The Okhraine Army Training Ground.
First Training Battalion Headquarters.
I turned my head to Luna while holding Bella’s hand tightly on the simple bed where she was sleeping.
“There’s quite a lot we need to talk about…”
“Yeah.”
Although we rescued them early in the morning, we were only able to talk face-to-face after a few hours had passed.
The atrocities committed by the National Guard were more serious than I thought.
It took quite some time just to clean up the mess, transfer command of the National Guard to Major General Erich Avakov, and discuss with the representatives of the civilian protest groups.
The representatives were all high-ranking officials.
The president of the chamber that manages the busiest street in the capital city of Kaeyef, the heads of various caravans.
Among them was a journalist from Wilson Times.
Sarah Ronald, the head of the Okhraine bureau for Wilson Times, was faithfully performing her role.
She kept publishing newspapers by moving around the hideouts we had secured in advance and coordinating with couriers (mostly from slums, they were adept at evading tracking) with whom we had maintained close ties for a long time.
Thanks to this, the citizens were able to gather with a clear cause.
Of course, along with the media, technicians and scientists who actively embraced foreign technology and began anew.
I asked them to continue pressuring Petrovna Palace without resorting to violence as much as possible.
They generally agreed not to cause a violent conflict.
The current situation in Okhraine is politically very unstable.
It’s possible that spies from the Soviev Empire have already infiltrated—no, at this point, they must have already infiltrated.
There’s even a high probability that the coup attempt itself was planned by the empire.
If such political conflicts continue and spread beyond the capital to nationwide movements, showing clear signs of a civil war…
The Soviev Empire might use this as an excuse to intervene aggressively.
Moreover, some areas in the east of Okhraine, which have continuously claimed sovereignty by the Soviev Empire, could take advantage of the chaotic situation to suddenly send in their army.
Therefore, a full-scale clash between citizens and the military needed to be avoided as much as possible.
Even if they were the rebels who initiated the coup.
“Are your hands feeling any better?”
I said to Luna, who had bandages tightly wrapped around her.
Both Bella Meyer and Luna Aire were clear victims, but the two were so preoccupied with taking care of comrades who had suffered even worse fates than themselves that they didn’t have time to rest.
Despite being in a situation where they should have taken a break immediately, they steadfastly remained at the scene.
Luna’s condition, who hadn’t been tortured, was relatively good, but Bella’s condition couldn’t even be described as slightly better. She couldn’t sleep without holding someone’s hand because she was trembling so much.
“I’m fine. It’s just a bruise; it’ll heal completely in a few days.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What happened during those days? Did you meet Nikolai?”
Nikolai.
That name finally escaped my lips.
“Actually, I think we need to talk about this Nikolai. What exactly happened that day?”
In fact, the coup truly came to light when Nikolai died and Luna Aire was arrested.
After that incident, the National Guard went on a rampage.
“It seems you haven’t met yet.”
“At least he’s still alive.”
Luna nodded silently and began to unravel the truth of that night, which had been a mystery until now.
“On that day, Nikolai called me late at night to the sewage treatment plant north of Kaeyef.”
The place where Nikolai Hilbert’s body was found.
“He said he had deciphered a note given by Colonel Hapenluk and warned me to be careful of the National Guard.”
“I confirmed that. Luna, it was left under the table at the tavern you mentioned.”
“Lucky you understood. Well… I thought you would, Enok.”
Luna laughed bitterly and continued speaking.
“But we were ambushed then.”
“An ambush?”
“…By the Soviev Empire’s lackeys.”
Hearing this, I realized that the situation I never wanted had become a reality.
*
At the Okhraine Army Training Ground, Trainee Nikita of the 54th cohort still couldn’t grasp what was really happening.
Just a few days ago, they weren’t finishing the final week’s tactical camping training?
But… a coup?
It still didn’t feel real.
Nikita had been in the training ground for nearly two months.
This week, after the end of the training, they were scheduled to walk through the streets of Kaeyef and finally participate in the graduation ceremony they had dreamed of.
And coincidentally, it overlapped with the celebration of Orlando Rus III’s birthday.
Rumors were rife that the Crown Prince himself would come to attend and commend the trainees.
Nicknamed the ‘Royal’ cohort.
While nothing was officially confirmed, it was rumored that the likelihood of being assigned to a central unit was high since the Crown Prince himself would be attending.
Just as they were about to finish another tiring training session and go to sleep, an alarm blared throughout the entire training ground.
Nikita, who had never heard such an alarm before, was startled and bewildered, but soon red-capped drill instructors jumped out and started shouting.
