The sun had barely begun to rise when the column set out.
Fifty people.
Two weeks' worth of provisions.
Basic weapons.
And two women worth more than any army.
Kaito walked at the center of the group, watching everything.
Adelheid led the vanguard with military precision.
"March formation!" she ordered. "Scouts up front. Families in the center. Warriors on the flanks."
The soldiers obeyed without hesitation.
Years of training under the kingdom… now in Kaito's service.
Lilith, in contrast, walked barefoot at the rear of the column.
Her chains dragged across the rocky ground.
The crucifix carved marks into the earth.
Some looked at her with fear.
Others… with fascination.
Kaito approached Adelheid.
"How long until the mountains?"
Adelheid checked the map without breaking stride.
"Three days if we keep this pace. Five if complications arise."
"What kind of complications?"
She glanced at him.
"Bandits. Beasts. Treacherous terrain."
She paused.
"Or worse… someone in the group deciding this was a mistake."
Kaito nodded.
He knew not everyone was fully convinced.
"Keep morale high. Generous rations. Regular breaks."
"Understood, Commander."
---
Midday — First Stop
The group rested beside a stream.
Children played in the water.
Women washed clothes.
Men sharpened weapons.
Kaito sat beneath a tree, reviewing maps.
Lilith approached without a sound.
"Planning our future kingdom?"
Kaito didn't look up.
"Planning how to survive long enough to have one."
Lilith sat beside him—too close.
"How prudent. Though a bit… boring."
Kaito glanced sideways.
"Boring?"
Lilith smiled.
"Most conquerors march with arrogance. You march with caution."
"Arrogance gets you killed."
"So does cowardice."
Kaito closed the map.
"It's not cowardice. It's strategy."
Lilith tilted her head.
"And what is your strategy, my king?"
Kaito met her gaze directly.
"Survive. Build. Conquer when necessary. Negotiate when possible."
Lilith laughed softly.
"How idealistic."
She stood, chains clinking.
"But the world doesn't negotiate with the weak."
She began to walk away.
"Only with the feared."
Kaito watched her go.
She's right.
But I can't become what I hate.
Not yet.
---
Dusk — The Ambush
The column advanced along a narrow path between dense trees.
Adelheid raised her fist.
"Halt!"
Everyone stopped.
Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Something's wrong."
Kaito stepped closer.
"What do you see?"
"Nothing. And that's the problem."
She gestured toward the trees.
"No birds. No animal sounds. As if—"
"As if something scared them away," Kaito finished.
Then it came.
A whistle.
Then another.
"Arrows!"
"Shields up!" Adelheid shouted.
The soldiers formed a protective wall around the families.
Arrows clattered harmlessly against shields.
Figures emerged from the trees.
Filthy men, armed with axes and rusted swords.
Bandits.
Their leader—a bulky man with a wild beard—laughed.
"Drop your supplies and no one gets hurt!"
Kaito stepped forward.
"No."
The leader frowned.
"'No'? Do you know how many of us there are?"
Kaito glanced around.
Counted quickly.
"Twenty-five. Poorly armed. Poorly organized."
He smiled faintly.
"We're fifty. Well-trained. And I have two women worth more than your entire band."
The leader spat.
"Then you'll die!"
He raised his axe.
Adelheid moved.
She didn't run.
She simply… appeared in front of him.
Too fast to follow.
She grabbed him by the throat with one hand.
The axe fell to the ground.
"Adelheid, wait," Kaito called.
She froze—but didn't release him.
Kaito approached.
"We won't kill them."
The leader gasped.
"W-what…?"
Kaito's gaze was cold.
"We'll capture them. And interrogate them."
He signaled.
The soldiers moved with precision.
They surrounded the bandits.
There was no battle.
Only surrender.
Within five minutes, all of them were disarmed and kneeling.
The leader spat blood.
"What do you want from us?"
Kaito knelt in front of him.
"Information."
He pointed toward the mountains.
"Who controls that region?"
The bandit laughed bitterly.
"The mountains? Vargun. The Warlord."
Kaito frowned.
"Vargun?"
"He controls three fortresses. Has three hundred men. He taxes everyone who passes through."
He paused.
"If you try to cross without paying… he kills you."
Kaito stood.
"And you?"
"We're… leftovers. People who couldn't pay. We became this."
He gestured at his men.
"Bandits. Because there was no other choice."
Kaito was silent.
Then he looked at Lilith.
"Can you confirm he's telling the truth?"
Lilith smiled.
"Of course."
She approached the leader.
Knelt gracefully before him.
"Look into my eyes."
The bandit hesitated.
"Go on," Lilith whispered. "I don't bite."
He looked.
Lilith's golden eyes glowed.
"Tell me your name."
"R-Rolf…"
"Tell me, Rolf… are you lying?"
The man trembled.
"N-no… it's all true… Vargun… he… he killed my family when we couldn't pay…"
His voice broke.
"I just… just wanted to survive…"
Lilith stood.
"He's telling the truth."
Kaito nodded.
"Untie them."
The soldiers blinked.
"Commander?"
"Untie them," Kaito repeated firmly.
They obeyed.
Rolf stood, confused.
"W-why?"
Kaito looked at him.
"Because you're not my enemy. Vargun is."
He pointed toward the camp.
"Come with us. You and your men. I'll give you food. Shelter."
Rolf's eyes widened.
"In exchange for what?"
Kaito smiled.
"Information. And when I defeat Vargun… a place in my kingdom."
Rolf stared at him for several seconds.
Then… he knelt.
