Chapter 3
Mia squeezed her eyes shut. It felt as though the chronic headache from her previous life was returning. The remnants of the unpleasant dream still lingered vividly.
Yes, Etienne had died for her.
It was difficult to accept, but there was no doubt that what she had seen the night before was not a lie.
At that time, Mia had been on edge, convinced that the second son of the Rochefort family harbored ill intentions toward her. She attributed all the injustices she had faced to the political machinations he had orchestrated.
Her incompetence? Lack of effort? Sure, those might have contributed more significantly to her failures. But Mia had denied that until she could no longer avoid it. She had been capable, but her arrogance had been equally great. She had never realized that this arrogance would lead to her downfall.
Thus, she denied reality and directed her anger at Rochefort. Given that Rochefort was already secretly at odds with the Blanchard family, she judged that it was entirely possible.
But did she earn any recognition after eliminating him?
Etienne had been capable. Even as his health deteriorated from an unknown illness, he continued to fight. It was unavoidable since there was no one to replace him. The rank of commander of the Holy Corps wasn’t something one could obtain merely due to the high status of their father.
After his death, the front line, which had already been crumbling, quickly collapsed, eventually overwhelming Etalon. That outcome was perhaps inevitable.
Where had things gone wrong? In hindsight, it seemed like everything started going awry the moment they went to war.
In Mia’s previous life, while stationed near the border, there had been an explosion near a warehouse. Naturally, this caused severe issues with food supply, and when they arrived at their next destination, half of the soldiers were poisoned.
The lord of that region was a lazy and greedy baron, and even with clear evidence before him, he adamantly denied any involvement.
To make matters worse, this was around the time when the mysterious illness that had plagued Etienne Rochefort began. Mia speculated that this might also be connected to the poisoning of the soldiers.
Rochefort had been the strongest among them. Unlike the other soldiers who had quickly succumbed, he managed to survive for four years, even while suffering from the illness.
But even that tenacious life was ultimately snuffed out. He died protecting Mia, even though he could have saved himself.
The situation, already unfavorable for the Etalon army, became entirely irreparable from that point onward.
Mia buried her face in her hands.
Perhaps, if the goddess had not wished for this war.
Or, if the path of the hero she had chosen with her own hands had not satisfied her.
If that was why Mia had been given a second chance.
Rochefort had given up all the glory he could have enjoyed for Mia’s sake. That was the kind of man she had killed.
Therefore, she must not repeat the same mistake. It was the right choice, both for the goddess and for Etienne.
Mia resolved to live this life for Etienne. This time, she would protect him to the end and ensure he received the glory he rightfully deserved.
Thinking of Etienne, Mia closed her eyes quietly.
‘Goddess, I will do everything in my power to support him. So this time, please protect him.’
Her brief prayer was simply a way to reaffirm her own resolve.
The tent was empty. It seemed Rochefort had business elsewhere again. Well, this was far more fitting for a commander than staying for days to nurse someone.
Once Mia confirmed she was alone in the tent, she got up. She felt oddly refreshed, as if someone had healed her while she slept.
Upon checking her injuries, her suspicions were confirmed. There was no way her body could have recovered this much without some form of intervention.
‘No, this isn’t just healing… It’s like they poured divine power directly into me…’
The wound that had been troubling her was now reduced to a mere scar, and she felt as if all the fatigue had been washed away from her body.
Even priests known for their strong divine power didn’t go to such lengths to heal someone. Divine power, after all, was still a form of strength, and excessive use of it could strain the body. Whoever had healed her must have done so at great personal cost.
‘…It’s probably Rochefort.’
Who else would break into the commander’s tent just to tend to a patient and leave without touching anything else?
‘In my previous life, no matter how hurt or exhausted I was, he never showed a hint of concern…’
Mia had never expected or hoped for any worry from the cold and unfriendly commander. But now that things had changed, it only made her feel more unsettled.
Seeing Etienne Rochefort act out of character didn’t bring her joy—it filled her with fear. He was not someone who suited the word “kindness.”
Why on earth did he start doing things he’d never done before? Mia muttered to herself as she prepared to leave.
***
***
“What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said you can’t go in right now.”
Now that her wounds had healed, Mia no longer needed to rest and had come out to interrogate the prisoners.
In her past life, the reason they had been forced to leave the borderlands in such a hurry—the reason all of her carefully crafted strategies had crumbled like a house of sand—was because of the explosion that had occurred in this very area. To prevent history from repeating itself, it was crucial to gather intelligence about any movements from outsiders.
She had assumed it would be as simple as extracting a confession from the prisoners, but she hadn’t expected this kind of obstacle. The officer standing in her way had been arguing with her for over ten minutes.
Mia was no stranger to hostility, but this level of insolence was a new experience.
“Are the prisoners in bad condition or something?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“Are you saying that your personal judgment takes precedence over the authority granted by His Majesty the Emperor?”
“If His Majesty saw the likes of useless people sitting in high positions, scheming to sell the country, would he have thought any differently?”
Huh?
Mia couldn’t quite figure out if the person in front of her was so capable that he didn’t fear the consequences, or if he was just a fool who didn’t care about his own life. Regardless of her diminished influence, Mia Blanchard was not someone who could be so easily disrespected. If the repercussions weren’t serious, the emperor himself wouldn’t have left her untouched.
“So, this is the reputation I’ve garnered before even crossing the border…”
Mia sighed. At times like these, she needed to maintain her authority, but dealing with someone so insolent made it hard to suppress her irritation.
“Let’s stop wasting time. Even though it’s an honorary position, you should know I’m the strategic officer for this corps. Do you really believe that your pitiful slander will justify your actions in a military tribunal?”
“Hah, they say you’re out of touch with reality, and it seems that’s true. Do you think anyone in the military respects you as a legitimate officer?”
Tuh.
The officer spat at Mia’s feet. The already hostile atmosphere had now crossed a point where mere words wouldn’t fix the situation.
Mia didn’t bother responding to his comment. She just quietly studied him. Showing too much emotion would only reveal her weaknesses. It was more useful to figure out what kind of man he was—why he had the audacity to act like this.
“What? Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you going to cry? How pathetic. I can’t imagine how you ever succeeded in politics. You probably seduced others to steal their achievements…”
Just as the soldier was about to completely cross the line with his words—
“Léonard.”
Mia finally remembered his identity.
The most notorious stain of the Léonard family: François Léonard. Making minor flaws seem like fatal ones was Mia’s specialty, so it was impossible for her not to know him.
‘And then, there was that incident.’
Mia let out a scoff. Though it hadn’t happened yet in this life, the sight of a traitor walking around with such authority was almost laughable.
“…What?”
Though they were of equal rank, he seemed displeased that Mia had addressed him by name so casually.
“I’ve heard plenty about you. Your reputation is quite… flamboyant.”
“What…”
“For a family as powerful as the Marquis Léonard’s, it wouldn’t be difficult to cover up your flaws. Yet, they didn’t bother, which means you’ve been involved in quite a few scandals, haven’t you?”
“…”
“I heard you were passed over for promotion a couple of times. You caused trouble with your peers, and cleaning up after you cost quite a bit of money. In the end, you only got your position thanks to the Marquis’s influence.”
“What does any of that have to do with you?”
“Considering all that influence, yet you’re still only a deputy commander, that speaks volumes.”
—
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