Chapter 55: The End of the Long Holiday
【Previously on FSIIMA】
The sub characters from the military went on a rampage when they found out about Razé’s broken-engagement proposal.
“Leader～, you’re going back to the academy tomorrow?”
“Yeah～”
Lieutenant Harul Ducard greeted Razé, who was reading the document in her office. Razé’s adjutant, Captain Cross Bonalt wasn’t there. There were documents piled up on his desk, making it looked a little lonely.
Ducard sat on Bonalt’s desk and picked up some of the documents. He flipped through it and then turned his head down. “How are you going to handover your job to Cross?”
“It’s fine. Lately my tasks have been reduced to a manageable amount. I have enough time to write a handover report.”
“That’s good then. You should delegate job to us more often.”
Razé smiled back at Ducard’s mischievous smile. “I do rely on you guys. I’m counting on you while I’m away. I was hoping that I could leave after Bonalt has return to work, but now…”
“With that injury, I think he can only return the day after tomorrow.”
“… Hmm. I feel really bad…” Razé held her head in her hands as she recalled what had happened two days ago.
“It’s not your fault. Cross is a hero. He has protected your future and the restaurant from the evil god, Sergio Habermas. As a soldier, he’s prepared to lose an arm or two,” Ducard said with a broad grin.
The absent Captain Cross Bonalt was currently undergoing medical treatment at the Imperial Hospital. He had compound fracture in both arms during the fight with the Toymaker. It was extremely difficult to fight against a genius (a weirdo with one or two loose screws) without destroying the restaurant or the nearby buildings. The damage had been minimized by only sacrificing Captain Bonalt’s arms.
The wound itself was immediately healed by a healer at the Imperial Hospital, but there was a time lag before the brain could recognized that the damaged body had been healed. The duration of this time lag varied from person to person, but the larger the damage, the longer the time it would require.
When Razé was seriously injured during her first Battle Fiesta, she didn’t take long to recover. In her case, her experience helped her brain to adapt faster and she could move her body again within a short time. A person had to go through a lot of pain in order to increase their adaptability to that level. It could be considered quite fast for Bonalt to fully recover within five days.
“… I didn’t expect that my engagement would cause such commotion…”
Razé recalled the scene when she woke up in the restaurant. She opened her eyes thinking that her surroundings were noisy, and saw fire, water, and wind magic flying around. She seriously thought that they were being attacked by the enemy. When she jumped up and enter her battle mode, she saw Sergio controlling the snake-like chain while fighting with her subordinates. He looked like a male version of Medusa, the legendary eight-head and eight-tailed serpents, Yamata no Orochi from her previous life.
At first, she was at a loss for words. She could not imagine what could have cause this situation. Of course, this chaos happened due to her broken-engagement proposal to Julius Harley…
When she saw Captain Cross Bonalt stood with his arms hang in weird angle, Razé promptly teleport behind Sergio and blocked his movements. After they had calmed down, she found out that Sergio had went on a rampage because of her. It made her speechless.
And later, her subordinate sent Bonalt to the hospital with compliments; “You’re the best!”, “You are a hero, Cross!”, “As expected from the captain”, “You’re the guardian deity of flames”. Razé was deeply sorry for giving him trouble.
“Can you pass this to him when he returns?” Razé gave a bag to Ducard.
“What is it?”
“Alcohol. Old wine. Ask him if you want some.” Razé knew that the two of them were close. Razé smiled at Ducard. He smiled back at her and took the bag.
“Are you going to have that Battle Fiesta thing when you return to the academy?”
“Yes. For this year, we will hold a school festival after the Battle Fiesta, so it’s going to get busy. Well, I plan to stay quiet since we have the Knights helping out with the security.”
“School festival? What’s that?” Ducard asked in surprised at the unfamiliar words.
“A festivity. A festival for the academy. The students in each class will participate by creating some program. Some classes sell foods, and some do performances. The programs have high quality since it is an aristocratic school.”
“That sounds great. It must be fun. It makes me want to join too.”
“Isn’t it? Based on the suggestion from the Foreign Minister’s daughter, we plan to allow the general public into the academy if they have an invitation card. Currently, the principal and several representatives from the Knights are discussing about the security and other matters.”
It must be a tedious and difficult task, but Razé was talking happily. Ducard was a bit surprised seeing her acting her age.
“Hmm… You…”
“Yes?” Ducard was puzzled watching Razé being anxious. She normally spoke in a confident way.
“Is it okay if… I mean if… if I give the invitation cards to you and Bonalt?”
Ducard blinked his eyes. When he finally realized what she was trying to say, he smiled broadly and said, “Of course, we will be very happy!”
Razé’s eyes shone brightly hearing his positive reply.
