FVN Chapter 22 : Loving My Comrades, Loving My Country (1)
Chapter 22 : Loving My Comrades, Loving My Country (1)
Chapter 22: Loving My Comrades, Loving My Country (1)It didn’t take long for Walter, who had been quite drunk, to come to his senses.
“What, an assassin barged in?!”
His voice went up an octave, maybe because the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off.
An assassin… an assassin, huh….
Muttering the same word under his breath, Walter’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Don’t tell me that bastard was planning to pin it all on me if things went south…!”’s nest, we needed to be ready for the swarm.
Otherwise, we’d only end up making things worse for ourselves.
Realizing she wouldn’t be able to convince me any further, Rubia finally lowered her head with a reluctant nod.
“…I understand what you mean.”
Even so, her expression clearly showed a trace of disappointment.
I smiled faintly at that.
“Still, it makes me feel good.”
“Huh?”
“…Eugene?”
“After living like trash and barely getting myself together, I thought I wouldn’t have a single ally left in the world. But now… I already have such reliable comrades beside me.”
At that, both of their faces began to redden rapidly.
For Walter, it was probably because he still had some alcohol left in his system. But Rubia—she was practically a human tomato.
Watching the two of them, I blinked innocently.
“What’s wrong with you two?”
“N-nothing at all!”
Rubia quickly turned her gaze away and waved her hand before slapping her knee and glaring at me.
“This is the last time! If something like this happens again, I won’t just sit back and watch!”
With that, she abruptly stood up, snatched the wand I had been holding, and stormed out of the room.
Bang!
The door slammed shut with a loud noise.
I turned to Walter, who was still looking bewildered.
“Professor Walter?”
“Y-yeah?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“W-what kind of favor?”
I firmly grabbed one of his arms with both hands and smiled brightly.
“Come with me to the Imperial Special Task Force.”
At my words—which were enough to sober him up completely—Walter jumped and shook my hands off in shock.
“W-what the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?!”
“I was originally planning to go alone sometime next week, but I changed my mind.”
“Then just go by yourself! Why are you dragging me into it?”
He tried to push me away, shaking his head violently.
But what could he do? Once the die was cast, there was no turning back.
“You still don’t get it?”
“Get what?”
“That being associated with me is to your benefit right now.”
“What are you even….”
He probably wanted to brush it off as nonsense, but choices always come with a price.
“If you were going to refuse, you should’ve done it before hearing me out. Too late now—you’re already an accomplice with that servant.”
Depending on how the other side moved, the timing might change, but eventually, this matter would come to light.
And when it did, Walter would be the first to fall under suspicion.
There was no way he had that expensive Levinel Digitalis just lying around; it must have been supplied by the servant.
Still, Walter was the one who actually made the elixir.
Professors capable of brewing an elixir in a single day were exceedingly rare, even in Karbenna.
Even if he managed to sell it off quickly, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was in a disadvantageous position.
‘Not that I particularly care what happens to this fool….’
But it would be a waste to lose the title of being one of only two professors in Karbenna who came from the Special Forces.
“……”
Finally seeming to grasp the situation, Walter bit his nails nervously and shot me a sideways glance.
“You probably know better than anyone what the Empire and Karbenna are like.”
I drove in the nail with a cold, firm tone.
“If we’re going to fight anyway, shouldn’t we stick together as comrades?”
“…Loving my comrades, loving my country, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
“Haa… I should’ve listened to the Director from the start.”
“The Director?”
Walter clenched his eyes shut, grabbed his hair in frustration, and shouted,
“Damn it, seriously! Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with you!”
Then, rubbing his forehead roughly, he let out a deep sigh.
“…Never thought I’d be saying this to you, but—”
He grabbed my hand again, eyes glistening.
“Please, Carter. I’m counting on you. If I get kicked out of here, I’m screwed—you know what I mean, right?”
“…Yeah, of course.”
I averted my gaze as I answered.
March 5th, Saturday — Imperial Special Task Force.
Inside his private office at the administration section, Eric Belfor was buried under a mountain of paperwork.
Most of it was related to the Eber Suppression Operation. With less than three weeks before deployment, new issues were popping up endlessly.
Of course, there were also trivial reports unrelated to the operation mixed in, and sorting them out was no small annoyance.
As Belfor swiftly divided the papers left and right, his eyes caught on a document with an odd title.
“…What’s this?”
Karbenna 2nd Year Practicum Course: ‘Advanced Beast Combat Tactics’ Cooperation Request
· Overview & Objective
To enhance the practical combat abilities of Karbenna cadets against high-grade beasts and accelerate their mastery of related tactical systems, we request cooperation from the Imperial Special Task Force in conducting joint beast-slaying training.
· Schedule: 77.03.10.~77.06.02. (Every Thursday) 13:00 ~ 20:00
· Location: To be discussed
· Participants: Students enrolled in ‘Advanced Beast Combat Tactics’
· Instructor: Eugene Carter, Practical Tactics Instructor No. 3
· Notes: Details to be discussed during a visit to the Task Force within this week
Frowning deeply as he read, the first thing that caught Belfor’s eye was the instructor’s name.
“Someone get over here, now!”
At his fiery shout, a couple of adjutants rushed into his office.
He waved the paper in irritation and barked,
“Who received this? Check it immediately.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The adjutant ran off with the document and returned in less than three minutes.
“They said a servant from Karbenna delivered it to the Task Force, and the administration section collected it, sir!”
“This part—‘will visit within the week to discuss details’—what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me they’re coming today, right?”
“I’ll confirm right away!”
Just as the adjutant hurried out of the office, another member rushed in, nearly colliding with him.
“Sir! Two visitors from Karbenna have arrived! They said they came directly regarding the cooperation request, but I’m not sure what’s going on….”
“……”
What in the world was happening now?
Belfor brushed past the bewildered adjutants and stepped forward.
“I’ll go myself. You all get back to work.”
The first floor lobby of the Task Force was packed with soldiers.
At the center of the commotion stood two very familiar faces.
As Belfor appeared, the soldiers began saluting one after another.
As the crowd naturally parted, he strode toward the pair.
Seeing him approach, Eugene Carter wore an expression of mild surprise.
“You coming to greet us in person? That’s unexpected, Belfor.”