Flie 02 - Our Last Crusade or the Unavoidable Clash at the Bootcamp?
Spring.
The freezing chill of winter ended, heralding the season for budding flowers. Cherry blossoms flitted about; birds sang. And during this joyous time of year…
“NOOoooo!”
The Imperial capital Yunmelngen.
In the third base of the Empire, the largest militarized nation in the world, Commander Mismis wailed.
“I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna do bootcamp!”
She was lying on the floor of the conference room, flailing her arms and putting up the greatest resistance she could muster as she kept shouting, “No, no!”
The commander showed not a shred of embarrassment or concern for her integrity as she threw a tantrum like a child refusing to go to school.
“Commander Mismis, please calm down.”
“…Iska?”
“Don’t be scared. Come on, please get up.” The Imperial swordsman, Iska, addressed her in a soothing tone and offered his hand to his superior officer. “Please look out the window. There’s a bright blue sky out today. Look, there are even birds over there by the base. It’s such a nice time of year.”
“Y-yeah, it is.”
“Spring’s right around the corner. Commander, what comes to mind during this season?”
“…Flower viewing?”
“For the Imperial forces, spring is synonymous with bootcamp.”
“Nooooo!!”
It was no use.
He’d tried to make bootcamp out to be another tiding of the season, but it seemed Mismis harbored a repulsion for the very word.
“You don’t need to be so dramatic. We’re not even doing submarine or aircraft training. It’s just the basics, like running laps and strength work.”
“Those are the things I’m worst at. You should know that, Iska…”
Commander Mismis looked deflated.
Despite her behavior, she was actually a full-grown adult at the age of twenty-two, but with her cherubic face, combined with her short stature, she could pass as a kid who recently graduated elementary school.
“Commander, as I remember it, you just barely managed to meet the required height for the Imperial forces, correct?”
“That’s right. I passed by wearing really thick socks that added two centimeters.”
“That’s definitely against regulations!”
“Back then I was convinced I had some more height in me. But that’s not the issue at hand, Iska!” Still sprawled on the ground, Mismis pointed at herself. “All the members of the forces are huge and muscular. But the Imperial bootcamp even leaves those tough guys in the dust. And you want an itty-bitty lady like me to go to that?!”
“I sympathize with your pain…”
Bootcamp—which was generally known as “basic training and combat” or BTC—struck fear into the hearts of many Imperial force members on an annual basis.
“It must be a cakewalk for you though, Iska,” Mismis said.
“No, no. It was like hell back when I first enlisted.”
Even Iska, who’d had the greatest swordsman in the Empire as his teacher, had almost given up during BTC when he first joined the forces. He’d been thrown into a pool with his hands tied, and he’d been forced to seal himself for two minutes in a room filled with tear gas without a gas mask and collapsed because he hadn’t been able to breathe. That was how unreasonable their training was.
“But luckily, Special Division III’s bootcamp only lasts a week.”
“I still don’t wanna goooo!” Commander Mismis screeched again.
“Let her be, Iska. She’s just up to her typical antics.” Jhin, the silver-haired sniper reclining in a folding chair in a corner of the room, turned to them. “It’s the same as how a cicada starts buzzing once summer rolls around. Whenever spring bootcamp comes, the boss always starts wailing. It’s just more of her usual stuff.”
“Oh, Jhin, isn’t that a terrible thing to compare her to. How could you basically call her a cicada?” Nene asked.
She was sitting next to Jhin, her red hair done up in a ponytail.
That was everyone. Mismis was in charge of Iska, Jhin, and Nene, who all made up Unit 907.
“Look at this, Jhin.” Nene pointed at Commander Mismis, who was still lying on the ground. “A cicada buzzes for its future. That’s completely different from Commander Mismis, since she’s crying in order to avoid training. Lumping her together with the cicadas does them a disservice!”
“You’re so mean, Nene!” Mismis couldn’t let that go, of course, and leaped up. “Well, if you’re going as far to say that about your superior officer, that puts me in an awkward position. Well, Iska, when’s the bootcamp, then?”
“Right, we actually just got word about that.” Iska produced a notice from his pocket and handed it to the commander. “It starts tomorrow.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
“They announce it without warning every year, after all.”
“But it’s still ridiculous… Aww, I had plans during my time off this week, too.”
Mismis turned to look up at the ceiling.
Just then, the conference room door flung open with a Bam.
“Keep it down! We can hear your wailing in the next room over!…Wait, is that you, Commander Mismis?”
A bespectacled, black-haired commanding officer walked right into the room. Though she had a serious air about her, she curled her lips into a mean-spirited smile the moment she saw Mismis.
“How are you, Mismis? You’re looking ever deplorable today.”
“Oh, it’s you, P. How have you been?”
“Who are you calling P?!”
Commander Pilie Commonsense was twenty-one, a year younger than Mismis, and she’d only recently been promoted. She came from a well-to-do family in the Empire and seemed as proper as any affluent girl should be. However, she had a major flaw. She was arrogant.
“I heard you barely squeak by at every bootcamp, Mismis.” Commander Pilie pushed up her glasses. She ran her gaze over the length of Mismis’s body, taking the small commander in from the top of her head right to the tips of her toes.
“Goodness! You always give lackluster proposals during regular meetings and barely pass tests in any subject every time. And most of all, you look just like a little kid. You’re a disgrace to the commanders.”
“Hm. You think so?”
Commander Pilie was merciless in her verbal assault, but Mismis didn’t react at all.
“But, P,” she said.
“What is it?”
“Weren’t you taken away on a stretcher just like me during last year’s bootcamp?”
“Grk?!”
