The Zyphran Dominion’s military, known as the Bundesritter, was divided into four primary divisions; the Army, the Navy, Exorcists, and the Information Domain Service.
Naturally, Karina enlisted in the Bundesritter Navy, the same branch where Vice Admiral Roman Neuschwan served. A man she suspected to be closely related to her stepfather, Romulus Neuschwan.
Training was brutal.
It reminded her of her academy days back in Aetherion, but this… this was something else entirely. It was much harsher and less forgiving. She hadn’t anticipated it being this intense. It was leagues above anything she had experienced before.
There were days during that first month where she wanted to cry.
To vomit.
To quit.
But she didn’t.
Because she had resolved herself to meet the Vice Admiral.
To uncover the truth about Romulus. To know who her stepfather really was, where he came from, and what kind of man he had been.
At first, the idea seemed like a reckless pursuit, borderlining foolishness.
But as time went on, Karina began to see the value in it. Rising through the ranks brought its own advantages. Access, stability, protection. Perhaps even power.
Was she doing it for resources?
For financial security?
For recognition?
For a sense of purpose?
To simply escape everything in Aetherion?
Perhaps it was all of those things.
But one thought lingered more deeply than the rest.
Revenge.
Karina had done her thorough research into who Vanitas Astrea truly was. And the more she uncovered, the clearer it became.
He was a man with too many sins to count.
Of course, he must’ve had his reasons. Over the months she’d spent working under him, Karina had come to understand a part of him, or so she thought.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it?
Did she ever truly know him?
Or had he only shown her what he wanted her to see?
That question haunted her. And the confusion it sowed only deepened when news came of his death—followed, by his return.
It was then Karina understood.
He was a liar.
Every answer he had ever given her was a lie to save himself. And she foolishly, desperately—had wanted to believe them.
They were lies that comforted her.
Lies that she wanted to be true.
Lies that gave her a moment’s peace.
And lies that shattered her heart, knowing the person she believed in, had sought comfort in, was nothing but a lie.
She had already known everything he had told her was a lie.
But the betrayal stung nonetheless.
She knew that if they ever spoke again, if they sat across from one another for a so-called heart-to-heart, he would lie. Again. And again.
So why bother?
There was no need to ask, nor any point in pleading with a man who refused to be truthful to her.
In the first place, she had already pleaded.
So, if she wanted the truth, she would find it herself.
And it would all begin once she figured out who her step-father truly was.
Riiing—
The agonizing sound of the alarm tore through the silence of the barracks.
“Ugh….”
Karina groaned, her brows furrowing as she squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her pillow around her head in protest, only for her efforts to be proven useless.
She exhaled sharply, sitting up as the cold Zyphran morning air met her face. Her limbs ached from the previous day’s drills, and her muscles screamed in pain.
Every fiber of her body begged her to lie back down.
“….”
But she didn’t.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, steadying herself as the fatigue settled in her bones.
“….”
Then, her gaze shifted upward to the top bunk, where her roommate was still sprawled out, dead to the world. The alarm, somehow, didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.
Karina scowled, reaching up to yank the blanket.
“Wake up, Adele.”
“Nnh…” came the groggy groan in response.
Her roommate, Adele Schneider, buried her face deeper into the mattress.
Karina crossed her arms. “Five more minutes, and the instructor’s going to toss you into the training pool half-dressed again.”
A muffled sigh followed before Adele responded. “You’re evil…”
“I’m saving you,” Karina replied.
She moved toward her locker, beginning her morning routine. She put on her uniform, laced her boots, tied her hair back, then put on her military cap and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Behind her, Adele finally stirred.
“You ever take a break?” she mumbled, hanging upside-down from the bunk like a disheveled bat.
Karina didn’t answer right away. Her expression remained neutral as she buttoned the final clasp on her uniform.
“If I do, they’ll dock my meals again,” Karina stated flatly. “I only just managed to earn that ration increase.”
Adele sighed, rolling onto her stomach.
Karina smirked slightly, grabbing her gloves. “If you put in as much effort as I do, maybe you’d get the incentive too. Hehe~”
Adele groaned. “Right… effort…”
It had to be said. Among the current batch of Bundesritter Navy cadets, Karina and Adele were squarely at the bottom.
Others were advancing steadily, some were excelling, others were scraping by.
But the two of them?
