"Hey, Touri. Did you do something?"
"N-No."
It was a few days after I met Bern Valou.
After finishing Sergeant Major Zafqua's training, I was about to start work at the field hospital when…
"You have a summons from Headquarters."
"Eh, wh-what?"
A chilling order from the military higher-ups was delivered to me.
Going to Headquarters is typically reserved for commanding officers.
The command structure of Austin involves individuals at the battalion commander level receiving orders directly from Headquarters and then transmitting them down to the lower ranks.
However, with the recent advances in communication technology, direct summons are becoming less common.
But when important operations or confidential matters are discussed, meetings are still held at Headquarters in person.
If someone like me, a low-ranking officer, is called to such a grand place as Headquarters…
It often means being suspected of treason or accused of a crime I didn't commit.
"Here's the official request: 'Chief Medic Touri, you are to report to the Southern Army Headquarters by 3 p.m. today.'"
"…"
"If you did something bad, let me know. I can help if you need me."
"No, I really can't think of anything. Umm, who issued this order?"
"The order came from Captain Bern. You've heard of him, right? The Southern Army's great hero."
"…I think I now remember."
The person who called me was Captain Bern.
Just recently, I had declared to him that I felt a sense of "evil" from him the first time we met.
He acted like he didn't mind at the time, but it was definitely an extremely disrespectful response.
It would make perfect sense if this was a reprimand for my attitude towards my superiors.
"Oh dear, isn't Captain Bern Austin's savior? Why would you say something like that…"
"Well, I wonder why I said such things myself."
"If you say you're afraid of men or something like that, apologizing might make things less serious. You could come up with a backstory, like you had a traumatic experience with a scary male superior…"
That's a very realistic excuse.
"I don't think Captain Bern minded."
"Men have fragile egos. If their pride gets hurt, they can be surprisingly petty."
With that, Reitalyu rummaged around and placed a bottle of medicine in my hand.
"Here, Touri. I'll give you some contraceptives just in case."
"Eh?"
"If Bern asks for it, don't refuse. With his authority, he can accuse you of any crime he wants and get you executed if you don't comply."
"…"
"Don't worry. It might hurt if it's your first time, but you can use [Heal]…"
Reitalyu advised me with a completely serious look on her face.
Wait, is my chastity in danger?
"Some men in the military occasionally sexually harass female soldiers under the guise of punishment."
"…"
"So from now on, don't go against your superiors. Women in the military can't show any weakness if they want to stay safe."
Reitalyu frowned and continued.
"I don't know what Bern is like, but you should prepare yourself to a certain extent before reporting in. If something really bad happens, I'll help you, Touri."
"Y-Yes."
"If you are called in and only get told off or criticized, just nod and show that you're reflecting on it. Don't argue unnecessarily."
"Understood."
Reitalyu then bowed her head and said quietly:
"I wish you luck."
"…"
She left me some incredibly ominous words…
***
"I am Chief Medic Touri Noel. I have reported to Headquarters at the request of Captain Bern."
"Let me confirm. …Yes, there is no problem."
The Southern Army Headquarters was located about an hour's run from Paschen.
I handed the summons to the soldier on watch and was made to wait for about 10 minutes before being escorted to a large tent.
"Please wait here."
"Understood."
Inside the tent, there was only a round table and a few chairs placed in the middle.
I sat down as instructed and waited for Bern to arrive.
Now, what will he say to me? …I hope it's nothing too serious.
If it really turns out to be the scenario Reitalyu warned me about, I'm confident I'll be bedridden for a few days.
***
"Oh, you're here, Chief Medic Touri! Hey, how are you?"
"U-Um, yes! My apologies for the other day, Captain Bern."
"It's fine, it's fine. There's no need to salute or anything. Just sit down and relax."
After about 30 minutes, Bern entered the tent in a cheerful mood.
I promptly stood and saluted, but he waved his hand in a dismissively and gestured for me to sit.
"Well, there's no need to be so tense, Touri. It's not like I'm gonna eat you or anything."
"Ha, haha…"
"I was kind of distracted last time, but how about we have a proper conversation now?"
He smiled lightly and began pouring a black drink from a flask he brought.
Is that coffee?
"Hmm, interested? This is dandelion tea, a bit of a rare tea. It's bitter, but it's really tasty. You should try some, Touri."
"Oh, thank you very much."
"It's bitter if you drink it as is, so mix it with milk or something. Here, this flask contains milk."
From his attitude, I didn't get the impression that he was going to reprimand me for my rudeness.
It felt more like he was inviting a friend to have tea.
That, too, felt strangely unsettling.
"Since I got promoted, I've been able to get as much dandelion tea as I want. It used to be a rare luxury, something I'd have once a month, but now I can drink it every day."
"It's very delicious, Captain Bern."
"Right? It's not all bad climbing up the ranks. Anyway, I'd like you to relax and listen while we drink this dandelion tea."
"Y-Yes, of course."
The dandelion tea had a flavor similar to a slightly weak coffee.
Personally, I think it's delicious. I can understand why Bern likes it so much.
"Do you think Captain Aria has a boyfriend? She's totally my type."
"…Nngh?!"
As soon as Bern took a seat, he began talking with a serious face about something like this.
I accidentally choked on the dandelion tea I was drinking.
"Wait, did you call me here just to talk about that?"
"Yup."
"…"
As I asked back, Bern's eyes sparkled brightly, and he stared at me with a suspicious smile.
The dandelion tea I was given was delicious, but I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of disgust when I looked directly at his face.
....
"I'm sorry, but even under orders from my superior, I have no intention of disclosing information about someone else's private life. If you want to know, please confirm it with Captain Aria herself."
"Oh, really? No good?"
