Chapter 5

### Chapter 5: Colonel Altsa

Inside the castle, there were only girls. All of them were young, mostly in their teens and twenties.

Could it be that the commander of this regiment is a lecherous noble officer who has gathered female soldiers to create a harem...? Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.

I really don't like it. As an adjutant, you work closely with the commanding officer, so if your personalities don't match, it's hell.

"Over here, Lieutenant."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

At the end of the long, cold corridor was the regimental commander's office.

Hanna knocked on the door.

"Commander! It's Hanna!"

"I can hear you."

Hey, that's a young girl's voice. Could the regimental commander be a girl too?

Ignoring my surprise, Hanna announced:

"I've brought Lieutenant Chrombertz."

"Ah, you're already here. Come in."

Inside the regimental commander's office, I was greeted by a young woman with long black hair. She was a bit older than Hanna, but she was definitely in her twenties. For such a young woman to be the regimental commander...

Oh, I need to salute.

"Excuse me. I am Lieutenant Yui Chrombertz, adjutant. I have come to take up my post by transfer order."

The beautiful black-haired regimental commander stood up and saluted lightly.

"I am Colonel Altsa Medilen, in charge of the 6th Special Regiment. Out of military custom, I will omit the formal introduction. Would you like to hear it?"

"I will decline that."

The full name of a Swaidel Empire noble is so long that it's impossible to remember. It includes all the details about their family lineage and status, making it extremely long.

"By the way, I ask that you don't call me by my last name. It's a 'family matter.'"

"Understood, Colonel Altsa."

Ah, a 'family matter.' The Medilen family is one of the most prestigious in the empire, on par with the Litreille family. She must be a branch family's daughter, but there must be a lot going on.

"Thank you. Welcome, Lieutenant Chrombertz. I welcome you."

Then she shook her black hair and asked me:

"Surprised that the regimental commander is a woman?"

"No."

Now that I think about it, it's the first time I've seen a female officer in the Swaidel military, but in my previous life, having a female superior wasn't that surprising.

"Here is the transfer order and my military service record."

My lack of surprise seemed a bit unusual to Colonel Altsa. She looked at me curiously. She's kind of cute.

"Well... you must be tired from the long journey, right?"

"No, I'm enthusiastic about my new position as an adjutant."

Thinking it wouldn't be good to be too formal, I smiled.

Colonel Altsa nodded.

"That's good. I have prepared a dedicated office and bedroom for you. I was considering having the duty soldiers take care of your personal needs, but I'm a bit concerned about propriety."

"I'll take care of it myself. Thank you for your consideration."

Since this place is full of girls, I don't want any misunderstandings.

Colonel Altsa smiled, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"You're a gentleman. By the way, did you encounter any strange women on your way here?"

"I did."

I answered without hesitation.

Colonel Altsa sighed lightly.

"Figures. Let me guess, the Duke of Litreille?"

"Yes, the Duke of Litreille...!?"

That cosplay girl is the head of the Litreille family? Such a young woman?

Let me confirm.

"She was a beauty in her twenties, wearing a military uniform with the Litreille family crest, and had a slightly slanted look."

"Yes, that's her. She's a politician, not a military officer, but she's a person of interest with a lot of dark rumors. Thank you for being honest."

Of course, my salary comes from the imperial army, not the Litreille family.

"I am a military officer."

"Very well. Yes, I'm starting to like you."

Colonel Altsa smiled. Unlike the Duke of Litreille, her smile didn't feel malicious. I don't know their relationship, but I'll side with Colonel Altsa.

The colonel flipped through my service record and nodded.

"Yui Chrombertz... Chrombertz is a holy name. May I ask why you don't have a last name listed?"

"I was abandoned by my parents as a child, so I don't know my last name."

"I see. I apologize."

"No, it's fine."

A holy name is a name given by the imperial church. If you know the place of origin and the holy name, you can verify your identity through the parish register. Normally, it's omitted, but for someone like me without a last name, it's used for convenience.

"You passed the officer school entrance exam at the young age of fifteen. ...But your graduation performance wasn't that great."

"Being a commoner, there are many challenges."

When competing with the children of nobles, you face insidious harassment. They genuinely believe that commoners and nobles are different species. Competition itself is not allowed. Just not being killed is a good outcome.

"After graduation, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry and have been a platoon leader ever since."

"Yes. I actually wanted to join the quartermaster corps, but I didn't get in."

The quartermaster corps in the Swaidel military mainly handles accounting, but they also take on a wide range of logistics and statistical tasks. They are technical officers in the administrative field.

In my previous life, I wasn't great at math, but I was quite good compared to other commoners in the Swaidel Empire. I was above average even in the officer school, where geniuses gather.

The problem was my birth.

"Commoner officers are usually assigned to the infantry, regardless of their studies. The quartermaster corps, which handles rear duties, is full of noble heirs."

"That makes sense. Are you dissatisfied?"

Colonel Altsa glanced at me, and I answered with a grim expression.

"No, it wouldn't be right to waste the excellent minds of commoners in battle. Their brains are expensive."

They pay a fortune to receive private lessons from top scholars. Scholars like Newton and Kepler come to their homes to teach... so I heard.

Thanks to the huge tuition fees they pay, scholars can fully focus on their research. So, I hesitated to complain that "nobles are unfair!"

Colonel Altsa smiled wryly.

"You understand things well."

"I try to be reasonable."

"Very well. I like you even more."

Is that a backhanded compliment? It's hard to tell since it's our first meeting.

But this person is cute even when she smiles wryly... I might have a good superior.