Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Day the Sky Closes (1)
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The apple wine turned out great.
I headed to headquarters hugging the bottle of apple wine in a glass jar. If I waited for Samuel to head home, the flavor might fade.
The genius doctor who suffered under as much grueling work as the command staff.
The moment I heard he’d gone to the mess hall for dinner, I bolted there.
“Doctor!”
“What is it?”
White light poured into the mess hall, filled with white plastic tables and chairs.
The doctor, who had been lifting a cheeseburger to his mouth while seated there, widened his eyes.
“You hurt again somewhere?”
The people sitting around him looked over at me too.
Surprisingly, they were all Badgers. They looked like they’d just returned from outside the Core—sand and wind wafting from their bodies, sweat-soaked hair plastered to their foreheads.
I recognized a couple of faces.
Seniors including Barbie Winter and William Walker observed me with curious eyes. Feeling awkward under the barrage of stares, I forced my lips into a wide smile.
I’d thought he was eating alone when I approached.
Now I couldn’t just say it was nothing, so I timidly held out the bottle.
“I’m fine. Sorry to interrupt your meal. It didn’t seem like there’d be another good time to give it to you…”
“What is it?”
The puzzled doctor soon recognized the bottle’s contents.
I watched his tired face brighten up.
“You made this apple wine?”
“Yes. Please have some.”
Pop! As he pulled the cork from the bottle’s mouth, I added,
“If you’d like more, just let me know. I made quite a bit.”
“What?”
Barbie craned her neck, looking back and forth between me and the bottle.
“This is booze? You made it?”
I nodded quietly.
The seniors, who had been silently scrutinizing me, suddenly grew rowdy. They all leaned toward the bottle at once. They sniffed at it, following Samuel’s lead as he smelled the apple wine.
Even William Walker fixed his gaze on the bottle.
Ah…
Mistake. I should’ve given it to him when no one was around.
But Samuel didn’t seem to mind.
“Let’s all have a glass.”
The doctor gestured for the Badgers to bring cups.
“Hand over some cups.”
None of the Badgers refused.
In an instant, three-quarters of the bottle was gone. I smiled vacantly as I watched them toast. I’d have to fill another bottle full and take it to his place.
Good thing I made a lot.
As I gauged how much apple wine remained, thinking that, Barbie shouted.
“Wow!”
I jolted in surprise.
“What is this? It’s freaking delicious!”
She looked up at me with her eyes hugely wide.
Her bright blue eyes sparkled. Maybe because she’d just come back from outside the Core, unlike at the Colosseum, she was bare-faced.
Without the heavy makeup, her eyes looked much softer, filled with surprise and delight.
“You made this? Amazing!”
“Yes. Glad you like it.”
“This is the real deal.”
Samuel peered into his cup and commented.
“It’s seriously good, right?”
Perfect.
Everyone praised the brew I was proud of. William Walker and the other seniors I was meeting for the first time gave rave reviews too.
More precisely, Samuel asked for a few more bottles, the others raised hands saying they’d buy some, and Barbie said she wanted to give one to her dad.
The exact booze he’d been searching for, apparently.
Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?
“I’m serious! You know how much booze I’ve had in my life?”
Barbie jumped up, grabbed my hand, and pleaded desperately.
“I’ll pay any price—just sell me one bottle!”
“No, I’ll just give it to you. Calm down, Senior.”
After taking a flood of orders, I hurriedly excused myself.
Really glad I made so much apple wine, I thought.
***
Closed Heaven Day approached.
D-Day, with Center Core tense and preparing.
All production halted a day early. Black Badger finished preparations for the reclamation battle the day before D-Day. Meaning the Badgers had to be at their assigned spots outside the Core by the day before the operation.
Closed Heaven Day was September 7th.
Black Badger departed Center Core on September 5th. They went to their designated spots and acclimated there. From the 5th to the 6th, there was no schedule. Just eat, rest, sleep.
Even outside the Core, a baseline tension was inevitable.
Even that picky Richard Green didn’t nag on such days.
Two days before those days.
So, on September 3rd, my Master summoned me.
“You called, Senior…? Ah, Commander. Hello, sir.”
“Hey.”
Entering the now-familiar mansion entrance across the way, I blinked in confusion at the pissed-off Yoon.
Yoon glared at me with irritation-filled eyes.
“You think this crap is good?”
Ah.
Lexic basic noodles.
The moment I saw the food on the kitchen table, my face lit up.
Ye-hyeon, sitting there blankly, chuckled at my expression.
I kept my eyes fixed on the noodles the whole way to the men in the kitchen.
The smell was already amazing.
“Isn’t it really good?”
“You messing with me? Trying to poison me or what?”
“You’re not gonna eat it?”
I pointed to the remaining basic noodles.