“And see, look at our heights. We’re about the same size.”
Indeed. Mismis only reached Iska’s chest, and Commander Pilie was just about as petite. There was such little difference in their sizes, there was almost no point comparing them.
“Say, Iska,” Nene quietly whispered into his ear as she compared the two girls. “Commander Pilie sure does pay a lot of attention to Commander Mismis.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s ’cause they’re too similar, so she sees our commander as a rival.”
As far as abilities went, Commander Pilie was nothing to write home about. She was below average in athleticism and terrible at shooting or operating machinery—Mismis was more or less the same in those areas.
The decisive difference was Pilie’s elitism and her desire to climb the social ladder that came with it.
“Apparently, she puts in regular requests to get into the promotion rack at the Imperial headquarters. She’s famous for asking to be put into the running for management positions anytime an opening comes up,” Jhin murmured. “She’s in no position to laugh at the boss. Struggle all she might, she’ll never get into HQ with those middling marks.”
“Wh-who are you calling middling?!” Commander Pilie had turned around at Jhin’s comment. “Sure, I’m not all that competent. That’s true. But my grades are just barely below average. And Mismis is way below average. That makes a world of difference!”
“It really sounds the same, though…”
“It’s different!” She briskly responded to Iska’s comment. “Haah…I can’t believe it. I have no clue why a Saint Disciple like Risya would ever associate with a failure of a commander like you.”
“Well, we graduated the same year, so we’re friends.”
“That’s exactly what I find unbelievable!” Commander Pilie pointed straight at Mismis. “Saint Disciples are the most honorable members of the forces and are selected by Their Excellency. Of course I wonder how someone like you is friendly with her.”
“You’re being so dramatic, P.”
“Am I? You could easily use your friendship with a Saint Disciple to get a referral at the headquarters.”
Then Pilie looked up at the ceiling and murmured, “I am so very jealous,” before continuing. “No other woman has managed to climb up the career ladder like that. To be taught by her, the ideal elite soldier, is my dream!…Oh, Risya, please become my boss. And recommend me for the headquarters, too!”
Just then…the conference room door opened once again.
“Heeey, Mismis, how’ve you been?”
“Risya?!”
Pilie jumped up.
Risya In Empire—the tall commanding officer with intelligent and refined features—could have put even a model to shame. Though she was as young as Mismis, the talented woman had been promoted at an unprecedented speed until she was selected as a Saint Disciple, the top position in the Imperial Army.
“Mismis, Isk, Jhin-Jhin, and Nene. Yup, looks like we’ve got all four members of Unit 907 here…huh?” After she looked at Iska’s unit, Risya shifted her gaze onto the fifth person in the room—the other commander. “Oh, is that you, P?”
“It’s an honor to be in a mentor’s presence, Risya, ma’am! You must have come here to see me!”
“No, not at all.” She didn’t beat around the bush. “Actually, I don’t seem to remember ever becoming your mentor, P.”
“What?! But don’t you see how much I idolize you? I’m superior to Mismis as a commander in every way!”
“You’re not doing a great job at hiding your ulterior motives.” Risya stared coldly at Commander Pilie and let out a heavy sigh. “Besides, I know you’re only flattering me in order to get a referral into headquarters.”
“Grk?!”
“Now, let’s compare your behavior to Mismis here!”
Mismis widened her eyes as Risya latched onto her from behind.
“She may be the textbook example of an incompetent commander, but she’s got thick skin and sure is quiet. She’s clumsy and sleeps in late, but that just makes her more like a difficult-to-manage pet!”
“Risya, that’s not praise at all!”
“But it is. I’m trying to say you’re as cute as a kitten.”
“But you always tease me…”
“Only because your reactions are so adorable.”
Mismis pouted, and Risya patted the commander’s head. The Saint Disciple actually did look as satisfied as an owner doting on her household pet.
“Oh, there was one more important thing I needed to tell you. Look at these, P.”
“Look at what?”
“These, right here.” Risya pointed at Mismis’s chest, which ironically was quite mature compared to her baby face. “Isn’t she amazing? Her breasts are so large that I can’t even cover them with my hands! Her growth rate is second to none in that area.”
“What’s so wrong with being flat-chested?!” Commander Pilie turned bright red.
Commander Pilie’s own bust happened to be very modest—a fact she was self-conscious of.
“Um…so, Ms. Risya? There’s something we’ve been wondering about,” Iska said.
“Hm? What’s that, Isk?”
Iska had once been a Saint Disciple like Risya until a year ago, when he was demoted due to special reasons, so they were already acquainted with each other.
“You’re very busy, aren’t you, Ms. Risya? So why would you seek us out in our conference room?”
“Well, that’s to make sure Mismis doesn’t make a break for it when she hears about bootcamp. I need to keep a tight grip on her.”
She was, in fact, holding Mismis right at that very moment. It seemed she wasn’t just doting on the commander—she was restraining her, too.
“So, we’ve got Mismis secured.”
“…Urgh. I thought it was suspicious that you swung by…”
“Ah-ha-ha! Serves you right, Mismis!” Commander Pilie shouted in joy when Mismis hung her head. “And the on-location cameras will capture just how you look as you struggle through bootcamp!”
“That goes for you too, P.” Risya’s single comment was enough to make Pilie freeze.
“What?”
“Twenty units are going to bootcamp at a time. Why do you think we’ve had you waiting on standby in the next conference room?”
“You can’t mean that…”
“Your unit’s going to bootcamp tomorrow, too.”
“Noooooooo!”
“Well, have a nice trip to hell.”
Risya dragged along both Mismis and Pilie. Meanwhile, Iska shared a look with Jhin and Nene as they watched the three leave them behind in the conference room.
