The Company Commander has returned

Chapter 19 - Delivery

"Huh?"

Bell was taken aback by the sudden shift in the bandit's demeanor.

"We are always grateful for your hard work. Sacrificing so much at such a young age for the nation… it's truly admirable."

The bandit, clearly attempting to appear respectful, strung together words that sounded rehearsed.

With an awkward laugh, he gestured inward with his arm.

"Please, come in."

Bell and Amon exchanged unsure glances before stepping inside.

The building reeked of disorder and neglect.

The ceiling, in particular, caught their attention—it bore the marks of having been smashed and clumsily repaired, as though done out of desperation. Buckets placed throughout the room collected rainwater dripping from above.

"This doesn't feel right," Amon muttered under his breath.

"Let's just hand this over and leave," Bell replied, waving the paper containing the cipher.

The bandit pulled out two chairs from a table and brushed off the dust with his hand.

"Please, have a seat."

"Oh, no need. We're just here to deliver this," Bell said, holding out the paper.

"What's this?"

"I don't know either. We were just told to bring it to you."

"Alright… let's see."

The bandit accepted the paper and started reading it, his expression growing darker with every line.

'If they know our cipher… then it must be them…'

Bell and Amon watched curiously as the bandit's face tensed.

'So it's true. Damn it. I thought I could breathe easy now that they were off at training camp, but here they are, out of nowhere…'

His gaze stopped at a section emphasized near the bottom.

'Prepare five swords? And what's this about an orc dummy…?'

The bandit hesitated, then cautiously asked, "Who gave this to you?"

"Mago. You know him, don't you?"

"Ah… of course."

The bandit fought the urge to tear the paper into pieces.

'Why should I take orders from that bastard? If I just ignore this…'

As he tightened his grip on the paper, his eyes landed on the burnt edges—a trace left by fire.

The sight brought back memories of Mago, a wild beast unleashed alongside Kinjo's devastating magic.

'If I ignore this… I'll end up dead.'

The bandit forced a strained smile.

"Please let him know I've received it."

He bowed deeply, almost to the waist.

"Oh… sure," Bell said hesitantly. She and Amon offered a quick nod before leaving the building.

"He's definitely a bandit," Amon remarked the moment they were outside.

"No doubt about it. He even had daggers at his waist—two of them," Amon added.

"His appearance fits, but his tone was way too polite."

"That came later. He wasn't like that when we arrived."

"True enough."

"How does Mago manage to scare someone like that with just a letter? And how does he even know their cipher?"

"Maybe it's something like this: before joining the training camp, Mago was secretly the ruler of the underworld."

"Don't be ridiculous. Mago was Kinjo's family's slave. What ruler?"

"Still, doesn't it sound plausible? Especially with the scheming look he's been wearing lately."

***

"Bell is a princess."

El quickly corrected himself.

"No, no. She was treated like a princess."

"Treated like a princess?"

After dinner, El and I sat near the campfire, exchanging stories.

"When Bell... went on a solo journey, she unfortunately encountered a group of orcs. But their leader didn't attack her."

"That's strange. If it was before the war, encountering orcs would've meant certain attack. Whether intentional or not, she would've been seen as trespassing."

"Margo. You seem to know quite a bit about monsters."

"I've had my fair share of encounters with them."

"I see. Well, anyway, the leader... he raised Bell as a princess. Disgustingly so."

"So, by 'treated like a princess,' you mean—"

"They kidnapped her and kept her, feeding her at their whim. It was like raising livestock."

"That must have been awful for her."

This was my first time hearing about Bell's past.

In my previous life, I hadn't grown this close to Elizabeth Red, nor had I known Bell well enough before her death.

"But are you sure it's okay to tell me this? It's a painful memory for your sister, isn't it?"

"A... painful memory?"

"Yes."

"My sister isn't that weak."

In that single sentence, El's stammering disappeared entirely.

"The special ops rescued Bell. After she returned home, it seemed like she'd go back to her normal life. But then—"

"The war broke out."

"That's right. But that wasn't the end. During the war, Bell saw something."

El shook his head once and continued.

"She saw the orc leader that the special forces had failed to eliminate."

I remembered Bell charging at the orc training dummy with a look of madness in her eyes. She hadn't even realized it was just a model.

Now I understood why she was so fixated on orcs.

"Bell joined the army, determined to kill that orc with her own hands. But honestly, I... "

El stared into the void.

"I didn't want Bell to wield a sword."

A brief silence followed.

I broke the somber mood with a change of topic.

"El, you didn't collapse even after using your ability twice."

"Y-yeah. There's a trick to it."

"A trick? Does that mean Bell could do it too?"

If it wasn't a one-time use, but something reusable... though calling it 'recyclable' felt oddly dehumanizing.

"Bell doesn't know. A-and it's not something you can train for."

"Then what is it?"

"Alcohol."

"Alcohol? You mean drinking?"

"Yeah. Always keeping your body temperature up with alcohol. Oh, as for why—"

"The Red family trait. I've got a rough idea."

"You two must be close after all." El smiled.

"But why doesn't Bell know? Isn't it a family trait?"

"I didn't tell her on purpose. I was worried she'd end up as a hopeless alcoholic... always chasing after booze."

"That does sound like something Bell would do."

Alcohol, huh?

If I hadn't met El, I'd never have learned this.

