Sent to Heal
Sent to Heal
The men seated at the command table began glancing around, gauging Daegen's mood.
Everyone agreed that there was a traitor among them.
Daniel Steiner had not only raided the factory where 1st Platoon was stationed, but had also struck the mayor's mansion, where the 2nd Platoon leader and the deputy company commander were positioned.
It could not possibly be dismissed as coincidence.
The only natural conclusion was that someone on the inside was colluding with Daniel Steiner.
"......First, the squad leaders are in the clear."
Daegen's voice echoed coldly through the inspection room.
"None of the squad leaders knew the full details of the plan. That narrows the suspects to the 3rd Platoon leader, the adjutant, and the signalman. You three knew the exact locations of 1st and 2nd Platoons."
The accused swallowed dryly.
After a brief silence, Daegen leveled his pistol at the 3rd Platoon leader.
"3rd Platoon leader. Did you collude with Daniel Steiner?"
Breaking into a cold sweat, the 3rd Platoon leader shook his head frantically.
"How could you even suggest that! As the company commander well knows, I have served the Republic and the Supreme Council comrades with my blood and sweat! You are aware that I was the one who insisted on fighting to the last during the Filoena Highlands battle, even when the division commander ordered a retreat, are you not?"
"......."
"On top of that, I was the first to support the company commander's plan to eliminate Daniel Steiner! And now you accuse me of joining hands with Daniel Steiner? This is unjust! It is so insulting I feel humiliated!"
His voice trembled, but his eyes remained steady.
Deciding the 3rd Platoon leader was not the traitor, Daegen shifted his gun barrel toward the signalman.
It was an invitation to make his excuses.
The signalman, who had been eyeing the gun barrel, drew a deep breath and spoke.
"It really isn't me. In the first place, I am nothing more than a company signalman. I have only ever followed orders, so how could I be a traitor? It isn't even possible, and even if it were, I wouldn't dare attempt it. You know how cowardly I am, don't you?"
Daegen considered it for a moment, then nodded.
This signalman was absolutely not the type to act independently.
The man before him was someone who would tremble and plead for his life at the mere sound of nearby gunfire.
Half the reason he had gone along with this operation to assassinate Daniel Steiner was coercion.
He had been overcome by the thought that he would be killed the moment he refused the company commander's order.
"That's true enough. A pathetic coward like you would never have joined hands with Daniel Steiner."
Having made his judgment, Daegen finally turned the gun toward the remaining man, the adjutant.
When his turn came, the adjutant spoke flatly.
"......Are you seriously suspecting me right now? Think about it rationally. What would I gain by betraying the company commander to collude with Daniel Steiner?"
"How would I know? Daniel Steiner might have promised you your safety."
"That is ridiculous. Do you honestly believe I would sell out the entire unit just to guarantee my own safety?"
The 3rd Platoon leader, who had been listening, cut in.
"I wouldn't rule out that possibility. The company commander's adjutant also voiced negative opinions when we first planned this operation to assassinate Daniel Steiner. Almost as if he wanted it to fail."
The adjutant's eyes narrowed with irritation.
"I didn't say I wanted it to fail; I said the probability of failure was high. Does assassinating an occupation zone commander with company-level personnel sound remotely feasible to you? I simply didn't want to see our soldiers die like dogs."
"......Our soldiers dying like dogs?"
"Yes! Look at the situation right now! 1st Platoon accomplished nothing and was entirely captured by Daniel Steiner, and the same goes for the 2nd Platoon leader and the deputy company commander! This is the reality, and you're still in denial?"
Daegen clenched his teeth.
"You son of a bitch. You're confessing quite openly now."
The adjutant shot up from his seat.
"I colluded with Daniel Steiner? If you're going to slander me, show some proof! If you ask me, that 3rd Platoon leader bastard is the most suspicious one here!"
As the adjutant leveled a finger, the 3rd Platoon leader slammed the command table and rose from his seat as well.
"I'm suspicious? What the hell are you looking at to spout that kind of nonsense!?"
"Ha! You go around shouting about patriotism on the outside, but aren't you just afraid of the company commander? The moment you heard all of 1st Platoon was captured, your face went pale. Are you planning to dress that up as patriotism too?"
"You son of a bitch!"
It was the moment the 3rd Platoon leader was about to lunge at him.
Bang─
A single gunshot silenced the dispute.
Seeing a bullet hole appear in the adjutant's head, the 3rd Platoon leader froze in shock.
