86 - Volume 9 - Chapter Ep

EPILOGUE

THE CLOCK TICKS ON, EVEN IN THE CROCODILE’S STOMACH

By the time Lena and the others returned to the Rüstkammer base, reports of the operation with the Theocracy military and their army’s situation had been airing for several days on the news. Also, through what might or might not have been a misunderstanding, the Myrmecoleo Regiment helping pick up the airborne battalion following the Halcyon’s defeat had somehow been dramatized into them “rescuing” the Eighty-Six.

“It’s not wrong, but it’s a very…embellished story.” Lena managed to frame it in the most diplomatic way she could.

Gilwiese (who was described as a young noble loyal to the archduchess) and Svenja (who had her young age of ten omitted and was called a “peerless beauty”) drew much of the media’s attention. The news program almost felt like a tabloid. Lena regarded the whole situation with an ironic smile.

In the six months since the Strike Package was first launched, the media and public had begun regarding their military accomplishments and success as something to be expected. They were getting bored of it. Now they had a fresh topic to draw their attention; they needed new heroes to look up to.

Lena noted with a strange smile that, perhaps in contrast to Svenja, Gilwiese wouldn’t be quite pleased with this attention. Grethe simply shrugged.

“I’d imagine Archduchess Brantolote pulled strings to make that happen. That’s the reason that regiment exists anyway.”

“And they decided to play the jester for the sake of distracting the masses,” Vika added in a matter-of-fact tone. “An archduke wouldn’t glorify the acts of their own soldiers solely for the sake of hogging all the spotlight.”

Lerche, who had her repairs completed while the Strike Package was in the Theocracy, was standing behind him as always. He then looked down at the paper that had just been delivered from the Federacy’s integrated headquarters.

“We can’t very well let the media report this, after all. Until it can be put to practical use, you must keep it hidden even from your own civilians, lest the Legion somehow learn of it.”

“—Yes.”

Since their operation in the Fleet Countries, the Strike Package had been given another directive, on top of destroying important Legion positions. They were to capture the control cores of Legion commander units.

During these simultaneous raids, not only did Shin’s 1st Armored Division succeed in this task, but the 2nd Armored Division and a Free Regiment that was attacking another position also retrieved the control cores of some Weisel units.

And the results of those endeavors were the small mountain of papers piled up in front of them. Indeed, these were paper documents, not electronic, which were usually used by the Federacy. This was a precaution meant to prevent the Legion from somehow tapping into this vital information.

“Technical spec sheets for a mass-produced Morpho, the Noctiluca, and the Halcyon. And more importantly, location data for multiple Legion command positions. This is a major haul.”

“Yes. And if that’s the case, then…”

The whole way from the Theocracy to the Federacy, five Processors had confessed their feelings to Kurena, for whatever reason.

They knew Kurena pined for Shin, and upon hearing that she’d finally come to terms with her feelings, they all stopped by to express their own feelings for her. Two of them were acquaintances of hers, two she’d barely spoken to, and one of them was a guy the same age as she was from her platoon. He said he’d hid his feelings, but he had always admired her.

Being desired was awkward in that ticklish way. But while she did appreciate them being considerate of the situation, she couldn’t help but feel oddly annoyed at the fact that they’d all effectively waited for her to be rejected.

With that odd emotion brewing in her mind, Kurena walked down the base’s corridors. Turning a corner, she ran into Theo, who had just happened to leave his room.

“Oh, hey, Kurena. Welcome back.”

His tone was light. Same as always.

“Thanks… Finally out of the hospital?”

“Yeah, I was discharged a short while ago. Came in today to pick up my things.”

Something was sticking out from his sleeve in place of his missing left hand. It was…not a prosthetic limb, but rather, a hook, for whatever reason. Noticing Kurena’s gaze, Theo chuckled.

“Oh, this. Cool, isn’t it? Captain Ishmael sent it to me.”

Kurena felt guilty thinking about this, both for Theo and Ishmael’s sake, but…it struck her as eerie.

“It, uh, y’know… It makes it look like a crocodile ate my hand.”

“Oh… That. Well, I guess that’s true for pirates…”

He held up his hook hand while carrying a large bag on his shoulder. Those were probably the things he stopped by to get. And since his room here was technically his “place of residence,” the fact that he came to pick up his things implied something.

“…You’re retiring?”

The smile faded from his jade eyes as he peered back at her. There was no anger at her touching on that wound, or sorrow. They were serene. Like lukewarm water.

“Well, I’m not planning on doing that. Not yet anyway. I need to go into rehab, though, and since I’ll be working in a different branch of the military, my curriculum’s gonna change, too.”

He couldn’t remain a Processor in the armored branch. So instead, he would go down another path. Away from this base. And perhaps, he would leave the military altogether.

“I’ll go see what it’s like away from the battlefield a little earlier than the rest of you,” Theo said with a bright smile. “People who dropped out for the same reason are helping me… And if it happens to anyone else, I can help them.”

“Yeah.” Kurena nodded back at him with a smile.

Even if he couldn’t stay on the battlefield, even if he couldn’t fight, he could find something new to give him shape. It would take some time, but he could do it. They’d already been able to define themselves as Eighty-Six once before, after all.

So she could believe both in Theo and in herself. Because now…she didn’t need to be afraid anymore. She could see him off with a smile.

“Yeah. See you, Theo.”

“So the analysis results on those control cores are out already. The Federacy’s higher-ups really were motivated about this, huh?”

“They had us get those control cores because they thought they were important or necessary and they did it pretty quickly. Maybe it just goes to show that the Federacy seriously feels that cornered.”

Lena and the other officers had gotten the results of the analysis, and this news also reached Shin, the squad captain, and their lieutenants. As such, the fact that Shin and Raiden, respectively the captain and vice captain of the 1st Armored Division, were discussing this matter wasn’t unnatural in and of itself.

But that was only a pretense for the real conversation they were having.

Faint autumn sunlight filtered into the corridors of the Rüstkammer base’s barracks. It was right around this time two years ago, in the final disposal site that was the Eighty-Sixth Sector’s first ward, that they were ordered to go on their Special Reconnaissance mission. Their death march. And just like then, the autumn sun shone down on them.

Raiden spoke curtly. He was talking not of the official results reports to Lena, but of the hidden results only they knew of.

“…They found it.”

“Yeah.”

Ernst directly reported it to Shin, Raiden, Kurena, and Anju, as well as Theo before he left the base. This was secret intelligence known only to the five of them.

A hidden base estimated to be a transmission point that was capable of sending out a shutdown command to every single Legion unit was among the command bases they’d discovered.

It seemed the idea of putting an end to the Legion War through conventional means was impossible. Even the Federacy was beginning to feel the sense of crisis set in. But the keys needed to stop it were all in Ernst’s grasp now.

So what came next was clear.

They took a turn in the corridor, where they found Anju, and behind her…was Frederica. The girl looked up at Shin with her crimson eyes, which burned with determination. She had heard the news as well.

They would still need to wait for Ernst and the others to complete their political maneuvering to ensure Frederica’s safety. And the coming operation would be a big one, so the military would have to prepare accordingly.

But even so, once that was finished…

“We’ll go on the counteroffensive.”