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Chapter 30
The admirals before her eyes were famous even outside the military.
They were living legends who had each made their mark in the Adlabore Counteroffensive seven years ago.
And Noah had no real connection to any of them.
“I may know Principal Voltria by face, but…”
Even then, she hadn’t met him once since graduating from the academy.
The more she thought about it, the stranger the situation felt.
So Noah looked for the only person here she could feel at ease staring at—
the one who had summoned her here, Colonel Ice.
“…Ahem.”
Sensing her gaze, Colonel Ice gave an awkward cough, breaking the heavy mood among the admirals.
“Well now.”
Brigadier General Orin, commander of the Ingress Special Operations Squadron, smiled with her eyes.
“To think we called you here only to act so rude.”
With her tidy ash-green hair tied neatly back, she resembled a gentle cleric more than a soldier.
That alone eased Noah’s tension a little.
“We only came to greet you and give a bit of advice.”
“Advice, ma’am?”
“You’re marrying Vice Admiral Oceanus, aren’t you?”
The one who asked was Rear Admiral Classis, commander of the First Fleet.
His unkempt gray hair was tied back in a short ponytail, hinting at his free-spirited nature.
“…Yes.”
Hearing the very subject she expected tightened Noah’s nerves once again.
“Oh, there’s no need to look so frightened.”
Rear Admiral Classis laughed heartily.
“We’re not here to oppose the marriage. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“The opposite…?”
“It feels rude to speak ill of someone who isn’t here, but…”
At last, Brigadier General Kirko, commander of the Eighth Squadron, spoke up.
“Vice Admiral Oceanus is…”
Contrary to his quiet navy-blue hair and subdued demeanor—
“…a complete bastard.”
His tone was blunt and merciless.
The admirals immediately agreed, as if that summed it up perfectly.
“…That’s not really fair.”
Behind her calm face, Noah silently defended Leto.
Sure, he had a twisted tongue and came off unpleasant, and he rarely shared his true feelings, making him easy to misunderstand.
But in truth, he was like a soaked puppy—utterly hopeless when it came to honestly expressing himself.
“…Not that anyone else would believe that.”
She knew only she saw him that way.
“Well, it’s enough if I know.”
Just as a faint sense of possessiveness began to well up—
“There’s no one who needs marriage more than that man.”
Vice Admiral Voltria paused as he reached for his pipe, catching sight of the “No Smoking Indoors” sign.
“All that bluster just shows he’s weak inside.”
Noah’s eyes widened slightly—the observation was so sharp it was almost the perfect answer.
“Still, I suppose his eye for people isn’t so bad.”
Vice Admiral Voltria gave Noah a sidelong glance, openly appraising her. Yet it wasn’t an unpleasant look.
“If anything…”
Just as Noah began to grasp what that gaze meant, Brigadier General Orin spoke.
“To meet you suddenly and say all this… it must seem strange, even shocking.”
“Not at all.”
Noah denied it.
But Orin smiled knowingly, as if she saw through her.
“…He’s a precarious one.”
“……”
“How could he not be?”
The counteroffensive seven years ago had only succeeded because of a single man’s sacrifice.
The kingdom showered its war hero with praise and countless rewards.
But not everyone. Especially not the war. It had left the destroyer of the enemy—its very ender—with horrific scars.
“That man was never talkative.”
Vice Admiral Voltria gave a wry chuckle.
“Even in war, he never spoke more than was needed…”
He trailed off, but Noah understood.
She was just too stunned by the new information to respond.
“But the little he does say now… it’s like iron rakes tearing up a field. Cruel and cutting. He’s only grown better at sarcasm.”
At Kirko’s words, the others chuckled in agreement.
“Even if he speaks more, his bad habit of bearing everything alone hasn’t changed.”
Rear Admiral Classis gave Noah a probing look.
Catching his eyes, Noah quickly averted her gaze. There was no need to test her—she already knew.
Not long ago, she had lashed out at Leto precisely because of that bad habit.
“Our calling you here is… a kind of meddling.”
Brigadier General Orin spoke on behalf of the group.
“Please take care of the Vice Admiral.”
That single line carried the heartfelt sincerity of all present.
“…Well, meddling’s just an excuse!”
Rear Admiral Classis roared with laughter.
“We’re really here to ask you to make a man out of Oceanus.”
“That’s the truth.”
“He’s only grown sly with age…”
“Still, just in case, I’ve got the business card of a good divorce lawyer…”
“You damn fool! He finally found someone to hold his reins—you dare spout such ill omen?!”
