After leaving the Sabbatian Special Economic Zone, my fun and peaceful two-week leave came to an end.
I switched my mindset and returned to the capital, Winn, with renewed determination.
"It's been a while, Sergeant Gavel."
"Oh, you made it back safely."
The first thing I did upon arriving in Winn was greet Sergeant Gavel.
When I inquired about his whereabouts within the military, I was told he was studying in the military academy library during the day.
"I was relieved. I was worried you might have been caught by human traffickers again and turned into dried fish."
"You mean the first time we met?"
"At that time, I thought you were just a skinny orphan… I never expected you'd outrank me."
Even during his leave, he was striving to become a better commander.
That high level of ambition is something we should all aspire towards.
"Where are you planning to stay after this, Touri?"
"I've arranged to borrow a room in the military academy's dormitory."
"What, are you planning to stay there?"
I still had a few days left of my leave after returning to Winn.
During this time, I applied to borrow a room at the military academy.
There are training facilities here, so I thought it would also be a good opportunity to get back in shape.
…However, Sergeant Gavel said:
"If you don't have a place to stay, come stay at my place."
"Your house, Sergeant Gavel?"
"The beds at the military academy stink and are filthy, you know? Since it's your leave, you should sleep somewhere nice."
Sergeant Gavel invited me to stay at his house.
"Wouldn't that be a bother?"
"It's fine, we have extra rooms. Besides, Grandpa is your guardian."
"That's very kind of you."
"Don't be shy, come and stay as if it were your own home."
Come to think of it, Sergeant Gavel is Renvel's grandson.
Considering that, I should probably greet his family as well.
"My mother will be happy to welcome you too."
"Well, if it's not a bother."
It's a kind offer, and I have no reason to refuse.
"Alright, follow me."
"Thank you."
Thus, I ended up spending the rest of my vacation at Sergeant Gavel's house.
***
"Lieutenant Touri Lowe. It's an honor to meet you."
"H-Hello. It's nice to meet you."
Following Sergeant Gavel, I was led to a grand mansion surrounded by an imposing iron fence.
It is a magnificent mansion in a prime location in the capital.
"Welcome back, sir. Is the person behind you a guest?"
"Yes, this is the renowned hero."
"Is that so?"
An elderly man was standing at the gate and welcomed us with a smile.
He was a short, bent-over man who looked like a kind grandfather.
"It is an honor to meet you, Touri-sama. I work as a butler in this house."
"A butler?
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
He was the butler employed by Sergeant Gavel's family.
Seeing a real butler made me feel quite excited inside.
"Are you not used to seeing butlers?"
"I have never had the chance since I grew up in an orphanage."
"I see. You may think of me as a sort of servant."
In this era, distinguished households often hired butlers.
Especially in military families, where men were often absent, a butler was essential.
"In addition to myself, there are several other servants. Please feel free to ask for anything, Touri-sama."
"Thank you very much for your consideration."
Sergeant Gavel's family is a distinguished military family.
They have produced many high-ranking military officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Renvel.
In other words, they are an upper-class family capable of hiring a butler.
"…"
"What are you looking around for?"
"Oh, nothing."
I looked around, wondering, "If there are butlers, does that mean there are maids too?"
However, I only saw a few people wearing suits or farmer's clothes, but no maids.
"The people cleaning the garden over there are our servants. The one in the kitchen is the chef."
"Oh, I see."
Noticing my curiosity, Sergeant Gavel introduced the household staff with a slight smile.
I didn't look any further because I thought it would be rude to look around the house too much.
"Touri-sama, is this your first time visiting a mansion like this?"
"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
"Oh right, you're from an orphanage. People might tease you if you keep looking around too much."
"I'm sorry."
I later learned that, at that time, maids were often treated as sex slaves.
Apparently, orphans like myself who were caught by human traffickers and sold would become maids.
In other words, only low-class houses employed such maids.
I had no knowledge of such things back then.
"Then, I will show you to your room."
"Thank you, Mr. Butler."
I'm grateful for my reserved nature.
It would have been extremely rude if I had asked, "Doesn't this house have any maids?"
***
"It's an honor to be dining with a national hero."
That evening, they held a party to welcome me.
I was greeted by Sergeant Gavel's mother, who was dressed in a gorgeous dress, and took my seat with some trepidation.
…It was a good thing I had my ceremonial uniform with me; I would definitely have stood out in civilian clothes.
"Please, don't be so tense. Make yourself comfortable."
"Th-Thank you."
The food served was so extravagant it was hard to believe it was wartime.
However, I struggled with using the fork and knife, making eating quite a challenge.
Looking sideways, I tried to imitate Sergeant Gavel's movements, attempting to blend in.
…I almost forgot, but he's also a son of an upper-class family.
"I've heard the rumors about you, Lieutenant Touri. You're the hero who performed miracles many times and saved Austin."
"Your praise is too generous."
Sergeant Gavel's mother was a very dignified woman.
Although she was slender, she had sharp eyes and an unfathomable aura.
"I've heard you've been a great help to my son. I am extremely grateful."
"No, it's rather Sergeant Gavel who has been helping me…"
"Feel free to use him as you like. He is prepared to lay down his life for the country."
After talking for a while, I suddenly felt that Sergeant Gavel's mother was similar to Aria.
She was a stern, serious woman, fitting the description of a "heroine."
I imagine Aria would have grown up to be similar to her.
"The battles ahead will be tough. We are very fortunate to have a commander like you in Austin."
"Thank you."
"Let's toast to this good fortune tonight."
