Knock, knock.

Cedric looked up from his desk while eating a sandwich and reviewing documents.

The wall clock showed the hour hand already pointing at 5 p.m.

‘…Then this must be Captain Daniel Steiner.’

Earlier around noon, Daniel had requested a meeting regarding support for the Northern operations.

Cedric had been wanting to see him anyway, so he told him to come at 5 p.m., and now Daniel had knocked right on time.

“Come in.”

At Cedric’s permission, Daniel opened the door to the office.

Seeing the Deputy Chief of Operations’ office for the first time, Daniel was overwhelmed by a subtle sense of intimidation.

The room was strangely devoid of unnecessary items.

No matter where he looked, all he saw were a coat rack, bookshelves, a fountain pen, a telephone, a desk, and stacks of documents.

Most people would at least have a golf ball, stamps, or some hobby-related items lying around, but there were no such traces here.

Only the bookshelves along both walls were stuffed with files containing classified documents.

“You’re here.”

It was a low but sharp voice.

Cedric, seated behind a luxurious mahogany desk, glanced briefly at Daniel and continued eating his sandwich.

Watching this, Daniel nervously walked to the center of the office and saluted.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal, sir. However, I came despite the discourtesy because I have something urgent to discuss.”

Cedric finished his sandwich, took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and then looked at Daniel.

His cold, pale eyes silently demanded him to speak.

“…I’ll be direct, sir. I would like to request the removal of my adjutant, Second Lieutenant Lucy Emilia, and Cadet Frien from the Northern support deployment.”

To Daniel, both of them were unsettling presences, and he wanted to keep them as far away as possible.

However, Cedric, who had no knowledge of Daniel’s thoughts, could only find the request puzzling.

Swallowing the last bit of his sandwich, Cedric asked,

“Why?”

Oh, how Daniel wished he could simply say, “Lucy is a spy, and Frien is out of her mind.”

Suppressing a sigh, he quickly thought up a plausible excuse.

“My adjutant and Cadet Frien are both barely adults. I cannot bring girls who still have traces of youthfulness to such a dangerous battlefield.”

“Second Lieutenant Lucy might be one thing, but didn’t you have Cadet Frien with you even back when you were just enlisted?”

“That was for operations to defend our own territory. Compared to the current Northern operations, which involve penetrating deep into enemy lines, those missions carried far less risk.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, Cedric blinked once.

‘Surprising.’

He had assumed Daniel was so cold-blooded that he wouldn’t care about trivial matters as long as they didn’t hinder his promotion.

Yet here he was, stepping forward to protect his subordinates—showing a surprisingly human side.

‘Even a hedgehog loves its own offspring.’

Caring for subordinates was one of the most important virtues of a commander.

Cedric found himself liking Daniel even more, but he still couldn’t grant this request.

“I must refuse. The Empire’s ideology is based on meritocracy. It emphasizes equal opportunity above all else. Denying deployment simply because they are young women would contradict that principle.”

Daniel had already anticipated this much.

“In that case, I ask that at least Cadet Frien be excluded from my unit. She is still undergoing military academy training. I fail to see why I should have to take an untrained cadet with me.”

It was a reasonable argument—not much point in bringing an untrained cadet to the front lines.

However, Cedric saw limitless potential in Frien’s “uniqueness.”

“Captain Daniel, she is no ordinary cadet. You should know this, having fought alongside her. Frien’s mana differs from regular soldiers—it has ‘color.’”

Daniel couldn’t deny it. He had witnessed Frien imbue her bullets with mana and fire them when they killed Colonel Jeremy.

“Frien’s mana is pitch black—a stark contrast to ordinary mana, which is either transparent or tinged with faint blue light. It’s an anomaly, a mutation of sorts.”

Cedric took off his monocle and set it on the desk.

“Let me digress for a moment. Black has long been regarded as an omen of misfortune—a symbol of the devil. Superstitions about black cats and crows bringing bad luck stem from that belief.”

Cedric interlocked his fingers on the desk and leaned slightly forward.

“It’s nothing more than superstition, of course. In this day and age, if someone accused you of being cursed just for having black hair or black eyes, they’d be called crazy, wouldn’t they?”

“That’s true, sir.”

“But mana is different. Especially if a child born into a family of clergy displays black mana? They’re bound to face religious condemnation.”

Daniel began to grasp the point Cedric was making and nodded slightly.

“Cadet Frien didn’t enlist voluntarily, did she? I assume there was external pressure involved.”

