“Hmm.”
About a week had passed since Instructor Jin Crow regained consciousness.
Quite a lot had happened during that time.
The cadets had returned, the Ministry of Defense had issued a rough grand strategy despite its shortcomings, and the overworked chief of staff of the 4th Fleet had collapsed...
Of course, most of it had either been exactly what he expected or things that did not concern him.
Well, with the exception of one thing.
“So, after realizing rather late that the identification was forged, you reviewed the CCTV footage, confirmed that it was Rank-2 wanted criminal Captain Satra, pursued her, and ultimately lost her. Is that what you're saying?”
“Th-That's correct.”
Listening to the answer from the military police officer assigned to protect him, Jin Crow could not help but seriously wonder.
...Were they idiots?
Whether he had any feelings about Satra was a separate matter.
There was a good chance even the cadets had not paid much attention to her.
Naturally.
Famille had collapsed, and aside from Dokgo Ran and Baek Hui-young, who had remained standing through sheer willpower, everyone else had been on the verge of exhaustion.
She said everyone who followed her died. And her body wasn't in normal condition to begin with.
She had probably been forced to receive treatment, and with so many wounded, it would have been impossible for the soldiers to verify every patient's identity.
If anything, wasn't it impressive that they had eventually realized she was a wanted criminal?
“We requested as much cooperation as possible from the local Public Security Bureau, but there are still many districts that haven't been reclaimed yet, so it seems difficult... Ahem.”
Not knowing what Jin Crow was thinking, the military policeman merely watched him nervously.
He was probably cursing every military policeman and soldier who had been present at the scene.
Well, that was none of Jin Crow's concern.
The important thing was not the policeman's feelings but Satra.
Judging objectively, whether she's captured or not won't become a major variable.
Back in Atla Colony, the relationship between him and Satra would certainly have made it a serious issue.
At the time, she had been the de facto successor leading the Rermal Planetary Defense Force and a Quad Gear.
Meanwhile, he had been nothing more than an instructor with a broken body and an unstable position.
But now everything had reversed.
Satra's foundation had completely collapsed due to the Human Composite State's neglect, the Red Hand's deception, and her own misguided choices.
Her strength, her influence... even her hatred toward me.
Even judging from her attitude back at the safety house, the ones she hated were the Red Hand and the Creatures, not him or the Human Composite State.
In other words, while she was a variable...
She's the Red Hand's problem, not mine.
Of course, it would not be easy.
What kind of people were the Red Hand?
Despite being a thorn in the side of both the Human Composite State and the Empire, they remained untouchable due to their considerable scale and the mobility afforded by bases no one could locate.
Could Satra, who had barely escaped alone, truly deal them any meaningful blow?
No matter how he thought about it, that seemed unlikely.
Either she'll die a miserable death... or she'll achieve a desperate revenge.
Either way, there was no place for Jin Crow to intervene.
Wasn't that simply how life worked?
Excuses and regrets over one's own mistakes held no value to anyone else.
If one failed to overcome every hardship, one was simply weeded out.
The ruthless survival of the fittest.
“Well, enough of that.”
Jin Crow forcibly cut off his increasingly deep thoughts and shook his head.
Was it because he was gradually merging with what remained inside him?
Or because he was slowly adapting to this hopeless world?
Things he would once have brushed aside without a second thought now carried meaning and drew him in.
Hiss.
He placed a cigarette between his lips, then murmured to the military policeman following behind him while carrying a bag containing awakening drugs and his simple belongings.
“It's about time I headed back. Keep up the good work.”
“Yes. It was an honor to escort you, Instructor.”
The military policemen all saluted him sincerely.
He did not bother turning around to acknowledge them.
Perhaps because of his damned personality, genuine respect still gave him goosebumps.
Biting lightly on the end of his cigarette as if reminding himself that such admiration was never truly meant for him, he looked past his furrowed brow toward the transport ship slowly descending into the hangar.
“Instructor.”
“Come with me, Ner.”
Wearing a temporary black military uniform instead of a hospital gown, Ner boarded the transport ship alongside him.
As he did, Jin Crow made up his mind.
Until the next frontline inspection, he would absolutely not leave the academy.
It was a vow he made in complete earnest.
Central Special Service Academy.
Recognized as the finest among the Human Composite State's Special Service Academies and publicly known for its conservative traditions, a storm descended upon the institution.
Not that an actual storm had struck Sigma Satellite City.
Rather, just as the vacation was drawing to a close, a rumor spread among the cadets who had returned to the dormitories early.
“Hey, did you hear?”
“Hm? Hear what?”
“Mercato. Apparently Creatures appeared there too.”
“Mercato? Isn't that the capital of the Free Planet Alliance?”
It all began with the tragic news from Mercato.
It was unfortunate.
Nothing more.
But as the instructors grew increasingly grim and even Headmistress Ideale disappeared from the academy, the previously indifferent cadets realized the seriousness of the situation.
“Our cadets are over there?”
“I heard Instructor Jin Crow is there too.”
“...Miel. Do you think they'll be okay?”
“B-Beatus? N-No!”
Though history would later remember them as the Knights of the Stars and future generals, at this point they were simply friends who had lived and trained together.
The cadets who knew them swallowed their anxiety and waited desperately for the instructors to return.
