The Battalion Leader

I had been transfixed by these two figures, so much so that I almost didn’t recognise them as human, hence why it took me by surprise when one decided to speak.

“Pika, why must you make such an entrance every time?”

“Haha, I’m sorry, Asahi, but I’m here on time at least.”

“Don’t you mean ‘sir Asahi’? Did you forget I’m the vice-leader and your superior? I swear that lax attitude is going to get you killed someday, Pika.”

Both the figures before me gripped onto swords, which were held in place by their hips. Asahi, clearly the vice-leader wore a combination of blue and yellow robes in a style reminiscent of ancient japanese clothes, however the colours completely offset any similarities. He seemed to have a strong build and held a constant demeanour of anger.

However, it was immediately clear to me that the woman standing behind him was much more dangerous. She held an expression which appeared like she was looking down on everyone and the clarity in her eyes demonstrated her strength and confidence to me before she could speak or even move. Her long brown hair was tied up in a way that it wouldn’t inconvenience her and she fashioned her posture in an assertive manner.

Pika jumped into the room and strutted towards the 8 silhouettes who were waiting for the briefing in the back of the room.

“So, Miyu, is there anything for us to discuss here? Everything is fine on my end.”

The woman crossed her legs and leant forwards towards Pika intently.

“Tell me, Pika. If you were to stand before the king, would you take such an informal approach? Would you declare yourself to be ‘fine’ and expect to be dismissed, without following proper protocol?”

She spoke with an eerie calmness that ensured everyone would listen to every word she said. In truth, it was her tone of voice, not her words, which demanded respect.

Contrary to my expectation, Pika maintained her relaxed approach, even allowing her lips to creep into a smile.

“Come on, Miyu. Don’t pretend that you’re loyal to the king now. We both know that the second he turns his back, you will reach for your sword.”

“Do you really think I have the strength to do that? Do you truly believe I could stand up to the king? Not a chance. Why do you think I’m enacting his will, acting as the leader of this battalion? Even if I had the intention to kill him, I could never overpower him.”

“Unless we’re given the perfect opportunity,” Asahi interrupted, with a slightly disgruntled tone. Clearly this was not the first time Pika had attempted to antagonise either Asahi or Miyu.

“Exactly. This is why we must follow the protocol to the letter. That way we can earn his trust and try to change him from within his group. Then, if that should fail…alternative measures will be taken.”

“Fine, does anyone actually have anything to report?” Pika asked, growing slightly frustrated by the length of this tedious meeting.

Asahi turned towards me and gave an emotionless, yet terrifying expression.

“Benjiro, you in particular must give your report. Don’t leave out any details.”

“Oh-umm. She seems to hold a lot of resentment for me but it isn’t interrupting her training. Yesterday she gained so much passion in her sparring match against me that it seemed like she was trying to kill me.”

“I see. What have you done to usher her along?” Asahi asked sceptically. My report must have been slightly different to the usual reports Benjiro gave, because he appeared to be hinting towards something that I had omitted.

“Just the usual. I’ve been keeping an eye on her so I can guarantee that she isn’t acting out of line in any way.”

“No. I mean in terms of physical reinforcement.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t forget, I assigned you to Aile to make her suffer. I want you to make her life a living hell. So what have you been doing towards that end?”

Normally, I would calmly accept this knowledge, stating something like “This is valuable information.” But, I found myself engulfed with rage, tensing my knuckles at the very sound of this man’s voice.

All of Aile’s suffering was due to this man. Because he wanted to! For no other reason than that! Aile probably doesn’t even know that the horrible things that have happened to her were because of this man.

My desire to attack this man continued to grow. I knew I couldn’t defeat him in a fight, but someone needed to teach him that it isn’t alright to play with people’s lives. I still remember exactly what I thought at that moment.

“There are three types of people in this world. Good people, bad people and indifferent people. A good person will see litter on the street and clean it up, regardless of if they were the ones who littered. Someone who is indifferent will leave the litter behind, but they will at the very least clean up after themselves. Then, there are bad people. I know what kind of person he is. The kind of person who will cause trouble and never face the consequences. The kind of person who will cause nothing but trouble for good people and feel no remorse.”

Asahi must have noticed the slightly tempered pause I took and so lowered his eyebrows, enticing me to answer.

“You assigned her to me, so she is my responsibility. I’ll decide how I handle her and the best way to complete my job. Just stay out of it!”

Asahi tilted his head to the side as he smiled in an innocent, yet menacing manner.

“Ah, so that’s what you were angry about. You seemed a little off this morning, but I’m glad to see you’ve found that spark once again.”

Asahi held his hands behind his back and walked back to behind Miyu. Miyu rose to her feet and held her hands against her hips, raising her voice so that everyone in the room could hear her with clarity.

“I have noticed some of the civilians’ unrest growing. If any acts of rebellion should break out, then shoot a flare into the sky with your magic and I will personally deal with any heretics.”

Everyone nodded subserviently and bowed their heads towards her.

“Alright, dismissed.”