UCT Ch 20

Such unexpected words came from Bryce’s mouth. Diana clenched her fists tightly.

“Obeying a superior’s orders is a soldier’s duty-”

“Pff.”

Bryce laughed.

“If your superior tells you to die, will you die?”

When Diana didn’t answer, shocked by the question, Bryce sighed and continued.

“Right. If it were a rational judgment, you’d follow it, as you say. But orders like the blind charge we had today can’t be followed. At least, not by me.”

“…If it wasn’t for the lieutenant’s judgment today, the citizens of the capital would have died.”

Diana also partly agreed that Richard was reckless. But with the enemy numbers being so high, retreating wasn’t an option either. If they had been even slightly late, people would have suffered.

What Bryce was saying now was not something a soldier should say. Although, due to her past life, Diana might feel that way.

When Diana presented the conventional wisdom, Bryce sneered, twisting one corner of his mouth.

“Yeah, yeah. Today it worked out. But do you know? There’s no one left from the original members of our Delta Squadron except for Lieutenant Ashwood. Our squadron has the highest casualty rate in the entire air force. It’s not unreasonable for other squadrons to call us ‘Ashwood and his disposables.'”

“……”

“The barracks you’re using now belonged to our former squadron leader, Captain Yanatol. He’s dead, essentially because of Ashwood.”

“……”

Diana had many questions she wanted to ask, but she kept her mouth tightly shut. Seeing this, Bryce, driven by frustration, spoke without thinking.

“That man doesn’t care about anyone else. He’s obsessed only with building his own achievements and fame. And there’s no reason for commoners like us to be sacrifices for the social climbing of a noble’s bastard, right? His nickname isn’t ‘White Demon’ for nothing.”

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

Diana’s face turned cold as she turned her back to leave. As she tried to walk away, Bryce grabbed her wrist and whispered from behind.

“I’m warning you because you remind me of my younger sister. Don’t blindly follow Ashwood just because he seems cool. If you want to live a little longer.”

“……”

“He treats others’ lives like they’re less than dogs. He’ll forget your death in half a day. Bet on it if you want.”

With that, Bryce let go of Diana’s wrist.

🌷🌷🌷

That night, sleep eluded her. The more she tossed and turned, the more uneasy she felt. Knowing that this was once Captain Yanatol’s personal quarters also made her uncomfortable.

She even entertained the thought that the ghost of the dead captain might appear before her.

‘If a ghost really does show up, should I ask if it’s true?’

Treating others’ lives as less than dogs, including those of his own allies. It was a chilling statement.

White Demon.

‘It didn’t seem entirely like a lie.’

From what she had observed over the past few days, the man was certainly capable of that. Moreover, there was a more concrete piece of evidence.

For a brief moment, Diana saw fear flit across Bryce’s eyes. It wasn’t the look of someone fabricating lies or boasting. Certainly, as she said, if Diana blindly followed Ashwood’s orders and died, she would only add to his medals and kill marks.

‘Who would remember the death of a common woman who worked at a tavern? But can her death truly be called pointless?’

Diana placed the back of her hand on her cool forehead. She felt suffocated as if a stone were pressing down on her.

There was one thing Bryce was wrong about.

Today, Diana followed Richard’s orders not out of trust or respect for him, nor because she considered him close.

Nor was it because she wanted to be a hero like him; she had played that role enough to be tired of it. She wasn’t foolish enough to cling to such things.

‘…It’s just to protect.’

She was merely doing what she could to protect the mundane, tranquil lives of ordinary citizens like herself. At least, that was what Diana wanted to believe at the moment.

Drip. Drip-.

The sound of raindrops hitting the tin roof of the barracks could be heard. If the rain continued until tomorrow, she might get some rest.

‘Please, let it rain until tomorrow.’

Diana muttered this pointless prayer as she shifted her lying position.

🌷🌷🌷

The morning after receiving Bryce’s ominous warning, the heavens seemed to have answered her prayers; it was pouring from before dawn. On such a day, no bomber could take to the skies, no matter how hard they tried.

Diana found herself humming a tune without realizing it. Whether this break would benefit Bringerton or Arke was yet to be seen. For Bringerton, it could be a chance to rebuild the city, and for Arke, an opportunity to regroup.

