"Let me introduce her. This is Touri Lowe, a medic from the previous village. By the order of Sylph-sama, she will be under our care starting today."
"…"
"I'll say this first, this girl is from Austin. I've been assigned the role of overseeing all her actions."
It was around when the victims' farewells and the minimum necessary sorting of their belongings were completed.
I left Sedol, who had cried himself to sleep, in the care of the villagers. I was then dragged before the members of Elijah's unit.
"Introduce yourself."
"…I'm Touri Lowe."
"Huh? An Aust?"
"You're going to assign an Aust pig to the sacred Sabbath Federation's Army? Is that brat mocking us?"
The surrounding atmosphere froze the moment it was revealed that I was from Austin.
Well, I expected as much. I'm one of their sworn enemies after all.
"Is our great commander seriously telling us to treat an Aust as a comrade?"
"No, her official position is that of a civilian collaborator… in other words, an outsider. In reality, Touri has been captured by us and is being forced to work. She has been stationed here since she can use healing magic."
"Oh, I see. So that's how it is."
"I'm the one tasked with watching her to make sure she doesn't escape."
Since the atmosphere became frosty, Elijah read the situation carefully and made an excuse that would satisfy them.
Well, it's true that this kind of explanation is less abrasive.
"In other words, this woman is our slave?"
"Hehehe, I can finally let out all the resentment I've had up until now."
"…"
However, I am a little worried about how I will be treated after hearing that."
"Welcome to our unit, Aust."
"Ha, we'll make sure to take good care of you."
This unit is a mixed unit of infantry and rear guard troops stationed at the rear.
They seem to manage infantry with difficult personalities or those unsuited for frontline combat.
"Hmm, her face isn't bad."
One of the Sabbatian soldiers began to appraise my entire body.
…Why does it always lead to this when they find a female prisoner?
"Hey, Sister Elijah, can we do as we please with her to a certain extent?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, right? She's a bit young, but she'll save me a trip to the brothel…"
"Ah, about that."
That soldier completely sees me in that way.
…I can't exactly refuse given my position. What should I do?
If I commit suicide to protect my chastity, Sedol will be left all alone in the world.
"I'm the one in charge of watching over Touri. I won't let her out of my sight."
"I see?"
"And I despise that kind of thing. I won't tolerate it within my sight. Now, does anyone have any other questions?"
"Nope, no questions, Sister Elijah."
For a moment, I felt like my chastity was in danger. Fortunately, Elijah quickly came to my rescue.
It's a relief, but I can't let my guard down around these people.
"A little reward for our hard work would be nice though─"
"What kind of reward?"
As I was cautiously keeping my distance from the soldiers.
A large blond man suddenly stood in front of me.
"Woah, he's huge…"
"W-Who's that? Who are you…?"
I recognized that enormous, muscular back.
The name of the man exuding an intimidating golden aura before me was,
"Ah, Mr. Gorski."
"Hey Touri, I was also conscripted. I ended up being put in charge of a unit."
"That's… Congratulations."
"It's nothing to be congratulated for."
It was Mr. Gorski, a former ace of the Western Front who had retired to Othello.
"Um… Are you Gorski, the ace of Gold Blast?"
"The hero of the Golden Spear?"
"Indeed."
I see, Sylph scouted him when leaving Othello.
It was probably easy for her to talk with him since they knew each other.
"Um, well. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Gorski."
"Mhm."
"So, what brings you here?"
"Well, I saw my friend's face, so I came to say hello. Touri, if you're ever in trouble, you can rely on me. I'll help you."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Gorski."
"No problem."
The soldiers' faces froze seeing Mr. Gorski casually exchanging greetings with me.
Gorski is a hero to the Sabbatian soldiers. He still holds significant influence even though he had retired.
No one here would fail to understand why he made the effort to emphasize me as a "friend."
…I'm truly indebted to this person.
"Ahhh…"
"Well, don't get any weird ideas."
The previously aggressive soldier hung his head in defeat.
Even the Sabbatian soldiers didn't have the guts to oppose an ace.
"Damn. She's small and aloof, just my type… Can I at least buy a night with you, Aust?"
"…Sorry, but I have a husband I'm faithful to."
"Ugh…"
I see… This soldier is that type of person.
***
"Elijah, I have been ordered to serve in the military, but I wonder how Sedol will be treated."
"If he wishes, he can share a room and meals with you. Naturally, I'd rather not bring him to the battlefield."
"Understood."
After introducing myself to the unit, Elijah and I returned to the village.
There, I asked about my future life with Sedol.
"From now on, you will be living in a refugee camp. We can't let an Aust into our command headquarters."
"We're living in a camp?"
"Yeah. By the way, the refugee camp is always under military surveillance. Please don't try to run away or do anything strange, okay?"
Elijah lightly emphasized this point.
Even without being told, I have no intention of running away since I have nowhere to go.
"You will be treated as a civilian collaborator for the Sabbatian Army Medical Department. Austin nationals cannot be conscripted into the military."
"I understand."
"And in this company, I am the only medical officer. Therefore, you have no superior other than me. The only person you have to take direct orders from is me… and Sylph-sama, I guess."
It appears that Elijah is the only medic in Sylph's company.
How does she handle everything by herself?
"It surprisingly works out somehow. There aren't that many casualties when hunting bandits."
"Is that so?"
"Basically, it's just treating minor injuries. Even if there are severe injuries, if we can stabilize them until they reach headquarters, it's good enough."
