“Wow…!!”
Lumina kept exclaiming in amazement. I was equally surprised, to be honest. The assigned accommodation was nearly at a 5-star hotel’s suite level.
No, honestly, it couldn’t even be compared to a suite.
Judging by the feel of it, it was as close to a king or queen’s room as you’d see in a fantasy. And there were incredibly many attendants, like a steward and maids, which made it even more impressive.
“This is a separate villa that is only allowed for distinguished guests who will have an audience with His Highness the Co-King. Please call if you need anything.”
The elderly butler with white hair bowed respectfully. Judging from how other servants and maids followed him, he seemed to be in a position like a head butler or manager.
“Then rest well.”
As the manager made a respectful bow, all the servants behind him lowered their heads in unison. Their dignity was remarkable, almost like a military parade, which made me burst out laughing involuntarily.
Crazy drill.
Without any exaggeration, it seems even more disciplined than a regiment.
‘So, the capital really is different.’
Not only the attitude of the managers, but also the splendid appearance of the accommodations assigned to our 5th Platoon played a significant role.
While the general headquarters’ front view isn’t too shabby either, it’s a whole different dimension compared to the level of a separate villa directly managed by the palace of a nation’s capital.
In the huge lounge, expensive furniture was lined up, and the wall coverings and furniture were unified in black and white, creating a very clean atmosphere.
Gemstones hung beautifully on each wall, emitting a soft light to illuminate the inside.
If you go up the well-maintained revolving staircase, you can enter a terrace connected directly to the outside.
Terrace.
I imagined raising a wine glass against the backdrop of the Milky Way painted across the sky.
Romantic, check.
“Captain!! You’re crazy!”
Among the three of us, the most excited one was none other than Lumina. Looking like an interior design enthusiast, she had already lost her composure and was dashing around the accommodation recklessly.
“Gasp…!! This painting is said to be done by Nataland’s legendary painter!? It’s not a fake, right?”
From small shelves to chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, Lumina looked around the accommodation with wide eyes. I watched her hopping around like a rabbit, then asked Bella, who stood beside me with a complex expression.
“But Sergeant Bella Meyer seems like she’s been here before somehow?”
Since arriving in Kajeif, she had been looking at the scenery with a melancholic gaze, and since entering this separate villa, she hadn’t said a word.
A gaze like returning to a long-lost hometown.
It hit the mark, as Bella scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Did it show?”
“It was hard not to notice, given your wistful look.”
“I didn’t live here, but I used to visit often. I lived around here.”
Bella said while looking at the view of Kajeif through the large window.
“If you lived around here… Did Sergeant Bella Meyer come from a noble family?”
“Yes, didn’t you know?”
“???”
What kind of nonsense is this?
Seeing my confusion, Bella also looked puzzled.
“I thought you would surely know…”
“I didn’t.”
“Wasn’t it written in your personal information?”
“…Hmm.”
I hadn’t looked at the resume after skimming through it on the first day. At that time, I just checked the special notes and moved on.
There was no need to read the paper when I could check it through the status window.
“You didn’t look closely?”
“I don’t usually pay much attention to someone’s background or status.”
“Oh… That explains it. I thought something was off about Captain’s attitude from the beginning. Finally, the mystery is solved.”
“What about the other captains?”
When I asked, Bella shrugged nonchalantly.
“Surprisingly, they come from influential families. The Meyer family. So, I’m the only one left they can grab onto for any reason.”
Ah.
I could roughly imagine what was going on. They must have struggled to use Bella’s status as a stepping stone to climb back up.
“At first, they treated me well and were nice to me alone, but as soon as they found out I wasn’t particularly important and that my family isn’t powerful, they started treating me badly.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
But why is someone from such a prominent family stuck in this remote magic battalion?
‘I still don’t see any ‘noble’ characteristic in the status window.’
Although I didn’t know the personnel details, I had been consistently checking the platoon management status window.
Nothing had changed in terms of stats or characteristics in the past month, so I hadn’t checked it recently.
“But a ‘noble’ characteristic wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere, right?”
While pondering this confusing situation, Bella waved her hand and laughed.
“Oh, forget it! It’s a good day, let’s talk about good things. Captain said yesterday…”
“Huh?”
“You shouldn’t worry too much. I haven’t been abandoned by my family, after all. I’m actually planning to meet them soon.”
“Oh…”
She seemed to think I was being overly cautious about her personal matters.
Actually, it was just a game system…
Well, since I was already possessed, what difference does a system make? Given the nature of the strategy simulation game, these detailed stories wouldn’t come up anyway.