“National emergency! Everyone wake up and change clothes! Move as soon as you’re ready!”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know! But it’s definitely serious. This isn’t training—it’s real combat!”
Usually, after about a month, one could become somewhat familiar with the intimidating drill instructors.
But that morning, even the drill instructors, let alone the commanding officers controlling them, seemed visibly confused.
Following orders, they changed clothes, and weapons loaded with bullets were distributed.
Except for special training like shooting or tactics, Nikita had rarely handled a g*n.
When he came to his senses, he held a weapon that could k*ll someone if he pulled the trigger right away.
Even though he had touched it several times, it felt as cold as the first time.
Armed, Nikita, who had never expected to confront anyone, was paired with senior trainees and sent to the training ground’s tower.
It was the second day.
Initially, the air was tense as if a full-scale battle was imminent, but it visibly relaxed over time.
It was natural.
Today, large-scale protests erupted across the capital, and most of the forces surrounding the training ground had withdrawn.
Although the Imperial Guard still faced the direction of Petrovna Palace, there were no traces of the deployed coup forces elsewhere.
“So it’s true. Those traitorous bastards… Ugh!”
Staff Sergeant Hamilton spat phlegm at the base of the wall where he had been involved in the operation.
The training ground forces ranged from unranked recruits to high-ranking officers.
They had already received the full details from Enok Revendale and Colonel Rittenhark.
They knew that those on the other side were the main culprits behind this entire situation.
“Thank goodness.”
“It was just pretending. We thought they would understand our reasons if they matched beats.”
“But the damage wasn’t too severe, right? If it had fully clashed, dozens of people would have died already.”
“Is that so?”
In just two short days, too many things had happened.
During this process, Nikita learned much more in these two days than he did during the one-month training period.
He realized that the wooden stick he was holding could easily k*ll someone with just a pull of the trigger.
“Speaking of which, how’s your injury?”
“I’m fine.”
Nikita touched the painful wound near his ear.
It was a scar left by a b*llet that narrowly missed his head during the scattered skirmishes on the first day.
Five people were injured that day.
Fortunately, no one died, but the shock of seeing a comrade hit by a b*llet still lingered vividly.
“The situation seems to be winding down. The citizens are rising up, so what can they do?”
The unfavorable situation had turned around and was now cornering the coup forces.
A fortress-like wall protected the Army Training Ground, requiring artillery support to breach its defenses.
However, there was hopeful news that the hastily mobilized Eastern Corps’ artillery units had been neutralized by the Special Response Brigade and Northern Corps.
While the Army Training Ground was cornered, the coup forces were withering away.
Once the chaos subsided, the trainees and soldiers who fought together today would be evaluated as the ‘true warriors’ who protected the Crown Prince.
“But… wait a moment, do you see that?”
“What is it?”
“On the wall over there.”
Nikita shifted his gaze in the direction Hamilton indicated.
It was dark, so he couldn’t see clearly, but he could make out a few black figures moving.
Since the fortress was converted into a training ground, it was protected by massive walls built along the lines.
Of course, patrols were stationed not only on the towers but also on the walls, but it wasn’t the usual patrol time.
“Let me check the patrol schedule.”
As Nikita bowed his head to check the duty log, there was a sudden noise.
Clang! Crash!
Hamilton fell to the wall with glass shattering.
“Sir!!!”
Hamilton was shot directly in the head and died instantly. Seeing the lifeless form of the senior soldier with wide-open eyes, Nikita’s mind went blank.
But simultaneously,
Nikita instinctively raised his g*n and fired into the air. He acted on the single thought of alerting everyone to the intrusion.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He kept pulling the trigger. When he pulled back the loading handle, metal casings bounced off the floor.
“Aaaah!!!”
Nikita screamed.
There was a bell to signal an intruder at the guard post, but he couldn’t bring himself to reach for it.
He felt like he would end up like the senior soldier in front of him if he moved.
Bang! Bang!
Ping—
Finally, when he exhausted all the rounds in the magazine,
Clatter, clatter, crash! The strange sound of gunfire rang incessantly, and shattered glass fell in front of his eyes.
Was he going to d*e now? If he was going to d*e, he wanted to fight until the end.
With trembling fingers, Nikita tried to load the next clip,
But then,
“East Tower, Intruder at the rear gate of the training ground. Emergency broadcast. East Tower, Intruder at the rear gate of the training ground!!”
Soon after, with lights illuminating the night, the alarm siren echoed throughout the Army Training Ground, giving him courage again.
His role was now complete.
