The sound of the door closing echoed clearly in the office.
Iden performed a salute without delaying a beat.
The angle of the hand, the height of the gaze, even the polite silence without chanting.
It was a motion he had practiced until cramps came during that time.
Nevertheless, the gaze flying from the front was unusual.
Erwin Vermir's eyes were venomous.
They were sharp, and it seemed like some unknown resentment was also mixed in.
Iden felt anxiety for a moment.
'...Did I do something wrong?'
His brain rolled quickly.
Whether the salute deviated from regulation, whether the uniform button position was wrong, whether the shoulder angle was subtly low.
It was fine when practicing, but now that it was real, his fingertips felt unnecessarily heavy.
"..."
Erwin didn't say anything for a while.
She just scanned Iden up and down.
At that gaze, Iden felt groundless tension.
Then Erwin inhaled deeply.
It was a long sigh as if suppressing emotions once.
"...."
Erwin returned the salute silently.
Even if he was the figure directly causing the budget cut, it was true that he established a great merit for the North's security.
Erwin also didn't seem to intend to deny that fact itself.
However, since the stress of budget cuts accumulated from several years ago reached the peak, having one more mouth to feed couldn't be welcome.
Furthermore, she couldn't understand why a person who received the [Official Wintel Recommendation Letter], called a gift from god, bothered to apply to this shabby place.
If taken a bit cynically, it felt like being mocked.
Budget allocation is supervised by Hamelon Main Castle, but the reason presented there was 'relaxation of tension due to the capture of the Northern Barbarian Chief', and sending 'the one who captured the Northern Barbarian Chief' to the Engineering Unit from such a place was no different from being humiliated from Erwin's perspective.
Just clarifying friend or foe.
The place to be angry at isn't Iden but Hamelon Main Castle.
No, to be precise, her father and Lord, Valewin Vermir.
"..."
Iden lowered his hand.
The strength in his subtly stiff shoulders relaxed a little.
He spoke clearly.
"Reporting for duty as Engineering Unit Senior Adjutant."
Erwin neither nodded nor smiled.
Instead, picking up a thin baton, she rose from her seat and began to slowly circle around Iden.
Footsteps were regular, and gaze was sharp.
She was extremely curious about his motive for applying here, but Erwin decided to follow the order.
Right now, she had to inform him about the discipline, physiology, and reality of this place.
"Whatever you did before coming."
Erwin spoke.
"Whatever you received before coming."
She stopped behind Iden's back.
"This place is the military."
It was a short but neat declaration.
"Here, we move by thorough hierarchy and obedience. Achievements, fame, recommendation letters before Engineering Unit Senior Adjutant? Such things are meaningless from the moment you wear this Engineering Unit uniform."
Erwin tapped the epaulet of the uniform Iden wore with the thin baton.
Iden caught his breath and fixed his gaze.
"I judge by results."
Erwin's voice lowered.
"The moment it is judged that you cannot fulfill your duties as Senior Adjutant, I will cut you off by the Engineering Captain's discretion."
There was no emotion in those words.
Rather, it was excessively realistic.
To Erwin, Iden was not yet a person nor a subordinate.
He was closer to one head count to manage, one snout to reduce.
The budget decreased, and to protect existing personnel, useless seats couldn't be allowed.
Erwin, who circled once, stood in front of Iden again.
"Did you understand."
"Understood."
Only then did Erwin turn her head and call someone towards beyond the office door.
"Melissa."
The door opened and a junior adjutant entered.
Neat attitude, fast steps. A woman whose appearance suited a strategist rather than an adjutant.
Erwin looked at Melissa and pointed at Iden.
"Senior Adjutant. Guide him to the Engineering Unit."
After choosing words for a moment, she added.
It was a word containing a stuffy bitter taste.
"Show him the reality first."
She didn't know what kind of romance or expectation he came here harboring, but Erwin saved the words that if he faced reality, he would run away without looking back.
Iden offered a salute.
This time there was no shaking, and Erwin also accepted the salute without delay.
"Then I will take my leave."
"Okay."
And leaving the door, Iden realized.
This wasn't a welcomed seat.
This was a seat where one could survive only by proving.
And that was exactly the place he wanted.
"This way."
Iden followed behind Melissa towards the Engineering Unit sector.
