Chapter 328: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (46)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 328: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (46)
We had entered Eratus.
Just as I’d heard, the planet was mostly ocean, and a sea of blue waves rippled as far as the eye could see. However, it was a far cry from the atmosphere I had imagined—a desolate island reeking of ruins, contamination, and blood.
The scenery that greeted me was unexpected.
Atop massive foundational structures submerged beneath the water, buildings stretched out in an orderly fashion. It was too advanced to be called a mere ocean city; the entire urban landscape unfolded calmly across a foundation as wide as a continent.
‘This… is a hideout for pirates and mercenaries?’
The ship slowly descended, passing through the city's outskirts. Clean protective barriers, automatically purified waterways, and gleaming platform lights. There was no hint of the lawlessness and crime I expected.
Brol, standing beside me, saw my reaction and shrugged.
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
I gave a small nod.
“It is. I heard pirates had taken over an abandoned planet, so I expected it to be more of a mess… but this is just an ordinary, no, a rather well-organized city.”
“The gloomy, filthy vibe you were hoping for is somewhere else. This place has its own kind of order.”
Brol gestured below with his chin. A cluster of structures was faintly visible beneath the water's surface. The silhouette of a multi-layered underwater city shimmered through the sea mist.
“There are rules here. Fire your gun recklessly or do whatever you want, and you’re out. It’s an unofficial city, but places like this have the strictest rules.”
“…How strange.”
I muttered under my breath and lowered my gaze.
“Let’s head down.”
I followed Brol back inside the ship. A moment later, the hangar door opened with a grinding sound, and the warship's rear shield retracted.
The air filling my lungs for the first time in a while was refreshing.
Vehicles began to move in a line along a road connected to the ground platform.
Elena was sitting next to me. Her face was still expressionless. She hadn’t said a word.
During the few days she’d been confined to her room, she had barely spoken. Ever since I took her pistol, her eyes held nothing but hostility and silence.
I glanced at her and spoke dryly.
“Major, are you still sulking?”
“……”
She didn't turn her head or meet my eyes. Her silence felt like an answer.
I sighed softly and shrugged.
“I’m sorry for locking you in that room.”
No response.
Well, I wasn't expecting one.
I turned my gaze to the window. Around the city's outer platform, children had gathered to watch the convoy of vehicles. Their eyes were clear and full of life.
“There are more children than I thought.”
Brol nodded in response.
“This place isn’t just for people from Earth… there’s a fair number of people from Arsenos mixed in. People who ran away because they hated the war.”
“Then why did they become mercenaries or pirates?”
“Because they have to feed their families.”
His answer was short and firm.
“And not all of them are pirates or mercenaries. There are plenty of people with skills. Some learn new technologies to develop the city and protect their families… It’s not that different from a normal country, really.”
I watched the view outside the window in silence. Small hands were waving at our vehicle. Curious faces. Smiling children.
Soon, the vehicle picked up speed. It left the platform, passed through the central district, and changed direction. The neat streets and new buildings receded, and the scenery outside the window began to change.
The roads grew older, the streets emptier. Steam rose from the underground waterways, and exposed pipes ran in irregular patterns. The building walls were covered in graffiti and cracks.
“The atmosphere is a bit different from here on out.”
Brol crossed his arms and replied.
“This is the old city, built a long time ago. It was the central hub when Eratus was first used as a mining base. It was closed off after that. Now it’s just an abandoned district.”
“Then why here of all places?”
“She doesn’t like to be bothered. And it’s a good place to build things.”
I turned my head.
“It doesn’t seem like a suitable place to repair a mech.”
“You can ask her that yourself.”
The vehicle stopped in front of an old building. It looked worn on the outside, but the glass windows were spotless, and the exterior walls were neatly coated with anti-rust paint. It had the feel of being stained with both handprints and grease. Old, but clearly maintained with affection.
Brol casually pushed the vehicle door open.
“Get out. The freak is in here.”
He walked toward the building entrance as if it were familiar territory and shouted at the speaker.
“Lillian! It’s me! Open up!”
A moment of silence. Then, a voice came through the speaker.