Bootcamp.
As the Imperial forces were in an ongoing war with the Paradise of Witches—also known as the Nebulis Sovereignty—bootcamp trained them for the variety of demanding situations that could present themselves during battle.
“Our enemies are not human. They are monsters called witches.”
Imperial territory, east coast camp.
Twenty elite units had been gathered.
In front of a hundred Imperial soldiers, the supervising commander who was acting as the instructor shouted, “They share blood with the Grand Witch Nebulis, who once reduced the capital to ash. You will be going through training that will be indispensable in our fight against the witches.”
“…Ahh. I remember last year’s nightmare.” Commander Mismis drooped over, despondent.
They had left the capital the night before and traveled a whole fourteen hours, rocked by a transport car the whole way. The unit hadn’t slept or eaten in that time, but that was just another aspect of the training.
“I wanna go home already…”
“Oh, Mismis, you’ve already given up?” Next to her was the black-haired commander, Pilie. “I’ve already steeled myself for the worst. If you truly consider yourself a commander, you ought to be more prepared to set an example for your team.”
“I can hear your voice quivering, P.”
“Qu-quivering from excitement!”
“New recruits normally go through bootcamp for ten weeks.”
The instructor kept his eyes trained on them. He was a middle-aged man who looked the very image of a military soldier, with an old, painful-looking scar across his face.
“But you are all professionals who have survived the battlefield numerous times. I have no worries that any of you will fail at this point, and I don’t intend to prescreen any of you.”
“Oh?” Mismis and Pilie both cocked their heads.
“Say, P, doesn’t this sound perfect for us?”
“W-well, of course it does. We’re already veterans.”
“Yes, you should celebrate.” The instructor’s eyes glinted. “To ensure that none of you get bored, I’ve prepared a very special training regimen. I hope you all thoroughly enjoy the next seven days.”
“Nooooooo!”
“That’s completely unnecessary!”
The two commanders’ shrieks echoed throughout the camp.
“…So? What do you think the instructor’s planning on having us do in this wide-open space?”
They were in a sandy clearing. Jhin, who was in his combat uniform, was stretching to limber up.
“He said something about warming up first.”
“I personally think we’ll be running,” Nene said. “Look, there are even white lines like for a marathon.”
As Nene also stretched, she looked up at Iska.
“Iska? What do you think we’re doing here?”
“I have no idea. I think it’d be too easy if we were just running, though…”
Iska had finished warming up earlier than everyone else.
All the other hundred plus soldiers were gathered at the grounds and doing their own exercises. The strain Iska saw on their faces was likely just his imagination.
“Whew…gotta stay calm. Gotta get through a week of this…”
“Commander Mismis, he’s here.”
The instructor had appeared at the clearing, just where Iska pointed.
He was holding a megaphone.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Well, get into groups of two. Pair the tallest and shortest in your unit, then let the ones left over pair with each other.”
“Groups of two, huh. We’re a group of four, so looks like we’ll split into two pairs.” Commander Mismis turned to them.
The order from tallest to shortest within Unit 907 was as follows:
The sniper, Jhin.
Their vanguard (swordsman) Iska.
Their comms person Nene.
And Commander Mismis.
Since they were pairing the tallest and shortest in among themselves…
“Ugh…this is the worst. I have to be in a group with the boss? No way is this going to end well.”
“Looks like I’m with you, Iska. Thank goodness!”
As Jhin sighed, Nene happily latched onto Iska. Meanwhile, behind them, Commander Mismis was shouting, “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Mismis,” Commander Pilie likewise shouted as she made a gallant appearance on the scene. “Hee-hee. This is a great opportunity.”
“What is it, P?”
“I have a proposal. Trying to get through bootcamp is going to be a struggle, isn’t it? So how about we make it more interesting—something like a game?” The black-haired commander pushed up her glasses. “We’re probably forming groups to do relays. How about our pairs compete against each other?”
“…What?” Mismis openly scowled.
After all, when it came to athleticism, Mismis was the least capable in the Imperial forces. Even if Pilie was below average herself, Mismis would still be at a disadvantage in a competition.
“I’m terrible at running.”
“That’s why we’re in pairs. You and your unit member have to work together to overcome your trials. That’s the beauty of a team.”
“So, Jhin?” Commander Mismis signaled at Jhin with her eyes. “You heard what P said. Do you think we can actually eke out a win?”
“Just let her do what she wants. But I think we’ve got exactly a fifty-fifty chance of winning. The stakes aren’t bad.”
“Oh, great job, Jhin…so, how’d you figure that out?”
“If I were alone, I’d have a hundred percent chance of victory. You’d have zero percent. The average of those two rates is fifty.”
“Really, Jhin?!” Mismis exclaimed.
“Ah-ha-ha! You’re so naive, Mismis! You think you have a fifty percent chance of victory?” Commander Pilie puffed out her chest and laughed loudly. “You should hold your tongue until you see my partner. Come, Bruno!”
“Hey.”
His footsteps shook the ground with a thud.
A veritable giant stood behind the black-haired commander, towering at six and a half feet tall. The muscular new recruit who had appeared likely weighed in more than four hundred pounds.
“H-how is he one of your unit members?! P, you didn’t have anyone like him before!”
“He’s an up-and-coming rookie.”
Next to him, Pilie looked like an actual child.
“I scouted him in order to make sure I’d get into headquarters.”
“That’s so unfair!”
“Part of being a commander is recruiting superior talent. And if I’m with Bruno, then this match is in the bag!”
The soldier was as big as a giant. Just looking up at him, he seemed like a mountain.