They were consistently last.
Whether it was combat drills, tactical simulations, or even basic physical conditioning, they barely made it through most days without being singled out by the instructors.
And yet, they endured.
“I think they’re hoping we quit,” Adele muttered, pulling on her own wrinkled uniform.
“Probably,” Karina replied, adjusting her collar. “But I’m not going anywhere.”
“You can’t,” Adele added flatly. “We’ve got toilet duty today.”
“….”
Karina blinked. As if the words had only just registered.
“Ugh,” she groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “I’d actually forgotten…”
Adele smirked, slinging her belt over her shoulder. “Look at the brightside. It means we’ll be pushed back on the list for two weeks… again.”
“Right. Love your positivity,” Karina deadpanned.
Despite the grim start to the day, the two left the dorm together, stepping into the crisp, cold air of the Zyphran base as they took in the sight of the daily morning drill.
Soldiers jogged past them in perfect formation. The sound of shouting officers echoed across the parade grounds. Boots stomped, drills whistled, and the world moved on without waiting for stragglers.
Karina and Adele, side by side, quickly joined them.
“Huff… Huff….”
They didn’t have the grace. And they were certainly not in sync.
But they moved forward anyway.
* * *
After the grueling morning drills, Karina and Adele were promptly pulled aside and handed their next assignment.
Toilet duty.
No surprise there.
Armed with gloves, buckets, and enough disinfectant to fumigate a battlefield, the two spent the next hour scrubbing away at stalls that looked, and smelled, like they hadn’t been cleaned in a century.
It was thankless work, but they completed it without complaint.
By the time they arrived at the canteen, most of the cadets were already finishing their meals.
Karina and Adele trudged toward the counter, uniforms damp from sweat and sanitation spray, feeling their stomachs growl.
“I swear, if they’ve run out of eggs again…” Adele muttered.
“If they’ve run out of anything but that gray soup, I might riot,” Karina replied dryly.
It didn’t take long before they received their trays; protein loaf, steamed greens, and the infamous gray soup. Karina stared at hers for a long moment.
“….”
Her incentive bonus—just for today—hadn’t applied. Meaning the upgraded meal she worked so hard for never came.
“Still better than the toilets,” she said at last, settling into her seat.
“Barely,” Adele replied, plopping down beside her with a dramatic sigh.
They were given five minutes to finish their meal. And so they ate in relative silence, methodically chewing through the bland rations.
Once done, Karina returned her tray and made her way to the sink. The cold water stung her hands as she washed them clean of lingering disinfectant and powdered soup mix.
That’s when the mess hall doors slammed open.
Bang!
An officer stepped inside.
——Attention, all cadets!
The air shifted instantly.
——You are all requested to report immediately to the south training field. A high-level inspection is taking place. The Vice Admiral has arrived early!
“….”
A chill ran down Karina’s spine.
Vice Admiral….
There were 23 Vice Admirals across the entire Bundesritter Navy. But if it was who she hoped it might be…
“….”
Without a word, Karina quickly dried her hands and stepped away from the basin.
* * *
Cadets lined up in perfect formation beneath the ever-bleak Zyphran winter, where the cold bit through skin and bone like it was bred into the air itself.
Officers stood at the front, their postures straight. And at the center of them was a man in a white naval coat, adorned with medals and insignias.
——This is Vice Admiral Neuschwan. Salute!
In unison, every cadet snapped into a salute, hands raised, posture locked as the sound of boots crunched against frost.
“….”
Karina’s gaze locked on him immediately.
Roman Neuschwan.
He walked down the line, inspecting the cadets with stern eyes.
“….”
Would he stop?
Did he even know who she was?
She held her breath.
Karina had several theories in mind as to why Vice Admiral Roman Neuschwan had come to this specific barrack.
——You.
And he did stop.
——Yes, sir!
But not in front of her.
——Fix your salute.
The cadet stiffened and corrected his stance immediately as his hands trembled slightly under the Vice Admiral’s gaze.
Karina remained still but her peripheral vision never left Roman.
He continued down the line, offering curt corrections, minor adjustments, so on and so forth.
Then, once the inspection was complete, he turned and walked toward one of the officers at the front, exchanging a few quiet words.
Karina couldn’t hear what was being said, but she saw the officer’s eyes widen.
Then, slowly, his gaze shifted.
