A world where the game Ashen Valkyrie had become reality.
In this world, it was considered impossible for humans to survive outside the cities.
There were two main reasons for this.
The first was the existence of the Erosion Species — among them, a particular type known as the Reaper.
Its ability was nothing less than detecting the presence of humans from dozens of kilometers away.
Erosion Species were already far more dangerous than tigers or bears to begin with.
And a monster like that was hunting for your life from a distance you couldn't even perceive?
Any sane person would naturally barricade themselves somewhere safe.
The second reason was Erosion Particles.
Erosion Particles were an unidentified substance that broke down human reason.
With prolonged exposure, they could even warp the body into something inhuman.
The problem was that they were evenly distributed across the entire continent.
*The reason they go to the trouble and expense of creating Valkyries… is because the Stigma acts as a filter against Erosion Particles, or something like that.*
In any case, for those reasons, cities held a special significance for humanity.
The only spaces where people could be guaranteed safety.
The towering walls dozens of meters high that encircled each city were, in particular, symbols of that safety.
And so, without fail, the condition of those walls was inspected every single day.
That work was commonly called a wall patrol.
"……"
"……"
A patrol unit walking along the outside of the wall in a march-like formation.
Six members in total. Me, the Commander, and the Rabbit Hole Squad.
By now, it was a combination I'd grown quite accustomed to.
But the atmosphere hanging over us today was completely different from before.
What drifted through the air here was a cold silence — the kind that made it hard to open your mouth.
*Well, of course they're angry.*
The reason the mood had turned this way was simple enough.
The Commander had picked a fight with the Rabbit Hole Squad out of nowhere.
And not just any fight — he'd said exactly the kind of thing that would make your blood boil the moment you heard it.
— *From the previous Commander's assessment, it seems your cooperation leaves something to be desired. I wonder if people like you are even capable of protecting me properly.*
— *Ugh….*
The moment Yubina heard those words, she clenched her fist tight.
She was a sloppy girl with a half-baked attempt at refined speech.
But there was a reason she led a squad as colorful as this one.
She was also the type who showed no mercy to anyone she'd decided was an enemy.
Which was why, before the Commander changed, Yubina had apparently been at the forefront of pushing back against the previous Commander's abuses.
And now, the new Commander she'd finally gotten seemed like he wasn't much different from the last.
She looked like she was feeling both disappointment and anger in equal measure.
*My, my — it seems his acting skills improve by the day. Saying things you don't mean isn't easy.*
As someone who was also working hard to perform the role of Leila, I found myself quietly impressed by the Commander's abilities.
How difficult must it be to condemn someone with words you don't believe?
I almost wanted to eavesdrop on the turmoil going on inside his heart right now.
Well then — since the Commander was putting in that much effort.
Perhaps I should play my own role as Adjutant faithfully in return.
I approached Promina, who was walking nearby, and spoke to her.
"Promina. This is the Commander's and my first wall patrol — would you mind giving us a detailed walkthrough?"
"Oh, um…."
"……"
"Commander. Is that all right?"
"……Do as you like."
I'd asked the Commander as humbly as I could manage.
He thought about it for a moment, then answered with an air of complete indifference.
An attitude that said he had no interest or attention to spare for whatever I did.
I'd been half-hoping to get a little more of a scolding, so I was mildly disappointed.
Still, there would be plenty of opportunities ahead.
I listened as Promina told me about the wall.
Of course, being in my 3rd loop, I already knew everything she was saying.
With one ear letting Promina's voice drift through.
I stole a glance at the Commander's back as he walked ahead.
*Why bother coming out on a wall patrol at all?*
Honestly, there was no real reason for him to be here.
The Commander held the highest-priority rank at the branch.
And a wall patrol was about as basic as duties got.
If I had to put it in terms of an analogy — it was like a battalion commander pulling guard duty.
So there had to be a reason behind this choice….
For now, I'd just watch quietly and let him do as he pleased.
If this had been me up until yesterday, I'd have been anxious not knowing what he was planning.
But the me of today had a certain ease about her, in more ways than one.
