My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

On the surface, finding a steel marble among pebbles might sound trivial, but in reality, it’s a daunting task.

Our unit had a training ground covered with pebbles—vast in both quantity and area. To make matters worse, the pebbles were about the same size as the steel marbles we were searching for. And since the marbles thrown by April were slightly rusted, they gleamed under the light just like the pebbles did.

“XX... I’d rather run laps on the training field all night than this.”

While the enhanced physical abilities of Arkons were great for enduring tough training, they didn’t help much when it came to crouching and scouring the ground inch by inch.

After squatting for so long, my body ached all over. My hands, scraped raw from clawing at the rocky ground, stung painfully. Worst of all, my eyes felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets. At this point, I couldn’t tell if the things on the ground were pebbles or my own eyeballs.

“How on earth is this supposed to help recruits adapt to military life?”

The poor recruit who’d caught the attention of a lunatic senior was now on the verge of tears, scratching at the ground with trembling hands. The glares of the senior soldiers staring daggers at him were just a bonus.

More than anything, this entire situation reminded me of one glaring truth about this world.

“What about the dignity of the male leads in the original novel?”

The male leads, who had been so cool and imposing in the original story, were now beside me, desperately scraping at the ground like everyone else.

Seriously, how could the original author assign such a humiliating backstory to these romance novel male leads? Where’s their charisma? Where’s their swagger?@@novelbin@@

Isina, as usual, was diligently combing through the ground with a focused expression. Why is he so earnest even in this situation? Couldn’t he show off his dark mastermind persona instead? Then again, even a shadowy schemer wouldn’t dare cross April, our terrifying senior.

Meanwhile, Karon was staring blankly at the ground, his eyes glazed over. I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Aquila was glaring at the pebbles as if he could destroy them with sheer willpower.

“Normally, that kind of gaze is reserved for some noble brat flirting with the heroine in a romance novel…”

Swallowing my tears, I focused on scouring the ground. Right, let’s just find this steel marble and get this over with. Fatigue was crushing me, and I wanted nothing more than to lie down on this rocky terrain and sleep.

Suddenly, someone raised a hand high above their head, gleaming under the moonlight.

Everyone turned to look. In that hand was the steel marble!

“W-Winter…!”

Winter was holding up the sole steel marble we had been searching for. His expression was, as always, cold and composed, utterly unfitting for the situation.

“Winter! I knew you could do it!”

“You’re amazing, Winter!”

Altair, one of his peers, ran to him with tearful admiration. Yuri, another recruit, stared at the steel marble with eyes full of something akin to love.

“Winter really is a perfectionist,” I thought, deeply impressed. Even in tasks like this, he was flawless.

Within Alpha Platoon, Winter was the embodiment of perfection. Beyond that, he was known throughout our entire company as “that guy in Alpha who’s good at everything.” Even the company commander referred to him as “the soldier in Alpha who’s great with a sword, efficient at tasks, and incredibly handsome.”

…Of course, his reputation also meant he was often dragged to company headquarters for additional assignments. He taught me an important lesson: in the military, aim for mediocrity. Still, Winter had managed to find the steel marble, adding another feather to his cap.

He usually seemed so aloof and emotionless, but today, his unwavering stoicism while holding up the marble made him look downright cool. I found myself, along with the other seniors, gazing at him with awe.

Forget the usual romance novel male lead tropes! At this moment, none of that mattered.

A young crown prince with unparalleled political prowess who never bowed to nobles?
A northern duke with a grand title, deep heritage, and extraordinary abilities?
A young genius who climbed to the top of the magic tower purely through skill?
A cheerful merchant lord amassing wealth and setting continental trends?

None of that impressed me right now. What truly mattered was the ability to find a steel marble amidst a sea of pebbles and end this nightmare. That’s what makes a romance novel male lead!

His swift, precise movements, sharp senses, and animal-like instincts… I could fall for Winter at this moment.

