now that he’d been caught, Leonard seemed to think there was no point in hiding it anymore. His movements grew even more desperate under Etienne’s watchful gaze.
What kind of honor can he possibly hope to gain by striking down his own comrade…? I cannot understand it.
