"Here we are, get out."

The vehicle drove all night and arrived at the dark mountainside.

"Get off here?"

I got out of the car and looked around.

It was a forest full of trees.

Without the car's headlights, it was so dark you couldn't see an inch ahead.

It seemed the trees even blocked out the faint moonlight that illuminated the night.

"Make sure the medal recipient is well-guided, and then we are off."

"Yes! Please be careful!"

"Alright."

The car spat the two of us out and then left just like that.

I stared blankly at the taillights disappearing in the distance.

"Did they really leave us here?"

This place wasn't part of any battalion or unit.

Just as I was dumbfounded, the soldier who got out with me—

Her name was Lily, if I remember correctly.

She had already taken out a lantern and lit it.

The soft glow of the orange light shone, and under that light, she spoke.

"Shall we go then?"

The way she said it felt eerie.

I asked, "Where are we going?"

"Where else? To our unit."

"...And where exactly is that unit, the 4th Battalion?"

The driver had mentioned going near the 4th Battalion, I thought.

I guess if we’re near the 4th Battalion, we’ll walk from here.

As I was thinking that…

The soldier, Lily, spoke up.

"There is a temporary supply unit directly under the 4th Battalion."

"A supply unit... Does that mean company-sized?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"...And the medal ceremony will be held there?"

"Yes! So before you arrived, I did a lot of stitching!"

"…"

Lily gave a cold smile.

Her lips were stretched into a grin, but her eyes weren't smiling.

‘To me, it's just a sudden medal ceremony, but for them, it must be the unexpected visit of the division commander.’

That must suck.

"Well! It’s not too far from here, so let's hurry up!"

"Yes, understood."

"Everyone will welcome you."

We steadily hiked up the mountain.

The path was rough, and we couldn't see where we were going.

All I could rely on was Lily's back.

I tried hard not to misstep as we climbed for a long time.

I wondered how far we had come.

Just as the dawn light began to creep into the dark forest.

Lily shouted.

"We're almost there!"

Could her words be true?

I could see where the uphill path ended above us.

We quickened our pace and climbed further.Upon reaching the mountain summit.

"Here we are! This is our base!"

Lily proudly introduced the base.

It turned out to be farmland built on a large basin.

‘Did I see it wrong…’

Even though dawn was breaking, it was still dark, so I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I had seen it incorrectly.

But upon taking another look at the base.

There were barbed wire and barracks set up here and there, but other than that, it was all fields, just farmland.

“…Are you doing farming here?”

"Yes! It's the division commander's order."

"Soldiers are farming?"

"Yes!"

Why farming?

Receiving supplies from the rear would be more cost-effective.

I wanted to ask more questions, but seeing the lifeless look in Soldier Lily's eyes, I held my tongue.

It seemed she didn’t know why they had to farm either.

While crossing the base built in the basin after coming down from the mountain, Lily spoke up.

"Well, there is a certain sense of satisfaction, so it's not too bad!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes! Well… this isn't really what I enlisted for, though? I've grown fond of the unit in my own way."

Hmm...

I looked around the surrounding fields.

The land itself seemed quite fertile, as the crops were thriving.

But how do they transport those crops?

"How do you transport these crops? Do you use something like a transport plane?"

"I deliver them myself."

"Excuse me? Oh, I meant, what do you use to transport them and where do you take them, Senior?"

"I carry them to the truck."

"But trucks can't come in here."

"Right, that's why I carry them."

"Ah."

The atmosphere suddenly grew somber.

I continued speaking to lighten the mood.

"But isn't this the frontline? Do monsters attack here?"

"Sometimes they come from over the mountain, but there aren't many, and since everyone here is a soldier, it's easy to handle."

While having this small talk with her, we arrived in front of the barracks.

Entering the barracks, I saw the interior wasn't much different from the Academy.

'The Academy is a bit more luxurious, though.'

Not a big difference.

Anyway, we immediately went up the stairs towards the commander's office.

Just before knocking on the office door, I asked.

"It's still quite early..."

"It's fine! She'll be awake around this time."

