Chapter 1: Infiltrating the Capital

Three days had passed since the Thanksgiving Festival in Organbaelz. A sign reading “CLOSED” still hung on the door of the small bakery known as Tockerbrot. The owner, who was known for his baking skills despite his fearsome mien, had staked his life on running this shop, but it had lost its shine, grown dark, and was now a sad place.

“Lud... uh... um... cheer up. You should eat something.”

Inside, the shop was spiritless and desolate. Milly was training to be a baker. She spoke to Lud, the owner of the shop, who was in the oven room with his head hanging low. The oven hadn’t held a fire for three days, so it looked cold and gloomy, where usually the air was hot enough to raise a sweat.

“Sorry, Milly. Please, just leave me alone.”

Lud said no more, again hanging his head. He had been still and silent like this for three days.

What can I do?

Faced with Lud’s low spirits, Milly could only rue her own helplessness. She didn’t know much about what had happened three nights earlier. She knew that Heidrig was a young man who had come to assassinate Lud, became a baker’s assistant instead, and then died.

Furthermore, the silver-haired girl who was the shop’s popular waitress had disappeared. Sven’s absence alone was enough to make Tockerbrot lifeless.

“Argh!”

After leaving the oven room, Milly sputtered in dismay as she looked around the empty shop. Usually, a great quantity and variety of tasty-looking breads would line the shelves. Usually, men and women of all ages, smiling merrily, would come to buy the bread. Milly had loved to see that.

Is this how it would all end? This worry flitted across her mind.

No, it isn’t!

She immediately rejected the possibility. But, a young girl like her didn’t have the slightest idea how to mend the situation. All she could do was bite her lips in frustration.

The bell over the shop door chimed.

“—!”

Milly looked up in the hope that Sven had returned.

“It seems that... Sven hasn’t come back yet, has she?”

The person who entered wasn’t the silver-haired waitress. It was Jacob, a young boy and a regular customer who sometimes helped out in the shop.

“No...”

Milly looked down forlornly.

“Where did Sven go? Marlene didn’t know much about what happened.”

Jacob, who was usually known for his bright smile, was frowning.

Jacob... No, it was actually his mother, Charlotte, and Marlene, the nun from the church atop the hill, who had handled the incident’s aftermath, which included Heidrig’s funeral. The townsfolk were told that a bandit had killed one of Tockerbrot’s employees on the day of the festival.

For the moment, they had suspended delivery to clients—like the local mine and city hall—giving different explanations as to why. However, this couldn’t last long. If Tockerbrot, which wasn’t financially secure, didn’t resume business soon, it would close for good without ever reopening.

“Something has happened. There’s no doubt about it. This was no mere quarrel. Above all, consider what happened to Heidrig. Maybe...”

Jacob was wise for a 10-year-old boy. Without knowing all the details, he suspected the worst based on the evidence at hand. And he had arrived at a horrible conclusion.

“No, that can’t be!”

Milly immediately rejected this. The answer Jacob had hit upon was that Sven might never come back. It was the most plausible answer.

Sven had said certain things to Lud:

“I can no longer serve you!”

“Forget about me.”

“Farewell.”

Having heard those words, Lud now sat in the depths of despair. Sven had come to occupy a great space inside him. A space so large that no one else could fill it.

“Oh... Jacob?”

Lud shuffled out of the oven room. Like Milly, he must have hoped Sven had come in. His features drooped as if a slight hope had awakened, only to end in betrayal.

“Lud, um... uh... what are you going to do?”

Jacob asked this with concern. The only certainty was that Lud couldn’t continue like this. Whether he carried on with the shop or left to find Sven, he needed to take action. Nothing would change if he continued, frozen in misery, in the oven room.

“Sorry. Would you two mind leaving for today?”

Lud hadn’t moved after hearing Jacob’s words.

He wasn’t good at smiling. He did know the feeling of happiness, but he couldn’t express it physically. If he tried to smile, the muscles in his face would tense, causing women and children to weep and grown men to flee.

Jacob was one of the few people who could sense the joy deep inside Lud. Right now, however, all Jacob could see in Lud’s eyes was despair.

“You don’t have to come back for a while. Sorry.”

At the moment, this seemed the best Lud could do.

“Lud...”

Jacob couldn’t say anything. He could only make a tight fist. Milly felt the same. She was frustrated at her helplessness to console the person she considered her best friend.

Clang!

At that moment, the door of the shop opened again. Jacob and Milly looked up desperately. However, once again, it wasn’t Sven. Nonetheless, Jacob’s eyes opened wide in surprise at the sight of the girl in the doorway.

“Are you Lud Langart, the former lieutenant?”

“Who are you?”

It wasn’t the silver-haired waitress. The girl who stood there had red hair and red eyes and wore a red dress.

“Are you Sven’s sister or something?”

They resembled each other so closely that Lud couldn’t help but ask. Most noticeable was that their eyes were exactly the same.

“We do not possess that concept or a strong sense of sisterhood, but indeed we are not strangers.”

The girl was Rebecca Sharlahart. Like Sven, she was a humanoid Hunter Unit created by the genius scientist Daian Fortuner, director of the Royal Weapons Development Bureau.