“Now, Instructor, tell us what we’re doing!”
“Well, everyone, as a warm-up, we’ll do a two-person marathon. It’ll be three miles, and you’ll be carrying some weight.”
The announcement echoed throughout the grounds.
Commander Pilie nodded as though she’d been expecting it. “That’s exactly what I was hoping for. With you around, Bruno, I’m sure we’ll be able to carry a little extra baggage, easy—”
“You’ll be carrying your partner.”
“Huh?”
“The shorter one carries the taller one. And you’ll run all the way through the woods.”
Silence fell over the entire clearing. Common sense would have dictated that the larger person should carry the smaller one. So why were they doing the opposite?
“Oh, in other words, I’m supposed to carry you and run? Is that right?” Nene said to Iska. She pounded her fist against her other palm.
“Think you’re up for it, Nene?”
“Of course! C’mon, get right on my back…Hee-hee. I can feel how warm you are.”
“…Why’d you make that sound so creepy?!”
Nene seemed happy.
The issue was Jhin and Commander Mismis’s pairing. To little surprise, Mismis’s legs began to tremble the moment Jhin got on her back.
“Commander Mismis, are you okay?”
“I’m supposed to run like this?! There’s no way I can do this for three miles. I couldn’t even manage a hundred meters!”
“If you drop your partner before you finish, you start right over.”
“What kind of rule is that?!”
The soldiers shrieked. This would undoubtedly be hard even for the brawniest men among them. As it so happened, the commander next to Mismis wailed the loudest of them all.
“That’s absurd!”
Commander Pilie was a petite woman, and her partner was a giant man, so even picking him up would be a challenge.
“Urgh?! B-Bruno, you could stand to diet a little!”
“Sure, I’ll look into it.”
“Guh! J-just watch! Guuuuh!”
Pilie’s face turned red as she lifted Bruno. Fittingly for a commander, she had the strength to pick up the several-hundred-pound giant.
Mismis stared at her with admiration.
“You’re amazing, P!”
“O-of course I am…guh…running while carrying that light little unit member of yours wouldn’t b-be true training for me…!”
“Then it’s a race.”
“What?”
“Just like you said, P. I’ll carry Jhin and do my very best, too.”
“Oh…well…about that.”
Commander Pilie’s legs were shaking from just the weight of her subordinate, but unfortunately for her, Mismis hadn’t noticed.
“Uh, um, Mismis? Actually, I would like to call off the—”
“You may start.”
“Let’s go, Jhin!”
“No, waaaaaait!”
All the Imperial soldiers in the clearing began running at once. Mismis carried Jhin on her back. Nene carried Iska. Several dozen pairs took off for the forest up ahead.
And just one group was left behind.
“Y-you’re too heavy! How is this supposed to be a warm-up?! I can’t even run!”
“Commander, shouldn’t we join everyone else?”
“You’re too heavy for me to carry!”
As dust rose in the clearing, Commander Pilie’s bellow of lament echoed all around.
Their goal was in the woods.
“Wheeze wheeze, haah…haah…three-mile marathon, my butt…!”
Commander Pilie leaned against a tree, sweat coating her entire body. Naturally, she was in last place.
“That damn instructor. I can’t believe he changed the goal just before we got to the finish line. We had to run another half a mile—there’s such a thing as taking it too far when toying with people’s emotions, you know.”
“Hee-hee. This is my first time winning against you in a competition, P!” Next to her, Mismis was in high spirits.
“Not much of a win when you’re second from last,” Jhin quipped.
“Oh, Jhin, don’t say that. All you had to do was hang out while on my back,” Mismis said, though she still seemed to be brimming with energy. Since Pilie had taken so long to finish, everyone else had ended up having quite a long break, Mismis and Nene included.
“…I-it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“Are you okay, P?”
“S-spare me the pity! The terms of the race were just unfair, is all. You can’t really believe you won simply because of that.” Commander Pilie gnashed her teeth. “The next exercise will be the real competition. Bootcamp is just getting started!”
“Good work, you all!”
The instructor’s announcement echoed throughout the woods. His calm voice was the polar opposite of Pilie’s heated tone.
“There’s another six miles to camp. You’ll go straight through the forest—but be warned—wild beasts make frequent appearances around here.”
“So this is a scenario that assumes we might go through guerilla warfare in a jungle. Excellent.”
Pilie had a rifle in her hand. Beside her, Mismis held a handgun.
“Beasts…what should we do, P? What if we run into a lion?”
“There aren’t lions in the jungle, Mismis. You should be more concerned about wild bears.”
The twenty units headed deeper into the woods. Mismis and Pilie, as the commanders, led the way through the vegetation as Iska, Nene, and Jhin guarded them from behind.
“Say, Iska, considering how evil bootcamp is, they’ve probably set up traps around here. We should warn Commander Mismis to be careful.”
“Yeah, we probably should just in case.”
They ran up to Mismis’s side.
“How’s it going, Commander? The rest of us have been keeping an eye out, but if you spot anything suspicious, let us know.”
“I haven’t seen anything…but what do you think of that?”
Mismis stopped in her tracks.
Commander Pilie, who also stood next to her, was exchanging worried glances with her subordinates.
“P, what do you think?”
“Don’t ask me. It’s not like we can march through this bottomless muddy swamp.”
Yes. A murky black swamp spread before them, blocking their way.
“I’m not sure I’d say it’s bottomless, but it does look pretty deep.”
Commander Pilie tried lowering a stick into the water to check its depth, but she didn’t reach the bottom.
“It must go up to my stomach…or maybe even deeper. We should probably go around it,” Pilie called out loud enough for the unit behind her to hear, “Everyone, we need to backtrack about ten meters. Let’s head farther right from the animal trail from earlier!”
