2.
“You’ll be staying here. We’ll assign three servants to you shortly.”
Lancel, who had become a Senior Officer overnight, was assigned quarters on the highest floor of the naval base.
The suite offered a panoramic view of the sea and archipelago.
It consisted of three rooms, a living room, a bathing facility, and a private toilet.
Compared to the mansions on land, it might seem somewhat modest for a noble’s residence. But considering the Navy’s culture of cramming soldiers into cramped, chicken coop-like quarters under the guise of fostering resilience on cramped ships, this suite was practically a palace.
“It’s so spacious…”
As proof, Marigold, who had followed Lancel, kept exclaiming in awe, her eyes darting around the rooms.
‘This girl, who was the daughter of a count’s family just four years ago, is already completely immersed in the Navy. To look at a room like this with such envious eyes…’
Moreover, the Marigold Count’s Family was renowned as one of the wealthiest noble houses in the Empire.
Marigold had lived her entire life without ever lacking anything, surrounded by the care of countless vassals.
“Haah… It’s so vast, it’s almost impossible to explore it all in a single day.”
“Don’t exaggerate. It wouldn’t even take a minute.”
Yet now, she was gazing at even such modest facilities with eyes that sparkled enviously.
Five years.
It seemed like more than enough time for Marigold to become a commoner, in both body and soul.
‘Should I consider this adaptability a good thing…?’
Lancel, being human, couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity deep down.
“Hey, Mary! Put that down before you break it!”
“Ah! I didn’t mean to!”
“Be careful!”
Startled by her superior’s sharp tone, Marigold’s hand slipped, sending the vase crashing to the floor.
“Ugh!”
“No!”
Crash!
The vase shattered into pieces.
“Aaaah!”
“Mary! You’ve done it again! Another accident!”
“I’m so sorry! I’ll clean it up right away! I’ll clean it up right away!”
“Of course you’ll clean it up! What else would you do? The cost of the vase will be deducted from your next paycheck, so keep that in mind!”
“Hic— Yes, Sir!”
Tears welled up in Marigold’s eyes as she began gathering the porcelain shards.
“……”
“Please understand, Sir Lancel. She’s still a young Navy recruit.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Just clean it up neatly.”
“Did you hear that, Mary?”
“Yes, Sir! I’ll clean it up! I’ll make sure not a single piece is left!”
What could Lancel do?
Marigold was Marigold.
“Ahem.”
Just then, Lancel turned toward the entrance at the sound of a voice.
“Ahem.”
A naval officer in a pristine white uniform leaned against the dormitory entrance, drawing Lancel’s attention.
“Seeing that you’ve taken the room next to mine, it’s reasonable to assume you’re a knight as well, wouldn’t you agree? I can’t recall the last time a knight joined the officer corps.”
The man slicked back his neatly combed hair with a hand, his voice dripping with an oily smoothness that sounded like he’d swallowed a bowl of grease.
Three rapiers hung conspicuously at his waist.
“What are you doing, Private First Class Mary? You haven’t introduced me yet.”
“Ah, ah! Yes, Sir! This is… uh… um…”
“…?”
“Th-th-this is… a very high-ranking…”
Marigold’s eyes darted around in confusion. It was clear that she either didn’t know his name or had forgotten it.
“Um… uh… hmm? That…”
A vein slowly bulged on the officer’s forehead. Unable to watch any longer, her superior stepped forward.
“This is Lord Rox Ruin, successor to the Count Ruin family.”
“Ah, I see,” Lancel replied with a hollow reaction.
It was a name he already knew.
In fact, he doubted that there was anyone in the archipelago who wasn’t aware of the name.
After all, the House of Count Ruin…
“His Excellency Count Ruin is an elder who leads one of the six alliances in this archipelago. Lord Rox here is his eldest son.”
In short, they were of extremely high status.
This was indeed the truth.
Count Ruin was the highest-ranking figure in the entire archipelago. As the head of one of the Empire’s few truly prestigious “Naval Noble Houses,” he pushed all his children—sons and daughters alike—into the Navy the moment they could walk.
“Ahem.”
Rox puffed out his chest and smoothed his lapels, a display of confidence that seemed to say, “This explanation should make my greatness clear, right?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“……”
Rox’s face twitched at Lancel’s dry, emotionless response.
‘I understand you’re impressive, but it’s not enough to impress me.’
Having reached a point where he felt nothing even in the presence of a royal family, the son of a count’s family was hardly worth his notice.
“If you’re done here, you two can leave. I want to wash up and lie down to rest.”
“Ah, understood. Let’s go, Mary.”
“We’ll see you again, Sir Lancel!”
Marigold and her superior retreated.
Lancel slowly closed the door, meeting Rox’s dazed gaze.
Creak.
Slowly.
Bang!
“Ow!”
The sound of Rox’s grumbling retreat after hitting his nose echoed through the corridor.
It hadn’t been out of malice. Lancel simply had no desire to befriend the guy. The slicked-back hair, plastered with excessive oil, was just too off-putting.
That was all.
Slam!
The door to the adjacent dormitory slammed shut violently.
3.
———
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
Schedule for the fourth week of July:
Monday – Naval Dock Deep Cleaning (Location: dock, deck).
Tuesday – Post Office Mission (Location: naval post office).