"I owe Captain Aria a lot. I can't betray her."
I knew that Aria had lost her lover, but I chose to remain silent.
It's not my place to talk about something like that without her permission.
"However, I would like to say that I don't think you should approach her in that way. Captain Aria has likely grown weary of such advances. That's all I'm going to say."
"…I see. Alright."
I just gave Bern a roundabout warning.
Approaching a girl right after she's lost her lover is a huge landmine.
"Well, I'd say you passed."
"Passed?"
"Ah, you can forget about that. Me having feelings for Captain Aria was a lie."
After hearing my response, he didn't seem offended at all.
Rather, he nodded in satisfaction and placed some cookies in front of me.
"Sorry, I was testing your loyalty. These are apology cookies."
"O-Oh."
"It's impressive that you can distinguish between what you can and can't talk about at your age. If I were a spy, I could have used the information you just gave me in all sorts of ways."
Bern then patted my head with a creepy grin on his face.
My body flinched when he suddenly touched me, but he didn't seem to mind at all.
"Well, I now know you're tight-lipped. Alright, let's get to the point."
"Yes."
"…Actually, I'm sheltering a girl around your age. I'd like you to be friends with her."
Bern took a bite of the cookie and finally got to the point.
"A girl?"
"Yeah, I'm personally protecting her. She's got some issues, though."
Bern scratched his head a little awkwardly.
I didn't expect him to suddenly start talking about sheltering a girl.
Maybe she's someone Bern has feelings for?
"Since the military is mostly men, and she's been surrounded by intimidating guys, her mental state has become unstable."
"Well, if she's the same age as me, I can imagine that soldiers would be terrifying."
"That's why I've been looking for a girl she can to. At first, I considered Captain Aria, but…"
Bern slightly lowered his voice and continued.
"Captain Aria has a tougher personality than I had heard. I was worried they wouldn't get along."
"…I see."
"And that's when I found you. You have a gentle demeanor, so I thought you might be the right person for the job."
He continued the conversation while looking troubled.
"The girl is someone my unit rescued from the battlefield. She was almost assaulted by a soldier."
"That's…"
"As a guy, I can't really empathize with her no matter how I try… Could you lend me a hand, Touri?"
"I understand. Captain Bern, you want me to assist with her mental care."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. It's not exactly part of your duties, but it's close enough, right?"
To summarize, Bern wants me to help with the mental care of the girl.
Mental care for victims of war falls within the medical field.
If that's the kind of request, I have no qualms about accepting it.
"Understood. Chief Medic Touri will assume that task."
"Thank you. Also, I ask you not to tell any other soldiers about this."
"Of course. I have no intention of revealing information about patients."
"Yeah, that's a good answer."
Even though I say mental care, I don't have any specialized knowledge.
Today, I'll at least listen to her, empathize, and help calm her down.
Next time, I'll ask Cale about specialized techniques such as counseling.
"Well then, I'll take you to Remi now."
"Yes."
"Unfortunately, Remi doesn't speak Austinian. I'll be acting as the interpreter."
"…Huh?"
While I was absentmindedly thinking about such things…
"Remi is Sabbatian."
Bern dropped a big bombshell at the end of his story.
***
"Our Austin forces also invaded Sabbatian territory for strategic purposes. We burned down several villages as a diversion."
"…"
"Don't look at me like that. The Sabbatian Army have done things a hundred times worse."
On the way to meet Remi, Bern shared more details about her.
"She was in one of the villages we burned down last month. She's a beautiful young woman, so she was immediately apprehended as a prisoner."
"…And then, what happened?"
"If we had left her alone, the soldiers would've assaulted her. That's why I protected her."
Apparently, she's a Sabbatian woman who had been in a village that Austin soldiers burned down.
Just before she was about to be assaulted by the soldiers, Bern had found her and decided to hide her.
"Since then, Remi has been terrified of men. She's likely traumatized."
"That's understandable."
"I still haven't seen her smile even once. She's opened up a little to me, but she stays silent with the other soldiers."
When I heard that story, I was shocked.
Captain Bern certainly did not give the impression of being the type to perform such a humanitarian act.
I had unfairly painted him as evil… I guess my intuition is unreliable.
"I would like to return her safely to the Sabbath if possible. However, that would be an unthinkable action for the soldiers who fight the Sabbatian soldiers day and night."
"…"
"It's a question of why I have to give such careful protection to a Sabbatian woman we captured after the victory. Headquarters isn't too happy about me hiding her either."
From what I've heard, Captain Bern is a very intelligent person.
Maybe the reason why he hid her even though it put him in a bad position is…
"Captain Bern, could it be that you're interested in this woman?"
"Well, I wonder."
Maybe it was because he had fallen in love with this woman named Remi.
Having fallen in love at first sight with a beautiful woman from the enemy country, he became infatuated with her, even though he understood it was absurd.
I don't mind helping him out if that's the case.
Although I have my own thoughts about Sabbatian soldiers, I am firmly opposed to violence against civilians or massacres.
***
At that time, I thought I would help Bern with his feelings. I wanted to support him, thinking he was a good person trying to do the right thing.
In other words, I still didn't understand Bern very well back then.
He's an evil person. A staunch patriot who loves war, a sadistic murderer.
Not knowing this, I believed in his nonexistent goodness.
If he were to show kindness… it would only be preparation for more killing.
To Bern, his comrades and subordinates were nothing more than pawns who helped him kill more people.
He constantly sought those who could satisfy his wicked desires.
Unfortunately, I caught the eye of Bern Valou. From then on, I was often compelled to take part in his evil deeds.
I still sometimes think, "Oh, if only I didn't say those unnecessary words at that time."
…The saying, "The tongue is the root of all evil" from my previous life rings true.