novelraw Chapter 98 : Centre Agreement (3)
Chapter 98 : Centre Agreement (3)
Chapter 98: Centre Agreement (3)
Exactly noon.
I quietly observed the now familiar view of the Special Task Force before stepping down from the carriage.
At the entrance, several administrative officers under Belfor’s command were waiting for our arrival.
“Vena Ribenia!”
After casually returning their salutes, Walter stepped forward as our representative and asked,
“Where is the Special Task Force Commander?”
“Yes, sir!”
“We’ll escort you. This way, please.”
As soon as we entered the headquarters, we were guided straight to the commander’s office.
As expected, Belfor seemed to be with Lieutenant General Alvin.
However, since they were in the middle of a lengthy report, we had to wait outside for about fifteen more minutes.
The soldier who had been nervously gauging the timing gave a cautious nod.
“…You may go in now.”
“Hmm.”
“Good work.”
Without hesitation, I pushed the door open.
Creak―
Inside, two officers were explaining the contents of various documents as they reviewed them.
One of them was Colonel Eric Belfor, whose face had become familiar enough to be almost welcome by now.
The other was a rather unfamiliar face.
Judging by his insignia, I could tell he was also a colonel.
Hearing the door open, Lieutenant General Alvin lifted his gaze briefly.
“Ah, you’re here.”
At his voice, we immediately straightened up and saluted.
After returning it lightly, Alvin motioned with his hand.
“Alright, let’s wrap the report here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Colonel Anthony, you may step back. Make sure the briefing for tomorrow’s live report is properly prepared.”
“Of course.”
Colonel Anthony saluted with textbook precision, then backed away to leave the room.
Before exiting, he threw me a sharp glance.
Thud!
As the door shut with a heavy sound, Belfor layered soundproof and locking spells simultaneously.
“Take a seat.”
We each sat down on the sofas in the center of the room, and after neatly stacking the reports, Lieutenant General Alvin moved to the head seat.
“The Commander’s been quite busy these days. I hope you’ll understand.”
He rubbed his throbbing temple for a while before recalling the reason for the summons.
“Right, we should settle the recent issue first.”
Although dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes, his gaze remained sharp and alert.
“Colonel Carter.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I heard you provided tactical advice to Colonel Belfor. Is that true?”
As expected, he started from this matter.
I scratched my head awkwardly and mumbled vaguely.
“I wouldn’t call it advice exactly, sir…”
“Hey, you know excessive modesty turns into deceit, right?”
Belfor jabbed me in the side, arguing immediately.
“You think it’s common for someone to analyze the enemy’s strategy based on the characteristics of Rogis and Mitosis’s beasts, then come up with an optimized counter-plan? Especially when he didn’t even experience that battlefield himself?”
“…It was just a coincidence that things matched up well.”
“Either way, you’re admitting you contributed, aren’t you?”
The two of them sounded as though they had rehearsed this in advance.
‘Seems they’re really trying to credit me with the achievement.’
I was about to laugh it off but instead hardened my expression and asked,
“Are you trying to prevent the achievement from being credited to Dellowell?”
“…You’re quick-witted. Makes things easier for me.”
Belfor’s lips also curled into a faint smile beside him.
Lieutenant General Alvin tapped the newspapers on the sofa table with his foot and sighed.
“They just sat back and added their spoon at the last moment, and now they’re claiming they set the whole table themselves… from the Special Task Force’s perspective, that’s absurd, don’t you think?”
“Well, I can’t disagree with you there, sir…”
I picked up one of the newspapers and skimmed its content.
“The headlines are already everywhere. Even if we correct it now, I doubt it’ll have much effect.”
Seeing my lukewarm response, Alvin chuckled softly and shook his head.
“Carter, you do know we’re in the same boat now, right? There’s no benefit to hiding things from us.”
“…Hiding things, sir? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean the agreement that’ll be held in Centre this afternoon.”
“……”
“These kinds of small public opinion battles pile up and eventually lead to fatal outcomes.”
So, better spill everything.
“From what kind of terms you’ve arranged with Mallet’s side, to how you plan to respond to Dellowell afterward—everything.”
At the commander’s pointed words, I quickly began running through my thoughts.
‘…There’s no chance it leaked from our side.’
Not only was there too little time for that, but no one was in a position to directly inform the Special Task Force Commander either.
If I had to name a possibility, it would be Walter Clark beside me… but considering his talkative and loose-lipped nature, I had intentionally excluded him from involvement in this matter since before the summit.
Of course, even without us, it wouldn’t have been too difficult for others to obtain information.
The Imperial Special Task Force was one of the internal institutions closest to the Imperial Household’s every move.
Though technically independent, the Ribenian Orthodox Faith was practically under the Imperial Court’s control anyway.
At the commander’s level, he’d inevitably hear news from the upper ranks whether he wanted to or not.
…Even so.
The decisiveness to reach a conclusion and act so swiftly deserved applause.
‘It’s probably a good thing overall, but…’
Even so, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
Having someone of such capability as an ally was indeed fortunate—
—but a sharp blade needed to be handled carefully.
I rubbed the corner of my mouth before speaking cautiously.
“I can explain, but… it’s a delicate matter.”
“Delicate?”
“This issue is strictly confidential, known only to myself and Master Mallet. So I can’t just reveal it lightly…”
“Come on, Carter—!”
