Encounter with Evil

“You all worked very hard in today’s training. Especially Rina and Erika! Despite forming a team of just two, you achieved outstanding results. You should be proud of yourselves.”

Clap clap!

As Gartel applauded them, the other cadets also clapped somewhat hesitantly.

“It’s an honor.”

“Hehe, thank you~”

Rina and Erika accepted the cheers in their own characteristic ways.

Although they faced difficulties with Wolf absent and Yena away on leave, they demonstrated excellent skills, not succumbing to any challenges in either group or individual training.

While Rina had talent from the start, in Erika’s case, it was a result achieved entirely through her own efforts.

‘I’m glad I trained every day…!’

Erika’s shoulders trembled at the admiration she heard from those around her.

It was good that she had consistently endured and trained hard even before the joint training. The feeling of finally being rewarded for the long years of endurance was the best, to the point where her whole body was enveloped in tremors.

‘Yes, I can do it too! Just like Yena said, anything is possible if you keep trying! I can even surpass Rina!’

She slightly turned her head and glanced at the princess standing quietly.

When her self-esteem had hit rock bottom before, she thought that Rina, who received the children’s gazes as if she was used to it, was an insurmountable wall. She had despaired, thinking that no matter how hard she tried, she could never beat someone with talent.

But after hearing the instructor’s praise today, her mind changed. Even now, she had reached a position to be cheered on, surpassing children she thought she couldn’t catch up to just moments ago.

Although she had resolved to “train hard!” in her room before, a slight remaining anxiety had not been erased.

But even this was shaken off today!

“Everyone, line up! You must be tired from the class, but good job, and I hope you’ll show excellent qualities in the qualification assessment that’s only a few months away…”

“Ahem, hmhm.”

Erika listened to Gartel’s instructions while clearing her throat to suppress her laughter.

‘What is she so happy about?’

And Rina watched Erika, tilting her head.

The princess’s eyes were filled purely with curiosity. Unlike Erika, no sense of competition was felt in her gaze.

She didn’t have a sense of rivalry like Erika did. Rather, after resolving the conflict with Yena, she was contemplating how they could become closer to each other.

‘We need to maintain a good relationship as we’re in the same team.’

Now that it had been revealed that she had wrongly suspected Yena all this time, there was no reason to maintain a distant relationship with Erika anymore.

Now she wanted to become close.

‘Her skills seem good too… No. Let’s not judge like this. I decided not to distinguish people by assigning value anymore. I’ll try to make real friends.’

“Dismissed!”

Rina moved her steps with the intention of purely creating relationships like other kids her age, breaking away from her calculating personality.

“Erika.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Would you like to have lunch together?”

Without hesitation, she arrived in front of Erika and grabbed both her hands.

“Wh-What?”

The blue-haired girl, who hadn’t expected the princess to approach her first, swallowed hard and blinked her eyelids several times.

---

“You can enter here.”

The driver pointed inside an office within the Secretariat. He bowed at a right angle and even gentlemanly gestured towards the door with his palm.

“Whew…”

Seeing him being overly polite made me swallow dry saliva. Although I had met many of the Empire’s top officials in my previous life, it was the first time since this world became reality.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Imagining that the people who commanded the Empire were beyond that door made my heart beat violently.

But I can’t just sit here.

Creak!

I hesitated no longer. I pulled the handle wide open to see the faces of those leading the precious Labor Party.

“We must lock up those commie bastards right now!”

“That’s too hasty an action, Minister Göring.”

“Wh-What did you say?”

“Alright, let’s calm down. It seems our guest has arrived.”

There was a brief commotion loud enough to make my eardrums fall off, but it quickly subsided at the gesture of a man who seemed to have the highest rank.

“You must be Yena Freud, correct?”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Prime Minister.”

“Hoho, have a seat.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The first impression of the room was no different from any instructor’s office. The only difference was that there was a large conference table.

If I had to pick out a characteristic, it would be those flags.

Flutter─!

I stared at the flags fixed to the wall, fluttering in the wind coming through the window gaps. Not the national flag of the Empire or the military flag, but the party flag of the Labor Party displayed its majesty.

It must mean that Erdoff, who had already become Prime Minister, had swallowed up the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was truly an impressive show of the Labor Party’s power.

“If you were startled by the commotion just now, I apologize. The matter was so serious that voices had to be raised.”

