Charalad shook the documents in his hand and saw a smile appear on the old commissar's face. "This is what I learned in the Krieg regiment—helping them communicate better with others. You could say we're the only ones with any humanity in this pile of corpses."
"That's... incredible..."
Charalad took the documents from the old commissar and roughly skimmed through them.
They contained all sorts of information: interactions between the regiment and civilians, between the regiment and other Imperial Guard units, between the regiment and the fleet, and even dealings with the Adeptus Mechanicus.
"The easiest ones to deal with are the Adeptus Mechanicus. They're just as ruthless, though their ruthlessness points in a different direction from the Krieg soldiers'. Compared to everyone else, they seem especially 'approachable.'"
"That... wasn't funny."
"Hahaha..." The old commissar chuckled softly, unconcerned by Charalad's awkward expression. "You need to learn to find joy amid hardship, kid. Otherwise, how long do you think you can last in a place like this? Sooner or later, you'll shut yourself away."
"If that really happens, I'd rather die charging forward..."
The old commissar lightly clapped his hands. "Very good. With that resolve, at least the Krieg soldiers won't shoot you for refusing to retreat."
A violent cough burst from Charalad's throat. He stared at the old commissar in disbelief. "So what I heard was true? They really execute commissars who try to make them withdraw temporarily?"
"That's right, and they do it quickly and steadily. I guarantee you won't feel a thing."
Charalad's expression turned bitter. At last, he understood why, when he had left the Schola Progenium, those teachers had looked at him as though he were already dead.
"But... there are exceptions."
"Exceptions?"
"Me. I successfully talked the regiment I served with out of multiple suicidal