My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

"Of course, Altair."

During the time I spent with Winter and Altair, I made it a point to casually compliment the competency of the Cool Mint Ice 78th class in their presence.

"Winter, you truly stood out from the moment you were a private. Isn’t that why your seniors acknowledged you as the most exceptional among the juniors?"

"It seems like Winter single-handedly manages everything in the unit. Honestly, even if it were just the 78th class, the unit would probably run like a well-oiled machine."

I made sure to highlight how their seniors had acknowledged them in the past and how they were still handling most of the unit’s workload even now.

The elite 78th class must have already harbored animosity toward the 77th class—Gagne’s batch—for their petty jealousy and constant bullying.

I had simply handed them a reason to openly oppose the 77th class.

And then there was Altair...

"The 78th class’s only social butterfly!"

Unlike Winter or Yuri, who were always cool, minty, icy, and rigidly principled, Altair was a master of flattery when it came to seniors, though he was a strict authoritarian with juniors. He knew how to read the room and wasn’t above bowing when necessary.

There was no way someone like him would let a golden opportunity to crush Gagne’s power slip through his fingers.

"Just in case anything happens, perhaps Gagne should take a bit of a break for now. We’ll handle things. Honestly, haven’t we been the ones keeping this unit running all along?"

Altair’s words, which could have easily come across as impudent, left Gagne with no choice but to clench his lips in silence, given the current circumstances.

Even Winter, who usually held proper respect for his seniors in high regard, didn’t step in to stop his thorny classmate. It was uncharacteristic of him, but then again...

"Winter must have found Gagne bothersome too."

After all, even Winter was only human. There was no reason for him to pass up the chance to rid himself of an annoying senior without lifting a finger.

"Alright, I trust you guys."

"Do your best from now on~."

The seniors, indifferent to Gagne’s predicament, simply encouraged the elite 78th class, who had always performed admirably.

Watching Gagne completely lose his influence brought me immense satisfaction.

"If you dislike someone, the best course of action is to destroy the very foundation they stand on."

Now, no matter what, Jaiden would never find another supporter to back him.

***

A week had passed since then.

Gagne no longer dared to bother us. He had become a toothless tiger, shrinking into a corner, while the 78th class took over the responsibility of managing the recruits.

Not much had changed since the 78th class had already been handling most of the unit's affairs. The only difference was that Gagne no longer had the audacity to torment us.

Gagne tried to gauge the mood of the senior soldiers, hoping to regain his lost power. However, the seniors, satisfied with the smooth operation of the unit under the 78th class, didn’t intervene at all.

As a result, the atmosphere in the unit grew noticeably brighter.

"I may have failed to align myself with Winter’s faction, but at least I learned more about Winter and Altair’s thoughts during the process."

It seemed that trying to ride Winter’s line was simply too difficult.

"If only I could have made better use of the original novel."

Unfortunately, I only remembered the general plot of Four Obsessed Madmen Cling to Me and couldn’t exploit it like the protagonists in reincarnation novels typically did.

Still, while I failed to join Winter’s faction, I managed to confirm their hostility toward the seniors and reinforce it enough to topple Gagne. In the end, I achieved my goal.

"Salvia, who’s in charge of managing our supplies?"

"Oh, your boots? Ask Winter or Altair about it."

"Got it, thank you."

Milphy had approached me with a question but hesitated before leaving, sneaking a cautious glance in my direction. I tilted my head, momentarily pausing the cheerful task of clearing weeds with Karon.

"What’s up? Something you want to say?"

"Um, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. Shoot."

"...Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. I’m in such a good mood I got carried away."

Milphy’s expression briefly turned bewildered before settling into a calm demeanor as he asked his question.

"What kind of person is our commanding officer?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, I saw them the other day, and I got curious…."

"Ah."

Since Milphy joined Alpha Platoon, the two officers had mostly stayed out of sight, holed up somewhere. Seeing them take charge during the Gagne incident must have piqued his interest.

"Commander Elliot? He’s… well, pretty normal. Your standard officer nearing retirement. As for Lieutenant Taro…"

My expression grew wistful.

"Taro... after ‘that incident,’ he lost all his energy and now just keeps to himself."

"...What?"

"If it hadn’t been for ‘that incident,’ he wouldn’t be so worn out… Just think of him as someone perpetually tired."

Remembering the "Crown Prince Assault Incident" suddenly made me feel sorry for everyone in our company.

Milphy, now thoroughly perplexed, glanced at Karon, who simply mirrored my contemplative look, as though he too was reliving the memory.

"Ah, yes… ‘that incident.’ It truly was something else…."

"Yeah. I almost deserted back then…."@@novelbin@@

"We must ensure it never happens again."

"Don’t jinx it. Don’t even mention it."

