My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 120

D-775 until discharge.

Today was the day I was scheduled to meet with the battalion commander! The day I would finally voice my request!

With a passage permit from my company commander in hand, I made my way to the 17th Company. Normally, the distance would have felt long, but knowing that I was heading there to obtain valuable information, my steps felt especially light.

Upon arriving at the 17th Company, I entered the battalion headquarters building and knocked on the battalion commander’s office door.

Knock, knock.

“Loyalty. This is Senior Private Salvia from 18th Company, Alpha Platoon. May I enter?”

“Ah, yes. Come in.”

As I opened the door and stepped inside, the battalion commander greeted me warmly from the sofa, his expression kind.

“Well, if it isn’t our Salvia. An outstanding soldier, indeed.”

He gestured for me to take a seat in front of him, so I carefully sat down. Compared to the infirmary bed, the sofa was unbelievably plush.

“Here, have a cup.”

I took a sip of the warm tea he offered and discreetly studied his face. Gray hair streaked with the weight of years, thick eyebrows that exuded charisma, deep-set eyes, and a scar along his jaw—likely from the aftermath of battle.

Among all the officers I had encountered in this unit, this newly appointed battalion commander was the one I found most likable.

“There’s been a lot going on lately. You must’ve had a tough time, Salvia. It was your first guerrilla training, wasn’t it? On top of that, you had to help repair the border after that sudden accident.”

“It was nothing.”

“Haha, when I was your age, I resented every single day. I questioned why I had to be born into this existence and suffer so much.”

I wasn’t sure if he was saying this to ease my nerves, but he began talking about himself.

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“If the me from back then could see me now, he’d never believe that I ended up as a battalion commander, haha....”

Sensing the right moment to ask a question, I quickly took the initiative.

“Sir, why did you choose to remain in the military?”

“Well, I suppose one day, I realized the value of this life... or maybe I just got a taste for it. One day, as a soldier, I suddenly felt this urge—an insatiable desire to cut down every last monster I came across....”

I couldn’t relate to that sentiment at all, but I widened my eyes and nodded as if I found his words deeply engaging.

“Thinking back, maybe it was just the instincts of an Arkon kicking in. After all, we evolved to fight monsters. So I chose to stay here, to continue that fight. More than anything, I wanted to protect the younger soldiers.”

“Ah....”

“As you know, sometimes those up top make unreasonable demands of us soldiers.”

The battalion commander gave me a knowing wink. I didn’t have the guts to respond, so I just let out an awkward chuckle.

“This guerrilla training, for example—I felt terrible putting you all through such harsh conditions. I’ll do my best to make sure we don’t have to do another one like this.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When I responded with polite gratitude, he suddenly smiled, as if remembering why I had come to see him in the first place.

“I seem to have gone off on a tangent. So, what is it that our dear Salvia wants?”

“Yes, what I want is....”

I had no need for things like guard duty leave or any other trivial perks. What I needed was information about this world.

“I would like certain books to be added to our company’s archive.”

“Ah, so there are books you’d like to read!”

The battalion commander’s gaze suddenly changed. He now looked at me as if I were an exceptionally praiseworthy soldier—one who even pursued self-improvement while serving in the military.

“What kind of books do you need?”

“I’d like to read books on the history of the Empire. Also, I need more books on monsters.”

“Yes, knowing about monsters is crucial for us. And history is important as well. Is that all?”

Since my request was so trivial, the battalion commander seemed skeptical. It was as if he was asking whether I was truly satisfied with such a minor favor.

Of course, I hadn’t gone through all the trouble of arranging this meeting just to request a few books. I could have simply asked the supply officer to put in a request if that were the case.

No, I needed to tell the battalion commander about the books I actually wanted—without anyone else knowing.

The books I needed weren’t just about monsters or imperial history.

The books I sought were the kind that I had to read in secret, even going so far as to enlist Violet’s help. The kind of books that would never be permitted in the Border Defense Army. In other words—

“Sir, I would like to read books about the lives of Arkons before the Empire.”