“I have a request of you.”

Rebecca stepped into the shop and dropped to her knees.

“Huh?! Are you all right, Miss?!”

Jacob rushed to her side.

Jacob and Rebecca had met before. When Schutzstaffel soldiers had captured Jacob, Rebecca had suffered gunshot wounds in her effort to rescue him, literally putting her life on the line. In gratitude, Jacob had drawn a red angel as Tockerbrot’s mascot on the bakery’s delivery truck.

“Running for two days from Berun can weaken even me.”

“You came here from Berun?! And you ran the whole way?!”

Jacob raised his voice in surprise.

The distance from Berun, the royal capital of Wiltia, to Organbaelz, where Tockerbrot was located, was 200 kilometers. She had run a distance that would take half a day by train.

“I had no choice. I wanted to go to the royal palace, but that unknown machine... I hid under water and exited through the city sewers... and then just kept...”

“I can’t make sense of what you’re saying, but I can see that you’ve had quite an adventure!”

Jacob didn’t understand how Rebecca came to be there. He could never imagine that Daian had ordered Rebecca to deliver a request to military command for backup in the royal palace on the night the development bureau was under siege. On her way, a mysterious third humanoid Hunter Unit attacked her and she fell into the canal.

“Anyway, have some water.”

Jacob didn’t know all the details, but he understood that she had struggled valiantly to get there. He made as if to fetch water, but she grabbed his hand.

“I am all right. What is more important is the favor I ask.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“May I hug you?”

“Huh?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rebecca hugged Jacob, who was stunned and didn’t understand.

“Wait! Huh? What? Miss?!”

Jacob was a 10-year-old boy who liked pretty girls to a degree that the word precocious didn’t begin to describe. But if a girl as pretty as Rebecca gave him a fervent hug, it was understandable that he would be flustered.

“Thank you. That soothed me.”

“N-No... you’re welcome.”

Unable to move his smooth-talking tongue as fluidly as usual, Jacob blushed and replied to Rebecca’s calm words of thanks.

“You really are Sven’s sister, aren’t you?”

Lud asked this in amazement as he gazed at Rebecca.

“As I said, we do not have that concept. What makes you say that?”

“Oh, n-nothing.”

Lud looked away, absently raising a hand to his mouth. On the day Sven first arrived at the shop, she had immediately given Lud a heartfelt hug, just like Rebecca just gave Jacob.

“Anyway, it appears that Svelgen, whom you call Sven, has fallen into his hands.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about many things—things you need to know, and need not to know, and want to know. But first, will you answer a question?”

Lud was confused by the sudden appearance of this red girl.

Rebecca drew near to Lud and stared into his eyes as she asked her question.

“Do you want to get Sven back?”

“—!”

Rebecca’s question was of enormous importance to Lud.

“As you must have guessed, Sven is with Lieutenant General Genitz. You know full well that he wouldn’t abduct her on a mere whim.”

Rebecca asked this in cold tones that were like the display on a gauge.

“Yes. I was once his foot soldier.”

In the recent Great European War, Lud had been the Hunter Unit pilot feared as the Silver Wolf. However, that was in the later years of the war. During the first half of the war, he had been one of the Werewolves, a secret special force. And Genitz had been the Werewolves’ commander.

“The royal capital is in chaos. And Lieutenant General Genitz triggered it. He may have taken Sven because she is essential to his plan. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yes.”

Lud had no idea what Genitz was plotting. But he knew that he needed to stop Genitz if he wanted Sven back.

“In consideration of that, I ask again. Do you still want to find Sven?”

Rebecca’s question sought final confirmation. Confirmation that meant, if he proceeded, there was no guarantee he would escape with his life. This was a path that a baker, who had abandoned a world of bloodshed to live in peace, should never choose.

That was why Sven, when leaving him, had said, “Please, just forget about me.” Sven loved him and valued his life more than her own. She knew that if he went looking for her, she would be responsible for endangering the life of her beloved master.

“I...”

Lud’s answer came in full awareness of that fact. He had spent many days baking bread that no one would eat. Then Sven had arrived and cast a bright light on his life. And her parting words to him were, “You will be a wonderful baker without me.”

But that wasn’t the problem.

“I want to reopen the bakery with Sven.”

Tockerbrot needed her. Because of her splendid customer service skills? Because of her sales acumen? Because, when the occasion demanded, her combat skills surpassed even his?

No!

“Sven is Tockerbrot’s popular waitress! Without her, I can’t open the shop for even one day!”

For this baker, who had sworn to devote his life to his bakery, Sven was essential. That was Lud’s answer.

“Understood. Then shall we go?”

“Go... where?”

Rebecca responded as though she had expected no other answer.

“To the royal capital, the city where the Schutzstaffel has effected a coup d’état. Under Genitz’s boot, Berun is a doomed city.”

The royal palace, in the center of the royal capital of Berun, was in the throes of mayhem. At dawn on the day following occupation of the Royal Development Bureau, the Schutzstaffel had launched an armed occupation of the royal palace.

The Schutzstaffel’s pretext was that the development bureau, regular army, and certain military officers had conspired to plot a coup. And since protecting the royal palace was the Schutzstaffel’s charge, the center of Wiltia had fallen into Genitz’s hands with scant resistance.

