chapter 2
When I lowered my head weakly, Louise studied me for a moment, then closed her mouth.
I washed my hands under the running water. Blood flowed down between my fingers. I could still feel Louise’s gaze on me.
“For the record, I wrote that I’d be in charge of the Hergen barracks—you know, you specifically.”
“……”
When I remained silent, Louise leaned against me and lightly bumped my arm.
“I did well, right?”
My hands tightened around the white cloth I was washing. Arthur came to mind. I barely managed to suppress my emotions as I replied.
“Thank you.”
“You need to work somewhere like that to pull yourself together, at least a little.”
“……You knew?”
“The letter from above was obvious. Honestly, I don’t even hope for letters from my family anymore. It’s easier on the heart when there’s no news at all.”
I nodded dully. For a moment, there were no voices.
Louise was usually very talkative. Finding it strange, I raised my head—she was hesitating, watching me.
When our eyes met, she looked away awkwardly.
“Sorry. I spoke without thinking again.”
“No. It already happened anyway.”
Something surged up inside me, but I bit down on my lip and held it back. Louise watched me for a moment. The sound of the water felt unusually loud. I pretended nothing was wrong and continued washing the white cloth.
Then Louise stood up.
“Well, I’ll get going. Lunch is always close to the ration counter, okay?”
When I nodded, Louise waved her hand and headed off elsewhere.
I watched her back for a moment, then let out a sigh and turned off the tap.
It was already past lunchtime, yet the cafeteria was crowded. Louise was already sitting near the ration counter.
As I pushed through the people toward her, she looked up with a bright smile.
“Delyn, you’re late today.”
“I was organizing the medicine supplies.”
“Isn’t that Senneville’s responsibility?”
“It is, but everyone looked busy.”
In truth, being assigned to the Hergen barracks meant I had less work than others. After all, there was only one person I was responsible for.
Louise nodded, but her lips twisted slightly. She stirred her pea soup and muttered,
“Senneville wouldn’t help you no matter how busy you are. The others are the same.”
“I know. But if Senneville messes up the medicine organization, I’ll suffer later when I need to find something.”
“That’s true… but maybe they leave it messy on purpose. Because they know you’ll come in and fix it later.”
I had nothing to say to that. More than once, I’d organized the supplies out of sheer frustration, only to find them in even worse condition afterward—as if someone had deliberately undone my work.
As I sat there holding my spoon, Louise added,
“Anyway, don’t do that anymore. You organizing things for them just makes them feel safe slacking off.”
“…….”
“They need to get scolded by the lieutenant someday to come to their senses.”
I nodded and looked down at my tray. The pea soup was unusually thin today, and the bread was pitifully small.
Then an old woman at the ration counter placed two apples on my tray. Louise smiled brightly and greeted her.
“Mrs. Pelly, thank you as always.”
“Well, it’s only because there was leftover food from the officers today. Eat plenty—you work hard.”
Mrs. Pelly patted my back. It was a pretty rough hit, and my back stung slightly. Forcing a smile, I slipped one apple into my pocket.
Louise quickly picked up the other apple and took a big bite.
“Wow, this is the taste.”
Then she glanced around.
“The officers seem absent today. Is it because of the Whiterly battle?”
“A lot of soldiers were brought in this time, so there’s probably a lot to report to headquarters.”
Louise nodded, then suddenly smiled.
“Delyn, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“They say the soldiers who died in the western border region of Elfer are going to be interred in the Imperial Memorial Park.”
“I hadn’t heard that.”
“Then the deputy chaplain will probably mention it later. That’s where I heard it too.”
Only officers and above were usually allowed to be buried in the Imperial Memorial Park. I couldn’t understand the Empire’s intentions—sending my younger brother into a brutal battlefield, only to do this now.
Just because many people died in a battle, interring them there made no sense.
The Empire had never cared before, no matter how many died.
“Why would they put them in the Imperial Memorial Park?”
When I asked, Louise said as she picked peas out of her soup,
“Apparently the Commander-in-Chief’s child died in that battle too.”
“……”
“So they probably felt awkward burying only their own child there, and decided to make a show of it.”
“Wasn’t the Commander-in-Chief’s child an officer?”
“They volunteered for combat without even graduating from the military academy. And they did it without their father knowing.”
