Chapter 8: Barrack

After running for quite a while, the two of us finally managed to escape from my maids. Thankfully, they couldn't catch up to me, probably because I ran off so suddenly that they didn't see it coming at all.

Now we were in the southwest area of the manor. There wasn't much difference here, since it was still within the manor grounds. But what set it apart was the atmosphere it felt heavier compared to the other parts of the estate. Was it because this was where the military section was located?

Mother once said that our manor was small compared to those of other noble families, but honestly, I didn't think that was true. The surrounding grounds turned out to be quite spacious. Maybe what she meant by "small" was just the size of the manor building itself, not the land around it and it was clearly designed for functionality, not luxury.

Theros was walking ahead, showing the way. I didn't really know where we were going, but I kept following him anyway. He clearly knew the area way better than I did. I mean, I hadn't even been here once before.

As we walked deeper into this part of the manor, more and more soldiers came into view, moving around in uniform with muskets slung over their shoulders. I could also hear loud shouting nearby—turns out, a bunch of them were doing training drills. Most of them were practicing bayonet charges, stabbing straw dummies shaped like people.

They moved together in sync, thrusting their bayonets forward, pulling them out, stepping back, then doing it all over again. It was honestly kind of cool to watch, and I got so caught up in it that I didn't notice I was falling behind. Once I realized it, I quickly jogged to catch up with Theros.

Some of the soldiers we passed by gave me curious looks, and I could hear them whispering too. Yeah, no surprise there. A girl in a fancy dress randomly showing up in the training grounds? Of course they'd talk.

We kept walking, passing by a few soldiers sitting along the path, cleaning their muskets with cloths or something similar.

After a while, Theros finally stopped at what looked like an open training field, right in front of a large building that I assumed must be the barracks. Though to be honest, I wasn't completely sure.

"You idiots! Get your steps in sync!"

Right in the middle of the field, I saw an older man with a thick beard, yelling at a group of soldiers who were marching around the field in formation.

He wore the same military uniform as the others, but it was obvious just from his presence that he held a high rank in the Del Korynth grenadier unit. His uniform was so tight it couldn't even hide the muscles underneath—yeah, he definitely worked out.

His anger wasn't exactly unjustified. The soldiers he was yelling at were marching like a bunch of confused ducks that looks so sloppy, out of sync, some even falling out of formation completely.

Watching him go off like that made my instincts scream at me not to get anywhere near the guy. But of course, Theros had other plans and dragged me right toward him. I guess the man was his superior or something.

"Captain! Sorry I'm late!"

"Theros! Where the hell have you been, I've been looking all ov—whoa, who the hell is she!?"

See?

Yeah, I wasn't even surprised at this point. Almost everyone at the manor had the exact same reaction the first time they saw me.

Mother told me not to worry too much about it. She said it was normal since most of the people here had never actually seen me before. Even before this body fell into a coma, the original Seraphelle had been sickly and spent most of her time in bed, out of sight from the world itself.

On top of everything, the fact that cursed children like me are pretty rare in the Kingdom of Palanthein only makes things worse. Still, I'm honestly just grateful I get to live here at all.

Because according to my mother, in one of the nations within Gravania, if a woman gives birth to a child like me, they're forced to bury the baby alive and then burn the mother at the stake.

They say it's meant to cleanse the misfortune from the family.

Really, I'm just really thankful that my soul ended up here, and not in some barbaric place like that. Even my mother didn't want to tell me this at first, but I forced her because I didn't want to be blind to this world.

"Ah... She's Lady Seraphelle. She also helped me when I got lost. Well, that's the short version."

It looked like Theros didn't want to explain everything in detail, especially the part where I actually caused him trouble.

Honestly, that's probably for the best. If he explained too much, things would just get more complicated.

After Theros introduced me, the old man didn't say a word. Instead of reacting or looking less surprised, he just froze up.

Then, all of a sudden—

"Lady Seraphelle! I sincerely apologize! I'm ashamed of what happened!"

The tough-looking old man suddenly dropped to the ground, or more like, knelt down with his head lowered undignity. He spoke with such deep regret that I didn't even know how to respond.

What's going on...

I was honestly shocked by what he was doing. It looked so strange. I mean, how this muscular man kneeling in front of a small, weak girl like me.

"E-eh, what's the meaning of this, Monsieur? W-why are you apologizing to me?"

"You're so forgiving, my lady! But I still can't forgive myself!"

Instead of answering my question, he just got even more emotional, saying things I didn't quite understand. I glanced at Theros beside me and he looked just as confused, clearly unsure of what to do.

I really hoped he'd stop soon. I could feel all the soldiers nearby staring at us, probably wondering what on earth was going on. We were definitely drawing attention now.

"I'm talking about the foolishness of my men who nearly got you killed, my lady!"

Ah...

So that's what he meant. He was talking about the incident when I first woke up and almost got killed.

Now it all made sense. Honestly, I was more confused about how I forgot something like that in the first place.

"Please, stand up, Monsieur," I said calmly. "Nothing ended up happening to me anyway."

"T-that's not easy to do..."

"Relax. Didn't my mother already forgive everyone involved in that mess?"

My mother was shocked when she first heard about me almost getting killed by our own guards. But since she's known to be kind, she ended up forgiving everyone and didn't push the matter further.

Actually, it was my father who got really angry. I even heard he wanted to punish everyone involved, including my maid, Lyra. Maybe he just did that for the sake of pride, not because he truly cared about me. But in the end, Mother managed to calm him down, and the whole thing got resolved somehow. Although I'm still not really sure how it all ended.

"B-but..."

This old man was seriously stubborn, so I tried to nudge him a bit by saying, "Oh? Are you trying to belittle my mother's kindness? Are you insulting her generosity?"

