Chapter 68

We returned to the guest room prepared for us in the palace and decided to wait for reports from our subordinates and other families. However, since Lieutenant Roz would handle the main responses, we could take a break.

I might as well make some coffee for the colonel. He seems to be in low spirits.

Without saying anything like, "Is something wrong?" or "Cheer up," I silently roasted the coffee beans.

It's amazing how one can get used to things; lately, I can tell the roasting level just by the sound. The colonel prefers the beans to be roasted a bit past medium.

The colonel was leaning back on the sofa, silent, but eventually muttered, "Captain Chrombertz."

"Yes, sir?"

"I did something shameful as a human last night."

The colonel pulled his cap down over his eyes and continued in a dark tone, "The emperor tried to avoid discord among the five royal families at all costs. He wanted to quietly wrap things up without any trials, executions, or records."

I stopped roasting and turned to face the colonel.

"Did you, sir, receive an imperial order to force a suicide, mixing truth and lies, and using threats?"

The colonel looked up, surprised.

"You understood that well, didn't you?"

I put the beans into the coffee mill and turned the handle while answering, "Considering your character and the situation, I couldn't think of any other reason for you to be so down."

"Indeed, you are a fine staff officer."

Not really. In my past life, I heard stories about samurai being forced to commit seppuku. It's essentially an execution, but it's framed as a voluntary act of suicide.

The same thing happened here. Human actions don't change, even in a different world.

That's all there is to it.

"The death of a prisoner in confinement is no one's responsibility. The autopsy will show natural causes. There are no laws to judge the dead in our country, and no inquests can be held. So, the matter will be settled."

The common people will believe the announcement of natural death, and the nobles who know a bit more will assume, "He must have committed suicide to avoid punishment and was treated as a natural death."

In the end, everything will be fine.

"As a military officer and a noble, you faithfully carried out the imperial order. Isn't that praiseworthy?"

But the colonel smiled sadly.

"Don't you think so?"

"No, but I am relieved that you, sir, carried this heavy burden alone. I can't forgive myself for feeling that way."

I am a coward.

The kettle on the fireplace had just boiled. I poured the water and brewed the coffee.

"If you, sir, hadn't taken on this role, someone else would have. If no one had, Duke Litreju would not have committed suicide and would have faced a secret imperial trial, ending in a public execution."

"That wouldn't have happened. The Litreju family also wanted her out of the way."

"Then, her fate was sealed either way. It just happened to be you, sir, who was given this unpleasant task."

Steam rose from the coffee. But my sense of smell isn't as sharp as it used to be, and I can't fully appreciate the sweet, bittersweet aroma. I didn't even notice the difference in the duke's perfume.

On the other hand, my dullness to decay odors has helped me adapt to this extremely unclean world. Losing something means gaining something else. I think so.

"Still, I understand that this won't erase your guilt. The only thing I can do is stay by your side and make coffee."

The palace has an ample supply of exquisite teaware. Today, I'm using a piece by some unknown master craftsman. The thin white porcelain with a gold rim is beautiful.

The white and gold are even more prominent with the coffee I've made. For a moment, I am an artist, not a soldier.

I placed the steaming cup in front of the colonel and added a sugar pot adorned with angels.

"Please, sir. I've used long-aged Ethiopian beans, medium-roasted and coarsely ground. Enjoy the sweet aroma and gentle acidity you prefer."

"Ah... Thank you."

The colonel looked somewhat deflated and hesitantly reached out. He added several spoonfuls of sugar, but I held back from saying, "You might want to stop there..." Drinking it is his choice.

He inhaled the coffee's aroma deeply, held the cup with both hands, and took a small sip.

The colonel's tense expression softened.

"Delicious. It's the usual taste."

"I'm honored."

This makes me a butler.

The colonel then fell silent and sipped the incredibly sweet coffee. I silently drank my own. I love this Mocha-like flavor.

Roz and Hanna prefer a deep roast with more body, so I use well-dried beans. I call it artillery-style coffee.

I glanced at the colonel, who was smiling gently. Good, she seems a bit calmer.

"Drinking coffee with you makes me feel like a bit of normalcy has returned. Thank you, Captain."

"That's the best thing to hear. Normalcy is important."

We work in the extraordinary space of the battlefield, but we live in the ordinary space. To regain a human-like sense of ease, we must not lose our normalcy.

The colonel dangled her feet and smiled at me.

"I'd like to hear about your coffee. Even the story you told me before is fine."

"Then..."

I decided to explain about Mocha coffee, which the colonel likes.

"I've never seen it, but apparently, these coffee beans are sun-dried on the rooftops of farmers' houses. However, they can't be laid out flat, so layers form, causing uneven drying."

"That's not good."

"No, it's actually good. The beans at the bottom dry more slowly, allowing fermentation to occur. This creates the unique aroma."

This is knowledge I read in a book in my past life, but I assume they make it the same way here. The taste and aroma are identical.

"Beans that have fermented too much would be too pungent to drink, but when mixed, they create this sweet, elegant aroma. The 6th Special Task Regiment should be like that."

"Our regiment too?"

"Yes. Among the soldiers, there are brave ones and cowardly ones. A regiment of only cowards can't fight, but a regiment of only brave ones is dangerous. Infantry and artillery require different qualities."

I stared at the surface of the coffee.

"There is no greater strength than when different people work together. Duke Litreju couldn't build a strong foundation because she couldn't accept those different from herself. But you, sir, are different."

I smiled.

"Even a bean that was damp at the bottom, like me, can play a role in the coffee you, sir, make. That's due to your broad-mindedness."

I've never seen a noble seriously try to protect a commoner woman like Colonel Altsar. Some are just eccentric.

Most nobles who engage in charity do it for fun or fame. I've seen plenty of such people.

"For me, Lieutenant Roz, and Sergeant Heiden, it doesn't matter whether you, sir, are a just person. Without you, we would have been expendable. At least for me, Colonel Altsar, you are necessary. Always."

Maybe that was a bit of a cowardly way to put it.

Colonel Altsar stiffened with the cup in hand but eventually brought it to her lips.

"I see. So, you're telling me to live with this guilt."

"Pretty much, yes. Every time you, sir, think of Duke Litreju, it will be a prayer for her soul."

Duke Litreju caused the deaths of twenty thousand soldiers and created irreparable rifts among the five royal families, but the colonel, who witnessed her death, will never forget her. To be honest, it's more than Duke Litreju deserves.

The colonel smiled wryly and finished the remaining coffee in one gulp.

"You are a terrible staff officer, you know."

"I'm honored."

I laughed, placed my hand on my chest, and bowed.

The colonel then smirked.

"Also, I realized something from our conversation."

"What is it?"

"You are a reincarnated person."

What!?