The Uninvited Guest in Black Uniform (1)
“…Oh ho.”
Captain John Hobbs stroked his chin and let out an exclamation.
“I figured as much, but that uniform really suits you. Aren’t you bringing your wife along?”
Lutus Edan’s new name, Werner Grime, offered no reply to the remark.
He simply continued neatly organizing the documents inside his briefcase.
It wasn’t a joke worth answering, after all.
Yet John kept chattering on, undeterred by the cold shoulder.
“By the way, didn’t you stay up almost all night again yesterday? Still haven’t finished reviewing everything?”
“There’s missing information and a lot of mixed-up data. Cross-checking everything takes time.”
“Well, no one’s ever bothered with scraps of paper like these before.”
Most of the documents contained intelligence on the Eastern Military District.
Personnel, administration, logistics, operations.
Even detailed personal records of the key officers assigned to that district.
The sheer volume was staggering at a glance.
With insufficient manpower for rear-area administrative work, all information collection and recording had been entrusted solely to the quantum computers under Supreme Command.
Even after filtering, the amount remained vast and largely useless.
Though he had stayed up all night reviewing as much as possible, several sections still required verification.
He planned to finish the rest aboard the helicopter bound for the Eastern Military District.
“Director, it’s about time we left. The helicopter from Supreme Command has just arrived.”
“Understood. I’ll head out right away.”
At Lieutenant Dante’s announcement that departure was imminent, Werner nodded.
He stood before the mirror one last time, straightened his tie, and donned his jet-black service cap.
The silver eagle insignia pinned to the cap gleamed in the sunlight.
“I’m counting on you to look after the Security Strategic Agency while I’m gone.”
“No need to worry. Otto will handle training the new recruits. I’ll just tend to the garden.”
When Werner patted John’s shoulder, the latter replied with a playful grin.
A month had passed since Arthur Philias’s visit.
The Chancellor’s first order to the Security Strategic Agency was to assess the true situation within the Eastern Military District.
However, since it was essentially an inspection mission targeting the same military, it could not be handled carelessly or in haste.
Though the agency bore the grandiose name of Security Strategic Agency, it was a newly established organization with limited influence within the military.
That only made thorough preparation all the more necessary.
Werner and Dante would visit the site in person to complete geographic and preliminary surveys, while Otto had already planted listening devices at the expected venue of the banquet.
Local collaborators had also been recruited.
Contingency plans had been prepared for every possible scenario.
Preparation was flawless.
Yet neither Werner nor John was concerned about the operation itself.
“But are you sure this is all right? Everyone in the Empire knows how territorial the Eastern boys are.”
Self-proclaimed noble officers.
That was also why most of the Emperor’s faction belonged to the Eastern Military District.
The East, where vast plains made up most of the land, had been the heart of the Empire since the feudal era, and the influence of the nobility had naturally grown strong.
After the dissolution of the estates, those who claimed to be descendants of nobles gradually joined the officer corps of the Eastern Military District and openly displayed their loyalty to the imperial family their ancestors had served.
There was a reason the East was known for being old-fashioned, rigid, and authoritarian.
“That’s why I’m going as a lieutenant colonel under an alias. If a war hero named Lutus Edan suddenly appeared at general rank, they’d obviously be on guard.”
Only officers of field grade and above were permitted to attend the banquet.
A mere major or lieutenant colonel would not be seen as a threat by the real power brokers of the Eastern Military District.
On the contrary, it would be easier to blend in naturally.
“What about Second Lieutenant Karin?”
Werner, who had finished his preparations for the trip, asked.
Although only field-grade officers could attend the banquet, each participant was allowed to bring one aide for smooth operations on site.
However, it would look strange for him, who was only a lieutenant colonel on paper, to bring a second lieutenant or captain as an aide.
Thus, Karin Maven, the lowest-ranking officer, would naturally accompany him.
Unlike Edward, Dante, and Otto—who held clear positions as head of the Armaments Management Division, head of the Intelligence Management Division, and head of the Training and Education Division—Karin held the ambiguous title of deputy headquarters commander, which made the arrangement even more fitting.
