MDHO 43

Chapter 43

I wasn’t a hardcore fan of Nemi’s House, so I didn’t remember the names of every single squad member that appeared in the original story.

But among the supporting characters, the name Benny was one I couldn’t forget — because in the original, she was the heroine Dalin’s only female senior!

Which meant…

“I’m finally free from being the youngest!”

Benny wouldn’t die — and she’d take my place as the youngest in the women’s barracks!

“Ha, Benny, huh…”

“Sarubia, you know her already?” Ishina asked, looking at me curiously.

At that point, my eyes must have been half-glazed over. Ishina, who’d only spent three months as the baby of the squad, couldn’t possibly understand how I felt.

“I just think the name Benny sounds so lovely…”

“What—what did you say?”

Ishina exchanged a startled look with Caron, and I could feel Milphy — who was standing behind me holding the laundry — giving me a weird look, but I didn’t care.

“The youngest! I’m free!”

Benny, you adorable thing. I’ll cherish you to death from now on.

I’d had female seniors before — April and Yuri — but when Dalin enlisted, both had already been transferred out. So Benny had been her only female senior.

In the original story, there was the issue that the body I’d possessed, Sarubia, ended up dying… but as long as I stayed sharp, I could probably avoid that fate somehow.

Anyway, what mattered now was that Benny survived in the original.

She had been a genius. A prodigy with wind aura swordsmanship, on par with Winter and Aquila.

And on top of that, Benny had been kind and gentle by nature. Whenever Dalin made mistakes, she comforted her kindly, telling her not to push herself too hard.

She’d been just as loyal to the heroine as any of the male leads. You know that one type of character that shows up in romance fantasy novels — the “devoted noblemaid of the heroine”?

The kind who cries tears of gratitude when the heroine so much as pays attention to her; who weeps when the cute baby heroine in a childcare novel shows low self-esteem; who breaks down when the villainess suddenly acts kind.

Basically — the unwavering same-sex ally who adores the heroine no matter what, never betrays her, and always helps her. Even if the male leads get all the glory, you still need one loyal female supporter. Benny was that character.

The only difference was that, being Dalin’s senior, she ranked above a maid — but she’d still be the type to say, “It’s okay! I’ll help you!” no matter what happened.

“She was so nice it bordered on being a pushover.”

In summary, she was a capable genius with a heart of gold.

Benny was the perfect junior!

‘And most importantly, it’s not her skill or kindness that matters most…’

Benny had an astonishing secret.

She was—

“The daughter of a two-star general…!”

Her father had two stars.

I repeat — two.

Sure, after the Crown Prince attack incident, two stars didn’t seem that impressive anymore, but in truth, when a two-star visited a unit, it was like a bomb being dropped.

Benny’s father was that two-star — a Major General, the division commander himself.

If that fact ever got out, even the company commander would be bowing and scraping in front of her, his career practically over. But in the original, Benny hid her identity, because she didn’t like people treating her differently.

In other words — she was what you’d call a hidden powerhouse.

“When did she reveal her identity again?”

I couldn’t remember exactly, but I was pretty sure she’d revealed it when Dalin was in danger — true to her “heroine’s loyal helper” role. To think she’d expose a secret she’d hidden for years just for Dalin’s sake… I couldn’t help but envy Dalin’s plot armor all over again.

“In any case, I’m the only one in this unit who knows Benny’s secret.”

Oh my god. It was finally time for me to actually use my knowledge of the original story!

If I took good care of Benny, she’d obviously feel grateful toward me, right?

And then, if I ever needed help later, she might use her power to back me up!

“Benny… I’ll make sure to take care of you…”

Using meta-knowledge from the original — I truly felt like the heroine of a transmigration novel. Heroine points +100.

“Nice to meet you, Benny.”

“Ah, hello!”

When I greeted her lightly, Benny flinched in surprise before quickly returning the greeting.

She looked younger than me, with a gentle, round face. Her shiny brown bob and spotless white skin gave off a faint air of refinement — she looked like someone who’d grown up well-loved.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sarubia.”

After the simple introductions, I started showing Benny around the dorm, explaining where everything was. She nodded attentively at each thing I said.

‘Ha, she’s too perfect.’

Since enlisting, things had never gone this smoothly. It was so perfect that it made me nervous.

“When things go too well in the army, that’s usually a bad sign…”

But looking at the lovely Benny in front of me, it didn’t feel like a dream.

While I was carefully explaining the details of daily life in the squad, Yuri — lying back as if she were watching TV — crooked her finger to call me over.

When I approached, she spoke coldly to Benny.

“Rookie. You know where the bathroom is, right? Go wash your hands.”

“…Pardon?”

That came out of nowhere. Benny blinked in confusion.

But Yuri’s tone sharpened.

“You need to follow hygiene rules properly, don’t you? Go wash your hands.”

“Ah, yes, ma’am!”

‘Wow, Benny really is a good kid…’

I thought to myself as I watched her obediently trot off to wash her hands without even asking why.

I turned to Yuri. She’d obviously sent Benny away because she wanted to talk to me privately.

Yuri was still lounging comfortably like this was her own room — which, given our ranks, it practically was.

Once Benny was gone, Yuri tilted her head lazily and asked,

“Why are you suddenly back to your angel act?”

Ah. So she must’ve been annoyed that I was getting too attached to a newbie who might die anyway.

But this time, I actually had something to say with confidence.

“Yuri-nim.”

“What.”

“I can guarantee it. This new recruit is definitely a genius.”

“…What?”

“My instincts are never wrong! The moment she wields a sword, the winds will swirl and the heavens will tremble — she’s that level of genius!”

Yuri stared at me with a look of utter disbelief.

“Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m serious! I can feel it! This one’s a prodigy, no doubt about it!”

“You’ve completely lost it. What kind of nonsense are you selling me now?”

And a week later, Yuri said this:

“…It actually worked.”

Her quiet mutter was drowned out by the cheers of the other seniors.

“Wow, it’s been ages since we had a real prodigy come in!”

“The rookie’s insane!”

“Finally, an elite has arrived!”

It goes without saying how much Benny shone during her first swordsmanship training.

She’d mentioned she’d handled a sword even before enlistment — growing up between her parents, both Archons — and the moment she picked one up, we all witnessed her brilliance firsthand.

A white aura swirled around her blade, a soft breeze stirred, and the grass began to sway. Then, as she drew a clean, sweeping arc through the air, a powerful gust exploded outward, consuming everything in its path.

Clap, clap, clap—!

As straw scattered from the shattered training dummy, applause erupted around the bashful Benny.

Of course, I was clapping enthusiastically right along with the others.

“Perfect!”

A junior who was both kind and competent — what a perfect day!

“Sarubia-nim…”

“Yeah?”

While I was clapping, Caron looked at me with a crestfallen expression.

“D-do you like this new recruit more than me?”

“Of course not. You’re my direct junior — that’s completely different. You’ve got more time in service, don’t you?”

“But… you never clapped for me like that…”

I blinked in disbelief. What, was I supposed to applaud every little thing he did from now on? That’d make him less a junior and more… a pet dog.