NovelXXXChapter 408 Citrine hadn't planned on lingering—she just wanted to take a quick look from afar and leave. But now that everyone had spotted her, there was no point in hiding.
She curved her lips into a smile, her tone light.
"I heard you lost the last drill. Thought I'd stop by and see how you're holding up.' Despite her words, there wasn't a trace of blin her voice.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAfter what had just happened, the soldiers finally realized how far off their gthey'd been lately.
Hearing Citrine speak, they immediately tensed up, scrambling to assure her.
"Instructor Carmichael, we know we messed up. We swear, we'll train twice as hard from now on!" "Yeah, next drill, we'll wipe the floor with those cocky Magnolia boys." "That's right-next twe'll win, no matter what." Citrine couldn't help but find their eagerness to redeem themselves a little amusing.
She'd seen more battles than she could count, and as she looked at these fresh-faced recruits, she felt a familiar flicker of worry-that's what had brought her here in the first place.
She knew all too well how dangerous it could be for a soldier to get stuck in their own head. After all, she was living proof.
Suddenly, Citrine asked, "Do you all know what the last line of the Vermillion Vanguard's oath really means -'never forget why you started'?" Someone quickly replied, "It means to remember our mission and purpose, always push forward, never back down." "Exactly." Citrine nodded, clearly pleased.
She spoke with quiet gravity, "As soldiers, the most important thing is to hold on to your purpose-to always keep your mission and your country first in your heart." "Maybe you all understand the words, but today, I want you to really feel-this isn't just something to say." Without warning, Citrine shrugged off her heavy jacket, leaving just a tank top underneath.
A sudden flash of pale skin made the soldiers' faces turn ashen; they all spun around in a panic. "Ma'am, we can't look-that would be disrespectful." A few of the younger soldiers blushed furiously, staring at their boots.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Citrine, put your coat back on," Hastings said, his voice tense with concern. "You'll catch cold." But Citrine only gave a silent, wry smile. "On the battlefield, there's no man or woman-just bodies and grit. Turn around. That's an order."
She'd been their instructor for a month now; by this point, her orders triggered the reflexes. Without hesitation, the recruits all turned to face her again, embarrassment giving way to something else. None of their eyes lingered on her skin. Instead, every gaze locked onto the old scar across her upper back.
They all knew what it meant. After countless drills and endless theory lessons, every soldier understood: a every wound that close to the heart-just a centimeter away -was almost always fatal. Hastings stared, stunned, his eyes growing red. "What happened?" he asked quietly. He'd had no idea she'd ever taken a bullet.
Citrine didn't answer him right away.
She turned to show them the scar on her chest, then spoke calmly. "That bullet went straight through me-front to back. For a moment I thought I was dead. But fate had other ideas. I'm still here." As she slipped her jacket back on, her voice was slow, almost casual. "You want to know what happened in that war? Want to hear how I got these scars?"
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