The fortress city of Marshdale.
As its name suggests, this city, once renowned as a fortress, lies at the center surrounded by three bastions.
Bastions are defensive walls several meters high, made solid with layers of soil, gravel, and concrete to repel bullets.
"I'm glad you're safe."
"Yeah."
At the gate of the fort, our Platoon Leader told the guards our affiliation and name and we were welcomed in.
Some comrades embraced each other, rejoicing in the miracle of survival.
"…"
In the midst of this atmosphere, I said nothing, only staring blankly into the void.
***
"The citizens have already been evacuated."
"They're likely preparing for urban warfare. There's no reason to leave civilians behind."
When I first set foot in the city of Marshdale, it was a deserted, lonely place, like a ruined city.
The glamorous, walled city of Marshdale was something I had longed for since I was a child.
What must have been a bustling city is now deserted. Uniformed soldiers ran around busily.
A cracked bakery sign lay toppled in front of a stone storefront on the main street.
Flowers blooming by the roadside had been trampled by someone. Inorganic sandbags are piled up everywhere on street corners.
"Hey, can I have a moment?"
"Hmm, are you a retreating soldier?"
Platoon Leader Garback called out to a nearby soldier, told him his affiliation and name, and asked to be put through to Major Renvel.
"Please wait in the designated area until we get back to you."
The soldier's response was swift, and we were guided to a waiting area in the plaza.
There were already many soldiers waiting there.
These were apparently soldiers who had originally been patrolling Marshdale, or who had quickly retreated across the plains to Marshdale.
"Oh, that's the Garback Platoon. They're truly reliable."
"It's the ace! The ace has returned!"
When we arrived at the plaza, Platoon Leader Garback was given a very warm welcome.
Few soldiers on our front lines don't know the name Garback.
Aces are notorious for being crazy, but at the same time, many soldiers see them as valuable assets who would lead the charge and crush the enemy ahead.
"Please, have something to eat."
As we waited in the plaza, bread, and warm milk were brought to us without a word.
It was standard procedure to serve retreating soldiers a meal as soon as possible.
"F-Food!"
"Rodri, take your time with the milk and eat slowly. Don't choke yourself by scarfing it down."
"Mmgh…"
"I told you so."
Rodri eagerly bit into the bread, almost choking in his haste.
It's understandable. This was our first decent meal in days.
The bread was stale and the milk watered down.
In my daze, I consumed it without really tasting anything, still numb from shock.
"Uh…"
But my body was honest. Taking in some nutrition for the first time in a long time made me feel incredibly happy.
The bread I ate that day was probably the most delicious I've ever had in my life.
"So… good…"
After finishing the milk and stuffing myself with bread, I finally regained my composure.
***
"I'm going to meet with Major Renvel. The rest of you stay here; Verdi, you come with me."
"Understood, Platoon Leader."
After finishing his meal, Platoon Leader Garback immediately headed to the operations headquarters.
The enemy was already closing in on Marshdale.
There's probably no time to relax and rest.
"This city will become a battlefield too."
"I guess so…"
Rodri spoke to me in a soft murmur.
My hometown, Noel, was burned down last night…
If we don't fight here, Marshdale too will sink into flames.
"Sorry if this sounds insensitive, Shorty."
"What is?"
"When they burned down your hometown, did you feel anger towards the Sabbatian soldiers?"
Rodri asked, his face unusually serious.
Did I feel hatred after Noel was burned?
Of course I do.
"I would feel terrible if people important to me from my hometown were killed. I would feel very resentful."
"I thought so."
"Is what you always talk about, Rodri—the reason to fight, to kill the enemy?"
"Yeah."
I still don't know the fate of those at the orphanage.
If the director hadn't escaped in time and had been killed by enemy soldiers…
It'd be heartbreaking, and I'm sure I'd hate those enemy soldiers so much that I'd want to kill them.
"But you know, Shorty. Leave that sort of thing to us murderers."
"Huh?"
Rodri had a strangely gentle look on his face as he patted my head.
"I know I said a lot before, but it's better if people like you, the medics, just keep your heads down and stay safe."
"Um, that's…"
"We can fight without hesitation with you medics behind us. It's a hassle if you charge in recklessly and get yourself killed."