It turns out that she is Aria's older sister by three years.
She is a former soldier herself who has now retired to take care of her family.
And her husband… Sergeant Gavel's father is still a frontline commander.
"What do you think about the current state of the war, Touri?"
"Umm, well, I'm just a frontline soldier and am not very knowledgeable about the big picture."
"This is just a casual conversation. It's fine if it's something everyone knows."
During the dinner, she shared many things with me.
"Touri, what do you think is Austin's biggest weakness right now?"
"Hmm, I think it's that we're lacking in soldiers."
"Exactly. Unfortunately, there's no easy solution for that."
Her father is Lieutenant Colonel Renvel, Austin's Commander-in-Chief.
She likely knew various confidential details through him.
"Most of the soldiers conscripted this year have just turned 15. They are a bit too young for the battlefield."
"Yes."
"Continually plucking the young will eventually deplete the population, leading to the nation's collapse."
It seemed she was telling me these things deliberately.
She spoke of things that ordinary people wouldn't know as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"If, hypothetically, there was an immediate solution to the soldier shortage, what would it be?"
"…Reinforcements. We would need to request reinforcements from our ally, the Sabbath Federation."
"True, that's one option."
She smiled slightly at my answer.
"If allied reinforcements come, it would certainly solve the shortage."
"Yes."
"The only major powers capable of sending reinforcements nearby are Flamer, Aerys, and the Sabbath. There are also a few smaller countries scattered around, but they don't have much military power."
Currently, these four countries are the main military powers around Austin.
There are a few small countries scattered in between, but their military power is negligible.
"What if we offered to provide technology from Austin and approached a small country to form a military alliance?"
"With the surrounding countries?"
"Yes. In exchange for providing troops, we will hand over territory and technology. Do you think this would work?"
Indeed, even soldiers from small countries could be useful if they were armed with guns.
The reason they are not a considerable fighting force is because they still fight with swords and spears.
But teaching them to handle firearms would certainly make them a force to consider.
Still…
"…Do they have a reason to fight?"
"I think they might."
"You think so?"
Most surrounding countries have declared "neutrality" in the war.
The front lines are in a stalemate, and it's unclear who will win.
I guess he didn't want to get involved in the hell that would come his way if he didn't take part properly.
"Flamel is also a country that has incurred resentment."
Sergeant Gavel's mother said this with a fearless smile.
It's true that some of the small surrounding countries may harbor grudges against Flamel.
The government is promising to provide technology to these countries to encourage them to join the war.
"If that doesn't happen, Austin has no future."
As she said, without involving the small powers, Austin cannot win.
The Austin government is probably desperately engaged in various diplomatic strategies.
"While Sabbath's reinforcements would be the most helpful…"
"That's not realistic. There's still some bad blood."
"Exactly. …We are only allied with the Sabbath because of common interests."
Honestly, we can't expect any reinforcements from the Sabbath.
Although Remi supports Austin, the war against Flamer and Aerys is a fire on the other side of the river for them.
They might support Austin, but they have no reason to take such a risk.
"…It would mean dragging peaceful countries into war."
"It's a path they're choosing for themselves."
Therefore, the most realistic reinforcements for Austin would come from the small neighboring countries.
However, if this diplomatic strategy works, many innocent lives will be sent to the battlefield.
…Is that really the right thing to do?
"If Major Bern Valou hadn't made such a fool of himself, we wouldn't have had to beg the favor of other countries."
"You know Major Bern?"
"Yes. He's an enemy who stands in the way of my husband's career advancement."
She said this jokingly, and then we dropped the topic of the war.
"Let's stop talking about things that will make the food taste bad. Lieutenant Touri, how about some of our house's specialty soup?"
"Thank you, I'd love to try it."
I felt that much of the conversation involved a lot of military secrets, but I chose not to dwell on it.
Perhaps she shared this information as a gesture of goodwill.
***
Thus, I ended up staying at Sergeant Gavel's house.
The guest room I was shown to was luxurious and spacious to the point of being almost embarrassing.
There was a bed big enough for two or three people to lie down on, luxurious-looking furniture, and for some reason a piano in the center of the room.
…This room looks like it's meant for state guests or VIPs.
"Hey Touri, are you awake?"
"Yes. Good morning, Sergeant Gavel."
Though I felt somewhat guilty for using such a room, it was incredibly comfortable.
The bed was so fluffy that it almost felt wrong to use it.
It was the first time in my life that I had ever slept in such a good environment. I absolutely woke up feeling great in the morning.
"Touri, you have been summoned."
"Summoned?"
However, the next morning, an event occurred that overshadowed the excellent wake-up.
An emergency summons was delivered to me.
"Did something happen?"
"I don't know."
The seal on the document was from General Staff Headquarters.
Even though it was my leave, I had to respond to the summons.
Well, if it was necessary, they could call me, but…
"But, um, the name of the sender is…"
"Ugh."
For soldiers, orders from superiors are absolute.
There's no room for defiance; one must carry out orders without letting personal feelings interfere.
I understand this very well, but…
"Major Bern Valou…?"
Seeing the name of the sender, I couldn't help but look up to the heavens.
The name written was of someone I could say I detest more than anyone else in the world.
"Why is Major Bern in Winn's General Staff Headquarters?"
"He apparently returned for medical treatment."
"I see…"
A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps formed.
"Sergeant Gavel, about that…"
"Sorry, I haven't been summoned."
"No way…"
The signature of Major Bern Valou, shining in glossy gold.
In front of that document, all I could do was grimace.