[……What is it? What’s the old man here for this time? Such a pain.]
The tone was familiar yet blatantly annoyed. Her lazy, drawling voice was tinged with a strange, sensual energy. It was a voice that was indifferent and dry, yet it had a strange way of getting under your skin.
Brol snapped back, irritated.
“I contacted you beforehand! Don’t you remember?!”
[Hmm… what was it again? Oh, right. You asked me to fix a mobile weapon.]
“Yeah, that’s it!”
[I’ll open it.]
Click—
The door slid open.
The interior was dark and hazy. Air thick with the smell of metal and lubricant flowed out slowly. A maintenance crane hanging from the ceiling descended, revealing a space beyond the steel railing where countless machine parts were scattered like sculptures. And among them, a woman appeared.
She wore only a tank top, her jumpsuit tied around her waist. Her forearms were covered in grease stains, her skin smudged with lubricant. Her messy violet hair was tied back tightly, and her emerald eyes were sharp, yet held a strangely melted look.
“Alright, let’s see the new toy.”
She spoke nonchalantly, her eyelids half-closed.
“The first thing you ask for is the mobile weapon?”
Brol clicked his tongue.
“Quiet, old man. Just show it to me.”
“Hah… Fine. Nox!”
Brol gestured behind him, and a transport truck opened its rear doors.
Inside lay the half-destroyed Requiem. Her expression changed, and she walked toward it without a word. She placed a hand on the machine, bent down, and ran her hands over the fuselage as if gently embracing it. Then, she muttered quietly.
“…You want me to fix this?”
Lillian silently scanned the fuselage for a while before turning her head slightly.
“The pilot who flew this, is he even alive?”
Brol glanced in my direction. From over her violet hair, the gaze of her emerald eyes locked onto me.
I took a step forward.
“Can you fix it?”
Lillian looked me up and down, then snorted in derision.
“Are you kidding me?”
She turned back to the pile of scrap that was once the Requiem and tapped the exterior with her fingertips.
“The armor’s completely melted, and the frame is structurally warped. And this… it’s a customized A-Class Valkyrie from the Licencia Group, isn’t it?”
I nodded silently. Lillian pressed a hand to her forehead and muttered with a deep sigh.
“Hah… you’re a real psycho. This means it needs proprietary parts produced only by the Licencia Group. Genuine ones, at that.”
She brushed the metal dust from her hands and shook her head.
“Can’t be done. Even for me, this is crossing a line. And even if I could fix it… the repair cost? Brol, you couldn’t afford it even if you sold your life ten times over.”
Brol let out a laugh of disbelief.
“What, it’s so bad even you’re giving up, Lillian?”
“Yep. Giving up completely.”
I looked at her quietly and said, “Brol told me you were a genius. I guess not, huh?”
“Provoking me won’t work. Genius or not, impossible is impossible.”
“Lillian. Is there really no way at all?”
“Nope. So just get lost, Brol.”
“Hey, wait a minute. I saved you back in the day. Did you forget that?”
Lillian turned to look at Brol, narrowed her eyes, and said, “You’re not even that man’s lover, so why are you trying so hard to help him?”
Brol shrugged and replied slyly.
“Heh heh, because he’s my new treasure.”
Lillian clicked her tongue.
“Tsk… whatever. It’s not like there’s no way.”
Brol’s eyes lit up.
“Oh? That’s the Lillian I know! What’s the method?”
“There are two.”
She held up her fingers.
“First, you get official parts from the Licencia Group. Completely genuine, brand-new parts. The ones with the official certified markings and compatibility codes engraved on them. Not just the shell, but the core-linked chipset as well.”
Brol frowned.
“Where are we supposed to get those?”
“You can’t. Not even Arsenos can touch the Licencia black market routes. You probably can’t get a connection unless you’re a high-ranking officer.”
I listened without a word. She raised another finger.
“Second.”
She tilted her head slightly. Her lips curled into a smirk, but her eyes were serious.
“I make them.”
Brol’s eyes widened.
“You’ll make them? Those? Licencia’s proprietary parts?”
