Ch.127Chapter 17. Desertion (5)

* * * * *

Still, ten minutes was the limit. The smell of well-baked bread and sweet apples filled the house, and after ten minutes, both Leticia and I rushed to the pie.

“This is delicious?”

“Of course. My grandmother taught me how to make it. You’ve never had anything like this before, right?”

The only pies I’d ever eaten were from franchise bakeries. About half the size of my palm, but priced similarly to a large baguette, making you think about getting your money’s worth.

It couldn’t compare to this proper, substantial food. Maybe it was because my arm ached from whisking the meringue.

“What was Leticia’s grandmother like?”

“Hmm, she was always on my side. My brother tends to take my side too, but we fought a lot when we were young, so it didn’t really feel that way. That’s how siblings are, right? But my grandmother was consistent. She scolded me firmly when I did something wrong and praised me when I did well. Even when I was being stubborn.”

“Stubborn? How?”

“Well, about the military academy…”

Leticia, speaking absentmindedly, suddenly went “Ah!” and covered her mouth. It didn’t matter since I already knew everything anyway.

“Military academy? Were you a soldier?”

Leticia stammered for a moment with “Uh, no, I mean,” then sighed deeply as if she had no choice.

“Yes. I’m a soldier of Elza. I belong to the National Gendarmerie. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. Actually, I was planning to tell you when we got closer. I could have said it more gently.”

“What’s wrong with being a soldier?”

Whether she’s a soldier or a civil servant, as long as she brings me what I need, that’s all that matters.

“…People don’t like soldiers. They have prejudices. People think that an Elza citizen becoming an Elza soldier is similar to betraying their country. The Elza government is basically a puppet government of Eastern Römer. Are you disappointed?”

She tries to appear calm, but she shifts her gaze to the side. It’s clearly weighing on her.

“No, but I had my suspicions. In this situation, how many people could live in such a nice apartment, get fresh eggs and milk, and even procure reagents that no one else can find? Unless they’re a government official. But I’m curious why you didn’t tell me specifically.”

“I was hoping to keep things light today…”

Leticia trailed off, but then quickly drained half her glass and exhaled with a “Whoa.”

“I just wanted to appear as a normal person to you. As Leticia. Not as a soldier walking around in an officer’s uniform. Because when I’m with you, I feel so comfortable. It’s because of you.”

“Suddenly? Why?”

“You make me feel at ease.”

Leticia got up and turned on the radio. A classical FM broadcast came on. Leticia sat down next to me, swaying slightly. Quite close. Our shoulders were almost touching, but our hips were pressed together.

And, the trembling too.

Leticia was nervous. She was shaking like she had chills, and I could feel the vibrations. Had her body temperature dropped from drinking too much?

“Are you cold? You seem to be shaking.”

“Ah, no. I’m fine. Hiccup.”

Hmm. Hiccups. I was about to get up to bring a blanket, but Leticia wrapped her arms around mine.

“W-where are you going?”

“To get a blanket? You seem cold.”

“Ah, I’m usually really tough. Why am I like this today? Hic! Um, sorry… could you… take me to bed?”

Now she was trembling enough that her chin was quivering. She had been drinking rather hastily. I carefully helped her up and headed toward the bedroom. On the way, Leticia kept licking her lips and breathing shallowly.

“Is this the right room?”

I flung open the door without needing confirmation. It was a twin bed. But there were two pillows. Wasn’t she living alone?

“The pink pillow is mine, and the blue one is yours.”

Leticia mumbled.

“What?”

The answer came in the form of a kiss.

* * * * *

I prepared breakfast. Leticia said her waist and lower abdomen were sore. Though “breakfast” was just cereal with milk, nothing fancy.

“I brought painkillers too, is this the right one?”

Leticia, wrapped in a blanket, took the medicine packet and water cup with a flushed face. And the ointment too.

“Apply the ointment after we finish breakfast.”

At my gentle rebuke, Leticia’s face turned even redder.

“…I’m sorry. Did it hurt a lot?”

It did hurt. She had been digging her nails into my back all night, trying to tear it apart. I was worried her nails might break.

“…And put some clothes on. You’ll catch a cold.”

I pointed to her clothes scattered on the floor. Leticia winced as she bit her spoon.

“I’m… used to sleeping naked…”

“Well, some people find it comfortable.”

I scraped the bowl clean. Maybe it was my imagination, but Leticia seemed a bit more at ease after swallowing the medicine. She even lifted the side of the blanket.

“Come in here.”

It was dark, but I could still see everything that needed to be seen, and it was unbearable. Leticia didn’t seem to mind either.