Vice Admiral Voltria barked furiously.
Divorce, he would never allow.
“…My apologies,” said Colonel Ice afterward.
“It’s fine…”
In the end, all the admirals had wanted to tell Noah boiled down to one thing:
“Turn that man into a proper human being!”
“At last, the bastard’s met someone who can hold his reins.”
“Marriage will smooth out his rough edges.”
“Still, keep that lawyer’s card just in case.”
It was a half-hearted blessing for a wedding, but Noah felt secretly glad.
Just knowing there were people who cared enough to worry about Leto made the meeting worthwhile.
Leaving the conference hall, the two walked outside toward the command office.
The sky was brilliantly blue, the breeze gentle—perfect spring weather.
“You know as well as I do…” Colonel Ice began.
“…he rose too high, far too young.”
Noah listened quietly.
“He became a national hero while still a boy, hailed as an unprecedented genius, the Navy’s second-in-command.”
“……”
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
“You mean, because his rise was so unusual, there are petty fools who envy and resent him.”
“You’ve quite the sharp tongue yourself, Captain.”
Are you already becoming like him? Ice chuckled bitterly. But Noah had struck at the truth.
“…Isn’t it laughable?”
His gaze darkened.
“You know about the fire at the naval port seven years ago, don’t you?”
Three drunken knights—including one from the Delat family—set the port aflame, causing catastrophic damage.
Ships bound for the kingdom were destroyed, derailing entire plans.
Even emergency repairs would have taken months.
“And that’s when the Vice Admiral appeared.”
Uncommissioned, not even past graduation, he strapped on an untested prototype weapon and ran across the sea for days.
He cut a path to the capital, rescued the isolated army, and tore down the imperial banner.
That “Glorious Week” was what had brought Leto Oceanus to where he was today.
“Glory, they called it…!”
But when the young hero returned home, what awaited him was envy, jealousy, and vile schemes.
While the world praised that week as noble and great, Colonel Ice had burned with bitter rage.
“……”
Noah stood in silent sympathy.
‘I’m more popular in all the wrong ways.’
She suddenly remembered Leto’s joking words.
“I never hated the military more than I did then.”
Those sworn to defend the nation had branded the man who saved it as a threat to their own positions.
Even the king himself.
“What did the Vice Admiral say, then?”
“Didn’t Vice Admiral Voltria already tell you?”
Recalling that day, Ice gave a hollow laugh.
“…He said nothing at all.”
Even as others, like Ice himself, burned with rage, the one who bore it all had simply smiled, as though he had expected nothing else.
“Still, fortune had its timing.”
The ailing king collapsed during a meal.
His heir, the crown prince, recognized Leto’s achievements and promoted him directly to Rear Admiral.
“And the people who helped make that possible… were the very ones you just met.”
As he finished, Colonel Ice halted.
“Captain.”
Noah, a few steps ahead, turned back.
“…What happened with Major General Flancy was because the Vice Admiral wanted to protect you.”
Noah nodded.
“I understand that now.”
“This time too, the reason no one at headquarters was promoted—including you, though you were the prime candidate—is part of the same.”
The decision to deny promotions entirely, even Noah’s, had stirred no small amount of controversy.
Yet Leto had offered no explanation.
“Couldn’t he at least tell you his reasons?”
“There’s no need. Better not to stir the pot.”
“……”
“They’ll just assume it’s another of the mad dog’s antics. That gives them time to dig up Flancy’s corruption.”
“…Vice Admiral…”
“I’m used to being blamed. It’s nothing new.”
Leto had always wielded his own reputation like a shield.
“He takes it for granted that he’ll be hated. I can hardly bear to watch.”
“……”
“He’s still so young…”
His emotions boiling over, Colonel Ice stopped talking, staring blankly ahead for a long time.
Noah didn’t break the silence.
‘He’s been bearing it all alone, hasn’t he.’
Before meeting her.
And even after.
For seven years, Leto had endured and ignored the foul, self-serving vultures around him.
His growing sarcasm and slyness were perhaps nothing more than defense mechanisms.
If he let his guard down, they would tear him apart.
The ambitious men in power.
“Captain.”
Pulled from her swirling thoughts, Noah focused again on the man before her—
a comrade who had watched over Leto’s seven years closer than anyone else.
“I don’t know if I have the right to say this, but…”
Before returning to the command office, Colonel Ice had words he needed to speak.
