My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

Chapter 16



"Training sure is tough..."

Ishina murmured in a worried tone as she polished her sword, her gaze fixed on Karon’s recruit training, which had been ongoing for a week.

“It really is,” I agreed, nodding alongside her.

"Ah, I forgot my rag. I'll go grab it."

"Sure, go ahead."

As Ishina stood up and walked off, I continued polishing my sword while occasionally glancing toward Karon, who was training in the field.

The drills were the same as what we had gone through, but since there were no other recruits with him, Karon was training alone. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I couldn’t be sure.

Training solo was undoubtedly lonely, but on the other hand, he didn’t have comrades to share collective punishment for his mistakes, so maybe that was a small blessing.

As memories of my fallen comrades surfaced, I bit my lip hard.

‘Cal, Linia, and…’

No. Don’t dwell on it. To survive here, I have to forget everything.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling off?”

“A-Ah, no.”

Aquila had leaned in to look at my face as he asked, his perceptive nature always catching the smallest shifts in my expression.

“What do you think of the recruit?” I asked, changing the subject.

“…I don’t really have any thoughts about him.”

“Oh, come on! He’s your junior, after all!”

I hooked my arm around his and playfully urged him to say something, watching as he pressed and released his lips like he was debating how to respond.

“…I don’t think he’ll live long.”

“Even with tough training?”

“We were pushed just as hard back then, weren’t we?”

“Well, to be fair, facing a dragon in our first hunt and a Class 1 monster during Ishina’s intake were rare exceptions. Normally, you wouldn’t encounter such threats on a first mission.”

In the original story, Aquila and Karon were actually quite close.

As is often the case in reverse-harem novels, Aquila and Winter—both vying for Dalin’s attention—didn’t get along. Ishina, though secretly the mastermind, played the role of the kind and approachable character, so he only appeared to have a good relationship with them on the surface.

Karon, however, was the only one who clung to Aquila with a sunny smile, treating him more like an older brother than a romantic rival.

Knowing Aquila’s personality, it was hard to imagine that he’d ever neglect his junior, even in the original story’s backstory.

“So, Aquila, do you have no intention of helping your junior at all?”

“What could I even do to help?”

“Hm~ Let’s see~”

“…Do you want him to live?”

“Yeah. I think I’d feel pretty bad if he died.”

“…Fine. Just stop making that face.”

Aquila raised his hands and cupped my cheeks, smoothing out my exaggerated pout. The warmth of his palms made my muscles relax, and my expression naturally softened.

“Hey, you two…”

Ishina’s voice suddenly came from behind us. Aquila quickly dropped his hands, and I straightened my posture.

“You might give people the wrong idea if you act like that.”

“A-Ah, it’s nothing like that! I’ll correct myself!”

I responded with a sheepish laugh, trying to brush it off, and Ishina nodded with an amused smirk.

“Of course, Salvia. I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it.”

Then, turning to Aquila, he asked softly, “Isn’t that right, Aquila?”

“…Yes, sir.”

‘Are they close or not?’

Usually, Aquila and Ishina seemed to get along well enough, making me think they were a solid senior-junior duo. But occasionally, Aquila seemed uncomfortable around Ishina.

‘Could he have sensed Ishina’s hidden mastermind persona?’

Maybe he’d picked up on the fact that, beneath Ishina’s kind exterior, he was a cold, ruthless person without any trace of compassion—a secret only revealed later in the original story.

I made a mental note to ask Aquila about Ishina later as I returned to diligently polishing my sword.

***

“Salvia, where’s Winter?”

“He went to run an errand for Elliot, sir.”

“Is that so? Then you, come here for a moment.”

Plato beckoned me over, and I quickly ran to his side.

Next to Plato, Karon sat upright, his posture stiff and formal.

“Hey, the new recruit’s first week of training is over, so it’s time he starts learning how things work around here. Take him and show him how to wash his uniform properly.”

“Yes, sir.”

For the first time, I was being entrusted with a task as a senior. My heart was racing—I was finally escaping this hellish life as the lowest-ranked soldier. I gestured for Karon to follow me, and he trailed behind with bright, eager eyes.

The laundry room was empty when we arrived.

“Hi, Karon. I’m Salvia, from the 390th intake. I’m your senior, and I joined with Aquila.”

“Oh, hello!”

“You know who Aquila is, right? Black hair, orange eyes. You probably saw him during the basic swordsmanship drills—he’s the one who uses fire-elemental aura.”

“Yes, yes! I remember him!”

To my relief, Karon was surprisingly easy to talk to. He responded well, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, and with his curly brown hair and eyes, he looked like an adorable puppy.

Although his memory wasn’t intact, he didn’t seem to have any glaring issues aside from his overly cheerful personality.

From what I’d observed so far, Karon appeared to have a decent grasp of basic common sense.

‘How could the seniors bear to push around someone this cute?’

After I patiently explained the entire process of washing his uniform, I patted his head.

‘…He’s taller than I expected.’

It was a little embarrassing to have to reach up to ruffle his hair, but I didn’t let it show.

When I placed my hand on his head, Karon broke into a radiant smile, looking exactly like a friendly dog that trusted everyone it met.

“Are you struggling a lot these days?”

“Well, not really. It’s better than being outside.”

His unexpected answer caught me off guard.

“…Really?”

