The Vanished Valkyrie's Signal

The prologue of Gray Valkyrie consists of three major events. First, the train derailment accident. After the player is saved by Leira there, they fight Erosion Species alongside her and learn the combat system. A so-called combat tutorial. The difficulty was low.

Second, becoming the commander of the Ruina branch. Wandering around the branch with Leira, the player learns the purpose and usage of each facility. If the train accident was the combat tutorial, this was the training tutorial. It turned out to be more important than expected. You could even do gacha pulls.

And the third was the current Valkyrie disappearance incident. Compared to the previous two tutorials, it felt like the story's introduction. The somewhat peaceful atmosphere turned grim in an instant.

Starting with Leira dying right away, that game has an overall bleak vibe. It would've been better with more inner monologue from the protagonist.

Well, regretting it now is pointless. Thinking that, I arrived at my destination before I knew it. This was the command and control room, used during operations. When I opened the door and entered, there were already many people inside. Ubina, today's roll-bun-haired duty officer with an armband on her bicep. The commander, whose hair was still damp like he'd just washed it. Dalia adjusting her clothes and Promina carrying Anje on her back. And squad leaders from various squads scattered around.

Hmm, looks like I'm the last one. As I glanced around, Ubina raised her voice.

"Ah, Leira-nim! You've finally arrived, sawayo!"

"Sorry I'm late. In such an urgent situation..."

I'd been delayed trying to hide the wound on my thigh. The throbbing from my thigh, tightly bound by the garter, was intense. I immediately bowed my head apologetically. Not that I was actually sorry, but I hoped it'd let me slide.

"It's fine. We just got here ourselves."

"Yeah. Don't blame yourself too much."

Maybe it was worth the effort raising their affinity over the past week. No one blamed me harshly; instead, they comforted me. Ahh, this is all thanks to becoming a beautiful girl. Reading the mood, I turned to Ubina right away.

"Ubina, could you brief me on the situation?"

"Understood, sawayo. I'll relay what happened, sawayo."

Where had her usual sloppy vibe gone? With her mouth set in a firm line, she explained the situation seriously.

The missing Valkyrie was D-rank Morka. About an hour ago, she'd been on patrol duty outside the city. Even after shift change, neither she nor her deputy had returned. The next shift worker sensed something wrong and reported it to Ubina, who urgently searched her patrol route. But only Morka's deputy was found unconscious in a nearby alley.

"Any chance she just took a detour?"

"I'd prefer that kind of minor slip-up, sawayo... But there's no eyewitness accounts at all, sawayo. No movement on CCTV either... It's like she turned into a ghost, sawayo!"

"Ubina. What about the tracker on her special gear?"

"The last signal was from inside the city, sawayo..."

"The tracker's malfunctioning...?"

Morka's disappearance was downright bizarre. No witnesses, no CCTV footage, and even the tracker on her uniform had gone dead. Just hearing about it conveyed the gravity. The other squad leaders' faces turned serious.

"This... reeks of an incident."

"Weird. Morka's a bit clumsy, but she's not the type to wander off during duty."

"Then who could...?"

"No way, not again..."

Murmurs spread through the command room. Especially suspicious glances toward the commander. Maybe they suspected him as a suspect in this case. It wasn't entirely baseless. Valkyries couldn't defy humans. Commanders especially had authority to order them. Perhaps the previous commander had done something similar.

Complete frame job. If that were the case, how do you explain no CCTV footage?

Ruina branch was a small unit with just over 50 members total. One of their comrades vanishing without a trace—it was hard for them to stay objective. Of course, the misunderstanding would clear itself if left alone. But a drop in the commander's reputation wasn't ideal. Low chance, but it could lead to delirium and superior murder. Discord would hinder immediate plans.

If the chance comes, defending the commander would be good.

Something like, You're the only one I believe in. Not bad. Thinking that, I glanced at the commander. Curious what he was pondering. But he didn't notice my gaze at all. With a serious expression, he said to Ubina:

"One possibility."

"A possibility... what kind, sawayo?"

"Maybe Erosion Species."

"No way! If Erosion Species entered the city, we'd have noticed by now!"

"Commander, are you treating us like idiots?"

"That's..."

The squad leaders rebutted the commander's sudden statement. Erosion Species entering the city and attacking a Valkyrie wasn't unprecedented... But if so, there should be traces. He probably knew that, but he shut his mouth before their backlash. Maybe struggling internally on how to explain.

I pressed my forehead at the frustratingly stagnant situation.

No... explain in detail.

