Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Uncertain Loyalties
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Chapter 148
“How does he seem to you?”
“No different from usual.”
“Did you mention the Holy City?”
“I only passed on what you told me to.”
Dabans glanced toward the break room.
“It does feel shitty. I never thought I’d have to suspect a comrade.”
“What can we do? We’re human, same as anyone.”
“Special Inspection Unit. This name never felt so hollow until today. I took some pride in it.”
“You’re still young at heart. Holding onto those feelings.”
Kalligo handed the approved documents to Dabans.
“What do you plan to do about Riang?”
“Once his treatment’s done, I’ll give him some free time at an appropriate moment.”
“Do you think Riang betrayed us?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be agonizing like this. There’s not a single solid piece of information. I can’t even make a judgment. So I’ll leave it to Riang. Let him prove his innocence himself, or hit us in the back.”
“If Riang has turned on us… then the operation team’s fate is sealed, right?”
His voice was steady, but he couldn’t hide his emotions.
Kalligo answered firmly, eyes fixed on the documents as Dabans pretended to be nonchalant.
“You’re asking the obvious. If Riang’s joined their side, no one from the operation team survived. He’s not stupid enough to enter the Holy City leaving survivors behind.”
“That makes sense.”
“Don’t worry, don’t hope. We’ll find out about Mela’s fate if we just do our jobs diligently.”
Dabans dropped his gaze to the floor.
“I hope Riang isn’t the traitor. That way, Mela’s chances of being alive go up.”
“I told you, no worrying, no hoping. Those emotions are luxuries right now. If wishing changed things, I’d toss all these damn papers and start praying. Allode, Mela, Delen, Kurston, Pepe. I wanted them all to survive more than anyone, my precious subordinates to return safely to the Holy City. But you know, right? Thoughts are thoughts, reality is reality.”
“I know. It’s what you first told us. Move instead of worrying. Analyze instead of praying. Self-consolation ends in regret.”
Dabans and Mela had been about to get married. They hadn’t held a formal ceremony, but he’d heard they’d been living together for a while.
Kalligo didn’t know what it felt like to lose a lover. That was why he couldn’t presume to comfort him.
Spouting nothing but truisms and ideals might just be a pathetic superior’s way of dodging the issue.
Kalligo suddenly thought of Guchi. That man would know how to console a subordinate barely holding back his grief.
“If you need leave, just say so. I might end up a bit more tired, maybe even come down with a cold, but I can manage that much.”
“I know I’m still on the suspect list. Me, Ron, Riang. You’re probably suspecting us three.”
“Why’d you leave out Deong?”
“Because he’s not here right now.”
“Am I too soft on Deong?”
Dabans gave a faint smile.
“If I were, I’d quit the moment I realized you favored me. No ordinary person could endure that.”
Was he forcing levity, or had he truly let it go? Either way, he seemed to have the right attitude for the job.
Having competent subordinates was a miracle in its own way.
Kalligo pointed toward the break room with his finger.
“Until I say otherwise, keep Riang company. If he asks for information, give him everything within the limits I set. If Riang really is the traitor, he came here for a reason, and to achieve it, he’ll have to move eventually. We catch him then.”
“Understood.”
Dabans, grabbing some snacks on his way to the break room, paused in his steps. Kalligo asked what was wrong.
“If Riang’s sided with Gilliuwd and I find proof first… can I kill him?”
“You know me. I recognize my subordinates’ achievements. But shouldn’t you report first?”
“Preemptive action candidate. Special Inspection Unit protocol.”
“That’s right. I emphasized it myself. You can’t talk down someone in a heightened state. Still, when you learn everything, if my face comes to mind, bring him to me alive instead of killing him. Please.”
Dabans, breathing raggedly enough to make his shoulders heave, slowly closed and opened his eyes. His breathing steadied quickly.
“How often in life do I get a request from you? I’ll report first if I find out.”
“Thanks. But once you’ve dug up everything you can, the rest is yours.”
Dabans entered the break room.
Turning the unclear clear through every means possible—that was the essence of the Special Inspection Unit’s work.
Cliffs on both sides, blindfolded, not a step ahead visible, no way to sense direction. One misstep and you plummet to death.
A brutally bleak reality, yet a strange smile tugged at his lips. Why?
Unprecedented obstacles kept blocking his path. The world that once seemed simple now felt overwhelming.
Kalligo welcomed that complexity. From Gilliuwd’s note and Inebil’s words, he’d grasped one fact.
The world would change dramatically, obvious to everyone. Not institutional shifts like class upheaval or regime change, but a massive shift in the world’s very foundation.
The incident in the Empire was just the starting point. Strange events were unfolding everywhere.
