“Colonel Enok!”
Bella Meyer burst out of my room in a panic. In her hand was today’s newspaper issued from Kajeif.
[“A military officer’s body found in the capital.”]
“This… Could it be…!!”
“First, please change your clothes and come out. Let’s make a judgment after confirming what happened.”
When I spoke in a calm voice, Bella seemed about to say something, but then closed her mouth and returned to her room.
I had already read the problematic newspaper.
This morning, the body of a major from the Eastern Corps was found at a water treatment plant on the outskirts of the capital.
The news was originally brought to me by a reporter from Wilson Times.
Current Chief Press Officer Sarah Ronald had confirmed the facts with me personally.
I first requested an embargo (time-limited press hold) from her, and Wilson Times accepted my proposal.
Today’s print run might drop a bit.
Given the current situation is completely unknown, prematurely releasing a report would not be very good.
“d*mn…”
I put a cigarette in my mouth. How long has it been? This is the first cigarette I’ve smoked since properly quitting a few months ago.
Major of the Eastern Corps.
This ominous title made me inhale deeply on the cigarette smoke.
“Please, Nikolai… Stay safe.”
As Bella Meyer quickly finished preparing for the field trip, we headed straight to the scene of the incident.
When we showed our ID cards, which bore my name and rank, to the soldiers of the National Guard blocking the road, one of them raised his arm in salute.
“Honor to the motherland!”
“Who is managing the scene right now?”
“It’s Colonel Lannister Kaye, Central Inspector General.”
“Thank you.”
I passed the guard and approached Colonel Lannister, who was talking with an elderly man.
“So you heard the gunshots clearly…?”
“Yes! That’s right! At first, I thought it wasn’t gunfire. I thought maybe a pipe in the treatment plant was damaged… But when I went out this morning, this happened…”
“Oh, Colonel Enok, you’re here.”
“Colonel Lannister.”
He looked quite serious. From the conversation I overheard as I approached, it seemed that the unidentified major’s d*ath was not simply due to an accident.
“Thank you for your testimony. I will visit again later. You two, follow me.”
The colonel pushed the old man aside and led me and Bella Meyer inside the water treatment plant.
As the name suggests, reservoirs for storing water drawn from outside were installed everywhere.
“This is where the body was found.”
“What about the identity of the body?”
When I asked, Colonel Lannister swallowed hard with a bitter expression.
“The damage is too severe to identify, but judging from the uniform and the name on the badge…”
“That’s impossible.”
I couldn’t say anything. Bella Meyer seemed to have lost strength in her legs, as she slumped down.
“The cause of d*ath listed as an accidental fall was solely my order. Anyway, if word got out that a soldier was killed just before a national event, things could get ugly.”
“But…! Wouldn’t it be even more necessary to cancel it in such a situation!?”
Bella’s voice sounded bewildered. Generally speaking, yes. Only in general terms.
Is there really going to be a coup d’état on the king’s birthday?
Even the assumption I’m currently relying on is merely speculation.
It’s possible that the information Nikolai provided yesterday—that the 9th Infantry Division and the Royal Cavalry Brigade would be involved in the coup—is contaminated.
The probability of a coup happening is high, but certainty is impossible.
And no one knows when, where, or how it will happen.
It could happen during the event, days before the event, or even after the event ends.
It’s pitch black.
Up until now, we’ve fought against external enemies, but now we must face internal enemies.
It’s not just that.
Up until now, our forces were always superior.
During my time in the Third Mage Battalion, we fought bandits. Even when I was part of the 8th Paratrooper Mage Battalion, we were still fighting bandits.
Later, when we raided the Limansk Armament Factory and faced the Soviev Empire army, we were up against an undermanned and vulnerable platoon compared to our two battalion-strong forces. We were clearly at a disadvantage.
What about the Quernen War?
While they were called quasi-regular troops, they were essentially illegal armed groups based on doctrines.