“Can I have it then?”
Yoon shot me an incredulous look.
Ye-hyeon burst out laughing. He looked like he’d just gotten off work—black jacket draped over the chair back, white shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
I offered my Master, who was signaling to either eat it or toss it, some apple wine.
“I brewed this recently.”
Then I gratefully took the utensils Ye-hyeon offered and started eating the basic noodles.
Yoon had barely touched his, leaving almost a full bowl.
Why doesn’t anyone else get this taste?
“What.”
I was eating happily when Yoon spoke.
“Why is this good?”
“Ah. This batch turned out great. I made a ton, but it’s almost gone.”
I told him plainly as he peered into the apple wine.
“Falcon liked it too.”
Ye-hyeon and Yoon stared at me.
I knew it was a shocking thing to say.
I gave a faint smile under their gazes.
A few days ago, I’d sent that apple wine to the three elders. I wasn’t expecting anything special. I’d just made booze that met expectations and thought I should share with people I knew.
They happened to be among those people.
I hadn’t even expected a reply.
But surprisingly, all three responded promptly.
[Falcon: Fine product.]
[Caller ID Restricted: It’s been ages since I had good booze.]
[Spitfire: My god, it was moving!]
Their notoriously picky palates were all satisfied, which felt great.
Spitfire even sent an unasked-for gift.
Oak barrels arrived—way pricier than the cheap ones I’d grabbed online.
[Spitfire: Can’t wait to try your next one.]
Well. No guarantee the next will turn out this good.
Anyway, when I relayed the story, Ye-hyeon smiled faintly.
A Supreme Commander’s smile.
“Well done.”
His voice was soft, but authoritative.
“No harm in showing them a little goodwill.”
“Truth be told, I should’ve given it to you first, Commander. Sorry it’s so late.”
“No.”
Ye-hyeon sipped the apple wine Yoon offered and grinned.
“Samuel must’ve loved it.”
He was right. I’d scored big points with the doctor.
I’d seen the guy—who never smiled brightly amid his grueling work—smile multiple times. His reaction made the effort of brewing vanish away. He even dubbed me a “gourmet.”
Proudly glancing at Yoon as I told the story, my Master closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Dumbass.”
Too much.
Ignoring the harassment, I cleanly finished the noodles.
My Master looked down at the empty bowl—not a drop of broth left—with a pathetic expression.
Undeterred, I looked up at him and grinned.
Ye-hyeon, who’d been faintly smiling at our pathetic antics, broke the silence.
“Hilde.”
I snapped to attention.
“Yes.”
“Don’t kill Sophia.”
Ye-hyeon cut straight to the point without preamble.
“If she goes berserk, disarm her.”
“Why is this coming up?”
Yoon, standing beside my bitter smile, raised an eyebrow.
He seemed clueless about why Ye-hyeon had summoned me.
My Master, tossing the question at Ye-hyeon across the table, never took his eyes off me as I briefly explained.
The moment I finished, his eyes widened.
His usually emotionless face showed surprise.
“To think you’d say something so commendable.”
That was Yoon’s reaction.
He seemed to love the story I’d relayed.
“You summoned me to stop your subordinate’s proper response?”
My Master turned to Ye-hyeon with genuine puzzlement.
Ye-hyeon let out a small “heh” at my wide-eyed Master. Not a pure laugh. Pale veins faintly rose on his white forehead.
He’s pissed.
But I didn’t think I’d said anything over the line…
His feelings showed; the boss smiled ominously at me and Yoon.
Smack!
Ow!
“What?”
“Ah.”
“Since it’s an order, burn it into your ears.”
I didn’t even know what hit me.
Suddenly my crown throbbed. Eyes wide from the unexpected, undetectable attack, Ye-hyeon stared at me with a menacing grin.
Yoon stood calmly beside me, rubbing his head.
The boss didn’t seem inclined to lecture at length.
“Forbidden to behead those inciting insubordination.”
“…Yes. Understood.”
“And considering your special nature, we’re departing the 6th, not the 5th.”
Ah.
Right. I might drag Creatures here unnecessarily.
“Prepare well. Rest up plenty.”
“Yes.”
“And steel yourself.”
I silently met the eyes of the man across from me.
Ye-hyeon accepted my gaze with a bitter smile.
The menacing grin from moments ago was gone.
“You haven’t faced him yet, right?”
I knew it was about Kyle right away.
And that he anticipated Kyle’s attack, and knew Kyle and I were longtime friends. I stared at the Lee Seung-hyun lookalike’s face, motionless for a while.
He sure knows how to come in hot.
Only after my Master set down his second glass did I snap out of it.
I replied readily.
“Yes.”
I’d been prepared since the eve of war.
“I’ll carry out the order.”
And then September 6th arrived.