novelraw Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
After Obia left, Jin Crow, left alone in the lodging, roughly undid the buttons of his shirt, overcome with suffocation.
Between the black hair that fell down to his nose, the reflection in the mirror revealed a body covered in scars, but since he was alone, there was nothing to be self-conscious about.
Soon, he rose from the sofa and sat at the mini bar set up on one side of the lodging, pouring alcohol until the glass was full.
“……I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”
The most confused one was him.
Even Obia herself had spoken in a flustered manner—how could the one hearing it possibly have taken it lightly.
It might have been suspicion beyond what was necessary.
Even so, the reason he doubted both the Defense Force and the Federal Army at the same time was simple.
‘The Defense Force is unnecessarily stirring up trouble. What if that’s connected to the Red Hand?’
There was still much to look into regarding why they were at odds with the Federal Army that had come to support them.
However, one thing was certain: the way they treated the 17th Fleet was not as comrades who had come to help retake Rermal Planet, but with the eyes of people looking at outsiders—or even plunderers.
Then why did he even doubt the Federal Army?
Again, the reason was simple and fundamental.
‘How did the Red Hand obtain a hyperspace route?’
It was the 17th Fleet that had sent armored cruisers to each Special Service Academy.
Naturally, the routes were also managed by them.
And yet, not just one academy, but all Special Service Academy instructors were attacked during hyperspace jumps?
……Could that possibly be a coincidence?
‘Information leaked from the inside. At the very least, that much is certain.’
On top of that, top-tier classified information—the hyperspace jump routes—had leaked out.
The dark net did exist, but even those guys wouldn’t do something as stupid as selling the Human Composite State’s hyperspace routes to terrorists.
Yes, if they valued their lives.
To begin with, it would have been impossible without an internal collaborator.
The most likely possibility was that some members of the 17th Fleet’s high command had been bribed, but in the absolute worst case, it was possible that the entire high command had been bought off by the Red Hand.
‘The likelihood of the latter is almost nonexistent.’
If it were the latter, there would have been no need to make things this complicated in the first place.
He lightly swirled the whiskey glass in his hand.
As he blankly watched the liquor slide along the inner wall of the glass, leaving traces behind, his tangled thoughts seemed to ease a little.
‘Right, it was around this time.’
In the story, the Red Hand began moving in earnest when the protagonist, Baek Hwi-young, became a second-year, but the point when they rapidly expanded their power was around now, before the midterms.
And before long, a rampage…….
The timing was truly uncanny.
Either some—or all—of Rermal Planet’s Defense Force joined the Red Hand, or someone within the Federal Army’s high command continued to leak information.
Either was possible.
“……This is driving me insane.”
Breaking the silence, the words he muttered softly were accompanied by a hollow chuckle.
He couldn’t trust anyone.
At this point, it was certain that the Red Hand was plotting something in Atla Colony.
The problem was what that something was.
Swish-.
Jin Crow brought the whiskey glass he had only been rolling around in his hand for quite some time up to his lips and took a sip.
If he were to step in personally right now, it was obvious that it would draw far too much attention.
Because of that, it would be wise, for the time being, to wait for the information Obia would bring back.
No matter how much she moved based on personal interest, she was a woman who did her job.
“Whew.”
He let out a short sigh, and just as the glass was emptied to about halfway.
Knock knock-.
At the low knock coming from outside, he turned his head and, out of habit, placed a hand on the sword at his waist while remotely opening the door.
“Loyalty!”
Beyond the door that soon opened, a woman who looked tense at a glance raised a sharp, by-the-book salute and shouted.
“I am Second Lieutenant Lee Hana of the 17th Fleet!”
Had he seen her once before, in the hangar?
Jin Crow looked at her and, instead of answering, sent her a silent gaze asking why she had come. After blinking for a moment, she belatedly realized its meaning and hurriedly replied.
“Second Lieutenant Antonio is currently writing a statement with the Military Police, so I came in his place…….”
“So?”
“Th, the Lieutenant General has summoned all Special Service Academy instructors to the conference room.”
At her words, Jin Crow immediately rose from his seat and put on the black coat he had draped nearby.
“Lead the way, Second Lieutenant.”
It was news he had been waiting for quite a bit.
Creeeak-.
When he opened the door and entered the conference room, all the instructors except him were already seated.
“Oh, you’re here.”
He turned his head at the curt voice.
