Chapter 06
‘Or maybe not. Maybe I shouldn’t be excited.’
Get it together. This is a harsh, apocalyptic world where people get wiped out.
But…
Schloitz is still alive, right? And there are “O-Parts,” too, so maybe things aren’t that bad. Maybe I could actually help somehow?
That’s what I was thinking—until I remembered how the powerful male leads who could swing around 80 holy swords still ended up dying one after another in the story.
I really need to be careful and focus on surviving.
I was heading with Raphael to the central building, where Schloitz’s office was. Unlike yesterday, the place was crowded. I wondered if something had happened, but Raphael also looked slightly puzzled, eyebrows faintly furrowed—until his eyes suddenly widened.
“The First Division must be back.”
“The First Division? Oh.”
In the military, each division was named after a different month. The First Division was known for taking on the most dangerous missions. That’s why they were directly under the Supreme Commander. They were usually sent on deadly assignments, like scouting out monster bases, and they seemed to have just returned.
Now that I thought about it—Raphael was also a direct aide to the Supreme Commander. He was probably close to the First Division both professionally and personally. So why wasn’t he saying hello?
I glanced at him, but Raphael just walked calmly, wearing his usual polite smile. Was he being ignored? But the First Division members actually lit up when they saw him.
“Sir.”
“Yes, Sir Blandae.”
“You’re not going to greet them?”
“I can’t. I’m on duty.”
“Duty?”
“I’m assigned to assist you, Sir Blandae. Personal greetings can wait.”
I blinked in surprise. And just then—
“Raphael Clovis.”
A man walked straight toward us and addressed Raphael. I nearly gasped, eyes going wider than Raphael’s.
Wait—no way. Is that really him?
The second I had that thought, the man spoke.
“You may greet him, Sir Raphael.”
“Thank you.”
Smiling, Raphael turned to face the man who had approached.
“Dios!”
Whoa. It’s really him.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the man with bronze-colored hair. In the original novel, if Enrico had Dylan as his right-hand man, then this serious-looking man—Dios—was Schloitz’s.
As Schloitz’s personal aide, Dios was introduced in the novel as the second-in-command. But the current second-in-command I knew of… was someone else.
Actually, the real oddball here is Raphael. He wasn’t in the original story at all. Not even once.
Which meant…
This kind and loyal Raphael who’d been helping me? He wasn’t even around anymore in the timeline where the story began.
If he had been just a regular knight, maybe I could assume he quit.
But Raphael Clovis was the Third Commander. In the Razak Kingdom, the Supreme Commander held incredible power. And being the third-highest officer under him? That wasn’t a role you could give up easily. Especially for a low-ranking noble family like the Clovis house.
To put it bluntly, their family wasn’t powerful enough to step away from such a position on their own.
Maybe if they were one of the top seven noble families…
Only one possibility came to mind for why Raphael didn’t appear in the novel.
At the beginning of the story—when the heroine Ruri joins the army—Raphael was already dead.
That thought made my mood drop a little.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe he got mad at Schloitz for some reason, threw everything away, and quit.
But… based on how loyal he seemed to Schloitz, that felt extremely unlikely.
Still, I’d have to wait and see.
Before I could think too much about it, Dios looked in my direction. Built like a steel wall, he glanced at me and spoke.
“And this lady?”
“Ah, this is Lady Blandae Lefevre. She’s the First Commander, so you should call her ‘Sir Blandaire.’ And this guy is Dios Izel—the Fourth Commander.”
At Raphael’s introduction, Dios’s already cold eyes turned icy.
“So the Lefevre family is sticking their hands into the military now too?”
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
“……”
Technically, he bowed, but it was so half-hearted it could barely count as a greeting. Just enough not to be accused of insubordination.
“That guy—!”
Unlike me, who stood still, Raphael raised his voice, clearly flustered.
“I’m so sorry! He’s always like that…”
“It’s fine.”
“Please don’t take it personally.”
