Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
Strongest Chess Pieces - (7)

"How should I say this, she's really a strange girl."

As Olivia moved further away, Neinhart made her comment. The girl was not as she had imagined in every way.

"Colonel Neinhart, please don't mind him. He just lacks common sense and proper upbringing. "

Otto said angrily, and was probably still upset that his hand holding his cup shook slightly. Neinhart could not help but smile at the annoyed look of this always calm man. When Otto realized it, he glared at Neinhart with a sharp gaze, which made Neinhart's face stiffen.

"What do you think, Colonel Neinhart. He's a cute kid, isn't he? "

In contrast to Otto, Paul asked with a gentle smile. Neinhart did not know how to answer, and replied with a warm smile. Paul probably thinks of him as a grandson. In fact, Neinhart heard that Paul's granddaughter was this age.

And of course, Neinhart didn't mind him looking sweet. If she dressed up with some accessories, Neinhart would not suspect if someone said she was the daughter of a noble family. If he attended the party, the gazes of the men would definitely be on him. And of course, the women would be jealous afterwards.

(I did something very rude when I imagined he was a burly man.)

Neinhart smiled awkwardly in her heart, then grabbed the tea on the table. Currently in the Kingdom, even ordinary drinks like tea were now a luxury item. Affected by economic barriers by Sutherland on the grounds of poor harvests, they had to rely on illegal smuggling.

Neinhart took a sad sip of her tea, and noticed that Otto had overcome his anger. Otto massaged his red hand, recalled the previous conversation and asked:

"By the way, don't you want to thank the Warrant Officer?"

"Yes, I was planning to do it, but the Warrant Officer left an impression that was too influential, so I couldn't find an opportunity to speak."

"Should I call him again?"

"... It's okay, you don't have to go that far, save it for another day. And I think his mind is probably busy with cake right now. "

After saying that, Neinhart realized that she had misspoken. As expected, Otto nagged, "That's all because you overindulged him, Your Majesty." as he glared at Paul. But Paul was not at all bothered, and even leaned heavily onto the sofa and enjoyed the cigars.

"Ajudan Otto, don't be so grumbling. Your plan was a success probably only because Warrant Officer Olivia took back Fort Lamburg. If you continue reprimanding him, what would you do if he ran away to join the Imperial Army? "

"Ugh, w-well..."

Paul's words were right about the painful spot, and Otto's eyes became very dark. He probably felt that the situation was quite reasonable.

Desertion was a problem that plagued the Royal Army. Desertion was one thing, but there were quite a number who joined the Empire instead. There was a ridiculous case where the entire platoon left their post and joined the Imperial Army.

(Desertion: escape from his duties and position gapake pamit.)

To warn against future violations, all defectors were immediately executed.

They were crucified, burned alive, or even executed by guillotine.

Despite these examples, many soldiers who defected were still at risk of death.

On the other hand, executing soldiers left in public only increased the unhappiness that citizens felt towards the Royal Army, which was ironic. It was regrettable, but the Royal Army was in a precarious situation.

Neinhart recalled Olivia's happy face as she ate her cake.

According to reports related to Olivia, she joined the Royal Army voluntarily. He had even brought along many Imperial Warrior heads as gifts. With that in mind, Neinhart felt that what Paul said was impossible for her to happen.

Even so, there was no guarantee that he would not betray them. From that reckless attitude, he was clearly unpatriotic. And he doesn't seem to be enlisting soldiers with the intention of becoming famous.

Olivia gave the impression that if the Imperial Army bribed her with a mountain of cookies, she would immediately turn around.

The question that suddenly popped into his mind made Neinhart hold her chin while thinking hard.

The kingdom was like a collapsed tower, and it was no wonder that every moment it collapsed. With Olivia's abilities, she would be treated even better if she joined the Imperial Army. It was inappropriate to say this, given Neinhart's position, but she was unable to understand why she joined the Kingdom and not the Empire.

Lieutenant Colonel Otto, have you ever asked Officer Olivia why she joined the army?

Neinhart asked Otto who had a bitter face like her. Normally, the military would not ask a soldier the reason they signed up. The army only needed to know if the soldier could fight.

However, Olivia who had extraordinary marital prowess was an exception. Neinhart felt that the cautious Otto would definitely ask her that.

"... I did ask, but I got a nonsensical answer ... Officer Waran said this was a way for him to find 'Z'."

Feeling glad Otto did not betray his expectations, Neinhart continued and asked:

"So he joined the army to find someone?"

Seems like.

"Indeed searching for someone would be easier with an army information network... But Z, yeah. What a unique name. What kind of person is he? "

"It sounds absurd, but the Z meant by the Warrant Officer is the 'God of Death'."

"- huh? Death angel? The one who holds the sickle? "

Neinhart made a sickle move, and Otto nodded with a bitter face. The skeleton with a tattered robe that held a scythe was truly famous. There may be variations among the author's descriptions, all of which are about the same.

"It's ridiculous."

"... Hmm, that's right..."

Otto mutters.

(Hmm? His attitude seems unclear.)

When he saw Otto stroking his chin, a question came to Neinhart's mind.

"I don't think that's possible, but Lieutenant Colonel Otto, do you think that's true?"

"Let's forget about believing it for now.Of course, no one will make up an outrageous lie. I also thought it was too ridiculous at first. "

Unable to reach his own conclusions, it was rare to see Otto so troubled. Neinhart also did not know what to say, and only admitted it faintly. Paul was unaware of the matter, and simply smiled full of intrigue and said, "So, he is looking for the God of Death."

(It's unexpected. Is the God of Death a metaphor? From what I heard, he was looking for someone-whether it was someone or not, that was the reason he joined the Royal Army. But ...)

Neinhart was about to think further, but the documents on the table entered her view. There were a lot of problems she had to deal with, and did not have time to think about Olivia's words.

Neinhart took a deep breath, and grabbed the documents on the table.

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

...To Be Continue's...