My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

“...What’s that about?”

When I entered the laundry room with an armful of clothes, Aquila shot an uncomfortable look behind me.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“No, just look at his expression.”

Karon was trailing behind me with sparkling eyes, entirely focused on me. He didn’t even glance at Ishina or Aquila, who were already in the laundry room.

“‘That’? That’s too harsh! He’s still a kid!”

“He’s only a year younger than you. And do you spare a monster if it’s younger than you?”

“Hey! How can you say that? He can hear you!”

I gave Aquila’s arm a light smack, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally sighing.

Leaning close to his ear so Karon wouldn’t hear, I whispered, “Even though he’s acting cheerful, he’s having a really hard time. Last night, I found him crying in the laundry room, so I comforted him.”

“…Do you really think someone that fragile can survive?”@@novelbin@@

“Whaaat? You said you’d help him before!”

“Ha… and do you even have the capacity to look after anyone else?”

Just as Aquila was about to lecture me further, Blair and Topio, two seniors from the 85th intake, entered the laundry room.

Without saying a word, Aquila and I immediately shut our mouths.

Those two were practically twins in their lack of decency. Despite only having a handful of juniors before, including Ishina, Aquila, and me, they’d made a habit of picking on us. They were people you always had to keep an eye on.

“Hey, what the hell is the rookie just standing around for?”

“Oh, I’ll get him started.”

Blair’s sharp glare landed on Karon, who instinctively scooted closer to me in fear. I quickly handed Karon some laundry to avoid any trouble.

‘These jerks have zero sympathy for anyone, not even a new recruit.’

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as we continued doing laundry.

‘Why does laundry never end?’

Even though the army demanded spotless floors and flawless laundry, it felt like there was never enough clean clothing, no matter how much we washed.

Once the laundry was finally done and Blair and Topio had left, I tossed the last piece into the basket with a sigh.

“Ishina, I’ll take Karon to hang the laundry.”

“Oh, sure? I could join you if you need help.”

“I’ve got it.”

Aquila’s voice cut in before I could respond.

“Why? You don’t have to come.”

Aquila’s face twisted into an expression of frustration.

“When did I say I wanted to do extra work?”

“Well, I can’t act irresponsibly in front of the rookie, can I?”

“Am I not needed anymore?”

“Aw, when did I say that~? Are you upset?”

Setting down the laundry basket, I looped my arm through Aquila’s and teased him in a playful tone. His expression softened slightly, though the annoyance lingered.

To be fair, I had been neglecting him.

Aquila found reassurance in knowing I needed him—it reminded him that I, his fellow recruit, and his ally, were still alive and by his side.

‘Even while taking care of Karon, I’ll have to keep an eye on Aquila, too.’

After all, even if I always needed Aquila, he wouldn’t know it unless I showed him.

“Let’s go together, okay? Here, take this.”

I handed him the laundry basket, and he finally looked satisfied as he took it from me.

Feeling like I’d made amends, we started walking together, but then I remembered something.

“Oh, I left a rag in the laundry room.”

“Want me to grab it?”

“No, I’ll get it. You two go ahead!”

Honestly, I needed to give those two some time alone to get closer.

Leaving Aquila and Karon to work together, I quickly ran back to the laundry room.

***

“...Hey.”

Aquila broke the silence, his voice cutting through the air as he watched Salvia disappear into the distance.

“Y-Yes?!”

Startled by Aquila’s sharp gaze, Karon snapped to attention, his voice trembling slightly.

Unlike Salvia, who seemed to take to Karon quickly, Aquila had been scrutinizing him with disapproval from the start, so it was no wonder Karon looked intimidated.

“Why were you crying last night?”

The question caught Karon off guard. Blinking his round eyes, he hesitated before answering in an innocent voice.

“I was thinking about my family…”

“You said they passed away. So you still remember them?”

“Yes, I have a few memories left. My biological parents were both officers in the Border Defense Army and died fighting monsters. But I was raised by my adoptive parents. I was thinking about them.”

“That must have been hard.”

Aquila’s tone was indifferent, but Karon continued speaking, seemingly unbothered.

“My adoptive parents always hit me and made me do all the housework. Then, one night, the house caught fire…”

“...Was it an accident?”

“Yes, it was. And…”

Karon spoke with a disarmingly pure tone.

“I regret not thinking of setting the fire myself after suffering under them for so long. The life here in the Border Defense Army is much better by comparison. It feels unfair, and that’s why I cried.”

Aquila’s expression immediately hardened. The calm demeanor he always carried was replaced by a sharp, almost predatory intensity.

“...Are you serious?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

Karon answered as if his previous statement were nothing out of the ordinary, and Aquila began to understand the true meaning behind Salvia’s earlier comment: “Karon is incomplete.”

He was incomplete—lacking even the most basic understanding of right and wrong.

‘Did he lose his sense of ethics along with his memories?’

No, that didn’t seem likely.