Then, the face of a rough-looking man with dark brown hair and eyes, freckles standing out prominently, was the first to catch his eye.
‘Miller Kampf of the West.’
Perhaps because Second Lieutenant Antonio had explained things beforehand, he was able to recall the name without much difficulty.
Light brown hair and eyes. A friendly-looking impression.
‘Hughes Chaint of the East.’
Blue-tinted hair and eyes, with an appearance that looked about the age of a lower-grade elementary school student.
‘And Judith of the North.’
Of course, in the original work, Judith was the only one mentioned with any real weight.
“Hahm…….”
Wearing a black military uniform on her small frame, rubbing her eyes as if sleepy, she looked utterly innocent.
However, knowing her alias, Jin Crow couldn’t help but feel a sense of dissonance when looking at her.
But only for a moment—without making a show of it, he silently swept his gaze over the instructors once and headed for an empty seat.
“…….”
“…….”
A strange silence lingered.
Tap, tap-.
Hughes continued to calmly tap the armrest of his chair with his ever-pleasant expression, while Miller had his arms crossed, his face twisted into a deep scowl as if something seriously displeased him.
“Haaam…….”
Of course, Judith was still rubbing her eyes with the slightly long ends of her sleeves, wearing an expression of boredom.
The silence did not last long.
Creeeak-.
Just a few minutes after Jin Crow entered the conference room and took his seat, two men walked into the room.
‘Lieutenant General Regchap.’
He looked fatigued at a glance.
“Ah, everyone’s already here.”
Deep wrinkles pressed into his eyes beneath a generous-looking face stood out in particular.
Though he was wearing a navy-blue military uniform, suggesting he was not an Esper, he spoke in a voice that carried an accumulation of years that could not be easily ignored, as if he had not become a general for nothing.
Afterward, he gave a slight glance to the aide following behind him with a file folder in hand and headed toward the empty seat of honor, while the young aide with glasses, who gave off a cool and intellectual impression, immediately closed the conference room door.
“This atmosphere hasn’t changed at all. Let’s begin.”
Lieutenant General Regchap swept his gaze once over the instructors, whose mood was cold at a glance, and clicked his tongue as if he had expected as much.
The instructors straightened their postures, if only formally.
Instructor Hughes tidied the slightly disheveled cuffs of his shirt sleeves, Instructor Miller corrected his crooked posture, and Jin Crow brushed back his slightly tousled black hair.
Of course, Judith paid none of that any mind, swinging her legs that did not reach the floor back and forth while muttering words no one could understand.
“Aide.”
One might have been irritated at actions that were no more than superficial courtesies, but Lieutenant General Regchap waved his hand as if to say that was enough.
At that, the aide, as though he had been waiting for it, pulled documents from the file folder in his hand and distributed them to them.
There was no excess whatsoever.
How should one put it.
It was like a perfectly standardized model of an aide.
“This is…….”
“Impressive that it’s still around.”
Meanwhile, the instructors who received their respective documents slowly skimmed through the contents and voiced their own reactions.
The title of the document was exceedingly simple.
「Rermal Defense Special Service Academy Cadet Evaluation」
Each planet’s Defense Special Service Academy might have been lower in level than the Federal side’s upper-tier Special Service Academies, but their curriculum and system were almost identical.
That was only natural.
The current system for managing and cultivating special officers—namely Espers—was the result of many trials and errors accumulated over a long period of time.
However, the reason they were not indifferent despite receiving such an obvious document lay in the peculiarity of the situation.
‘In principle, evaluation data listing each Special Service Academy cadet’s performance and Gear is managed in the Ministry of Defense’s database, but in the case of planetary Defense Forces, that isn’t so.’
Strictly speaking, the data was delivered.
However, under the pretext of preventing talent drain and respecting each planet’s autonomy, only truly superficial information was provided, which was the problem.
Legally speaking, it made no sense, but from the Federal Government’s perspective, there was little to gain from antagonizing influential figures on each planet, so this malpractice was largely overlooked.
Incidentally, it also provided a good pretext for accepting bribes.
‘In the end, it means the data delivered to the Ministry of Defense isn’t all that helpful.’
Because of that, even Jin Crow himself had only skimmed through it once at most.
It would have been better to see things directly.
Still, if it was evaluation material actually used within the Defense Special Service Academies, it would be possible to narrow things down roughly without the hassle of running around.
