My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 61Vol 2. .1

The War Between the Butein Kingdom and the Border Defense Army

The war in the northern region of the Adolph Empire was over in a single day. Because of this, it became known as the "One-Day Battle."

The result? A catastrophic defeat for the Butein Kingdom.

The Arkons’ development of aura-infused bullets had dealt devastating damage to their forces.

The Butein soldiers had no countermeasure against this new method of combat and were completely overwhelmed.

Thus, the Border Defense Army successfully drove them out of the Empire, securing the northern city as the Arkons’ autonomous territory.

"It’s finally over...."

I murmured, my voice trembling with emotion.

We had secured an overwhelming victory. The Butein Kingdom’s remaining soldiers barely managed to escape with the survivors.

"I knew it from the moment I first saw you, Salvia."

April’s voice was full of satisfaction as she praised me.

"You fully demonstrated your talent and led us to victory. Congratulations, Salvia."

Winter, ever solemn, spoke in a serious tone.

...Well, that was typical of him. He had always genuinely wanted me to realize my full potential more than anyone else.

Meanwhile, Aquila was staring at me with a complicated expression.

He was probably feeling awkward, knowing he had told me to sit out of the battle.

I reached out and took his hand, reassuring him.

"Aquila, see? I told you I’d find a way."

"...You really did."

Aquila hesitated before finally speaking.

"Maybe... I didn’t trust you enough. I’m sorry, Salvia."

"No, I know you only said that because you were worried about me."

If our roles had been reversed, I might have said the same thing.

Because just as Aquila wouldn’t survive losing me, I also wouldn’t be able to endure losing him.

But more than anything—

"Aquila, if not for you, my plan would have failed."

"Huh?"

"I mean it. I’m not just saying that."

By restoring my name, Aquila had given me back my confidence.

That was why I had been able to persist, pushing forward until I developed Aura Bullets.

Without him—without the memories of my past world that he returned to me—I would never have succeeded.

I smiled brightly at Aquila.

His lips quivered for a second, then curled into a full grin.

Seeing that he had finally relaxed, I decided to bring up another matter.

"By the way... do you think we’ll actually settle in the northern city without trouble?"

Before coming here, we had sold our home in the capital and taken what money we could.

The chaotic state of the capital meant we didn’t get as much as we had paid for it, but northern real estate was cheaper.

Still, there was a chance that there weren’t enough houses available, meaning we might have to buy land and build one ourselves.

But what worried me most wasn’t housing.

It was the reaction of the northern natives.

I remembered how they had treated us when I had visited the villages below the mountains for humanitarian aid.

They had feared us.

To them, we were completely foreign, strange beings.

And now, their city had suddenly been declared an autonomous territory for hetero sapiens.

Would they accept it?

Would they resist?

Would it lead to violent conflict?

With those concerns weighing on my mind, we finally arrived at the outskirts of the city.

We stepped forward cautiously.

And then—

"WAAAH!"

"WELCOME!"

"...What?"

The villagers were cheering.

They waved flags and fabric, their voices ringing with joy.

They were celebrating us.

"Are they... mistaking us for someone else?"

Had they confused us with Imperial forces?

I tilted my head in confusion.

But that couldn’t be the case—our soldiers’ bright hair colors made it obvious that we were hetero sapiens.

Still, we stepped forward warily, unsure of what was happening.

The commander of the Border Defense Army, leading our group, halted.

A few of the village representatives stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you... Thank you...."

"Um... What exactly are you thanking us for?"

"For driving out the Butein Kingdom’s army."

Finally, I understood the situation.

Looking around, I saw that the entire village was in ruins.

Homes lay in rubble, and the trees had been completely stripped away, leaving the land barren.

That meant that while the Butein forces occupied the village, they had plundered it.

They had exploited the people, taken their food, firewood, and supplies, and left the villagers fearing for their lives.

And then, we had arrived.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Hetero sapiens—whom they had looked down upon and feared—had swiftly wiped out the Butein Kingdom’s army.

So now, even if they had once despised us, their gratitude outweighed their prejudice.

That’s why their attitude changed so suddenly...

Now, when they looked at us, their eyes no longer held fear.

Instead, there was awe and admiration.

I hadn’t planned for this, but somehow, we had already started winning the hearts of the northern people.

***

From that point on, everything progressed smoothly.

