My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 155

However, I carefully recounted everything I had heard from Karon.

“I delivered the keepsake to the son of those people I mentioned last time. He said he saw an apparition within it.”

“I was aware of that. There seems to be some magic involved, but we couldn’t break it, which is why we sought out Kaisen’s bloodline.”

The battalion commander nodded.

“In that vision, Sir Kaisen was gravely wounded and ultimately closed his eyes. The injuries on his body were undoubtedly sword wounds.”

“What...?”

He muttered in confusion.

“There was a monster attack, and Kaisen and Laila, who were working nearby, led some soldiers ahead. By the time the remaining soldiers arrived as reinforcements, five soldiers and two company commanders were already gone.”

...At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary story of soldiers being killed by monsters, but I knew better than to believe things at face value here—whether it was about people or events.

“It could be a deception. They may have been killed by the sword first, then disguised as victims of a monster attack. Or, given how many monsters roam this place, they might have been made to die by an actual monster afterward.”

“Wait a moment. If that’s the case, then someone had a reason to kill them...”

The battalion commander abruptly clamped his mouth shut. He had realized something.

Then, just as suddenly, his expression returned to an impassive mask as if nothing had happened. In a mechanical, businesslike tone, he spoke.

“Haha, Miss Salvia, try not to tease the company commander too much in the future.”

It was a tone meant to erase our entire conversation as if it had never happened.

I found it suspicious, but sensing this was my chance, I put on an innocent smile and nodded lightly in faux remorse.

“Haha, I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes! Battalion Commander, I love you!”

“Haha.”

As I left the battalion commander’s office, I tilted my head. Why had his attitude suddenly changed?

Sir Kaisen and Lady Laila had a reason to be assassinated. The battalion commander knew that reason, and he was connected to it. That meant the reason must never be revealed. That much I could deduce from his reaction.

‘Why were they killed?’

As I pondered, I suddenly recalled something a former company commander had once said.

"No, I just assumed they were a spy."

Right. There was a spy in this unit!

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And while the battalion commander had acted angry in front of me, he had actually known about it to some extent.

It was obvious why the spy had made those reports and why they had killed those people. They intended to overthrow the nation.

The very fact that the battalion commander had kept Sir Kaisen’s keepsake was proof of his ideology.

Among the officers of the Snowy Mountain Battalion, such thoughts had already spread to some degree. Karon’s parents must have been among them.

That’s why they were assassinated by the spy!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Realizing the truth sent a shiver down my spine. Once again, I had stumbled upon something I shouldn’t have known. Why do I keep digging my own grave?

‘No, focus on the task at hand...’

I might have uncovered some conspiracy among the former officers of this battalion, but I had to pretend I knew nothing. Right now, my priority was getting rid of the company commander.

I shifted my focus, reassuring myself that the battalion commander had effectively decided to turn a blind eye to me. No matter how much I tormented the company commander from now on, he would probably just sigh and say, “Haha, what a mischievous one.”

***

‘There he is.’

Peeking my head out, I spotted the company commander. Since it would be suspicious if I was present every time he passed out, this time I planned to stay hidden and use ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) a tranquilizer dart.

By now, Red and I worked in perfect sync, like a well-oiled machine.

Red was genuinely grateful to me for making this fun, and his disguise and acting skills improved day by day. He could now produce an even worse stench and hop around even more stiffly.

Thump, thump—!

That familiar sound echoed through the night, something both the company commander and I had come to recognize well. As soon as he heard it, a grin spread across my face, while his turned pale.

"A-Ah, no...."

‘Oh yes, you little—’

Tonight, Red looked even more terrifying than usual. His skills were seriously leveling up!

Thud!

Before I even fired my tranquilizer dart, the company commander collapsed, completely unconscious. At this point, he had been conditioned like Pavlov’s dog. I could only wave as Red hopped away.

‘Is this enough?’

By now, I had knocked him out at least ten times. Surely, by this point, he would start fearing for his life?

"Company commander! Company commander!"