"…"
"It's enough for us killers to be the ones driven by hatred to charge at the enemy."
I found myself staring at Rodri's face.
Those were unusually kind words from him.
"Please, don't do anything reckless and charge into the enemy, Shorty. Just keep being cautious, like always."
"…Umm, Rodri."
"What is it?"
In the end, Rodri's speech remained somewhat harsh even after Senior Gray's advice, likely due to his personality.
There was always a sense of care behind his words.
In other words,
"Thank you for your concern… Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"That's good to hear."
Rodri was probably worried about how shaken I was after witnessing what happened to Noel.
That's so typical of him, a boy who secretly cares for his comrades.
Essentially, his advice is, "Don't let anger get the better of you and lose sight of yourself, stay calm and act as you normally would."
"Oh, and Rodri."
"What now?"
"You're really starting to resemble Senior Gray."
"…"
In him, I could see a glimpse of our respected senior.
Senior Gray once told Rodri, "You're a lot like me."
It seems his assessment wasn't wrong.
"…What's that supposed to mean? Annoying."
"Oh, are you embarrassed, Rodri?"
"Shut up, Shorty."
Certainly, I'd lost some composure.
The shock of the grueling march and seeing my hometown burned had left me shaken.
But in the military, losing your composure often leads to death.
I'll be sure to keep Rodri's advice close to my heart.
***
"…Are you the medic?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well done, Garback. You have done a great job in safely bringing her back to Marshdale."
"It's an honor, Major."
"Hmm, I heard you were young… but you look even younger than I imagined. You look about as old as my granddaughter."
While I was enjoying being comforted by Rodri, I was suddenly called out by Corporal Verdi.
It turns out that Major Renvel was calling for me.
I was terrified as the Corporal took me to Marshdale's city hall, where I found myself standing at attention in front of an intimidating, stern-looking elderly officer.
"What is your name and rank?"
"I am Medic First Class Touri Noel."
"I see. Thank you for coming."
The old man wore an impressive military uniform, with a face scarred from countless battles and a powerful, muscular frame, even in his advanced age.
Even the arrogant Platoon Leader Garback straightened his back and saluted.
In other words, this intimidating old man is…
"I'm Major Renvel, a front line commander of the Central Army."
"It's an honor to meet you."
He was my superior's superior.
He was Major Renvel himself, a frontline commander who could even boss around Platoon Leader Garback.
"We don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point, Medic First Class Touri."
"Yes, Major."
The Major's expression was severe, cutting to the chase without a preamble.
His face showed signs of exhaustion, and the room was packed with paperwork, suggesting he hadn't had a break in some time.
It is clear that the operational headquarters had no room to breathe.
I just hope he doesn't issue me any overly harsh orders.
"Then here is your mission. By tomorrow morning, I order you to establish a medical base here in Marshdale."
"…"
Major Renvel looked at me with a serious expression.
It was a much more unreasonable request than I had expected.
"Did you hear me?"
"…I will repeat the order. I will set up a medical base by tomorrow morning."
"Good."
What is this person even saying?
Setting up a medical base… How am I supposed to do that?
"I can't disclose the full strength of our forces, but we're anticipating casualties on a scale of several hundred. We need a medical base large enough to handle that."
"Yes, Major."
"The enemy is expected to invade as early as dawn. Have everything ready to admit critical patients by then."
So, he wanted a medical base capable of handling several hundred casualties? That's about the same scale as the field hospital I used to work in.
Except I'm the only medic here. And I have zero access to medical supplies or additional personnel.
What kind of expectations could he possibly have for a 15-year-old girl?
But I can't refuse if it's an order…
"Permission to ask a question, Major."
"Go ahead."
"Will I be provided with a location and personnel for this medical base?"
"I'm giving you full authority to make those decisions. You'll have the necessary permissions to secure what you need."
"…Understood, Major."
"I'm counting on you, Touri."
It seemed I was granted the necessary authority for the establishment of the medical base, and the responsibility was entirely on me.
In other words, I was expected to organize everything myself by tomorrow morning.
I'm supposed to gather medical personnel, transport supplies, and set up the base.
Seriously…?
