My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 29Vol 2.

After ensuring Salvia’s safe evacuation by carriage, Aquila sprinted toward the headquarters of the Dark Sorcery Special Search Unit.

“Catch him!”

Several imperial soldiers pursued him from behind, but Aquila didn’t look back. His naturally superior Arkon physique, combined with the grueling training of the Border Defense Army, made this level of exertion trivial.

As he ran, a familiar figure suddenly caught up beside him.

“Winter.”

“Yes, Aquila. I’m here for the same reason as you.”

Winter had also come to help evacuate the unit members still at the headquarters.

‘I still don’t like him...’

Aquila wasn’t particularly fond of Winter, but in situations like this, he had to acknowledge his character. The fact that he had come here with the same thought—to get their people to safety—was proof enough.

“Everyone, run!”

The moment Aquila burst through the headquarters' doors, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“We’ve been found! The imperial army is after us! Hurry!”

“What?!”

“No way—wait, they’re really here!”

El exclaimed after spotting the soldiers chasing them from outside.

Despite the panic, the remaining unit members moved quickly, their bodies responding instinctively to the emergency drills they had practiced.

As they scattered in different directions, Aquila turned back to Winter.

“Do we have designated evacuation points for situations like this?”

“No, but heading home should be fine! We registered false identities with the upper ranks for cases like this, so they won’t be able to track us immediately. Though, of course, they’ll figure it out eventually.”

Aquila had no choice but to acknowledge Winter’s foresight once again.

Then, he felt a deadly intent behind him.

He ducked immediately.

“Tch!”

Just barely dodging the incoming sword, Aquila swiftly drew the blade at his waist and clashed with the imperial soldier’s weapon. A few exchanges followed, and soon, the enemy’s sword went flying. Though the Special Search Unit had superior combat skills, they were vastly outnumbered.

Aquila glanced sideways. Winter, too, was surrounded by imperial soldiers, swinging his sword in the midst of battle.

“...We’re getting out of here alive.”

With those final words, Aquila’s blade clashed violently, echoing through the battlefield.

***

Over time, I gradually adjusted to life at Winter’s estate.

At first, I worried that I might be imposing on them, but Winter’s parents seemed to consider helping me a natural duty.

As for Lily...

“Do you like the gnocchi?”

“...Yes, I love its chewy texture. And the truffle aroma is really strong!”

“Hahaha!”

She absolutely adored me. She would chatter with me all day if given the chance.

Not that I minded. Our conversations were quite fun, and I often indulged her. Occasionally, Winter’s parents would pass by with warm smiles, watching us. Hmm...

After finishing my meal, I initially planned to return to my room as usual but changed my mind and headed toward the garden instead. When I had briefly seen it while following Winter last time, it had struck me as incredibly beautiful.

Stepping outside, I was greeted by neatly arranged trees and vibrant flowers in full bloom. It was the only place in this otherwise monochrome castle that had any color.

‘I miss Aquila...’

As I admired the red flowers that reminded me of his eyes, I suddenly sensed a presence behind me.

An ordinary person would have jumped in surprise, but thanks to Winter, I had grown accustomed to this kind of entrance. I turned around naturally and greeted the newcomer.

“Good evening.”

Standing there was Winter’s father. He acknowledged my greeting, momentarily breaking his usual composed expression with a hint of surprise.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“You noticed me. I rarely make my presence known.”

“I got used to it thanks to Winter.”

“Is that so? You must be quite close with him...”

His voice trailed off, and he looked at me with an unreadable expression. I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind it, but then again, how could I possibly understand these people’s thoughts?

Winter’s father then stepped beside me, gazing at the flowers I had been admiring.

“Are you comfortable living here?”

“Yes, thanks ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to your kindness, I’m doing well.”

“I heard you don’t have any parents...”

“...Pardon?”

Caught off guard by the sudden topic, I widened my eyes. His expression was careful, almost hesitant.

“If you ever have any difficulties, don’t hesitate to tell me. Many people try to take advantage of hetero sapiens fresh out of the military.”

“Oh, Winter already helped me with that. Actually, the owner of the house I bought turned out to be Winter himself. He even installed a security system with bells, so if anyone tries to break in, I’ll know right away!”

“I see.”

“But I completely agree that there are too many people trying to scam hetero sapiens! I had such a hard time finding a house at first. They called a place with nothing but trees a ‘mountain view,’ tried to sell me a haunted house... Ugh, it was exhausting!”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“And honestly, even without parents, I never felt uncomfortable! I grew up just fine in the orphanage... I think. Plus, just making it through the Border Defense Army safely makes me feel like I’m already lucky!”

“...I see.”

“But more than anything, my dream is to have a wonderful family of my own. I’ve already promised to marry someone. A new family means a lot to me! Even when I suddenly arrived in Egott Village and felt lost, thinking of that person helped me stay grounded.”

As I continued my long-winded monologue, I noticed that Winter’s father was looking at me with an oddly complex expression.

“...Sir?”

“...I see.”

He exhaled softly and then, to my surprise, muttered,

“You talk a lot.”

“...I get that sometimes.”

Especially from Ishina, who frequently told me to shut up. Hmm.

Worried that I had been too loud, I cautiously watched his reaction, but to my surprise, he nodded with an oddly satisfied look.

“I don’t mean it as criticism. Expressiveness is a good thing.”

“Uh... Thank you?”

“And more than anything, I’ve never met anyone as positive as you.”

He studied me closely before adding,

“You’re quite impressive.”

“...Excuse me?”

But he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he simply turned and walked back inside.

From then on, Winter’s father started treating me noticeably better. So did his mother.

‘What did I do to win them over?’

I was completely baffled. It was a mystery I couldn’t solve.

