Reporting for duty at the guard station, we made our way to the commander’s office.
Once roll call was over, Commander Bolton went over our assignments for the day—however, it was obvious to all of us that something wasn’t quite right.
“Commander, isn’t that yesterday’s communication?” I asked.
“Today’s is supposed to be about reviewing our formation against the incoming monsters, right?” Seira added.
“Hm? Oh yeah, that’s right.” The commander looked as though he had been woken from a trance after we pointed out his error.
Perhaps in an attempt to pull himself together, he attempted to light the cigar in his mouth.
“Commander! That’s the wrong end!”
“Huh? O-Oh.”
Thanks to Seira’s warning, he realized he had been holding the cigar in his mouth backward and frantically pulled it out.
“Hey, what the hell’s wrong with you?” Spinoza muttered in annoyance. “Still got last night’s booze in your system or somethin’?”
Commander Bolton offered no response to Spinoza’s wisecrack—he merely stood there in silence. He was there in the room with us physically, but his mind seemed to have drifted off somewhere far away.
Looking at him more closely, I saw heavy bags under his eyes. The ashtray on his office table was piled high with a mountain of cigar butts.
“Did something happen, Commander?” I asked instinctively. He clearly wasn’t his normal self; he looked as though some matter of grave concern was weighing heavily on his mind.
“Nah...nothin’ at all. Don’t worry about it.”
“But you look awfully unwell too,” Seira added in concern. “If you’re feeling ill, you shouldn’t overexert yourself...”
“I’m fine. I just emptied a few too many bottles last night. Still not quite recovered yet. I ain’t as young as I used to be, heh heh.” The commander’s laughter rang completely hollow.
“Hah! Told ya! I knew that’s what it was! Man, you’re this messed up after just one night of heavy drinking? That’s pathetic!” Spinoza let out a raucous, exaggerated laugh.
“You got it. Takin’ the day off for a hangover would set a bad example for the rest of the guards, right? Now let’s get our butts moving on today’s assignments.” The commander motioned for us to leave.
He said his behavior was because he had a hangover, but that probably wasn’t true. Even if it was, he would’ve had some reason for drinking so much. I had no idea what it could’ve been, but it must’ve been something very significant to him—and possibly to us as well.
If Commander Bolton himself was keeping it under wraps, though, it was going to be hard for us to find out what it was.
Just as we were about to turn around and leave, Fam spoke up quietly. “It’s the situation in Randolph that’s making you so distracted, isn’t it?”
The commander hesitated for a brief moment. “C’mon, now, what are you talkin’ about? Sure, things are looking grim for Randolph right now, but we’ve gotta focus on defending the capital—”
“I only ask because your estranged family lives in Randolph City.”
The vacant look on Commander Bolton’s face instantly transformed to an expression of wide-eyed shock. Back in reality with us once again, the man was clearly disconcerted. His reaction was proof positive that Fam’s comment had hit the bull’s-eye.
“Fam... How did you know that?” he asked.
“I used to be a spy, remember? Information gathering is my specialty,” she responded, an innocent look on her face. “Even more so when it comes to things people are hiding.”
“Now that you mention it, the commander did say he had a wife and a daughter. I didn’t know they lived in Randolph City!” Seira said.
“Huh? If you live here in the capital, why the hell wouldn’t they live here too?” Spinoza asked.
“Think about it... If they lived here, they’d be in constant danger from all the monster raids. That’s why my wife and kid got away from this place after we separated.” His voice lowered to a pained groan. “Compared to the royal capital, every other city in the kingdom has a really low risk of being attacked by monsters. The decision to move was based on that assumption. But now, of all the places they could’ve attacked, they picked Randolph? And they’re even saying the whole city might fall in a few days...”
The commander bit his lip in frustration. “On top of that, we’ve got monsters on their way to the capital too, so we can’t expect the knights to send anyone out there... Am I supposed to just sit here and twiddle my damn thumbs while Randolph gets wiped off the map?!”
A deafening thud echoed across the room. Commander Bolton had released his pent-up rage by slamming a tightly clenched fist down onto his desk, gouging a deep hole into the desktop. The whole situation must have been absolutely unbearable for him.
Fam broke the silence that had fallen across the office with a hushed question. “Even though you’ve parted ways, you still have feelings for them...?”