“You said you have a girlfriend, right?”

I have girlfriends, plural.

“Yes.”

“Are you married?”

“No.”

“Then this isn’t such a bad thing, is it?”

“You’re bold.”

“I don’t think I was as bold as you last night, Caesar. But it was good. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t think about anything. It just felt good. My head and heart have been so complicated lately.”

If an ordinary woman said that, I wouldn’t think much of it, but if a military officer like Leticia says her head and heart are complicated, there must be a problem.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well. Sigh.”

Leticia furrowed her brow and eventually shook her head.

“I just wonder what my grandmother would have said these days.”

“The grandmother who was always on Leticia’s side, right?”

“Yes. She supported my decision to go to the military academy. She just told me, ‘You are an Elza person. No one can turn their back on their roots. Wherever you are, always remember that.’

That’s also why she taught me the apple pie recipe. Because it’s traditional Elza food. My grandmother neither felt pride nor inferiority about being from Elza. She just accepted it with dignity.”

Leticia seemed like someone unburdening herself.

“The military is full of bad people, just like anywhere else. There are many more who are neither good nor bad, just incompetent. I heard a lot that soldiers from Elza can’t get promoted much. So, not wanting to disgrace Elza—not wanting to shame my grandmother’s Elza—I worked hard.

To not be shameful. To be dignified. I refused to do anything that seemed wrong, on my conscience. Anyway, my superiors were all old drunks who didn’t care about work, so it didn’t matter much what I did.

But the person who came this time… is really capable, excellent, strong-willed… ah. What should I do?”

She must be talking about the woman named Virginia.

“And?”

“…She ordered me to do something I don’t want to do. As a soldier, I should follow orders, and I know she must have a plan, but… I don’t know.

She’s not the type to reveal all her plans. She’s always told me just what I needed to know when I needed to know it, and there haven’t been any problems until now, but this time, what she’s asking really bothers me. It just doesn’t feel right… in my conscience.”

It’s an abstract problem.

Like all problems in the world, these kinds are difficult to solve. In fact, she probably knows it herself. This isn’t something you can get an answer to by asking someone else. She’s just trying to sort things out by talking about it.

“Well. I’ve never met Leticia’s grandmother, but I think she might have said, ‘Follow your heart, do what you want to do.’ But I don’t understand what the problem is.”

“Well, it’s… okay. There’s a villain causing trouble in the city lately. We’ve caught many of his followers, but we haven’t caught the real culprit yet. So to catch the real culprit, there’s a plan to use the followers as bait…”

That sounds like something that snake-like woman would think of.

“Those people will be in great danger, right?”

“Yes. Of course, they are criminals. But I believe that if the weight of the crime is different, the weight of the punishment should be different too. If big crimes and small crimes carry the same weight, everyone will commit big crimes. ‘Might as well go big if I’m going to commit a crime anyway,’ that kind of thinking. I think this is excessive.”

“Won’t your superior accept that reasoning?”

“Well… there’s actually a reason I can’t speak up. Because the real culprit…”

“The real culprit?”

Leticia hung her head and couldn’t continue. I should probably help her a bit.

“No. What I mean is, regardless of who the real culprit is, couldn’t you ask about the intention and purpose behind the plan? If your superior truly values your input, they might see the merit in your concerns.”

“…I suppose so?”

She didn’t look entirely convinced, but Leticia seemed grateful nonetheless. At least I had listened to what she had to say.

“Thank you. When I go to work tomorrow, I’ll ask again…”

Ding-dong.

The sound came from the front door. Leticia’s body stiffened.

“…Who could that be? I’m not expecting anyone. And today is my day off.”

Ding-dong.

An insistent bell sound. This time, it was followed by knocking—bang, bang, bang—as if someone was pounding with their fist. Reluctantly, Leticia got out of bed. It wouldn’t be polite to stare as she got dressed, so I just peeked occasionally. Her chest wasn’t small, but her hips were really large and beautiful.

“Just a moment, Leticia. I’ll go to the next room.”

I had left my bag in the room used as a dressing room. It contained a pistol, a submachine gun, a military dagger, and other weapons. Not knowing what might happen, I needed to hide there.

“Okay.”

I took out my weapons in the dressing room. I opened the door slightly to try to hear what was happening outside.

“Who is it, coming so early in the morning… eek!”

Leticia opened the front door with a start.

“Leticia. I’m sorry. Do you have a moment?”

I’ve heard that voice before. A woman. The voice is rather elegant but low and somewhat gloomy. Like a snake slithering with a hiss.

“Commander Virginia? What brings you here at this hour… no, please come in! What’s this…?”