Previously
Dudery, Miller, and Johnny recruit Henrietta for a talent show during the God of Wheat Ears festival, intending to use her as a beautiful 'prop' for their cross-dressing act. Henrietta refuses to be a mere background character and takes charge of the performance.
With the talent show brought to a close, everyone dispersed from the chapel. Evening roll call was fast approaching. Henrietta, having spent every scrap of energy she had for the day, quickened her pace. Things would have been manageable had she only gone through training. The real issue was the talent show. She had intended only to pretend to strike him, but she grew so worked up that she threw far too much strength into it. All that talk about a doll had lit the fuse.
‘Sugar. I need sugar!’
The former Countess Salt, who had once drummed up her courage just to savor a single chocolate roll, was no more. In Trainee Matyas’s mind, sweet treats were the only thing that mattered.
Rushing into her quarters, Henrietta dashed straight for those lovely morsels meant to lift her spirits and restore her vigor.
Empty.
“!”
Henrietta froze, her expression hardening the moment she pulled the locker open.
“Wh-what…! H-how could this happen?”
The locker was bare.
No matter where she searched, not a bite of jelly nor a scrap of candy wrapper was to be found.
Henrietta sank weakly to the floor in utter despair.
Toot—
A bugle call echoed through the night sky, signaling the start of roll call.
‘This is no time to sit around!’
Scrambling to gather her wits, Henrietta hauled herself up on unsteady legs.
She hurriedly changed into her daily wear and folded her training uniform.
This, too, was entirely unfamiliar and took some time, but she managed to finish just within the limit.
The moment she sat upright on her cot, the duty officer strode inside.
Today’s duty officer was—
“Trainee Matyas. Are you ready for roll call?”
Billy.
“Yes, Trainee Matyas. I am prepared for roll call.”
Any enlisted soldier with an inkling of how the military operated would have wondered why on earth the Division Commander’s aide-de-camp was working duty officer rounds, but the utterly clueless Henrietta merely felt relieved to see a familiar face.
“Hm… Right. Clean enough. As for the uniform… Well, try to fold it with sharper creases here.”
“I will bear that in mind.”
“Good. Carry on, then.”
“Um—Captain Temperk.”
As Billy gave the quarters a casual once-over and turned to leave, Henrietta called out to stop him.
Billy spun round on his heel as if he had been waiting for her to do just that.
Hoping for something exciting, he had actually been feeling a touch disappointed by how well Henrietta seemed to be adapting.
Today was only her first day; was it not far more suspicious that such an eccentric character, fresh off causing an uproar in the capital, had stirred up zero trouble in an environment tailor-made for mischief?
“Yes? Did you have something to say?”
“Well… yes, I do.”
Billy fought to tamp down his rising excitement, offering a dignified nod.
“Speak freely.”
“While I am unfamiliar with military law, I presume that destroying or damaging another’s property is subject to punishment even under military statutes. After all, military law does not supersede imperial law. Even taking into account the unique nature of an organization where everything belongs to the whole, I believe that overlooking the damage and destruction of personal effects runs contrary to organizational harmony and the morale of the army.”
Her rapid barrage of arguments, worthy of someone said to have mounted her own defense in court, left Billy’s head spinning.
In short—
“…I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”
Henrietta wished to set this matter right, but knowing little about the military, she had simply tried to raise the issue as politely and formally as possible.
Yet no matter how decorously she wrapped it up, what she needed to say could ultimately be boiled down to one thing.
“A thief broke into my quarters.”
***
Kalinin, who had been reflecting on the final act of the talent show as he wrapped up his day, lifted his head with an impassive face.
“What did you say?”
“To sum it up briefly once more, the food inside Trainee Matyas’s quarters locker has vanished.”
It was not the disappearance of the food that baffled the Duke.
“Why would there be food in a locker? Did she bring it herself?”
For numerous reasons, the military never issued food to individual soldiers.
Hygiene was the primary concern, for if rations meant to be eaten that day were hoarded for the next, it risked food poisoning.
The second reason was morale.
One might assume letting troops eat their fill would be the true way to boost morale, but it was hardly that simple.
In the army, a simple treat served as an enormous reward.
Anyone who pushed their body to the brink craved sweets just the same.
Soldiers already conditioned by close order drill grew exceptionally loyal before food.
So to find jellies, candies, and chocolate rolls in a locker in such a place?
It sounded more preposterous than the army myth that mess-hall meals were made deliberately wretched just to tame the troops.
“No, she claims she thought it was welcome food.”
“…What?”
“You know how high-end restaurants serve a little bite of refreshments before you order?”
“Welcome food.”
“Yes. That, welcome food.”
“…”
The Duke’s impassive brow furrowed.
“Do you understand now?”
“Do you really think I do?”
