Traitor's End
“Ugh.”
Five men—more than expected.
Lieutenant Aisa drew her sword from her waist, bracing for combat.
“If you value your life, don't resist. You're a noble lady, so if your family cooperates, you can go home alive.”
“Shut up.”
She hated their demand for marriage, but that didn't mean she lacked loyalty to her house.
If I'm going to be taken hostage and become a liability, better to die here.
And if death was inevitable, at least taking one enemy with her would make it somewhat worthwhile.
The most valuable target to kill here...
It didn't take long to decide.
The presumed leader was right in her line of sight.
“Hah!”
Aisa charged at the man standing beside Sergeant Major Jerun without a moment's hesitation.
Clang!
A strike loaded with everything she had.
But unfortunately, the man wasn't alone.
“Lieutenant, this is just tiring us both out.”
Sergeant Major Jerun blocked her attack effortlessly.
As long as he guarded the front, eliminating the man was practically impossible.
“When did you turn traitor?”
“A while back.”
“How could you...”
Aisa couldn't fathom why this man, who had been serving honorably in the 7th Legion, would defect to the Aditz Empire.
“Why? Hah! Obviously to get revenge on you nobles who treat soldiers like dirt. What else?”
“W-what...?”
The utterly unforeseen reason made Aisa's voice tremble.
“I watched my commoner daughter get brutally bullied just for being a soldier's kid. You think I could stand by?”
From Jerun's story, Aisa instantly grasped what he meant.
She had attended the academy herself and seen noble cliques bully commoners countless times.
“Then you should have reported it or...”
“You really don't know how the world works. You think reporting a noble as a commoner gets anywhere? You're lucky if they don't get expelled.”
It was irrefutable, leaving Aisa speechless.
“Still, serving under you showed me not all nobles are trash. But seeing my daughter suffer from the trauma... I can't forgive that.”
“Sergeant Major, I get your feelings, but this isn't right. You think they are any different?”
The Aditz Empire was also a stratified society with nobles.
A bit more flexible than the Lycan Empire, perhaps, but fundamentally similar.
“It doesn't matter. All I want is revenge.”
“I can give you that.”
Sergeant Major Jerun gave a bitter smile at Lieutenant Aisa's words.
“Too late for that. Lieutenant, we should have met sooner.”
Jerun parried her sword and swung low at her legs.
Clang!
“Ngh!”
Aisa barely blocked the razor-close strike.
Regrettably, the skill gap was clear.
He's too strong.
It wasn't just strength.
Technique, experience, savvy.
Outmatched in numbers too, her odds of escape were zero.
So this is how it ends.
A pang of bitterness and regret welled up at the thought of leaving without helping.
I barely accomplished a tenth of what I wanted.
Still, no regrets about joining Intelligence.
These past months had been the happiest of her life.
If I close in and detonate a magic bullet, I can at least injure them.
The emergency magic bullet in her inner breast pocket.
With the enemy off-guard now, it was her last resort.
I'll die, but... this is better. Yeah, this is fine.
Who wouldn't fear death?
But Aisa gripped her sword tighter, steeling herself.
“No time—subdue her quick. Kill if she keeps resisting.”
“Understood.”
As Sergeant Major Jerun moved on the man's order, Aisa lunged first.
She couldn't let them separate; the blast would minimize friendly damage that way.
“Haaah!”
Claaang!
Her attack blocked all too easily again.
But this time, it wouldn't end there.
“Farewell.”
To whom was she bidding goodbye?
Aisa murmured briefly, then reached into her inner pocket.
“W-wait...”
The moment he realized her intent.
Sergeant Major Jerun tried to back away, but it was too late.
Her action was faster than his—
Shunk!
“Wha...?”
As she pulled the safety pin, an unbelievable sight unfolded before her eyes.
“Urk...”
A sharp blade protruding from Sergeant Major Jerun's pierced heart.
Blood sprayed forward, splattering Aisa's face.
“Guh!”
Thud!
He collapsed, dead before knowing who struck him or why.
“What the...”
The events transpired in an instant.
Aisa was stunned, but someone else was even more shocked.
“Intruders!!!”
The man whipped his head toward the dagger's trajectory, where another man stood.
