My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

Right, I had almost forgotten—he was the one who bullied his juniors in the original novel.

Jaiden, that bastard, had been picking on Benny, calling her weak, which only made her feel even more lost and confused!

Honestly, I couldn't care less what he did to his juniors—unless, of course, the victim happened to be Benny, someone I’d taken under my wing. That changed everything.

“How can that bastard be so utterly useless to my life?”

I felt a sharp anger rise as my hand clenched into a fist, my gaze drilling into the ground. Benny, standing nervously in front of me, flinched and hesitantly called out.

“Um… Salvia?”

“Alright, Benny. For now, go ahead and take care of the laundry.”

“W-What?”

“I have a heartfelt conversation to take care of.”

***

“Jaiden.”

“S-Salvia?!”

Not long after, I found Jaiden pulling weeds and called out to him in the sweetest voice I could muster. The moment he saw my face, he jumped up like a startled deer.

“I’ve got something to ask you. Got time?”

“Of-of course!”

He looked terrified. Jaiden sprinted over, clasping his hands in front of him as though he were bracing himself for a sermon.

“Jaiden, by any chance…”

“Yes?!”

“Have you been saying unnecessary things to Benny?”

“What?”

At that, Jaiden flinched as if I’d struck a nerve. His expression gave him away instantly. He began to stammer, scrambling to come up with an excuse, but I raised a hand to silence him.

“You trying to die? A fellow recruit’s already struggling after losing their friend, and you’re piling on? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I-I was just trying to give her some advice…”

“Advice? Who the hell gives advice like that? Advice is given kindly, with understanding. What you did was plain bullying.”

I could feel my blood pressure rising, but I forced myself to calm down, replacing my glare with a saccharine smile. Jaiden, however, shrank back even further.

“If the seniors hear about you messing with Benny, we’re all screwed. God, this idiot really has no sense…”

“I-I swear…”

“If you pull this kind of crap again, you’re dead. Got it?”

I made sure to hammer that warning into him one last time before I turned and left. I had a more pressing matter—patching up the mess Jaiden had left in Benny’s already fragile mental state.

There was a time when I believed that these things should be handled by professionals. But I’ve since reconsidered.

Benny isn’t weak.

She’s not fragile. If I just give her a little push, she’ll overcome this on her own and come out even stronger.

And who knows? When the day comes that she reveals her true identity, she might just help me out in return!

Plus, let’s not forget the most important reason—

I refuse to go back to being the youngest in the women’s barracks!

There was no way I was going to let Benny’s shaken nerves lead to a mistake during a hunt that could cost her life. Not on my watch.

***

“Benny!”

“Salvia?”

When I returned with a bright expression after vanishing earlier, Benny looked at me with a bewildered face.

“Haah, I have something to tell you,” I said, catching my breath as I reached her side.

“You don’t have to become bad!”

“W-What?”

Benny’s eyes widened even more as I suddenly shouted that out.

“Being cruel and being tough are two completely different things! Sure, you need to toughen up to survive here, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw away your humanity and become a bad person!”

I didn’t care what April or Yuri might think—this was my take.

“If you feel like you absolutely must avenge your comrades, then do it!”

I grabbed both of her hands firmly.

“But instead of torturing yourself over failing to avenge them, focus on becoming stronger so it doesn’t happen again. Think of this failure as a stepping stone to grow stronger. If you want to live the way you’ve always been, you need to become even stronger.”

At those words, Benny gave me an odd look.

“Oh…”

Slowly, she nodded her head.

“You’re absolutely right, Salvia,” she said.

It seemed like she had accepted my words, and as I smiled, Benny spoke again in her calm yet earnest voice.

“You’re right. In a place like this, if you don’t have strength, you have no choice but to lose everything you hold dear. If I want to hold on to who I am, I have to grow stronger….”

Her expression was noticeably brighter now.

I was thrilled—it felt like things were finally going well! At least Benny wouldn’t torture herself over her inability to avenge her comrades anymore.

That’s when Benny suddenly spoke in a shy voice.

“Salvia…”

“Hmm?”

“If you ever need help in the future, please let me know….”

‘Got her.’

Just as in the original story, Benny never forgets a favor!

“Help? What could you possibly help me with?” I asked, feigning ignorance. Benny smiled mysteriously in response.

“I can help with anything. Truly, anything….”

‘…As expected of a two-star general’s daughter.’

“If you ever need help, please come to me. I’ll do anything to help.”

Benny smiled as she said those words, and I could feel an intense, hidden power radiating from her.

With this, I’d taken another solid step toward survival!

***

Not long after, during a monster hunt, Benny managed to find and kill the Firehorn that had killed her comrades.

I have no idea how she tracked down the exact same Firehorn, or how she managed to launch her aura blade beyond the border, but…

One thing was clear—Benny is insanely strong.