"I accept."
His men followed.
One by one.
Kneeling.
Adelheid watched, her expression unreadable.
Commander… you're turning enemies into allies.
Just like you did with me.
---
Night — Camp
Campfires burned against the darkness of the forest.
The group had grown.
Seventy-five souls now.
Kaito sat by a secluded fire, the warmth soothing against the cold night.
Adelheid sat beside him, rigid as ever, hands resting on her knees.
In the distance, Lilith entertained the children with stories. Her soft voice drifted through the night air.
Silence stretched between Kaito and Adelheid.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… heavy.
Finally, Adelheid spoke.
"Commander… may I tell you something?"
Kaito looked at her.
"Of course."
She lowered her gaze. Her gloved hands tightened slightly.
"In my world… in my time… I was discarded."
Kaito blinked.
"Discarded?"
She nodded slowly.
"It was 1942. My nation was burning. War consumed everything."
Her voice turned colder.
"And I was a woman with a mind for total strategy. For absolute victory."
She paused.
"They called me hysterical. Emotional. Frauenproblem. Unfit to understand the 'grand strategy' of men."
Her fist clenched until the leather creaked.
"So I became harder than steel. Colder than winter. Discipline became my only language."
She looked up. Her gray eyes glinted with something dangerous.
"Until they could no longer ignore my victories."
"And then?" Kaito asked softly.
She smiled bitterly.
"Then they feared me."
She stared into the fire.
"And what cannot be controlled… is eliminated. A 'collateral casualty' in official reports."
Kaito tensed.
"They killed you?"
"Yes."
The word fell like a stone.
"And then… something summoned me. A god. Or something pretending to be one."
Her voice wavered slightly.
"It spoke of redemption. Of a new world where my 'talents' would be welcomed."
She laughed—short and bitter.
"It was a trap. A gilded cage."
She turned to Kaito.
"It gave me an army. A nation. Absolute power."
She paused.
"Only to take it all away when I felt most secure."
Her hands trembled.
"It said it was punishment. For the horrors of my previous life. For the decisions I made."
Kaito remained silent.
"When I realized the truth… I became unstable. A problem to its perfect order."
She closed her eyes.
"So it took everything from me. Again."
She reached into her coat.
Pulled something out.
A card.
Old. Worn.
She placed it between them.
The illustration showed a severe woman in a military uniform, imprisoned behind bars of cold light. In the corner, a twisted dark seal.
The title was barely legible:
> "Adelheid: The Discarded Commander"
"It sealed me in this," Adelheid whispered. "Not because I was evil."
She looked up, tears held back.
"But because I was inconvenient."
Her voice cracked.
"A troublesome soul that fit neither heaven nor hell."
She looked straight at Kaito.
"Until you, Commander Kaito, broke the seal."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"I thought that prison would be my final grave."
Kaito looked at the card. Then at her.
He didn't just see a commander.
He saw someone who had been used. Discarded. Sealed away.
Just like him.
Slowly, he extended his hand.
And touched hers.
She tensed—but didn't pull away.
"To be honest," Kaito said quietly, "I can't tell you that what you did will be forgiven easily. You caused a lot of suffering."
He paused.
"But… you're not inconvenient to me. You're essential."
Adelheid trembled.
"Commander… I—"
Kaito withdrew his hand.
"And you will never be discarded again. As long as I'm here, I'll make sure you're given the chance to redeem yourself properly."
He stood.
"Rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."
He began to walk away.
"Commander?" Adelheid called.
He stopped.
She stood, the card still on the ground.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For freeing me. For… seeing me."
Kaito nodded without turning.
"I've always seen you, Adelheid."
And he walked away.
Adelheid remained alone by the fire.
She looked at the card.
Picked it up slowly.
And for the first time in decades…
She smiled.
A genuine smile.
Small. Fragile.
But real.
Commander…
You're not like the others.
You…
She couldn't finish the thought.
Because she knew that if she did—
She would have to admit something that frightened even someone like her.
---
From the shadows, Lilith watched.
She had finished telling stories.
The children slept.
And she had seen everything.
The conversation. The touch. Adelheid's smile.
Her golden eyes glinted in the darkness.
"How touching," she murmured.
But there was no amusement in her voice.
Only venom.
"The perfect commander… falling in love like a schoolgirl."
Her fingers caressed the chains.
"This will be… problematic."
She turned and vanished into the night fog.
Leaving behind only the clinking of chains.
And a silent warning.
Adelheid may share his past.
But I… will claim his future.
---
The Next Day — Discovery
The scouts returned at midday.
"Commander," one reported, panting. "There's a settlement ahead."
Kaito stepped forward.
"How far?"
"Two hours' march. But…"
The scout hesitated.
"It's strange."
"How so?"
"It's… empty. Houses intact. No people. No signs of fighting."
He paused.
"It's as if everyone just… vanished."
Kaito exchanged a look with Adelheid.
"What do you think?"
She frowned.
"Could be a trap. Or a disease."
Kaito nodded.
"I'll investigate personally."
"Commander, that's—"
"Not negotiable."
He looked at the group.
"Adelheid, you stay here. Protect the group."
"But—"
"That's an order."
She clenched her teeth.
"Understood."
Kaito turned.
"Lilith. You're coming with me."
Lilith smiled.
"What an honor."
Kaito selected five soldiers.
"Let's move."
And they headed toward the ghost village.
As they walked away, Adelheid watched.
Her fists clenched.
I don't like this.
Something is wrong.
She looked toward where Kaito had disappeared.
Please… come back alive.