“Yes! Here, I can eat until I’m full, and it’s warm and comfortable when I sleep!”

‘…Was this kid homeless or something?’

It was a relief to see that Karon didn’t seem to find life in the Border Defense Army too hard.

‘At least he doesn’t look like he’ll try to desert….’

Considering he was one of the main male leads in the original story, it seemed he had a mental toughness befitting his role.

I let out a sigh of relief, convinced that Karon would adapt to this life without too much trouble.

That is, until I heard the sound of someone quietly sobbing in the laundry room that night.

On my way back from a midnight bathroom break, I paused in front of the laundry room, groggy and confused.

‘No matter how I think about it, that’s definitely Karon.’

Damn it. It must have been overwhelming for him to be thrown into a strange environment while still dealing with his fragmented memories.

‘…I guess I should console him.’

Leaving him alone to cry might be better for Karon—after all, I was just another senior to him, likely someone intimidating.

But if a recruit was caught sobbing alone in the laundry room at night…

‘We’re all screwed. Completely screwed.’

A chill ran down my spine at the thought, and I stepped into the laundry room without hesitation.

“S-Salvia?!”

Karon jumped as if he’d seen a ghost, his already tear-streaked face twisting into an even more pitiful expression.

“Shh, quiet.”

Hic!

Karon clamped his hands over his mouth, but his body continued to tremble as hiccups wracked him.

At first, I’d only felt pity for Karon, worried he’d get in trouble if the seniors caught him crying. But now, seeing his tear-streaked face and reddened cheeks, my heart ached for him.

“Karon, come here.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

He hesitated for a moment before stepping forward with a nervous expression.

I opened my arms and pulled him into a hug.

At first, Karon stiffened, clearly expecting me to scold him. But as I held him, I felt the tension slowly drain from his body.

‘…He’s bigger than I thought.’

I ended up buried against his chest, but I continued holding him anyway.

Does Karon even realize how large he is? If this goes on for too long, I might actually suffocate.

“Cry for a bit, but wrap it up soon.”

“Sniff… sniffle…”

As if my words had triggered something, tears began streaming from his eyes like a waterfall.

“Sniff… hic…”

“Yeah, yeah. I could tell you that you’ll get used to the hard times if you stick it out, but what good would that do?”

I didn’t ask why he was crying. The sound of his sniffles filled the air.

“Sniff…”

“You can rely on me a little. Of course, don’t act clueless in front of the other seniors—they’ll eat you alive. But you can mess up a bit when it’s just me.”

I gently patted his back like I was soothing a child. As his sobs gradually quieted, I felt a sense of relief.

“All done crying, little one?”

It was meant to be a playful comment, but Karon stiffened as if I’d said something shocking. Embarrassed by my own teasing, I let go of him and patted his back one last time.@@novelbin@@

‘…Oh, right.’

The reason Karon considered Salvia his only family in the original story was simple: he’d never had a real family.

‘Like so many other Arkons.’

While I’d joked about treating Karon like a kid, I wondered if anyone had ever truly treated him with kindness.

If the original Salvia had possessed even a shred of decency, she could never have ignored her junior’s plight.

And now, it seemed I was destined to walk the same path as the original Salvia.

“Aww, my adorable little junior.”

I kept patting Karon’s back diligently.

‘…This feels like a parenting story.’

Even though Karon was only a year younger than me and taller, his fragmented memories and perpetually cheerful personality made him seem much younger.

This wasn’t the kind of parenting story where the heroine becomes a baby, though. Instead, it felt like one where she looks after a child and ends up marrying the kid’s cold-hearted father—a trope I’d read before.

‘Wow, I’ve somehow ended up as the heroine of a parenting story. But I never imagined I’d be doing it in the military.’

Not that some long-lost duke would suddenly show up claiming to be Karon’s father and sweep me off my feet.

A military story, an apocalypse, and a parenting arc—this plot was ridiculously overstuffed.

And the worst part? There wasn’t even a hint of romance.

“Alright, little one, let’s head back, okay?”

Of course, I’d keep taking care of Karon.

‘The insane Adolph Empire has utterly trampled on our Arkon rights.’

If there was one thing I’d learned since enlisting, it was how astonishingly disorganized this country’s systems were.

The supposedly well-structured defense system was actually a chaotic mess. The fact that this nation was still standing amazed me daily.

If we ever decided to go on strike, this empire would collapse overnight.

Grumbling internally about the god-awful Border Defense Army, I helped Karon calm down and get ready for bed.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep now, little one?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! I’ll sleep well!”

“Good, because there are monsters that hunt people who stay up too late. And since we’re close to the mountains, you’d better fall asleep quickly.”

“I-I don’t believe that…!”

But the way Karon’s pupils trembled betrayed his words, and I had to stifle a laugh.

“Pfft…! Alright, go on. Get some rest, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

When I entered the women’s barracks, a clear voice rang out in the darkness.

“Salvia, you’re back?”

“I-I just went to the bathroom…”

“Did you now? You were so noisy opening the door that you woke me up.”

Even without seeing her face, I could imagine the expression April was wearing. Ah, here we go again….

“Head down. Now.”

As I pressed my forehead against the cold floor in the dead of night, I was reminded that my days as the youngest hadn’t truly ended just because one new recruit had joined.

‘Damn it. First, I need to survive….’


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