It seems that Lilith is not a dependent of Kanata, but a necessary family member.
I trained my Wolf Eye until I could see the bottom of my Nenshin Power. The difference between me and Marika-san is efficiency. It seems I’m using Wolf Eye over a wide range even against a single enemy. I need to improve that. The more powerful the weapon, the easier it is to dig your own grave.
“♪♪♪~~♪~♪♪~~. A spacious kitchen with high firepower is great, isn’t it? It makes my arms tingle.” Lilith seems to like the luxurious kitchen, which is incomparable to my room.
“What’s on the menu for tonight, Chef?”
“Pirozhki and Beef Stroganoff, I learned both from Tatiana, so you can expect good taste.”
Pirozhki and Beef Stroganoff are Russian dishes in my original world. So, it’s the authentic taste, huh? Here, it’s not Russia, but Lucia.
“I’m looking forward to it. Then, let’s have Vodka for drinks.”
And after waiting for 20 minutes, the Pirozhki & Beef Stroganoff and a Chicory Bacon Salad were ready. Lilith is truly a great cook. She made a lot, but it was all delicious and I ate it all. I was looking for a can of Oil Sardines because I wanted to drink a little more, but I found something even better.
A can of caviar, how nice.
“There were crackers too. I prefer my caviar on bread, but when putting it on crackers, it’s best to use a pure gold spoon to avoid metallic taste.”
As expected of a Count’s daughter, she knows a lot. But I know it too. My father liked caviar.
“Alright, but pure gold and pure silver tableware too, huh? This is truly a luxurious room.” Well, I’m not Jean Valjean, so I won’t steal. And… unlike him, I won’t repent. I had no choice but to live this way. But I’m glad I came to the Garden. I am a sinner, and I will live selfishly for my own convenience. The difference between me and Agito is that I have comrades I don’t want to lose, but that’s just me wanting to keep them. To that end, I won’t hesitate to be ruthless to enemies who stand in my way, which is even more selfish, but I won’t waver. I’m sick of being manipulated by someone else’s intentions. But I’ll dance on this stage of war, by my own intentions. While I was sipping Vodka, Lilith was reading a thick textbook of curriculum that I should be reading at an incredible speed.
“It’s not even taking 20 seconds to read a page. The Commander’s admiration is warranted. But for you to read my textbook too, you must really like reading.”
“… I’m not reading because I like it. It’s necessary.”
“Necessary?”
“Yes, although the curriculum is riddled with corruption, it wasn’t established to facilitate that corruption. It was originally established to teach the knowledge necessary for an officer to entrust their subordinates’ lives to them. That’s why I will remember it. My role is to support you, Warrant Officer, when you become a commander.”
A commander? Me?
“Whoa, whoa, I have no intention of becoming a commander. The reason my promotion is fast is because I have a dependent (Lilith), and this is compensation for that…”
Lilith closes the textbook and faces me.
“I’m not a dependent family member, I’m a necessary family member, right?”
The meaning of “necessary” is different, but she is indeed necessary. I need Lilith.
“That’s right. Then, Lilith, my necessary family member, I have no intention of becoming a commander.”
“Even if you think so, Warrant Officer, what about Iska and Marika? Think about it for a moment. If it were just about financial compensation, they could just give you money. Iska is the Alliance’s number one millionaire, you know?”
That’s true. The Commander is rational and doesn’t care about formalities. Giving money would be much quicker.
“Then, what? Are they rushing to make me an officer to make me a commander?”
“It’s probably not immediate, but I think that’s the case. Marika probably wants to swap you with Hotaru.”
“Hey, hey, there’s no way I can be the Company Captain of the Hotaru Squad. Marika-san knows the delicate relationship between me and Hotaru.”
“Then, let me ask, among the four Company Captains, who has the lowest direct combat capability? Yes, yes, I know you can’t answer, but you know the answer, right? Yes, it’s Hotaru.”