Although Supreme Command had newly assigned officers and senior enlisted personnel, at a time when the organization’s structure was not yet fully established, what role could a deputy commander possibly play?
Aide was the perfect fit.
“I saw her pacing around her quarters earlier. I’ll go fetch her.”
“No, we’re heading out anyway. I’ll go myself.”
Though nearly half a year had passed since Werner assumed the directorship of the Security Strategic Agency, Second Lieutenant Karin Maven remained trapped in the past.
Even though her condition had improved considerably, that was as far as it went.
She avoided proper conversation not only with Werner but also with Captain John, her former comrade from the same unit.
So when she heard the order to accompany him to the Eastern Military District as his aide, she had fled to her room and refused to come out for some time.
“…Sigh. Should I just go instead? She looks like she’ll make a mistake at this rate.”
John, Karin’s direct superior and headquarters commander, clicked his tongue and added.
“John, don’t push her too hard. Have you forgotten about comradeship and love for the country?”
Werner tossed out the words and stepped out of the director’s office.
John Hobbs could only close his mouth awkwardly.
===
“Karin.”
Werner knocked firmly on the door.
There was no answer.
He paused for a moment, then spoke again in a more decisive tone.
“Second Lieutenant Karin, come out. That’s an order.”
The tightly shut door creaked open.
She stood there in full uniform, clutching a briefcase, her head bowed low.
She had finished preparing, but now that the moment had come, she seemed conflicted in many ways.
Werner had no choice but to grab Karin’s wrist and pull her out of the room.
“Ah…”
“Don’t forget, Lieutenant. You are still a soldier under my command. My orders are absolute to you. Understood?”
“…”
She still did not answer.
Instead, she gave a slight nod.
“Then let’s go. Follow me.”
Werner sensed that this operation would be quite taxing for him.
Yet this too was a decision he had made.
A decision made for the sake of Karin Maven’s recovery, and no one else’s.
Unlike the other four officers who had found their places and adapted well, she still could not adjust to the new environment.
Even the position of deputy headquarters commander had been forced upon her.
She had seemed to improve slightly while sharing dinners together, but that improvement had become completely fixed in place.
Even John, who had once tried to improve their relationship, had now completely given up.
Werner judged that a more decisive change of environment was necessary to alter her attitude.
After all, he would have to continue working with Karin Maven regardless of what happened.
Unless she submitted her own discharge application, Karin Maven would remain a member of the Security Strategic Agency.
He glanced sideways and saw Karin still following behind him with her head bowed.
Her self-esteem had sunk so low it had pierced through the floor.
No matter how much he scolded or pointed out her faults, it would only make her shrink further.
Werner knew this fact all too well.
From memories of a certain regression.
He too had once carried an incurable wound and spent his days like a broken man.
-Captain… I will always be on your side. It’s all right to struggle. It’s all right to rely on me. It’s all right to lean on me. I’m here.
-Leah.
-I won’t run away. Just by standing one step behind you, I can become your strength simply by watching over you.
The driving force that had allowed him to rise above such pain was none other than the patient wait born of trust.
Second Lieutenant Karin Maven would be no different.
“Loyalty! Lieutenant Colonel Werner Grime, I will escort you safely to the Eastern Military District!”
“I’m counting on you.”
Thinking so, the lieutenant colonel boarded the helicopter that had landed on the rooftop with her.
===
It took a full three hours by helicopter to reach the nearest fortress under the Eastern Military District from Forbidden Lake Fortress.
Karin, who had maintained a rigid posture even after boarding the helicopter, had at some point buried her head against the seatback and fallen into a deep sleep.
Werner could only think what a strange person she was.
No matter how tired he was, sleep never came to him aboard a flying helicopter.
Of course, during that time Werner had been meticulously reviewing the documents he had not yet checked, while once again reminding himself of the points he needed to thoroughly verify during the banquet.
He also had to remember to house Karin Maven in the safe house they had secured separately, rather than the hotel room assigned by the Eastern Military District.
Contacting the local collaborator before the banquet began in earnest must not be forgotten either.
And above all…
While tapping the stack of documents into order, he fiddled with the holster at his waist.
He could only hope he would never have to use it, no matter what happened.
After all, this operation was nothing more than a reconnaissance mission.
