Chapter 1. The Unfamiliar Visitor

The war had ended.

At last, people put down the swords they had guarded with their lives and found the pens or equipment they originally possessed.

The first to leave the garrison at the news of the war’s end were the noble-born commanders, followed by the knights, and then the common soldiers dispersed in all directions.

While the honorable knights were exempt, the lower-ranking soldiers left searching for a place to return to with only the small change in their hands.

But she had nowhere to return to, nor anything to pick up again.

The earliest memory she could recall was from 8 years ago, at the army garrison in the Flheim Forest located on the western border of the Lezentra Empire, and after that, it was all war.

To her, who didn’t know if she had any family and didn’t even know her own name, the meaning of the war’s end didn’t really resonate.

“The war is over.”

“I know.”

She replied dryly to the question from Ian, the only comrade she had opened up to.

Flora was also aware of the Emperor’s declaration of the war’s end, which finally concluded the 8-year-long war, as she had heard it with her own ears.

The war was lost, and the Lezentra Empire gained the shameful name of a defeated nation, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t fought with loyalty and honor from the beginning.

“Then why do you keep polishing your sword?”

“It’s for when things get urgent at any time……”

Flora, who had been diligently wiping down the blade with a dry cloth, paused.

As Ian said, there would be no more need to wield this sword, but her hand had moved out of habit.

But it was only for a moment, and she immediately resumed moving her halted hand. For a swordsman to neglect sword maintenance meant they didn’t care when they died.

The moment you feel safe is when you’re most vulnerable. Rather than regretting having a rusty sword, it was better to maintain it now, even if it seemed foolish.

Knowing it might sound like an excuse, Flora added to his words.

“It’s not like there’s anything else to do here anyway.”

“That’s true too. I hear the high nobles are quite troubled because of us?”

They were soldiers, but even within the military, they were treated like murderers. As the war ended, the disposition of the 12th Division, known as the most ruthless on the Western Front, became a stumbling block for the empire steeped in peace.

While these individuals, specialized only in killing, were treated like outsiders within, they garnered enough attention from other kingdoms to inquire about their next moves.

Among them, the Kingdom of Verseum, which had formed an alliance with three other countries to invade Lezentra, was the first to press the issue of their whereabouts.

The drawn-out meetings continued, and conclusions were slow to come. In the meantime, Flora’s hair, which had been cut short, had grown long enough to reach her chest.

“Tch, how many months has it been already? Everyone’s returned to the capital long ago, but they keep us here under the pretext of training. It’s laughable. Do they think we don’t have brains?”

“……”

“When they were working us like dogs, it was fine, but now these fancy lords find us uncomfortable. What a truly wretched country.”

Ian swept back his orange hair, which didn’t show dirt even when covered in dust, and looked up at the sky with his neck stretched back.

The clear and refreshing sky, free from the acrid smoke of shells, felt quite unfamiliar.

It felt like at any moment, the sound of flames rising and crackling, burning the greenery in this area, would be heard. But the only sounds were the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

That made him feel irritated, and he continued speaking.

“And we, who suffered to protect this wretched country, are even more wretched.”

While the Western Front where they were now had performed relatively well with their capabilities, the problem erupted elsewhere.

The Eastern Front collapsed, and the Eastern Fortress fell in an instant, leaving the soldiers in the West and South to hear the news of defeat helplessly from their respective camps.

The war ended just like that. Although it wasn’t a war they had fought out of patriotism for the empire, they couldn’t help but feel bitter.

The only consolation was that the country hadn’t been destroyed, allowing the Lezentra Empire to maintain its reputation.

By the Emperor signing a shameful document acknowledging defeat and agreeing to massive reparations, they were able to protect their own safety and the name of their country.

“I’m not.”

“What?”

Ian, who had been staring at the setting sun beyond the forest horizon, turned his head as if to ask what she meant.

Flora, who was checking if her face was reflected in the blade by holding the polished sword vertically, continued speaking without turning her head.

“I didn’t fight for this country. I did it for myself. To survive.”

“Ah.”

Finally understanding Flora’s meaning, Ian chuckled.

Her answer was spot on. There wasn’t a single person in the 12th Division who had joined out of burning loyalty to the empire to annihilate the enemy.

Unlike other unit members who had been formally knighted, they, as commoners, were nothing more than a collection of people who thought they were somewhat strong and had gathered to make money.

That’s why most of them were of poor quality, and causing problems was commonplace.

Flora, who had voluntarily joined the infamous 12th Division, which even avoided mixing or getting involved with others, was an oddball among oddballs.

Ian nodded and stretched out both arms wide before resting his head on his interlocked hands. Then he watched Flora for a long time as she silently polished her sword until it shone, only blurting out what she wanted to say.

Who would have thought that the girl who used to walk around in a worn-out skirt carrying a bucket, suddenly asking to be taught swordsmanship, would grow to surpass his own skills?