But from the perspective of a single soldier, the situation was simple: it was good because they could rest. However, her desire to just lie around was shattered soon enough when Colonel Maxwell, the brigade commander, suddenly summoned her. The aide who came to her barracks looked her up and down and added a somewhat embarrassed comment.

“…Come dressed neatly.”

Diana nodded silently, her face turning red. She hastily combed her hair and tied it up neatly.

Throughout the preparation, she was anxious, not knowing why she was being called separately.

‘Could it be because of the mind melding?’

Had Richard reported to the higher-ups that she was a mind melder? If so, it could become quite a serious issue. Although her alibi was solid in many ways, in these times, anyone could be a suspect.

If Diana were suspected of being an Arke spy, Ben and Gilda, who had taken her in, could also be harmed.

‘At least they won’t accuse someone of wrongdoing just because they have mind melding abilities.’

Though there were many negative perceptions and rumors about mind melders within Bringerton, punishing someone without evidence just for having that ability would be unreasonable.

After calming herself with such rational thoughts, Diana looked in the mirror. She immediately understood why the aide had looked at her with disapproval. Her lower lip, treated at the infirmary yesterday, was swollen and scabbed, not a pretty sight.

She reluctantly cut some gauze and stuck it under her lip.

With her neatly parted hair, crisp uniform collar, soft eyes, and round, pert nose, she tried her best to look tidy and capable.

Thus dressed, she arrived at the brigade commander’s barracks. As she entered, flashes from cameras bombarded her from all directions, much like when she first arrived at the air base.

Someone called out to her, who was frozen in surprise.

“Come in, Lieutenant Green.”

It was a person Diana couldn’t mistake: Brigadier General Mitcham, the commander of the Pegasus Squadron.

“Come in, Lieutenant Green.”

“Looks like you were surprised by the reporters.”

“Perhaps I should have given you a heads-up.”

Brigadier General Mitcham, with a cigar in his mouth, was whispering with Colonel Maxwell. In front of them, four journalists with their photographers were lined up along the office walls.

‘…?’

Diana saluted the brigadier general with a dazed look. Her mind was full of question marks.

It was surprising enough to see a high-ranking officer here, and he knew her name and even called her ‘Lieutenant’. Nothing made sense.

The general returned her salute with a gracious smile.

“…It’s an honor to be the first to congratulate you on your promotion, Lieutenant Green.”

Ah, she had been promoted. And from sergeant to lieutenant, a two-rank promotion. Diana bit the inside of her cheek without realizing it.

“The honor is mine.”

Diana replied as she lowered her arm.

‘Because of yesterday’s performance?’

Yesterday, she had shot down three planes, but that was only possible with Lieutenant Ashwood’s assistance. She certainly didn’t deserve this much recognition.

Nevertheless, the man in front of her was her far superior, a general of Bringerton. Even if she couldn’t understand why she was receiving special treatment, it was appropriate to show gratitude.

“By the way, when will Lieutenant Ashwood arrive? The star of the show needs to appear quickly to satisfy these hungry reporters.”

Everyone burst into laughter as if Mitcham were the best stand-up comedian. Diana forced a smile, pulling at the corners of her mouth.

‘So, Lieutenant Ashwood is coming too.’

It seemed this was indeed for recognizing yesterday’s achievements. A bittersweet smile touched Diana’s lips. Thanks to this, her golden break time was being wasted.

“He’ll be here soon. Ah, there he comes.”

A black shadow extended where the colonel pointed. Richard, who soon appeared, stood close behind Diana and saluted the general with precision. His blue-grey eyes were darkened, and his slightly lowered mouth looked stern.

The man was in the most well-groomed appearance she had seen yet. His officer’s cap was worn straight, his shoulder boards and patches were all in place.

Colorful badges on his right chest bore witness to his achievements.

The brim of his hat cast a stylish shadow over his face.

In short, he looked like he could step right out of a recruitment poster, with slogans like ‘Bringerton’s Future Depends on You!’ It was easy to imagine young people signing up for service out of admiration for such a man.

Diana felt self-conscious about the gauze on her lower lip. She shrank her shoulders.

Meanwhile, the man didn’t even glance sideways at Diana. He just kept his salute, staring straight ahead.

His perfection was somehow irritating.