“If Sergeant Bella Meyer is okay with it, I have some free time tomorrow. I could visit my hometown.”
“Right?”
I answered vaguely.
Of course, it was sensitive information, but I wasn’t particularly interested.
Just because Bella is a noble from a powerful family doesn’t mean beans will fall on me.
If they were going to, they would have fallen on me or another previous captain, not me.
“Alright, then let’s start unpacking now. We should go to the uniform store today to get the formal attire prepared by the battalion commander.”
“Oh!! Great!!”
Lumina, who had been darting around, rushed to pick a room upon hearing the word “formal attire.” She seemed to like it. Seeing her, Bella burst out laughing and chose another room.
Only after Bella and Lumina changed into civilian clothes did we leave the villa and enter the city.
“Wow.”
“This is… the capital, Kajeif…”
My and Lumina’s expressions were overwhelmed.
The bustling crowd and tall, beautiful buildings. The sound of carriage wheels and people’s voices filled the air.
The fragrant smells flowing from restaurants along the long street fiercely stimulated my sense of smell.
The atmosphere of a busy downtown, which I couldn’t feel while riding in a carriage, finally made me realize we had arrived in the capital of the Okhraine Duchy.
Similar to the shock I felt when I first arrived in Seoul for my military academy interview.
And since the first city I visited was the remote Chernov City, the feeling was even more intense.
I thought that city was lively and crowded, but…
The capital, Kajeif, was so massive, bustling, and complex that a single block could rival the entire city of Chernov.
No wonder Sergeant Claude Rain would hate it.
“Excuse me, Sergeant Bella? You were told to go to a clothing store, do you know the area?”
“Hehe, don’t worry. Just follow me!”
Seeing my slight confusion, Bella confirmed a small map she received and skillfully found the way to the clothing store. Despite the complex streets, Bella confidently led the way.
‘It’s been a while since she came here, but she knows the streets so well. She must have lived here for a long time.’
Considering this area is right in front of the palace or villa, it’s nearly impossible for someone who isn’t from a noble family to have frequented such places.
‘…Then why is she stuck in this magic battalion? In Haowei, a vice-officer is essentially disposable, like a soldier.’
The Meyer family would have known this. A magic battalion vice-officer is technically a ‘vice-officer,’ but in reality, they treat them like soldiers who can handle mana.
Take Sergeant Claude as an example. He enlisted as a regular soldier and later opened his mana and became a magic battalion officer. Although his rank went up, he only got promoted to a senior sergeant despite being called a war hero.
Even if it was unavoidable to send him to the army, it would be usual to send him as an officer for the sake of the family’s reputation.
Soon, various scenarios started popping up in my head.
Perhaps the family forced him into a strategic marriage and sent him to the army as punishment? Or maybe she was so bad that she needed to be locked up in the army to rehabilitate…
Other unnecessary imaginations spread, but I shook my head and quickly dismissed them.
‘That can’t be true.’
Neither scenario fits Bella Meyer well. The likelihood that her depression was related to her enlistment in the military was quite high.
While thinking about these things, I followed Lumina and Bella.
“?? What’s going on?”
The two ahead were blocked by a massive crowd. Dozens of people seemed to be watching something, shouting obscenities or throwing stones.
“Is something happening?”
Seeing the unpleasant atmosphere, I asked Lumina, who whispered back:
“It looks like they’re escorting a criminal.”
I looked up and saw a military patrol passing by. Inside the makeshift wooden jail was a man bound with iron chains.
[I am a heretic, a murderer, a mass murderer.]
Reading the words on the sign around his neck and the skull tattoo on his arm, I immediately knew the identity of the prisoner being dragged away.
A Strigoi.
A cult-like, anti-government organization that appeared randomly in the game and continued to be a serious threat to national security until the endgame.
Due to their concept as a group of corrupted black mages, they were quite powerful and difficult to eradicate, even compared to other insurgent forces like bandits or guerrillas.
‘These guys deserve public execution.’
For a moment, I felt pity. But once I confirmed his identity, he didn’t seem pitiful anymore.
During a war, if a riot breaks out suddenly in a capital or economic zone, it’s truly disastrous. If the suppression fails in time, the country could easily slip into civil war.
Recalling the times I lost due to repeated defeats in the game, I felt nothing but frustration.
‘A country like Okhraine needs stricter control. If these guys get involved, the country could be overturned in an instant.’
Just as I was about to hurry to the clothing store, Bella suddenly gasped.
“Bell Sergeant?”
“Ugh… Ugh.”
Bella’s face suddenly turned pale, and she started retching.