“Lord, everyone is assembled.”

Delz, a Schutzstaffel captain, reported to Genitz as he walked down a carpeted hallway in the royal palace.

“Very well. It would be ill-mannered of me to make them wait. Let us hurry.”

But Genitz’s tone held no urgency. Rather, it was entirely composed, as if to say that making them wait was only proper.

As they walked, Delz asked, “Um, Lieutenant General? A question, if I may? I didn’t see you after the occupation of the development bureau. Did you leave?”

The foremost priority of the Schutzstaffel operation had been seizure of the development bureau, and a supposed rebellion by the development bureau was a sufficient reason for controlling the royal capital.

The truth, of course, was otherwise. But that didn’t matter. Things would move forward as long as one’s behavior matched its justification. As long as there was a believable version of reality to purvey, the truth was irrelevant.

However, during the most delicate period following occupation of the bureau, Genitz had been absent for a day. And that made Delz suspicious.

“And why must I answer you?”

Genitz responded with an interrogative of his own, but entirely without accusation.

“M-My apologies!”

The question was enough. Delz’s face paled and his back straightened.

The Schutzstaffel was obliged to perform Genitz’s will, vigorously and faithfully. Schutzstaffel soldiers were forbidden to question Genitz’s words and actions—just as, no matter the consequences, the brain issues orders and the body’s arms and legs must move accordingly.

“Very well.”

Genitz replied with neither forgiveness nor censure as he came to stand before an ornate door at the end of the hallway. Guards on each side opened the door respectfully.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Your Majesty.”

Inside was a conference room. Usually, this was where cabinet members, selected by members of parliament, themselves chosen by the people, assembled. However, the people standing in the room today were distinguished and renowned Wiltians who constituted the Council of Nobles.

“You speak too soon, Count Palatine Wittels. I am merely a soldier.”

“Indeed. At least for now.”

The fat man named Wittels, who was well over 60 years old, tittered as if Genitz had said something funny. And following his lead, the other 12 nobles gathered in the conference room also began to laugh.

They were Genitz’s supporters. Backed by the power of the nobles who infested the royal place, the Schutzstaffel’s suppression of resistance had succeeded quickly.

“I dare say that you will restore proper discipline to Wiltia.”

“To be sure. What a mess Bist left behind!”

One after another, the nobles heaped aspersions upon this person called Bist. Bist was the Wiltian premier who died 15 years earlier. His portrait had hung on the wall of this conference room, but these nobles, who still held him in contempt even after his death, removed it.

“He must have been mad to place commoners in important posts and give them a voice in politics.”

“Even worse, he favored a policy of appeasement toward the Doga tribe. The traitor!”

Premier Bist was praised as the father of the nation of Wiltia. Due to his leadership, the small nation known as the Luftzand Domain had grown to become the powerful Wiltia. Because of his aggressive policy of conscription that did not depend on social status, the nation had accrued the wealth and military might that became the driving force behind its victory in the Great War. On the other hand, that policy had infringed upon military, political and economic rights and interests previously held by the nobility.

“At last, the Wiltian traditions and propriety that Bist disturbed shall be revived. We may be proud of this day!”

That was why they supported Genitz. They hoped for a return to the old order.

“All members of the Council of Nobles may rest assured.”

Genitz spoke humbly and respectfully.

“Originally, the nation consisted of a king at the top, with supporting nobles underneath. I believe that all of us who derail the present order, which has abandoned the nation’s principles, are on the side of justice.”

He bowed nobly, his hand on the right side of his chest according to the old custom.

What utter clowns!

Head down, Genitz smiled.

Various factors were at play, but the reason they supported Genitz’s coup was, simply put, to save face. Those they considered inferior had divested them of their authority and then used that authority more capably than they had. Admitting and accepting this reality meant shame and loss, and that had, unsurprisingly, embittered them.

What antiquated refuse! Hildegard was at least somewhat redeemable!

Genitz recalled the girl who had worked with him while he was in disguise until just a few days ago. She was very young and green, but these nobles were a lost cause. Their old age and blindness to the changing times made them an outdated nuisance.

But even refuse has its uses...

Genitz held one belief to the point of conviction: “Nothing in the world is useless, but there are people who cannot see the value in everything.”

The Council of Nobles, composed of the elderly, was outdated and unchanging. However, it possessed the power of wealth and, above all, authority. They were ridiculous, but some people valued such absurdity. And the nobles were extremely useful for manipulating such people.

Now then, I have assembled the necessary ingredients. All that remains is... Hmm...

Securing the capital was a means of last resort. Now that the stage was fully set, Genitz was on the cusp of achieving his ends.

There were roughly three routes into Berun. One was by air on a military or government flight. The second was by water via the Sephira River running through the center of the royal capital. And the third was by land, using roads or the railway.

It would take half a day by train from the station near Organbaelz. This was the most common route.

“This is for you, Former Lieutenant.”

“Th-Thank you.”

They were inside a long distance train bound for Berun. Rebecca handed Lud a bottle of water she had bought at the previous stop. They were on their way to Berun to recapture Sven.