***

“What kind of pasta is this? It’s delicious too....”

A few days later, as I rattled on about the dishes served at the table, Winter’s father, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

“Salvia, you certainly have a way with words.”

“Ah, um, yes... I hear that a lot.”

Not knowing what he meant by that, I answered awkwardly. Winter’s mother, too, slightly lifted the corners of her lips and nodded.

“Yes, thanks to you, the house feels livelier.”

“That’s a good thing.”

With that, the conversation ended, and they returned to their meal, leaving me a bit bewildered.

‘Wait... what?’

Was that... a compliment? Did they actually like me?

Of course, it was good if they had a favorable impression of me, but still...

I glanced around.

If this were a romance fantasy novel, this place would be the grand duke’s northern castle. And usually, when the heroine of a contract marriage brightens up the atmosphere, one of the servants would say—

Yeah. Now that I think about it, the mood around here has been strange lately. Could it be that...?

“Hoho, Lady Salvia.”

At that moment, Lily called my name, and I narrowed my eyes.

No way. Is it happening now? Is she really going to say it...?

“Ever since you arrived, it feels like spring has come to the North!”

‘No...!’

As Lily uttered the infamous line, I forced a strained smile, my mind spinning.

Could this single line really shift the entire story into a romance fantasy trope, linking me with Winter? I thought I had avoided that route, but if things turned that way again, it would be a disaster. This was exactly what I had been trying to prevent.

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And then Lily spoke again.

“I really wish you would stay here forever....”

“W-Wait, if I stay here, does that mean...?”

Is she actually trying to pair me with Winter? No, absolutely not! That’s just her wishful thinking!

However, Lily suddenly glanced at Winter’s parents, then beamed brightly and blurted out—

“Or perhaps they could adopt you!”

“Pfft!”

I barely stopped myself from spitting out my pasta and ended up coughing as I quickly grabbed my glass of water. What the hell did I just hear?

Unlike my flustered self, Winter’s parents remained perfectly composed.

“Yes, it would be nice to have a daughter like her.”

“I agree.”

Then, both of them turned to look at me.

Not knowing what to expect, I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth and watched them nervously.

Winter’s father spoke first.

“Child, I heard before that you don’t have parents. If you ever need guidance from an adult, don’t hesitate to ask. A comrade of Winter’s is like a daughter to us.”

“Yes, you can consider us your real parents and ask for help whenever you need it.”

“T-Thank you....”

So that’s why they’d been treating me so warmly all this time...

‘So they wanted to adopt me, not marry me off...’

Feeling oddly deflated, I let out a hollow laugh and stared up at the extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Winter, I’m sorry for stealing your parents out of nowhere...

***

After finally shaking off the imperial army’s pursuit, Aquila arrived at his home with a weary expression.

“Aquila!”

Karon, who had arrived earlier, ran out with a startled face.

“Your injuries...!”

“No one can see this. Get inside.”

Brushing off Karon’s concerns, Aquila led him into the house.

Blood dripped from the wounds he had sustained while fighting multiple imperial soldiers, but he didn’t care. This level of injury was nothing—Winter had received his share as well, and he had made it back safely, too.

As he entered the house, another set of surprised eyes greeted him. Victim was still here, casually staying in his home. Seeing that, Aquila scowled.

Unlike with Salvia, he preferred this house to remain empty except for himself.

“W-What exactly happened...?”

“...First, we need to find Salvia.”

Collapsing onto the sofa, Aquila muttered, his mind consumed by a single thought.

“The capital is too dangerous right now. We’ll need to find a safer location by tomorrow night. I don’t know where Salvia has gone, but she shouldn’t return to the capital for a while.”

“Where did Lady Salvia go?”

Karon asked, his voice trembling.

Aquila couldn’t answer.

“We’ll have to find that out.”

He could only grit his teeth and murmur.

To send a message to Salvia, wherever she was...

***

Days passed, and I had almost completely adapted to life in the North. That morning, as usual, I picked up the newspaper from the table while eating breakfast.

Ever since I arrived here, reading the newspaper had become a habit. There was always the chance that news about us might appear.

But today, there was nothing.

“Ugh...”

Disappointed, I set the paper down—only to catch sight of the advertisement section. Today’s paper featured an ad for soap.

<Advertisement>

Once you use it, you won’t be able to stop.

Try it for just one month, and after that, you’ll notice the effects.

If it doesn’t work, we’ll refund your money.

Just try it once, and if even one in ten people is dissatisfied, we’ll offer a full refund.

No need to hesitate—place your order now!

Both the white and brown soaps are excellent, so don’t waste time thinking too hard!

At first glance, it seemed like a simple, clumsily written advertisement—its text slightly cut off due to the limited space on the page.

But I knew better.

This was a unique code I had learned during my time in the Dark Sorcery Special Search Unit. It was part of the basic training for new recruits.

‘The zigzag cipher!’

By reading the first and second letters of each line in a zigzag pattern, the message became clear:

“Meet again in one month. I’ll come to get you.”

I didn’t know exactly who had sent it, but it was definitely meant for me.

A lump formed in my throat, and I stared at the advertisement for a long time.

‘They made it out safely...’

If there were still enough of them left to put out a message like this, then the organization hadn’t been completely destroyed. The people I had fought alongside in that world—they hadn’t all been wiped out.

‘One month. I just have to wait one month...’

But simply sitting around was suffocating.

Even now, my comrades were hiding, struggling to stay alive in the capital. If there was something I could do to help them, then—

‘I have to do something.’

April’s words echoed in my mind. She had always told me to think about what I needed to do.

I couldn’t waste this time. I had to act.

And then, a thought flashed through my mind.

That organization.

‘The Revolutionary Group of the Snowy Mountain Battalion!’