The Masked Prince (3)
The moment she heard the gunshot, Leah Gilliard knew something had gone terribly wrong. She seized her superior, Julia, by the wrist and all but shoved her beneath the table.
“Kyaa!?”
“It’s a terrorist attack, Colonel!”
As a member of Graveyard, she had fought more than just Titans. Only a few years ago, the world had teetered on the brink of annihilation. Even frontline units could not guarantee safety in their immediate surroundings, and outside the fortress, all manner of incidents erupted daily. Leah had frequently visited the civilian village that had sprung up near the base to carry out supply runs. Convoys were routinely ambushed by armed bandits and gangs. Rifles and pistols were the least of their worries. They came armed with whatever they could scavenge—anti-tank weapons, improvised explosives, even captured heavy machine guns. If Brigadier General Lutus Edan—then still a major and commander of the assault unit—had not wiped out every last gang, Graveyard’s supply lines would have suffered catastrophic losses. Leah herself might not have survived those days.
After calmly moving her superior to safety, Leah Gilliard snatched the bread knife from the table. There were two terrorists. A bread knife would not even scratch them, but if she drove it into a throat, she could at least subdue one. Remember, Leah. Anything in your hand can become a weapon. The voice of the man who had long since left the military echoed in her mind. The odds were in her favor. She only needed to seize a gun. If she rushed the nearest one, disarmed him, and returned fire immediately…
But someone moved faster than she did.
Taang!!
With a thunderous report that shook the air, both terrorists collapsed almost simultaneously.
“Huh…?”
Leah’s gaze locked onto him. It was the captain she had thought looked rather dashing earlier. He had drawn a revolver from his coat and neutralized the terrorists one after another. Waiters, bartenders—his finger never hesitated on the trigger, and his eyes continued to sweep the banquet hall. Leah Gilliard could feel exactly how many battlefields this man had crossed. He was the same kind of person as her. Someone who had lived his entire life on the battlefield. Someone more at home in the army than in society.
Yet what Leah felt was not only that. His movements, gestures, gaze, the way he held the revolver, his breathing, his stride—everything stirred a strange sense of déjà vu. She had seen this somewhere before. And why did her chest ache so sharply?
In that instant, the captain’s figure overlapped in Leah’s eyes with the man sleeping deep within her unconscious.
“Lutus…? Commander…?”
The name slipped out before she could stop it. Yet the voice that left Leah’s lips was nothing like her usual dry tone at Graveyard.
“Agh…!”
A sharp pain seized her heart. She clutched her chest.
“Ugh, ugh, hng…!?”
Her breathing grew ragged. What was this? What were these emotions… these memories…?
Thoughts began to whirl violently inside her head. She felt as though something like this had happened before. On the day a modest festival was held in the village near Graveyard, Leah Gilliard had stubbornly insisted on attending. Though a special alert had been issued due to the growing gang threat, Leah paid it no mind. The gangs would never be foolish enough to attack a village right next to Graveyard—or so she had thought. While she was laughing and enjoying the festival with the villagers, the entire village suddenly descended into chaos. It was a gang raid. They had been eyeing the village for some time. The bandits stormed the clearing where the festival was underway, spraying automatic fire, and in an instant everyone was taken hostage. Naturally, Leah Gilliard, still in uniform, drew their attention.
—Graveyard, huh?
—Shit, we hit the jackpot! Big bro! This bitch came from that damned graveyard!
—What? Bring her here!
—Kyaa!!
Leah was dragged by the hair and thrown before the gang leader. A hulking man twice her size looked down at her and let out a deep sigh.
—Tch, what the hell. She’s not even an officer? You idiots!! If you want ransom, at least bring a lieutenant! Regular soldiers are fucking worthless…
—Then should we just leave her?
—No, kill her. You want us to get screwed if someone recognizes her face?
Kill her?
A cold gun barrel appeared before Leah’s eyes.
—Tough luck, missy. Everyone’s dying in this damn war, and here you are throwing parties like it’s nothing. How’s that fair? We’re pissed, you know?
