My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 8Vol 2.

Shortly after, all the unit members gathered in one place.

If someone had called this a mere nominal group rather than an actual unit, I would have believed it. The number of members was so small that we could all fit in a single room. Some faces were familiar to me, while others were not.

April must have recruited some new people, I guess.

“Are all the people here trustworthy?”

I asked out of concern right before April was about to make a major announcement. She simply gave me a bright smile and answered casually.

“Yes, they’ve all been vetted.”

“Vetted? In what way...?”

“They each went through a trial that no one could pass unless they had a truly sincere goal.”

That short but abyssal response made me involuntarily shudder. I didn’t know what kind of trial she meant, but I figured it was best not to ask.

In any case, all the people gathered here were of a lower seniority than April. Compared to the underground organization suspected to be in the Snowy Mountain Battalion, these people were the young blood of the Arkons.

April firmly locked the door and then shared the entire truth with them.

They were furious. Judging by the way they looked like they were about to smash every piece of furniture in sight, it seemed safe to say there were no spies among us.

In the end, after a bout of chaos and an explosive display of rage, the members dramatically agreed to the proposal to change the national system.

Now, the only question left was: How exactly do we change the system?

“Alright, anyone got any ideas?”

A person who seemed to be of higher seniority than April asked, but the room remained silent. I, too, kept my mouth shut, deep in thought.

A new system, huh...

Of course, I’d prefer democracy...

But what would happen if I suddenly proposed abolishing the class system and electing a president through voting? I pictured in my mind how that scenario would play out.

— Ah, so this is what they call democracy!

— Whoa, that’s amazing!

— Ohh! Democracy! Incredible!

— In this world, they elect a king through votes? Fascinating!

— This guy’s a genius!

— Salvia! Salvia! Salvia!

...Yeah, no. That definitely wouldn’t happen.

More likely:

— What? Abolish the class system? Voting? What kind of nonsense is that?

— Elect a king through votes? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!

Right. That reaction seemed much more probable.

So, I simply kept my mouth shut like everyone else.

As we all remained silent, April swept her gaze across the room with narrow eyes.

“What, no opinions? Hmm, well, can’t be helped then.”

“Do you perhaps have any thoughts on what should be done, April?”

I had a feeling that if anyone had a plan, it would be her, so I asked. She responded with unwavering confidence.

“Of course. The plan is simple—do as I please.”

“...Ah.”

...She doesn’t seriously intend to make herself emperor, does she? No, monarchy doesn’t seem to align with her ideals, so that can’t be it...

“Of course, getting things to move in my direction will take some time. Until we’re fully prepared, we need to keep up appearances. We must continue acting as ordinary Black Magic Search troops to fool the royal family.”

“You mean...?”

“Go back to duty, Salvia.”

My face twisted in horror.

Good god, I had money now. I was a free person. And yet, I was being dragged back into service?

I used to think Dalin was a complete lunatic, and now here I was doing the exact same kind of crazy. Unbelievable.

As I stood there, my expression utterly drained of hope, April turned to the other unit members.

“What are you all waiting for? We have a new recruit!”

At that, the gathered members, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces, erupted into chaos.

“A recruit!”

“There’s a recruit!”

“A new recruit, huh?!”

“...What?”

Feeling uneasy, I nudged Aquila and asked. He tried to maintain his composed demeanor, but I could tell he was a bit flustered himself. I guess his male lead aura wouldn’t be making a comeback anytime soon.

As we watched warily, the others approached us like veteran gamers surrounding a new player—wait.

A newbie?

Come to think of it, was it normal for fresh recruits to be regularly assigned to the Black Magic Search Special Forces?

Of course not.

I turned to Yuri for help, and she gave me a short nod before explaining concisely.

“There are no newbies here. That’s why they’re excited.”

...So they really were a bunch of °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° veterans thrilled to see a rare newbie.

Just then, someone pushed through the crowd of excited seniors and strode toward us.

“It’s been a while.”

A voice I didn’t recognize.

“W-Who are you?”

I asked dumbly. The man, however, looked like he knew me.

Purple hair, purple eyes, smooth, radiant skin, a healthy glow... He was definitely someone I was seeing for the first time.

“You don’t remember? My name’s Taro...”

“...Ah! Taro?”

Wait, this was Taro? The same Taro I knew, with that perpetually exhausted face?

Now that I focused on his features, I could just barely recognize him.

So the army really did age Taro...

Looking at his fresh, vibrant face outside the military setting, I was once again reminded that the military was the real villain here. More precisely, the Border Defense Army was the biggest problem. Taro in the Black Magic Search Special Forces had such smooth, glossy skin!

“What are you doing here, Taro?”

It was bizarre to see someone as perpetually unmotivated as him actually doing something.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

At my question, Taro’s face suddenly lost its glow, becoming as drained as it had been back in the Border Defense Army.

“...Housing prices went up too much. Had to get a job.”

“Ah...”

“I got scouted in the middle of all that and ended up joining. Honestly, I have plenty of complaints about the Border Defense Army for making me this exhausted in the first place.”

Well, looking at his now pristine face, it was understandable. If someone who originally looked this decent had turned into a withered husk because of the Border Defense Army, they might feel a strong urge for revolution too.

Taro took on the responsibility of explaining our future assignments to us on behalf of the other seniors.

“Here, we operate in teams to track down and arrest black magic users. Lately, though, most black magic users have been getting involved in politics rather than direct action, so things have been relatively peaceful. There won’t be too much work.”

