Episode 12: The Battalion Commander’s Sigh ②
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Major Filia Gehenbach, Battalion Commander of the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion, was receiving a report from Second Lieutenant Leesha Krimine of the Third Company.
“At that point, for the sake of Lieutenant-dono, I removed my uniform and soiled my undergarments. Of course, this was to disguise myself as a fleeing peasant. Furthermore, I had myself bound tightly with rope. This was exceptionally good.”
“What in the world am I listening to?”
Filia sighed and brushed her bangs aside.
“Leesha. Listen carefully. I’m not interested in the details of your perverted hobbies. I’m asking for a report on the mission in the Kavalaf Region.”
Leesha tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“About that report… Knowing Lieutenant Fonkt-dono, he probably omitted this part, didn’t he?”
“Unlike you, he has some common sense.”
Resting her elbow on the desk, Filia put down her pen.
“Still, to go as far as faking a hanging, even if it was a disguise, you’ve really become quite something, haven’t you?”
“During the duel with Lord Griem, I made quite an unsightly spectacle of myself, so…”
Leesha let out a deep sigh.
“I was worried Lieutenant Fonkt-dono might be disgusted with me, so I really put my all into it this time.”
“I hate to break it to you after you put in all that effort, but he doesn’t care about that sort of thing at all.”
“He should care! If anything, I was prepared to actually die!”
Watching the young girl bang on the desk, Filia gave a wry smile.
“But, well, at the very least, Lieutenant Fonkt must see you in a new light now. You shouldn’t be treated as a burden anymore. Your resolve wasn’t in vain.”
“Right?”
Faced with Leesha’s expectant gaze, Filia quickly averted her eyes. It was her policy not to tell unnecessary lies.
“Well then, there were no discrepancies in your reports, so it seems I can rest easy. As usual, your reports are reliable. Even if what you’re doing is completely insane.”
“I thought that insanity was what was expected of us, though.”
“That’s right. This kind of thing can only be done by a select few within the Third Company. Losing Lieutenant Meinen was a bitter blow.”
Filia pictured the smile of her lost subordinate and prayed for his soul in her heart.
“For the time being, you will serve as Lieutenant Fonkt’s aide. You’re too reckless to do anything on your own, and Lieutenant Fonkt needs someone who understands him well to bring out his full potential.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander-dono!”
Leesha, having saluted sharply, then said with a straight face.
“Then, as Lieutenant Fonkt-dono’s aide, I must say, I believe he is better suited for his duties if he remains single.”
“Hey, you, you were eavesdropping outside the Battalion Commander’s office again, weren’t you?”
Filia sighed.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been strictly ordered by my daughter, ‘I’m going to marry Fonkt-san, so Mommy, you absolutely can’t get married!'”
“Ah, your daughter…”
Leesha gave a wry smile.
“But you’re totally planning to get ahead of her, aren’t you?”
“Who, me? As if! Besides, what do you girls even see in a guy like that?”
“He’s competent and reliable, good-natured, serious, and good-looking, kind to women and children, has a clean appearance, and yet, there’s something about him that makes you unable to leave him alone.”
“Every last one of you…”
Filia turned away, looking displeased.
“Personally, I think you’re the best match for him.”
“Battalion Commander-dono, I love you! Let’s get married!”
“What am I supposed to do with that? Marry him.”
Filia slumped onto the desk, her flowing blonde hair spreading out everywhere.
“Ahh, if only I’d had an encounter like that when I was your age…”
“There’s no use lamenting it. Please leave the rest to us young ones.”
“Don’t treat me like an old woman. Someone like me is still considered a young girl by worldly standards!”
Since Leesha remained silent, Filia grew even more displeased.
“You’re infuriating. Don’t you dare get transferred either. You’d definitely be abused in a normal unit.”
“I somehow understand that. I wonder why.”
“It’s because you say things you shouldn’t and don’t say things you should. Well, whatever. I’m giving you a top-secret mission.”
Filia sat up, her expression serious.
“From now on, you are to be Lieutenant Fonkt’s bodyguard. In his private life as well. If necessary, become his lover or his wife.”
“Sir!”
Filia gave a wry smile at Leesha, who saluted immediately.
“Just from the last mission and this one, he’s taken considerable risks. He’ll likely face even greater dangers in the future. There’s probably a mole in this battalion colluding with outsiders. If the details of his missions leak, there’s a chance he could be targeted for assassination or plots to ruin his career.”
Leesha’s expression showed understanding.
“So that’s why you said in his private life as well?”
“That’s right. Keep an eye on every aspect of his life. I don’t think he’s the type to visit brothels, but if it looks like he might, you ‘take care of it.'”
“Sir!”
Leesha, again, saluted immediately. Her expression was a smirk.
“You’re quite understanding, Battalion Commander-dono.”
“What value is there in a superior officer who doesn’t protect their subordinates?”
After saying that, Filia suddenly smiled.
“Of course, you should let Lieutenant Fonkt protect you. No, you’re probably already being protected by him. He’s good at escorting female officers.”
“I’ve noticed that. Since I started working with Lieutenant-dono, other officers have stopped doing inappropriate things to me.”
“Right? When I take him with me to the Imperial Guard Regiment headquarters, those bastards who try to grope my ass and shoulders don’t come near.”
In the Orthodox Empire, where the tendency to respect men and despise women is deeply rooted, female officers are constantly exposed to danger. That didn’t change even in rear-echelon departments where there were only friendly forces.
“Honestly, there are far too few decent men in this Orthodox Empire. It’s just like the officers’ mess at the Imperial Guard Regiment headquarters. Plenty of them, but none worth choosing.”
Exhaling her own dark past as if to blow it away with a sigh, Filia showed a wry smile.
“In that respect, the late Meinen was quite a man too. Because he was only interested in alcohol, I, a heavy drinker myself, was never treated unpleasantly by him.”
“Come to think of it, that’s true. Lieutenant Meinen-dono’s standard for judging people was ‘whether they could drink or not.’ Though, I have my doubts about that as a human being.”
Leesha joined in with a wry smile. She was also a strong drinker, but she was a rather quarrelsome drunk, so she was feared in the Third Company.
“In any case, male officers who can show respect to female officers are valuable in themselves. Protect him well, and let him protect you.”
“Yes, Battalion Commander-dono!”
Even in the military, where rank is absolute, the position of women is low. Neither of them ever acted alone outside. Because there was a possibility of being attacked by enlisted soldiers.
“By the way, if my daughter finds out I gave you such an order, will she scold me?”
“Probably.”
The moment she said that, Filia slumped onto the desk again.
“It can’t be helped, can it? Mommy has her work to do… It’s to protect your precious ‘Fonkt-san,’ so please understand…”
“It’s alright, Battalion Commander-dono, you haven’t done anything wrong.”
Leesha gently stroked Filia’s blonde hair.