“It’s fine!”

“Then that’s good. First, let me introduce the people here beside me. Ermen Wilhelm Göring and Hans von Paulo. They’re all people who will help you, so don’t be afraid.”

Erdoff’s first words were an introduction to the party members around him.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Although Erdoff spoke as if introducing ordinary guards, knowing better than anyone that those two were the Prime Minister’s closest aides, I immediately raised my arm above my head to show respect.

“I’m Minister without Portfolio Göring. I express my gratitude for arresting Darnoff. Thanks to you, things have been resolved smoothly.”

“I’m Paulo, Director of the Central Party Propaganda Department. Yena Freud, was it? We’re grateful to you.”

The former was a pot-bellied man with a stylish brown mustache, while the latter was a skinny man with a cane. They had completely opposite appearances.

“Huh…”

It felt strange to receive greetings from these two key people who would later drive Bern into an endless battlefield.

The difference in sensation between when I encountered it as a simple game and when I recognized this country as my land and accepted this body as my flesh was as vast as heaven and earth.

Maybe it’s because I’ve become aware that it’s reality.

After experiencing a headache upon seeing the family photo, for some reason, my sense of recognizing the Empire as my homeland intensified.

Grind!

Perhaps because of that, my jaw clenched when I faced Paulo, who had mocked the citizens with propaganda, and Göring, who had served as Minister of Aviation and then wasted power with foolish actions.

“The last one is…”

“Walter Erius,”

Thud─

Before Erdoff could finish his introduction, a large man with a short-trimmed mustache semi-forcibly shook my hand.

“I’m the Chief of Staff of the Storm Troopers. I heard about your heroic deed when you dragged Darnoff out. You have a boldness that doesn’t match your appearance. Erdoff, don’t you think so too?”

On top of that, he spoke informally to the Labor Party leader whom others addressed respectfully.

Just like Erius.

He was truly befitting of the leader of the Storm Troopers, which surpassed the Empire’s military personnel tenfold. I had heard rumors that he and Erdoff were on familiar terms, but this was the first time I’d seen it in person.

According to the original progression, my first time out of the military academy would have been after the Night of the Long Knives, that is, after Erius had been terribly purged and the Storm Troopers disbanded.

“…Yes, Erius.”

Erdoff frowned slightly, at a level only I could notice, and nodded his head.

“Yena Freud.”

“Yes.”

“I heard the news that you caught that arsonist who burned down the National Diet building. I’m very grateful.”

And he quickly returned to his expressionless face and continued the conversation.

“Not at all. I simply acted without forgetting a soldier’s duty to protect the Empire anytime, anywhere!”

When Erdoff addressed me, I maintained an uncomfortable posture of stretching my arms stiffly and answering loudly to each question.

“Huhuh, I wish the politicians would learn even a little from your attitude.”

I thoroughly acted out the naive human portrayal of being surprised to meet someone I had only seen in newspapers.

Erdoff had a strong tendency to prefer people he could easily handle. It was easier to crawl and flatter him rather than unnecessarily trying to confront him.

“But from what I hear, it seems you already knew me. Given your status, it must have been difficult to access outside news, so how did you recognize me?”

“I was moved by your speeches aiming to raise the Empire from the pit of devastation after the Great War, so I listened attentively to your weekly addresses to the citizens, Prime Minister.”

“Oh, I see.”

This seemed to be a good approach, as Erdoff was very pleased with my enthusiastic and favorable attitude towards the Labor Party.

“…Is it because you’re a commoner? It’s really surprising to find such an enthusiastic supporter among the officers.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the Prime Minister’s noble cause is so solemn and desperate that it reaches even the heart of a frail girl living in a remote province of the Federation?”

As Paulo, who had been silent until now, chimed in with his opinion, Erdoff, who rarely smiled, could no longer hold back his smile.

“Hoho─! Thank you, Paulo.”

He rose, making a hearty sound that made his characteristic black mustache twitch.

“Yena Freud.”

“Yes?”

“Looking at you, I feel that merely praising you with words is not enough. So I’d like to give you a small gift.”

“A gift, sir?”

Then he made a sudden declaration while all his close aides, including Göring, Erius, and Paulo, were sitting quietly.

“I will award you the Order of the Silver Leaf Knight.”