Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume14 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 2===

After a while…

“Hi, Tia-chan. Can you speak right now?”

While the base vehicles were in transit, the wind washed over Frolaytia’s hair and skin on the flat top of a structure the same height as a two-story apartment building. The young man addressing her from her laptop screen with a gratuitous Island Nation honorific had longish silver hair and wore a black tailcoat fit for a Halloween party. He would have looked perfect playing the piano or violin, but Frolaytia knew his hands were unimaginably rough when he removed his white gloves.

There was a simple reason for this: the sheathed katana supported between his neck and shoulder instead of a brass instrument.

Frolaytia narrowed her eyes in slight exasperation.

“We are in the middle of a military operation. I cannot afford any delays to the timetable.”

“Oh? But I thought you were in a blank area instead of a battlefield country. Does that mean that the world is a dangerous place wherever you go? I do hear that you can find suspicious commandos hidden in safe countries too.”

“How did you learn what the 37th is doing? Not even a noble should have access to that information.”

“Ah hah hah. It’s nothing like that. You know how much I dislike dangerous military matters. I don’t need to get involved in any of that because I can just ask my friends around the world.”

“…”

That silver-haired man seemed to be stating the ideal for humanity, but Frolaytia knew from experience that those ideals never won out when some power was added into the equation.

This man was a Legitimacy Kingdom noble, but he was also extremely obsessed with charity work. He had never once really felt the value of money, so he would spread around stacks of cash like he was tossing a bit of spare change into the donation box next to a convenience store register. He would feed hungry children, develop a vaccine for an epidemic spreading across the battlefield, and give a chance at employment for youths who were once a part of a criminal organization and had nowhere to go. It all sounded nice, but the amount of money he invested was often so large that the power balance of that region would entirely collapse.

It was like sending out a bomber and airdropping containers stuffed full of cash.

It was a unilateral attack from safe countries to battlefield countries.

The worst part was his utter lack of a long-term view. He would decide everything with a single click made after happening across a banner ad.

But the busty and silver-haired commander’s troubles did not end there.

“By the way, I am actually in North America for some fun right now. The Greater Canyon sure is amazing. They’ve turned the old underground missile silos into geofront cities. It’s been so long since we last met, so how about we get something to eat together? I’ve actually been resisting getting one of those famous gigantic burgers for that.”

“Wait.”

“Hah hah hah. I can hardly wait and I would love to have a long chat with you, Tia-chan, but I won’t be listening to a lecture. The Greater Canyon is only a blank area, so there is nothing at all wrong with a civilian group visiting for some sightseeing and trade.”

“How many private troops are you parading around with as a Legitimacy Kingdom noble? You might have more people than the 37th, but I haven’t heard a word about this!”

“Oh? I wasn’t trying to hide it, but perhaps someone down the line thought it would be best to keep things quiet. A butler or maid maybe. …I teach them to follow the beloved Island Nation’s rules by figuring out what they should do before being asked, but I seem to have found a downside to that.”

“…”

“Now, now. This isn’t that bad, is it? You weren’t sent out here to wage war, Tia-chan. You’re just crossing the Greater Canyon to show the safe countries how strong the equilibrium between the Capitalist Corporations and Information Alliance is.”

This should not have been acceptable, but whether the country followed monarchy, parliamentarism, capitalism, or socialism, the military was never structured by the book. The unreasonable aspects of a human-made system always snuck in. But even if it was someone three levels higher than Frolaytia who had done something, it was she who would have to wrinkle her brow over it.

“If no one follows the rules, then the system we call war will come along to fill the holes in society. And it’s not going to ask nicely.”

“Oh? Such profound words for a cowgirl major in a cow-print bikini and a cowboy hat.”

Frolaytia tensed and looked back down at how she was dressed.

She was just thankful she had not been smoking her ''kiseru''.

“Ah hah hah! You always look so glum criticizing my charity work, but it would seem you’re giving back to the local people too, Tia-chan. Could you not shake the peddler children from your uniform’s sleeve? Yes, yes. We must ensure the world is filled with kindness, not shellfire.”

“~ ~ ~”