*Good thing I installed those cameras.*
That was probably the source of my psychological comfort.
Sooner or later, I'd catch him in an unguarded moment.
There was no need to fidget around like a puppy desperate for a bathroom break.
But perhaps letting my guard down like that had been a mistake.
Not long after, something happened.
An Erosion Species appeared near the wall.
"Erosion Species ahead! It's a Devonir!"
"Not a particularly difficult enemy. Commander, please step back!"
The Rabbit Hole Squad and I stepped forward as if to shield the Commander.
A Devonir was an Erosion Species that looked like a bear's body with a mantis grafted onto it.
But its threat level was the lowest possible — Pawn class.
With this much firepower, it was practically overkill.
"Hiyaah! Hh, hwaaaaah!"
But just as I was about to enter combat alongside the Rabbit Hole Squad.
The Commander let out a scream and bolted backward at full speed.
It was so sudden, so completely out of nowhere.
Even I, who had been watching him, was slow to react.
"C-Commander?!"
"What are you—!"
"I'll handle the Devonir! Leave the Commander to me!"
"Yes! Please, Leila!"
The baffling situation of the Commander fleeing from a weak trash mob.
I asked the Rabbit Hole Squad to take care of the Devonir.
Then I turned and sprinted after the Commander as he disappeared into the distance.
Even accounting for my slow reaction, the gap in physical ability between a human and a Valkyrie was overwhelming.
Within just a few seconds, I spotted him.
"Commander!"
"D-don't come… hgk!"
But the problem was where he was standing.
The Commander was teetering at the edge of a steep slope that looked genuinely dangerous.
The moment I appeared, he suddenly swayed and lost his balance….
And tumbled right down the steep incline.
Genuinely startled — just slightly — I leapt after him down the slope.
And caught him in a firm embrace before he could hit the ground.
The world spun around me as dirt and rocks from the slope battered my body roughly.
"Ngh, hah…. That was close…."
I fell to the ground with the Commander and looked up.
The slope had been fairly high — four meters, at least.
Enough that anyone who fell would break at least one bone.
*It's not like dying would matter — I'd just regress. So why did I panic?*
I laughed at myself inwardly as I checked on the Commander in my arms.
Fortunately, having caught him before he hit the ground seemed to have spared him anything life-threatening.
But he was wincing with his eyes shut, clearly in pain from some injury.
"Ugh, ngh…."
"Commander. Are you all right?! I'll take you to the infirmary right now!"
But there was no way to undo the impact itself.
There was a chance something in his body had broken.
I carefully lifted him into a princess carry.
Then leapt lightly back up to the top of the slope in a single bound.
Still, I had to admit — I was a little speechless.
Because I'd caught what the Commander had done just before he fell.
*That just now… he saw me coming and jumped on purpose, didn't he?*
This man was never the type to be frightened of Erosion Species to begin with.
I still remembered how he'd tried to protect the Valkyries when I first met him.
In other words — he'd deliberately said cruel things to Valkyries he'd been on good terms with.
He'd screamed and pretended to flee in terror from an Erosion Species.
And he'd even gone so far as to throw himself down a slope.
What on earth was he doing all of this for?
*Could it be… this man….*
Only then did I begin to dimly grasp the Commander's purpose.
The reason he needed to be hated by the Valkyries on purpose.
And what he stood to gain from it.
If I was right… this was a rather inconvenient development for me.
"L-Leila! What on earth…."
"The Commander has been injured. We'll head back to the infirmary first. Could I ask you all to handle the rest of the patrol?"
"That's… understood. Leave it to us."
I returned to the Rabbit Hole Squad and explained the situation.
Perhaps because they'd seen the Commander screaming and running away.
The looks they gave him were tinged with something like contempt.
After that, I re-entered the city with the Commander.
Without caring about the stares, I headed with him to the infirmary.
From here on, things were going to get a little important.
*
"It's a fracture. There's a crack in the leg bone. The wound itself should heal in three days, but… even so, it would be better to rest for about a week until it's fully healed."