The adjutant swayed for a moment before toppling straight backward.
Blood began pooling behind the fallen adjutant.
"Uh? Oh......."
The 3rd Platoon leader, who had never imagined Daegen would actually kill an ally, opened his mouth in a daze.
Daegen, who had been watching the 3rd Platoon leader, withdrew his pistol and holstered it.
"The traitor has been dealt with. The price was steep, but we should count ourselves fortunate it was settled before things spiraled further out of control."
While the 3rd Platoon leader stared blankly at him, Daegen continued with eerie calm.
"We have lost half our strength, but our original objective remains unchanged. We will assassinate Daniel Steiner without fail. Understood?"
The 3rd Platoon leader gulped and asked.
"......But we have also lost the explosives and firearms, and we can no longer expect support from the mayor. Can you really assassinate Daniel Steiner under these conditions?"
"Don't worry."
A hardened look settled on Daegen's face.
"Because no matter how great a general he is, he will have an opening."
*
Meanwhile, at a large hospital in the fortress city of Lakedrapol.
The hospital's outdoor garden.
"Oh? Isn't that Major Lucy?"
Frien, who had been resting on a bench, spotted Lucy approaching and brightened.
Lucy, who had been walking with a file of documents tucked at her waist, stopped a few steps away from Frien.
"......Captain Frien. Is the treatment of the wounded progressing well?"
"Ah. So that's why you came. I'll need to check the charts, but most are showing improvement, so there's no need to worry."
"Then bring the charts. I must report to the division commander."
Frien's eyes half-closed, put off by Lucy's businesslike manner.
"It's not urgent, so why not rest a little?"
"The fact that it is not an urgent matter does not mean I may neglect my duties."
"Hmm. That excuse is clumsy. I think there's another reason. You want to finish the work quickly so Major General Daniel will praise you, right? And at the same time, you want to maximize the time you can spend at his side."
Lucy opened her mouth to reply, found no suitable words, and closed it again.
As a bonus, the tips of her ears subtly reddened, as if the remark had struck home.
"I'm envious. How nice it would have been if I could have served as Major General Daniel's adjutant like Major Lucy. Then I could have done all sorts of things to my heart's content."
"......All sorts of things?"
"Pretending not to know is just like Major Lucy. Even though deep down you're hoping for it."
She struck home again.
Confirming that Lucy's ears had reddened a shade more than before, Frien chuckled and rose from her seat.
"Well, I do understand why Major Lucy is suppressing her desires. It's hard to say this to you, but I had an awful lot of chances too, you know? Major General Daniel is weaker than you'd think, so it seemed like he wouldn't be able to refuse if I pushed him forcefully."
Frien let out a light breath and approached Lucy.
"But I held back firmly. There are several reasons, but one of them was my wish for Major General Daniel to be safe. That still stands. You also don't want Major General Daniel to be in danger anymore, do you, Major Lucy?"
The smile lingering on Frien's lips was somehow mischievous.
"So how about we make a promise? Until the day Major General Daniel is safe. Until the day the war ends and peace comes to this world, let's hold back the desires simmering inside us. Of course, after that......."
Frien's neat lips moved slightly.
"Major General Daniel will have to pay for the crime of tempting us, though."
At that remark, which was no different from a little devil's whisper, Lucy felt her heart grow unsettled.
Because she had never closely examined precisely what 'desire' Frien was talking about.
However, she had no disagreement about creating a world where Daniel Steiner was safe.
It was the moment Lucy, having organized her thoughts, was about to open her mouth to answer.
"Captain Frien! So you were here!"
Turning their gazes at the soldier's voice, Lucy and Frien saw an Imperial Army soldier escorting a prisoner.
"......Who is that person?"
When Frien asked, the soldier glared at the prisoner and spoke.
"This bastard is called Sergeant Regulten, from the Republic's 7th Division. The division commander sent this guy to Captain Frien to receive treatment."
"Major General Daniel did?"
"Yes. For your information, this son of a bitch is the one who planned the assassination of the division commander."
The air grew heavy the moment the soldier finished speaking.
Thanks to that, the captured Regulten broke into a cold sweat and slowly raised his head.
What met him were the eyes of Lucy and Frien, draining to a colorless hue.
In those gazes, as if they were looking at an extremely disgusting insect, not a shred of sympathy could be felt.
"Heh."
Seeing Frien's lips curl up subtly, Regulten instinctively sensed it.
'Well, shit.......'
That he might soon experience hell.