With that, she knocked on the door.

"Private Lily and one other! Reporting to the commander's office!"

Wow… Hearing that familiar slogan, I felt as if a familiar smell hit my nose.

A damp and uncomfortable scent.

This was... the smell of the military.

‘I feel like I’ve re-enlisted.’

Suddenly, I felt unpleasant and wanted to get this over with quickly and head back.

“Come in!”

We entered the commander's office.

Inside was a woman with red hair tied back.

Her red hair, tied back, fell down to her waist.

Her bright yellow eyes had a sharp glint.

Eyes that seemed to convey determination.

Below those eyes, she wore a neatly pressed uniform.

Seeing her appearance, I felt relieved.

‘It’s not the real military, after all.’

“Oh, so you’re the Medal recipient.”

She spoke in a calm voice, scanning me up and down.

“You received a Medal at such a young age, that’s impressive.”

“No, it’s not.”

“What do you mean, it’s not? When I was your age…”

As the commander began a familiar lecture, I nearly lost consciousness.

‘I had intended to serve out my full term as a soldier…’

Perhaps it was because my military life ended on a less than positive note.

Sweat trickled down my back, making my head spin.

‘I’d prefer not to recall that past life if possible.’

The commander seemed to notice my discomfort.

“So, you haven’t slept at all on your way here, have you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“There’s an empty barracks. Why don’t you go and get some rest there?”

With that, we were dismissed for the day.

Lily and I headed towards the vacant barracks.

“I am eager to save the young ones, but why don’t these fools appreciate it?”

A middle-aged woman with snowy white hair.

She sat down and put a pipe to her lips.

With an inhale, the tobacco leaves in the pipe flared up.

-Phew...

A sigh accompanied by expelled smoke.

The office filled with it, and the middle-aged woman glanced through the mountain of documents beyond the smoke.

“The Central Government is problematic too, why do they side with those fools... can’t we just kill off the disobedient ones?”

"Human resources that maintain and bolster the economy are invaluable. I believe the Central Government is cautious, considering the potential impact on the economy."

“Nonetheless... if our 5th Division collapses, those people will suffer more than the Central Government. Why are they so eager to undermine us? If they truly wish to weaken the Central Government's influence, wouldn’t the 1st Division be more suitable?”

“The 1st Division is the Capital Defense Forces. If they dare to make any comment, it would be considered treason.”

“Wouldn't it be treason against us too? It seems like a serious act of treason...”

“Given our excessive actions, it seems they’ve chosen to frame us as loyalists pretending to worry about the government's finances.”

The woman, who was engaging with the middle-aged woman's words, paused her speech.

Lost in thought, the middle-aged woman brought the pipe back to her lips naturally.

She inhaled the smoke, then slowly exhaled as she mumbled.

“Have we really overdone it that much?”

“Yes, and because of that, the Central Government is exhibiting an especially lukewarm stance in this matter.”

“Hah... it was all necessary.”

The middle-aged woman once again placed the pipe in her mouth.

A sigh that escaped with an inhale.

A steady exhalation released an entirely white smoke.

"The government is too much. They pretend to be dying while extorting from the provinces, and yet they were in on it too... it's too much."

The middle-aged woman mumbled to herself.

By the time the office was filled with cigarette smoke, a woman who was in the same space with her opened the window wide.

It seemed she found it hard to endure the smoke.

"If I die, it's the Division Commander's fault."

"Hehe... it doesn't matter, I'll die first."

"...It's unfair. Remember that your rank insignia will fall off if you die."

"Scary."

While they were exchanging small talk, the woman who noticed the dawn remarked, "Oh, come to think of it, it's about time for the Academy cadet to arrive at the unit."

"Has it already come to that? Did you send the official document?"

Hearing the Division Commander's words, the woman walked to the Secretariat's desk, picked up the papers, and said, "Yes, I have indeed sent it. It states that, in anticipation of a Magical Creature's offensive, the entire unit should retreat thoroughly and join the 4th Battalion."

"Good, with this, the first step is complete."

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