Cornflower stammered, trying to find an excuse to explain her actions, but before she could say anything, the Military Officer in front of her had already shown a gentle smile and patted her shoulder.
"It's okay, I understand."
Saying so, the Military Officer also turned her head to the direction where Stonegarlic was and clicked her tongue.
Clearly, the respect and influence that this Commander had within their own ranks were far from satisfying.
According to Stonegarlic herself, she really disliked and was not suited for a rear position. She preferred to fight on the frontlines rather than deal with logistical arrangements and paperwork in the rear. Unfortunately, her reassignment to the rear was out of good intentions from her superiors, and she could not refuse it, thus reluctantly taking the position.
As it appeared, her words were no boast; otherwise, the internal relationships within the Legion would not have resulted in such a state.
Nevertheless, the roster for Cornflower's combat squad had been finalized. Whether she liked it or not, the matter was settled, and soon after, she met with her squad members as scheduled.
At the age of 15, Cornflower was of an age that was neither particularly old nor young for a Magical Girl. However, her height was not convincing. To ensure some authority within the team and not to be treated like a child, she kept her expression as serious as possible, earnestly greeted the 11 members, and reiterated the responsibilities of the City Defense Army and the discipline of the squad.
The speech covered the usual maintenance of defensive works, how to deal with potential enemies at any time, how to handle the occasionally appearing Remnant Beasts, as well as the code of conduct for soldiers, and so on.
The military discipline of the Kingdom Army varied in strictness depending on the individual. For ordinary soldiers, the discipline was exceptionally stringent, regulating everything from stance and walking posture to daily habits, ensuring absolute obedience. But for Magical Girls, the rules were far more relaxed, focusing mainly on basic expectations such as subordinates must obey orders and not desert during battle.
Those who initially established the military code probably understood that the strong personalities of Magical Girls could not be easily controlled, and strict repression would only lead to stronger resistance, which is why the rules were made so lenient.
Indeed, this was the case. Even though Cornflower emphasized her role as the team leader and that soldiers should obey and respect their commanders, after her team speech concluded, she was still surrounded by a few older Magical Girls who treated her like a child, bombarding her with questions, with some even pinching her face.
It took considerable effort to dismiss these unruly team members, but Cornflower certainly did not forget her real purpose for coming, to meet with that 10-year-old team member—Nim Kregios.
While she may only look like a child on the outside, being a Magical Girl, her actual strength and battle experience were not an issue. However, this young team member was genuinely a child, and her qualifications were obviously below the standards of the Kingdom Army. To prevent her from becoming a weak link in future battles, Cornflower certainly needed to provide some guidance in advance.
However, to her surprise, before she could seek out this young member, another person took the initiative to come to her.
"I'm terribly sorry, Commander."
The first thing the visitor did upon meeting was not to exchange greetings, but to apologize—and it was not a mere formality, but a deep bow, almost lowering her head to the level of her abdomen.
Cornflower, new to the team, didn't know the name of the person before her. It was only after comparing the name with the list that she realized the identity of this Magical Girl:
—Nina Kregios, 14 years old, the elder sister of the 10-year-old member Nim, and also a member of her squad.
The reason both sisters were in the same squad was actually due to Nina's request to the Commander: her younger sister was too young, and if her enlistment in the army was unavoidable, then at least she wanted to be in the same team as her sister.
As it turned out, Commander Stonegarlic had indeed agreed to this request. Moreover, she had taken special care in selecting personnel to ensure the team's Commander was someone she found trustworthy. Through this entire process, Cornflower ended up being the unlucky one.
It was impossible not to have feelings about the situation. Cornflower was not against helping others, but she did not like being forced into the role of a nanny; these two things were not equivalent. So she admitted that even though the responsibility for the situation did not lie with Nina but with the military's higher-ups for drafting an immature combatant, her attitude upon meeting the older sister for the first time was not exactly amiable:
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I... I just can't stop worrying about my little sister. So, I asked the Commander to arrange for my sister and me to be in the same team."
The girl named Nina looked thin and small. Although she had transformed into a Magical Girl, her black attire still gave off a somber impression. She bowed deeply to Cornflower, then raised her head, her slender neck instinctively shrinking as she spoke with an uneasy expression, "I know my sister is very immature and will definitely hold everyone back, so I'm sorry..."