A Half-Truth
A Half-Truth
The next morning.
Lucy, who had just arrived at General Headquarters, stood still outside the personal office of the Operations Staff Officer, gripping the doorknob.
It was clearly just another ordinary workday, but ever since she'd received the order to 'eliminate Daniel Steiner,' everything had felt alien.
"......."
Lucy, who had been gripping the doorknob for no apparent reason, took a deep breath and opened the door.
There, she saw Daniel sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper.
It was the same sight as always.
"Huh? Ah."
Daniel, noticing Lucy enter, folded the newspaper.
"You're here. You seem later than usual today."
"I'm sorry. I had trouble sleeping last night......."
"No need to apologize. As long as you're not late, it doesn't matter."
Daniel folded the newspaper again, set it on the edge of the desk, and opened a drawer.
"More importantly, I have good news for you today."
"......Good news, sir?"
Daniel took a box out of the drawer and placed it on the desk.
Lucy knew exactly what the box wrapped in the Imperial flag was.
When Lucy's gaze fixed on the box, Daniel tapped it playfully.
"Congratulations. It looks like your merits have been recognized in the special promotion review."
Lucy showed no reaction.
After all, she was going to kill Daniel today and leave the Empire.
So even being promoted to First Lieutenant wouldn't cause any complications.
'Look at this.'
Daniel, misreading Lucy's indifferent expression, smiled to himself.
'She's trying to act fine. She's probably cursing me in her head.'
Daniel knew all too well the emptiness and anger that came with an unwanted promotion.
Daniel, thinking that Lucy must be feeling the same way, rose from his seat.
"Allow me to change your rank insignia myself."
He unfolded the flag and opened the box, revealing a First Lieutenant badge.
Daniel picked it up, walked over to Lucy, and personally replaced her badge.
With practiced movements, Daniel pinned the First Lieutenant badge to both of Lucy's shoulders and smiled with satisfaction.
"Congratulations on becoming a First Lieutenant. Continue to fulfill your duties as my adjutant in the future."
Lucy, about to answer reflexively, found herself hesitating.
Daniel was going to die today.
So for Daniel, there would be no 'in the future.'
"......Adjutant?"
When Daniel, finding that odd, spoke to her, Lucy came to her senses and answered.
"It is an honor to be promoted early. I will continue to do my best."
Daniel, who had been staring at Lucy in silence after her delayed reply, nodded vaguely.
It looked like she was hiding something, but he couldn't ask outright.
*
After finishing work as usual and returning home, Lucy began her assassination preparations.
She not only studied the geography around Daniel's quarters in detail using a map, but also planned her entry and escape routes.
Additionally, she changed into combat clothing, inserted a bulletproof plate, and even brought anti-magic field bullets—said to be worth their weight in gold—in case Daniel Steiner counterattacked.
With all preparations complete, Lucy used optical camouflage and headed to Daniel's quarters during the most deserted hours of dawn.
When she arrived in front of Daniel's quarters, Lucy grabbed the doorknob and gently turned it, but, unsurprisingly, it didn't open.
Naturally, Lucy knelt on one knee, took out a lockpick from her coat, and began unlocking the door.
Ttakkkak─
Hearing the sound of the lock disengaging, Lucy turned the handle and gently opened the door.
Confirming the door was open, Lucy put the lockpick back into her coat and stood up.
After taking a deep breath, Lucy opened the door fully, entered, and shut it immediately.
As she glanced around the living room, Lucy froze.
Because she could see Daniel's back as he sat on the sofa.
'No way.......'
Had he noticed and not slept tonight?
She thought that couldn't be possible, but this was Daniel Steiner.
Not knowing for sure, Lucy drew her pistol and slowly approached Daniel.
As she drew closer, aiming the pistol at Daniel, Lucy soon felt relieved.
Because from the side, she could see that Daniel had his eyes closed and was leaning back against the sofa.
His breathing was steady and his head slightly drooped, suggesting he was asleep.
Lucy let out a low breath, took a silencer from her coat, and attached it to the pistol's muzzle.
Having skillfully attached the silencer, Lucy deactivated her optical camouflage and aimed at Daniel's head.
Now all that was left was to pull the trigger, kill Daniel, and escape the Empire.
Since she would be killing the Empire's hero, all manner of pursuit would follow as soon as the body was discovered in the morning, but that was a problem for later.
'The important thing.......'
Was to remain loyal to the orders of Count Kaledra, who had shown her grace.
Therefore, Lucy had to kill Daniel Steiner.
Lucy, with her finger on the trigger, held her breath to aim precisely.