Praying for good news.
And just like that, the vacation came to an end.
However, the reports that reached them were bleak.
「Hell on Earth, Creatures Become a New Security Threat!」
「Famous celebrity Mr. A: “Mercato was hell. I regret surviving.” Commits suicide...」
「A Journey with No Return. “Please come home, my daughter.” The desperate cries of grieving families continue...」
The estimated death toll rose every day.
The Human Composite State government remained silent, issuing only the briefest official statements.
The instructors who had stayed behind at the academy said nothing.
Even when the cadets pressed their parents and relatives connected to various factions, the only answer they received was a hollow:
“Wait.”
“This isn't good.”
“...We can't even conduct classes.”
The instructors themselves were on the verge of losing their minds.
Putting everything else aside, so many instructors and military police had been dispatched that morale had already plummeted.
In such an atmosphere, they could hardly push the first-year cadets as hard as usual.
Several days passed like that.
“Huaaah... I'm back...”
Together with Dokgo Ran's lifeless mumbling, complete with sleep crust still stuck in her eyes, every cadet who had gone missing in Mercato returned to the academy.
“First, everyone head to the infirmary for examinations. Haa... I really didn't want to come back first.”
Naturally, Obia Timist, who had been forced to return early while escorting the cadets, looked strangely irritated over having her entertainment interrupted.
But she was not what mattered.
〔I'll be returning on the next transport ship.〕
Along with Ideale's reassuring transmission, news that had briefly been suppressed began pouring out all at once.
And when people saw the headlines, they could only stare in disbelief.
「Central Special Service Academy Instructor J eliminates the higher-ranked Creatures King and Queen while on vacation.」
It began with a relatively small news outlet headquartered in the Free Planet Alliance.
The military's making things up again.
Seriously, they never stop talking...
That was the general reaction at first.
Queen and King.
Just judging by their names, they sounded like the final bosses.
And some instructor from the Central Special Service Academy who just happened to be on vacation had killed them?
It sounded even more believable to claim that someone had accidentally proposed while kneeling to tie their shoelaces and ended up getting married.
But then, as cross-verification followed and footage recorded by mercenaries who had continued filming even while risking their lives spread throughout the galaxy—
“Th-That monster even destroyed Imperial warships?”
“And our Human Composite State instructor killed it?”
“Uh...”
The long-forgotten adrenaline known as militarism began surging once again through the minds of the previously indifferent citizens.
「“Please, send us that instructor!” Why did the Emperor of the Empire cling to the trouser leg of the Human Composite State's Supreme Chancellor while weeping?」
「The Free Planet Alliance's security collapsed yesterday. Because that instructor left!」
「“Why don't we have a Special-duty officer like that?!” The reason the Emperor of the Empire flew into a rage!」
「The Empire trembles before Creatures. Creatures tremble before the instructor!」
Fundamentally, the Human Composite State was a militaristic nation.
The generation that still remembered the Third Galactic War formed the backbone of society.
Though grateful for peace, they still longed for a sense of national superiority.
Simple patriotic pride.
Unfortunately, the vast galaxy was overflowing with tabloid media eager to satisfy that desire.
And, as was always the case with such outlets, they piled on more exaggerations and conspiracy theories to boost sales.
“...Instructor J is a decisive strategic weapon cultivated by the Human Composite State. This overseas trip was intentionally arranged to demonstrate military power. He possesses at least Penta Gear-level firepower, and in the coming war of attrition against the Empire, he will provide overwhelming...”
As a result, while receiving treatment in the infirmary, Famille merely shook her head in disbelief after reading the article Dokgo Ran had posted in the group chat.
“It's not even worth reading the rest.”
Sure enough.
Aside from Hino Kanae sending a sweating emoji and Miel forcing out an awkward laugh, nobody replied.
Really.
How consistent.
“Heh.”
Famille let out an unconscious chuckle before glancing at the IV drip, which had nearly finished.
At that moment—
Shrrk.
The privacy curtain was casually pulled aside.
The blunt doctor removed the needle from her wrist and said,
“Done. You can leave.”
“Yes.”
Green hair.
A slim, boyish frame.
Piercings in both ears and lips, with a faint snake tattoo visible along the back of the neck.
Had it not been for the white coat and the captain's rank visible on the military uniform beneath it, no one would have believed this person was a soldier.
So this is the new military doctor they mentioned. Pretty prickly.
She watched the military doctor, who had apparently arrived during the vacation, for a moment before standing up and leaving the infirmary.
As soon as she was gone, the man absentmindedly cleaned up the IV equipment, then placed a familiar pipe-shaped electronic cigarette between his lips and walked toward the window.
“...Sigh. I really never wanted to use this identity again. But an order's an order.”
Leaves swayed outside the slightly open window.
Watching the smoke drift beyond them, sighing changed nothing.
Former owner of Hansarang Pharmacy.
Current military doctor of the Human Composite State.
Captain Sigmund Nihel.
Mulling over that profoundly unfamiliar name, he watched the man in the black military uniform walking along the distant road with a blonde little girl following behind him before muttering quietly.
“Ah, damn it. I feel like I'm going to get caught.”
Viper made a heartfelt vow.
To avoid crossing paths with him whenever possible.
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