My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 30Vol 2.

Of course, I had always planned to contact them and unite our forces one day.

But since the North was so far away, I had kept postponing it. Even getting letters here took forever.

Yet now, by some twist of fate, I had ended up in the North. Wasn’t this destiny? This was the perfect opportunity to make contact with them!

It was probably reckless beyond belief to even consider reaching out again, especially after getting caught while trying to contact the Second Prince’s faction and ending up here.

But the Snowy Mountain Battalion was different. I had experienced it firsthand, and they were Arkons like me—people I could trust a little more. Besides, the revolutionary group I suspected them to be had apparently existed since Karon’s father’s generation.

Now, I had a new problem to solve.

‘How do I get in touch with them?’

If I just barged into the Snowy Mountain Battalion’s headquarters, I could be mistaken for an intruder and shot on sight. Sure, I was good at sneaking around, but the base’s location could have changed since I left.

Sending a letter from the outside was impossible. Those damned Border Defense Army rules didn’t even allow correspondence between soldiers and their families, let alone external letters. The only ones who could exchange letters were commanding officers.

There was one exception—high-ranking officers' families were allowed to send letters. But I wasn’t pre-registered as anyone’s family.

That left only one option: waiting for the miracle of the battalion being assigned to civilian support duties, which would bring them down to the villages.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Looking back at my time in the battalion, they rarely deployed for civilian support. The location was too harsh.

But there was one exception.

‘Snow removal!’

Ugh, just thinking about it made me nauseous.

Whenever there was a massive snowfall that buried the villages, we were forced to march down the mountains, shovels in hand, to clear the roads. It was such a miserable experience that I had nearly erased it from my memory.

‘When does it snow around here?’

I glanced out the window. The roads were frozen solid due to the cold, but there were no signs of snowfall...

Knock, knock.

“Lady Salvia, it’s time for lunch!”

Hearing Lily’s voice outside the door, I decided to ask a local for insight.

“Today’s lunch is the tomato soup you requested!”

“Really? Thank you! Oh, Lily, do you know when it usually snows around here?”

“Snow?”

Lily tilted her head, then suddenly gave me a proud look.

“My, my! Do you wish to see the snowfall? How adorable, hohoho...”

“...Yeah, let’s go with that.”

I was already used to Lily treating me like some delicate flower bringing warmth to the cold North, so I let it slide and followed her down to the dining hall. I planned to ask Winter’s parents instead.

“You’re here.”

Winter’s mother greeted me in her usual cold tone as she picked up her spoon. I took a seat and asked,

“Do you know when it might snow around here?”

“Snow?”

She slowly blinked, then looked at me with her characteristically frosty gaze before speaking.

“You wish to see it snow?”

“This place is breathtaking when covered in snow,” Winter’s father added.

Seeing their reactions, I quickly clarified,

“Oh, no, it’s just that... When I was with the Snowy Mountain Battalion, we were sometimes sent here on civilian support missions when there was heavy snowfall. There’s someone I’d like to meet, so I was wondering if there’s a chance I’d see them.”

“Civilian support, huh...”

Winter’s father looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“Now that you mention it, they came down for support just a few weeks before you arrived. The weather’s been cold enough that snow should be coming soon.”

“...I can feel it.”

Suddenly, Winter’s mother spoke in a chilling yet resolute tone.

“The snow is coming.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I can sense it. The change in the sky.”

...Of course. This was Winter’s family.

The fact that he could read the presence of others didn’t seem all that surprising anymore. His parents could read the weather.

***

The next morning, I woke up and widened my eyes in shock.

“It’s snowing!”

Just as Winter’s mother had predicted, snow was indeed falling from the sky!

And judging by the thick white blanket covering the entire village, it must have snowed all night. Looking at the scenery, I...

“Ugh, the sky is dumping garbage again...”

A shiver ran down my spine as PTSD washed over me. The thought of having to shovel all that snow was horrifying—but then I remembered it wasn’t my job anymore!

That realization made the snow look pretty again. I twirled once in place before getting out of bed.

Winter’s mother had kindly lent me a dress—or rather, purchased a new one just for me, though she didn’t say so outright. It was a thick, white satin gown with a fur-lined cape, the perfect attire for enjoying a snowy day.

It was exactly the kind of thing I would expect from the Northern Duke’s family.

Once I had changed, I stepped outside, where Lily was waiting for me, cheeks flushed with excitement.

“Oh my, you must be in a wonderful mood because of the snow!”

“Yes, I love it!”

“Hohoho... Ah, to think spring has come to this frozen castle~!”

