"...So, you're saying I should designate your upcoming reassignment as the exclusive attendant to Lady Basterbine?"
The Office of the Division Commander, 1st Division of the Wandenreich Ground Forces.
Division Commander Czarlai Slavacha felt a slight wave of dizziness.
The cause was the statement made by the Private Second Class standing before him.
A mere recruit had barged into the Division Commander's office to demand a specific change in his assignment.
If this had been any ordinary Soldat, Czarlai’s inner military spirit would have flared up, and he would have surely 'disciplined' the rookie for such insolence.
Unfortunately, this was the exception of all exceptions.
"Yes. Lady Bambietta told me to speak directly to the Division Commander immediately," the soldier replied.
If a Sternritter—a walking personification of extraterritoriality—had given such an order, there was nothing he could do.
"Very well... I'll arrange it at once. You are to assist Lady Basterbine starting tomorrow."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
"By the way, are you perhaps..."
Czarlai’s lips twitched, but he quickly shut his mouth as if nothing had happened.
He had heard rumors of the previous situation from other officers and wanted to ask a question to confirm his suspicions.
However, he decided that staying out of it was the best course of action.
In the first place, no one could touch the Sternritter unless they were fellow Sternritter; lower ranks were essentially just crawling on the floor in their presence.
To make matters worse, each of them had different triggers for their tantrums, making it confusing to know what to avoid.
There was no need to go out of his way to poke the lion's nose.
It was better to simply fulfill their requests.
"Never mind. You may leave..."
"Einverstanden."
After the problematic soldier left, the commander was left alone with his thoughts.
As he sank into contemplation, he felt the depths of his subconscious... anger... comradeship...
Knock, knock.
The 1st Company Commander opened the door and entered.
"Division Commander, I have the report on the company's total material management plan—"
"Recruit!"
He was certain now.
This situation, centered around that soldier, was everyone's responsibility.
The fact that a single recruit hadn't been properly cared for was, ultimately, a failure of the entire division.
"Division Commander...?"
But what did the soldiers know?
Unless the mindset was fixed from the top down, no improvement was possible.
"Military discipline has become severely lax. This is a grave error. From this moment on, we shall conduct 'Comradeship Activities' to strengthen our resolve!"
The 1st Company Commander was certain at that moment.
"Round up all the officer recruits! I will personally supervise their training!"
"We're screwed."
'Please calm down and reconsider, sir.'
"Your tone has changed! You... ungrateful recruit!"
Czarlai Slavacha, Commander of the 1st Division of the Wandenreich Ground Forces.
He was the most extreme soldier in the entire Quincy race.
"Wanden-ry-ry-cha-cha-cha!!!"
That night, the officers did not sleep.
*****
After enduring much, Nachahmer returned to the barracks feeling strangely drained.
Inside were his comrades who had already returned from the medical wing.
In truth, there wasn't much reason for them to stay long, as they didn't have any significant injuries.
The triage had been extreme: either you had no injuries or minor ones, or you were dead.
As he entered, Belmaia welcomed him.
He placed a hand on Nachahmer's shoulder, looking surprised that he had returned so quickly.
"...Nachahmer, you're back? Good work out there."
"Yeah. You guys too."
After a brief greeting, a short silence followed.
Even though there were over ten people in the room, a hollow stillness filled the space without a single word being spoken.
Adjusting his coat, Kiril spoke up.
"They say the funerals for the deceased will be held starting today."
"Ah..."
"We're heading there now. Do you want to come?"
He realized why the topic of Bambietta hadn't come up.
He understood why he had felt this atmosphere was so awkward.
He had been caught up in the lighthearted mood of the Sternritter until just now, but less than two hours had passed since their operation ended.
It had only been two hours since they witnessed people dying before their eyes.
Whether that time felt long or short, it was the reality of this space.
"I'll go too."
The Sternritter weren't aware of the incident, so they weren't at fault. Even if they had known, it probably wouldn't have changed much.
Soldiers dying in actual combat was considered a given.