She said it casually, but it must be quite difficult to provide first aid to seriously injured people.
However, Elijah's likely a fairly experienced medic judging from the way she treated Irigol yesterday.
Given that she has been appointed as the unit's second-in-command, Elijah likely has a fair amount of experience.
"Have you been working here for a long time, Elijah?"
"Yes. Despite my appearance, I'm from the same generation as Mr. Gorski."
"Huh?"
I looked up at Elijah again when she said that.
I'm sure Gorski said he met Sylph when she was a child.
Judging by appearances, he looks like he's in his late thirties to early forties.
"Huh…"
"Why are you so surprised?"
On the other hand, Elijah is a beautiful woman with short, black hair and sharp eyes.
She looks like she's in her early twenties from the outside.
"So, do you also have experience on the Eastern Front?"
"Yes. I've been fighting alongside Sylph-sama ever since her first battle."
…Could this be what they call a beautiful witch?
I never imagined that Elijah would be more than twice my age. I thought she was closer in age, like a senior medic from the medical department.
"You still have reservations about Sylph-sama, don't you? Your tone and attitude stiffen only when you talk to her."
"Honestly, yes…"
"This is a selfish request, but please try not to be too harsh on her."
As I stared blankly at Elijah, she continued speaking as if she were talking about her own daughter.
"She is already disliked by the soldiers. You can tell by the way she treats her subordinates."
"I thought so."
"It's okay to be strict with your subordinates, but you must also praise them appropriately. Finding that balance is crucial… but Sylph-sama seems to find it difficult."
"That's understandable, considering her age," Elijah continued.
"I believe that Sylph-sama is the last hope remaining for the Sabbath. As the heir to the hero General Brustav, her strategic acumen surpasses anyone in the country."
"…"
"I've seen her skills firsthand by her side. Her strategic sharpness is probably superior to that of General Brustav. It's regrettable… that when her orders were executed by her subordinates, they did so half-heartedly, thinking, 'It's just the command of a young girl.'"
"Do you have any examples of that?"
"Well, for example: when she ordered to maintain a siege, the units who were supposed to be on duty abandoned their posts to go party…"
That is… are they really soldiers?
"Despite having laid a perfect encirclement in the surprise attack at Noel, the Aust forces led by Verdi suddenly disappeared. I was stunned when I heard that Verdi had escaped from the hill."
"…Dandelion Hill, right? At that time, I felt there was no other escape route."
"Yes, that retreat route was exactly as Sylph-sama had predicted."
…Huh? So the part about going down Dandelion Hill was read by Sylph?
"At the time, Commander Gwellia declared there was no point in placing troops in such a place. However, Sylph-sama, merely a staff officer, went beyond her authority to give orders to the soldiers, 'If you're determined to die, you can descend the hill, so make sure to set up a proper siege.' Because of that, the morale of the troops stationed on the hill dropped, and they abandoned their posts to start a drinking party."
"…"
"When Sylph-sama heard this, words like 'furious' would be an understatement for how severely she reprimanded her subordinates. However, the leader of the unit that abandoned their posts retorted, 'We kept watch while having a party, but no one came. Maybe other units let them escape,' and even Commander Gwellia supported that opinion. Relations with that unit at the time deteriorated as a result."
That certainly explains why she dislikes her subordinates so much.
If the siege had been carried out according to her instructions, Verdi Company would have suffered even greater losses.
"In the end, Sylph-sama was reassigned as a staff officer for another unit. I was transferred with her, but I can't forget the bitter look she had back then."
"…"
"She is too young to handle people. But if her command had spread throughout the entire army, Austin would have had no chance against her. Sylph-sama must wonder why she wasn't born ten years earlier."
"One of the responsibilities of a commander is being able to handle their subordinates well. My superior, Verdi, was only a few years older than me, but he was an extremely skilled commander."
"That's… true."
Although I answered calmly on the surface, inside I was breaking out in a cold sweat.
I imagined something very, very unpleasant.
"I suppose the Gods do not give you everything after all."
If Sylph had charisma and could rally her subordinates to support her…
Verdi and I would have perished in Noel.
"Sylph-sama is always lamenting, "I'm trying so hard, why is no one responding to me?"
"…"
"Why are all those soldiers, all older than me, so unreliable? …To her words, I couldn't say anything back."
At that moment, the feeling budding in my heart was… fear.
From our earlier conversation, I could sympathize with Sylph in many ways. However, more than that…
"In other words, if Captain Sylph can grow and understand the nuances of human relationships…"
"The Sabbath will be secure."
The girl I spoke with in Vanya the other day—
I intuitively felt that in the near future, she could become Austin's strongest and worst "enemy."
"You're close in age and very rational. Maybe you could be someone who can listen to her complaints."
"…"
"Sylph-sama has been quite accommodating to you. If you feel even a little of that, please interact with her normally without keeping your distance."
Sylph Nova, who dismissed Bern's command as insignificant.
What would have happened in the Battle of the North if there had been no obstacle in her command?
"…Alright, that's enough chatter. If we get any closer, the villagers might overhear."
"Yes."
"Take what you can and come back here quickly. Only take what you can carry with you."
I'm sure Elijah told me that story because she wanted me to become a good confidant to Sylph.
I definitely felt her love for Sylph from her.
However, after hearing Elijah's story, I found myself becoming even more cautious of Sylph.