Chapter 366: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (83)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 366: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (83)
When Adele Licencia’s speech ended, Aaron Blake quietly closed his terminal. His gaze was fixed on the fleet arrayed beyond the transparent glass.
“…Hmph. So I couldn’t stop the princess after all.”
He let out a sigh, a self-deprecating smile on his face.
He had executed countless plans to eliminate Adele Licencia, but every single one had failed.
All those failures had one thing in common.
“...It must be because of that knight who stays by her side.”
Jin Seo-yun, the man called the Knight of the Apocalypse.
An absolute variable, not part of the scenario.
“It’s as if… he’s a knight protecting her to the very end, so that fate itself cannot take her.”
He quietly operated his terminal. Opening an encrypted internal code window, he typed in a short command.
At that moment, the sound of multiple combat boots began to approach from the corridor outside, their rhythm steady.
He slowly rose from his seat.
“A shame. I wanted to use this name… for just a little longer.”
The steel door was forced open, and armed Federation soldiers stormed into the room.
“Leon Risensia! You are under arrest for high treason and inciting mass slaughter!”
Dozens of red targeting dots aimed at Aaron’s forehead, heart, and neck.
But he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. As if this moment, too, was part of his calculations, he slowly opened a drawer and took out a pistol.
At his movement, the field commander shouted.
“Drop the weapon! Immediately—”
But Aaron simply smiled quietly and raised the muzzle.
“How unfortunate. I am not Leon Risensia…”
The moment his finger was about to touch the trigger—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots ripped through the room. Immediately after, an unbelievable scene unfolded. Half of the soldiers who had been carrying out the arrest suddenly turned and opened fire indiscriminately on their own comrades.
Bang!
“Kugh… Aaargh—!”
Screams tore through the air as blood and smoke instantly filled the room.
Without firing a single shot, Aaron calmly watched the chaos and said quietly, “…I am Aaron Blake.”
Once all the soldiers had fallen, a figure in a black coat entered silently from beyond the door.
“Lord Aaron. The escape vessel is ready.”
“Understood.”
Aaron slowly lowered his gun and put on his overcoat. After placing the weapon on his desk, he followed his subordinate’s lead toward a silent-drive escape vessel.
Standing before the vessel, he gave a short command.
“You all… will complete your mission.”
“Yes, sir.”
His subordinates saluted in unison. Aaron immediately boarded the vessel, which began to take off.
The surrounding surveillance network was strangely silent, and there was no sign of any Federation forces attempting to pursue him.
As the escape vessel left the fleet and moved further away, Aaron gazed quietly out the window and muttered.
“……Is it beginning?”
BOOOOOM!!
A battleship exploded from within. Then, as if on cue, the surrounding battleships simultaneously aimed their cannons at their allies.
With the IFF system collapsed, the ships began to recognize each other as enemies and act independently.
BOOM!
At that moment, from one end of space, units bearing the red insignia of the colonial army approached.
[Is that… the Colonial Army…?!]
[This is the 9th Offensive Mobile Unit! The Colonial Army fleet is— Ugh!]
[The unit… why isn’t it… Kuaaargh—!]
From within his escape vessel, Aaron Blake calmly watched the communication network as if looking down upon everything.
“The technology Licencia provided. Every system the Federation greedily adopted had a control loop hidden within it.”
He opened his terminal and muttered briefly.
“And now, that authority belongs to me.”
The Arsenos fleet was breaking through, unilaterally slaughtering the Federation forces who couldn't even resist. The units that had lost control were either immobile or were being recovered by Arsenos.
Aaron watched the blazing fires in the distance and smiled quietly.
“The red light is beautiful.”
*
[This is a breaking news report. The Federation Army’s main fleet suffered a devastating blow from the Arsenos fleet several days ago. The number of casualties identified so far is…]
[The most shocking fact is that evidence has been found of some battleships, equipped with the Federation’s state-of-the-art systems, self-destructing or attacking their own allies.]
[The Federation Ministry of Defense is currently maintaining official silence on the matter, stating that they are “investigating the possibility of a partial system error.”]
[Furthermore, the status of Leon Risensia, whether he is alive or dead, has not yet been confirmed.]
Adele turned off the screen and muttered quietly.
“…The Federation Army’s losses are severe.”
Lillian, sitting beside her, replied.
“Arsenos is launching a full-scale attack on the Federation’s main orbital defense network. The Federation forces are hastily retreating from every front to reorganize their defense lines.”
Adele asked in a serious tone, “Arsenos has no intention of stopping, do they?”
Lillian shook her head.
“The Supreme Chairman of Arsenos, Raul Vernard, is a hardliner among hardliners. He’ll use this opportunity to completely neutralize the entire Federation space force.”
At that moment, Eleonora quietly added.
“The problem is… the coup d’état our uncle started is also stalling. The more time we waste, the more the Federation will collapse from within, and Arsenos will use that opening to destroy it even further.”
Adele’s expression darkened.
“The situation has become complicated. The Federation might collapse before the civil war even ends…. If that happens, it will be an unbelievably chaotic situation.”
Just then, Hina, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“What would happen if we intervened in the Federation’s coup?”
A brief silence fell over the conference room. Adele slowly turned her head to look at Hina.
“If we intervene… we become direct participants in the Federation’s civil war. If things go wrong, we could face not only political problems but also all sorts of criticism…”
She quietly looked around the room.
“But… we can’t just stand by and watch.”
Adele rose from her seat and continued.
“We will help Walter Eisenhardt conclude the ground-based coup and simultaneously halt Arsenos’s expansion. That is my plan.”
