Chapter 29

I was actually a little surprised when I heard the rank I was assigned.

They said the military had a lot of interest in the Opats, but I didn’t know they would actually promote me to that rank. What’s more, the fact that the military had a lot of interest in the Opats meant that Lord Schloitz, the Commander-in-Chief, was the one who was very interested in them.

Enricor frowned.

“Both the First Commander and the Seventh Commander hold honorary positions, but…”

“Yeah.”

“Well, yeah. Even though they both hold honorary positions, they are quite different. The Seventh Commander is really just an honorary position, but the First Commander is recognized even by other commanders. The First Commander’s position is often vacant.”

As Enricor said, the position of the First Commander was often vacant. Although it was an honorary rank like that of the Seventh Commander, the status was completely different. Being appointed as the Seventh Commander was solely based on being a direct descendant of the Lefebvre family.

In other words, to be appointed as the First Commander, one needed a combination of talent and other merits at the level of the LeFebvre family status.

Talent was mine, but the merits were Enricor’s. However, what was originally Enricor’s was now mine, so I didn’t think much about it.

I smiled slyly.

“Thanks to that, I can speak freely to the Commander-In-Chief.”

“I bet that’s a relief for you, really.”

Enricor let out a sigh and slumped into his chair. He ruffled his hair, which was naturally still as attractive as ever, even though he had to cut it short for experiments. His golden hair sparkled in the sunlight, just like mine.

“Enri, are you done talking about me?”

“Yes. I’m done.”

“Then let’s talk about another matter. How is Lord Procyon doing?”

I had listened quietly to what Enricor had to say up to this point, not expecting him to arrive here so quickly, but my hands were secretly growing colder.

“I only found out three days ago that people without divine protection can appear sporadically. I was also contacted by the commander-in-chief because there seem to be some side effects in using the Opats. I might have been sick when I was making that Opats”

As Enricor continued, he suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Vlana, why is your face like that? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No…,”

I barely managed to resist the urge to wipe my face with both hands.

Side effects? It’s possible. But why did it have to happen to Schloitz of all people? He’s the type who would never admit to being in pain. I thought maybe the Chief of Staff would take care of it, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“So, should we not grant protection to Lord Procyon ?”

But then I wouldn’t be able to use the Opats and the early Opats that Enrico made were said to be unprotected, meaning they would cough up blood when used.

I asked Venus, who had used Opats in an emergency against a monster.

“It felt like my insides were being crushed, My Lady.”

…That’s what he said.

“No. I’ve implemented another method.”

“What is it?”

“You just need to lower to bestow the purification  closer to the hair.”

“Where? On the forehead?”

“…Huh?”

Enricor tapped my cheek with his index finger.

“On the cheek.”

“Are you crazy?”

***

Well, whatever.

In a noble society, light physical contact was commonplace, almost like a greeting. It was common to kiss cheeks or foreheads as a sign of well-wishing.

In that sense, my reaction was actually excessive. However, Enricor, who had probably heard a lot about the cold demeanor of “Commander Schloitz Procyon” from Venus and other Lefevre scholars, didn’t seem to have any doubts.

It seemed like he just thought I was very afraid of him.

I would have preferred that, to be honest.

“But my heart… If it bursts, who will compensate?”

No one would compensate me.

‘At least it’s not my lips.’

Was it because of my memories of kissing Schloitz when I was a child? Somehow, a strange anxiety crept in at the thought of pressing my lips to his again; perhaps he would discover my childhood secret.

***

I am walking now.

I was going to show Schloitz the new Opats and the new purification process. Regardless, this was a contract between the Lefevre family and the military, and I didn’t want to sabotage Enricor’s efforts because of my emotions.

“Young Lady, have you arrived? Oh, no, it’s Officer Lefevre now.”

The pink-haired adjutant greeted me with a smile.

“Is the title ‘Offier’ awkward for you?”

“Yes, usually, I’m called Young Lady”

In truth, I had no intention of becoming a knight. But after Sir Baloc trained me rigorously and asked if I would consider knighthood, I decided to take the test and passed.

‘They say there’s a pension for knights.’

I was slightly intrigued by that. Of course, it wouldn’t be much money as a knight’s pension, but wouldn’t it be wise to collect whatever I could?

But even with my new title as a knight, no noble referred to me as “Officer Lefevre.” It was common for members of a single family to be referred to as “Young master” or “Young lady” depending on their gender.

So, I felt somewhat unfamiliar.

“By the way, Officer Lefevre, how did you find the chicken onion stew?”

“It was delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Actually, there are some excellent restaurants in the city. You’ll have a vacation in three months and at that time…”

The adjutant, who had been somewhat reserved when we first met, now had a much friendlier smile. It was clear that he regarded me as one of the commander.

Well, since I was already a commander.

I would do my best to assist Schloitz and, in the future, return to my family safely and lead a comfortable life.

With Opatz in place and Schloitz’s health stabilized, the insane flow of casualties should slow down somewhat.

As we chatted about various things, the adjutant who had brought me to the commander’s office knocked on the door.

“Commander, I have arrived. Lady LeFebvre, the First Commander of Lefevre, is here as well.”

***

Schloitz’s office always had the windows partially open.

‘He had that habit in the original work too.’

How cute. It might seem trivial, but because it was Schloitz’s habit, it just felt endearing to me. Even as I thought this, I kept a very polite expression on my face.

“Lord Procyon.”

The Lefevre family had various privileges, and one of them was the ability to address the Commander as “Lord” even after becoming a knight. It seemed like a gesture to distinguish the Lefevre’s direct line from regular knights.

Fortunately, my voice didn’t tremble.

“You might have already read my brother’s letter. There were some minor side effects with the shield, and I received a new method to address those side effects today.”

Enricor personally came and delivered it.

“We’ve also brought a new Opats, so please check it.”

I walked up to Schloitz desk and extended Opats with both hands, very humbly… no, politely. It was true that I had a genuine interest in Opats. Without even inspecting it, Schloitz picked up Opats. He quickly rose from his chair and approached me. He had indeed grown quite a bit. On the first day, I was too nervous to properly observe him.

“They said there was a change in how you would activate the purification.”

“Yes, it’s not entirely changed, but the method has been altered, but only for those who experienced side effects.”

Perhaps because Schloitz was right in front of me, my throat became very dry. But I couldn’t just ask for a glass of water right now.

“As far as I know, there were no other individuals with side effects except for you, Lord Procyon.”

“That’s correct.”

Schloitz looked down at me and spoke.

“It seems there were no other affected individuals except me.”

“Then…”

“Is it a coincidence? Why was I the only one who had an adverse reaction?”

Schloitz’s gaze never left me.