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Recently, Camilla’s behavior pattern has been surprisingly regular and healthy, enough to shock anyone who knows her.

Unlike her usual self, who would always stir up interesting things and roam around, she has been sticking to a routine of going only to the lecture hall, the training facility, and her assigned lodging.

On the rare days she didn’t go to the training facility, she would wander around where Gilbert was, doing her best to protect her dear friend from Brynhild’s physical onslaught.

Camilla changed like this because of the sense of helplessness she felt when she followed Gilbert to Bismarck. Until now, she had been more interested in fun than training, but she was deeply frustrated that her close friend had gone to the battlefield alone.

Especially when Gilbert was hit by the bombardment that poured down the moment they thought the war was over—how shocked she was!

If it weren’t for Lily and Dorothy stopping her, she might have rushed to the battlefield right then. That first battlefield experience left a huge impact on Camilla.

A place where even a moment of carelessness could cost you something precious—that was the battlefield.

The problem was that Camilla could do nothing in such a brutal battlefield. If she had lent even a hand that day, perhaps such a dangerous situation wouldn’t have occurred.

No, that couldn’t be. She had decent skills, but they were only at the level of a cadet.

Compared to knights like Gilbert, who far surpassed the level of a cadet and charged into battle, she was utterly pathetic.

The sense of helplessness and self-loathing she felt at that time completely shattered Camilla’s worldview, which had been solely focused on seeking amusement.

After the break ended and she returned to the academy, she made a firm resolution: to protect this daily life she found interesting and enjoyable.

Currently, Camilla’s life has been a repetition of the same days since then. In the past, she would have schemed to avoid boring and uninteresting training, but this time, her mindset was different.

Her body, clearly sunk into laziness, felt sluggish. The urge to throw everything away kept rising from deep within her chest.

But Camilla shook it all off and spent her days repeating her training.

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel disillusioned. Though she was called a genius in her childhood, years of laziness had rusted her talent.

No matter how much she tried to oil and scrape off the rust, it was never easy. Whenever that happened, Camilla thought of Gilbert, one of her dear friends.

Despite his overwhelming strength, Gilbert never stopped training. Even when others saw it as a form of torture, he never showed a hint of discomfort.

Camilla found that dazzling and made him her role model. She wanted to become like him if she grew stronger.

And so, a week passed, then two, and soon a month had gone by. Training had become a habit for Camilla, and today, she was heading to the physical training facility again.

If nothing special happened, her entire schedule for the day would be to finish her training and drag her exhausted body back to her lodging. Today, since nothing special was happening, that was the plan.

Unless Gilbert called for her.

“Lady Camilla. Lord Gilbert is looking for you.”

“Gilbert?”

Camilla’s eyes widened upon hearing that Gilbert was looking for her. Until now, he had never sought her out first.

Usually, it was she who went to him to hang out.

With a joyful heart, she dashed to the place the maid had told her, almost as if she were flying. The servants of the Tristitia family might have scolded her for not maintaining decorum.

The place Camilla arrived at was an empty lecture hall. Inside were people she knew well.

First, she spotted her close friend Lily and raised a hand in greeting.

“Yo! Lily, I’m here!”

“Camilla was the last one.”

Camilla stood next to Lily and scanned the room. First, there was Brynhild, the muscle-bound woman she had nicknamed, along with Angelina, Hans, and Ilene, already seated.

Seeing the so-called “Gilbert Squad” gathered in one place, Camilla whispered to Lily.

“Did everyone come here because Gilbert contacted them?”

“Yep. He said he’d explain once the last person arrived, so we’ve been waiting.”

“Really?”

Camilla’s ears perked up. Her interest sensor, which had been dormant since the break due to training, was now firing off signals that something unusual was happening.

“Everyone’s here.”

Seeing Camilla seated next to Lily, Gilbert stood before them.

“What’s the occasion for gathering us all? I can tell it’s something serious.”

Brynhild joked, pretending to be scared, though her smile showed no tension.

“There’s an important matter to discuss. This must not leak beyond those of us here.”

Gilbert began with a sterner face than usual.

In summary, it was about forming a special task force to support the encirclement and annihilation of the slave trader group, Slaves, involved in human trafficking.

After hearing this, Camilla raised her hand, curious.

“Gilbert, I have a question!”

“Speak.”

“I get that we’re forming a task force. So, does calling us here mean we’ve been selected for it?”

For high-risk operations like encirclement and annihilation, it was common to form a reserve force to support the main troops. Gilbert had emphasized that secrecy was key to this operation, so mobilizing the empire’s knights had its limits.

Thus, the natural conclusion was to use academy cadets, who could move quietly.

Gilbert nodded at Camilla’s question.

“Correct. Everyone here has been selected as members of the task force.”

“Do we have the right to refuse? I’m not from the empire.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“See, even here, the couple’s in sync!”

Look at her, wagging her tail at Gilbert again!

Camilla shot Brynhild a glare. But given the situation, she held back her urge to shout. Even Camilla, who usually didn’t care about others’ opinions, knew when to restrain herself.

“As this is Her Majesty the Princess’s order, there is no right to refuse. Everyone, fulfill your duties as academy cadets.”

Though there was no right to refuse, no one seemed particularly dissatisfied. For the cadets of the Demia Empire Academy, whose goal was to develop military skills, this was a given.