Wednesday – Archipelago Maritime Patrol (Location: sea).
Thursday – Archipelago City Patrol (Location: archipelago).
Friday – Monthly Regular Training Evaluation (Location: archipelago beach).
Saturday – Monthly Regular Training Evaluation (Location: archipelago beach).
Sunday – Combat Rest Day.
※ A new officer has arrived! I’m worried about whether he’s a good person, but somehow they don’t feel like a stranger. This week too, I’ll live each day bravely in the Navy! Strength, Stamina, and Condition have gone up!
———
Baron Coral, who hadn’t yet assigned Lancel a proper position, told him to stand by for the time being.
Standby.
‘Stand by, huh?’
To Lancel, those words meant nothing more than “go relax and enjoy yourself.” He resolved to follow Baron Coral’s instructions faithfully.
‘The standby period for new recruits is a sweet deal!’
[Monday: Naval Dock Deep Cleaning (Location: dock, deck)]
“Scrub those decks until they shine! Anyone caught slacking off will be assigned a task so engaging, they’ll forget all about sleepiness! Do you understand, Mary?!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“You call that scrubbing? Put your back into it! Like this! Like this!”
“Y-yes, Sir!”
The naval officers groaned under their officers’ relentless shouts, and Marigold’s name rang out repeatedly amidst the chaos.
“Mary!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Maryyyy!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Mary, you idiot!”
“I’m sorry!”
‘How peaceful.’
Lancel watched Marigold tumble around with a relaxed gaze.
“One more mistake and you’re getting disciplined! Understand?!”
“Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir!”
A constant stream of minor and major mishaps.
‘She’s such a troublemaker.’
Occasionally, Lancel spotted Marigold hanging out with her junior colleagues in secluded corners.
“You guys saw it too, right? This Navy base can’t function without me. So many people are looking for me, it’s a real headache every day, honestly.”
“As expected of Private First Class Marigold!”
‘What is she even saying?’
The juniors didn’t seem entirely convinced, but Marigold’s ego swelled whenever she was around them.
[Tuesday: Post Office Mission (Location: naval post office)]
“Let’s go.”
The next day, Marigold donned a form-fitting outfit and plunged into the sea, a large, waterproof wooden barrel strapped to her back.
“Ruby, I’m counting on you.”
Whoosh!
Marigold could be seen riding on the back of a whale, heading far out into the ocean.
In the archipelago, even delivering mail was a task handled by a Navy officer.
Suddenly puzzled, Lancel spoke up.
“Is it really appropriate to entrust post office duties to a mere Private First Class? There must be letters for nobles in there too. What if she loses them?”
“You mean Mary?” Baron Coral exhaled a plume of cigarette smoke, his gaze following her receding figure.
“Well, she doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. But the whales obey her remarkably well, despite appearances.”
‘The whales? They obey her?’
“It’s almost like she can talk to them. When we ask others to do it, they spend ages just trying to calm the whales down. Sometimes they can’t even get them to move.”
Now that he thought about it, Lancel couldn’t recall ever seeing those temperamental whales defy Mary.
He himself had tried countless times to ride the whales whenever he visited the island, but he’d never succeeded. The creatures were notoriously wary of strangers.
‘So Marigold has a knack for this, huh?’
At least she’s not completely useless.
‘Well, makes sense. She’s the protagonist, after all.’
After all, she once had grass growing out of her head. Communicating with animals wasn’t exactly surprising by comparison.
Lancel next encountered Mary, still carrying her mailbag, during a stroll to the harbor.
“Mail’s here!”
“Hey, Mary! You’re working hard! Come over and have a bite!”
“Hehe, should I?”
“Of course! Come on in!”
Marigold joined the sailors who were grilling lobsters and eagerly began devouring them.
“Thank you for the meal!”
“Come back whenever you’re bored!”
Whenever she had a spare moment, she would slip away to explore.
She picked fruit, dug for clams, chased schools of fish, or drifted alongside the fishermen’s boats to chat.
She delivered letters while indulging in as many distractions as possible.
By the time the letter pouch was empty, the entire sea was draped in a crimson sunset like a vast carpet.
“Time to head back now that we’ve had our fun, Ruby.”
In a way, she was truly living her life to the fullest.
‘She’s living an even more peaceful life than I am.’
Lancel had a feeling he might be able to spend this iteration in relative comfort.
Even though he was busy, being in the Navy guaranteed at least basic food, clothing, and shelter.
“I’ll assist with your bath, Sir Lancel,” a maid said to him that night.
Lancel closed his eyes, letting the maids tend to him. As the hot water poured over him, he briefly imagined what life might be like in the archipelago, including Marigold.
‘It might not be so bad after all.’
Yes, perhaps this iteration could be a good one.
Even if he had spent his vacation relaxing without a care in the world, he would have inevitably worried about what Marigold was doing and where she was.
A part of him would have lingered on the possibility that she had met a truly terrible end.
Considering that, seeing Marigold safe and sound now might actually make this a better vacation.
Even if she had become a naval officer.
After all, the archipelago was a peaceful place.
.
.
.
“Pirates!”
“All hands, prepare to set sail!”
The next morning, the alarm bells at naval headquarters rang out with a deafening clamor.
Officers and enlisted personnel alike rushed out in droves, scrambling aboard their ships.