Milphy alternated his gaze between us, looking utterly lost.

"What exactly is ‘that incident’…?"

"I can’t tell you. It’s bad luck to talk about it."

"Oh… I see…."

Milphy finally left after giving us a look that suggested he thought we were crazy.

Hmm, juniors like Milphy, who are easy to tease, are definitely better than arrogant ones like Jaiden.

***

"Salvia, Winter is asking for you."

"Ah, really?"

I looked at Jaiden, who called my name with a surprisingly polite tone. Unlike his previously antagonistic attitude, he now seemed afraid of me. He avoided making eye contact and addressed me with newfound deference.

It seemed he had realized that I had crushed his faction—or perhaps it was simply the absence of his backing that had sapped his confidence.

Either way, this meant Jaiden’s influence in the platoon was completely diminished, which worked in my favor.

"He won’t dare think about challenging Aquila in the future."

I pictured my comrade’s face.

Sometimes, playing politics like this made navigating society much easier, but Aquila was so painfully upright that I often wondered how he’d manage in the real world. Honestly, how would he even survive without me?

"Why is Winter calling me, though?"

Since the incident with Gagne, the corporals had been in disarray, and Winter had declared our lessons over. He had assured me there was nothing more he could teach me about writing.

Surely, he wasn’t planning to teach me something else. The thought made me uneasy, but knowing Winter, that wasn’t likely. He wouldn’t go back on his word.

"Well, I guess I’ll find out when I get there."

Leaving Jaiden, who still couldn’t meet my eyes, I made my way to Winter.

***

After Salvia left, Jaiden stared at the ground for a while before lifting his head. Thankfully, she was completely out of sight.

"Ugh."

Thinking about Salvia made his skin crawl, and he shuddered involuntarily.

He was terrified of her now.

At first, Jaiden had found her appearance captivating. He thought that if she were just a bit more compliant, she would fit his ideal type perfectly. As a senior, she seemed delicate enough to control easily.

But that day... that one day changed everything.

When the love letter had been discovered, all juniors had been ordered to sit still while the corporals deliberated. At one point, Jaiden had risen to fetch water for Yuri and had seen Salvia’s face.

None of the corporals were paying attention to the juniors, and no one dared to turn their heads. Only Jaiden, who had stood up, could see her.

Salvia was smiling brightly.

Her coral hair was tied back neatly, and her pale, flawless face radiated an elegant and pure charm. Her delicate features exuded an ethereal beauty, and the lively glow of her skin only added to her allure.

She was smiling in a way that seemed too radiant, too cheerful for the situation.

It was the very smile Jaiden had imagined she would have—except…

"She’s insane."

In that moment, Jaiden realized she was the one who had written the note threatening desertion.

He understood then that Salvia would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She was capable of doing things others wouldn’t even think of.

Removing someone like him wouldn’t be difficult for her.

From that day forward, Jaiden was truly afraid of Salvia.

"Ugh."

Feeling the chills again, he quickly left. Doing laundry or any other task would be better than risking another encounter with her.

***

"Winter?"

I tilted my head at the sight of Winter stepping out of the armory. Was he on duty there?

He turned his head and regarded me with his usual detached expression, his cool gray-blue eyes meeting mine.

"Salvia, you’re here."

"Yes, I heard you called for me."

I approached him. It seemed he was alone in the armory, as I couldn’t sense anyone else nearby.

Standing before him, I waited for him to speak. But Winter just stared at me silently.

"What’s this about?"

I began to feel tense.

It wasn’t paranoia. In the military, flying under the radar was the safest bet. The less people remembered you, the better.

Take Winter, for instance. His reputation as an elite who excelled at everything had earned him the nickname "the company’s workhorse" during his private days. He was constantly dragged to the company HQ to handle tasks, like some sort of beast of burden.

As a result, he lost about two "coolness points" in my mind every day.

Of course, I wasn’t any better off. Gagne had a poor opinion of me, and Winter had roped me into learning how to write. My relationships with my seniors were as extreme as they could get.

"Flying under the radar is no longer an option for me anyway."

I kept my nervous gaze fixed on Winter, waiting for him to speak. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"I’ve told you several times…"

‘Am I about to get scolded?’

"...not to mess up your letters."

"Excuse me?"

I blinked in confusion. I hadn’t written anything in front of Winter recently.

When I gave him a puzzled look, he remained expressionless and continued.

"Even during important moments, you always flip your letters."

"Excuse me? What are you— Oh."

Realization hit me like a brick, and I felt the blood drain from my body.

My head spun, and my heart began to race so hard it felt like it might burst.

The love letter.

It dawned on me.

I had written the flipped "S" as a regular "S" in the note.

No one else might have noticed, but Winter—who had watched me write countless times—must have recognized that the handwriting was mine.

"I’m doomed."