‘I feel like I’ve raised a tiger cub.’

***

D-2,190 until discharge.

Today, I was on top of the world.

“Since you’ve been promoted, make sure to work harder and set a good example.”

“Yes, sir!”

It was, after all, the day I got promoted to Private First Class!

After a brief promotion ceremony at the company headquarters with recruits from other platoons, I couldn’t help but grin as I admired the additional stripe on my shoulder insignia.

Sure, I’d have to sew it onto my uniform once I got back to the platoon, but the important thing was—I got promoted!

“This is the best day ever…”

I grabbed Aquila’s arm and shook it in excitement. He looked at me with warm eyes, clearly sharing in my good mood.

Finally, we’d survived two years in this godforsaken place and earned our promotion to Private First Class!

‘Damn it. If this were Korea, I’d already be discharged by now….’

Thinking about this ridiculous service period lit a fire in my gut, but I decided to focus on the present. After all, the less you think here, the happier you tend to be.

“Ah, it’s nice to skip platoon training today.”

Damian, my fellow recruit from Gamma Platoon, chimed in, and Blue, from Beta Platoon, nodded in agreement.

Damian and Blue were the only other recruits from different platoons in our company. We’d only ever exchanged a few words in passing, but at that moment, we felt a deep camaraderie.

“By the way, isn’t today the day new recruits arrive?” I asked, tilting my head.

Blue answered immediately. “I heard there aren’t any new recruits assigned to our company this time.”

“Really? We didn’t get any last time either. Maybe next time.”

As a member of Beta Platoon, which was attached to the company headquarters, Blue always had the fastest access to information. A reliable source of intel is always helpful.

“At least we’re free from chores now,” I said with a nostalgic sigh, thinking of the endless laundry, weeding, sewing, and various other tasks. Since enlisting, I’d become a master of domestic work.

‘Not even a housewife with decades of experience could handle this….’

The only downside was that I couldn’t make the laundry smell sweet. The best scent is still toothpaste!

…That sudden realization hit me hard, and I decided to shut up.

Just then, Damian spoke up, his face serious.

“But from now on, we’ll have to take border guard duty as Private First Classes.”@@novelbin@@

“Yeah, I’ve heard it’s incredibly exhausting.”

Border guard duty, as the name suggested, involved guarding the empire’s borders, one of the Border Defense Army’s primary tasks. Soldiers would stand watch in shifts at outposts, guarding against monsters. It was a dangerous job, and only soldiers ranked Private First Class or higher were assigned to it.

Watching Yuri leave for her nighttime shift sometimes made me think it was better to stay a recruit.

‘Looks like being a Private First Class just means more work….’

Until now, we only had to work during the day, but now we’d have to cover night shifts too. Damn it. Don’t monsters ever sleep? Can’t we all just take a break at night?

“I heard a lot of deaths happen during border guard duty,” Blue said gravely.

“They say soldiers get overconfident after surviving training, thinking they’re untouchable. But border duty is way more dangerous.”

The mood instantly turned somber. We had just overcome one major hurdle, only to face another.

‘Damn it, there’s no such thing as peace in this damned army….’

“Anyway, I’d better get going,” Damian said.

“Thanks for the info.”

After checking the time, we exchanged brief goodbyes and headed back to our respective platoons.

‘Still, getting promoted is something to celebrate.’

Despite the serious discussion, my spirits remained high.

‘Only six more years to go!’

I had survived the recruit phase, and in six years, I’d be discharged!

But when we arrived back at the platoon, we were met with shocking news.

***

“Denin is dead.”

“W-What do you mean… dead?”

The words tumbled out awkwardly, a first for me, as I stood frozen with a blank expression.

“Exactly what it sounds like. Denin died during border guard duty.”

I glanced around at my fellow soldiers, hoping someone would tell me it was a joke. But their grim faces told me otherwise. Not that anyone would joke about something like this, to begin with.

Even Blair and Topio, notorious for their terrible personalities, had red, puffy eyes, as if they’d been crying.

‘This is insane….’

It hit me then—being promoted didn’t mean anything good. It just meant another layer of danger had been added to my life. Damn it!

Denin, the Private First Class who had died, was from the 84th batch, making him Blair and Topio’s direct senior. He had only six months left until his promotion to Corporal, meaning he was already a skilled and experienced soldier.

And yet, he’d died during border duty.

Once again, I was reminded of the risks of border duty, and it became painfully clear that this apocalyptic world was out to kill me.

‘…Apocalypse?’

At that moment, something clicked in my mind.

What if this wasn’t a romantic fantasy world after all?

“Status window!”

…Nothing happened.

‘Maybe I should try something else?’

“System window!”

…Still nothing.

Damn it. Yeah, I’ve been through enough to stop denying reality. Get it together, Salvia.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept the grim reality: I would have to step into that deadly border duty myself.