“You’re quick on the uptake. That’s right. Cadet Frien was abandoned by her family. They sent her to the army, forcing her to demonstrate her patriotism as proof she’s not Satan’s child. Essentially, they sent her to die in battle.”

“And the reason you’re suddenly telling me all this is…?”

Cedric opened a drawer and pulled out a letter.

It was Frien’s deployment request for the Northern Front.

“Cadet Frien, who’s been living in denial about being cast aside by her family, has found someone new to rely on. That someone is apparently you.”

“Sir? I’m absolutely not someone Frien can rely on.”

“Oh? According to this letter, you comforted her quite a bit while she was in the detention cell and didn’t discriminate against her use of black mana during operations in the North.”

Daniel felt dumbfounded.

He had only chatted with her out of boredom in the cell, and the reason he hadn’t flinched at her black mana was because he’d already known about it from the game.

But from Cedric’s perspective, Daniel’s intentions hardly mattered.

“Captain Daniel Steiner, let me make this simple. Black mana may be condemned religiously, but in the military, it deserves praise. It has strategic value, plain and simple. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Black mana, which absorbed light, could easily be dispersed to create natural cover and concealment.

In other words, Cedric was telling Daniel to train Frien into a soldier suited for combat based on her strategic worth.

‘Why does it have to be me?’

Daniel wanted to push the responsibility onto someone else more qualified, but Cedric’s sharp gaze left no room for argument.

If he dragged this out, he might end up provoking Cedric’s anger unnecessarily.

In the end, Daniel had no choice but to grit his teeth and salute.

“I will follow your orders, sir.”

Satisfied, Cedric returned the salute.

“Good. If that’s all, you’re dismissed.”

Daniel lowered his hand, turned around, and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Watching him leave, Cedric leaned back in his chair and let out a low chuckle.

“He reminds me of the old Chief of Staff. Nervous in front of superiors but still bold enough to say what needs to be said.”

Cedric knew well that men like Daniel could never be controlled by authority.

It had been a long time since someone this promising had come along.

*****

At the same time, Frien and Lucy were gathered in Daniel’s private office.

Lucy was there to organize documents since it was close to the end of the workday.

As for Frien? Daniel had told her to wait in his office while he discussed matters with the deputy chief and promised to relay the results afterward.

Rustle—

Leaning against the wall, Frien stole a sideways glance.

She watched Lucy, who was seated at her desk skillfully sorting through papers, and felt a twinge of envy.

‘I should have been Captain Daniel’s adjutant…’

For some reason, it felt as though the position had been taken from her, leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

Sensing the gaze directed at her, Lucy paused her work and looked up.

Their eyes met.

“……”
“……”

In the heavy silence, it was Lucy who spoke first.

“What’s weighing on your mind so deeply?”

Her tone was professional, almost indifferent. Frien responded curtly.

“Just wondering why you applied to be Captain Daniel’s adjutant, Lieutenant Lucy.”

“No particular reason. If I had to give one, it would be for the glory of the Empire.”

It was an immediate answer.

In truth, she had applied because the role was perfect as a cover for her work as a spy. But that wasn’t something she could admit.

Though Lucy managed to conceal her true intentions flawlessly, Frien tilted her head in suspicion.

Something about Lucy’s words felt dishonest.

It wasn’t logic—more of a gut feeling.

It was Frien’s unique sense of discernment, often imprecise but remarkably accurate.

“Lieutenant Lucy? I was raised by my father, a priest. I attended mass every day, without fail. After the service, there were always people who wanted to confess their sins. They would follow my father into the confessional booth.”

Lucy, puzzled by the sudden topic, paused her work.

“So as a child, I made a game out of predicting who would go in for confession. My accuracy was surprisingly high. No matter how devoutly someone prayed, if they were hiding a sin, there was always a shadow on their face.”

Thud.

Lucy closed the folder in front of her and fixed her gaze on Frien.

Frien, too, did not avoid Lucy’s eyes and met her stare head-on.

Tick—

The sound of the clock’s second hand echoed clearly in the tense silence.

Then, Frien walked over to Lucy’s desk and placed her hand firmly on top of it.

“And yet, something seems strange.”

Lowering her head slowly, Frien stared straight into Lucy’s face.

Their emotionless eyes locked, freezing the air between them.

In that icy tension, Frien quietly parted her lips.

“The shadow that lingers over your face, Lieutenant.”