“Nice hit. More than that, who knew you'd be hiding here. Took forever to find you—I'm in a foul mood, so bear with me.”
His soft voice and leisurely gait exuded calm confidence.
Recognizing the face, the man scowled.
“Eden...”
Such a short name.
But in Reconnaissance Command, it carried immense weight.
“Oh, you know me?”
“How could I not? Lost ten comrades to your tricks in Kaolan.”
“Kaolan? Haven't heard that city name in ages. Five years ago, right?”
Eden reminisced briefly.
In that time, the enemy had plotted against him, but he paid it no mind.
“You dare infiltrate alone? Your arrogance knows no bounds.”
The man snatched the sword from dead Jerun's hand.
“Alone? Nah, just bait to draw eyes for a moment.”
No sooner had Eden spoken than a black shadow dropped from the theater ceiling on a rope, snatching Aisa from the enemy midst.
“Damn it, when did...”
Tricked by Eden's ploy, the man's composure cracked.
If this continues... it'll end like Kaolan, everything in ruins.
Five years prior, the Kaolan disaster—trapped by Intelligence's bait, losing many comrades.
Lieutenant Colonel Gervil, then operations planner, still shuddered at the memory, sleepless nights haunting him.
“As a Kaolan survivor, let me say: it was pathetically stupid. You thought the emperor's schedule was that easy to snag?”
The bait back then was simple: Emperor inspects civil affairs in Kaolan, heart of Duke Belburn's lands.
Recon Command planned and attempted assassination—caught red-handed.
“You bastard! Take him out first!”
“Yes, sir!!”
Soldiers waiting in the wings charged Eden on command.
“Hardly sporting.”
Five soldiers fixated solely on Eden.
A normal man would flee, but Eden...
“This is a bit much.”
Whoosh!
Eden extended his body without hesitation.
“I'm no Special Forces, but five at once? Terrifying.”
Eden feigned dismay.
But Aditz troops weren't dueling one-on-one.
“Subdue him fast! Don't give him time!”
Lieutenant Colonel Gervil bellowed from behind; Eden shook his head.
“Still sending comrades to die first, huh. Kill all but that one.”
As Eden finished, the theater doors burst open, over twenty troops storming in.
“W-wait, how...”
“Colonel, all seven identified outposts destroyed and cleared.”
“Finish quick and breach the lab.”
“Yes, sir!!”
Battle erupted in earnest.
Outmatched in numbers and quality, Recon Command's defeat was only a matter of time.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Wh-what the hell is that?”
“Enemies already here?!”
“Damn it! We haven't packed everything yet.”
The researchers prepping evacuation underground heard fierce combat echoes.
“I'll check upstairs. Everyone, stay calm.”
Captain Peto of Recon Command headed to a lab corner.
“Robin, right? Go check above.”
“Me?”
Robin questioned why him; Captain Peto scowled.
“Do what you're told. You mad?”
Peto pressed hard.
But it only fueled the researchers' distrust.
“Hey, why not go yourself?”
“You gonna yell at him? We'd be caught without him.”
“Think the duke will let you off if we die here?!”
Tension boiled among the researchers.
To them, Abiel Duke house researchers, a mere captain was beneath contempt.
“I-it's not that, I'm just coordinating on-site—”
“You screwed everything—coordinating what?!”
“Secure our safety first! Pissing me off.”
Faced with rising voices, Captain Peto relented.
“F-fine... I'll go. Calm down, everyone.”
He finally moved, glaring at Robin before ascending to check.
A few minutes later.
“Aaaargh!!!”
Only a scream of agony reached Robin's ears.
Tch, Colonel must've talked.
Untrustworthy after all.
“Damn, now what?”
“We're done for. Shouldn't have come here.”
Panic gripped the researchers naturally; amid them, Robin took charge.
“Not over yet. Where's the director?”
“Director's sorting documents in the lab.”
“Wasting time here is foolish. Fetch him—we'll burn it down.”
“P-pardon?”
Arson on their lab was hard to swallow.
“We can't let the empire's blood-sweat achievements fall to enemies, right?”
“True, but...”
As they hesitated, Robin pressed firmly.
“No time. Move, quick.”
“O-okay.”
“Get the director!”
The mood shifted under Robin's lead.
Unaware of the calculations turning in his head.