Louise shook her head and continued,
“Anyway, with the Commander-in-Chief pulling strings, that’s probably why this exception happened.”
My hand holding the spoon trembled slightly. I wondered if being buried in the Imperial Memorial Park was a blessing—but if the Commander-in-Chief’s child hadn’t died, none of this would have happened. The thought left me feeling utterly hollow.
“By the way, how is he?”
Louise smiled, different from before.
“Who?”
“The handsome officer you’re in charge of.”
Her voice was overly cheerful. Only then did I think of him. Come to think of it, I was supposed to deliver his lunch myself. If another ration soldier went, it could raise unnecessary questions.
As I hurriedly glanced around, Louise asked,
“Is something wrong?”
“I was wondering if the ration soldiers already went.”
“You have to take it yourself? Is it that serious?”
I stared at the watery soup for a moment, then nodded. Louise looked at me worriedly.
“I thought having just one patient would make things easier, but I guess it’s still hard in its own way. Especially since he’s an officer.”
“Still, it’s only one person.”
It really was better than caring for many patients at once—even if that one person was the enemy.
As I scanned the room again, someone who looked like a ration soldier emerged carrying several trays. I quickly said to Louise,
“I should get going.”
“You’re not eating more bread?”
She called after me, but I waved my hand and headed toward the ration soldier.
The cart he was pushing had trays neatly lined up, each labeled with a name.
Recalling the name from the personal file I’d seen earlier, I asked,
“Is there a meal tray for Captain Kall?”
The bespectacled ration soldier looked at me. I quickly explained,
“His condition isn’t good, so I think I’ll need to bring his meals directly from now on.”
“Are there any foods he must avoid?”
The ration soldier pulled out a notebook. After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.
“There’s nothing he can’t eat.”
The ration soldier nodded and bent forward, scanning the stacked trays. A moment later, he handed me a tray with fruit and meat.
“Captain Kall’s meal.”
“Thank you. I’ll come collect his tray myself from now on.”
As I took the tray, the ration soldier nodded and scribbled something in his notebook. I immediately headed toward the Hergen barracks.
As I walked briskly, a gunshot rang out—bang. I’d heard it countless times before, but when it came suddenly, my shoulders still flinched. My heart pounded harder than before.
My grip on the tray tightened, but I forced myself not to dwell on it and continued toward the barracks.
The soldier guarding the entrance saw me and opened the door. Inside, the barracks looked much the same as before.
The only difference was that the lid of the painkillers on the makeshift bedside table was missing, the pills scattered messily around.
I checked on him—he seemed either asleep or barely conscious, barely moving.
I set the tray down on the table. When I glanced at his leg and side, they were soaked with blood.
It looked like a lot of blood was coming from his side, so I quickly sat down there.
When I removed the cloth I’d layered on top to change it, the black arrowhead appeared once again.
My hands hesitated for a moment, but I quickly rewrapped the bandage and stood up.
Jet-black hair, eyes calmly shut, legs that reached all the way to the end of the makeshift bed. He resembled my younger brother, yet was so very different.
If my brother were still alive, I would never be doing something like this.
Saving an enemy soldier.
Even now, it felt like a dangerous thing to do.
At that moment, voices murmuring outside grew louder. I hurriedly prepared to leave. Just as I finished arranging the cloth and turned around—
The barracks door opened, and the platoon leader entered. I bowed my head in a hurry. Behind him, Deputy Chaplain Aiden fixed his gaze on me. The platoon leader asked,
“How is the captain’s condition?”
“He’s seriously wounded, but his life is not in immediate danger.”
“That’s a relief. Headquarters has been quite worried. Someone from headquarters will be coming down soon.”
At the word headquarters, my heart trembled. If they took over his treatment in earnest, both he—and I—could be in danger.
Seeing my stiff expression, the platoon leader spoke lightly.
“It’s not like he’s someone we’ll be hosting long-term. This is a fierce battlefield, and someone of a captain’s rank won’t stay here indefinitely.”
He looked at the man lying there, then back at me.
“Until someone arrives from headquarters, do your best.”
“Yes.”
The platoon leader nodded and turned away. It seemed he had come only to check the man’s condition.
Aiden looked at me and spoke quietly.
“May I ask you to step outside for a moment?”
In an instant, my heart began to pound.
What does he know?