Most notably, Root Sprouts were appearing with alarming frequency. Those hard-to-find Root Sprouts were proliferating at a geometric rate.
If the Holy City weren’t in this state, research institutions would be scrambling to collect them.
The Sky Stone’s movements were odd, and the Mourning Path of the One-Man Legion had subtly shifted too.
The Great Catastrophe didn’t come suddenly, they said. It always left signs, gradually taking shape.
Gilliuwd’s prophecy might miss the mark, but only because of the unique variable called the Supreme Commander.
‘The Grand Flow will advance alongside human history. At its end, I will meet Kalligo.’
Gilliuwd’s words to Inebil.
The end of human history. Had Gilliuwd seen the apocalypse? Or the dawn of a new humanity?
Either way, upheaval was coming. The Supreme Commander was a man worthy of the title “great,” but he was just one individual.
The prophecy might falter where the Supreme Commander stood firm, but everywhere else would march toward the future Gilliuwd foresaw.
What did Gilliuwd want from him? Did the man in the cabin know the end of the revolution?
“Commander. You need to see this too.”
“Put it up.”
Kalligo shelved his thoughts and focused on the documents.
When Gilliuwd’s “Day of Promise” arrived, even these administrative tasks would lose meaning. Everything would start anew or be wiped blank.
But he couldn’t put off the work in front of him. If the future was set and humanity couldn’t resist it, he had to be faithful to the present reality.
Events would erupt while he did his job. His “instinct” told him so. As Gilliuwd said, he’d be at the center.
“Alright. Let’s see how it ends.”
Imagining the “Day of Promise” that would come someday, Kalligo gave a thin smile.
* * *
“Here, give him this.”
He walked the streets holding chrysanthemums wrapped in paper. The Holy City had regained some vitality, though not like before.
But Lander knew. Beneath the bustling street noise, a quiet war raged.
Director Aleng’s dying words had shaken the Holy City once.
The protests had ended twice and things seemed calm, but that was only on the surface.
Central administration was paralyzed, and nobles in charge of control facilities were dropping dead. For the citizens, things had never been better.
If he were still in the military, they’d be patrolling in uniform under the pretext of capital stability, intimidating with stern faces.
Irrelevant now, though.
“This one.”
A child offered an apple from her basket. Lander pulled out a coin, placed it in the child’s hand, and took the apple.
He tucked it into his coat pocket and resumed walking. He entered District 2, divided along the western city wall.
Soon, he reached his destination.
The National Cemetery. He exchanged nods with the old groundskeeper and entered.
Anyone from the Holy City could come and go freely, so a few mourners were visible.
Lander walked slowly. Familiar names caught his eye.
It had been over three months since arriving in the Holy City. He’d been busy with back-to-back incidents, but not too busy to avoid this place.
He’d deliberately stayed away. Consciously pushed it aside. He couldn’t complain even if called heartless.
Lander stopped before the black memorial stone.
“Senior. I’m late.”
He placed a chrysanthemum at the base of the memorial.
“Your daughter will be fine, so don’t worry. She takes after you—she won’t break easily.”
He pulled out the liquor he’d kept warm in his pocket. It was now just the right temperature to drink.
He took a swig from the dented canteen and set it beside the stone.
“Next time, I’ll bring snacks too. Make do with this today.”
He clasped his hands behind his back and saluted in the imperial military style.
He turned away. His steps grew heavier. He wanted to leave the cemetery like this. But when he came to, he was standing before a familiar gravestone.
“I should’ve come right when I arrived in the Holy City. Then I could’ve faced you calmly.”
Meeting Jun Gong, confiding in an old friend, he’d poured out his pent-up heart. Emotions dammed like a reservoir finally overflowed.
He’d confronted the fear he’d been avoiding, and it let him be a little more honest.
“I wanted to wrap everything up first. That’s what I wanted. I was scared that seeing you now would break me, make things hard for those around me.”
Lander sat on the ground. Across from his wife’s grave was his own.
“But they say it’s okay. It’s fine to just think about you and me, not the whole picture.”
He took out the apple he’d bought for the child and placed it beside the stone with the flowers.
“Don’t scold me for getting something cheap. You know I’m no good at this stuff.”
He looked at the name carved on the stone and said,
“I miss you. Naria, I really miss you.”
April’s clear sunlight bathed the cemetery. The kind of weather his wife would have loved. Mildly cool, brightly lit, nicely dry.
“You’ll get scolded for that.”
A huge basket was set beside the stone. It held rare fruits, various flowers, and clothes.
“And we can’t forget this side. It’d be rude otherwise, right?”
Ardhen placed another basket by his grave. This one had food instead of flowers.
His friend, hat pulled low, sat beside Lander.
(To be continued next time)