“Commander Mismis, Commander Pilie, you’ve misunderstood the assignment.”
“……Come again?”
At that moment, they heard a stern voice address them. The instructor had sent a simultaneous transmission through all of the comms they’d brought with them.
“I said to forge straight ahead.”
“…Which means?”
“Use your head. You’re moving forward through a jungle. The witch forces are closing in from both sides and behind you. Do you think you can afford to waste time retreating while surrounded?”
“You can’t possibly mean…” Commander Pilie audibly gulped from nerves.
“You charge forward into the swamp.”
“I knew it!”
Pilie eyed the pitch-black murk. Upon closer inspection, tiny bugs were floating around in it. If mosquito larvae were living in the water, they could bet full-grown ones would be around too—along with tons of other microorganisms.
If any of them had open wounds, they would end up with parasites.
“I’ll head in first. Commander Mismis, you come in after me.”
“Iska, a-are you sure you’ll be okay?!”
He walked forward and immediately stepped into the swamp.
Dwoosh…
The tip of his shoe sunk in. Once he was chest-deep in the water, he finally reached the bottommost part of the swamp.
“Y-you’re okay?”
“Luckily my feet can reach the bottom. But I think it’d reach up to your neck.”
The smell and the slime permeated into his clothes. It was utterly revolting. It’d soaked through every layer of his clothing, from his combat uniform all the way to his undergarments.
“Commander Mismis, you come in slowly.”
“Ye…yes. Ah! This is the worst. It splashed into my mouth…!” Mismis scowled.
Jhin and Nene followed. The units watching behind them steeled themselves as they stepped into the swamp as well.
There was a single female commander among them who hadn’t moved, however. She only stared at the swamp with a frown.
“P, hurry up and get in.”
“I—I know…!”
Commander Pilie was pale as she extended her leg. She let out a small yelp the moment her foot met the water.
“Ugh! Out of all the things we had to do, why did it have to be my worst nightmare…”
Shoulder-deep in the swamp, she started walking, her face tense.
Commander Pilie headed to Mismis’s side.
“P, you don’t look so good.”
“Anyone who’s okay with this would have to be off their rockers. Ugh…the swamp water is getting on my face, and I see these fuzzy bugs wriggling right in front of my eyes. And the goop is even inside my clothes.”
She hesitantly continued into the swamp.
Had they been in the clear water of an ocean or river, they would have been able to see the bottom, but as it was, they had no idea what lurked beneath.
Nene and Iska murmured to each other.
“Iska, do you think there might be alligators hiding in here?”
“They live in fresh water, so maybe. We should keep an eye on the surface. Check for any suspicious bubbles.”
“A-alligators?!” As she overheard their conversation, Commander Pilie flinched. “Ugh, how far does this swamp go? For someone raised with my pedigree, this is the least fitting training I could possibly think of…!”
“P, watch out ahead of you.”
“What?”
“A snake’s swimming in front of you, so be careful.”
“…”
Pilie’s pupils constricted. The water was up to her shoulders, so she was eye-level with the snake. She stared into its eyes,
“Ahhhhhhhh?!” The loudest scream they’d heard yet echoed deep into the woods.
“P-please help me, Mismis!”
“It already slithered away.”
“What?”
Pilie latched onto Mismis’s arm and blinked, wide-eyed.
“Looks like your scream scared it off.”
“Th-that wasn’t a scream just now. Uh, um…I was warning my subordinates of the danger, that’s what I was doing! Actually, Mismis, how are you okay right now?!”
“What do you mean?”
“I—I mean, this is a smelly and unsanitary swamp. The snake was right in front of your eyes.”
“Was it?”
“It was!”
“I’d be afraid of a venomous one, but I don’t mind animals.”
Mismis kept plowing forward through the swamp. As she led the large group, she seemed gallant and reassuring even to Iska and the other subordinates.
“…But it’s a swamp. You’re not grossed out?”
“I used to play in the mud all the time as a kid. This training might not be so bad, actually.”
“Wh-what?!” Pilie was speechless for a moment. “Are you saying you’re enjoying this?”
“I don’t like it, but it’s better than running or swimming or anything that requires being more active, don’t you think?”
“Y-you think this is easy?!” Commander Pilie widened her eyes in shock.
Only now did she realized how Mismis had become an Imperial commander. She was far below average when it came to physical abilities, especially of anyone in the Imperial forces. However, what this exercise required wasn’t a body of steel, but a heart of steel. Thick skin, in other words.
Even the brawniest of soldiers could have a mental breakdown. But someone who could forge ahead in harsh conditions, through mud and muck, would have the force of will needed to endure the agony of war. That was what Mismis had.
“Right…I can’t imagine Mismis being put off by swarms of insects or a little mud…”
Mismis headed deeper into the swamp. There was a large group of men far bigger than her, yet they seemed to naturally follow behind her.
Let’s go where’s she’s heading.
Commander Pilie shuddered at the situation.
“N-no, I can’t accept this…I can’t allow myself to be defeated by another commander, even at bootcamp!”
Mismis didn’t even mind the swamp water splashing on her. As she parted through the water to lead them, the others followed behind…until someone passed her.
“Heh-heh. What do you think now, Mismis? Look, I’ve taken the lead in the blink of an eye!”
“Hang on, Commander Pilie,” Iska called out to her as she forged farther and farther ahead. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh, aren’t you one of Mismis’s men? What is it?” Pilie wore a victorious grin. “Have you figured out what makes the difference between me and Mismis? It’s merciless, but the Imperial forces is a dog-eat-dog world. Only the best can work at headquarters. And it is I who—”
“You’ve got a leech on your back.”