Though delicate in appearance and with a body as thin as the sword in her hand, she possessed the most outstanding skills among the soldiers of the 12th Division. And she was the only comrade whose skills he recognized here.

Comrade. He wasn’t sure if she would think of him with that word as well.

Ian grinned and picked up the sword he had placed on the rock as he stood up.

“It would be a shame to waste the sword you’ve just polished, so shall we spar? As your teacher in name, I can’t just stand by and watch my student neglect her swordsmanship.”

“Have you forgotten that I surpassed that excellent teacher long ago?”

“That was because I’ve been going easy on you all this time, you know?”

At Ian’s boastful words, Flora also smiled as she got up from the ground and dusted off the dirt on her clothes.

The sun was setting, but that was no problem for them at all.

* * *

After such meaningless time had passed for over half a year, noble visitors finally came to the barracks where the 12th Division was staying.

There had been no news of anyone’s visit scheduled for that day, but from the morning, the atmosphere was strangely bustling.

After returning from sword practice with Ian in the nearby forest, Flora quickly placed her hand on her scabbard when she saw that none of the usual people loitering outside were visible.

“Hey, wait. There’s no smell of blood.”

Ian, telling her to calm down, walked past Flora and took the lead. Soon, the sound of murmuring could be heard from the direction of the largest barracks where the administrator stayed.

“It seems everyone is gathered over there?”

Although Ian spoke, seemingly making light of the situation, Flora didn’t relax her tension. Even though the war had ended, there were still many people who didn’t welcome their existence.

“Let’s go in too.”

Flora nodded in agreement and removed her hand from the sword handle.

As they pulled back the thick curtain, indeed, more than thirty strong men were standing huddled together. Because of this, unlike the tall Ian, Flora couldn’t see what they were looking at.

“Want me to give you a lift on my shoulders?”

Ian chuckled, knowing her predicament of being three spans shorter than the men.

Flora shot him a look that said she’d rather behead him and ride on top than get on his shoulders, then squeezed through the soldiers to look up at the man standing on the platform.

“The Elder Council has finally decided on the disposition of the 12th Division.”

The owner of this gruff voice was the administrator. The only administrator they had, who always stroked his chin beard and acted high and mighty, not seeing them as fellow soldiers.

Normally, she would have ignored his words like others had done before, but the words he said caught her attention.

Would it be death? Would they be moved somewhere as if being sold off? There was also the possibility that Verseum might take them away.

“Our benevolent Emperor, lamenting your outstanding abilities, has concluded that each noble family will take you in.”

The long praise, as if they should never forget this grace, only made sense with the words that followed.

‘So they’re going to dump us on the nobles.’

As she stood on her tiptoes and craned her neck, she could see several men standing behind the administrator. All of them standing arrogantly as if picking a fight, with pale faces that looked like they had never held a sword.

Then they started calling names one by one, and she felt the crowd that had filled the front gradually thinning.

“Ian.”

Even after the last name, Ian’s, was called, the administrator merely glanced at Flora without calling her name.

Surely, no noble had volunteered to take her. Unlike men who could be beaten into submission until they became porridge, women were considered quite troublesome, which is why no one readily came forward to take her.

Of course, there were some who, upon seeing Flora’s face, had their eyes widen and reached out as if enchanted.

However, when the noble standing next to them whispered something in their ear, telling them to come to their senses, they quickly turned pale and hurriedly lowered their hand.

Nobles have always been a breed infatuated with women and pleasure, but when that woman is dangerous enough to take their life, it’s a different story.

No matter how goddess-like her beauty might be, it would be troublesome if she, lying quietly in bed at night, suddenly had a change of heart and stabbed them in the belly.

In other words, with docile women being a dime a dozen, no man wished to have a wild mare-like woman as their subordinate. Especially if that woman carried terrifying rumors of being impossible to tame.

“Well then, those who have been called, follow those who have shown you mercy.”

The administrator, judging that no one would want Flora, tried to wrap things up quickly.

At that moment, suddenly, a tall man, likely a head taller than the others, stepped forward from the very back.

The nobles who spotted him all turned pale as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. The same was true for the administrator in charge of the unit, who immediately bowed and approached to welcome the noble guest.

“Your Grace. Is there anything that displeases you?”

The man’s presence, with broad shoulders that made even the well-built administrator look like an ordinary man, and wearing solid armor, was overwhelming even in the dim barracks.

In contrast, his neatly combed silver hair seemed to hold a brilliant light as if flaunting its natural color, and his unexpectedly beautiful features naturally drew people’s attention.

But despite such a beautiful appearance, his stern expression made onlookers tremble with intimidation.

“Um…, Your Grace?”

The man passed by the restless administrator without giving any answer and stepped forward.

The next moment, words that shocked everyone in the barracks flowed from his mouth.