Ducard continued and said, “I might even prioritize this more than my job!!”
She burst out laughing when she saw him leaning forward excitedly. “Hahaha. That’s unacceptable.” Unlike her words, Razé had a gentle smile on her face.
* * *
A few hours earlier, in a room inside the Imperial Hospital.
Captain Cross Bonalt sat on his bed by the window while rehabilitating his fingers using a small ball. “Never thought I’d broke my arm… They’re called the three geniuses not for nothing…” He sighed as he lifted the ball from his left hand which was recovering slower than the other.
‘Three geniuses’ was a nickname used by the Shian Imperial Army. It referred to the guy who had broken Bonalt’s arm — Sergio, the Devil in a Lab Coat – Yor, and the owner of the title Wolf Fang — Razé.
“… Sergio seems unable to control his strength in a fight. Well, he’s an engineer after all.”
He leaned down on the bed. There were other beds in the room, but he was alone at this moment. When he looked out the window enjoying the good weather, he saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. He held his breath when he realized the person’s identity.
“Your-” He was unable to talk because he was too shocked. His Excellency the Grim Reaper, Welrian Lag Zars ignored his reaction and opened the window, saying, “I’m glad you look fine. I was just taking a walk nearby. You don’t have to mind me. Sorry if I surprised you.”
“N- No, not at all.”
Bonalt was about to get off his bed when Welrian jumped in through the window and stopped him.
“Actually, I’ve escaped from the office. Can you keep it a secret that I’m here?” His Excellency the Grim Reaper smiled to him. Even a man would be frightened by his beautiful face. Although Bonalt struggled to understand what was happening, he quietly obeyed his superior’s orders.
“Is there anything that I-”
“I’m personally curious about how you got injured. Rest assured, I’m not here to punish you. Oh, this is a get-well-soon gift for you.”
“… Thank you.” Bonalt took the fruits basket and relaxed his shoulder.
Welrian noticed his reaction and continued the conversation. “I just heard that you were hospitalized. I thought it was strange that a talented captain who was reluctant to get promoted got injured when he was at the town. I heard that Sergio Habermas went on a rampage. It must have been hard for you to handle him.”
“Y- Yes. That’s right.”
“Haha. If you had used your magic too, the town would be damaged badly. I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness. This is an honorable injury.”
A gentle breeze blew behind Welrian, rustling his smooth hair. Bonalt sighed inwardly, thinking that he looked photogenic.
Welrian continued and said, “I’m really curious about the reason. So, I decided to come directly because this place is close to my office.”
Bonalt finally understood the purpose of his sudden visit. It was hard to believe that someone such as the Prime Minister would come all the way just to hear a story, but he has no intention to hide it.
“Oh, the reason for Sergio-san’s rampage? Simply put, it was to stop Lieutenant Colonel Orphan’s engagement,” Bonalt answered frankly.
“Huh?” Welrian was unable to digest the information right away. He knitted his brows and tilted his head. “… Sorry. Did you say engagement?”
“Yes. In order to stop Lieutenant Colonel Razé Orphan and Major Julius Harley’s engagement, Sergio-sama wanted to create a robot that looks like Major Harley. My team and I were at the scene and stopped him.”
Welrian’s facial expression changed rapidly as he listened to Bonalt repeating his explanation. “Orphan-kun is getting engaged?!” Welrian exclaimed with rounded eyes. Bonalt felt his reaction looked similar to someone and quivered.
“I didn’t see that coming. I never thought she would choose a soldier. I thought she won’t mix private with work.” Welrian put a hand on his lips and muttered to himself. Bonalt watched him with widened eyes.
“Wait a minute. Captain. Did you say Major Harley just now?”
“Yes.” Bonalt was startled when Welrian turned to look at him.
“How can that be? Isn’t he…?”
“Yes. We normally referred to him as her. I also heard that he prefers man.”
“Exactly.”
“… I’ve been told that Leader was the one who proposed. She also admitted it. I didn’t know the detail, but I heard Leader gave him a gift. So, maybe they are serious… I hope Major Julia won’t change his heart later.”
Welrian groaned at the shocking news and facepalmed. Honestly, they were desperate to keep Wolf Fang to stay in the country. Welrian was hoping that she would find a partner while she was at the aristocratic school. Even with that point aside…
“Adis that kid… It seems she has no feelings for him at all.”
“Pardon?” Bonalt couldn’t catch his words but Welrian just smiled, saying, “It’s nothing. Thank you very much for the interesting story. I have something to do, so I’ll leave first. I hope you’ll get well soon. May god bless you.”
“Thank you. May god bless you.” Bonalt watched as Welrian left through the window and heaved out a sigh.
“What was that about?”
The ripened seasonal fruits peeking out of the basket reminded him that Welrian was there.
