My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

During border guard duty, soldiers are responsible for dealing with monsters attempting to cross the barbed-wire fence onto our land.

Each outpost is manned by a platoon, which is precisely why the platoons are split—to enhance the effectiveness of guarding the border. Guard duty is conducted in pairs, with shifts lasting three hours before switching with another pair of soldiers.

Guard duty exempts soldiers from monster hunts and training sessions, so higher-ranked seniors often volunteer for shifts during training times.

Of course, as a freshly minted Private First Class, I wouldn’t get such preferential treatment. I’d end up stuck with the most exhausting shifts, naturally. Damn it.

“Salvia, there’s no need to worry so much.”

After hearing about Denin’s death, my expression had grown noticeably gloomy. Ishina, ever composed, tried to reassure me.

‘Ishina doesn’t look the least bit shaken. What a mental fortress—just as expected from a hidden mastermind.’

He smiled kindly, a gesture completely incongruous with the situation, and said, “With your usual skills, Salvia, you’ll manage just fine. As long as you don’t get cocky and stay focused, you’ll be okay. You’ve got this.”

“Thank you…,” I mumbled, a little reassured.

Ishina had been a Private First Class for three months, so he’d already served guard duty several times. His words carried weight today.

Aquila shifted slightly closer to me, his warmth spreading through the point where our arms brushed.

I knew this was his way of comforting me. The warmth helped me feel grounded, and gradually, my nerves began to settle.

“Yeah… Maybe it’ll be fine…” I nodded vaguely, my eyes half-lidded as a shadow fell over us from behind.

“Dream?”

Spotting Sergeant Dream, we instinctively put some distance between us to avoid any misunderstandings.

“I’ve got some instructions for your first border guard duty.”

At Dream’s words, we immediately gave him our full attention. Dream and his peer, Carrot, were in charge of managing the juniors, so it was likely we’d be paired with one of them for duty.

“You know the bulletin board with the duty roster, right? From now on, check it yourselves.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Salvia, your shift starts at six this evening. Aquila, yours is at midnight.”

“Yes, understood.”

‘Of course, they gave us the worst time slots.’

The midnight-to-three shift Aquila got was one of the worst, leaving no time for proper sleep. And my six-to-nine shift meant I’d have to rush dinner before heading out. Typical.

After replying to Dream, I asked a somewhat pointless question.

“Who will we be partnered with for the duty?”

“Oh. Aquila, you’ll be with Altair.”

‘Altair? That’s unexpected.’

I had assumed Dream or Carrot would pair with us, but I tilted my head as the realization struck me.

‘Wait… Is it possible that for first-time duty, the most senior soldiers personally take charge?’

If that’s the case, then my partner would be…

“Salvia, you’ll be with Winter.”

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

It looked like I was going to learn the "proper way" to do guard duty from the master himself, Winter. Whether that was good or bad, I couldn’t tell.

***

“Salvia, don’t stress yourself too much.”

On my way to the first shift, my body felt increasingly rigid with tension.

Despite Ishina’s earlier encouragement, it didn’t do much to help. I had hurriedly scarfed down dinner before heading out, and now my stomach felt tight.

‘Damn it, I think I’m going to get indigestion….’

When I reached the area outside the mess hall, Winter was already there, waiting.

“Winter.”

“Salvia, today’s your first border guard duty, isn’t it? Don’t let yourself get too nervous….”

But the moment I saw his face, all my tension evaporated in an instant.

‘If monsters show up, Winter will take care of everything.’

With Winter—the crème de la crème—by my side, I wasn’t the least bit afraid of monsters. Among the four male leads in the original novel, Winter was the one I personally trusted the most when it came to dealing with them.

How should I put it? To me, Winter was like a northern duke who single-handedly slaughtered hordes of monsters and returned triumphant.

‘He even seems like the type who’d make a coat for the heroine out of monster fur.’

Of course, in reality, monsters are grotesque abominations. I wouldn’t want a coat made out of their fur. After all, monsters are monsters for a reason.

…On second thought, Winter doesn’t seem like the type to misuse monster remains. He’d probably refuse, saying it’s against protocol to use military resources for personal gain.

Still, the thought of standing guard with Winter made all my worries melt away, and my dinner was suddenly digesting perfectly fine.

Noticing my subtle smile, Winter gave a serious nod.

“As steady as ever.”

…If I weren’t on his good side, I’m pretty sure he’d have scolded me for ten minutes straight about my facial expressions.

***

Standing at the border outpost, I gripped my rifle tightly with both hands, my anxious eyes fixed on the wasteland beyond the barbed-wire fence.

The outpost, elevated slightly above the ground, offered a clear view of the no-man’s-land beyond the border—a land overrun by monsters, completely uninhabitable for humans.