Lily hummed a cheerful tune as she practically danced down the stairs like a side character in a children’s animated movie. Her joy was infectious, and my excitement didn’t wane in the slightest.

I ate breakfast in high spirits, then waited eagerly for the afternoon. Civilian support missions typically happened around that time.

And when the time felt right, I set out to patrol the village.

“I’ll be back later!”

I cheerfully waved goodbye as I left the castle.

“Oh my, such a bright greeting!”

“She’s much better than our rude son.”

“Winter never had a single ounce of charm.”

I could hear murmurs behind me, but I chose to ignore them.

...Winter, I’ll say it again—I’m sorry for stealing your parents.

I strode confidently through the village, making a full circuit, but there was no sign of the Snowy Mountain Battalion. I was starting to feel uneasy.

‘What? They should be here by now. Did the policy change?’

Military service had been shortened recently, and maybe the emperor had suddenly decided to show mercy to the Border Defense Army. Was it possible they had stopped sending soldiers for civilian aid altogether?

Just as I was beginning to panic, I heard a voice from somewhere nearby.

“Why is the snow-clearing so slow...?”

‘There!’

Along with the voice, I could hear the distinct sounds of multiple people shoveling. A wide grin spread across my face. The soldiers were out there working!

I quickly checked my pocket to make sure my pre-written letter was still in place and picked up my pace. If the company commander was there, I would hand the letter over directly.

If not, I would need to find another way. I couldn’t entrust this letter to just anyone—it was too dangerous.

As I got closer, I realized something.

‘Wait... that voice sounds familiar.’

The voice yelling at the soldiers—I knew it. But that didn’t make sense. How could I possibly know the new company commander?

Then, I heard them speak again.

“Eh? You’re this bad at shoveling? The company commander is disappointed? Anyway, something like that? I guess?”

Wait a second, that speech pattern—!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

There was only one person in this entire world who spoke like that.

“Daliiiiiiinnn!”

I practically sang her name as I rushed forward, and the woman standing with her hands on her hips in an annoyingly smug pose widened her eyes in shock.

“L-Lady Salviaaaaaa?!”

It was, without a doubt, a dramatic reunion.

***

“Dalin, what the hell?!”

Dalin had stepped away from the soldiers to talk with me. I greeted her with overwhelming enthusiasm.

“To think you’re already a company commander! You really decided to go career military!”

We hadn’t been this close before, but unexpected reunions in unexpected places made people act differently.

Even though she had been promoted, Dalin looked exactly the same. Her golden-yellow hair, light brown eyes, and that annoyingly smug expression were all unchanged.

The fact that the eternal training instructor from hell had become a company commander filled me with a strange nostalgia. I stared at her warmly.

Dalin seemed to misinterpret my gaze. She shifted awkwardly and muttered,

“I... stayed in the Border Defense Army for a long time, so I got promoted quickly. But um...”

She suddenly lowered her voice.

“Can I... speak informally now?”

...Oh. Now that I was discharged, we weren’t technically in the same military hierarchy anymore. It was a reasonable request. If I refused, I’d just be a petty old superior.

So, naturally, I said—

“Go ahead. Give it a try.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Dalin immediately backtracked. She sounded exactly like me whenever I tried to talk back to April. ...Wait, no! I’m not that scary! This is unfair!

While I was still processing that injustice, Dalin puffed up proudly. She seemed rather pleased with herself as she explained her promotion.

“I passed officer training and started as a platoon leader. Then, I took the promotion exam and got promoted again. So now, I’m the First Company Commander of the Snowy Mountain Battalion!”

“Wow, that’s amazi—wait. The Snowy Mountain Battalion?”

The very battalion I had been desperately trying to find?

I widened my eyes in disbelief, then felt a deep wave of sympathy rising within me.

“Dalin... so you ended up in the Snowy Mountain Battalion too....”

“Lady Salvia...!”

“So, how was it?”

“...Absolutely terrible. It took me forever to adjust. Hngh...!”

Yeah. The worst unit in the entire Border Defense Army.

Poor Dalin. She really wasn’t lucky.

Then she looked at me curiously.

“What have you been up to outside the army?”

A mischievous smirk crept onto my lips.

“Me? I’m ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) doing something that must not be named.”

“...Excuse me? What does that even mean?”

“I mean, I’m leading a revolution.”

“Pfft—cough, cough! What—?!”

“What did you just call me?”

“...Uh? I didn’t say anything? At all?”

Why was Dalin still so annoying?

I had the sudden urge to punch her, but I somehow managed to hold back.