“To be precise… I’d be ‘replicating’ them. I’ll analyze the original circuits and rebuild them myself. The precision will be lower, but it should be operational. However—”
She looked straight at me.
“Don’t expect it to be normal. It might perform better than the original, or the core could become unstable and go berserk.”
“…As long as it moves, I don’t care.”
I said curtly.
Lillian stared at me for a long moment after hearing my words. Then, she let out a short, sharp laugh.
“Fine. But while I’m working, you don’t question my methods. You don’t enter the work area without permission. And—”
She slowly raised her gaze to meet mine directly.
“You’ll follow every single one of my orders. If you don’t like it, get lost now.”
I took a short breath and nodded.
“Alright. I accept your proposal.”
She turned away without another word. Her roughly tied violet hair, damp with sweat, swayed lightly.
“Then move that hunk of scrap inside.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the lift crane inside began to descend with a vibrating hum. Lillian was already pulling on her gloves and getting to work.
*
It was already our fourth day here. Lillian was engrossed in her work, while Brol was busy gathering information through his local contacts.
I was sitting in front of a terminal with Elena.
“Major. Take a look at this.”
I played a video I had prepared. It showed the Earth Federation Army attacking an Arsenos colonial planet.
Civilians screamed amidst the flames. Indiscriminate fire rained down on survivors. The footage clearly documented residential areas collapsing under the barrage.
Elena’s face turned deathly pale.
“Ugh…”
She covered her mouth and stumbled backward. Without taking my eyes off the screen, I asked quietly, “After seeing this, do you still want to return to the Federation?”
“…W-what… is this…”
“I haven’t told you, have I? The Federation’s civil war ended in a stalemate. They’re in a temporary truce because of the Arsenos invasion.”
I paused the video. On the screen, a Federation mech, operating a forbidden weapon of mass destruction, was frozen in the act of destroying an intact civilian home.
“This is a weapon banned by treaty. The Federation no longer cares about justifications.”
Elena’s eyes trembled, and she was at a loss for words. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her hands, resting on her knees, were shaking.
I continued slowly.
“Major… do you want to become the same kind of person as them?”
At those words, Elena could no longer hold it together. Her lips quivered as she quietly lowered her head. And then, tears began to fall. Silently, as if a dam that had refused to break had finally collapsed.
“…Then what am I supposed to do…”
She forced the words out.
“…What’s going to change just by me wandering around with you…”
It wasn't simple anger. It was a cry mixed with confusion, self-blame, helplessness, and fear.
I looked at her.
Her disheveled blonde hair, her trembling shoulders. The cool-headed Major of the Federation was gone.
“…What am I supposed to fight for? Where am I supposed to go?”
I said with a very serious expression, “We have to… set the world right.”
At my words, Elena wiped her tears and looked up at me. Her mouth fell open with an expression bordering on horror.
“Sniff… Are you insane? Why are you suddenly saying things you never would…?”
Elena looked at me, her face a mess of tears. Her expression screamed, ‘He’s finally lost it.’
‘…This bitch?’
I had even restrained myself and put on a righteous protagonist act for her.
“What, what’s wrong with me?”
“You psycho… and a p-pervert…”
“……Where did pervert suddenly come from?”
Her nose was red as she gritted her teeth.
“It’s true! You perverted bastard! I know all about you and… and Carla doing… that! H-how could you do something like that inside a warship…”
I shrugged.
“Hey, when a young man and woman are stuck in a confined space for a long time… well, these things happen naturally. It’s instinct.”
“Don’t give me that crap about instinct!”
Elena, having stopped crying, glared at me and pointed a finger, her pent-up emotions finally exploding.
“And another thing! Even if you are some kind of animal, you should at least have some common sense! You have none! It was the same back at the training facility! Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was?! In front of everyone—!”
At first, I tried to let it go in one ear and out the other. But her voice was loud… and her nagging was long.
‘…Is this her real personality?’
I slowly turned my gaze. This seemed to be her true self, which she had hidden until now. As her nagging continued, I muttered to myself.
‘I guess I have no choice. I'll have to use my secret technique.’