Chapter 205: The Promise
Meanwhile, in the central plaza of Penburg.
“Push forward! Drive them out of the city!”
“The Imperial commander is absent! They're nothing but a disorganized mob!”
“Don't give them a chance to counterattack!”
As the Allied officers shouted, soldiers scrambled to charge into the city streets.
As soldiers cleared the plaza, new ones would appear, enveloped in light.
It was proof that the spatial transfer assault using Aetherium was in full swing.
Regimental Commander Samphe, who had been watching the scene quietly, turned his head as a light flared nearby.
A moment later, as the light faded, a middle-aged man leaning on an elegant cane appeared.
Meeting the man's snake-like eyes, Samphe reflexively bowed his head.
“Count Kaledra. You've arrived.”
Instead of answering, Kaledra closed his eyes and listened to the surrounding sounds.
Amidst the hail of gunfire, the sound of artillery fire echoed from a distance.
Buildings were collapsing and civilians were screaming, but Kaledra paid it no mind.
This was the nature of war, after all.
Slowly opening his eyes, Kaledra stared at Samphe.
“Report on the situation.”
Nodding once, Samphe began his report, his voice tense.
“Yes, sir! Two regiments, including our own, are currently occupying the city without issue. Furthermore, with the enemy commander absent, there are reports from all over of Imperial troops losing morale and retreating.”
It was because the Imperial Army, not anticipating the Aetherium assault, had failed to prepare for urban warfare.
‘It would be hard enough to stop the Allied forces swarming the city in an instant, but with their commander missing, their confusion must be at its peak.’
Confusion leads to an inability to execute operations and a drop in morale.
Fighting such an army was no different from a predator brutalizing its prey.
‘And…’
All of this was according to Count Kaledra's plan.
He had ordered the advance team, sent to Penburg ahead of time, to report the moment Daniel Steiner entered the research facility, at which point the assault would begin.
Kaledra knew that Daniel Steiner choosing Penburg, of all the countless cities, was no mere coincidence.
To drag the Allied Nations into the abyss, Daniel Steiner would surely act to secure ‘proof that Lucy Emilia was a test subject.’
And so, he had laid a trap and waited.
For the moment Daniel Steiner, lured by the bait of the research facility, would walk right into the cage.
“The man is now a rat in a trap. The encirclement is being formed as planned, I assume?”
“Yes. However, there is one problem...”
Samphe hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“We've lost contact with the advance team. It seems they entered the facility first and were taken out.”
Kaledra's brow furrowed.
‘That fool, Hamelton...’
I valued his loyalty and entrusted him with the advance team, but he went and did something useless.
‘Did his excessive loyalty become his poison?’
Clenching his jaw, Kaledra let out a low breath.
“The advance team's failure changes nothing. Tighten the encirclement so that not even an ant can escape. The target is Daniel Steiner. You have permission to shoot on sight.”
“Yes, Count Kaledra!”
Hearing Samphe's reply, Kaledra tightened his grip on the handle of his cane.
Despite everything being in his favor, he felt a subtle sense of unease.
Listening to the distant gunfire, Kaledra frowned for no particular reason.
‘If I fail to capture Daniel Steiner this time...’
There might never be another chance.
*
The sounds of artillery from the chaotic city reached the research facility.
“So it's begun...”
Feeling a faint tremor, Daniel leaned his back against a pillar and let out a shallow breath.
Beside him, Lucy was wrapping a bandage around his arm.
She had brought a first-aid kit she found in the facility and was treating his wounds.
But to Daniel, her efforts felt meaningless.
‘The side effects of using Neural Acceleration repeatedly, I suppose. I can't muster any strength. This will probably last for a few hours...’
Getting treated in this state would only mean being helplessly captured when the enemy inevitably invaded.
“Adjutant. That's enough.”
Daniel tried to stop her, but Lucy didn't.
It wasn't a serious wound, just a scrape from a fall, yet she was wrapping the bandage with meticulous care.
To Daniel, her movements seemed like a denial of their reality.
“...You know it too, don't you? If the assault is real, there's no way for us to get out of here alive. Count Kaledra has surely brought more troops than my entire brigade.”
“The Imperial Army is not incompetent. I'm sure they're holding out.”
Hearing Lucy, of all people, say 'The Imperial Army is not incompetent' was so absurd that Daniel let out a dry laugh.
“You're right. They aren't incompetent. But if they're facing an enemy assault while their commander is missing, the correct decision is to retreat. Because the Imperial Army isn't incompetent, they are retreating.”
“Brigade Commander.”
“Since the Imperial forces are retreating, the Allied army will quickly occupy the city. They'll surround this place without any resistance. No, they might have already finished.”
Even the simple act of breathing felt like a struggle.
Lucy, who had been silent with her head lowered, quietly broke the silence.
“...It doesn't matter if the Imperial Army has given up.”
Her hands tightened slightly as she wrapped the bandage.
“Because I haven't given up on you, sir. I will fulfill my duty as your adjutant. So please, entrust yourself to me.”
“That's an amusing thought. Are you saying you'll break through the encirclement with me on your back?”
