Had the spark Kyle had thrown been larger than he expected?
“It is burning nicely.”
Kyle smiled as he watched the chaos begin to blaze from the spark he had cast.
The rumors he heard from the soldiers returning from their rotating shifts at the main gate were entertaining.
The Antonio faction had finally seized an opportunity after so long and was preparing to launch a major offensive.
Meanwhile, the Scarlin faction appeared to be cutting its losses by purging everyone involved in the present incident.
“Ah! This is fun.”
Kyle had spent years enduring the humiliation of cleaning up after others.
However, seeing such satisfying developments near the very end of his military career left him thoroughly pleased.
Better still, the entertainment had only just begun.
No sooner had dawn broken than people began arriving at Unit 06, making Kyle chuckle.
They were military inspectors.
Unlike the previous day, none of them behaved rudely.
They knew what had happened as a consequence of such insolence. Anyone with a brain in his skull would know when to crawl.
“May we take custody of the assassins’ bodies?”
“Of course. You may take them whenever you wish, as long as you give me documentation confirming their receipt.”
The inspector immediately handed Kyle the documents before conveying the orders that had come down from above.
“If it is determined that this was indeed an attack by assassins, you will also receive compensation payments. Furthermore, if their backers are identified, everyone will receive a special reward bonus.”
“Is that so?”
A broad smile spread across Kyle’s face as he nodded, and his attitude changed immediately.
They had been bothersome visitors only moments ago, but now they deserved to be treated as honored guests.
The inspector looked bewildered by Kyle’s sudden change in attitude, but Kyle merely smiled kindly and personally escorted him around, allowing him to examine even the traces of battle scattered throughout the training ground.
“The first group infiltrated through here. And do you see that place over there? That was where the second group entered. While those men drew our attention, five assassins infiltrated from this direction to kill me.”
Kyle even ensured that every trace of battle was recorded one by one through the recording orb in the inspector’s hand.
“However… were there no casualties on your side?”
“Haha. No. Fortunately, we only suffered a few minor injuries. We responded far better than they expected, so the enemy seemed to have been caught off guard.”
The words, ‘How does that make any sense?!’ rose all the way to the inspector’s throat, but he forced them back and nodded with a smile.
He had worked as an inspector long enough to recognize the faces of at least a few of the assassins.
They closely resembled people he had seen on wanted notices.
In other words, several notorious figures had been mixed in among them.
Stopping such a group of assassins while suffering only minor injuries could never have been accomplished through luck.
Every member of the unit had to possess exceptional skill.
‘There were rumors that Unit 06 was even stronger than people believed… They were true!’
A certain degree of strength was required to serve as a Cleaner.
There were rumors that the officers assigned to Unit 06 were experts capable of wiping the floor with most ordinary officers.
What the inspector saw today, however, suggested that even those rumors had underestimated them.
“Then please put in a good word for us with your superiors.”
“Yes! I will do my utmost to ensure that you receive every possible benefit.”
Hearing the inspector promise to do his best, Kyle ordered his subordinates to assist the inspection team.
There was no reason to act prickly when the other party was treating them favorably.
Kyle personally saw them off, asking until the very end that they speak well of Unit 06.
As though he had been waiting for the inspectors to leave, an Adjutant carrying Silvio’s orders approached Kyle and relayed the command on his behalf.
“Everyone! We are to remain on base for a while! We have not received any additional orders, so spend the time however you please!”
“Waaah!”
Kyle’s subordinates erupted in cheers at his announcement.
Silvio had exercised his authority to order a period of rest for every member of Unit 06, who must have been “exhausted” after dealing with the assassins.
That was not all.
By fortunate coincidence, the officer who had been embezzling Unit 06’s rations had been caught, and every member of Unit 06 would receive a bonus in the name of compensation.
They were also informed that their future rations would be of the same quality as those served at Corps Command.
“What are all these supplies?”
“The Corps Commander sent them personally. He said they were intended to make amends to the members of Unit 06, who must have suffered from inadequate rations all this time. He ordered you to enjoy them without reservation.”
“Ah…is that so?”
“Yes. Since the former Corps Commander embezzled so much, it must have been difficult for the current Corps Commander to uncover everything.”
The members of Unit 06 who overheard those words chuckled in amusement, but Kyle merely nodded with a solemn expression.
He had heard that the Corps Commander had also applied for discharge.
There was no reason for two men awaiting discharge to make enemies of each other.
Kyle thanked the Adjutant and sent him away.
There was only one possible meaning behind the Corps Commander’s gift.
‘Is he asking me to please refrain from causing trouble until he gets discharged?’
Kyle chuckled at the desperation he could sense behind the gift.
In truth, as long as no one provoked him, he had no intention of causing trouble.
All he wanted was to remain quiet until his discharge.
Even if everyone left in Unit 06 had nothing to lose, they had still spent their entire lives suffering.
Did they not deserve to enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life?
Therefore, as long as they were safely discharged and permitted to leave the Empire, Kyle had no intention of creating any unpleasant confrontations.
“Unit Commander! There is fine wine in here too!”
“Wow… There is top-grade cheese and ham as well. How about opening a bottle with these?”