“Sniff… Winter, you’re so amazing…”

“…Amazing?” Aquila looked at me, incredulous.

“But he is! Don’t you think so?”

“You’re impressed by… that?”

“That? Do you have any idea who we owe this moment of rest to?”

“…Ha, what am I going to do with you?”

Aquila massaged the back of his neck, clearly exasperated, but I didn’t care. At this moment, Winter was undeniably the most suitable candidate for a male lead in this world.

***

“It really was a long day…”

Dragging my feet, I trudged back to the dormitory with Yuri. We opened the door and stepped inside. Reina was still outside, trying to console one of her fellow recruits who seemed to have completely lost their composure.

Thankfully, the lights were off—April must have already fallen asleep.

“Salvia.”

“Y-Yes?!”

As I fumbled my way to my spot in the dark, I froze stiff the moment I heard April’s voice.

My eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, quickly found her pale green eyes. They glimmered eerily, cutting through the shadows.

“Tough day?”

“N-not at all!”

“Pfft, liar.”

April chuckled, her body shaking slightly in the dark. The sound was unsettling—like the laughter of someone unhinged. I stayed rooted to the spot, barely daring to move my eyes.

Yuri, lying in her bed, gave me a look of pity but made no move to help. She was already snuggled under her blanket, clearly signaling that this wasn’t her problem.

“You think I’m a bitch, don’t you?”

Her voice was so light and sweet that it sent a chill down my spine.

“N-not at all! Absolutely not!”

Of course, she was a nightmare. But even if she were the worst person alive, common sense dictated that admitting it to her face would be suicide.

I denied it with every ounce of conviction I could muster, and April’s laughter abruptly stopped, as if she’d lost interest.

“Hmm, really?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

Her pale green eyes gleamed again in the dark, and she muttered in that characteristic high-pitched tone of hers:

“Oh, and one more thing. If you keep playing angel around here, you’ll be the first to die, okay?”

“…I’ll keep that in mind?”

April buried herself back under her blanket after delivering those cryptic words.

…I had no idea why she’d said that, but my instinctive response of “I’ll keep that in mind” seemed to work.

Was she warning me against helping out the other recruits because it might make me a target? Or was she just a sociopath who couldn’t stand the sight of anyone being kind?

…Whatever the case, I decided it was better not to dwell on it. Overthinking in the military only leads to headaches.

I stared at April for a moment, the person who had made my life hell all day.

“How can someone put others through so much misery and still look like they don’t feel a shred of guilt?”

Would I end up like that if I ever made it to senior private? I guess only time will tell…

“How long do I have until senior private, anyway? Three years and five months?”

XX, that’s way too far off. Forget it. I should just sleep and stop thinking about useless stuff.

***

D-2,700 days until discharge.

One month later.

The recruits of the 92nd batch were all dead, their bodies covered in burns.

The Class-2 monster, Radiant, had a deadly trait—it would explode in a massive blast upon its death, taking down anything nearby. The recruits, unaware of this fact, failed to evacuate in time.

If only they had reacted quicker to the seniors’ orders, they might have survived. But unfortunately, they didn’t.

And the death of the recruits meant that Reina, the one I had tried so hard to look out for, had died as well.

“…Damn it,” I muttered, clutching my head in both hands as I crouched low.

“I told you not to get attached,” Yuri said flatly beside me. Her detached tone matched the indifference in her eyes as she glanced at me. I clenched my teeth and gripped my rifle tightly.

She was right. There was no telling who among the recruits would survive. Was there any point in putting in so much effort to take care of them in advance? Maybe April had a point. Seeing the death of someone I’d tried to protect might shatter my own mental state and drag me down along with them.

Perhaps her warning—“Play angel, and you’ll die too”—was her way of saying this.

If I wanted to survive and get out of this alive, I might need to go a little crazy myself. To stop caring. To prioritize my survival above all else.

Of course, I didn’t fully understand what April meant back then. It only became clear to me later, when new recruits arrived.