“Um, if possible, would you please stop calling me that? Just call me Lud.”

He was uncomfortable when Rebecca addressed him so ceremoniously.

“Request denied.”

However, she flatly refused.

“My apologies, but I only address two people by their first names.”

“You’re very particular.”

She was similar to Sven, but in some ways, they were completely different.

“Who are those two people?”

“Do I have to answer that?”

“Sorry.”

Lud felt the need to apologize.

“One is my master.”

“Oh...”

She responded so casually that Lud wondered if she actually wanted to talk about it.

“And the other is Jacob.”

“Achoo!”

“Huh?”

Immediately after Rebecca answered, he heard a sneeze from somewhere in the car.

“Um, never mind that!”

That voice sounded familiar, so Lud started to turn and look into the seat behind them, but Rebecca stopped him.

“Anyway, why do you like him so much?”

“........................”

Rebecca remained silent. Lud suspected she wouldn’t answer this time and didn’t expect a reply.

“Allow me approximately two hours as I collate my thoughts.”

“Does it really require that much thought?!”

Lud blurted this in response to her surprising words, which were paired with a blank facial expression.

“Collecting an immense volume of data requires that much time.”

“Immense volume?”

“Even with my processing capacity, succinctly describing Jacob’s charm is a colossal task.”

“Oh... uh...”

Lud was confused.

Rebecca hadn’t told Lud anything about herself. She had only revealed that rescuing Sven would halt Genitz’s ambitions and therefore benefit the organization to which she belonged.

Usually, going along with the claims of such a mysterious individual would be so dangerous that he would avoid it. When Lud was a soldier, he would have suspected a trap. But it was undeniable that Rebecca had risked her own life to protect Jacob once before. Furthermore...

They really are alike in this respect...

Sven’s and Rebecca’s personalities were completely different, but Lud felt instinctively that he could trust Rebecca because something deep inside her was like Sven.

“Oh, would you like some water, too?”

Whether or not she had guessed Lud’s thoughts, Rebecca expressionlessly handed a bottle of water to the person sitting opposite her in the box seat.

“No thanks.”

Hildegard von Hessen, a first lieutenant in the Schutzstaffel, answered her softly.

During a previous incident, she had become a worker at the bakery in order to assassinate Lud, but he had defeated her. Hilde changed significantly after that. She had taken a step outside the narrow-minded viewpoint of a noble, but then circumstances promptly crushed her. Cruel reality had broken her spirit.

“Hilde, I’m sorry to drag you along.”

“Don’t worry. Use me however you want. I’m used to that sort of thing.”

Hilde spat the words in a cynical voice.

“.....................”

Her current state deeply saddened Lud. But it was understandable. Hilde had always been a cynical person. And just when she was heading in a positive direction, Hilde confronted Heidrig’s death and Genitz’s betrayal. It was understandable that a girl only 15 years old couldn’t accept all that.

I have no right to give her advice.

As Lud thought, he gazed at his reflection in the window of the train. He wasn’t wearing his usual baker’s uniform. He was wearing a Schutzstaffel uniform. And so were Hilde and Rebecca.

The Schutzstaffel was governing the royal capital through martial law, and the city was effectively sealed. This train would undergo inspection at a station just outside the royal capital, so it was probable that most of the passengers would be forced off the train. To proceed beyond that point, they had to pretend they were Schutzstaffel soldiers. That was the plan.

“I know your uniform is tight, but please bear with it.”

Rebecca said this to Lud, who gasped as if having difficulty breathing.

Hilde had her own uniform, but Lud and Rebecca had borrowed spares at Traad Base, which was part of the Wiltian regular army and was where the unit that Hilde led in her attempt to capture Jacob was stationed.

“Yeah.”

Lud was larger than the average Wiltian. The uniform he wore was especially tight when he closed the collar, but that wasn’t the cause of his labored breathing.

Lud was wearing more than a Schutzstaffel uniform. Genitz had worn a mask to disguise himself as the Corporal for personal missions. Lud was now wearing that mask.

“As might be expected, it would be suspicious if two people out of three didn’t have proper military registration.”

Hilde really was in the Schutzstaffel, but Lud would have aroused suspicion trying to pass inspection as a Schutzstaffel soldier. Furthermore, military insiders would have recognized him as the renowned Silver Wolf. By wearing the mask, he could use the so-called Corporal’s military registration, and disguise his face at the same time.

“I know. I know that.”

However, it was upsetting for Hilde to see him in the mask, since the man who had been wearing it had emotionally scarred her. Lud felt disgusted for deriving benefit from something so distasteful.

“I wonder if I still have my registration,” Hilde mumbled.

Genitz had once said that the reason he appointed her was to punish himself with beatings from a girl who was obsessed with the idea of being a noble. But perhaps it had been more than that. He had used her as cover for his secret plans. Then, after accomplishing his goal, he was done with her.

“The lieutenant general said he doesn’t need me, so...”

“There is no need to worry about that.”

Rebecca responded to Hilde’s question about her registration.

“Genitz is currently preoccupied. The whole Schutzstaffel is preoccupied. There is no time for going through the procedure for deleting your registration.”