As if they had lived their entire lives for that very purpose.
It had only been two hours since he had meddled, felt rage at the deaths of strangers, and destroyed another soul.
To think that those emotions could be diluted so much just by meeting others.
Was his sincerity just a facade, or was this truly the natural flow of emotions?
He couldn't be sure.
As someone who couldn't even be sure of his own essence, he naturally couldn't be sure of his emotions either.
However, for some reason, he wanted to share this.
He wanted to seek an answer by talking to someone else.
Someone different from him.
People different from him.
People with strong, brilliant hearts.
He didn't know why.
But he wanted to talk to Bambietta.
He felt that if it were her, she might be able to give him the answer.
*****
In the past, Quincy funeral procedures weren't much different from other human cultures.
However, perhaps due to their conflict with the Soul Reapers, they did not wear black mourning clothes.
In the distant past, there were no additional regulations as long as the clothing was of a dark hue.
Yet, they exceptionally avoided white when mourning those killed by Hollows.
This was to avoid reminding people of the miserable end of those who were killed by the 'white things' at the last moment of their lives.
So, they soon began wearing dark blue garments that resembled their own Reishi.
Over generations, Quincy funeral attire became unified as dark blue robes, regardless of whether they were in the East or the West.
He thought that Quincy culture seemed to walk a ridiculous tightrope between Soul Reapers and Hollows.
As if they weren't even considering cooperation or coexistence.
'I'm overthinking things.'
Nachahmer gave his head a small shake.
The funerals for the two officers were small-scale.
It wasn't because they had been martyred for some great achievement or received special medals.
It was just that they were being treated modestly as persons of merit.
Sergeant Edgar Norman and Staff Sergeant Donnie Parker.
Now, with their one-rank posthumous promotions, they were Staff Sergeant and Sergeant First Class, respectively.
People whose names he hadn't even known, people whose faces would eventually fade from his memory.
On Sergeant Norman's side, there was a woman who appeared to be his wife and a young child.
Sergeant First Class Parker had no surviving family. His parents had died during an operation, and he had lived his life as a bachelor.
It felt futile.
That the decades of time they had built up would eventually end like this.
As if those years meant nothing, as if any other life could fill that space at any time.
'Every life is valuable, yet paradoxically, each individual is worthless.'
As he stood in silence looking at the tightly closed coffins, negative thoughts began to burrow into his brain.
He knew it was useless. He was just spiraling into worse and worse thoughts out of habit.
It was because he was too sensitive.
He told himself it couldn't be helped, and that if he just meddled less and moved on, time would solve the problem.
'But is it truly right to forget...?'
Was his personality the only cause?
He thought he lived with a fairly rational mindset.
He wanted to know.
*****
He returned after the funeral.
He had discussed his concerns with his comrades, but no meaningful answers came of it.
'It's not your problem. Everyone feels that way.'
'Maybe since you've discovered a weakness in yourself, you can turn it into something positive.'
They were all mentally exhausted, but they engaged in the conversation sincerely.
Perhaps they also wanted to talk to each other a little.
His heart felt a little lighter.
He felt that perhaps he had just wanted to hear simple words of comfort.
And the next day.
"Loyalty. Private Second Class..."
"Yeah."
He went straight to Silbern for work and sought out Bambietta.
As expected, Bambietta cut off his formal self-introduction.
He felt that it might be impossible to ever fully state his rank and name in front of her in the future.
"Good morning."
"Hmph."
A stifling atmosphere followed.
He had been assigned to the special position of her assistant, but in truth, his duties hadn't been precisely defined.
In fact, yesterday's decision of hers had been quite impulsive.
'Then prove your words. If I'm not convinced, then you're just a fake.'
Many sentences had been exchanged, but he remembered the last words down to the very last syllable.
'Ah, why did I do that?'
She should have just forgotten about this Soldat and moved on.
But since she had said it in front of the others, she couldn't take it back without losing face.
"Where did the others go?"
"Why do you care about them?"