It was the first time. She had fired guns before, but this was the first time one had been pointed at her. Death—the horrifying reality—closed in, and she could do nothing but tremble in terror. The self-defense techniques Lutus had taught her, the counterattack methods meant to exploit an opponent’s carelessness—none of it came to mind.
—Hold on, she’s actually pretty cute.
—Boss, honestly, isn’t this a waste? Everyone’s been stressed lately… and the other girls we brought in before…
—Yeah, now that I look, her figure’s not bad either. Hey, how about you come with us? We’ll let you live.
—Hey, hey, no need to cry. It’s just a change of affiliation. From soldier to gang member. Honestly, weren’t you bored in that fortress anyway?
—We’ll show you a good time~ You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even sleep, right? Gahaha!!
Crude laughter echoed from all sides. As the disgusting gazes crawled over her body, Leah burst into the tears she had been holding back. At that moment—
Bang, bang, bang.
More gunshots rang out without warning.
—Boss, we’re under attack!!
—What? Who’s attacking us!?
—I-I don’t know, but all our guys are getting wiped out! Hurry, hurry, come quick!!
The gang members surrounding Leah rushed toward the sound of gunfire. Tudududada! Tadadang! Puh-eung!! The fierce exchange of fire died down, and an eerie silence settled over the village.
—Leah.
A voice called to her as she cowered in fear. She cautiously raised her head. Lutus Edan stood there. Just like the handsome prince from a fairy tale, come to rescue the captured princess.
—L-Lutus, Captain…
—I told you not to go.
—I’m sorry… hic… I’m sorry…!
Even as he spoke in an angry voice, Lutus pulled her into a tight embrace. Sobbing, Leah stayed in his arms for a long time.
Yes. That had happened. But when? Her memories were a jumbled mess. She had killed the gang leader who had mocked her, not Lutus. Two shots to the chest, one to the head. She had confirmed the kill with the Mozambique Drill Lutus had taught her. No—that wasn’t right either. Thinking back, the gangs had never raided the village festival in the first place. Moreover, it hadn’t been just her; Arhen and the others from Graveyard had been enjoying the festival together. After all, the gangs that had nested near Graveyard had already been completely annihilated.
Nothing added up. The memories overlapped. Same place, same time, different people, different circumstances. Then what were these memories…?
While she stood lost in confusion, Leah saw a woman in a dress suddenly stand up. In her hand was a small, compact revolver. The barrel was aimed squarely at the exposed back of the man.
Leah screamed.
“No!!!”
Her body moved before her thoughts could catch up. She threw herself at him, wrapping him in her arms.
Taang!!
With the gunshot came a searing agony that tore through her nerves. She looked up at the man, whose eyes were filled with shock and despair. Leah herself did not know why she had moved. She had simply felt that she must.
“Leah, Leah!! No. No!! Stay with me!”
“I-I’m… sorry…”
With those words she had once heard before, Leah Gilliard’s consciousness faded.
===
The terrorist attack by the Revolutionary Front at the Eastern Military District was swiftly suppressed. The Central Military Police Battalion under the Supreme Command, already on standby near Branberg, arrived at the fortress under the guidance of Second Lieutenant Karin Maven. They successfully captured the Revolutionary Front’s external collaborators and executives who had been waiting outside, believing the operation a success upon hearing the gunfire. Instead, they were met by heavily armed military police. None of them managed any meaningful resistance before being subdued.
The banquet, now in utter chaos, was abruptly terminated. Even its host, Lieutenant General Heinrich Rendal, had no intention of continuing the party after nearly dying. In the process, a total of twenty-three terrorists were secured. Thanks to the newly established Security Strategic Agency under the Supreme Command, which had obtained the intelligence and acted swiftly. However, there were casualties. Lieutenant Leah Gilliard, who had shielded an SSA agent and taken a bullet through the shoulder, was immediately transported to the nearby military hospital but remained in a coma.
Naturally, news of her condition reached Brigadier General Arhen Orca of the Supreme Command as well.
“Leah, what!?”