“Excuse me?”
A leech—a type of slug that lives in swamps and sucks human blood. And one was stuck right on her back.
“P…!” Seeing that, Mismis gave her a compassionate look. “Did you take the lead because you knew there were leeches in this swamp? You were protecting me, weren’t you?!”
“W-wait a sec?!”
The commander squirmed in panic, but the leech wasn’t coming off.
“Take it off! Your name’s Iska, right? Take this thing off me immediately!”
“Got it. There’s no need to panic.”
“I hate leeeeeches!”
She teared up as she made her pitiful confession.
It was night in the jungle.
Twenty tents were set up at the Imperial camp.
Snap, snap…
They’d started an open fire to ward off beasts and sprayed themselves with bug repellant before turning in.
They were still wearing the same clothes from when they’d gone through the swamp.
“Ahh. My clothes are still only half dry. This feels so gross. And there’s still mud in my ponytail…”
After finishing the rations, which could hardly be called palatable, Nene drooped her shoulders in disappointment.
Lights out was at eight.
At this time of night, the Imperial capital’s business district would have been in full swing, but they were in a jungle far from the city center. Once eight rolled around, the entire area was enveloped in darkness.
“Iska, we’re waking up at three in the morning, right?”
“That’s what we were told. It’s a little early, but pretty standard for bootcamp. Whether we can actually sleep is a separate matter,” Iska replied, his clothes covered in mud as well.
Even if they were training under the assumption it was for a long battle, the unpleasant feeling of the clothes against their skin still affected them. Their extensive military experience couldn’t change that fact.
“Ahh. I can’t believe we’re covered in mud right from day one. I’m so disappointed,” Nene said.
She scowled as she looked down at her clothes.
“I was so excited to stay in a tent with Iska again after so long. But considering how muddy we are, there’s probably not much of a chance of anything exciting happening with you at night.”
“What were you even expecting?!”
He averted his gaze from Nene’s somewhat suspicious puppy-dog eyes.
“Jhin, say something, please.”
“Don’t pay her attention. She’s just spouting nonsense,” Jhin responded bluntly and lay down in the back of the tent. “It’s been a while since we’ve camped out, and you’re all making it seem like a school field trip. Hey, Nene, leave the lookout to the squad and let’s all get some sleep.”
“What…? But…”
Nene looked unhappy.
“I’m not sleepy yet. And my clothes feel gross since they’re still half wet.”
“Just close your eyes and hunker down. We’ve still got a long way to—” Jhin stopped midsentence.
“Exactly!” Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance to their unit’s tent. “Hello, Mismis. I had an unexpected and embarrassing defeat today, but this is when the real bootcamp starts!”
Commander Pilie had come by in her mud-covered combat uniform. Afternoon training had evidently taken a toll on her. Her face was still pale.
“We’ll settle this tomorrow!…Wait, Mismis?”
“She’s already asleep.”
Iska pointed at the center of the tent. Commander Mismis was already curled up in her sleeping bag, deep asleep. She showed no sign of waking, despite the fact that Pilie had shouted her name at the top of her lungs.
“She won’t wake up until morning. Actually, she’ll probably sleep until afternoon if we don’t wake her up.”
“How shameless can she be?!”
Pilie had also spotted the ration containers that Mismis had eaten from. The rations were meant to stay edible as long as possible, so they tasted terrible. Even soldiers in peak physical condition hadn’t been able to find it within themselves to finish them.
Mismis, on the other hand, had eaten everything. Her stomach was far from ordinary.
“…I had to give up halfway through.”
“The commander seemed to enjoy the food. She doesn’t quibble about how things taste.”
“What kind of palate does she have?!”
Pilie backed away without thinking.
“Well…I suppose I should reevaluate my impression of you, Mismis.”
She’d finished off the rations that broke even the most robust of men, and she was unfazed by the harsh sleeping conditions.
Pilie once again realized Mismis truly had an iron will. Her physical abilities were obviously lacking, but she had a useful military skill worthy of special mention, even if it wasn’t measurable by standard means.
“I underestimated you…So this is why Risya has taken a shine to you. It seems you have some talents, then.”
“No, I think Ms. Risya just likes how Commander Mismis looks.”
“No, I know I’m right about this!” Pilie clenched her fist and yelled. “I understand now. Mismis was my actual archrival all along. That’s my path to becoming an elite member of the forces and finding a way into headquarters—defeating my greatest rival!”
“You think so?”
“I doubt it,” Nene said.
“You’re overestimating her. The boss isn’t that special.”
Despite their remarks, Commander Pilie already had her mind made up and simply wouldn’t listen—she was too wrapped up in herself to realize it.
“But I won’t lose to her. You better be prepared, Mismis! Let’s give it our all tomorrow!” she declared, then turned around, seeming satisfied with herself. “Good day, Mismis. I’ll see you in the morning!”
“She didn’t hear any of that because she’s sleeping, though…”
Pilie briskly walked away.
As the commander continued to snooze, Iska, Jhin, and Nene shared looks.
“Seems like a huge boon to Commander Mismis for her reputation to improve just from sleeping…”
“I’m a little jealous.”
“Just leave her alone. We’ve got to go to bed soon, too.”
Morning arrived.
“Hello, everyone.”
The instructor nodded in satisfaction after he inspected the line of one hundred soldiers.
“Had you been new recruits, some of you would have failed last night. I expect nothing less from a group with a long history of service. I’m glad to see you’re well rested.”
