Following the arrest of the Palencia Branch, the Imperial Security Bureau had achieved unprecedented success in capturing enemy spies.
There were likely various reasons for this, but the most significant factor was the acquisition of the encrypted communication system used by the United Nations’ spies when the Palencia Branch was arrested.
With the communication system identified, the Security Bureau naturally began a reverse trace, and the compromised agents of the United Nations were either arrested or eliminated by the unexpected arrival of Security Bureau officers.
Some of the captured spies further divulged information in an attempt to survive, which allowed the Imperial Security Bureau to dismantle and search the extensive spy network of the United Nations.
For the United Nations spies, it was practically the stuff of nightmares.
“Shit!”
In the basement of a tavern in the small town of Erecestiom, a man wearing a wool beret couldn’t contain his frustration and exclaimed.
“Headquarters has cut off communication! What’s the difference between that and abandoning us?”
The man’s words were met with sighs or self-pity from about thirty spies.
When no one refuted the man’s claim, a man in a bowler hat interjected.
“Of course, Headquarters would cut off communication. With the Palencia Branch’s arrest, not only have the frequencies we primarily used been exposed but also the cipher codes. They’re surely monitoring our communications now. Attempting to contact Headquarters in this state is akin to advertising our capture to the Empire.”
The man in the beret looked down at the man sitting in front of the table with disdain.
His leisurely tone had irritated him enough that he wanted to snap back, but upon seeing the scar slashed across the man’s one eye, he had no choice but to close his mouth.
The scarred man was known by the code name “The Red Baron,” Temploret.
It was common knowledge that wherever Temploret went, nothing but bloodstains remained, and the beret-wearing man was no exception to this awareness.
Temploret lightly swirled his glass of distilled liquor.
“There are about thirty comrades who’ve managed to evade the Security Bureau and flee here. Everyone knows how dire our situation is, so I won’t go into it again.”
Temploret tilted his wrist and gulped down the distilled water before setting down the glass.
“Unfortunately, we’re on track to be captured by the Security Bureau, tortured, or executed. Of course, we could escape and live like cockroaches if we wanted. But if we were those kinds of people, we wouldn’t be here gathering, right?”
Temploret chuckled softly, leaned back in his chair, and put his feet on the table.
His insolent attitude went unchecked by anyone present.
“If that’s the case, we’re left with only one option: fight to the death. While we’re at it, how about we kill as many of the great enemies of the United Nations? That way, at least the United Nations might honor us as martyrs later on, no?”
Temploret’s sarcastic remarks elicited faint laughter from among the spies.
The beret-wearing man wasn’t pleased with this atmosphere but could not argue.
With a sigh, he pulled out another chair, sat, and glared irritably at Temploret.
“So? Do you have a plan to convince all of us?”
Temploret, whose tone had suddenly turned respectful, smirked as if amused.
“Why should I have summoned you lost puppies to this place if not for an opportunity to bite like fierce dogs against the beasts?”
“Beasts… you mean?”
“Daniel Steiner. I’ve received intelligence that in a few days, that ferocious wolf…”
Temploret revealed an eerily bright smile, showing his teeth.
“Will pass through here in Erecestiom.”
*
The day Captain Daniel Steiner was appointed as the Staff Officer of the 7th Division at the Eastern Front.
“This feels almost like a vacation traveling on the same train as Colonel Steiner. It’s uplifting.”
In the military train’s passenger compartment, Prien was proudly displaying her usual cheerful smile.
Seated beside her, Lucy remained expressionless, forming a stark contrast.
Looking at Prien’s bright smile, Daniel spoke with a tone of disbelief.
“How can you make it sound like a vacation? We’re headed to the frontlines, remember?”
“Of course, I know that. Don’t worry; I haven’t slacked on my training.”
“…Training? What kind of training?”
“Come now, aren’t you pretending not to know? You told me to refine my healing magic.”
Daniel remembered giving that instruction but hesitated mid-sentence.
“Do you really think—”
Seeing the subtle shadow of darkness in Prien’s previously smiling face stopped him.
“Do you really want to know?”
Her lower tone of voice, as if she were hiding a secret, was the icing on the cake.
Not confident enough to face Prien’s dark side, Daniel shook his head.
Seeing this, Prien smiled mischievously and stood up.
“I’ll be back after visiting the restroom.”
After Prien left the cabin, Daniel let out a sigh of relief and turned to Lucy.
