Do you know what the number one cause of death for officers is?

“Be careful when you drink it, it’s hot.”

“……”

“Oh my, don’t you like cocoa?”

“…No, thank you.”

Beans sat across the table, drinking cocoa.

As I was about to bring my share of black coffee to my lips after taking a seat on the opposite side, I noticed Beans putting the cup she had brought to her mouth back down on the table.

I thought she had put it down because it was too hot, but it was completely empty.

“Haha, to drink it all in one go. That’s quite a skill.”

“This much is nothing… Ugh!!”

Beans suddenly clutched her head.

It seems the heat of the cocoa had reached her head, causing a headache.

It’s natural since her cracked skull hasn’t fully healed yet.

“The teacher doesn’t use Holy Power for minor injuries… but in your case, I had to use it because your condition was serious.”

I had to stitch her head nine times and even give her a blood transfusion due to significant blood loss.

Without exaggeration, if left untreated, her life couldn’t have been guaranteed.

“There shouldn’t be any problems with daily life, but I think it would be good for you to stay in the infirmary for a while to recover faster.”

“…How long do I need to stay?”

“Well, since I used Holy Power, staying for about three days should be enough. The final exams are over anyway, so the classes will mostly be previewing the second semester curriculum… It should be fine if you miss that much, right?”

“……”

Beans just lowered her head without answering.

It seems she’s uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to attend classes.

Well, even I thought getting a perfect attendance award meant something when I was in elementary school.

But now, that’s not what’s important.

More than the wound getting worse, what needs attention is the concern that the danger this child is facing won’t end with just this one incident.

“Well then, let’s say you’ll stay here for a while… First, there are a few things I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind answering some of the teacher’s questions?”

“Questions, what do you mean?”

“There’s a lot I’m curious about. First, about how you got the wound on your head.”

“…I just fell while walking.”

Oh my, she’s stubborn and comes out like this as expected.

But I’ve already anticipated this much. I immediately presented a page I had written in my notebook in front of Beans.

“Do you know what this drawing is?”

“Is it… bones?”

“It’s a rough sketch of your head.”

“What? My head…?”

“It’s easy for someone specializing in surgery.”

While we can’t expect things like X-rays in this world, we can do something similar using mana.

“Anyway, as you can see now, when you were brought to the infirmary, the inside condition was not good at all. Without exaggeration, if we had been just 10 minutes late, you might have lived as a vegetable.”

“Vegetable… human? What’s that…?”

“Ah well, if it’s a symptom caused by physical damage, it can be recovered with Holy Power, so it’s not very serious unless it’s fatal.”

To say that brain death and nerve paralysis are not serious symptoms.

In the previous world, this would be shocking, but ironically, in this world, Holy Power doesn’t discriminate based on the extent or severity of injuries.

Unless it’s a congenital disorder like genetic diseases or deformities, any injury acquired later in life, even a tiny wound in a vital spot, can be recovered given enough time.

It’s not for nothing that medical development is slow in this world and religious zealots are running rampant.

After all, they can recover from almost anything as long as it’s not an amputation like losing limbs.

“But conversely, if you hadn’t received Holy Power immediately and were left untreated… you might have really lost your life.”

Yes, the problem is that there are restrictions on using such amazing power.

To begin with, only a small minority of the continent’s population can use Holy Power, and even then, if they can’t replenish it through prayer, they can’t use it when needed.

Of course, this academy is said to be full of clergy if you just go down to the academic city, but well…

How many people in this academy would actually take this child to a clergyman?

“It was hectic bringing you in urgently, but when I asked Dale while you were sleeping, he said there was something like a flowerpot fallen nearby.”

If you had just fallen backwards, the impact would have been dispersed, but what was drawn in the note was a trace of something heavy striking the back of the head.

Not only was the skull damaged, but the cervical vertebrae were twisted… If you had fallen backwards, wouldn’t there have been dirt on your nose from the fall?

“Beans, I’m asking this just in case…”

Yes, anyone who isn’t oblivious would know.

This is clearly the result of someone’s ‘malice’.

“Have you been bullied lately…”

-Clang!

Beans stood up abruptly just as I was about to voice that speculation.

As the chair she was sitting on roughly hit the ground, Beans opened her trembling lips with difficulty and shouted.

“It’s not like that!!”

Rough breathing and dilated pupils.

It means she’s sensitively reacting to my words that haven’t even finished yet.

“I’m a Jogret. I’m the heir to a prestigious family that has been in charge of the staff of the army that protects the Empire for generations! Who could possibly bully someone like me… Ugh!!”

But getting excited when you’re not feeling well isn’t good.

Such a little kid with such a fiery temper.

“…You seem to have strong pride in your family.”

I immediately approached and stroked her head with a hand imbued with Holy Power.

The convulsions that had occurred gradually subsided as if the wound had healed. Nevertheless, her complexion was still not good.

“…Everyone knows nothing.”

She lowered her head, biting her lip.