“Hmph…He sounds so insincere. It’s shameless, right, Iska?” Nene rubbed her eyes sleepily. “If he actually wanted to let us get a decent night’s sleep, he would’ve let us take a shower. And I wish he’d let us change out of these muddy clothes.”
“It’s just one of those things they say during training.”
“I know, but still…” Nene crossed her arms, still displeased.
On the other hand, Mismis, who’d slept very well, was in tip-top shape.
“Huh? P, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”
“Grk?!”
“Did you not sleep well yesterday? Are you okay?”
“…I can’t understand how anyone could be so insensitive that they could sleep through that evening. But your concern is unnecessary!” Pilie stared at Mismis with her tired, bloodshot eyes, and ground her molars. “This bootcamp isn’t enough to frighten me. Why, even yesterday I was so bored, I was yawning!”
“…Oh?”
“What? Instructor?!”
He had appeared before Pilie’s eyes. The veteran military soldier squinted in delight when he heard her audacious remarks.
“That’s the spirit, Commander Pilie. So, the training I had carefully planned out is a yawnfest to you, is it? It’s been a while since I’ve heard a woman such as yourself say something with so much backbone.”
“Ah-wah…n-no, I didn’t mean that. I was just riling Mismis up…”
“It sounded more like a passionate declaration of love to me. Don’t worry. I’ve prepared a most stimulating set of exercises for the remaining six days.”
“Nooooo!”
On the second day of bootcamp, Commander Pilie’s wails resounded once more at who knows what time that day.
“All right, everyone, put these cuffs on your wrists and legs.”
Everyone was immobilized before they were tied to the back of a large car and dragged along a gravel road. This drill was supposed to prepare them for a scenario where they were captured by witches.
“Ow, ow ow ow ow! C-come on! This should be enough. Please stop the car! I’m getting friction burns!”
As she was dragged to the other side of the grounds by the vehicle, Commander Pilie disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Eventually, even her shrieks died away.
“Whoa…!”
As Mismis watched the ghastly scene, she scrunched up her face, and even the brawny male soldiers standing behind her recoiled.
“I-Iska, doesn’t this seem even more physically demanding than yesterday’s training?”
“Men get dragged two hundred meters, while women get dragged a hundred meters.”
“It looks like P is being dragged four hundred meters, though?”
“I guess that’s the instructor’s way of showing his affection for her…”
They wouldn’t necessarily be spared a similar experience. The tradition at bootcamp was for each passing day to become more brutal.
“Just six more days to get through, Commander.”
“…Right.”
“Let’s go to your favorite barbecue place after this is over.”
“…Okay.”
Commander Mismis, however, had already turned pale as a ghost.
Finally, the seventh day of bootcamp arrived.
It was the last morning they would be there. The soldiers, who had finished their training, were currently gathered deep in the jungle under a precipitous cliff.
Or rather, they weren’t soldiers so much as corpses lying on the ground.
“I can’t do it anymore…I can’t eat one more bite of those gross rations,” Nene said. “I want to get back to the capital and have a decent meal as soon as we can…”
“C’mon, get off the ground, Nene. Iska, how’s the situation over there?”
“The commander collapsed and isn’t moving.”
Jhin helped Nene to her feet. Beyond them, Iska was trying to talk to Mismis, who was lying facedown.
“Come on, Commander.”
“I’m at my limit…”
“Don’t say that. Look, we need to line up now. And the helicopter should be coming to get us soon, too.”
Soldiers were transported back to the capital using a helicopter after training was over. All they had to do now was wait for it.
“Great job getting through the weeklong bootcamp, everyone.”
The instructor’s voice boomed. He was addressing them through speakers, so he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“The helicopter will be arriving shortly. One of the higher-ups will be on the copter, and I’m sure she’ll express her appreciation for you going through such rigorous training.”
“I-it’s finally over!” Commander Pilie, who was pale and burnt-out, rose shakily to her feet. “Now we just go home on the helicopter…ah, a warm meal and a bed…then I’ll take a bath and be free of this mud.”
“However…”
“However…?”
“I have an unfortunate announcement for you all. The landing location of the helicopter has been changed. It is no longer coming to the bottom of the cliff.”
“…Come again?”
Pilie and Mismis’s smiles froze.
“It will be arriving at the top of the cliff in front of you.”
“On top of it?!”
Pilie paled as she looked upward.
It was steep, and twenty meters tall. And of course there wasn’t a single rope or ladder around to help them climb up.
“It couldn’t be……”
“Use your bare hands to climb up the cliff. This is your last exercise for bootcamp.”
“Y-you’ve got to be kidding! We’re already on our last legs!”
“The helicopter will only stay here for one hour. Anyone who doesn’t make it in time will be left behind.”
At the bottom of the cliff, the soldiers’ wails tore through area. Their final trial had begun.
“This is terrible! No one said anything about a final exercise!” Commander Mismis lamented as she desperately groped at the rough rockface. “So if we don’t climb this cliff, we’re going to be stuck here?!”
“Hey, Boss, you better not slip!”
“I—I know!” Mismis nervously nodded at Jhin, who was right below her.
It had rained last night, so the rockface was slippery. They weren’t simply at their physical limit. If they weren’t straining their already fully worn nerves, they’d lose their grip and fall.
“If you fall even once, we’ll have to climb back up, and we won’t get there in time.”
“Ye…yes. Iska, Nene, how are you doing?!” Mismis asked.
“I think I’ll manage. How are you, Iska?”
“I’m fine. Commander Mismis, this area of the cliff has a lot of divots, so it’s going to be easier to climb.”
Iska scaled the rock above them. Mismis was behind him, then Nene, then Jhin. However…
The instructor had added a stipulation that the entire unit had to be tied together by rope. If one person slipped, then everyone would fall. What a malicious rule.