“I’m not even worth that much, huh?”

Hilde made a self-deprecatory smile at the realization that she was so unimportant they wouldn’t even bother to review her registration.

“Lud Langart... Are you a former Werewolf?”

“Yes, I am.”

The Werewolves were a special force for which even Heidrig—the “Wolf Man,” who was a far more proficient soldier than Hilde—had been deemed incompatible. It was a completely ruthless unit, open only to those who passed a trial in which comrades who had been through training together tried to kill each other.

“The lieutenant general seemed quite interested in you.”

In contrast to his treatment of Hilde, Genitz’s parting words to Lud had been an invitation to come back under his command. Lud left the military two years ago and had left the Werewolves even earlier.

“What’s between you two? Your relationship seemed to be more than superior and subordinate.”

Genitz had shown a special affection for Lud, so Hilde asked this teasingly. The question was more uncomfortable for Lud to answer than Hilde had expected.

“We were just superior and subordinate. But I was able to execute his orders more faithfully than others.”

“You must have been a capable soldier.”

“No.”

Lud didn’t say this out of modesty or humility.

“Being loyal to that man meant being insane.”

Lud made a tight fist.

“Do you know what kind of man Genitz is?”

Maximillian Genitz and the current problem... No, maybe his connection to Lud went further back.

“Didn’t he make outstanding strategic achievements in the Great War? At the western front?”

“I suppose he did.”

Genitz was generally considered to be a talented strategic commander. Although he was only 30 years old, he had risen to lieutenant general, and not simply because Wiltia increased the promotion of competent generals to raise combat morale. He was an excellent tactician.

“His tactics were always precise. In Wiltia, only Marshal Elvin in the regular army could equal him. That’s why he’s so scary.”

“......?”

Hilde looked astonished at Lud’s answer.

“Do you mean he’ll do anything to achieve his goals? Something like that?”

“No, it’s not that simple.”

Doing anything to achieve one’s goals was a common, overused expression. In fact, people who will do anything usually have options in mind—those that might work and those that are completely off the table.

“Genitz has the ability to immediately hit on the most efficient methods for achieving his goals. He may be a genius that way.”

Genitz wasn’t an ordinary person. He never needed alternatives. He could devise the most efficient tactic from the beginning.

“I’ve never seen anyone better at treating human lives as mere numbers.”

One perfect example was the destruction of Lapchuricka.

“There was once a town called Lapchuricka, but he completely erased it from the map so he could march his army through.”

Genitz had ordered the wholesale slaughter of everyone in the town, which included anti-Wiltian forces that had become a barrier to the Wiltian invasion. And the massacre included women, children and the elderly, not just soldiers and members of the resistance. He launched the attack without warning and it had involved every manner of noncombatant.

It was said that the fatalities had totaled in the hundreds of thousands, but the exact number was unknown. Countless bodies were unrecognizable. In any case, the operation had included railway arterially, incendiary bombs and poisonous gas. Its objective was complete annihilation.

“I was on that mission. A sane soldier would have risked his life to refuse, but I performed as ordered.”

After that brutal operation, Lud had suffered over his ruthless actions and was unable to function as a soldier for awhile. Some aftereffects still remained. One was that he couldn’t smile.

“I wouldn’t be happy if he considered me competent. But, Hilde? I think you’re more fortunate than I am.”

“What?”

Having been told she was unnecessary, Hilde couldn’t find anything fortunate in her situation, and she glared at Lud.

“Didn’t Heidrig tell you?”

Right before he died, Heidrig the Wolf Man had told her that she wasn’t cut out to be a soldier.

“Not being good at something means you have potential elsewhere. That’s why he tried to protect you.”

Heidrig didn’t believe he could choose any path other than being the Wolf Man, which he had not chosen. Hilde still had the chance to walk a different path, so he had felt concern for her.

“I rejected my potential as a soldier because I wanted to become a baker. And that still unsettles me. I often wonder if I have the right or if I’m ill-suited to it.”

People thought Lud was the incarnation of hard work and dedication. In fact, he had continued baking bread even when he had no customers, and each day he tried to make his bread as delicious as possible. If he hadn’t, anxiety would have overwhelmed him.

“I’m deeply sorry to use you as a fighter again. I’m in no position to say this, but after everything is over, I want you to think carefully about your life again.”

Hilde was only 15 years old. Lud thought it was too early for her to decide what she “should” be.

“Okay.”

Hilde nodded bashfully.

She was a contrary and twisted girl. And just when her perverse personality had finally started to improve, Hilde’s heart had been broken. Or that was how it appeared. In fact, her heart was beginning to turn in a better direction again. If only a little.

GURGLE

“Oh...”

As if to signify this fresh change, her stomach growled. Since the night of Heidrig’s death and until they had forcibly removed her, Hilde had stayed in the attic at Tockerbrot and barely eaten.

“Here. I prepared provisions.”

As if she had foreseen everything, Rebecca proffered a paper bag.

She had bought more than bottles of water at the station. In the bag was a large quantity of food, including loaves of bread, chunks of ham and cheese, and cans of soup.

“Our task will be hard from now on. Please eat and recuperate. There is time until our destination, so you must also sleep. That is a soldier’s duty.”