It looked like she might burst into tears at any moment, but given this child’s personality, she probably won’t cry out loud.

Wasn’t she a child with enough malice to form a space beyond a circle at such a young age?

“Everyone knows nothing, that’s why. Father would never betray the Empire. It’s just that people who envy father are swayed by slander… Even though they all spouted flattering words until he was arrested, now they turn their backs on him like throwing away old shoes…!”

“That’s right, the teacher also thinks your father is innocent.”

The fortunate thing for this child among the misfortunes is that I, who took care of her wounds, know well about the person called Gilbert.

There’s bound to be a difference between what’s heard in rumors and what was actually seen.

“The Viscount Jogret I saw was not someone who would ever betray the Empire.”

“…Do you know my father?”

“Well, the teacher is also originally from the military.”

I said nonchalantly while finishing the coffee in front of me.

“If you’re worried that your father might have colluded with the rebels, you can rest assured. That person would rather take his own life than reveal the Empire’s secrets, he’s definitely not someone who would do anything to harm the Empire.”

It’s not a lie.

On the battlefields he stepped into, there were draws but never defeats. Statistically speaking, his judgments could always be considered correct.

Just looking at the number of victories he brought in the war, anyone can realize that it’s unimaginable for him to rebel against the Empire.

“Really…”

“But there’s no one better to put on the gallows than someone who’s just competent and old-fashioned.”

Yes, the positive evaluation ends right there.

Ironically, I had direct experience with that person, and I’m aware that the rumors circulating aren’t entirely false.

“What? What do you mean…”

“Beans, you probably guess to some extent, but the rumors surrounding your father aren’t entirely false.”

So what I’m about to say will probably be a big shock to this child.

Even if I try to explain as objectively as possible, excluding my subjective views, the reason your father was arrested was the result of following that objectivity.

“Although he was competent as a staff officer, he never said a kind word to his subordinates. He thought it was enough if soldiers moved on their own with just a word or two, and if they died, new soldiers would replace them… He can be said to be someone difficult to defend, even just for the sake of it.”

“Th-That’s unavoidable given his position, isn’t it? No matter how cruel it may be, that’s how the military has to be led properly.”

It wasn’t wrong.

Valuing the number of soldiers saved and enemies killed more than the morale of the soldiers…

In prioritizing statistics over public sentiment, he could be said to have followed his duty as a staff officer all too well.

“That’s right, father was just faithful to his job. Didn’t you say that such a person wouldn’t betray the Empire? So His Majesty will surely acknowledge that this is slander, and he’ll certainly be acquitted soon…”

“Even if public sentiment could collapse because of that?”

But that too should end at the line of ‘weighing’ to avoid trouble.

Ironically, the officers I knew were beings who could receive high evaluations only if they were better at politics than efficiency.

Officers are also a profession that deals with people.

After all, those they command are ‘humans with self-awareness and hearts’.

“Public sentiment… collapsing…”

“Well then, let’s ask our smart second-place student a question at this point.”

After putting down the empty coffee cup on the table and standing up, I quietly walked in front of Beans.

“Beans. Do you know what the number one cause of death for officers in the military is?

“What are you suddenly…”

“Will you answer first?”

Beans was perplexed by my words.

But that attitude didn’t last long.

“…Assassination, I guess.”

“Yes, assassination by snipers or spies.”

It’s obvious if you think about it.

From the enemy’s perspective, they would aim for one officer commanding hundreds of soldiers rather than the soldiers themselves.

To the extent that they might sacrifice several units to deploy a single assassin, competent officers were seen as beings that must be killed by the enemy.

“Then what do you think comes next?”

But there are people who want to kill officers even more than them.

Those who want to kill but can’t, conflicted.

Those who draw their weapons even while throwing off all the responsibilities that bind them.

“…The annihilation of the unit?”

“It’s insubordination.”

I immediately answered, denying Beans’ response.

It was quite some time later when a question came back.

“…What?”

“Grand causes, patriotism, spirit of sacrifice… All of these are concepts that can be overturned depending on the attitude of those close to you.”

Well, anyone who’s been in the military for about two years would understand this.

The enemy of the state may be communists.

But the main enemy of a soldier is their superior officer.

---

I am a doctor, and doctors are a profession that saves people.

If we need to save someone, we don’t hesitate to keep them breathing whether they’re criminals or enemy soldiers.

Therefore, unless someone is a real scumbag, I try not to dislike people as much as possible, but even I couldn’t like the person called Viscount Jogret.

‘I refuse.’

‘…Do you know that disobeying orders can be grounds for execution under military law?’

‘Die following orders or just die, it’s all the same.’

‘Patriotism and loyalty should also be considered. Have you forgotten that if the country falls, the hometown and family you need to protect will also be in danger?’

‘Don’t take my family hostage. You’ve never even seen their faces.’

To the extent that the rumors circulating in public were mild.

It was certainly true that he treated people’s lives like consumables.