“W-wait a sec, Iska. I’m terrible at this…”
“Commander Mismis, raise your right foot next. And reach for that crevice over there.”
“I’m not sure I can reach…”
Climbing was no easy task for Mismis since she was so short. Commander Pilie’s unit followed right after them.
“This is our final showdown, Mismis. C’mon, everyone. Almost there. We need to pass Unit 907 while Mismis is struggling…let’s get to the top of the cliff quickly now!”
As Pilie grew impatient, her fingers slipped.
“Oh…”
“Careful, P!”
She started to fall, before someone caught her in just the nick of time—not one of her subordinates, but Mismis herself.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-you…” Pilie stared at Mismis as though she couldn’t believe it. “Wh-why did you catch me…? Your entire unit would have fallen if you fell trying to help me!”
They were all exhausted from the seven days of bootcamp, and Mismis must have reached her limit, too. So then why?
“What? Well, you’re my friend.”
“…Huh?!”
Friend.
That word left Pilie speechless. She’d thought Mismis would rattle off a canned explanation about them being fellow members of the Imperial forces or something.
“You’re saying we’re friends…?”
“Aren’t we?”
“You’re just so…”
“What?” Commander Mismis gave her an innocent look. Pilie had been sure she hated the other woman, yet Mismis’s eyes were so dazzling in the moment that she couldn’t bear to look at her fellow commander.
“…Pfft!”
“P?”
“I’ll admit it, then. Commander Mismis Klass, you’ve bested me.”
She tightened her grip on the hand that held hers. For the first time in her life, and with a fresh-faced smile, Pilie had acknowledged her own defeat.
“I’ll admit that you’ve won—just today.”
The final training.
The hundred soldiers used their last bit of strength to climb up the cliff to the helicopter waiting for them at the top. The instructors and higher-ups of the Empire were there waiting for them. A special guest had come to greet them with a warm reception after they’d endured the brutalities of the bootcamp.
“Yoo-hoo, everyone. How are you all?”
“Huh? Risya?!” Mismis’s eyes went wide.
Risya, the Saint Disciple, had appeared from out of the helicopter. “Mm-hmm. Looks like you’re all worse for wear. But you did a great job.”
“Risya?!” Pilie shouted.
Just then, she scaled the cliff and came over to Risya at breakneck speed.
“You came! Please take a look! I did such a wonderful job!”
Tears began to form in her eyes. She flung out her arms for a hug.
“Please! Please refer me to headquarters this time!”
“Aw, you sure did work hard.”
“My dear mentor!”
Risya opened her arms welcomingly, so Pilie ran forward…
“Good job, Mismis!”
“…Huh?”
…only to pass right by Risya. The Saint Disciple had ignored what should have been her moving embrace with Pilie in order to latch onto Mismis.
“Uh. What?” Commander Pilie watched them in shock from the sidelines.
“Were you doing all right, Mismis? Mm-hmm, you’re so cute when you’re tired.”
“C’mon, Risya. I’m too exhausted for this right now.”
“So what? You’re so cute when you’re disgruntled, too.”
Risya started to tousle Mismis’s hair.
She never acted that way with anyone else, yet here she was, lovingly doting on Mismis.
“This is an important method of bonding. Since we’re both fellow Imperial force members,” Risya said.
“Personally, I think you’re just teasing me.”
“Ah-ha-ha. Was it that obvious?”
Pilie watched the whole scene unfold.
“…”
The black-haired commander balled her hands into tight fists as she began to tremble.
“L-listen up, Risya…and also Mismis.”
No one was listening, however.
Risya was too occupied with Mismis, who was doing her best to fight off the superior officer.
“Please stop, Risya!”
“Hm. Oh, just let me.”
“…”
And…
“I—I don’t feel humiliated at all, I’ll have you know!” Pilie was shouting herself hoarse. “Mismis! You’re my archnemesis! Remember that!”
Then she ran off at full speed.
From that point on, Commander Pilie’s rivalry with Mismis intensified, but that story is for another time.
Meanwhile, in a land far, far away from the Empire…
In the Paradise of Witches, at the Nebulis Sovereignty’s palace…
“Lady Alice, I have a report for you.”
“Oh, what is it, Rin?”
When her dear attendant addressed her, the girl turned around.
Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX.
She was a princess with brilliant golden locks and a charming face.
She and the Imperial swordsman Iska had acknowledged each other as rivals, but only the two of them shared that secret.
“What is the report, then?”
“It concerns the east coast base within the Imperials’ territory. We’ve received intelligence that a camp has been set up there.”
“Do you suppose it’s for a military drill?”
“Yes. It seems that several of their main units are participating. I believe it would be wise to have the astral corps look into what they are doing.”
“I’ll leave that decision to those on the scene, then.”
She sighed.
For some reason, Alice felt disappointed after hearing the report. She was, in fact, truly disappointed. She hadn’t been hoping for information about the Imperial camp.
“That’s not it,” she said. “I don’t need to know about the trainings. What I want to know is where Iska is being dispatched to. I want to know which battlefield he’ll be at.”
“Lady Alice…that again?”
The attendant’s shoulders drooped when she saw her lady’s behavior.
Alice had been like this all the time lately. She only thought about when she would be able to fight her enemy—the Imperial swordsman Iska. Everything else had become an afterthought.
“You never know. The swordsman might be at the training camp.”
“That would be too much of a coincidence.” Alice answered her attendant’s joke as she stared out the window…
Toward the enemy nation…
Toward the Imperial territories.
“I want to finally settle things between the two of us. Just where in the world could Iska be?”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login