Eating and sleeping were among a soldier’s few enjoyments, but they were also part of the job. A soldier’s duties included proper meals and sleep in order to stay fit and healthy.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, um... Miss Sharlahart.”

Lud and Hilde were impressed at how organized and prepared Rebecca was.

“Please call me Rebecca. I only allow a few people to call me by my last name.”

“Oh, okay... um... Rebecca.”

Hilde quietly accepted Rebecca’s firm rules, which she issued without anger.

“Anyway, you sure bought a lot!”

“This is enough for four people.”

“Four?”

Lud, Hilde and Rebecca only made three.

“Who is the rest for?”

“I do not eat or drink.”

“Huh?”

Rebecca was a humanoid Hunter Unit. She didn’t need to eat as a human being would. But the question remained of who the other two portions of food were meant for.

“So why don’t you two join us?”

As if in answer to Lud’s question, Rebecca turned around and spoke to the occupants of the seats behind her.

“Gah! You knew?!”

The two passengers cried out in surprise. It was Jacob and Milly.

“Jacob?! And Milly? You followed us?!”

Jacob smiled uncomfortably at Lud, who raised his voice in surprise.

“Heh heh... We spent all our savings on tickets.”

Milly and Jacob had come to the station to see the others off with their guardians, Marlene and Charlotte, but then disappeared. Apparently, they had secretly boarded the train.

“How could you?! The inspection won’t be easy for you just because you’re young! Anyway, where we’re heading will be dangerous!”

Lud was stunned and upset, but Jacob replied apologetically but firmly.

“But... I’m worried, too! Sven may have been Tockerbrot’s popular waitress, but she was also our friend!”

Lud wasn’t the only one Sven had left behind in Organbaelz. Both Jacob and Milly were greatly attached to her.

“We won’t get in your way! So, um, will you take us as far as possible? Say something, Milly!”

“Huh? Sorry!”

Milly was staring at the bag of food Rebecca was holding.

“Milly...”

Jacob couldn’t believe that Milly wasn’t listening to their argument.

“I can’t help it!!” Milly tried to defend herself. “I haven’t had any food in, like, forever!”

Milly had the appetite of two people. And that was why she wanted to become a baker. Her greatest foe was an empty stomach.

“Please, have some. Oh, I also have apples. Would you like some?”

“Yep, uh-huh!!”

Rebecca removed an apple from the paper bag and Milly took it with a joyful cry. Apples were her favorite food.

“Aw, man!”

Even if Lud told them to go home, Jacob wouldn’t agree. And there was no way to send them home anyway.

“Do not worry. They will not be a problem. Actually, this is convenient.”

Rebecca spoke to Lud, who was puzzled.

“Convenient?”

Lud looked baffled at the red-haired girl who said the strangest things.

A few hours later, the train carrying Lud and the others arrived at Promena Station, the entrance to Berun.

“We have to deliver these items before day’s end!”

“What is going on here? Explain yourselves!”

“Bring someone in charge!”

Berun was the center of Wiltia’s economy and flow of goods. Suddenly, the city had been sealed, and the station was congested with people unable to proceed to their destinations.

“This looks bad...”

Jacob was overwhelmed by the throng of people.

Promena wasn’t a very large station. The people being detained didn’t fit inside the station building and spilled into a black crowd around it.

“There’s going to be an inspection! Everyone off the train!”

Schutzstaffel soldiers boarded the train.

“Well, here we go. Just do as we discussed.”

“You can count on us.”

The Schutzstaffel soldiers started in the first car and were proceeding in order, brooking no argument as they ejected passengers. Eventually, they appeared at the car where Lud’s group was sitting.

“Hey, you— Huh?”

“Yes?”

Hilde answered in a displeased voice and faced the soldiers.

“I am First Lieutenant Hildegard von Hessen of the Schutzstaffel! What is the meaning of this?!”

“Oh... my apologies!”

Upon seeing the number of stars in Hilde’s insignia, the soldiers’ backs immediately went ramrod straight.

In a military organization, rank is absolute. The soldiers were obligated to obey even a young girl like Hilde if her rank was even one star higher than their own.

“We are performing an inspection of the train. The royal capital is, um, currently under martial law. Travel in and out of the city is being regulated.”

The soldier was fumbling for words. The soldiers were lance corporals. Hilde was a first lieutenant and an officer. Additionally, the title “von” meant she was a noble. In the Schutzstaffel, where there was a strong sense of elitism, this signified greater authority.

“I see. And? Are we not to proceed either?”

“No, there is no problem. Excuse—”

The soldiers were about to leave but their reply broke off when they saw Lud.

“This man was scarred in the recent war.”

At the moment, Lud looked like the masked Corporal.

“I have permission. Is there a problem?”

“Um...”

The soldier’s faces showed uncertainty.

“If you doubt me, inquire with headquarters. However, this mask was approved by the lord lieutenant general himself.”

“Do you mean Lieutenant General Genitz?!”

For these soldiers, it was another surprise to hear a name so lofty as to be from above the clouds.