Losing one’s memory alone wouldn’t erase a person’s moral compass. It was far more plausible that Karon had always harbored antisocial tendencies.

He likely believed people found him strange because of his memory loss and assumed that his ethical framework had been erased along with his past.

In truth, it wasn’t that Karon had forgotten basic morals—it was that he had never internalized them to begin with.

‘...It’s not too late,’ Aquila thought.

After a moment of contemplation, Aquila asked, “What do you think of Salvia?”

Karon’s eyes sparkled.

“Salvia is wonderful! She’s so kind and caring. If I had an older sister, I imagine she’d be just like her!”

“Good.”

Aquila locked eyes with Karon, his tone firm.

“Remember what you just said.”

Karon tilted his head, confused by Aquila’s cryptic words. Before he could ask, Salvia came running back into view. Karon’s face lit up, and Aquila quickly wiped the intensity from his expression, returning to his usual stoic demeanor.

As Salvia approached, Aquila leaned in slightly and whispered in a voice too low for her to hear, “Just like you said, treat her as your sister. If you do that, I’ll always have your back.”

“Yes, sir…?”

***

When I returned to Aquila and Karon, the tension in the air seemed to have eased.

‘See? Aquila acts distant, but he’ll get along just fine.’

Feeling relieved, I started hanging laundry on the line, showing Karon how to clip it properly.

“Alright, think you can handle it on your own next time?”

“Yes, ma’am! I can do it!”

As Karon focused on hanging the clothes, his face lit up as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh, Salvia, I have a question!”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“What unit are we a part of? The platoon leader mentioned it, but I haven’t memorized it yet…”

It wasn’t surprising he found it confusing. Even with my decent memory, it took me a while to get it down.

“Alright, listen carefully. We’re part of the Border Defense Command, 72nd Special Operations Division, 108th Mountain Brigade, Kledor Mountain Battalion, 18th Company, Alpha Platoon.”

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch all of that.”

“…Just remember the 72nd Special Operations Division, 18th Company, Alpha Platoon.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

Karon’s expression was hard to describe, but I could sympathize. I’d felt the same when Ishina rattled off the full name of our unit the first time.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“Well, I don’t really know all the seniors yet… I’m having trouble keeping track.”

“Ah, still struggling to remember faces, huh?”

When I first joined, I couldn’t recognize any of the corporals or privates either. But I memorized the faces of the sergeants executing the “violence and fear save us all” philosophy in record time. Karon clearly wasn’t there yet.

“Listen carefully.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Karon’s eyes sparkled as I began the essential orientation.

“First, 69th Intake April. She’s the only female sergeant, the senior-most member, and uses plant-elemental aura. And—listen carefully—stay away from her. Don’t trust her appearance. Hold your breath if you have to, don’t stand out, and for the love of everything, just avoid her at all costs!”

What started as a calm explanation ended in a desperate cry. Karon tilted his head but nodded hesitantly.

“Next, 70th Intake Louise. Long hair, excellent swordsman, quiet demeanor.”

“Got it…”

“Then there’s 72nd Intake Leon and Brave. Leon’s playful, and Brave is the specialist in ‘violence and fear save us all.’ They both have a cocky attitude, but don’t take it personally—it’s just how they are.”

“I see…”

“Lastly, 74th Intake Plato. He’s the newest of the sergeants, so he’s the busiest and always tired. Be mindful of that. But compared to the others, he’s the most normal.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“Most of the seniors won’t pick on you for no reason… Actually, scratch that. Almost none of them will. Just do your job and avoid mistakes. Of course, mistakes are inevitable.”

“What happens if I mess up…?”

“You don’t seriously need to ask, do you? ‘Violence and fear save us all,’ of course.”

I said it lightly, but Karon’s face paled. He looked so endearingly scared that I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Not long after, all of us were sitting with our heads bowed. My knees ached, but I couldn’t move a muscle.

“Alright, which one of you idiots ruined the sword blade? Didn’t you get maintenance training?”

What we were experiencing was one of the worst events of military life: assembly. It was undoubtedly in my top five worst experiences.

‘Which idiot messed up the sword maintenance this time?’

I cursed internally, but then noticed something troubling. Karon, seated across from me, was trembling, his pupils darting nervously.

‘Crap…’

Sure, everyone went through this hazing phase, but…

‘He’s my junior, damn it.’

“Speak up! Who’s going to confess?”

Leon barked in his usual cocky tone, while Brave stood beside him, visibly furious.

I made my decision.

‘Damn it, I’ll just take the fall.’

Whether it meant a punishment session, endless cleaning duty, or getting chewed out, I’d deal with it.

As I began to raise my right hand, I froze at the sudden movement beside me.

Aquila, with an inscrutable expression, had raised his own hand.

“It might have been my mistake.”

‘What the…?’

To my utter shock, Aquila—who had seemed so uninterested in Karon—had stepped up to take the blame.