I carefully shook his limp body, and after a moment, his eyes slowly fluttered open. As soon as he met my gaze, he sprang up like a coiled spring.

"Hngh! I saw it again! That ghost, I saw it!"

"Gasp! Has your soul been stolen yet again? You’ve been losing pieces of it too often lately...."

"The ghost is getting more terrifying each time, probably because it keeps taking bits of my soul... I can’t do this anymore!"

The company commander bolted to his desk and frantically shoved his belongings into his bag.

"This battalion is cursed! This place is damned! I have to get out of here!"

"But sir, you can’t just leave like this—"

"No! I’d rather face punishment or even retire! I don’t care about rank or position—I just can’t stay here anymore!"

It was clear he wasn’t listening to anything I said anymore. He truly believed in the ghost now.

"Battalion Commander! I am resigning immediately!!"

With that, the company commander fled the base.

‘I’m free....’

Just like that, I had escaped the risk of being quietly eliminated. A perfect success.

‘Fear really is the answer....’

Forcing him to feel fear and making him leave the battalion on his own—I had done it again. Violence and fear had saved me once more.

"Hey, Red!"

After watching the company commander disappear into the distance, I ran over to Red, eager to celebrate.

"Miss Salvia?"

As I barged into the barracks, Red—who was lying around like an unemployed slacker as usual—lifted his head. That bastard wasn’t even pretending to act like a senior anymore now that I was close to discharge.

"Your performance was amazing just now! The company commander finally left!"

“...Just now? What are you talking about?”

"The performance in the hallway! You were running just a moment ago!"

"...Huh?"

His confused gaze met mine.

At that moment, I realized something was horribly wrong.

"Wait, wait, don’t tell me—"

"I didn’t do anything today. I was just lying here the whole time. I performed yesterday, so I planned to take the day off."

"Then... what did I just see...?"

Shit. This was turning into a classic horror cliché way too fast.

"Aaaaahhh!!!"

"Miss Salvia? Miss Salvia, are you alright?"

With half my consciousness fading, I collapsed onto the floor, cursing this world where every single horror cliché always came true.

***

D-14 Until Discharge

Since that incident, thankfully, I had not seen the ghost again. The horror arc seemed to have ended.

Which meant... it was finally time for the romance arc to begin.

"What should I do after discharge? Marriage?"

Curled up in my dorm, I absentmindedly nibbled on my nails, mumbling to myself.

Oh, right. After the previous company commander fled, a new one had taken over. But since I only had a few weeks left until discharge, he didn’t care about me at all. Thanks to that, I was finally enjoying a normal, peaceful end-of-service experience.

Discharge was just around the corner, yet I still couldn’t picture what life after the military would be like.

I had told Aquila we should get married, but I’d heard wedding preparations take forever. Wait, how did marriage even work in this world? Were there wedding halls? Priests? Did they have ceremonies with officiants and guests? I had no family on either side, so how was this supposed to go?

"Miss Salvia, you have a letter!"

Just then, a letter arrived from Aquila. I snatched it from my junior’s hands and tore open the envelope in one swift motion.

To Salvia,

Salvia, how have you been? Did everything go well with the company commander situation you mentioned last time?

I looked into what happens after discharge, and apparently, all discharged soldiers have to return to the same place where we first enlisted. There, they officially lift the contract magic, and we’re finally free.

That’s where we’ll meet again.

Until then, take care of yourself, Salvia.

From Aquila.

"Oh, so we all have to gather in one place!"

I had been wondering where I’d meet Aquila after discharge, but now that had been decided. Which meant I’d see him the moment I was free.

Great! Until then, I just had to lay low like usual—

"Miss Salvia, you’ve been assigned to an external mission— Wait, where did she go?"

The moment I heard the door creak open, I instinctively buried myself under a pile of blankets. A survival skill I had mastered while hiding from the previous company commander.

My junior peeked around the room in confusion, then left.

‘See? Every experience is useful.’

...I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but I had certainly learned a lot from the company commander incident.