༺ Say You Want To Live – 3 ༻

I firmly responded to the Captain, who posed her question with a note of sadness.

“I don’t know.”

“…That’s irresponsible.”

“It can’t be helped. I’m not a prophet like the Saintess of Origin. Nobody, including me, knows exactly what is to come in the future.”

I shrugged my shoulders as I replied.

“But one thing is certain. To those who might lose something in this event, the Captain’s actions will be of invaluable worth. After all, even the most brilliant tomorrow can only offer sunlight shining on the graves to those who may die today.”

There was no response, but I could hear the answer in her mind.

In the first place, she couldn’t simply stand by. If she could easily turn away from those she might save… she wouldn’t find herself in this dilemma.

The Captain, having made a firm resolution, looked me straight in the eyes and spoke.

“I shall… I will fulfill my duty, not just the mission.”

A mission that had been received and the duty that had to be fulfilled. In the end, the Captain made that decision between those two with her own will. The one who used to be a puppet of the Military State had reclaimed her own life.

The Captain, squarely confronting the values she had established, spoke.

“It might be impossible. Other signallers might have accessed information I am unaware of, and they could already have a bead on my movements. My attempt could very well end up being in vain.”

It could be the last decision in her life, yet the Captain’s words were calm. It was not the impersonal calm of a bureaucratic tone, but the unwavering weight of someone fully prepared for what lay ahead.

“It’s going to be challenging.”

“Affirmative. Nevertheless, it must be done.”

The Captain snatched her hat, springing to her feet with urgency. There was no time to waste.

Whether the Military State would detect the information scattered by the Shadow or the Captain would notice one step earlier and preemptively block it all, was a race against time.

The Captain, on the verge of stepping out of the carriage, paused her hand just before reaching for the door handle. She hesitated, twisting her fingers in the air a few times and gently clenching her fist, to ask him a question.

“Just tell me one more thing, please.”

｢From the very start, I have only been on the receiving end. From the moment I was discovered in that box, through the entire long journey to this place. I have received so much help from you…. You have not only saved my life, but also bestowed upon me a sense of duty. In both body and soul, I feel like I’ve been given a gift from you.｣

Even animals recognized favor. It was actually humans, often filled with doubt, who may be less aware of the kindness shown to them.

Now you realize, huh. How much I have given you. It’s somewhat late, though.

Was there anything more meaningful than teaching someone who has lived without purpose the meaning of life? I couldn’t help but smile warmly to myself.

…After all, this way, you’re bound to be my steadfast support, a loyal ally who will never betray me.

Sure enough, the Captain, clutching her cap to her chest, asked me.

“…Is there anything I can do for you?”

Perfect. That’s what I’m talking about.

I answered in an indifferent way.

“As long as you just stay alive.”

As long as she was alive, she could always be of use. If she could think and act by herself, she would be a reliable backer for me.

I had assumed that for a signaller, being a Captain was just a nominal title. However, she proved to be far more useful and… unexpectedly more formidable than I had anticipated.

Especially if the Military State used signallers for remote surveillance, I’d be trapped without options. To prepare for such a scenario, it was better to proactively show favor to a signaller like Captain Abbey.

Military State. You may have been cautious about these matters, but…it’s all in vain. I’ll use your tool well. Very well.

Right when I was about to continue speaking…

“I see. I understand.”

“…”

What do you suddenly understand? You should listen to the very end before making your conclusions, you know?

There’s a mountain of tasks you’ll need to do for me. Like cutting off any investigation against me if it arises, warning me when it gets dangerous with a golem, delivering all the news related to war, and so on. There’s a lot of things you can do for me, you see?

｢It’s just as the Weaver told me. He grants one’s wishes. If that is your intention… I’ll do my best to fulfill it, as you have done for me.｣

“Thank you. I must hurry away now.”

The Captain, bowing her head slightly, opened the door and stepped outside. I, left alone inside the carriage, sat there in bewilderment, simply nodding my head.

It was right at that moment; I heard the Captain’s thoughts from beyond the door. As the Captain connected with a golem, she repeated a single phrase in her mind.

｢You may not see me, but I will always watch over you. While living the life I have received from you.｣

Uh, there’s no need to watch over me all the time, though… You can simply keep an eye on me when you sense a threat to my safety, you know?

As the Captain was preparing to depart, her attention was drawn to a particular scene through one of the windows under her control.

The Captain, about to walk away, suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, shocked by the scene unfolding before her.

｢The veterans from Shelter faced…! Total destruction?!｣

Huh?

Those people?

***

On the training grounds of the largest military academy in District 12.

The place where retired veterans from Shelter were capturing delinquents and instilling discipline was now in a state of chaos due to an unforeseen assault.

“Huff, huff, huff. D, amn it. If only I were ten years younger…”

Major General Frontaine of Shelter was bleeding profusely from his entire body. The blood, flowing from torn wounds, trickled diagonally along his wrinkles before dropping down to his chin.

Channeling Qi Arts from his entire body, Frontaine yelled towards an invisible foe.

“’Where are you! Don’t hide against an old man like me. Come out, Shadow.”

“This Umbra is not hiding.”

Frontaine heard a melancholy voice in his ear. When Frontaine abruptly turned his head, he saw a shadow of one figure emerging from the school entrance.

Frontaine shouted.

“You bastard, Shadow.”

“This Umbra had intended to remain concealed. After all, that way, the Military State wouldn’t have noticed at all.”

An emotionless yet deeply somber voice wove through the shadows. It seemed to whisper as if right beside the ear or, at times, sounded as though it echoed from a distance.

