episode_0028

“Uwaaa, can’t we take just one more day off, Captain?”

“Yeah. How many times in my life will I come to Paris?”

Ignoring Mia and Emma’s whining, the three platoons of the augmented Royal Magic Division left Paris. Yesterday, Princess René’s disappearance, as mentioned by Joseph, was shrouded in mystery, but the Magic Division had no time to spare to solve such riddles.

The Army Command issued preliminary reconnaissance orders for the recapture of Fort Saint Margot. If they continued to fend off the monsters attacking along the river and the coast, they couldn’t win. Ultimately, they had to destroy the source to stop the monster attacks.

The plan was to travel by carriage to Le Havre, the closest port to Paris, then board a ship and land on a random coast near Saint Margot for reconnaissance before returning to Saint Margot.

Lieutenant Claire, the only one among the 31 members of the Royal Magic Division who did not ride in the carriage but instead rode a horse, approached the carriage of Unit C.

“Marianne, I mean, Lieutenant. I went to your room after the party to talk, but you weren’t there. Where did you go?”

Claire had come last night. It couldn’t be said that she spent the night at Joseph’s house. Of course, it didn’t have any other meaning. Having witnessed an assassination attempt, he thought he should keep her safe until she returned to the palace.

“It’s the last day, so I went around Paris for sightseeing.”

“…Is that so?”

With a somewhat cold tone, Claire went to the front of the formation, saying she understood. I pondered if I had said something wrong, but it didn’t seem like it. Having lived as a woman for 17 years, I still didn’t know how to handle such reactions.

“Wigo, do you recognize anyone from the newly added D, E, F units?”

After much contemplation, I stopped entertaining unproductive thoughts and inquired about the newcomers to Wigo. Given Wigo’s extensive military experience and the limited number of Madobyeong soldiers, it was said that once you gained a certain level of experience, everyone became somewhat familiar with each other. Furthermore, compared to the satisfying capabilities of the existing platoons, the skills of Platoons D, E, and F had not been thoroughly verified. It was important to know the levels of one’s comrades, even for Saint Marg reconnaissance.

“I don’t really know all the platoon leaders; they’re all from the Royal Guards. I understand Kilian, but the rest of the members, while some faces are familiar, their skills aren’t that remarkable.”

“Just average then? That their abilities have diminished even compared to when they were under the Legion’s command.”

“I can’t deny that.”

Furrowing my brow, I asked Kilian, who was sitting beside me, about the platoon leaders from the Royal Guards. As soon as the talk turned to the Royal Guards, Kilian, eager to say something, looked like a fish finding water.

“Captain of Platoon D is Angelique Dupont, who was famous for her looks since my time in the Royal Guards…”

I realized I had asked Kilian the wrong question. I should have just asked about their skills, but he kept spilling all sorts of miscellaneous information because I didn’t insist. With this much information, he seemed like a Royal Guard enthusiast. Perhaps it was his personality that brought him here from the Royal Guards.

But it was my own doing, and as I quietly listened to Kilian, I distilled the essential information, which echoed Wigo’s words. Average level. However, given that the platoon leaders were undoubtedly from the Royal Guards, this “average” was probably quite impressive within the Royal Guards’ standards.

“Even though the unit’s name includes ‘Royal,’ if this is the standard of the Madobyeong, then…”

“Someone from Montuart might have been involved in this personnel selection.”

Wigo immediately followed up on my words. It seemed there had been intricate political dealings between the Royal Family and the Montuart family.

“It might be hard to hope that not a single casualty will occur in this operation.”

During the battle, there were a few injuries, but no fatalities. Our team members possessed exceptional skills, and luck was somewhat on our side. In the 7th Division’s battle, most of the attacks were absorbed by the regular infantry, and apart from the dreadful creatures I faced in Granbierre, there weren’t any significant monsters.

“Madode! Boarding in 30 minutes, hurry up!”

I glanced around at Claire’s voice. We seemed to have arrived at Le Ebroi already, but there was no city in sight, not even a trace of people, just a vast sandy beach and the sea.

I wasn’t the only one bewildered. The Madode members disembarked from the carriage, equally puzzled. I decided to ask Claire.

“Captain, is this Le Ebroi? It doesn’t seem like it to me.”

“Lieutenant Marianne. So where were you last night?”

Her tone stiffened more than before, and her gaze bore into me. Despite the current situation being irrelevant, she asked where I had been last night. An alarm bell rang in my head, warning me that I could be in serious trouble if I misspoke. Yet, almost involuntarily, I gave the same response as before.

“I said I went out to see Paris.”

