Chapter 1 – A Rapidly Closing Distance
1
The Provisional Elite Corps won a brilliant victory against Marquis Rigel’s army, granting us a brief moment of rest.
That said, with the battle against the Reshfeld Kingdom looming in two months, we couldn’t let our guard down completely.
The Empire, before my regression, had allowed the Kingdom’s army to invade far too easily. This time, I would absolutely stop them. I swore to myself that I would erase the gloomy future I knew was waiting, and let out a long sigh.
I’d planned to stay focused today, to dedicate myself to my duties from morning till night.
Or so I had thought.
But when I looked around, all I saw was a sea of people and an air of complete abandon.
“Yeeeeah! Is everyone fired up?!”
“UWOOAAAAAAAHHH!”
“Alright! The party’s just getting started! Keep drinking, all of you!”
“UWOOAAAAAAAHHH!”
At the center of the cheering soldiers, leading the chant, was Steano, his face bright red.
In his right hand was a large glass tankard full of ale; in his left, a platter piled high with food.
The soldiers gathered around him were just as ecstatic, raising their own bottles and plates to the sky.
“Alright, to celebrate the first victory of the Provisional Elite Corps…!”
“CHEERS!”
They’ve got way too much energy, considering we just finished a battle.
The celebration for the Provisional Elite Corps’ first victory was still going strong, even as the time neared midnight.
“Honestly, what are they doing…”
Normally, I’d be holed up in my office working at this hour. If Steano hadn’t told me, “Aldia, your attendance is mandatory!” I probably wouldn’t have even shown my face.
“Hey, Steano! That’s too much food! Other people want to eat, you know?”
“Ow, ow, ow! I’ll put it down! I’ll put it down, so stop kicking me…!”
“You idiot, learn some restraint, Steano!”
“Petra, you learn to control your strength! You’re gonna break my bone! Aaaah…!”
“Hahaha! What’re those two doing?”
“Hey, looks like they’re having a lovers’ quarrel over here!”
“Kinda looks fun.”
“It’s a party! Let’s get rowdy, too!”
“Yeah!”
Despite a few moments that bordered on a riot, the atmosphere was generally peaceful and good-natured.
It was a scene so tranquil it was hard to believe we’d all just come from a brutal battlefield.
“Sir Aldia, are you drinking?!”
I was quietly watching the lively celebration from a seat at the edge of the room when a few soldiers staggered over to me.
“Ah, no… I still have work to do.”
I gave my usual excuse with a polite smile, but not a single one of them was listening.
“Don’t say that! Come on, come on, have a drink with us!”
“Yeah, yeah! Everyone in the Provisional Elite Corps is talking about your incredible performance, Sir Aldia!”
“You’re one of the stars of the show! I can’t stand seeing you just watching all lonely-like from the corner!”
“Dude… you’re slurring your words.”
“So are you!”
“Haha, you’re not wrong!”
Drunkards… and very, very drunk ones at that.
They reeked of alcohol, completely intoxicated by the drink and the mood.
“Sir Aldia, you’re our hero! You gotta act the part!”
The fact they could spout such nonsense without a shred of embarrassment was proof of just how drunk they were.
“You’re exaggerating. This was a victory earned by everyone in the Provisional Elite Corps.”
“Why be so modest? You and General Ritziareite are the two great pillars of the corps!”
Except… I’m not actually a member of the Provisional Elite Corps.
“I appreciate the praise, but there’s someone else who contributed even more to the corps’ success.”
“You mean General Ritziareite!”
“Yes. Her command is what gave the corps its momentum and kept our casualties to a minimum.”
Without Ritziareite, it would have taken me much longer to deal with that powerful enemy. I was only able to defeat that monster so quickly because of her support. The entire army moved so effectively because she was constantly giving precise orders as their commander.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen General Ritziareite around for a bit…”
“Ah, yeah. She’s supposed to be at the party, but…”
As if just remembering, they all scanned the hall.
Sure enough, she was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh… where could she be?”
“The buffet tables are crowded… but… yeah. Don’t see her.”
“Mia and Fadi are over there playing with the dragon mount, but no General Ritziareite.”
Knowing Ritziareite, she’s probably slipped out to go do some work.
Just as I was imagining her diligent figure, I felt a sudden tap on my back.
Huh?
I turned to look, and there she was—Ritziareite, the very person we’d been talking about.
“…Eh? Um…”
“Shh… The others will notice.”
Why is she hiding?
Hiding behind me, Ritziareite gently tugged on the hem of my clothes.
“I’m sorry. Please, come with me.”
For some reason, her eyes were pleading for help.
2
“Hey, where’d Sir Aldia go!?”
“Seriously? Aw, man. I wanted to have a drink with him…”
“Can’t be helped. He said he still had work to do.”
“Alright! Let’s drink his share, too! I heard this whole party’s on the house!”
“Yeah! Let’s party till we drop!”
“Hey! Taking care of you guys is a pain, so try to pace yourselves!”
“Seriously. At least try to slow down.”
“Oh, I’m gonna go see Petra!”
“Then I’ll go talk to Captain Ambros.”
As their attention shifted away from me, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Listening to the voices of the soldiers enjoying the party, I whispered to Ritziareite, who was still hiding behind me.
“So, General Ritziareite… what are you doing hiding back here?”
She was crouched in a blind spot of the hall, looking utterly exhausted.
“I’m sorry… I’m not very good at this sort of thing.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t fitting in with that crowd either.”
“That’s a relief to hear.”
She patted her chest, looking relieved.