To help the Arkons settle, we hired builders to construct new homes.

And in the process, we also helped repair the homes of the local villagers.

After all, we were going to be living together now.

As a result, the villagers warmed up to us even more.

The Border Defense Army officers established laws for the autonomous city, and soon, our new home was running without any major issues.

Yes—our revolution was finally complete.

"Those were some long, exhausting days...."

I muttered, sprawling across the bed in our new home.

It was a shame that I had to sell all my old furniture, which had been chosen to match my tastes, but this new house was still perfectly fine for me and Aquila to live in together.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Yuri.

She stepped inside, scanning the room before spotting me lying lazily on the bed.

She looked mildly exasperated but didn’t say anything, perhaps because she was no longer my senior officer.

"Salvia, how have you been? I came to bring /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ you some news."

"What is it?"

"The leadership has decided to hold an election for the Chief Representative of the autonomous city."

"An election?"

According to Yuri’s explanation, we were about to hold a vote to decide our new leader.

By the way, since our autonomous city was actually a coalition of multiple northern cities, it had officially been named the "Northern Federation."

So, naturally, the Northern Federation needed a leader, and that leader would be chosen through an election.

"But why an election? Wouldn’t it be easier if the commander of the Border Defense Army just took the role?"

"The local villagers don’t see it that way."

"Ah...."

The original residents of the northern cities were willing to accept coexisting with Arkons, but that didn’t mean they were willing to let the Arkons govern them entirely.

To ease tensions, some of the original villagers had been allowed to participate in leadership roles.

Thus, this election would include both Arkons and local residents as voters.

Honestly, given their concerns, an election was the most democratic solution.

"So, who are the candidates?"

"Our side is putting forward the Border Defense Army commander, while the local residents have chosen a candidate from Egott Village’s former mayor."

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"The former mayor of Egott Village, huh...? But isn’t the outcome too obvious?"

I tilted my head.

The number of Arkons who had settled here far outweighed the original residents.

Wouldn’t that mean the villager candidate was bound to lose?

"That’s why the election will be based solely on campaign promises."

"You mean...?"

"The candidates' identities will be kept completely secret."

"Oh."

So the voters would only see the policies and cast their votes based on that.

That was... actually pretty fair.

"But what if people leak the candidates’ identities ahead of time?"

"That’s why we’ll be monitoring both sides. Besides, we have integrity. At least on our side, there won’t be any cheating. We’re confident we can win fairly."

I nodded slowly.

Honestly, this wasn’t my concern.

I was just another resident now, planning to live a quiet life.

Still, it was useful information.

"Oh, and by the way, some of the administrative departments are looking for committee members. Would you be interested?"

"Committee members?"

I tried to recall the structure of the Northern Federation’s leadership.

The government had been divided into Defense, Finance, Administration, Education, and Judiciary.

"Yeah, you’re pretty talented, after all."

So Yuri was basically asking me to take a government position.

I let out a dry laugh and waved my hand dismissively.

"Oh, come on. Me?"

"Well, the people here seem to think you’re going to take a position."

"What? There’s no way. I plan to live completely normally."

"Really? That’s a shame. Well, I’ll leave it at that. See you around, Salvia."

"Yeah, take care."

After Yuri left, I flopped back onto the bed, thinking over her proposal.

But no. I had no desire to take a government role.

I’m just a completely normal town resident now.

Sure, my past was anything but ordinary, but from now on, I was going to live a peaceful, boring life.

I wasn’t suited for leadership.

Not at all.

"Anyway, I should at least get some chores done."

I sprang up from the bed.

Aquila had gone to the market, so I figured I might as well do something productive.

I remembered the yard was covered in fallen leaves, so I grabbed a broom and stepped outside.

As I swept the yard, I glanced at the house next door.

That house belonged to an original resident of the Adolph Empire, not an Arkon settler.

We’ll need to get along with the locals sooner or later...

Coexisting peacefully with the people already living here was one of our biggest challenges moving forward.

As I stood there spacing out, staring at my neighbor’s house, the front door suddenly swung open.

I snapped out of it, rolling my eyes as I tried to look natural.

But it was too late.

A young man, likely around my age, stepped out of the house and met my gaze.

"Ah, hello there... hahaha."

I forced an awkward laugh, offering a polite greeting.

The man looked like a completely ordinary townsperson.