As they left the sector in charge of administration and reception inside the main castle, the scenery changed drastically.
It was a face completely different from Hamelon's exterior which looked gold-plated.
Stones were worn, and traces of temporary reinforcement remained here and there under the castle walls.
Patched iron plates, hastily filled cracks, temporary supports. Defense facilities that would have looked fine from afar were revealing anxious inner flesh as he approached closer.
Iden naturally slowed his steps.
"This is... the overall sector managed by the Engineering Unit."
"Yes."
Melissa nodded.
"Castle walls, moats, traps, even siege response devices, everything."
Iden examined the surroundings without a word.
If it was this degree, he understood.
Why this city was selected as the first attack point of the Northern Alliance Tribes.
The outside is flashy, but the inside was always a temporary measure.
Money was used in visible places, and invisible dangers were being pushed back.
He suddenly became curious.
"But if you are a Junior Adjutant, there should be a Senior Adjutant above you. Where is that person?"
Melissa paused for a moment, then tilted her head.
"No."
And she spoke casually.
"I am the only adjutant."
Iden's gaze returned to Melissa.
To think Melissa, with a small physique coming up to about his chest, was the only adjutant of the unit responsible for the outer castle's defense.
That means, the organizational chart of senior and junior adjutants was formed as he came here.
"...."
Melissa smiled awkwardly.
"Originally there were two more adjutants, but now it's just the Captain and me."
For a moment, Iden couldn't say anything.
The Engineering Unit is the core unit of city defense.
The inner castle is at least protected by the defense guard, but the defense of the outer castle is solely responsible by the Engineering Unit, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say the victory or defeat of a siege depended on its capability.
However, the fact that there is only one adjutant responsible for that practical work was telling more than any explanation.
Safety insensitivity.
That word floated in his head.
The judgment that it's okay because it doesn't collapse right now, and the illusion that it will endure in the future because it endured until now.
Only then was the reason Hamelon is defeated in 1 year clearly understood.
The moment money needed for prevention is considered waste, it starts to break.
And most start rotting from the inside and collapse by themselves.
Hamelon was already rotting under the brilliant city view.
"It's serious. How did it become like this..."
It didn't make sense.
Especially since this is a place touching the border line.
Even though the Northern foreign tribes are in a lull state, a border adjacent city is a place that must always be prepared for invasion and air raids.
But how did it become this state.
Melissa, grasping that doubt, continued immediately.
"It's budget shortage. The Captain is barely operating it while even donating her salary. She visited dozens of times because of the budget, but what came back every time was only the word 'moderately'."
"Moderately...? Has the Lord not seen this outer wall?"
Iden pointed at the outer wall supported by temporary supports.
Melissa pushed out her lips poutingly.
"Gold coins in front of eyes make eyes blind, you know?"
"...."
Iden recalled the main castle soaked in bluff and vanity.
And recalled the appearance of Lord Valewin soaked in greed and debauchery.
It was natural for a sigh to leak out subsequently.
Hamelon was not defeated.
Hamelon had collapsed.
It seemed this 1 year would be busier for Iden than compressing the past 2 years.
Melissa didn't seem to dislike such a reaction from Iden.
Rather, her expression became much brighter.
"Still, now I'm not alone."
She spoke honestly.
"Just that alone is good."
Iden looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly and nodded.
And turned his steps silently.
Melissa asked from behind.
"Where are you going?"
"Going to the Captain."
"...."
At Iden's firm words, Melissa just stood blankly and looked at his receding back.
Iden, arriving at Erwin's office again, checked his uniform and appearance, then knocked politely.
Knock knock.
—Come in.
Iden entered the office.
And watching Iden opening the door and entering, Erwin thought inwardly.
He must have seen the reality of the Engineering Unit.
And if he is a human with a sense of reality, he would have concluded that this seat is like a rotten egg.
Furthermore, if he has the Official Wintel Recommendation Letter, there would be plenty of safer and more comfortable paths.
"What is it."
At Erwin's question, Iden chose words for a moment, then opened his mouth.
However, those words were far from Erwin's expectation.
"Do you happen to have a spare room among the officer rooms?"
Erwin's gaze shook subtly for the first time.
"...What?"
An incomprehensible faint smile hovered on Iden's face.
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