“If that's what it takes, I will.”
At Lucy's resolve, Daniel let out a laugh that was half a groan.
It was a short, faint laugh.
“You're wrong. It's doubtful you could even break through the encirclement while carrying me, and even if you did, how would you shake off the pursuit?”
“As you know, Brigade Commander, I am a monster created in a lab. So, somehow...”
“You are not a monster. And besides, anyone hearing you would think you have no limits.”
Daniel closed his eyes, then slowly opened them.
“Alone, maybe. But you can't break through while carrying a burden like me. It'll be even harder if it's a unit commanded by Count Kaledra himself. That's why I said there's no way for us to survive.”
Daniel's fingers twitched faintly.
“However...”
With a great effort, Daniel forced his hand up and gently wrapped it around the back of Lucy's.
“Adjutant. If you're alone, you can make it out.”
“What are you talking about...?”
“I have something to show you.”
Daniel reached into his coat and took out a single document.
It was a combustion document, enchanted to ignite the moment it was taken outside the facility.
The fact that it was enchanted with such magic proved it was a top-secret document.
He handed it to her, and Lucy took it.
Uncertain, Lucy unfolded the document, and her eyes widened.
It was her own story.
The truth she had only ever suspected.
This was the moment it became certain: the ones who had conducted the experiments were not the Empire, but the Allied Nations.
“I apologize in advance. For looking into your past without your permission.”
Leaning his head against the pillar, Daniel exhaled slowly.
“And... I also apologize for using you. Perhaps that man, Hamelton, wasn't wrong in what he said before he died. I wanted to make you an ally to create a situation more favorable for my own survival.”
A tremor ran through Lucy's hands as she held the document.
“I deceived you. For a very long time. I knew everything, yet I pretended not to and toyed with you. Perhaps this is my punishment for that.”
Daniel's eyes were half-open.
“As a form of atonement, I want to put an end to the shackles of a life spent being used. Adjutant. No...”
His closing eyes slowly opened again.
“Lucy Emilia.”
Hearing her name, Lucy looked at Daniel.
The emotion in Daniel's eyes was surprisingly calm.
“There's no time. If you go now, you can escape alone. Get out of here, break through their encirclement, and go. Go somewhere...”
Lucy knew the meaning behind that gaze.
It was the resignation of someone facing death.
“Go live in some peaceful village untouched by the flames of war and become a baker. Live your own life, without ever being used again.”
Daniel Steiner pursued survival.
Having been born an orphan and endured all sorts of hardships until he reached the monastery, the rules of his life had naturally been tailored to survival.
But if he found himself in a situation where survival was impossible, he would not, at the very least, beg pathetically for his life.
So, instead of asking his adjutant, Lucy, to save him, Daniel ordered her to leave.
He believed it was the only way to atone for a life spent using others to survive.
But there was one thing Daniel Steiner had overlooked.
“I...”
It was the feelings Lucy held in her heart.
“I am not being used by you, Brigade Commander.”
Lucy's lips trembled as she spoke with sincerity.
“My desire to save you comes from my own free will. So please, do not dare to think you are using me. I will save you from this place, no matter what.”
As she continued, tears welled up in Lucy's red eyes.
Lucy didn't hide the indignation rising within her as she shouted.
“No matter what orders you give me!”
As if to say she would no longer be bound by the ghosts of the past, Lucy threw the document to the ground.
Seeing this, Daniel's eyes narrowed with a sense of pity.
“But there's no way to overcome this situation...”
“There is!”
Lucy pulled a processed gemstone from a pouch on her waist.
If both of them couldn't escape, Lucy, too, wanted to save the other.
Looking at the bluish gemstone, Daniel was involuntarily surprised.
“That's...”
“It's a prototype of the Aetherium Converter Stone I received from the technology bureau before leaving the Allied Nations. I reported that I used it at the main headquarters, so Count Kaledra won't know I still have it.”
As Lucy infused the stone with mana, it began to crack with a sharp krrrk.
“Since it's a prototype, it's only for one person and has a limited transfer range, but it should be able to get you safely outside the city. So, Brigade Commander...”
Lucy pressed the stone into Daniel's hand and continued.
“Please, survive.”
At the same time, the voices of Allied soldiers could be heard not far away.
—This is it! Block the entrance and send in the special ops forces first! Hurry!
Once the soldiers blocked the entrance, not even Lucy would be able to escape.
They might never see each other again after today.
But this was the best they could do.
“Brigade Commander. Being able to serve under you...”
Her voice was sorrowful.
As Daniel watched her with an uncomprehending gaze, Lucy gave a faintly sad smile.
“...was the greatest fortune of my life.”
Her words were laced with farewell.
Not liking the sound of that, Daniel gripped the Aetherium stone tightly.
“Lucy Emilia. Wait for me here in Penburg. I promise. I will retake this city and...”
The Allied special ops forces began to storm in.
At the same time, the Aetherium stone shattered completely, and a brilliant light enveloped Daniel.
“I will...”
Ignoring all of it, Daniel kept his eyes fixed only on Lucy and spoke.
“I will come back for you.”