My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

"To Aquila
I miss you.
I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

I MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!"
As I poured my heart into the letter, my lips curled into a smile that refused to fade. Whether I was writing to Aquila or receiving his letters, I was always like this.
"Why is she smiling like that?"

"Did someone mess up again?"
"I don’t know… it’s just scary…."
I heard the recruits whispering, but since I was in a good mood, I let it slide and focused on finishing my letter.

After sealing it, I opened the one Aquila had sent me. As always, it was filled with a meticulous report of his daily routine.
He even included precise timestamps.
Reading through his overly detailed schedule made me feel like some sort of creepy stalker, but whatever. I was satisfied.

Then, I moved on to Karon’s letter.
Karon had been transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 39th Infantry Brigade—April’s unit.
"Tch. Bet it’s just more ‘I miss you’ spam."

Karon always stuffed his letters with nothing but declarations of how much he missed me. But this time…
"Huh?"
This letter felt different.

"To Salvia,"
Salvia, are you doing well?
Ever since arriving at my new unit, I’ve been thinking a lot….
I can’t rely on you anymore, and now I have to adapt to an unfamiliar environment all over again.

And back when I was still a senior private, even Dalin left—saying he wanted to find his purpose and become an officer.
"…So he really meant it when he said he’d reenlist."
Looks like I need to add Dalin to the growing list of insane lunatics that the Cledore Mountain Battalion has produced.

You once told me you’d wait for me after discharge.
I’ve thought about it, and I realized… I really have no one but you, Salvia.
No family. No ambitions. If you’re not there, I have nothing.

Unlike Dalin, I don’t even know who I am.
So when I get discharged, just like you promised… I hope you’ll stay by my side.
Karon.

"…Why does he sound so grown-up all of a sudden?"
The change in his tone threw me off. I was used to his usual clingy, childish whining. It seemed like Karon had matured a lot in a short time.
And clearly, he was struggling to adjust.

Of course, I was going to reassure him that I’d still be around after discharge, but… I felt like I should do more.
"He said he has no purpose."
It was true—Dalin had always been the curious one, easily fascinated by new things. But Karon? He had only ever cared about me.

If he wasn’t exaggerating, then once he was discharged, he really would have no one but me.
Because he didn’t even know who his parents were.
…Wait a minute.

"They left behind a son when they died, but no one knows what became of him…."
Frost had said something like that, hadn’t he?
"Of course, Karon’s parents aren’t the only officers who died and left behind a kid, but…"

Given the situation, it was worth investigating.
If those officers were his parents, it would be one hell of a coincidence that I ended up in this unit.
But in a romance fantasy world? Coincidences like that happened all the time.

The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.
I jumped to my feet and sprinted off to find Frost.
"Frost! Frost!"

"Huh? Salvia?"
He flinched at the sight of me barreling toward him but quickly raised both hands, trying to calm me down.
"What’s the rush? A little patience wouldn’t hurt, Salvia. Hah."

"No, I need to ask you something."
I stopped just short of crashing into him, bracing my hands on my knees as I caught my breath.
"The company commanders who died back then—do you know exactly when it happened?"

"Hm… It must have been over twenty years ago."
He tilted his head, trying to recall, before snapping his fingers.
"Ah! The company records should have a list of past commanders. If you check that, you’ll find the date."

"Thanks!"
Of course, confirming whether or not they were Karon’s parents wouldn’t benefit me in any way. But…
"Unlike Dalin, I don’t even know who I am."

Karon was struggling with his identity.
If I could help him learn about his parents, it might give him some sense of stability.
And honestly… since Karon had always treated me like his only family, maybe it was time I found him a real one.

With that thought, I took off running again.
The company archives held exactly what I was looking for.
Flipping through the album of past officers, I found a photo of a man with brown hair and brown eyes—the exact same shade as Karon’s.

There was no mistaking it.
Anyone could tell at a glance.
"If that’s not Karon’s dad, then I’m a goddamn idiot."

Checking the records, I realized he had died when Karon was just two years old.
I could check the neighboring unit’s archives for records on his mother, but this alone was already a solid lead.
If I told them I knew their son, the current company commander might even give me an old photo or something.

His parents’ belongings would have been considered valuable enough to be preserved.
Just as I was about to put this plan into action, I hesitated.
"Would Karon even want this?"

Would he be happy to see their photo?
Or would it only reopen wounds he didn’t even know he had?
Or worse—what if he had no feelings about them at all, and I was just stirring up unnecessary trouble?

Thinking back on the Karon I knew, he never seemed to care much about family.
"Alright. I’ll bring it up casually and see how he reacts."
As I left the archives, I ran into the company commander.

"Sir."
He wasn’t from my unit, but all company commanders were the same, so it didn’t feel awkward greeting him.
All of them had one thing in common: frequent disappointment.

"I see. What brings you here, Salvia?"
"I just came to check some records. Oh, actually…"
Now was the perfect time to confirm if that incident really happened.

"I heard a story about this unit. That, uh… a long time ago, the company commander here and the commander of the neighboring unit were married. And that they… died together."
"Why are you bringing that up?!"
The commander’s eyes widened in alarm.

And his reaction wasn’t the kind of anger you’d expect from someone who thought I was spreading baseless rumors.
It was the kind of panic that came from hearing an uncomfortable truth.
"So you do remember them?"

"What meaning does a death that old have?! You talk too much, new officer! I’m disappointed!"
Before he could get more upset, I decided to just lay it all out.
"It’s not just idle gossip. I think their child ended up in my old unit."

"Wait—so you’re saying… Kaicen and Laila’s son?"
"Yes!"
Kaicen.

That was the name of the man in the records—Karon’s father.
Judging by how quickly the commander recalled their names, they must have been well known.
He frowned in deep thought for a moment, then suddenly straightened, looking at me with new intensity.

"You know their child?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then…"

He placed a firm hand on my shoulder, his expression serious.
"The battalion commander has been holding on to their belongings. They tried to contact their son but failed."
That was odd.

I knew Karon had grandparents, so why had all contact been lost?
A bureaucratic screw-up?
Either way, it looked like I’d have to meet with the battalion commander myself.

But one thing still didn’t sit right with me.
"Why did his attitude change so suddenly?"
He clearly knew about their belongings, but before, he’d pretended he barely remembered them.

"Should I be acting like you, sir?"
"What do you mean?"
"You acted like their deaths meant nothing, so… should I be doing the same?"

Had I unknowingly broken some unspoken rule?
Was there an official policy of pretending dead officers never existed?
But the commander shook his head.

"No, it’s not that. I just thought you were a spy."
"…What?"