Episode 11: The Battalion Commander’s Sigh ①
Having returned to the Imperial Capital, I completed my report at the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion headquarters.
“Good work on the report. I trust it was a pleasant leave?”
The Battalion Commander said this with a chuckle, so I stood at attention with a sullen look on my face.
“It was cold, and on top of that, I was glared at by the officers of the Second Division. It was awful.”
“I heard you got friendly with a cute little cavalry second lieutenant, didn’t you?”
How does she know? And he’s not cute.
“I looked into it later; the Makaran Family is a mid-tier noble house with considerable influence in the southern part of the Empire. One must cultivate connections, after all.”
“Indeed. I’ll grant you that. We’re treading on thin ice. The more support we have, the better.”
The Battalion Commander, who boasted a wealth of golden hair, said this, then looked up at me with a mischievous smile.
“So, has there been any progress with Lieutenant Krimine?”
What is this Battalion Commander talking about?
“She’s still a young lady whose thoughts I can’t quite fathom. However, her diligence in her duties is commendable.”
“Oh?”
“After all, she actually went through a hanging as the body double for the rebellion’s ringleader.”
The Battalion Commander stared blankly, her mouth half-open.
“Eh…? What did you do?”
“It was necessary to execute someone who no longer existed in this world, so I had Lieutenant Krimine hanged. It was her own wish.”
After staring intently at my face, the Battalion Commander asked, as if to make absolutely sure.
“Of course, you hanged her in a way that wouldn’t kill her, so she’s still alive, right?”
“Naturally. There’s no way I’d let a valuable subordinate die.”
I can distinguish between those who can be killed and those who cannot. If I couldn’t make that distinction, I wouldn’t be able to work as an executioner.
I didn’t want to leave too much of a record of the details, so I explained the circumstances verbally.
“And well, that’s how it went. There was no other way.”
“I see. If that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
The Battalion Commander folded her arms, leaned back in her chair, and made an exasperated face.
“Still, I’ve never met anyone as outrageous as you. Aren’t you afraid of an Imperial Edict?”
“If I weren’t afraid, I would have just reported, ‘A person named Yuo Neville never existed in the first place,’ and been done with it.”
I’m doing this because I’m afraid. Get it?
I was at a loss, but the Battalion Commander suddenly burst out laughing.
“No, this is amusing. You’ve taken on the most thankless role, one that guarantees execution if exposed, yet you’re completely unfazed, neither fearing nor boasting about it. You don’t even seek any reward. A genuine, dyed-in-the-wool idiot.”
Am I?
Then, the Battalion Commander suddenly said something like this.
“You, stay as my subordinate from now on. I won’t approve any transfer requests, you hear?”
“Do you think I would submit one? It’s thanks to you, Battalion Commander, that I became an officer.”
The Battalion Commander smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.
“I merely recommended a promising NCO from the administrative staff to the officer academy. The rest was your own effort. There’s no need to feel indebted.”
“Ah, well then, perhaps a transfer request to the Army Quartermaster Bureau…”
“I won’t allow it. Don’t you dare move from under my command. You’ll get glared at by the higher-ups and end up dead.”
She glared at me sharply. Scary.
Then, she suddenly changed her expression.
“Now then, Lieutenant Fonkt. How was the inspection of the Kavalaf Region?”
Finally, the main topic. I straightened my posture once more.
“Perhaps because it was the last to be incorporated into the Orthodox Empire, it still seems to possess its own unique temperament and culture. Governing that place will be no easy feat.”
“You thought so too, huh? But those ‘up in the clouds’ don’t see it that way.”
The Battalion Commander touched her white fingertips to her forehead and let out a light sigh.
“Those imbeciles are playing at being great kings of terror by brandishing death, but they’re merely incurring resentment. A rebellion will break out there soon enough.”
“Battalion Commander-dono, that’s disrespectful.”
“I don’t care. If you have a complaint, report it to your direct superior.”
That’s you.
The beautiful Battalion Commander rested her cheek on her hand.
“The minor grievances of the common folk should be allowed to vent while they’re still small. And those above should take them into account and resolve the issues before they escalate. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. They are the imbeciles.”
“Hey, that’s disrespectful.”
You said it too.
Her golden hair, like a river of honey, spilling onto the desk, the Battalion Commander said.
“The situation is becoming quite precarious. In the worst-case scenario, I want to protect at least our own. Therefore, I intend to prioritize assigning you these kinds of missions from now on. There aren’t many others I can entrust them to.”
“Understood. Regular executions weigh heavily on my mind, so I’d be grateful for that.”
Missions that make me agonize afterward, wondering, “Did that person really deserve to die?” probably aren’t suited for me. It’s a relief to be assigned only the straightforward ones.
“So, is there any work I should be doing right now?”
“Nothing in particular. A group smuggling illicit drugs was rounded up, and they’re being executed one after another. There’s a public execution this afternoon, too. Want to help?”
“That kind of mission is fine for the Second Company.”
The Imperial Ceremonial Battalion is composed of three companies. The First Company, which forms the core, handles behind-the-scenes work like intelligence gathering, document management, and liaison with other departments. They are bureaucrats the Battalion Commander poached from somewhere, and they never show their faces at the execution grounds.
The Second Company handles executions befitting an execution squad, like firing squads in the public square. Model soldiers who don’t question orders are assigned here, and they’re all deadly serious.
However, there are a few who genuinely love executions and autopsies.
And then there’s the Third Company, which handles politically troublesome cases and other types of executions that can’t be made public. Making it seem like someone was killed while letting them escape is a job exclusive to the Third Company.
Perhaps because of all the strange missions, the Third Company has become something of a den of eccentrics. I’m one of the few sane ones.
“You’re one of the foremost oddballs even in the Third Company. The Company Commander finds you amusing too.”
You’re kidding, right? Am I weirder than Lieutenant Krimine or the late Lieutenant Meinen?
Incidentally, our Company Commander is also a young woman, but she’s more of an eccentric than I am. I’m absolutely sure of it.
“What, you look dissatisfied?”
“It’s just that I’ve never encountered a person of such common sense as myself.”
“Ahaha, that’s exactly what I mean.”
After laughing uproariously, the Battalion Commander gave me a sidelong glance.
“By the way, I’m currently looking for a sensible man to remarry…”
“My apologies, I’m an eccentric.”
The Battalion Commander’s only daughter is staunchly opposed to her mother remarrying. I know because I see her often.
So, I, who can take a joke, thought I’d given the “correct” answer, but the Battalion Commander heaved a heavy sigh.
“Ah, yes, you are an eccentric. A total eccentric, at that.”
Is she a little angry?
The Battalion Commander put on a difficult expression and shooed me away with one hand.
“I’ll be hearing Lieutenant Krimine’s report after this. You return to the Third Company and report to your Company Commander.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Saluting, I inwardly tilted my head in confusion.