Both the retired soldiers, barely able to stand, and the ruffians, blinking in confusion, were unable to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

A mysterious ability, unknown whether it was Qi Arts or his own strength.

“Has time truly passed this much? How fleeting it all is. That place, haunted by an unspeakable and horrific presence, was a infernal realm where one could never let down their guard… In this peaceful city, everyone has grown old and weak. Both the Military State and the Shadow.”

Wolfen spoke with a sigh. At some point, his silhouette had extended to the edge of the training grounds.

In response, Frontaine raised his cane above his head and charged forward.

“You bastard! Face me in battle.”

There would be no victory at the end of a drawn out battle. Even now, they had been significantly weakened, after all.

The ambush by the Head of the Shadow, Umbra Wolfen, had been clandestine, swift, and deadly.

Wolfen effortlessly defeated five adversaries, then withdrew with a composed ease.

Infuriated, Frontaine gave chase, only to be cleverly ambushed and wounded in the counterattack.

For a fleeting moment whilst Frontaine retained his vigilance, Wolfen disappeared. However, the retired soldiers, who couldn’t find where he had gone, stayed in their positions without daring to move.

And then, when Wolfen emerged once again, the veterans, sensing that this was their last opportunity, rushed forward in unison.

The moment that the few remaining retired soldiers charged with their weapons raised, Wolfen’s silhouette vanished again, leaving only his voice behind.

“The battle has ended already, and your defeat is inevitable. You simply have not realized it yet.”

Pshook. While advancing, the one-armed veteran was suddenly struck by an unseen blade, thus carving a deep gash across his only remaining shoulder. Before he could grasp the pain, his eyes widened in shock.

“I used…! Qi Deflection, though.”

“Do not have blind faith in such things.”

The voice echoed in his ear. The one-armed soldier aimed his iron club towards the source of the sound, but the bludgeon, capable of even shattering concrete, merely swept through empty air.

Pshooook. And then, his life drained away once more. The blade had pierced through his chest.

The chest was grievously wounded and blood flowed. When the one-armed soldier was slowly collapsing, he reached out his hand with a determined glint in his eyes, grabbing Wolfen’s clothes.

With his severed right arm, something that shouldn’t even exist.

“Qi Hand.”

Wolfen reacted. No matter what, he wouldn’t be able to shake off a hand gripped with the power of Qi.

As Wolfen held the Shadow back for a moment, Frontaine approached his side.

“I’ve got you now! You bastaaaaard!”

In his aged, creased eyes, a fierce resolve ignited. Despite his dwindling strength, he had saved it all for this final, decisive opportunity.

His cane, charged to the brim with Qi, vibrated. Even in the darkness, it emitted flashes of light. Frontaine’s cane struck down like lightning.

The cane, wrapped in a storm from behind, would be a fatal hit from a mere touch. Moreover, if Wolfen managed to evade it, it would explode with Qi.

Holding the assassin back and dealing a single decisive blow from above; that was the plan.

“…Black Anterior Arts.”

However, darkness emanated from Wolfen’s body, seeping through the flashes of light. In an instant, the lightning was swallowed by darkness. With a peculiar integration of Qi Art, Wolfen deflected Frontaine’s falling cane with a dagger.

The cane traced a smooth arc, deflected to the side. Despair filled Frontaine’s face, and in that moment, the Shadow’s blade mercilessly tore through the veteran’s body.

What vast amounts of blood there was in such a withered body, spurting from the chest of the old commander.

“Cough…Damn…”

Grasping at his faltering breath, the old commander groaned.

Wolfen Fenshtein was an assassin. As he specialized in delivering prepared strikes, he may be weak in head-on confrontations…

“…That is…what I thought, but…Was I. Being misled….”

“This Umbra did not engage in a direct fight simply because it was more efficient not to.”

When Wolfen muttered with emotionless eyes, Frontaine, coughing up blood, responded.

“I know…too.. That in this world… there are many… far greater than someone like me….”

And perhaps among the children he raised, there could have been one. A child who could surpass general officers and even reach the level of the Six Star Generals.

Just like the Gunmaster, who was recently recognized as the youngest to ever join the ranks of the Six Star Generals.

Children had limitless potential; it was the duty of adults to nurture that potential before it faded away.

That was why Frontaine left his final words before his death.

“We… never mentioned a word about your identity… Those children, they don’t know who you are….”

All the retired soldiers he had called forth were dead. Despite being out of active duty, they were still soldiers at heart, ready to face death as they confronted Wolfen.

They were defeated, but still. Just in case, they had left a safeguard behind.

“There’s no need… to silence them all….”

Frontaine spoke, shielding the child until the very end, and tried to convince him with an implication that Wolfen’s intention wasn’t to kill them all.

Even as the old commander was dying and pleading, Wolfen responded to him with the same emotionless eyes as before.

“If that is the case.”

After all, Wolfen’s goal was to spread the Taboo, so he didn’t need to kill them himself.

While it was unclear how the Military State would respond after the Taboo was exposed, Wolfen had no reason to elaborate on that.

Regardless of what Wolfen felt.

After hearing Wolfen’s words, Frontaine closed his eyes in relief. In a way, his final sleep was longer than his life.

The old commander was dead. Wolfen felt no particular emotion about it. He simply looked towards his next target with deep, unfazed eyes.

Next was Market. Wolfen’s silhouette melted away into the dark streets….

And just as Wolfen headed towards Market, a carriage pulled by two horses caught his eyes.