Lillian asked, “You plan to divide our forces and handle both fronts at once?”
“That’s right.”
Adele stood up and said, “The ones to stop Arsenos will be my husband, Lisa, and Carla. The ones to ensure the success of the ground coup will be Sheryl, Oh Hyun, and Mason. Each of you must finish your assigned tasks as quickly as possible.”
Her gaze shifted to the individuals she had named.
“Mr. Oh Hyun, Mr. Mason. And… Sheryl. What are your thoughts?”
Oh Hyun gave a short nod.
“I’ll do it…”
Mason crossed his arms and frowned, then gave a heavy nod.
“I suppose we have no choice.”
Sheryl looked at Adele silently for a moment before speaking with a neutral expression.
“However, my concern is that the moment we intervene, we will become complete enemies of Arsenos. That means we will lose all room for negotiation in post-war diplomacy.”
Sheryl’s words were not a simple worry. It was a risk that looked toward the future. Adele nodded and looked at her.
“Yes. I know.”
She looked at Sheryl and spoke with determination.
“But… if the Federation falls now, Arsenos will swallow the vacuum of chaos. And it’s obvious what the enraged citizens of Arsenos will do to the Federation citizens. So we need time to, if not reconcile them, at least quell their anger.”
Adele quietly raised her head and looked around.
“And if necessary, I am prepared to make them our enemy. This war will never end if we can’t stop Arsenos anyway.”
Sheryl watched her without a word, then nodded.
“Understood.”
“Then, let’s begin the strategy meeting.”
As the meeting progressed, I quietly watched Oh Hyun. If his mental state had completely shattered, I was planning to implement a plan I had already thought of.
‘He looks fine on the outside, but I can’t tell what’s going on inside.’
If he was truly broken, there was a chance I could fix him a little. But if that didn’t work… locking him up somewhere quiet wasn’t a bad idea either.
‘As long as he’s alive, that’s all that matters.’
The quest was to ‘help Oh Hyun establish an independent nation,’ not to make Oh Hyun its leader.
‘Adele can take all the real power, and Oh Hyun can just stand beside her like a figurehead. That should be enough.’
In the end, what mattered was the result: that we founded a nation together.
‘Honestly, I’d rather just conquer everything through war… but it’s a shame that would take too long.’
And Adele would never allow that.
‘It’s a bit inconvenient not having my trait. If his affection was locked at max, he would have followed me no matter what I did.’
As I was lost in my thoughts, the meeting concluded. After confirming that people were leaving one by one, I followed Oh Hyun’s departing figure.
“Hey. Let’s talk for a minute.”
Oh Hyun turned his head. His expression was ambiguous. His eyes avoided mine.
“Um… if it’s not important, I should—”
As he trailed off, trying to refuse, I silently grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
“Follow me.”
“Seo-yun hyung! Hyung!! Wait a minute! I don’t want to be dragged away like this! I’ll, I’ll walk on my own!”
“Then follow me quietly.”
As soon as I let go, Oh Hyun scrambled to fix his posture, rubbing the back of his neck and looking around. Then, as if he had no choice, he sighed and followed me.
We drove in silence.
“Where are we going…?”
“A bar.”
“…What? A bar, in a situation like this?”
“You got a problem with that?”
“…No, it’s just… why a bar all of a sudden…”
“Let’s talk about it over a drink.”
“…Okay.”
After that, the car fell silent. Only the monotonous hum of the engine could be heard. The scenery flashing by the window was that of a typical Asian neutral colony.
Low-rise wooden buildings reflecting traditional architectural styles, streets hung with red lanterns, and under an evening sky formed by artificial gravity, the vehicle drove slowly toward its destination.
I stopped the car in front of a lavish-looking bar.
“Let’s go in.”
Oh Hyun followed without a word. As I opened the door and stepped inside, a space filled with brilliant lights and the gentle melody of traditional music came into view.
In front of the counter, a woman dressed in a red hanbok greeted us with a soft smile.
“Welcome, guests. This is the Peach Blossom Banquet.”
She bowed her head and asked in a gentle voice, “May I have the name for the reservation?”
“Jin Seo-yun. Private room.”
“Confirmed. I will guide you to the Hongmaesil, the private room on the second floor.”
At her gesture, a wooden staircase at the end of the corridor slowly opened up. Red lighting, plum blossom patterns cast on the walls, and a quiet tension enveloped the entire space.
Oh Hyun followed behind me, his voice filled with admiration.
“I’ve never been to… such a fancy bar before.”
“It’s pretty famous. Follow me.”
As the attendant led us into the room, we saw a low table, already set, with soft light shining down on it.
I sat down without a word, and Oh Hyun cautiously sat across from me.
Soon after, women in hanboks entered quietly and began placing appetizers and drinks on the table one after another.
One of them approached and asked, “Sir, will you be needing someone to serve your drinks?”
“I’ll call if I need anything. You can leave for now.”
“Yes, sir. Please enjoy your time.”
After they left the room, I picked up a cup and pushed it toward Oh Hyun.
“Hey. Something on your mind lately?”
“No. Not really…”
“Be honest. It’s written all over your face.”
I knew exactly what he was worried about. The only reason I feigned ignorance was to see the look on his face when he said it out loud.
I slowly poured a drink into his cup.
“Drink up.”
Oh Hyun glanced at the cup for a moment. Then he downed it in one go.
“…Kuh.”
“Have another.”
Without any suspicion, he began to accept and drink every glass I poured for him.