“Hotaru has the rare talent of being able to activate multiple Insect Users and is equipped with specialized apps. It’s inevitable that her combat ability is affected. However, Hotaru’s role is to be the eyes, no, the compound eyes of the Crystal Widow.”
“That’s precisely why. We will execute tactics that utilize mobility based on the tactical information provided by Hotaru. Hotaru is an indispensable key person for the Crystal Widow. What would you do if you were the enemy, Warrant Officer?”
What Lilith is saying is correct. Hotaru covers an irreplaceable section and has inferior combat ability.
“I would consider her the top priority for elimination. If we want to break the Crystal Widow, it starts with Hotaru.”
“That’s why Marika wants to focus on tactical support from Shiranui or the command vehicle. However, she is still much stronger than an average Company Captain, even if she is the weakest among the four, so there are times when she has to be deployed near the front lines.”
“In those cases, you assign Natsume as a detail to deal with soldiers with nicknames, right?”
“If Natsume had the aptitude for command, I would have made her a Company Captain and assigned Hotaru to support. But unfortunately, Natsume is…”
“She’s a typical one-man, no, one-woman army. She’s the type to get results by acting alone rather than commanding. Even if she overcomes her social anxiety, her leopard-like personality and behavior won’t change.” I don’t want her feline-like traits to change, because they’re charming. The roles of calmly acting are sufficient for Gen-san and the Curry Guru.
“Then, a guy who dances with Natto Bacteria appeared. A cunning mind, high physical abilities, and Nenshin Strength, plus Psychokinesis and Wolf Eye. It’s natural to consider replacing the Company Captain, isn’t it? Even if it’s not a replacement, but to form a 6th company and assign the Hotaru squad to specialized support duties, it’s natural to want to do so. If it were me, I would do that.”
That might be true. No, it would definitely strengthen the First Unit (Crystal Widow). But right now, rather than that discussion… I activated my Drinking Buddy to remove the alcohol. Then, I picked up the textbook and made a request to Lilith.
“Whether I become a commander or not is just a hypothetical for now. What needs to be done now is that I need to become stronger in terms of knowledge. Lilith, please read the text and give me a lecture on the important parts. Especially pick out the parts that directly relate to the lives of our allies.”
Lilith whistles and then says, “You were planning to get through the exam by cheating, weren’t you? What kind of change of heart is this?”
“I realized that my assumption that studying is meaningless was just my own delusion. Even if I don’t become a commander, that knowledge will surely be useful to me and my unit. Even if it’s not useful, it won’t be a burden, so there’s no reason not to do it. If I can’t make it by the final exam of the curriculum, I’ll use that method (cheating). But I intend to continue studying even after the curriculum ends.”
Lilith gazes at the cracker with caviar on it and says, “Since we’ve opened the caviar, why don’t we drink slowly tonight? If you plan to continue studying after the exam, there’s no time limit.”
“I’ll eat it because it’s a waste, and I’ll drink alcohol too. After I’ve made some progress with my studies. Please, my charming night owl teacher.”
“Okay, I’m weak to your flattery, Warrant Officer. … However, that’s exactly it.”
“What is?”
“The reason why you’re suited to be a commander. When you deem it necessary, you don’t hesitate to change your approach and take the necessary measures. You’re not afraid to learn from others. It’s important not just for survival, but for ‘making others survive’.”
Lilith always overestimates me. I want to live up to that expectation, but… I’ve changed since coming to this world. … No, I should say I had to change to survive.
“…To survive without changing, I must change, huh?”
“Oh, that’s a good line. I’ll add it to your Kanata quotations.”
That’s not my line. It’s from the movie “The Leopard,” from an old aristocrat. More precisely, it’s from a conversation between a young man and an old aristocrat. … I will live as the Leopard taught me. To survive, I will not fear change.
…But I won’t change the framework of my soul. There’s no point in living if I’m no longer myself.
I’m posting this while eating a morning set at Yoshinoya (lol)