“I’ve heard that the royal capital is chaotic at the moment. Headquarters will be vexed if you bother them with such a routine inquiry. I hope you aren’t reprimanded.”

Hilde made a severe face.

She’s good at acting. Was she always like this?

Hilde had changed, but just a few months ago she had chased Lud in a Hunter Unit. She seemed to have a sadistic streak.

“W-What should we do?”

“W-Well, it should be all right, but...”

The soldiers were quietly discussing the matter.

They were obligated to follow the law and military regulations. However, this obligation was relaxed when there was no conceivable benefit or liability to obeying it.

“Understood. We don’t expect a problem.”

It seemed that the desire for peace at any price trumped their sense of responsibility... but there was a problem that even that didn’t solve.

“Hey, kids! Who are you? Off the train with you!”

The soldiers noticed Jacob and Milly in the next seat and shouted at them.

“Wait. They’re with me.”

“What?!”

Hilde spoke up immediately, but the soldiers looked dubious.

“Why are you in the company of these children?”

“That is... a secret part of my mission.”

Hilde offered a plausible excuse, but it backfired.

Uh-oh...

Uneasiness awakened inside Lud.

A masked corporal was one thing, but the soldiers were responsible for preventing suspicious individuals from entering the royal capital. And children were no exception. If Hilde insisted that she was on a mission but wouldn’t reveal the details, they would have to contact headquarters. They couldn’t brush this off.

If they contact headquarters, we’ll be found out. What should we do?!

Alarm showed in Hilde’s eyes. The soldiers, who had shrunk before a superior officer, were growing increasingly suspicious.

Can we force our way through? But even if we get past, there must be more soldiers in the station building.

Just as Lud was wondering how to proceed, Rebecca spoke.

“You louts!”

Huh?

The red-haired girl, who was wearing a military cap and had remained silent until now, stood and threatened the soldiers in sharp tones.

“Do you know who this boy is?”

Her tone was confident, with a dignity that made even Lud straighten his back, and it hardly suited her girlish appearance. In fact, she sounded like Sophia, Lud’s former senior officer. She reminded him of a high-ranking soldier, not a common soldier or lieutenant, like Hilde or Lud.

“Wh-Who is he?”

The soldiers had been growing suspicious, but Rebecca’s dignity was overpowering them.

“Joseph Shylock. Have you at least heard the name? You know the chairman of Billions Trading? Well, this boy is his grandson.”

Billions Trading was the largest military industrial conglomerate in Wiltia. It was said that its assets and power equaled those of a nation.

“What? Is th-that true?!”

The soldiers were shocked.

“Can’t you tell by looking at him? Those knowing eyes and that intelligent expression... Anyone could tell he’s an important person. How strongly he resembles his father!!”

“R-Really?!”

Rebecca’s heated diatribe again overwhelmed the soldiers, but in a different way this time.

It was true that Jacob’s grandfather was Shylock, chairman of Billions Trading. And while Lud and the others didn’t know it, Shylock’s son and Jacob’s father was Rebecca’s former master, Blitzdonner.

“B-But I thought Billions Trading worked for the regular military!”

One of the soldiers blurted this out in confusion.

Billions Trading did indeed possess strong ties to the regular military. It was also fair to say that, ever since a recent incident, it was on poor terms with the Schutzstaffel.

“Ha ha ha! What little you know!”

“Huh?”

However, instead of panicking, Rebecca smiled fearlessly.

“Precisely. Do you know what people call Chairman Shylock?”

“Um... Greedy Shylock?”

Jacob’s grandfather Shylock had a bad reputation. Because he was an entrepreneur in the munitions industry, he was considered a merchant of death. And given his bare-knuckled management tactics, there were rumors that he would pull the gold teeth from the dead and sell them. However, his reputation was mostly due to misunderstanding and prejudice. The truth was very different. But what mattered now wasn’t the truth. It was only important that the soldiers confronting them believe the rumors.

“The times now favor the Schutzstaffel over the regular military. A major player like Shylock would have an acute sense for that. Thus, to get in good with the lieutenant general, he...”

Rebecca grinned once more and looked at Jacob.

“No way... He’s a hostage?!”

“Yes. Shylock is offering his own grandson. What could possibly show greater allegiance?”

The soldiers swallowed audibly.

“I see. And you’re his escort.”

“Don’t tell anyone. Even HQ doesn’t know. This is a closely guarded secret. If you disturb our schedule...”

If that were to happen, the blame would fall on these soldiers. Once again, the soldiers panicked as their desire not to rock the boat overpowered their sense of duty.

“Understood! G-Good work on your mission!”

“I’m glad you understand.”

After saying this, Rebecca gave them a fake smile.

What a bluff!

Lud’s sweat was almost trickling from beneath his mask, but he was impressed at Rebecca’s quick thinking and fast talking.

Sven was a fast-talker too. They really are alike.

Lud didn’t know that the humanoid Hunter Units had officially been developed for intelligence missions. Therefore, methods for dealing with all manner of people and situations were integrated into their basic programming.

“And, um, who is this girl next to the chairman’s grandson?”

“Huh?”

The soldiers shifted their attention to Milly, who was sitting next to Jacob.

Milly was struggling to find an explanation, but before she could say anything, Rebecca answered.