The sunlight that filtered through the window naturally settled on Lucy’s silver hair, and her red eyes flickered with a hint of life amidst their usual vacancy as they blinked quietly.
Sitting by the window and observing the scenery outside, Lucy looked quite peaceful.
Daniel, who did not want to disturb Lucy’s peaceful moment, considered the moment appropriate, now that Prien was gone, and spoke quietly.
“Aide-de-Camp, can we have a conversation?”
At the sudden call, Lucy turned to Daniel.
“…What kind of conversation do you mean?”
“I had the opportunity to speak with Her Majesty the Emperor a few days ago. She mentioned to me that… you should be regarded suspiciously as an untrustworthy woman.”
This information was shared with Daniel by Selvia just before he left the Office.
At the time, Daniel had a chill run down his spine, suspecting that Selvia might have guessed the truth.
If Selvia discovered Lucy’s real identity, Daniel himself might not remain unharmed.
Selvia’s warning was meant to remind Daniel to be more careful, but Lucy felt a strange sense of jealousy rather than gratitude.
“Her Majesty seems to have fallen into a spiral of suspicion. If she had concerns, she could have spoken directly to me rather than warning you, Colonel. This almost feels like an attempt at sowing discord, doesn’t it?”
“Spiral of suspicion… ”
Daniel was pretending to smile but found the situation absurd.
‘You are a United Nations spy, after all.’
It was bewildering that she managed to twist things this way.
Moreover, referring to the Emperor’s words as “sowing discord” was a clear act of disrespect.
‘What might have happened between these two? Now that I recall, during the Christmas banquet…’
Just as he remembered the uneasy atmosphere between Lucy and Selvia back then,
A loud screech of the train’s wheels against the rail echoed, and the carriage rocked forward.
The seats and windows rattled fiercely, creating loud noises.
“Damn!”
Holding onto the table to quickly regain balance, Daniel instinctively moved his hand toward the revolver holstered at his waist. Lucy did the same.
Without hesitation, they both drew their revolvers and steadied their breathing.
“…Colonel. Could it be a train terrorist attack?”
“The chances of that are low. If it were simply a terrorist attack, the carriage would be riddled with bullets by now.”
However, they could not entirely rule out the possibility.
Soon after, the sound of someone running toward them became audible, prompting Daniel to aim his revolver at the door.
“Colonel! You need to see this…”
The captain, who had been leading Daniel’s protective company, appeared before him, gasping for breath and unable to finish the sentence.
Upon confirming that the newcomer was friendly, Daniel let out a sigh of relief and lowered his revolver.
“Captain, what’s happening?”
“…Sir? Oh. The conductor says the tracks are blocked.”
“Is that so? Let’s check it out then.”
With a nod, Daniel exited the cabin with Lucy into the corridor beyond.
“Colonel!”
When Prien returned from the restroom, she looked worried as she glanced at Daniel.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes.”
Daniel gave a concise answer before stepping off the carriage entrance to look outside.
There, he spotted a pile of earth blocking the far side of the tracks.
‘A landslide?’
As Daniel approached the problematic section, the conductor and the train manager, who had been standing with crossed arms, turned around and were startled to see him.
“Colonel Steiner!”
“You’re here!”
The two deeply bowed in respect to Daniel, who exhaled slowly.
“Conductor, Manager, what has happened here?”
“It seems… apparently, there’s been a recent landslide. Judging from the extent of the debris covering the tracks, it should be cleared within a few days with the right manpower. However, with just us, it might be difficult…”
“I’ll lend you some of my troops. Quite a number have accompanied me as my guard. Will that suffice?”
“Heavens! If you do that, it’ll be a great help. We can take care of it quickly!”
“Good. However, not only my troops, but you, conductors, and the workers onboard will eventually need a place to rest. Is there any nearby town where we might stay?”
The conductor, stroking his chin thoughtfully, seemed to recall a suitable location and nodded.
“There’s a city called Erecestiom, not far from here. Though small, it’s fully equipped with the necessary amenities. It would be best to communicate from there and take a rest.”
“Fortunately, there’s a nearby town. Then, let’s…”
While Daniel was conversing with the conductor, Lucy carefully observed the area where the landslide had occurred.
The misaligned positioning of the soil and rocks, the abnormal state of the vegetation, the signs of fractures, and the origin point of the landslide caught her sharp eyes.
‘This isn’t…’
It was absolutely not a natural phenomenon.
