MDHO 21

Chapter 21

Finding a metal marble among pebbles might sound simple — but in reality, it’s an incredibly difficult task.

Our unit has a training ground covered in a thick layer of pebbles, spread out over a massive area.
And to make matters worse, the pebbles are about the same size as the metal marble we’re looking for, and the one April threw is slightly rusted — which means it gleams in the light just like the pebbles do….

‘Damn it… it’d be better to just run around the parade ground all night.’

Even with my Arkon body’s superior physical abilities, that didn’t make this kind of painstaking ground search any easier.

After squatting for so long, my legs were stiff, my fingers were numb from scraping at the rocky dirt, and above all — my eyes felt like they were going to pop out.
At this point, I couldn’t even tell whether what was on the ground were pebbles or my own eyeballs.

‘How the hell does this help new recruits “adjust” to military life?’

The poor newbie who had the bad luck of getting caught by that lunatic was now scratching the dirt with teary eyes — under the murderous glares of his seniors.

But more than anything else, what really got me thinking since I transmigrated into this novel was…

‘What happened to the male leads’ dignity?’

In the original story, all the male leads were impossibly cool and dignified — and now, here they were, beside me, crawling on the ground, desperately digging through dirt.

Seriously, what kind of author gives romance-fantasy male leads a past like this?
Where’s the pride? Where’s the cool factor?!

Ishina, as always, was searching with a perfectly serious expression.
Why was she even diligent in a situation like this?
Would it kill her to act like a hidden villain sometimes?
Or maybe even the mastermind type can’t pull rank on someone like April, who’s a terrifying senior?

Meanwhile, Caron was staring blankly at the ground as if his soul had left his body, so I patted his shoulder in sympathy.

Aquila, on the other hand, was glaring at the pebbles like he could kill them with his eyes.

‘Usually, that’s the kind of look a male lead gives to some sleazy noble hitting on the heroine…’

Swallowing my tears, I kept digging through the dirt.
Yeah, let’s just find that damned marble and go to sleep.
I was so exhausted I could’ve passed out right there on the gravel.

Then suddenly, someone’s hand shot up high above our heads.

Everyone turned toward it — that hand gleamed faintly under the moonlight.

He was holding the metal marble!

“W–Winter, sir…!”

Winter was standing there, holding the single recovered metal marble above his head.

His expression, as usual, was icy and stoic — completely out of place in this absurd scene.

“Winter! I knew you’d pull it off!”

“That’s amazing, Winter!”

His comrade Altair ran up to him with teary eyes of admiration, and another, Yuri, looked at the marble with eyes as sweet as if she were in love.

‘As expected of Winter, the perfectionist… even in something like this, he’s flawless!’

Within our Alpha Platoon, Winter was the very symbol of perfectionism.
No — not just our platoon, the entire 18th Company knew him as the famous perfectionist.

Other platoons called him “that guy from Alpha Platoon who’s good at everything.”
Even the company commander would refer to him as “that tall, good-looking soldier from Alpha who’s skilled with both sword and labor, right?”

…Of course, because of his competence, Winter was constantly dragged to HQ for extra work — teaching me the valuable lesson that “in the army, average is best.”
Still…

He’d done it. He’d even found the metal marble.

I’d always thought he was cold and distant, but seeing him find that marble and not brag — keeping that blank, stoic face — he looked so damn cool!

Just like everyone else, I looked at Winter with glistening eyes.

Yeah, who cares about “male lead dignity” right now?!

That’s what true dignity looks like!
Forget being a crown prince with political prowess who never yields to the nobles —
Forget being a northern grand duke with centuries of lineage and a unique power —
Forget being a genius archmage who climbed to the top on talent alone —
Forget being a wealthy merchant lord who leads continental trends and owns half the world!

What’s really impressive to me right now…
is the ability to find a metal marble among endless pebbles and end this hell!

That’s the true power of a romance-fantasy male lead candidate!

Speed and precision that rival a digging machine!
Vision and perception sharp enough to outmatch a beast!
For this one shining moment, I think I might actually fall for Winter….

“Sniff… Winter-nim, you’re so cool…”

“…Cool? You think that’s cool?”

“But he really is…!”

“You find that impressive?”

“‘That’? If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be allowed to sleep right now!”

“…Ha. What am I even supposed to do with you?”

When I praised Winter in a teary voice, Aquila grabbed his neck in exasperation — but I didn’t care.

At this moment, Winter was the coolest male lead of them all.

‘God, what a day…’

After that hellish day, Yuri and I trudged back to our barracks.
Reina was still outside, trying to comfort her mentally shattered squadmate.

Thankfully, April seemed to be asleep — the lights were off.

“Salubia.”

“Y–yes?!”

I froze instantly at the sound of April’s voice.
I had just been groping my way toward my bed, but her call made my whole body go stiff.

My eyes, adjusted to the dark, found her pale green eyes glimmering faintly.
Even in the shadows, they had that eerie glow.

“Tired from today?”

“N–not at all, ma’am!”

“Heh. You’re lying.”

April chuckled in the dark, her shoulders shaking — she looked completely deranged.
I couldn’t move, just rolled my eyes nervously while staying rigid.

Yuri gave me a pitying look from her bed — before promptly pulling her blanket over her head.
Right, not her problem.

“You think I’m a bitch, don’t you?”

Her voice was as smooth and lovely as ever when she asked that.

“N–no, ma’am! Never!”

Of course she was a bitch.
But even if she was, I wasn’t suicidal enough to say it to her face.

I denied it with every ounce of sincerity I could muster.
April just gave a small laugh, like she’d lost interest.

“Hmm, really?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

Her pale green eyes glowed faintly again in the darkness, and then she said — almost sing-song — in her usual high-pitched tone:

“Oh, and one more thing. If you keep playing the angel around here, you’ll be the first to die, got it?”

“…Understood?”

After that cryptic remark, April burrowed back under her blanket.

…I said “understood” out of habit, but I had no idea what she meant by that.

Was she telling me not to fuss over the new recruits?
Or was it just that she’s a sociopath who can’t stand seeing anyone help others?

Either way… it was probably best not to think too hard about it.
Overthinking gets you killed in the army.

I glanced at April, the one who’d made my entire day hell.

‘How can someone make people suffer so much and still look completely guilt-free?’

Would I become like that once I reached corporal rank?
Guess I’d find out in time….

‘Wait, how long until corporal again? Three years and five months?’

Damn, that’s way too far off.
Forget it — I should just go to sleep….

Discharge D-2700 days.

A month later—

The new recruits of the 92nd batch died, their entire bodies burned.

A Class-2 monster called Rydion had a habit of self-destructing upon death, taking its enemies down with it.
The recruits, who hadn’t memorized that fact during lessons, failed to take cover in time.

If they’d reacted just a bit faster to their seniors’ orders, they might’ve survived —
but unfortunately, they didn’t.

And the fact that the new recruits were all dead…
meant that Reina — the one I’d tried so hard to look after — died with them.

“…Ah, damn it.”

I buried my head in my hands before the massacre of the 92nd batch.

“I told you not to get attached,” Yuri said blankly beside me.
I glanced at her emotionless eyes, then clenched my teeth and gripped my rifle tighter.

Yeah… there’s no point getting attached when you never know who’s going to die next.
April was right — if you care too much, you’ll crumble when they die, and maybe die right after them.

When she said, “Play the angel and you’ll die first,”
…that’s what she meant.

If I wanted to survive here, I had to stop getting caught up in others’ fates.
Maybe I even had to go a little mad.

Of course, I didn’t fully understand April’s words…
until after the next wave of recruits arrived.