The medic explained the Commander's condition in a businesslike tone.
A cracked bone healing in just a week.
It made me freshly appreciate just how advanced the medical technology of this world was.
Even so, the Commander seemed displeased with the news.
He scrunched his brow sharply, one leg now in a cast.
Then he snapped at Yubina, who was standing to one side.
"Tch. Useless lot. You should have protected me properly so I wouldn't get hurt!"
"Ugh…. I'm s-sowwy."
It was, of course, a completely unreasonable accusation.
The reason the Commander got hurt was entirely his own doing.
He'd panicked at the sight of an Erosion Species, run away, and tumbled down a slope.
The Rabbit Hole Squad bore not even a fraction of the blame.
But between a Commander and his Valkyries, this kind of absurdity was accepted.
Valkyries weren't treated as equals to humans in the first place.
A human Commander was far more important than a Valkyrie a dime a dozen.
Perhaps this level of character was simply the average for Commanders.
Before long, the Rabbit Hole Squad was dismissed and driven out by the Commander's order.
He looked at me, still standing there, and his expression twisted sharply.
"You too — get out! I can't stand the sight of you!"
"Commander. I'm your Adjutant, so I need to stay by your side."
"Ha — you're ignoring my orders? A mere Valkyrie."
"Even so, for the Commander's safety…."
I looked at him as though this was the one thing I couldn't concede.
What mattered here was showing a different attitude from everything up until now.
If what I'd shown so far had been a sense of duty as an Adjutant.
What I was showing now was something closer to anxious unease — a restless reaction, as if I were afraid.
*Commander, you made a mistake. Leila is the type who hates seeing others in pain…. What were you thinking, getting hurt in front of her?*
Perhaps it was the sight of me looking like I might crumble if he refused.
The Commander, who had been trying to drive me away, seemed unable to push any harder.
The standoff continued, and in the end, he turned his head away with a curt *do as you like.*
In the moment he averted his gaze, a flash of anguish crossed his eyes.
He was probably under considerable stress in real time right now.
As I'd thought… even being the villain wasn't easy.
I smiled to myself in secret, and quietly took the Commander's hand.
"Commander. I'll help you to your room."
"What?"
"Because you getting hurt is entirely my fault. Use me however you like."
*I'll follow any order you give.*
I looked up at him where he sat on the bed, kneeling before him.
So that I could plant as much suffering as possible deep inside his heart.
No matter how many times he pushed me away, I had no intention of leaving.
"I, I don't need your — do you intend to make me into some fool who depends on a Valkyrie?"
"I don't mean to…."
"Ha. You're looking down on me in your heart too, I'm sure. I will never trust a Valkyrie."
The Commander knocked my hand away and reached for his crutch.
It seemed he intended to return to his quarters on his own.
Even with the elevator, it was quite a distance from here.
I followed him as he left the infirmary.
And pleaded with him to let me help.
The stubborn Commander had no intention of giving in easily.
We bickered back and forth like that all the way to his quarters.
And when we finally arrived — I stepped boldly inside his space without a moment's hesitation.
The Commander stared at me with an expression of genuine bewilderment.
"What… you, who said you could just walk in here…."
"You've injured your leg. I'll help you."
"Get out."
"W-washing up, I'm afraid I can't really help with that, but…."
"Get out right now!"
"Ngh… please, just let me help you…!"
But the Commander had no way to physically remove me.
The difference in strength between us was already significant — and now, with an injured leg, it was even more so.
I stood my ground like a dog on a leisurely walk, refusing to budge.
The Commander's face scrunched into a grimace, and he let out a long sigh.
"Haah…. Fine. Then from now on, you'll handle all the chores. And don't you dare set foot anywhere near the bedroom."
"Yes! I won't go anywhere near it!"
"Tch."
The Commander turned away as if he'd said everything he had to say.
Then, leaning on his crutch, he disappeared toward the bathroom.
I straightened up from my bow, a smile on my face.
*Good. I'll use this chance to install a camera in the bedroom.*
I had no intention of letting this rare opportunity slip by.