That made sense—most black magic users had already aligned with the Second Prince’s faction.

...Speaking of which, I still hadn’t heard any news about the Second Prince’s faction clashing with the royal army.

That meant that after they arrived in the capital, they must have gone into hiding somewhere. But why? Were they planning a sudden assault on the royal family one day? Or had they decided to stay in the shadows indefinitely?

“Teams are usually assigned in pairs or trios. I’ll assign yours now.”

I put aside my thoughts about the Second Prince’s faction and focused on Taro’s words. Team assignments seemed like a crucial event that would shape my life in the Black Magic Search Special Forces.

And sure enough, I noticed Aquila staring at me with burning intensity. He looked like he’d commit seppuku on the spot if we weren’t put on the same team.

“Taro.”

“Hm?”

A familiar voice called out from behind.

A voice that was cool, minty, and icy.

It belonged to none other than the 78th Cool Mint Ice Civilian... No, wait.

He’s not a civilian anymore!

I suppose I should call him the 78th Cool Mint Ice Frozen. Either way, Winter, with his cool, minty, icy, and frozen voice, continued speaking.

“I will form a team with Salvia and guide her well. We have a long-standing connection from our days in the Border Defense Army.”

“Ah, right. You two were close.”

Taro scratched his head indifferently. At that moment, Aquila eagerly raised his hand.

“Taro, in that case, I would also like to be assigned to the same team. I believe I could learn a lot from Winter.”

...Wait a minute.

Is this... a love triangle?!

Damn it. Again?!

As I sat there, feeling awkward, they began exchanging barbed remarks in the polite language of noble scions.

“I don’t think I can properly mentor two people at once. It would be more efficient for you to be assigned elsewhere, Aquila.”

“Winter, you’re underestimating your own capabilities. Surely, you’re more than capable of teaching two people at the same time. That’s precisely why I respect you so much.”

“...I don’t recall when you started respecting me, but I’ve taught Salvia how to read before, so our teamwork is already well established.”

“If we’re talking about teamwork, then shouldn’t I be the one to pair up with Salvia? We’re from the same recruitment batch, after all.”

Taro’s face showed a flicker of exhaustion as he listened to their exchange. For a moment, I thought I saw his old, perpetually tired expression from the Border Defense Army resurface.

And then, he finally made his decision.

“Alright, let’s do it this way. Salvia, your teammate is...”

He pointed a finger in one direction.

“Ishina. You’re up.”

“...Huh?”

Ishina, suddenly singled out, blinked in surprise. But Taro only answered in a lazy voice, as if the matter were already settled.

“You were already her senior before, so you’ll teach her well. And Aquila, you’ll be mentored by Winter. That’s all. Discussion over.”

Aquila and Winter, both looking betrayed, stood frozen for a moment before simultaneously turning their gazes to Ishina.

She, now the recipient of their combined attention, wore an utterly baffled expression.

“...Why is this disaster happening to me?”

“How can you call this a disaster?” Aquila said seriously.

“This is an enormous privilege. How could you possibly call it a disaster?”

“He’s right, Ishina,” Winter added. “Choosing the right words is important. Instead of calling it a ‘disaster,’ you should refer to it as a ‘blessing.’”

As they continued hammering her with this nonsense, Ishina clutched her head in despair.

“This is a disaster...! Of course, I wasn’t planning to let Salvia run wild on her own, but getting caught between these two is a nightmare.”

“Well, what can you do? It’s already been decided. Personally, I’m quite satisfied with this arrangement.”

Ishina always looked out for me, so I had no complaints about teaming up with him.

“And they should be satisfied too, since they aren’t paired with each other. That means, in the end, everyone is happy.”

“...Salvia, why don’t you ever consider my happiness? And besides, they don’t look all that happy.”

“This team assignment is absolutely perfect, hoho.”

With Ishina looking tormented and Aquila and Winter glaring at each other, I smiled sweetly.

I felt bad for Ishina, but at least the love triangle had been put to rest.

***

Or so I thought.

A week later, I was ready to take those words back.

Far from settling down, the love triangle seemed to be intensifying.

For example, this morning, on my first official day reporting for duty in the Black Magic Search Special Forces—

“Salvia, my fried eggs this morning were a bit overcooked, weren’t they? I’ll try harder tomorrow.”

“No, you really don’t have to—”

“How could I possibly make you cook for yourself? I’ll get better at it.”

Aquila, in front of Winter, made sure to emphasize that we were living together.

“Salvia, be careful!”

Even when I was just about to bump into a table, Winter would freak out like I’d barely escaped certain death.

Damn it, I really am a romance fantasy protagonist...

I fully acknowledged the fact that I was the female lead of a romance fantasy novel, and logically, that meant a love triangle was inevitable.

But, but! This is my real life, you bastards!

Stop ruining my reality and put it back the way it was!

At least I had been assigned to a different team than Aquila and Winter, so I could get some distance from them while at work. That was the only relief.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

“Ishina, I’m ready.”

“Alright, let’s go, Salvia.”

I finished tying my hair and stood up, ready to head out. Ishina, who had been waiting for me, got up from his seat as well. We were about to leave for our mission when—

“...Wait, is that what you call ‘tying your hair’? Ugh... Come here.”

Before we could go, he dragged me back to fix it, delaying our departure slightly.

And just as we were finally about to step out of the building, I heard someone call my name from behind.