"No reason. I just noticed you're alone today."
"Do you think I'm with someone 365 days a year?"
He wasn't particularly curious.
He had just brought it up because he didn't want his future daily routine to be nothing but a meaningless waste of time.
Nachahmer looked around.
It was a bit dirty.
Since he didn't have any specific duties anyway.
"Since the others aren't here..."
He picked up a broom and a dustpan.
"I'll just do some light cleaning. Do you have any valuables or sensitive items I should be aware of?"
"What...?"
Cleaning?
This isn't an office, it's my room!
"Why are you always so absurd?"
"A clean environment is always better for concentration."
He shrugged with the tools in his hands.
"And these kinds of light activities tend to help a lot."
The wind coming through the window fluttered.
His mood improved.
It was truly strange.
He had been weighed down by heavy concerns until this morning, but coming here felt like the burden was being lifted and his heart was becoming lighter.
What was the difference?
"...I felt it yesterday too."
"Yesterday?"
A slip of the tongue.
He wasn't usually the type to make such mistakes, but just like what he had said to the Sternritter the day before, he was repeatedly revealing unnecessary information.
"Ah... it's nothing important."
His attempt to brush it off was blocked by Bambietta, who adjusted her posture.
"What is it? Don't stop mid-sentence, tell me."
"...It's just, because of those who died yesterday."
Before he knew it, he had stopped sweeping and was talking.
Even to his own ears, his story was very rambling and difficult to understand.
Like a child complaining to their parents about what happened at school.
It was behavior so unlike his usual self.
Even so, he felt the heaviness in his chest greatly subside.
"So, in the end, you don't know if it's just because you're too sensitive?"
"To put it simply, yes... but wouldn't it be a bit different?"
"Ah, enough, enough. It's not that big of a deal."
She waved her hand dismissively and reached a conclusion.
"You've misunderstood."
"Yes, as expected, my personality—"
"Not that."
She cut him off.
It was a situation Nachahmer had grown accustomed to with Bambietta.
However, he wasn't angry at all.
Because he was certain that what she was about to say was the answer.
"Using all those unnecessarily difficult words. What, time? You say you can't remember the ones who died?"
"...Yes."
"Then what was the end of those guys you saw? Isn't that time too?"
"That's..."
"And!"
A long, slender finger pointed at Nachahmer, the Soldat.
"According to what you said, the end is worthless, right? But you saw it and even got revenge for them."
Their end had influenced his actions.
"Then, you're the one who remembers them."
Their time remained as his actions, as his time.
It hadn't disappeared. It wasn't worthless.
It was simply that they had left their footprints on the lives of others.
"Besides, they must have families too, right? There are people who know them better than you do, so why are you the one suffering?"
"Haha..."
It wasn't logically perfect.
He could have refuted it as much as he wanted.
Perhaps it was just a base desire for comfort and empathy that was easing his heart.
He could even say it was a phenomenon caused by simple brain hormone secretion.
What if another Sternritter had said this?
Their egos were also very solid and strong.
But they probably would have opened their mouths immediately to offer a different opinion.
Like a child throwing a tantrum, telling him not to be so sure of himself.
And yet, why did the words she said to him...
'I don't want to say no.'
That finger pointing at him.
Those eyes directed at him, and the look within them.
The voice coming from that throat.
And the sincerity and soul that flowed out in between.
They were so brilliant.
And he liked it.
From the first moment he saw her.
"I... was truly inadequate."
He raised his hand, took off his mask, and bowed his head.
His hair fell forward.
"Thank you."
As for why he revealed his face...
He just wanted to.
"As long as you understand!"
Because he wanted to look straight at that smile.
*****
"Where's Bambi?"
"She was in her room, but that Soldat from earlier went in."
"Then let's go, so we don't get yelled at for interrupting."
"But they must have gotten really close already... He went right into her room and she didn't even say anything."
"The guy who goes in so naturally, and the girl who doesn't even realize it. They're truly a match made in heaven."
"Tell me about it. She must really like him."
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