“To be honest… I’m not a strong drinker. But since they went to the trouble of inviting me, I thought I should at least attend. But then…”
She put her hands on the ground, leaning forward as she muttered.
“It turned into ‘You’re the guest of honor, you have to drink!’... and I couldn’t find a way to refuse.”
Ah. I see. So that’s why she was hiding.
She didn’t want to ruin the celebratory mood, but she couldn’t drink, and was at her wit’s end. That seemed to be it.
“I know exactly how you feel.”
In that atmosphere, it’s definitely hard to say no. I’d been surrounded by those happy soldiers myself, wondering what to do. It must have been even more uncomfortable for her.
With that in mind, I offered her my hand.
“Sir… Aldia…?”
“Why don’t we just slip out of here?”
“Eh?”
“I get the feeling neither of us is particularly fond of loud places.”
“That… is certainly true.”
The hall was in high spirits. The soldiers had forgotten the battle, drunk on joy, and were having the time of their lives.
But it’s only normal that some people would find that revelry overwhelming. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about.
“They all seem to be having fun, but it’s exhausting to force yourself to match that energy, isn’t it?”
“But… is it really okay?”
“I think so. It’s never good to force things.”
She looked up at my face, then slowly took my hand.
“If you say so, Sir Aldia… Very well. I’ll accept your offer.”
“Then, let’s go.”
We had no particular destination.
We just turned our backs on the venue in search of somewhere quiet and calm.
It was dark outside, and the streets were mostly empty.
“Um… are you free, for the rest of the evening?”
Ritziareite asked me this once we were well away from the hall and no one else was around.
I couldn’t see her expression clearly in the dark, but I thought I saw her ears turn slightly red.
…That’s rare.
“Personally, you mean?”
“Yes. We left the celebration, but… I’ve been wanting to talk with you personally for a while now, Sir Aldia.”
“Is that so?”
I rarely had the chance to speak with her about anything other than work.
And she had helped me so much during the battle with Marquis Rigel.
“…Is that… not okay?”
Ritziareite looked down, her voice trembling slightly.
She was someone I would continue to trust with my back in the fight to protect Princess Valtrune.
I couldn’t possibly refuse a request from her.
“I understand. I’m at your service for the rest of the day, General Ritziareite.”
“Really!?”
“Of course.”
Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she squeezed my hand tightly.
“Er, well, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
I could feel her warmth through our clasped hands. As she tugged on my hand, I quietly followed her lead.
“…We’re here. Let’s go in.”
The place Ritziareite had led me to was a tavern in one of Aldan’s city districts.
Unlike the hall we’d just left, this place had a calm, settled atmosphere.
“Do you come here often, General Ritziareite?”
When I asked, she knit her brows in a slightly troubled way.
“No. As I said, I’m not a strong drinker… I came here a few times with a close friend, back then. It’s… a place with a few memories.”
“Is that right…”
“Yes.”
Ritziareite gazed at the shop, looking nostalgic.
“It’s been a while…”
This shop was clearly a special place for her.
A close friend, huh…
I’d never seen her speak familiarly with anyone who looked like a friend.
Ritziareite was always all-business; she never seemed to enjoy her time off like a normal woman.
Every day, she was the general, holding the Provisional Elite Corps together, always on edge. Maybe that was why her current, gentle profile seemed so incredibly rare.
“I never thought I’d come to this shop again…”
“What?”
“Ah, n-nothing! I’m sorry, that was strange of me. It’s just… I grew distant from that friend. So coming here again… it feels very strange…”
Ritziareite tried to brush it off, flustered, but I could see sadness and loneliness welling in her eyes.
“I really… I wonder why,” she murmured, forcing a smile and looking down, as if to say she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“…It’s a quiet place. A nice atmosphere.”
“Yes. It is,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. In that moment, she seemed far more mature than usual.
Was it really okay for her to come to a place with such personal memories with someone like me?
I’d always thought our relationship was purely professional, far from anything more.
I voiced my thoughts as Ritziareite silently stared at the tavern.
“Are you sure this is okay? Coming to such a memorable place with me?”
But she looked at me with such gentle eyes.
“I came here because I was with you, Sir Aldia.”
“Because you were with me?”
“Yes. To be honest, I wouldn’t even consider going for a drink alone with a man, if it wasn’t you. I trust you, Sir Aldia. And I respect you.”
It was a way of speaking completely devoid of deception. So very like her.
“Thank you. I trust and respect you as well, General Ritziareite. We’re quite similar, in a way.”
“You might be right,” she said, her long, beautiful brown hair swaying as she smiled naturally.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
Ritziareite opened the door and then looked back at me, as I was still standing there. The bright light from within the tavern illuminated her profile, and for a moment, her expression looked faintly alluring.
“Sir Aldia?”
“…Sorry. I’m coming.”
Her tone of voice was so soft.
It was impossible not to see her as different from the serious, rigid general I was used to.
“Your face is red… Are you feeling unwell?”
“No. I’m fine, please don’t worry about it.”
I couldn’t meet her gaze. A strange bashfulness filled my chest.
This feeling… it must be ‘affection.’
A sense of closeness for the woman who’d fought alongside me to defeat a powerful enemy.
I respected her stoic attitude toward her work, and more than anything, I found that I felt… calm, when I was with her.
“Sir Aldia, today… um… let’s enjoy ourselves!”
The moment Ritziareite smiled at me, I found her gentle gaze deeply endearing.
To be able to talk like this with the formidable enemy I once lost…
I felt incredibly happy to have been given this time.
Join the Discussion