Now all she had to do was shoot.
But for some reason, her finger showed no sign of moving.
In the midst of the inexplicable hesitation delaying the assassination, Lucy became aware of something at the edge of her vision.
Reflexively turning her gaze, Lucy saw that Daniel's officer's coat was draped over the back of the sofa.
Out of the inside pocket of the inside-out coat, a piece of old paper was sticking out.
"......."
Curious about the paper's identity, Lucy lowered her pistol for a moment and checked the inside pocket of the coat.
There, she found a piece of paper, singed by fire and folded in half, along with an old photograph.
Lucy checked the photograph first.
'This is.......'
It was a photograph of Daniel taken with orphans at a monastery.
A younger Daniel was smiling in the center, while the orphanage children clung to him like stickers and squabbled with one another.
Being popular with children inevitably meant he was a good person.
Lucy, who had been observing the sleeping Daniel's profile, shook her head.
Whether he was a good person or not was completely irrelevant to carrying out the mission.
Turning the photograph over, Lucy unfolded the paper this time.
As she felt the rough texture characteristic of old paper and read through its contents, Lucy's hand faltered.
『......According to data recently provided by the Allied Nations, there is an individual on which the experiment has succeeded.』
'The Allied Nations?'
Lucy couldn't believe that the Allied Nations had conducted biological experiments.
But even more unbelievable was the next sentence.
『It is currently unique, and its magical enhancement far exceeds the expected range. As a result, our research team pays respects to the Allied Nations and names the code for the future project after this individual: Project Lucy.』
Project Lucy.
According to the paper's contents, the individual on whom the Allied Nations' biological experiment succeeded was none other than Lucy.
Because of that, Lucy's hands trembled like someone in denial.
'That can't be.'
It was the Empire, not the Allied Nations, that conducted the experiment.
'It was Count Kaledra who saved me while I was suffering from the Empire's human experiments.'
So this document was a lie.
However, for some reason, this paper appeared to be quite old.
Because for the paper to have become this rough, it must have been exposed to air for a long time.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't look like a hastily fabricated document.
In the midst of confusion, Lucy's gaze fell upon Daniel.
She couldn't understand how Daniel had come to possess this paper.
Even more incomprehensible was that Daniel knew what was written on the paper but never showed any sign of it.
This document couldn't serve as evidence to uncover a spy, but it was certainly enough to raise suspicion.
Yet Daniel treated Lucy as usual, far from suspecting her.
'On the contrary.......'
He even stepped forward and blocked the Security Bureau when they came to investigate.
Lucy's breath trembled faintly as she recalled that memory.
'Even though he knew I was a spy.......'
Daniel had risked his life to stand against the Security Bureau.
Why on earth? Lucy couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought about it.
Completely unable to understand what was going on, Lucy gripped the pistol tightly.
─ Lucy. One who does not know grace is no different from a beast. Also, everything except the words that come from my mouth is a lie.
Because she recalled the words Count Kaledra had always said to her.
'What's written on the paper is a lie.'
So she just had to remain loyal to Count Kaledra and the Allied Nations as usual.
Lucy, who had raised the pistol, steadied her ragged breathing.
All she had to do was kill Daniel here and return to the Allied Nations.
With her finger on the trigger, Lucy narrowed her eyes sharply.
But she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger.
Because for some reason, Daniel's words were echoing in her head.
─ Just because. I was looking because your beauty seemed to stand out today.
No strength came to the finger poised on the trigger.
─ Your skin doesn't smell, Adjutant. Rather, it's fragrant. So don't rely on luxuries like perfume.
She bit her lower lip hard.
─ Don't make my adjutant uncomfortable.
As confusion mounted, her breath, which had steadied, became ragged again.
─ If possible, I'd like us to ascend to high places together.
Lucy sobbed silently and squeezed her eyes shut.
Feeling an unfamiliar emotion in the recollection, Lucy's hand trembled lightly.
'Even if the paper's contents are a lie.......'
It meant that Daniel had known Lucy was a spy.
But Daniel hadn't told anyone that Lucy was a spy.
On the contrary, he had risked his life to save her from the Security Bureau.
Lucy had received grace from Daniel.
And one who did not know grace was no different from a beast.
Because Lucy was not a beast, she couldn't bring herself to kill Daniel.
Amid the intense conflict, Lucy finally lowered the pistol she had been holding.
Her head ached as if it would split.
Breathing roughly in the silence, Lucy realized something.
'Right now, I.......'
...that she absolutely could not kill Daniel.