His face immediately turned pale. "N-no, of course not! I would never think something so disgraceful about Lady Eudoria!"

"Then please stand up, Monsieur."

Realizing there was no other way out, the old man finally straightened his posture and got back on his feet.

Whoa...

I was kind of impressed seeing him up close like this. His build was honestly amazing. Compared to my father, he might actually be stronger.

At the same time, I regretted telling him to stand up. Just like the first time I saw my father, my neck was craning all the way back again.

I hadn't paid much attention to his face because he bent his face down before, but now I could clearly see a long scar running down his left cheek, all the way to his neck. Some people might call it ugly, but I actually thought it looked really cool.

"Milady, I think it's a bit much for you to call me 'Monsieur'. Just call me Corvas, please."

"Are you sure?"

"I actually prefer it that way."

"Hmm, alright then, if you insist."

Despite his muscular build, his demeanor was surprisingly gentle, which I found a bit strange.

But that didn't mean I saw it as a bad thing. In fact, it would've been weirder if he spoke roughly to a girl like me. Compared to others, he actually seemed to treat me like a human being.

And that made me even more curious. He looked like someone very responsible, so I decided to ask him something. "Captain, if I may, where exactly were you during that incident?"

What I wanted to know was how someone like him could lose control over his own unit to the point that the chain of command completely fell apart. At least, that's what I accidentally overheard from my father.

"Ah, well..." Corvas looked hesitant. "I ended up with diarrhea after eating a traditional dish from Sunderan..."

Wow... Who would've guessed?

I mean, at the end of the day, he's still just human. Of course he could fall victim to something like that. He even looked embarrassed bringing it up.

Well, I guess that's normal.

"I mean, it looked tasty, but I didn't expect it to be that spicy!"

"T-take it easy, I'm not blaming you..."

Corvas tried to explain that the food was brought in by a traveling merchant from the Sunderan region, so he thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Unfortunately, it backfired since apparently most people here aren't used to that kind of cuisine.

The country of Sunderan lies in the southwestern part of the continent of Gravania. According to my mother, their culture is very different from the rest of Gravania, and they even follow a different religion.

"Anyway, on the day Milady woke up, I was off duty. One of my subordinates took my place as acting captain. I didn't expect things to go so badly..."

Oh right, the thick-mustached captain!

"So he was just the acting captain. That makes sense. But where is he now?"

When I asked that, Corvas looked unsure how to respond. Even Theros beside me suddenly looked nervous. What was going on?

I was the main character in that whole mess, but I was also the one who knew the least about how it all ended. All I got were vague reassurances like "everything's fine" and "everyone's forgiven."

Wait a second... Don't tell me...

"A firing squad!?"

"No!" Corvas denied it firmly. "I don't know where Milady learn that word, but Mauren is alive and well."

For some reason, I felt a huge wave of relief. At least I could be sure no blood had been spilled because of me. And so, I also found out the name of that acting captain—Mauren.

"But because his mistake was so serious—even though no one died. He still nearly killed Lord Markhal's only daughter. So, your father had him dismissed."

Hmm...

I guess that was unavoidable. Like Corvas said, no matter what, I'm still a part of the Del Korynth family, and what Mauren did was reckless enough to almost get me killed.

The military has always been strict. That's just how it is.

"I see... So I guess I'll never see him again..."

"On that, I'm not so sure, Milady."

"Huh? Didn't you just say he was fired?"

"I did," he replied, oddly confirming it again. "But thanks to Milady mother's kindness, he's now working in the dairy section of the Del Korynth manor."

"...What?"

How could I not be shocked? That's such a drastic career change. From soldier to... dairy worker?

"Yes, even I was surprised. But as always, Lady Eudoria is incredibly generous," he said, clearly holding my mother in high regard. "Mauren himself feels terribly guilty, so you don't need to worry about your milk, Milady."

"Ah... r-right..."

Corvas said that while glancing at the small satchel I was carrying. Inside were bottles of milk that had been prepared for me, just in case I wanted to drink some at any time or place.

D-don't get the wrong idea! That was all Mother's idea, not mine!

Anyway, he also added that Mauren was actually the son of a man who runs a dairy farm in his village, so he's apparently pretty experienced with that kind of work.

Besides, he only joined the grenadiers for the extra income, not because he wanted a career in the military. Though, according to Corvas, it was a shame because Mauren actually had a lot of potential.

"And also..." Corvas turned his head toward Theros, who suddenly looked more nervous. Without warning, Corvas yanked him close and gave his head a good smack.

"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts, Captain!"

"This whole mess started because of this turmeric-smelling brat!"

While still giving Theros a rough noogie, Corvas began explaining what had happened, recalling the events of that day. It turned out the day I woke up was also Theros's very first day working at the manor. He had just been assigned to guard the eastern wing of the manor, paired with a senior officer as part of his first post.

Apparently, Theros had already been in the manor for a few weeks before that, but during training, he was only allowed to stay within the barracks and nowhere else.

When I asked during the explanation if Theros wasn't a bit too young for this, Corvas said Theros was actually the son of a friend of his and had inherited his father's talent as a sharpshooter. That's a pretty rare skill, especially considering how notoriously inaccurate muskets are—being able to shoot straight with one takes real talent.

Anyway, while on duty, Theros asked to use the bathroom. Since it was his first day, his senior officer just gave him a light warning. But on his way back to his post, he ran into Lyra, who was panicking and claimed to have seen a terrifying presence—which, of course, was me.

Theros panicked too, which only made the situation spiral further out of control. That's when the chaos began, one thing after another.

"That's enough... Corvas, let him go."

"Thank you, Milady..."

At my words, Corvas finally released his grip, and Theros carefully rubbed the top of his head, trying to soothe the lingering pain.