"Margo. Where are you planning to apply? The knight order? It's safe, and the pay is good. Someone like you could even aim for the Royal Knights."

That question reminded me of the obnoxious mage I'd met recently—someone from the Royal Knights.

"I'm going to the special ops."

"That's unexpected. Why?"

"No particular reason. I just want to fight on the front lines."

I gave a vague answer.

"Your skills would be wasted on the knight order. N-not that I'm looking down on them, but..."

"It'd be nice to join the special forces with Bell."

"You'd be a reliable ally, Margo."

At least, I'd need to survive first.

That night, I didn't sleep.

Wearing a hooded raincoat, I snuck into the head instructor's quarters.

I left the door ajar and listened carefully. The instructor was tossing and turning on his cot.

"Mngh... Kinjo Sua... move a bit more..."

Even in his sleep, he barked orders.

Whether it was dedication or a professional quirk, he seemed to be constantly thinking about the 66th trainees.

I waited until his movements ceased and his breathing evened out.

My target was the liquor bottles on the shelf.

They were adorned with silver patterns, a mix of gaudiness and elegance.

Quietly, I pulled out the water pouch I'd prepared and tiptoed over.

Reaching up, I grabbed one of the bottles.

"Margo!"

Every muscle in my body froze.

His voice alone made my shoulders instinctively hunch. Slowly, I turned my head, my eyes half-closed.

"Ha..."

Seeing his face, I let out a small sigh of relief.

It was sleep-talking again.

He was still fast asleep.

"I told you not to close your eyes..."

A moment later, his snoring resumed.

I carefully twisted the bottle's cap. Silencing the sound made the task take much longer than usual.

Focusing intently, I poured the liquor into my pouch.

Almost done.

If I could leave without getting caught, this would be over.

Returning everything to its place, I left the room.

Outside, I removed my hood and exhaled the breath I'd been holding.

"Weapons, allies, a way to help Bell."

The preparations to fight were falling into place.

Now that I knew monsters would attack from the skies, and I'd unlocked the lake's potential, all that was left was to change the future.

***

"Five swords?"

One of the bandits asked.

"Yeah. I told you. Don't ask again. It's already annoying enough."

The bandit leader, who had received Mago's letter, scowled. His scar next to his left eye twisted with the expression.

"Then let's go quickly. Since it's something the boss asked for."

"Who are you calling 'boss'? Are you out of your mind?"

"Isn't it Mago, boss...?"

"Stop with the 'boss' talk. He's at least ten years younger than you."

"Well, but didn't you always say that in the underworld, the strong are the ones called 'boss'?"

"...Shut up."

The leader sighed deeply.

"This is the last time I'm listening to that white-haired brat. It wouldn't be bad to be owed a debt."

"Isn't this just something we're being made to do?"

"I said shut up!"

"So, what do we do after preparing the five swords?"

"We'll rob the carriage heading to the training hall."

"What's in the carriage?"

"No. We're taking the carriage itself. And inside the carriage... there's a dummy. An orc dummy."

"Eh? A model?"

"After placing the prepared swords inside the orc dummy's body, we'll take it to the training hall, and our job will be done."

"Swords inside the orc dummy's body...?"

"Is there anyone good at sewing?"

***

I gave the bandits three instructions.

One, prepare five high-quality swords.

Two, seize the carriage carrying the orc dummies heading to the training hall.

Three, hide one sword in each orc model.

Earlier this year, I had knocked out all the bandits in the capital.

The conditions for controlling humans.

Desire and fear.

This time, it was fear.

I engraved terror into them.

There was one day left until the fourth test.

At the same time, the second invasion of the Demon King's army would also happen in one day.

The carriage with the orc model arrived.

Before the training hall's main gate opened, the inspection was done by me.

Two bandits were on the driver's seat.

First, I had accomplished the task of seizing the carriage.

They were familiar faces.

One of them, holding the reins, stood out in particular.

The leader with a straight scar by his eye.

"Hey, white-haired. You prepared the payment, right?"

He spoke.

"Payment?"

"Don't think we're going to do this for free. We'll take something from you, no matter what."

"How are you planning to do that?"

"The job's not done yet, right? What do you think would happen if I started blabbing about your little job here?"

"So, what will happen to you, the one who stole the carriage?"

He quickly shut his mouth.

"This is our empire's territory. Just shut up and act well in front of the instructor."

The leader gritted his teeth.

"Boss!"

One of the bandits standing next to him called out.

"Me? Are you calling me?"

"Yes, boss! It's been a while! How's life at the training hall?"

He smiled widely and waved his hands in greeting.

He spoke as if I were a prisoner in jail.

"Was I your boss?"

"In the underworld, the strong are..."

"I said stop it!"

The leader covered his mouth.

"You did the task well, right?"

"Mmm, mmm...!"

The bandit responded with his fingers instead of words.

An 'OK' sign.

"Looks like it was well done."

"Hey, white-haired."

"Wait."

I interrupted the leader's words.

"Tomorrow, leave the capital and head south."

"What do you mean?"

"The imperial army expects the second invasion of the Demon King's army. The key area is the capital. If you don't want your miserable gang to be wiped out at once, you better flee."

Saying that the imperial army expected it was a lie.

"...Is this information reliable?"

"That's all I know. The payment should be enough."