Whenever a monster came into view, I instinctively adjusted my grip on the rifle, tense and alert. Winter, however, had reminded me that it was impossible to eradicate all the monsters beyond the border. Our only task was to stop those that tried to cross the fence.@@novelbin@@

‘Truly a man of principles,’ I thought, sneaking a glance at Winter, who stood rigidly by my side in a textbook-perfect posture.

According to Ishina, most seniors would relax and engage in idle chatter during guard duty. But Winter showed no signs of such behavior.

‘Yet in the original novel, he badgered the heroine with all sorts of questions about her life.’

His lack of interest in me was palpable—another reminder, the 325th one, of how my romantic fantasy delusions had been shattered since reincarnating into this world.

As I stood quietly, watching the border, Winter finally broke the silence.

“You’ll adapt well to your next border duty too, won’t you?”

“Excuse me? Oh, yes! Of course, sir!” I stammered, startled.

“Good. Is everything alright with your life as a Private First Class?” he asked.

‘No? Everything’s awful?’ I thought but bit back the retort.

“Yes, sir. Other than the added duty, nothing much has changed, so I think I’ll adapt just fine.”

“Good. If you encounter any difficulties, let me know at once.”

And with that, the outpost fell silent once again. Unable to bear the oppressive quiet, I fidgeted with my fingers until Winter spoke again.

“Life as a Private First Class… You’ll find it easier in some ways, now that the chores are gone. On the other hand, keep your posture straighter and your eyes forward. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, sir…”

Winter fell silent again, and the awkward atmosphere returned.

‘…This won’t do.’

Listening to Winter explain principles was bad enough, but this stifling atmosphere was even worse. I decided to break the ice.

“How was your life as a Private First Class, sir? Do you have any advice for me?” I asked.

Winter furrowed his brow slightly, as if recalling something, before replying, “It wasn’t much different from being a recruit. I simply followed the rules and did what was expected.”

‘Of course, the king of principles strikes again.’

Looking at his ever-composed face, I impulsively asked another question.

“How did you become so strong, sir? Was there a particular turning point?”

I often found myself marveling at Winter’s prowess, thinking things like, As expected of Male Lead #2! He’s like a northern duke! A perfectionist to the core! But surely, there was a backstory to his abilities and personality.

“Have you ever been afraid of anything during your time in the Border Defense Army?”

Winter’s pale blue eyes lingered on me for a moment before shifting back to the wasteland beyond the fence. Then, he began to speak.

“I don’t recall experiencing anything particularly frightening,” he said slowly. “Even before enlisting, I’d heard countless stories about what to expect. I trained extensively in swordsmanship before joining, so I wasn’t afraid of monsters. I was fortunate to maintain good relationships with my peers as well.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, you seem very close with Altair.”

“Altair gets along with everyone easily. Yuri, too, adheres to principles, so we work well together. And since none of my peers died, I’ve never faced significant setbacks.”

It seemed that Winter, Altair, and Yuri were the only members of Alpha Platoon’s 78th batch. Remarkably, all three were so strong that none of them had died.

“As such, there’s nothing particularly special about my story. If you want advice, I can tell you to follow the military’s principles while establishing your own.”

“No, thank you…” I replied, quickly declining.

“Well, if you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

…Even that felt like something a professor would say.

But I was genuinely curious about Winter.

What kind of life did he lead before enlisting?

If nothing remarkable happened to him after enlisting, then his abilities and personality must have been shaped before joining the army. I briefly entertained the idea that Winter might have literal blue blood running through his veins—noble blood.

…Wait, wasn’t blue blood associated with reptiles?

Fine, let’s just stick with red blood.

Either way, Winter seemed to have been born cold and disciplined.

“So, you were already strong before enlisting?” I asked.

“Yes,” Winter replied with a slight nod. “Both of my parents are heteros.”

“Oh…”

It wasn’t uncommon for children of Arkon parents to undergo rigorous training before enlisting. In Karon’s case, his parents had both been officers who died in service, and he was raised by foster parents.

Benny, who seemed to have grown up surrounded by love, was actually the rare exception. Most children born to Arkon couples grew up burdened by the reality that they were destined to enlist.

Just like Ishina, who became a mastermind after being raised by Arkon parents… Ishina wasn’t born a mastermind, after all.

“My parents trained me thoroughly from a young age. By the time I enlisted, I’d already learned every skill required by the Border Defense Army. I didn’t know which unit I’d be assigned to, so I trained in everything—from basic physical conditioning to swordsmanship, marksmanship, horseback riding, spear fighting, swimming, and even rock climbing.”

Listening to him, I felt a strange mix of emotions.

What must it have been like for parents to train their child so intensely, just to prepare them for a place like this?