Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
Young People Leaving Hive - (5)

Lambert's sarcastic advice made Cornelius' face sour. The other officers watched their interaction with bated breath.

"... I-i understand. I will handle the matter of convincing Your Majesty. I will hand over the battle plan to Lieutenant General Paul and you. Discuss it properly before making a decision."

"Yes sir! Thank you for accepting my proposal! "

Cornelius waved to Lambert who wanted to stand up and salute. The other officers looked at each other and heaved a sigh of relief, glad they could avoid such a reckless battle. Neinhart felt the same way.

Neinhart quickly gathered her thoughts, and offered Cornelius:

"Sir Field Marshal, may I handle communications with the Seventh Army? There's something I'm worried about. "

"- Good. You will be the best candidate for this. I don't know what's on your mind, but don't push yourself too hard. "

With that, Cornelius rose from his chair. With that signal, Lambert ended the meeting, and all the officers left the War Room with exhausted faces.

Neinhart tidied up the documents in her hands, as she looked at the reports from the Seventh Army. It wasn't relevant to the meeting, so Neinhart didn't bring it up. The report mentions that a soldier killed Samuel, his nemesis who killed his friend Florentz during the Battle of Arschmitz.

-- That's a report from Warrant Officer Olivia.

(From reports, she's just a 15-year-old girl... It's hard to believe, but Lieutenant Colonel Otto isn't someone who would lie in intelligence reports. Anyway, I have to meet him and say thank you. )

Neinhart thought of the girl she had never met, and quietly closed the door of the war room.

*******

[Royal Army, Gallia Fortress, Lieutenant Colonel Otto's office].

A war council meeting to retake Fort Kiel is underway in the capital.

Otto calls Olivia to his office to tell her about a certain mission. However, Olivia did not appear at the appointed time. Five minutes passed, then ten, and a rhythmic creaking sound rang out from the office. The soldiers passing by in the office all tilted their heads in confusion when they heard the voice.

After 30 minutes, Olivia finally reported to Otto's room. And he saluted swiftly without guilt. Otto suppressed his displeasure and asked:

"Warrant Officer Olivia, first of all, why are you 30 minutes late?"

"Sir, the reason is because of the clock!"

"... The clock? What does this have to do with you being late? "

"Sir, I don't have a beautiful watch like Adjutant Otto, and I don't know the time accurately. That's why I'm late! "

Olivia said as she looked at the Pocket Clock on the table enviously. Otto sighed for this absurd reason, then grabbed onto his desk. He grabbed a silver Pocket Clock with a flower engraving on the cover. He opened the cover, and the red-colored second hand ticked with a fixed rhythm. Otto stared at the Pocket Clock for a moment, then threw it. The Pocket Clock was thrown arched in the air, and Olivia hurriedly caught it.

"... Huh uh?"

"I'll give you this Pocket Clock. And now, you have no reason to be late again. "

Otto lost his composure because of Olivia a few days ago. After that experience, he knew it would be better for his mental state if he gave him a Pocket Clock.

Otto gave Olivia the Pocket Clock with such a feeling in his mind, but Olivia shifted her gaze between the Pocket Clock and Otto in shock. He looked very surprised. Otto waved his hand in response to Olivia's gaze.

"Can I keep this?"

"Yes. And you should have said 'May I receive this gift?' I've told you many times to be more respectful when you talk to your boss. "

"Yes sir, sorry! I will gladly receive Otto's Adjutant Pocket Clock! "

After she said that, Olivia started playing Pocket Watch happily. He opened and closed the watch lid repeatedly. The way he plays with his new toy like a child reminds Otto of his 6-year-old daughter in the capital. After reminiscing for a while, she noticed that Olivia was looking at her face with curiosity. He seems to be too relaxed.

"S-It's almost time to start a business. Get rid of your Sakumu Clock. "

"Understanding, I'll keep it now!"

Olivia carefully kept the Pocket Clock like a treasure. Otto cleared his throat and crossed his arms.

Special missions are secret and difficult tasks given to a small group of people. There is a high risk of death, so the recipient has the right to refuse the mission.

By the way, if his mission is successfully carried out, he will definitely be promoted. Considering Olivia's personality, Otto didn't think she would reject this. And as expected, Olivia replied without hesitation:

"Understand, I don't mind. Warrant Officer Olivia will be on this special mission! "

"A good answer. Then I'll tell you the contents of your mission. Warrant Officer, I want you to lead the team and recapture Fort Lamburg. "

Otto stood up from his chair, and pointed to a dot on the map that was on the wall behind him. It was a fortress marked with X, and labeled 《leaved》. Olivia looked at the map, and slightly tilted her head.

"Isn't this castle thrown away?- Oh, no, in my opinion, it seems to be abandoned. "

Realizing she was talking casually, and quickly changed her tone. Otto sighed when he saw his giggling face, and said:

"Right, as you mentioned, this fortress was abandoned a decade ago. Now the hideout of the bandits. In other words, I want you to reclaim the fortress from the bandits. "

"Why do you take back something that has been thrown away?"

"Your expression... Never mind. Time is different now. As you know, Warrant Officer, our army is in an unfavorable position against the Imperial Army. In order to stop further attacks from the Empire, we need Fort Lamburg now. "

Otto sent several platoons to subdue the bandits at Fort Lamburg, but always ended in failure. Survivors say that most of the soldiers were killed by skilled spearmen.

(A survivor is called a survivor)

He was thinking of sending an expedition the size of a company, but it did not materialize. Large-scale operations will attract too much attention. With the empire having set eyes everywhere, he was unable to move his troops in haste, as he did not know if the empires were observing.

If the mission is discovered and the Empire learns of the existence of Fort Lamburg, they will send a unit to seize it. In the worst situation, this would strengthen the Empire's attack. After considering his options, Otto surrendered to retake Fort Lamburg.

However, the situation had changed now that Olivia was here. To deal with that skilled spear user, they only needed to send Olivia, who was probably the strongest person in the Seventh Army.

After Otto gave a detailed explanation, he asked Olivia for the final confirmation:

"- As I said, all past conquest missions failed. Do you still want to accept this mission? "

"Yes... I just need to kill all the bandits, right?"

Olivia answered dangerously, and Otto's face turned tense. He was right, so he nodded:

"Yes, simply put, that's how it is."

"I understand. By the way, do you want me to bring you the head? "

"Head?"

"Yes. Human head. "

Otto was confused suddenly he called the head. She pressured Olivia for a clearer explanation, and she said in disbelief:

"I think humans would be happy to accept decapitation from their enemies?"

Hearing that, Otto finally remembered that he presented a bag of Imperial Soldier heads when he first arrived at the fortress. Otto felt a chill around his neck, and said while shaking his head:

"- N-No, you don't need to behead them."

"Understanding, then I will retake Fort Lamburg as ordered!"

"Very good, I'm looking forward to the good news from you. You can go. "

Olivia turned around and left the office swiftly. His steps were filled with confidence, without the slightest bit of unease towards the mission. As if to prove it, Otto could hear a carefree voice outside his door saying, "Oh, I forgot to ask when I'm going to get that cake gift."

...****************...

...To Be Continue's...