After stating that the operation would commence in three days, Gilbert looked at each member of the task force.

“This operation won’t be on the front lines, but it’s not without danger. As a reserve force supporting the main troops, there’s a possibility of being deployed to more dangerous areas. However, we cannot leave human traffickers who threaten the empire’s citizens unchecked. This is a matter of protecting the empire’s people.”

Though Gilbert usually preferred a stiff tone, the weight of his words now was different. He was placing the heavy responsibility of protecting the empire’s citizens on their shoulders.

Camilla felt her breath catch at that responsibility. The frustration and helplessness she felt during the break began to creep up, consuming her.

She shook her head, recalling a phrase passed down in the Tristitia family.

“Those who know honor, fulfill the debt of what you enjoy.”

Camilla repeated the phrase, making a resolution.

This time would be different from the break. She would never again let her friends go to the battlefield alone.

After taking a deep breath to shake off the responsibility, she realized that only she and Gilbert remained in the empty lecture hall. Quick-witted as she was, she guessed Gilbert had dismissed the others.

“Camilla Alakere Tristitia.”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly calling me by my full name?”

Camilla found it hard to meet Gilbert’s eyes, which was unusual for her. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but an indescribably heavy aura emanated from him.

“You were the last to be selected for this task force.”

“…Because I’m not good enough?”

Only after hearing Gilbert’s blunt words did Camilla understand the nature of that heavy aura.

It was anxiety. She was someone who could objectively assess her own skills.

And from that objective perspective, her skills fell short of what was needed for the task force. Most of the people gathered in this soundproofed lecture hall were top-tier cadets at the Demia Empire Academy.

Even Gilbert, who would lead the task force, held the title of a 5th Grade Knight as a cadet. Brynhild was a given, and her close friends Lily, Angelina, Hans, and Ilene were all standout performers in competitions.

In contrast, Camilla had been slacking off until recently. Her selection for the task force was solely due to Gilbert’s choice.

“True. There were discussions that Ian Tigress Line Barrel would have been a better fit for the last spot.”

“Well, that’s understandable. Ian is better than me, after all.”

Though her heart sank, Camilla laughed. Denying the truth would only make her look worse.

As always, she tried to diffuse the situation with a smile, eager to escape this uncomfortable moment as soon as possible.

“Still, I chose you. Can you guess why?”

“Why you picked me?”

Camilla tilted her head. Thinking about it, Ian should have been here instead of her. He was an outstanding cadet, more suited for the task force than she was.

But Gilbert, as if Ian wasn’t even a consideration, continued firmly.

“Yes. I chose you as the last member.”

“Why? I’ve been slacking off, only doing what I wanted. I won’t be much help in this operation.”

“Yet you’ve been following my training routine lately.”

“You knew?”

Camilla was startled by Gilbert’s words. She had always thought he found her annoying.

She never dreamed he would notice her serious training.

“I remember it was after the break ended.”

“Heehee! So Gilbert’s finally fallen for my charm, huh?”

Feeling embarrassed, she forced a laugh, hoping to hide her feelings from Gilbert.

But Gilbert replied with his usual expression and tone.

“Don’t sell yourself short. You have the potential to be better than anyone.”

“…Why do you think that? Everyone finds me annoying.”

The smile faded from Camilla’s face. She knew how others evaluated her.

“Messy. Too self-centered.” Nothing good ever came up.

Camilla acknowledged this herself. She was someone who moved solely based on her interests.

Her recent training was driven by frustration at not being able to help Gilbert, who had sparked her interest. Failing to help a friend who interested her was a disgrace.

“Camilla. You once told me that no matter what others say, you judge me based on what you see.”

“Did I say that?”

Pretending not to remember, Camilla recalled it clearly. She had once casually said something when Gilbert seemed troubled.

But why bring it up now? Camilla was curious.

“Yes. You said that. You don’t understand complicated things, but that’s just how you see it.”

“Ah, I see.”

Camilla’s face flushed. The person who said it had no particular meaning, but hearing that the other person remembered it so clearly was embarrassing.

“Don’t mind it! I really didn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s fine. Your words helped me, and that’s a fact. So, I’ll say something to you too.”

Camilla held her breath. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was about to hear something monumental.

“Don’t worry. The Camilla Alakere Tristitia I see has the potential to be stronger than anyone. So, don’t waver and follow the path you’ve chosen. I’ll lead the way.”

“Huh?”

What, what is he saying now?!

Camilla’s face stiffened. This was indeed something monumental.

Did he even know what he was saying?

“If you’re anxious, follow me. I’ll pave the way. All you need to do is believe in yourself. That’s all I have to say.”

With a faint smile at the stunned Camilla, Gilbert left the lecture hall first. Now, only Camilla remained.

After staring blankly at the door for a while, Camilla suddenly burst into laughter.

The great Camilla got hit with a bombshell!

She laughed heartily, and all her worries vanished with that laughter.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed, but she eventually calmed down and returned to her usual self.

The words Gilbert had thrown at her resonated in her chest, but she felt as if the path ahead had brightened. Perhaps it was thanks to Gilbert, who had promised to lead the way.

With a lighter heart, Camilla headed to the training facility for today’s session. Indeed, Gilbert was the ultimate object of her interest.

 

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