After reclaiming Fort Morok and Maniopol, Okhraine occupied the fort within just a few days with overwhelming supplies.
But this situation was different.
There would be all sorts of big players involved.
A brigade commander? No, even that rank is laughable. How many generals might have been bribed?
Perhaps, like South Korea in the original history, the king’s personal security force and even the royal guard division might have fallen into the hands of the conspirators.
This situation was more ambiguous, complex, and difficult than any situation I had faced before.
“……So we had to set a trap. The enemy is definitely planning a coup on the king’s birthday.”
Colonel Lannister nodded.
“The National Guard is also investigating this matter. The rebels plan to root out the problem at its source. His Majesty is aware of this.”
“But…”
Bella trailed off. Her clenched fist trembled.
“But!! What about Major Nikolai? We don’t know who or how he was killed. This can’t be his end…!!”
“Major Bella! Lower your voice!”
“Ms. Bella…”
“I don’t understand. He was a fellow comrade. Just the other day, we were exchanging pleasantries on the street…!!”
Bella Meyer finally burst into tears. She sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
Watching her, all I could do was bite my lip.
Major Nikolai Hilbert was murdered.
This is an undeniable fact.
An accidental fall? With his face so disfigured that it was unrecognizable, how could he not have been killed?
At that moment.
“Yes, that note…?”
The last conversation I had with Nikolai before we parted yesterday flashed through my mind.
– I’ll decode this by tomorrow.
It was strange.
There were many oddities.
Why target Nikolai? And the meeting place was at Nikolai’s accommodation. It was quite far from here.
If he was going to decode the message, there was no need for him to leave the room.
So there are two hypotheses.
First, Nikolai left his accommodation for some reason and was ambushed.
Second, he was ambushed while waiting in his room, and then killed here.
“Colonel Lannister, have you checked Major Nikolai’s accommodation?”
“As soon as we confirmed his identity, we dispatched the National Guard to investigate. It should be revealed soon.”
“In that case, are there any peculiarities at this water treatment plant? Was there any note or paper found?”
“It doesn’t seem like there was anything yet. If there is anything specific, please let me know. I’ll pass it on to the investigators…”
Then.
The National Guard investigators who were examining nearby waved their hands and shouted to Lannister.
“Inspector General!!! We found something here!!”
We all moved towards the spot they were pointing at, near the external channel attached to the wall of the water treatment plant.
It was a passage that drew water from a river adjacent to Kajeif.
And there was.
“We found a pistol. But it doesn’t seem to be standard issue for our army.”
“This is… a Logan P02.”
I had to stop in my tracks.
Logan P02.
A semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Reinhardt.
“There are three rounds missing.”
“Judging from the bloodstains around, Major Nikolai was likely shot here.”
“Why… here…”
The pistol I gave to Major Luna Aire before we parted.
“Colonel!!”
“Bella, I’m here! With Colonel Lannister!”
I rushed straight to Major Luna Aire’s accommodation. Could she have been ambushed too?
‘Please, please…’
I sincerely prayed that the worst-case scenario hadn’t happened as I arrived at the 14th Street in Kajeif where the mages lived.
However, in front of Luna Aire’s accommodation.
National Guard soldiers in black uniforms were already gathered in large numbers.
My heart sank.
“You can’t go in!!”
“Colonel Enok Revendale of the 8th Paratrooper Mage Battalion! Move aside!!”
“Colonel Enok?”
The person who appeared in front of me was Major Kamalov, whom I once met with Colonel Lannister.
He was known as the head of the elite Special Military Unit of the National Guard.
Black Hound (черная гончая).
Kamalov.
“You came at a good time. I was planning to call you in for questioning about this case.”
“Questioning?”
“Luna Aire, Major, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a soldier.”
“What?”
Soon, Major Luna Aire, who had been captured by the National Guard, appeared from her accommodation.
“I assume you’ve heard the news. The main suspect in the m*rder of Major Nikolai Hilbert, whose body was discovered this morning, is her.”