Stopping there just makes it sound like nonsense. Letting out a silent sigh, I raised my hand lightly. As all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes gathered, I spoke calmly.

"I think the commander means... the newly discovered variant this time."

"Variant?"

"Yes. On our way to Ruina, we encountered a new Erosion Species never seen before. It... had the ability to jam transmissions."

"That's..."

"Jams transmissions...?!"

"So the commander suspects something similar—a new Erosion Species."

This what you meant, right? I asked with my eyes, and he nodded. Ha... don't open your mouth anymore, you mouth of doom. But was there a hole in my claim? The ponytail-glasses squad leader timidly countered.

Oh, what's her name again? Can't recall suddenly.

"Th-that... We can't be sure yet... No evidence it's some undiscovered Erosion Species..."

"I was just suggesting one possibility. I'd like to ask instead: kidnapping a Valkyrie without a trace—who else but Erosion Species could do that?"

"That's..."

"And this isn't the time to argue opinions. Morka's life is at stake. Better to conclude quickly."

So don't nitpick. Or I'll rip your ass apart. I glared sharply at glasses girl. She flinched, shoulders jumping, and bowed her head. That shut up the baseless contrarian. Time to step up more proactively. Composing my expression, I turned seriously to the commander.

"Commander. If it's really Erosion Species, there's a reason it hasn't shown itself."

"A reason...?"

"Erosion Species move on instinct. They charge if they see you, flee if threatened. Targeting only Morka means... that's the limit of its ability."

"Low combat power?"

"Yes. Maybe specialized in traceless abductions. If we're lucky... Morka might still be alive."

Not time to give up hope yet. I stared at him assertively. He stared blankly back, then nodded. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Good. Now we have justification to head out anytime. Just waiting for that...

Then, a sudden blaring signal sounded. All eyes turned to the source. Dalia, startled by something on the screen.

"It, it appeared...!"

"What appeared?"

"Morka's signal that vanished until just now!"

...Ah, so that's how it is. Time flew by already. Inevitable. I smiled bitterly inside and asked Dalia urgently.

"Where's the location?"

"Current position: Malishion! Stationary at the mountain peak!"

"Malishion..."

"That's dozens of kilometers from here, right?!"

This matched the original. The missing Valkyrie's signal at Malishion. A distant mountain far outside the city. Why had her signal, lost in the city, appeared here? Most were baffled by the inexplicable phenomenon. But regardless, I faced the commander directly.

With resolve, I said:

"Commander. Issue dispatch orders."

"Right now..."

"I want to save Morka. We've only met recently, but she's a really good kid."

He couldn't refuse. I'd said she might still be alive. Rejecting me here equaled abandoning her. He furrowed his brow thoughtfully, then met my eyes squarely.

"...Understood. But I'll go too."

"C-Commander? No need for you to risk such danger..."

I widened my eyes in feigned surprise. Of course, pure acting. If he didn't come, it'd be a problem. Him volunteering was perfect.

"Valkyrie power maximizes near their commander. So I want to help Leira."

"That's..."

"And didn't Leira say she'd protect me?"

I pretended to be at a loss for words, then nodded reluctantly, averting my eyes. Instead, I advised forming a squad with Rabbit Hole Squad. They were key to the plan—couldn't leave them. Me and the five Rabbit Hole Valkyries, plus the commander. That was the operation squad.

We gathered our gear and met ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the commander's office for final checks.

"Leira-nim, it's an honor to fight together, sawayo!"

"Yes. Looking forward to it, Ubina."

"I-I'll try not to drag you down..."

"Can't wait to see Leira's skills."

"Ung."

"Haha... I'll give it my all, no disappointments."

After chatting with the enthusiastic Rabbit Hole Squad, I approached the commander gearing up. Tugged his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sleeve lightly to make him look. Covering my mouth secretively, I whispered just to him:

"Commander. I'll protect you, no matter what. Even if it costs my life."

"I... Yes. I trust you."

"Hehe, believe in me."

He started to say something but stopped. Probably that I didn't need to risk my life. Hmm, not bad. A genuine smile formed. Afterward, we left the city. Destination: the Malishion mountains, dozens of kilometers away. Under the dark night sky, the small truck sped along.

I muttered softly to the person beside me, barely audible:

"Morka... please be safe."

Did it carry? I glanced at the commander's face. Good, it reached—his gaze was on me. Though darkness hid his emotions. Didn't matter much. Pretending not to notice, I stared out the window into the blackness.

Stage, leads, direction—all perfect. Like a picnic, my heart raced.