“Oh, she is his attendant, his housemaid, his servant.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The soldiers swallowed that one right away, which meant Lud and company had successfully cleared the inspection.

“Do I really look like a servant?!”

Milly mumbled this as she looked at her face in the window of the train, which had resumed moving.

“People also said that about me when I attended a party with Sophia...”

Milly had once attended a party with many nobles, and on that occasion, one person after another had asked if she was a servant.

“I admit I was brought up poorly, but still!”

“There, there...”

Lud comforted Milly, who looked as if she simply couldn’t understand.

“Anyway, we made it through the inspection. Phew... I’m exhausted!”

Hilde lowered her head as if mentally fatigued from putting on an unfamiliar act. And then...

“I am sorry, Jacob. The situation demanded it, but I know we said unkind things about your grandfather. I do not know how to apologize.”

“No, no... Don’t worry. I understand. Um, do you have to get so close?”

While apologizing for insulting Jacob’s grandfather, Rebecca had moved her face so close to Jacob’s that their noses almost touched.

“I will accept any manner of punishment for my rudeness. Please, punish me as you desire.”

“No, really, I don’t care!”

Rebecca presented problems, but she was definitely an attractive girl. Jacob was usually a smooth talker, but now he was shy with Rebecca standing so close.

“No, I insist! I would even prefer a punishment that is somewhat kinky.”

“Sorry! I’m still a kid, so I don’t know about that stuff!”

Unable to stand any more, Jacob blushed beet red and shouted.

“He must not be the type for aggressive advances.”

Milly watched this scene with amazement.

“Hmm... She resembles Sven in that way, too.”

Lud was recalling the daily chatter and behavior of the silver-haired girl they had come to find. Sven was usually calm and logical, but when it came to Lud, she lost control. Apparently, Jacob had the same effect on Rebecca.

“Well, it seems we’ll be able to enter the royal capital, but it’ll be awhile before I can take this off.”

Lud beat against the metal mask. He felt disgusted by the mask, as if it were cursed—partially because of how stifling it was, but also because of the man who had once worn it.

“No, it is all right. You can take it off now.”

Rebecca said this after apologizing to Jacob and regaining her calm.

“Huh? But there are still places where the Schutzstaffel awaits, so...”

Lud assumed he would have to keep the mask on until they reached the city.

“No. The train’s next stop is Berun Central Station. The inspection there will be far stricter than the one at Promena.”

A disguise, bluffing, and fast talk wouldn’t be enough to see them through.

“Once we are inside the royal capital, success is at hand. But we can’t stay on the train to the last stop, or the game is over. We must disembark along the way.”

“What do you mean disembark? If there are no more stops...”

As Lud said this, he imagined the worst.

“Surely you don’t mean...”

“The class-A river Barpato lies ahead.”

The river was wide, neither too deep nor too shallow, and the distance from the bridge to the surface of the water wasn’t far.

“Just a second! Hold on! Wait!”

“I will take care of Jacob and the girl, so you take care of the rest.”

As they talked, the train was approaching Barpato River. They had less than a minute before reaching it.

“Huh? What? Lud, what’s all the excitement?”

Jacob and the others had no idea what was about to happen. Which was not surprising.

“Well, let’s go.”

Rebecca opened the window, clasping Jacob and Milly in her arms.

“Bear with me for a little while. And try not to swallow any water.”

“Huh? What?!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

As soon as she spoke, Rebecca jumped from the high-speed train and plunged into the river.

Even though they weren’t that high, it was still equivalent to the third floor of a building.

“Oh, man! What a reckless girl!”

Lud pried his mask off and tossed it aside, and then lifted Hilde.

“W-What?! Langart, what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later! Hold on tight!”

Lud jumped from the moving train with Hilde and they fell into the river. The sound of the moving train hummed throughout the empty car for a time.

“.....................”

A man appeared from the next car and looked around. All the other passengers had been removed during the previous inspection, and since Lud and his companions had also found a way off, there was no one in the car. All that remained were the military caps Rebecca and Hilde had worn, the apples and bread that Jacob and Milly left behind, and the mask of the Corporal that Lud had removed.

“Ha ha ha...”

The man picked up the mask and laughed.

Meanwhile, at Promena Station, through which Lud and the others had just passed...

The Schutzstaffel soldiers, who had finished their inspection of the train, were taking breaks in turns.

“How long is the city gonna be on lockdown?”

“I don’t know. We’ll never understand what the lord lieutenant general is up to.”

Inside the break room, soldiers poured coffee from a pot on a thermal heater that had been sitting for so long it had a harsh, sour taste.

“Soldiers like us just obey orders and we don’t ask questions.”

“Is it all right not to report those people who were escorting the grandson of the chairman of Billions Trading?”

“Who cares? It’ll only cause trouble if we complain about the affairs of our betters... Yuck! This coffee is wretched! Gimme some more milk.”

“Don’t use too much. Here.”

The coffee was only a bit more palatable after pouring in low-quality synthetic milk.

“Anyway, today was a weird day. Personnel from two secret missions on the same train!”

“Yeah. And one was an investigator from Apuvea. That gives me chills!”