“I’m not. I mean, without me, he wouldn’t even be able to use O-Parts, right?”
“Oh, true! He always worries about unnecessary things…”
While listening to Raphael mutter awkwardly, I glanced away. In the original story, Dios and Enrico were never on good terms either.
He once mentioned being fed up with the high-ranking families trying to split military power.
Now that I had replaced Enrico’s role, it made sense that he didn’t like me.
****
A few days later
When I heard that another O-Part had arrived, I almost couldn’t believe it.
Did Enrico seriously decide to shave his head over this?
I wondered if his mother was going to hit him when she found out.
Meanwhile, I also received my military uniform.
“The uniforms arrived this morning. A bit late, huh?”
“It’s fine. Everything changed so suddenly.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Laughing, Raphael asked if he could come in, and I told him to enter.
He set two boxes down on the table and gestured for me to open them. I untied the neat ribbon and lifted the lid.
Inside were two sets of uniforms—one red and one black. I picked up the black one.
“Sir Blandae, you’re free to wear either, but most of the new officers prefer the red one.”
“I like the black one better.”
“Oh…”
Raphael tilted his head, unsure.
I understood why. In the original story, most of the main characters—and most others too—wore red uniforms. That was the newer design. The black version was older, a bit outdated.
But there was also a superstition behind it.
Too many corpses had been found wearing the black uniform.
The red version was still new, so not many people had died in it yet. But the black one had been issued over a decade ago, and a lot of soldiers who died in battle had been buried in it. It wasn’t long before people started associating it with death.
“Besides the Supreme Commander, almost no one wears the black one anymore. He only keeps wearing it because he’s used to it. Oh… and I also wear it for the same reason.”
Which meant…
Not many people in this army had survived as long as Schloitz.
It wasn’t necessarily because they’d all died—many nobles left after fulfilling their family’s duty. But the military still held a lot of power, different from the capital. Quite a few chose to stay.
But most of them… died young in battle.
Of course, Schlutz also dies wearing this uniform in the end.
Anyway, the reason I chose the black one was selfish. If I had to wear something, I wanted it to match Schloitz’s.
Raphael stared at me and finally spoke.
“People might think the Lefevre family supports the Supreme Commander.”
When I said nothing and looked at him, he gave a sheepish smile. Scratching the back of his neck, he continued.
“Sorry, Sir Blandae. Actually…”
“Actually?”
“The previous Supreme Commander was Duke Madros—the king’s cousin. So… there’s still some unrest, or leftover resentment, I guess. Oh! But it’s not chaotic or anything.”
“I know.”
“And the current Supreme Commander…”
“Sir Procyon will stabilize everything soon.”
“So you believe that too.”
“Of course.”
Soon enough, the entire military would be loyal to Schloitz. In the story, I never even heard about the previous commander. Which meant… he didn’t matter.
Anyway, I wasn’t worried at all—I knew what was coming. But maybe Raphael didn’t.
Maybe he didn’t trust Schloitz… and sided with someone else? And got killed for it?
I stared closely at Raphael. He blinked and tilted his head slightly, his pink hair swaying softly.
I hope that’s not the case.
****
Elsewhere
Schloitz stood in a forest, staring at the dense trees.
His head and shoulders were soaked with rain, and the air smelled strongly of blood. He had just used a holy sword to slay a monster.
Taking a towel from a knight, he wiped the blood off his cheek.
“Supreme Commander Schloitz.”
Dios approached with a frozen expression. He looked unusually shocked.
“What was that just now?”
“A new piece of armor.”
“Armor…?”
“It’s from Lefevre. Not from the army. Ask Raphael for details when we’re back.”
“…Is that why Lady Lefebvre is here?”
Schloitz raised one eyebrow.
“Didn’t Raphael explain the proper title?”
“…He did.”
“Then use it properly. She’s the First Commander. That means she outranks you.”
“……”
“If you’re planning to challenge her authority, let me know in advance. I’ll prepare the disciplinary forms.”
“No, sir. I understand.”