“Based on past statistics, I’ve arbitrarily marked all cadets who are at a level where transfer to an upper-tier Special Service Academy would be possible.”
Just as the aide said, the documents were neatly organized, with separate markings for top-ranking cadets.
Perhaps because of that.
Despite the aide being an ordinary officer, the instructors began to listen silently and attentively.
“As you all know, cadets of each planet’s Defense Special Service Academy are given the opportunity to transfer to upper-tier Special Service Academies under the Federation once they reach a certain level.”
All planets within the defensive perimeter possessed autonomy within the bounds guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
The same applied to each planet’s right to defense.
Some derided it as ‘a vicious law that fosters planetary secession and cultivates powerholders within planets,’ but realistically, it was impossible for the Federal Army to cover the vast galaxy in its entirety.
That said, there was no way the Federation would hand over all authority.
Each planet’s military power was accurately tallied to suit actual conditions and restricted so as not to exceed a certain level, and cadets with high potential were periodically transferred out through dispatched admissions inspectors, naturally lowering the quality of the Defense Special Service Academies.
Swoosh-.
The aide adjusted the glasses that had slipped slightly and continued.
“However, I believe you are all aware that under normal circumstances, there were not many cadets who wished to transfer. Numerically speaking, only about 24.3% transferred to upper-tier Special Service Academies.”
Not even one-third.
While listening to the aide’s words, Jin Crow slowly scanned the names written on the documents and thought.
‘Because the merits aren’t as great as one might think.’
The moment one transferred to an upper-tier Special Service Academy, they were classified as an elite within the Federal Army.
At the same time, however, they were burdened with endless tasks requiring them to prove themselves.
On the other hand, the majority of top-ranking cadets at each planet’s Special Service Academy were supported by influential patrons.
‘After all, special officers are always in short supply.’
The growth ceiling was overwhelmingly higher in the Federal Army, but humans were creatures who quite often chose comfortable survival over risky gambles.
For that reason, under normal circumstances, the Special Service cadets of Rermal Planet would not have been much different either.
Yes, if the situation had not changed.
“Although unofficial, among the top-ranking cadets I checked, the majority responded positively to the idea of transferring.”
“Indeed, that makes sense.”
“Well, if it were me, I’d do the same.”
Instructor Hughes and Instructor Miller also nodded as if they understood.
In truth, the cadets’ reactions were only natural.
After all, what was the current state of Rermal Planet?
Not a few of the influential figures who had sponsored individual cadets were dead or missing, and even those who had survived were dragged away by the Red Hand.
The planet was being devoured by monsters and dying, and the future that remained had become endlessly uncertain.
The choices one could envision were broadly two.
Either transfer to a neighboring planet’s Defense Special Service Academy, or transfer to an upper-tier Special Service Academy.
If one had to gamble anyway, it was better to aim higher rather than go to another planet with no connections.
“That concludes my report.”
The aide finished speaking and closed his mouth.
Then, Lieutenant General Regchap, who had been silently listening to the aide’s briefing all along, nodded and spoke.
“Well, I won’t tell you to split them up amicably. Just follow the rules.”
He lightly clipped the tip of a cigar that resembled his thick fingers and put it in his mouth.
“Whether you put up wealth or factions doesn’t matter. But the moment coercion gets involved……. Well, you all know.”
However, just as he was about to light it, Lieutenant General Regchap’s eyes met Judith’s for a moment. He clicked his tongue lightly, extinguished the lit lighter, removed the cigar from his mouth, and added.
“I’ll give you a week. Take them as you see fit. You’re all free to leave.”
It was an exceedingly casual dismissal.
The instructors, finding this arrangement more comfortable as well, left their seats after offering only brief nods.
“……Oof.”
Judith, in particular, seemed delighted that the troublesome matter was finally over. She immediately hopped down from her chair and ran outside at a patter.
“Then.”
Soon after, just as Jin Crow also rose from his seat and was about to leave the conference room.
The general, the moment he confirmed Judith had gone out, put the cigar—now lit—into his mouth and spoke to him.
“Ah, you stay behind for a moment.”
He halted his steps toward the exit and looked at Lieutenant General Regchap’s face, which glistened slightly with oil, and thought.
‘Judging by his face alone, he looks exactly like a logistics officer.’
For some reason, just from that single remark, it felt as though long-forgotten military PTSD was creeping back up on him.