“Is that really all?”

“Yes?”

“You spent the night sightseeing in Paris. With the princess, too?”

“Yes?”

I ended up asking foolish questions. The alarm in my head grew louder. I couldn’t reveal Jozette’s true identity to Claire. Nor could I say that I spent the night with her due to the threat of assassins.

In the end, it seemed to Claire that I had lured the princess out of the palace in the middle of the night for a wild escapade. Moreover, this happened right after creating such an atmosphere at the banquet. But I had to make some sort of excuse.

“Well, you see, Princess Renée needed an escort…”

“That’s quite different from what you said earlier, Lieutenant. So, you lied at first, didn’t you?”

“No, I once again made excuses without thinking. I found myself at a loss for words, unable to speak even though I had a mouth. I could only look at the ground and repeatedly apologize!”

“Stop it, Marianne. Everyone can see us.”

Upon hearing Claire’s voice, it seemed like her anger hadn’t completely subsided yet, but due to the gazes of the surrounding magic corps members, she gestured for me to stop by placing her hand on my shoulder. Ignoring the stares pouring down on me from the members of the squad, I also returned to my position.

“Captain, what’s the matter?”

Wigo, who was standing right behind me, asked. I shook my head, indicating that he didn’t need to know. The squad members didn’t need to be aware of such personal matters. Above all, I was embarrassed.

“Attention, Magic Corps! As you all know, our mission is to conduct a preliminary reconnaissance of Saint Marg. Originally, we were supposed to swiftly board a cruiser from Le Havre, but the plan has changed.”

Looking at the quiet magic corps members one by one, Claire cleared her throat and continued.

“The preliminary reconnaissance of Saint Marg has been postponed. In the meantime, a new mission has come up.”

“What is this new mission?”

“It’s classified. All you need to know is that it’s a direct order from the royal family.”

A direct order from the royal family? Knowing that there were two places where such orders must be followed, the future of the Royal Magic Corps already seemed bleak.

Fundamentally, the highest authority in the Frankia Kingdom’s army is the Army Command. Even the 2nd Royal Artillery Battalion, which was annihilated in Saint Marg, and the Royal Magic Corps follow the orders of the Army Command. However, the Royal Artillery Battalion was only involved when the unit was first established, and now the royal influence has no effect on the unit.

In contrast, the Royal Magic Corps is a unit created based on the political judgment of the royal family. Apart from the Royal Guard, it is a unit created with the intention of projecting military force beyond Paris. Consequently, they generally follow the orders of the Army Command, but now they must also comply with the orders of the royal family. The Army Command must be aware of this. The problem arises when conflicting orders are issued from both places, leaving the Royal Magic Corps in a dilemma.

[On the beach, after waiting for a while, a galleon appeared on the horizon, revealing its massive form, capable of carrying just 31 magic infantry. The fact that it was a galleon meant it wasn’t simply used for transport. Where could they possibly be engaging in a naval battle?]

[The galleon approached as close to the shore as possible, and soon small boats came down and reached the beach.]

“Board the boats by squad!”

Seeing the grandeur of the operation, even the magic troops seemed uneasy about what they were doing and where they were going. This was especially true for the new recruits. They probably hadn’t experienced combat against monsters back in Paris. There was bound to be a difference from the seasoned magic troops who had been through large-scale battles.

“With this kind of atmosphere, it must be a naval battle, right?”

“Are we going to clear out pirates? Captain, have you heard anything?”

I turned my head at Emma’s question. Crew members were vigorously rowing the small wooden boats towards the galleon. Even with the slight currents, the boat’s severe rocking already made me feel queasy. Could magic control seasickness too? I really hoped so. Maybe I should ask Claire once I’m aboard the galleon.

Thanks to the skilled rowing of the crew members, we quickly reached the galleon. Grunting and groaning, I climbed up the rope onto the ship, which was quite spacious. Enormous sails, cannons on the deck, and bustling crew members—along with the piercing stench. Not a single woman among the crew. Was there some superstition here too, that having women on board would bring bad luck? But considering the numerous female magic infantry on board, it seemed unlikely, especially since none of the crew expressed discomfort despite their presence.

I grabbed a passing crew member and asked, “Where is this ship headed?”

“I don’t know!” With that, they went about their business. The navy had a different rank structure from the army, and being a different branch, I couldn’t assert my rank over them. It seemed much more comfortable to just hear the details of the operation from Claire.

Once all the magic troops had boarded and a brief check was completed, the folded white sails unfurled wide. Catching the wind, they billowed taut, and the massive hull of the galleon began to move.