“….”
To her.
“….”
Her heart skipped a beat.
“….”
And then, Roman Neuschwan turned.
Their eyes met, this time with no ambiguity, and he moved to approach her.
“Cadet,” he said.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
He eyed her for a brief moment before continuing.
“You’ll report to the officer’s hall. One hour,” he said.
Karina hesitated briefly, and said, “Understood, sir!”
* * *
“You see, I came to this barracks because I heard something… interesting.”
Before Karina was none other than Vice Admiral Roman Neuschwan, sitting behind the borrowed officer’s desk. It wasn’t his office, but he had all the rights to use it.
“Word reached me that someone here claims to be a relative of mine,” he continued. “A relative… who doesn’t share my surname.”
Karina swallowed. Her throat felt dry, but she held her ground.
“Show it to me.”
“P-Pardon, sir?”
“The insignia,” Roman said flatly. “You have it, don’t you? Show me.”
“Ah… yes…”
She fumbled, reaching into the inner pocket of her uniform. She pulled out a rusted insignia that bore the crest of the Neuschwan Family.
She placed it gently on the desk.
“Hm…”
Roman’s gaze dropped to the item. He stared at it for a long, silent moment.
The room felt heavier.
Finally, he leaned forward, picking up the insignia between two gloved fingers. He examined it for a moment before looking back at her.
“Where did you get this?” he asked.
Karina hesitated for a breath, then straightened her back.
“It belonged to… my stepfather, sir.”
“Stepfather?” Roman repeated, a hint of disbelief in his tone.
“Y-Yes, sir!” she stammered. “I’m not sure what relation he holds to you, but… his name is Romulus Neuschwan, sir!”
The moment she said the name, Roman’s expression shifted. His brows lifted slightly, and his eyes widened, just barely, but enough for Karina to tell he was shocked.
“Romulus…?” he repeated, then narrowed his gaze. “Stepfather? Him?”
“Y-Yes, sir!” Karina affirmed again.
A heavy silence fell between them.
Then Roman leaned back in the chair, resting the insignia carefully on the desk.
“Romulus… is my younger brother,” he said quietly.
Karina’s eyes widened slightly, though she tried to keep her composure.
Roman didn’t speak right away. His gaze dropped once more to the insignia.
“I haven’t heard that name in over a decade,” he murmured. “He abandoned the Neuschwan name and disappeared without a trace. Your profile says you’re from Aetherion. You’re telling me Romolus was in Aetherion this whole time?”
Karina swallowed hard. “Y-Yes, sir! He married my mother when I was ten. I… I lived with him for years, sir.”
“So that brat was shacking up with a woman who already had a child?” he muttered. “Tch. He’s always been a disgrace to the family, but I never thought he’d stoop so low—”
“He’s gone, sir.”
Roman paused, the air in the room suddenly growing heavier.
“Gone?” he echoed.
Karina’s throat tightened, unsure of how to phrase it properly.
Murdered?
Maybe.
But she had no proof, nor any way of knowing if what she suspected, if Professor Vanitas truly did kill him.
One wrong word here could trigger questions, suspicions, consequences she wasn’t ready to face.
And somewhere, buried under her hurt and resentment, buried deep within her heart, she still wanted to believe in justifications.
It was the least she could do for a man who had shown her nothing but kindness, despite it being possibly a lie, too.
So she chose her words carefully.
“Yes, sir… Four months ago. He passed in a hospital bed.”
“….”
Roman’s expression didn’t shift, but something behind his eyes hardened.
“Four months…” he repeated quietly, then folded his arms. “So that’s how it ends.”
Karina kept her eyes forward, her heart pounding in her chest.
“He never mentioned family, sir,” she said. “Not once. Not even in the end. So, I came here of my own accord after finding out about you, sir. I wanted to meet you.”
She inhaled, steadying her voice.
“I wanted to understand. What kind of man he was. What his life was like before Aetherion. Why he married my mother… Even if some questions can’t be answered, I still want to fill in the gaps by myself.”
Her gaze softened, just slightly.
“For what it’s worth… he was a kind and warm man. I wasn’t his real daughter, but… I might as well have been.”
Silence fell between them. Roman’s jaw tensed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke.
“Then I’m sorry to destroy your image of him.”
He paused.
“But Romulus… was a coward.”