"…Um, Major, please don't bully my subordinate too much."
"Ku, kuu…"
As I was internally panicking with my face turning pale, Platoon Leader Garback interjected with a look of exasperation on his face.
At the same time, Major Renvel must have found my bewildered expression amusing because his straight face broke and he burst out laughing.
....
"Hahahaha, sorry, sorry. It's okay to refuse orders that you can't carry out, Medic First Class Touri. If you follow an unreasonable order and fail, it will cause trouble for the entire army."
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Sorry, but I just wanted to tease you because you had such a serious look on your face. Look, there's no reason to be so nervous in front of a poor commander like me who's only just reached the rank of major despite my age."
Apparently that unreasonable request earlier was just his way of making a joke.
Looking at him, I realized that Major Renvel had a playful side.
I guess you could say I was completely fooled.
"But no matter the situation, it's important to keep a sense of calm, young lady. While it's true the western front collapsed and our army is in a bad position, it's times like these that we must keep a positive attitude."
Would it be best to laugh along in this situation? Or would it have been rude to be casual with a superior officer?
In the first place my hometown, Noel, was just burned down. I'm really not in the mood for such jokes.
"Uncle, that medic, First Class Touri, as her name suggests, is from the village of Noel that was burned down last night…"
"…What?"
While I was at a loss for how to respond, Corporal Verdi whispered something to Major Renvel with a panicked look on his face.
Corporal Verdi must have been concerned about me because he had seen how distraught I had been earlier.
"…"
"…"
Rodri's words certainly made me feel a little better, but I still haven't fully processed everything.
When I think about that kind director, my eyes start to tear up, and I feel like I might burst into tears.
"…I'm truly sorry about that, Medic First Class Touri."
"It's fine…"
Seeing the tears well up in my eyes, Major Renvel's face turned pale as he apologized.
Major Renvel may have been trying to lift my spirits in his own way, but his timing was bad.
***
"Seriously speaking, the medical base is already set up."
"Oh."
"However, I have only gathered the medical personnel in this city by bowing my head, and there are no military personnel here. I would like to ask you, as a soldier, to oversee the medical base as our military representative."
"I see, I understand."
With a somewhat awkward expression, Major Renvel explained the true nature of my assignment.
He informed me that all the medics from the field hospital I worked in were now missing or presumed dead.
That means I'm the only medic here right now.
So, while the medical base was in place, it was more like a civilian hospital, with no clear command structure.
"Please keep in mind that they are civilian collaborators. You won't have command or authority over them."
"Yes, Major."
However, the medical professionals who have been called in all likely have more experience than I do.
My role was essentially to act as the representative because of my military status.
If it came to it, I'd have to step up to protect them.
"The medical base will be in the meeting room of this very city hall."
"Oh, it's close then."
"I'll deploy guards around the hall for added security. Keeping the medical base and command center together ensures everyone's safety."
Major Renvel said, gesturing to a female officer standing behind him.
"I will assign Lieutenant Aria to act as your advisor. If there's anything you don't understand, please ask her."
"Understood."
At the Major's direction, a female officer walked over to me.
Lieutenant Aria, as she was introduced, was a stern-looking woman with long blonde hair.
Lieutenant is a rank above Sergeant Garback. She looks young, but she must be very capable.
Is it out of consideration for me that he assigned a female advisor to me?
"I am Aria, the company commander of the mage unit directly under Major Renvel. Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Lieutenant."
Female soldiers are rare.
Generally, infantry units are composed solely of men.
Women were typically assigned to non-combat roles like engineers and medics, or specialized units like mages.
"Lieutenant Aria graduated second in her class from the officer academy. She's extremely talented. You'll be in good hands with her."
"You're flattering me, sir."
Medics and mages are fields with a higher proportion of female officers.
But to reach the position of company commander, especially as a woman, required exceptional ability. There is still a clear bias in favor of male soldiers.
Unless they had connections, female company commanders are nearly unheard of.
The fact that she was appointed as a Lieutenant by pushing aside male officers means that she is incredibly competent.
"By the way, Aria is my daughter."
"…What?"
"And she's also Corporal Verdi's cousin. Feel free to speak to her as you would with him."
So it was through connections after all.