Chapter 5

…

Wyverns were already familiar to her.

She had memorized their habits by heart and had even participated in several dissection exercises.

Even so, seeing one in the flesh inevitably made her tense.

Sensing her unease, Private First Class Marcel spoke in a quiet voice.

“That’s an Imperial Army reconnaissance wyvern. They’re intimidating, but they usually just observe and leave. They rarely attack, so you should be fine.”

Aethlyn felt her cheeks grow warm.

She’d become an officer, yet she’d let a soldier see her lose her composure.

She felt pathetic.

“…I didn’t ask, Private.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

That ended the conversation, and silence settled over the jeep.

Aethlyn fixed her gaze straight ahead and steeled herself.

‘There’s no need to be afraid. I’ve trained for this. If I follow what I learned, dealing with something like that won’t take long.’

The Pharos border region.

The Golden Battalion of the 13th Corps was stationed in the Republic of Esta’s forward trench network.

Three years had passed since the standoff between the Barbaros Empire and the Morning Star Alliance had begun.

Over that time, the trenches had been expanded again and again until they resembled an underground city.

Viewed from above, three long, thick trenches stretched across the landscape, connected by a web of narrow communication trenches.

Observation posts jutted out at intervals like watchtowers.

In any case, the atmosphere throughout the frontline trenches was utterly bleak.

It wasn’t hard to see why.

No one even knew where the foul stench that assaulted their noses came from.

Every so often, patches of putrid slime would bubble up from the trench floor.

To make matters worse, demon rats as fat as housecats scurried about everywhere.

There was no way the place could feel anything but miserable.

The office of Major Brandon, commander of the Golden Battalion, was a different story.

Carved into the side of the trench, the room was lined with clean white concrete.

It was furnished with a proper desk, chairs, and all the necessities of daily life.

Compared to the rest of the trenches, it was almost comfortable.

And inside that comfortable office, the major grumbled to himself.

“How many times have I told Personnel not to send me eager rookies? Those idiots at Headquarters have done it again…”

His complaint was well-founded.

Headquarters’ Personnel Department had informed him that they were sending another newly commissioned officer.

The major let out a sigh so deep it felt like the floor might collapse beneath him.

A young face surfaced in his mind.

Second Lieutenant James B. Colson.

The newly commissioned officer had disappeared with his platoon less than a month after arriving.

They hadn’t recovered the bodies, but everyone knew what that meant.

They were dead.

They had vanished during a reconnaissance mission.

The cause was obvious.

They had either been devoured by the magical beasts roaming No Man’s Land…

Or killed by an Imperial Army wyvern reconnaissance unit.

It hadn’t even been a week since that incident.

And Headquarters was already sending another fresh Second Lieutenant?

Personnel had claimed the new officer had volunteered for the assignment, leaving them no choice.

The major considered that nothing more than a cowardly excuse.

‘Even if they volunteered, why would you just send some clueless rookie here without a second thought?’

“They still haven’t found Colson’s body, and now I’m about to clean up another corpse.”

No…

Not another corpse.

Another batch of corpses.

A bitter smile spread across his face.

An incompetent soldier only got themselves killed.

An incompetent officer dragged dozens…

Sometimes hundreds…

Of subordinates to their deaths.

Just like Colson had.

As Major Brandon swallowed another heavy sigh, his orderly entered from outside.

He brought unwelcome news.

“The new lieutenant has arrived and is waiting outside, sir.”

“…Speak of the devil.”

“Sir? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Nothing. Send them in.”

A moment later, brisk footsteps echoed down the corridor.

‘So that’s the fool who volunteered to come here? Let’s see what they look like.’

The major casually looked up.

Then his gaze froze.

“Huh?”

Goosebumps ran down his back.

“Hah…”

The new lieutenant…

Was a woman.

That alone wasn’t unusual.

Female officers were uncommon, but there was nothing wrong with that.

The more important detail was that she belonged to the Magic Army.

The pentacle insignia on her officer’s cap made that immediately obvious.

‘Wait… Nobody said the idiot was a Magic Army officer!’

His drowsiness vanished instantly.

This was the first time a Magic Army officer had ever been assigned to his battalion.

