“She had no choice in her situation,” I explained. “Becoming a spy was her only option if she wanted to survive.”
Fam’s parents had been killed when she was young. Because she was part demon and part human, both the humans and the demons had ostracized her as an inferior being. Eventually, she was picked up by a demon and became a spy. She infiltrated the humans, bringing back information and performing assassinations.
None of that was done of her own free will, though. If she hadn’t become a spy for the demons, she wouldn’t have been allowed to live—they would have killed her off long before.
However...
“That is nothing more than an excuse.” Leobolt’s tone was adamant. “If she so desperately wanted to change her situation, there were plenty of other options available. She only resigned herself to serving the demons due to her own weakness. Nobody can change the environment they were born into—they can only change themselves. If they put forth their utmost effort, they can carve out new paths. Had Fam made a serious effort, she could have changed the circumstances she found herself in. Despite that, though, she failed to do so.”
Leobolt seemed to be insinuating that Fam could’ve forced her situation to change if she had actually wanted to. “People make a conscious decision when they choose not to lead respectable lives. That being so, we cannot afford them sympathy.”
In other words, he was saying that she consciously chose to be a pawn for the demons—that if she had wanted to change that, she should’ve tried harder. She could’ve done something if she had put in the effort. Not forcing a change when it was within the realm of possibility meant she “hadn’t put in enough effort.”
As soon as I heard him say that, I knew it would be a massive undertaking to convince him otherwise. Leobolt saw the world from an entirely different perspective than we did.
Does he seriously think Fam didn’t want to change her situation from the bottom of her heart?
The idea that someone can change absolutely anything if they try hard enough only applies to people privileged enough to be in a sufficiently advantaged environment. There are people who end up in environments where it’s impossible to change things no matter how hard they try.
I, for one, can’t put the blame on people who’ve made choices out of sheer desperation to survive—even if their choices turned out to be bad ones.
“She chose to serve the demons of her own free will. Allowing such a person to remain in the Guard Corps is a risk I am unwilling to take.”
Leobolt then cast a glance at Fam. “No... I believe I misspoke.”
A sudden smile came to his lips. Unlike his usual smile, this one had no trace of pleasantness to it; it was a scornful sneer.
I had a bad feeling about what was to come.
Then, he spoke.
“With demon blood in her, she can’t exactly be considered a person.”
Saying that was a critical mistake. He had crossed a line with that. You didn’t just say something like that—not to any comrade of mine, at least.
“Leobolt...”
I felt something snap inside my mind, and my vision began to turn red. Anger began boiling up inside me.
People could have their own opinions about things—everyone was free to think what they wanted. But insulting my comrade to her face was another matter entirely. That wasn’t something I could just let slide.
I took a step toward Leobolt to confront him, and just as I was about to lift him up by the collar—
—Spinoza’s emphatic right-handed jab hit him square in the face before I could get there.
“Guh...?!”
As her weighty punch connected with the unsuspecting nose, the tremendous force caused him to slam back-first into the document-filled shelf behind him. Both Leobolt and the shelf tumbled heavily to the ground together, paperwork scattering around them.
“Spinoza...?!”
I hadn’t expected her to throw hands before I did.
But I was even more surprised that she had gotten that angry at someone insulting Fam. I hadn’t thought that they had been getting along that well. Even Fam seemed taken aback.
“Heh. That was quite the punch you delivered.” Leobolt gave a pained chuckle, pressing a hand against his nose. There were red splotches of blood on the floor around where he had landed. “Spinoza... Do you realize what you’ve just done?”
“Course I do.” Spinoza snorted out a laugh. “I slugged a guy who pissed me off. Simple as that.”
“To think you would actually strike your commander... What an unbelievable display of acting without considering the consequences. You truly are lacking in intelligence,” Leobolt said, staring at her tauntingly. “But what can one expect from a lowly bandit?”
“Wha...?!” A look of dismay appeared on Spinoza’s face.
“Are you surprised? Naturally, I looked into your background as well. That includes the fact that you were once a member of a certain gang of bandits.” He gave a brief smile. “I’ve turned a blind eye to this fact so far. Despite your awful behavior, you do possess great ability—not to mention, you’ve been a member of Sieg’s squadron. However, those days are over. Now that you’ve struck your superior, you cannot go unpunished.”
Then, he finished off his statement with a taunt. “The Guard Corps has no need for a filthy bandit wench like yourself.”
“You sonofabitch!”
“Spinoza, stop!” I stepped in to hold Spinoza back as she lunged for another punch. “Don’t let him goad you—that’s exactly what he wants.”
“I don’t give a shit! I’m gonna rearrange his face!”
“Such typical mannerisms from a savage.” Leobolt smiled as he stood back up, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Leobolt... You asked for that one,” I said. “If Spinoza hadn’t jumped in first, I would have punched you myself.”
“I simply can’t have that, Sergeant. You are an imperative part of the defense of the royal capital,” he said. “Fam and Spinoza, though, are not fit to remain in my Guard Corps. They are not qualified to protect our world.”
“Joke’s on you, I’ve never been qualified,” Spinoza spat.
Leobolt, in a calm tone which seemed to reflect his unwavering will, responded to her venomous outbursts.
“Fam, Spinoza, you are both hereby expelled from the Guard Corps,” he declared.
“Commander Leobolt!” I shouted.
“Challenge this, Sieg, and even you will receive no mercy from me,” he warned. “As I said before, I am the commander of the Guard Corps now. That means squad sergeants such as you must respect my decisions.”
“But...”
“Enough already, Sieg,” Spinoza said, cutting me off. “I’d rather be caught dead than work under a jerk like this anyway.”
“Spinoza!” Seira shouted.
“When I joined the guards, it wasn’t to fight for some grand cause in the first place, y’know. You can go on about the world all you want; I don’t want any part of your garbage ideals.” She turned away from Leobolt and looked over to us. “That guy might be a jackass, but the rest of you were cool to be around. Stay safe out there, ’k?”
With that, Spinoza turned around and walked out of the commander’s office.
“Spinoza, wait! Please!” Seira tried to chase after her, but the door slammed shut before she could leave the room.
“I probably shouldn’t be here either...” Fam said, and began heading for the door after Spinoza.
“Fam!” Seira called out.
“We haven’t been together all that long, but I had fun. It was my first experience having actual comrades.”
With those words, Fam left the room as well. That left only Leobolt, Seira, and me.
The Fifth Squadron had been halved. We were down to just two members.
“Why is this happening...” Seira sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. She must have felt absolutely despondent after losing our comrades to the ongoing internal chaos.
That was exactly how I felt too.