This was a complete gamble.

I had deliberately chosen to say “Arkon,” a forbidden word within the Empire, rather than the official term “hetero sapiens.” That alone was enough to be considered treasonous.

And by openly expressing my curiosity about Arkons before the Empire’s rule, I was treading dangerous ground.

The moment the words left my mouth, the commander’s gaze sharpened. The benevolent old soldier from moments ago had vanished, replaced by a man who had spent decades on the battlefield, radiating a killing intent born of experience.

But I refused to cower. Instead, I straightened my posture even more.

“Salvia... do you realize how dangerous the words you just spoke are?”

“Yes, I do.”

“You understand that I have the authority to discipline you for using forbidden terminology?”

“Yes, I understand that as well.”

I remained resolute as I added,

“But I also know that you won’t.”

“...And why is that?”

“When you spoke about the guerrilla training earlier, it was clear that you had your own thoughts about the Empire.”

Since his appointment, the battalion commander had consistently acted as if “our soldiers mattered more than the orders of the Empire.” Of course, it could have all been empty words, but—

‘He was like this in the original novel too.’

In the original story, when Jason had once cursed, “To hell with the Adolph Empire,” the battalion commander had let it slide without punishment.

Just like most Arkons, he harbored resentment toward the Empire. No—considering the amount of information he likely had, he probably despised it even more than I did.

At my sharp observation, the commander’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.

“...I see.”

Tension filled the air between us. We both knew we resented the Empire, but neither of us could act on it.

“Then, Salvia—what exactly do you want? What do you plan to do with knowledge of Arkons before the Empire?”

“I want change.”

“Change what?”

“Everything.”

“...Hahahaha!”

The commander burst into laughter. He wiped away a tear and looked at me with a mixture of amusement and admiration.

“Young blood.”

I didn’t reply. I simply waited.

Finally, he gave me the answer I had been hoping for.

“Alright. I’ll have the books you want brought in. However, they can’t be kept in the company archive.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll keep them in my office. When you have time, use your passage permit and come see me under the guise of a meeting.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do that.”

After enduring guerrilla training, after securing my wish, after finally making it to this moment—

Protagonist points +100.

***

From then on, just as the battalion commander had suggested, I occasionally visited battalion headquarters under the pretense of official business.

The trips took up all of my free time, but I didn’t regret a single second of it.

There were times when the commander was away on duty, and during those moments, the one who helped me was none other than Violet.

See? Everyone has a use somewhere.

Since she had lost our bet, she had promised to follow my orders. Whenever I needed to slip into the commander’s office, she stood guard for me. The battalion commander wouldn’t have cared if I was inside reading, but if another officer caught me, things could get complicated.

“Are you reading for self-improvement? Ngh, as expected! Reading must be the key to mastering all sorts of loopholes...!”

Every time we met, Violet seemed to come up with some new, bizarre misunderstanding. I just ignored her and focused on my books.

So the land beyond the border itself is different.

Through my reading, I learned an overwhelming amount of new information.

The lands beyond the border were filled with vibrant flora and fauna, creatures bursting with color. The reason why so many Arkons had striking appearances was directly tied to that environment.

In the Empire, my hair color was something that made me stand out, an anomaly among the population. But beyond the border, it would be no more unusual than a flower blooming among other colorful plants.

“In lands where mana exists, all manner of magical phenomena emerge.”

“Hetero sapiens are inherently magical beings, born with strengthened bodies and an innate ability to wield aura.”

“Monsters, too, are magical entities, born with monstrous appearances and tenacious vitality.”

A land where mana exists....

According to the books, there was a power beyond the border that could only be described as magic. Arkons and monsters coexisted there, their very existence shaped by that energy. Even the vibrant hues of the plants and animals were likely a result of it.

Then when exactly did the monster population explode?

That event was what had ultimately led to the Empire’s subjugation of the Arkons. But despite everything I read, the true cause behind it remained a mystery.