“Enough, Belfor. If he says it’s not something he can just share… then how about this?”
I stopped my companions from trying to dissuade him, and Lieutenant General Alvin raised one finger.
“The Incurable Curse.”
A confident smile spread across his lips.
“I’ll make the investigation files of the incident that led to your downfall the condition.”
“……”
“I think that’s quite an enticing offer. What do you say?”
It would be a lie to say I hadn’t hoped for this at all.
But I thought the possibility was far too slim.
Within the Special Task Force, Eugene Carter was like a burden that couldn’t be discarded.
Especially regarding that incident—everyone seemed to deliberately avoid mentioning it.
I hadn’t gone around prying directly, so I couldn’t be certain…
Still, it didn’t change the fact that the incident remained my top priority.
I looked straight at Lieutenant General Alvin with a hardened expression.
“…You’re giving me your word, sir.”
“Indeed. I swear it upon the honor of the Special Task Force Commander.”
“Alright. Then, I’ll begin with the shared stance between Mallet and Karbenna.”
I started unpacking the details one by one, focusing on the key points that had been discussed.
At the same time, I organized my own thoughts—
the checks against the pro-Bernhardt faction, Duel Headquarters’ intervention, the positions of the Ribenian Orthodox Faith and the Crown Prince, my conversation with Gustav, and the results of this morning’s suppression operation.
“The Orthodox Faith must have considered armed suppression as one of their possible moves from the beginning. You can tell just from the fact they played their trump card, Karen Rosefield.”
“…So they’re conducting the agreement while relying on that military power, ready to turn everything into a wasteland if needed.”
“Yes. They’re convinced the Magic Tower’s meager forces could never defeat Dellowell.”
Lieutenant General Alvin nodded, folded his arms, and scratched his chin.
“The Orthodox Faith must have been quite desperate. To think they’d even consider taking Mallet under their wing after criticizing him so harshly.”
“They might’ve first spoken of absorption, but in the end, they’ll turn toward subjugation and control. That’s the only way they can restore their tarnished dignity from the summit.”
“True enough. Changing their words later has always been their specialty.”
“At the same time, it’ll strengthen their influence over the Flock region and give them leverage to pressure both Karbenna and the Special Task Force. They must see strategic benefits that outweigh the doctrinal risks.”
After listening to everything, he nodded repeatedly before asking bluntly,
“So, you coordinated with the Tower Master beforehand to ruin their plans?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Haha… well, I’ll be damned.”
Lieutenant General Alvin let out a hearty laugh, then patted my shoulder with words of praise.
“You’ve done an excellent job, Colonel Eugene Carter.”
Hearing that from none other than the Special Task Force Commander himself gave me a strange feeling.
Feeling awkward, I quickly redirected the credit to my two companions.
“I couldn’t have done it alone. These two helped me a great deal.”
“…Hmm?”
“Carter, you…!”
Belfor just stared blankly, while Walter was so moved he was nearly in tears.
Seeing us like that, Lieutenant General Alvin rose from his seat with a satisfied smile.
“Well then, since it’s come to this, we’ll need to select elites to stand against Dellowell. The Eber Suppression Operation has been successfully completed, after all.”
He first instructed Belfor to recruit capable soldiers.
“Walter, you’ll later conduct special training for our medics together with the Purifiers from Mallet’s side.”
“M-me? Such a big task, sir, I—”
“I’ll send an official document directly to Karbenna regarding this matter, so just make sure to prepare well. You can handle that, can’t you?”
“O-of course, sir!”
After swiftly assigning missions to both of them, Alvin gave me a subtle nod.
“Walk with me for a bit, Carter.”
“Ah, yes, sir.”
Leaving the two inside the Commander’s office, we stepped out together.
As we passed through the first to third floors, where many personnel were stationed, the booming sounds of salutes filled the air so much I could hardly think.
It wasn’t until we reached the second basement floor that things quieted down.
Only then could I start asking the questions that had been on my mind.
“Was it you who personally requested Dellowell’s support, sir?”
“Didn’t Belfor tell you?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him properly.”
“Of course, I first requested it from the Imperial Army. I never expected Dellowell to respond.”
“So that means…”
“It was practically just a notice. As in, ‘We’ve sent this, so take it into account.’”
“…Maybe it was even meant as a warning to the Special Task Force.”
“As in, ‘We’ll handle the Mallet matter ourselves, so don’t meddle and just carry out your operations?’”
“It’s true the Special Task Force technically has no authority over it.”
“Hmm. That might indeed be the case.”
Our conversation ended only when we reached the third basement floor.
A long corridor stretched ahead, with rows of rooms on both sides.
Most were blocked by iron bars, their doors impossible to open.
At the corridor’s end stood a massive iron door.
I could see intense currents of magical energy swirling around it.
“Wait here a moment, Carter.”
He drew the musket hanging at his side—
—and without hesitation, fired a magic bullet straight at the center of the iron door.
Crackle, crackle!
A deep fracture formed across the magical currents surrounding the door, and soon, not even a trace of mana remained.
Only a faint blue dust lingered in the air.
After holstering his musket again with measured motion, Lieutenant General Alvin gave a brief explanation.
“This is a top-secret vault, one that can only be opened by a marksman possessing blue magic bullets.”
“……”
“Now then, let’s go in.”