Her absurd, colossal misunderstanding presented far too many points to correct.
Most crucially of all, the Krakow forces had never welcomed her enlistment in the first place.
“I entirely understand your confusion. I feel the exact same way.”
Billy chuckled lightheartedly.
A military organization operated on principles and founding purposes entirely different from regular institutions.
While ordinary groups existed for their own benefit, an army existed for what lay beyond it.
The territory and its people.
The military was merely a subset of the land and its subjects.
Because of that singular nature, anyone seeking to enlist did so with at least some basic knowledge of the institution.
A recruit as hopelessly ignorant as Trainee Matyas had never existed before, and none would follow.
“Knowledge aside, though, her way of thinking is quite peculiar. Welcome food, really. And to eat every single variety, at that. Don’t people usually avoid food from unknown sources? I can’t tell if she’s brave or just plain stupid.”
The Duke retorted before he could stop himself.
“She didn’t seem stupid to me.”
“Pardon? Ah. That’s true. Listening to her speak, she’s certainly no fool. In drill, her memorization and reflexes weren’t half bad either. Her stamina is down in the gutter, but that’ll improve with time. Looking at her yesterday, she’d make a fine archer once she builds up a bit more strength. Once her endurance picks up, sparring with her might even be entertaining. Then we could see for ourselves how she beat that Count.”
Billy babbled on about Henrietta, thoroughly amused.
He was inherently fond of gossip and intrigue, to the point of subscribing to the central gossip journals published every month; coming face-to-face with the star of the scandal had him practically giddy.
Having watched them during drill, the Duke had disliked Billy’s instructional methods and briefly considered rebuking him, but thought better of it.
In the end, that was Billy’s responsibility to handle.
What lay before him now was resolving this theft.
Theft within the ranks was a grave matter, and disciplinary action rested with the Division Commander. Pondering the existence of preposterous ‘welcome food’ could wait.
After a moment’s thought, the Duke spoke.
“It isn’t theft.”
“Pardon?”
“The owner of the property is unclear. The locker belongs to no individual; it is military property. Strictly speaking, it borders on the misappropriation of lost property, but since the supply officer wasn't the one who placed illicit snacks inside the locker, one cannot say Trainee Matyas committed embezzlement either.”
“Oh…! That makes sense!”
Billy gave a look of genuine admiration.
The Duke often wore a blank look that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking, yet when he spoke like this, he truly sounded like an educated man.
“Should we forgo disciplinary action, then?”
“Why would we?”
The Duke countered, as though the suggestion made no sense at all.
“Well, if it isn’t theft, we can’t punish the thief, and if it isn’t misappropriation, we can’t punish Matyas for eating civilian snacks, right? Welcome food never existed in the first place.”
“Trainee Matyas distinctly saw it, and stated that she ate it.”
“Yes, that much is true. Seeing as she reported it herself, it can hardly be a lie. They likely took advantage of the vacant female quarters to stash away civilian food, with everyone turning a blind eye.”
“What is the penalty for smuggling unauthorized food?”
“Twenty laps around the parade ground in full individual web gear for the entire unit.”
“Carry it out.”
The Duke’s judgment was swift, yet by no means lenient.
“The… entire unit, sir?”
“Is there a problem?”
Billy scratched his chin, hesitating.
“Well, that is… This happened before Trainee Matyas arrived, and since she was the one who reported it, wouldn’t it be better to exempt her?”
“A brilliant idea. If Trainee Matyas’s report results in the entire unit being punished while she sits out, everyone will surely find it exceptionally fair.”
It was pure sarcasm.
Billy could already envision the immediate future, one where Trainee Matyas was thoroughly shunned and tormented.
“Rules are rules, of course. It would certainly be fairer if Trainee Matyas was included alongside the entire unit!”
Even as he agreed, Billy added with a hint of concern,
“Still, do you think she might collapse? Trainee Matyas is far more fragile than she appears. I truly cannot fathom how that Count managed to take a beating from a woman like her.”
As if the conversation were finished, the Duke rose to his feet, pretending to have no interest in Henrietta whatsoever.
Yet in truth, his thoughts lingered on her.
This punishment would likely serve to build her stamina.
She might collapse just as Billy suggested, or she might fail to endure and walk away.
Or perhaps she would defy expectations once again, just as she had when striking a bargain with him.
“Well then, I shall take my leave first.”
Saluting the Duke as he walked past, Billy tilted his head upon catching sight of his face.
He had spent more than half his life by this man’s side.
He was tired of seeing that unchanging expression, yet right now, something felt different.
‘Don’t tell me… is he smiling?’
No, rather than smiling, it was more like he was holding back laughter.
To anyone else, it might have looked identical to his usual countenance, but to Billy’s eyes, the slight shift was unmistakable.
Somehow, the ever-present boredom had vanished from his face.