Chapter 12
Soldiers stationed at Ransheen Fortress, with very few exceptions, commute from the town to the fortress.
Those few exceptions are people like Grandfather and Uncle Ruget, who hold high-ranking positions; they have homes in town but also personal rooms within the fortress, so they practically live there.
On rare occasions, royalty or high-ranking nobles visit for inspections or discussions.
During such times, guest rooms are prepared, considering they might stay at the fortress for a few days or even months.
However, the reason these guest rooms were prepared seems to be for His Majesty the King, who visits Grandfather in secret, or for the Prime Minister, who storms in to yell about military funding...
Uncle Ruget lamented that His Majesty seems to mistake this place for a summer retreat or something, while the Prime Minister usually engages in heated debates with Grandfather for three days and three nights straight.
Rona and Rick grumbled that having such high-ranking individuals, whom ordinary citizens rarely get to see, staying casually at the fortress wears on their nerves even outside of training.
The room I was guided to was exactly one of those guest rooms, and the adjacent rooms were prepared for maids or guards.
As the daughter of a Count family, I'm treated as a guest according to regulations, but in reality, for the three years until I enroll in the military school, I'll be training alongside the military recruits.
It's widely known that Grandfather's grandchild is here, but no one would imagine that said grandchild would actually join in the training.
Tomorrow, I'll be shown around the facilities and training grounds within the fortress, as well as make courtesy visits to various sections.
Since I'm just a useless amateur, I resolved to at least not be a hindrance, and slipped into bed with that thought in mind.
"Good morning, Celes."
"Good morning, Rona."
Rona, who came to my room as my guide, was told during yesterday's introduction that there's no need for formal language and that she can call me by a name that's easy for her to use.
At first, she hesitated, saying, "But I'm just a commoner..." but once she sorted out her feelings, she smirked with a rather mischievous face and said, "Well, if that's the case, I won't go easy on you, okay?"
"Since Celes isn't a soldier or even a trainee, the areas I can show you are limited. The Marshal... well, not exactly, but everyone still calls your Grandfather 'Marshal,' so..."
"Yes."
"You can always enter the areas where the Marshal and Colonel Ruget are, the guest room area where your room is, as well as the recruits' training ground and the cafeteria. However, the areas with other senior officers' rooms, the soldiers' barracks, the armory, the drill ground, and the main plaza are off-limits unless you're with me or Rick. Even going into town requires permission, and you must be accompanied by either me or Rick, as we are your superiors. I know it doesn't leave much freedom, but if you break the rules, you won't be able to stay here, so be careful."
"I'm only allowed to stay here because I'm Grandfather's grandchild. If there's anything else I should know, I'd appreciate it if you could teach me as we go."
As we walked through the building, I was shown the emergency exits in each section and the evacuation spots for fortress staff, memorizing them in case a battle breaks out during my stay and I need to evacuate immediately.
After that, we climbed the stairs to the top floor and then descended to the first floor while receiving explanations.
The higher the status, the higher the floor their rooms are on; Grandfather's and Uncle Ruget's rooms, as well as guest rooms for royalty and high-ranking nobles, are on the top floor. The floors below house rooms for senior officers of various units, strategy meeting rooms, and reception rooms—things unrelated to me, so those areas are off-limits.
On the first floor, where the building's entrance is, there are the cafeteria, the infirmary, and the large bathhouse.
Outside the building, to the right where trees grow densely, is the training ground for recruits. To the left, where there's a large dome-shaped building, you'll find the military drill ground, the armory, and the main plaza.
Recruit training has already started, and as Rona led me to the training ground, I saw about thirty new soldiers... collapsed on the ground.
"Looks like their break time is just about over, huh? Don't worry, I'm not saying you'll have to follow the same grueling schedule as them starting tomorrow."
But what I see are countless lifeless bodies sprawled out like corpses...
"Every year, about thirty to forty recruits are assigned here. Both martial and civil officers undergo basic training in the morning. In the afternoon, they move to practical training with their assigned units. Celes, until you get my approval, you'll only be doing basic training. ...Hey, get up already! Break time is over!"
Reacting to Rona's shout, the lifeless bodies slowly stood up, as if driven by some unseen force, and silently returned to their training...
As I stared at them in stunned silence, Rona patted my shoulder with a loud smack and said, "Don't worry. You'll get used to it." All I could do was nod in response.