His eyes quickly swept over the new lieutenant.

She was the very picture of an overly enthusiastic rookie officer.

Golden hair tightly tied back so it wouldn’t sway.

A pristine uniform jacket without a single wrinkle.

Determined blue eyes.

Shoulders so tense they seemed locked at perfect right angles.

Her striking beauty almost went unnoticed because of how rigidly disciplined she looked.

The lieutenant snapped a crisp salute.

“Second Lieutenant Aethlyn Wintercrown, reporting for duty. I have been assigned to this battalion effective today.”

Thump.

The major felt a second shock hit him.

‘What? Wintercrown?’

Wintercrown…

Wasn’t that one of the most prestigious mage houses in existence?

What was someone from that family doing here?

‘She’s probably from some distant branch family. They say if you trace any mage’s lineage back far enough, everyone ends up connected to that house.’

Having barely regained his composure, the major cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Very well. Welcome to the battalion, Lieutenant Wintercrown. I look forward to your service.”

“Thank you, Major. I will do my utmost to fulfill my duties.”

‘Ah… She’s even more eager than I expected. This is going to be exhausting.’

Unable to hide his mixed feelings, the major replied,

“…Right. You must be tired after the journey. Go get settled in for now. If you need the details, speak with your company commander, Captain Gordon. He’ll explain everything.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Second Lieutenant left the room under the escort of a soldier.

Major Brandon watched her retreating figure with an uneasy look. For some reason, the image of the late Second Lieutenant Colson kept resurfacing in his mind.

‘Still… maybe she’ll be different since she’s a Magic Army officer?’

In truth, he already knew the answer.

‘She won’t.’

Mage or non-mage—it made no difference. A bullet killed them all the same. Just look at the Silver Battalion on the front line. Two Magic Army officers had been killed instantly by artillery shells.

In the old days, mages had been one-person armies.

But now that technology had advanced, the true ruler of the battlefield was firearms.

And before them, mages were far from invincible.

That wasn’t to say magic had become worthless.

Magic was still incredible. Still overwhelmingly powerful.

But compared to the past, mages had undeniably become much more vulnerable.

When he thought about it, it was obvious.

In the pitch-black No Man’s Land, what could be an easier sniper target than a mage lighting themselves up with flashy spells?

On top of that, even though Magic Army officers received separate military training, they were still scholars at heart. Their physical endurance generally lagged behind that of other officers.

In short, Magic Army officers weren’t particularly cost-effective.

They were like powerful weapons that were difficult to maintain.

And now one of those troublesome weapons had just been forced into his hands.

Major Brandon let out a groan.

“Ugh… Well, at least this isn’t the very front line. Maybe it’ll be fine.”

In the end, he decided not to dwell on it any longer.

Whatever happened from here on out wouldn’t be his responsibility.

It would all be Headquarters Personnel’s fault.

That’s right. Every bit of it.

Her long-awaited first meeting with her commanding officer had left an oddly bitter aftertaste.

‘What was with that lukewarm reaction?’

Aethlyn quietly bit her lower lip as she replayed the meeting with Major Brandon in her head.

The strong smell of liquor that could be detected from several steps away. His flushed face.

And the openly unimpressed look in his eyes.

Every part of it had been disappointing.

She hadn’t expected the Wintercrown name to earn her a red-carpet welcome.

But still…

She couldn’t help feeling discouraged.

As she stood there silently, the orderly called out to her.

“Second Lieutenant, this way. I’ll escort you to your company.”

“Very well.”

As she followed the orderly through the maze of trenches, Aethlyn clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘This is awful.’

The environment was terrible enough, but the soldiers were in even worse shape.

Some were squatting idly in corners, trading crude jokes.

Others were openly gambling with cards.

But what shocked her most were the soldiers sprawled against the trench walls, fast asleep wherever they had collapsed.

Life in the trenches might have been grueling, but wasn’t this far too lax?

Instinctive disgust creased her brow.

Just then—

“The fuck?! You blind or what?!”

Startled by the sudden shout, Aethlyn stopped in her tracks.

“Move your damn foot, dumbass!”

She could swear she had never heard anyone speak such vulgar words to another person in her entire life.