“Of course I do. We may no longer be together, but I still love them,” the commander responded without hesitation. “Even if they hate me so much they never want to see my face again. I’ll keep on wishing for their happiness for the rest of my life.”
“Commander Bolton...” A heartbroken expression fell over Seira’s face.
A while back, the commander had told me something. He had said that the only reason he was able to keep performing his thankless job at the top of the Guard Corps was because of his ex-wife and child. Protecting the Orb of Light was tied intrinsically to protecting their happiness.
But now, the very family that was acting as his emotional pillar was in grave danger. It was no wonder he was practically dead on his feet.
“I mean, why not just haul your ass out there, then?” Spinoza suggested. “If the knights aren’t gonna head over to help ’em, you can go handle it yourself. Then your wife an’ kid’ll be fine.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Huh? Why the hell not?”
“I’m Commander of the Guard Corps, and my job’s to protect the royal capital. Putting all that on the back burner to focus on personal stuff is out of the question. It’d set a bad example for my men,” Commander Bolton explained. “Not to mention, there’s a bunch of monsters on their way here right now too. The Knight Corps’s main forces are out on expedition, and we’re already shorthanded on defenders. If I run off somewhere, and worse comes to worst, what happens then? With that in mind, there’s no way I could possibly leave.”
It was easy to pick up on how conflicted he was by looking at his pained expression. There was no doubt that deep down, he wanted to run off to help at that very instant. He was suppressing that urge, though, because his position as the head of an organization meant he couldn’t prioritize personal matters over professional duties.
“Then how about sending us over as reinforcements instead?” I proposed.
“No... Not gonna happen. As your commander, I can’t agree to that. The Fifth is our ace squadron—you’re the best the guards have to offer.” He seemed to be shaking a bit as he spoke in a pained murmur.
If he sends us to Randolph to assist, we might be able to protect it successfully. However, instructing us to do that would also mean the royal capital might be put in jeopardy.
Amid the swirling hesitation and the thick, oppressive atmosphere, the door to the office suddenly creaked open.
“I heard about your dilemma.” Leobolt stood there in the open doorway. His gaze was fixed on Commander Bolton. “So you have a wife and child living in Randolph City?”
“Yeah. There’s a group of monsters headed toward the capital too, though. So as Commander of the Guard Corps, I’m gonna stay and fight to protect Astaroth.”
“Commander, by all means, feel free to go to Randolph.”
“Hunh?” Commander Bolton raised an eyebrow.
“The monsters already have the city by the throat. Any further hesitation may well spell doom.”
“But...what about the capital? We’ve got monsters on the way here too, you know.”
“Even with you absent, Commander, we will still be here. Considering the anticipated size of the monster group, it should be quite within our means to deal with them.”
Puzzled, the commander asked Leobolt, “I thought you were the type of guy who didn’t allow any personal feelings?”
“If Randolph City falls, you would suffer deep psychological damage, would you not? That would be a serious blow for the entire Guard Corps. Taking that into account, I merely determined that the best course of action would be taking the risk and saving Randolph,” Leobolt responded, then added one final thought. “I believe that you going to Randolph City will benefit the Guard Corps as a whole. And what led me to that conclusion was not my personal feelings, but a logical assessment.”
“Leobolt...”
“I will explain everything to the other sergeants. There is not a moment to waste, correct? Please head out posthaste.”
“...Thank you.”
“Commander Bolton, people in the highest stations mustn’t bow their heads so.”
“I’m not thanking you as your commander. I’m thanking you as a fellow man,” he said. “I really appreciate it. I owe you big.”
Leobolt flashed him a slight smile, then turned to us. “Sieg, you and the Fifth should accompany him.”
“Really?”
“As unlikely as it is, it would be quite inconvenient if something were to happen to our leader. With your shield protecting them, Sieg, I am comfortable entrusting his safety to the Fifth Squadron,” Leobolt said, then smiled at me. “I have complete faith in your ability to save Randolph City. So please, place the same faith in me to lead us to victory here.”
“All right. With you here, I’m sure you’ll all be able to drive the monsters off,” I said with a nod, then turned to the others. “Let’s go with Commander Bolton and protect Randolph.”
“Yes, sir!” Seira exclaimed.
“I’ll just be following you regardless,” Fam said.
“Yeah! In that case, let’s get our asses movin’!” Spinoza roared.
With that, our decision to head to Randolph City was set in stone.