Kyle smiled and nodded at the excited questions from Coutinho and Korn before leading the three Battalion Commanders into his office.
An Intelligence Bureau agent watching from a distance immediately reported the development to the Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
“As long as no one provokes him, he will not go out of his way to do anything else.”
Grinnell, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, breathed a sigh of relief, looking grateful that the worst had been avoided.
Only one task remained.
They had to get Kyle and Unit 06 discharged as soon as possible.
Since they were sending them away regardless, it was also necessary to treat them as generously as possible so that they would not cause trouble later.
“Contact the Central Army Commander.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once a decision had been made, it needed to be carried out as quickly as possible.
The Director of the Intelligence Bureau prepared to visit Central Army headquarters personally so that the matter could be resolved without delay.
The Antonio faction was preparing to launch a large-scale offensive and wield the weapon that had fallen into its hands.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Jorza faction—a vested-interest bloc formed by merchant houses—had also joined forces with Antonio to take revenge on the Scarlin faction for everything it had suffered.
‘We need to secure whatever Unit 06 has hidden before anyone else does.’
A period of massive upheaval had become all but inevitable.
If the Intelligence Bureau could at least secure the relevant information, it might be able to find some way to contain the damage.
To accomplish that, it needed to act in a way that would earn Kyle’s goodwill.
They had to persuade him carefully and make him hand over everything he had hidden.
While they were at it, they could also suggest that he seek asylum in another nation, since the Empire had become too dangerous.
Until then, the Intelligence Bureau intended to take full responsibility for his safety.
“This is driving me mad. This is not the time for any of this.”
The Empire was in no condition to be squabbling within the capital.
The rebels were gathering strength in the south.
In the east, the perpetually second-ranked Ropec Empire was once again preparing to provoke a conflict.
Its internal situation was also a complete mess, so it intended to direct its people’s anger toward an external enemy.
The west was similarly scheming to increase the number of regions under autonomous rule.
In short, the Empire was a complete disaster.
At this rate, its collapse could occur in an instant.
Kyle was a dangerous variable who might accelerate that collapse. They needed to compensate him handsomely, send him off to a neutral country, and then consider what to do afterward.
To make that happen, there was something the Director needed to take with him.
“Bring me every classified document related to Unit Commander Kyle.”
“…Pardon?”
“Now!”
He threw his identification badge to the dumbfounded employee and ordered him to retrieve the documents.
Until now, they had merely kept Kyle restrained because they had no idea what might happen if he were allowed to move freely.
The Northern Army, the northern factions, his disciples, and his subordinates—all of them fell within his sphere of influence.
Considering the extent of that influence made the Director uneasy, but this was no longer the time to worry about such matters.
‘If he has gone so far as to make a move like this, then he must have something he can rely on.’
In that case, it would be better to earn his favor now rather than tighten the noose around him.
The first step toward earning that favor would be restoring Kyle’s honor.
Of course, everything would have to proceed unofficially for the time being.
His honor could only be officially restored at the very moment he left the Empire.
Carrying a generous package of concessions intended to win Kyle’s goodwill, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau arrived at Central Army headquarters and immediately stated the purpose of his visit.
“Kyle Ripley. Please discharge him as quickly as possible.”
“…Are you certain that will be safe?”
If they discharged him in the current situation, there would inevitably be an uproar.
The Antonio faction, which now held the advantage, and the other factions were all eager to obtain the mountain of incriminating evidence Kyle was believed to possess.
What would happen if the Intelligence Bureau forcibly discharged him and then claimed all that evidence for itself?
Naturally, people would have plenty to say about it.
Now that the situation had deteriorated this far, even the Central Army Commander could not ignore the potential repercussions.
“I heard that he has accumulated a considerable amount of leave. Move up his discharge date by the same number of days.”
“But….”
“Then compensate him additionally. Prepare a compensation plan equivalent to his unused leave, and the Intelligence Bureau will provide the necessary funds.”
“Hmm….”
The proposal was not entirely unreasonable, so the Commander considered it for a moment before nodding.
“And here. These are the records concerning Kyle Ripley and the members of Unit 06. Review them carefully and prepare separate compensation plans for them. Naturally…everything must remain unofficial.”
“If Kyle Ripley’s military achievements are to be properly recognized, they will eventually have to be made public.”
The Central Army Commander had realized that the Director intended to restore Kyle’s honor.
However, restoring that honor would ultimately require revealing his achievements to the public.
“We will do that after he has left the Empire. For now, arrange the compensation.”
“…Understood.”
After reaching an agreement with the Commander, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau immediately returned to the Bureau.
A mountain of work awaited him.
Once the chaos began, every parasitic bastard who had been hiding until now would undoubtedly crawl out into the open.
If he also had to deal with them, there would be no sleep for him tonight.
The instincts of a man who had led the Intelligence Bureau for many years were a frightening thing.
Just as Grinnell had predicted, a young man positioned at the heart of one of the major forces driving the Empire’s turmoil smiled broadly.
“So Master is being discharged… He said that he wished to go to a neutral country, so he will leave the Empire as soon as he is discharged.”
The young man’s eyes gleamed with murderous intensity, as though the moment he had awaited had finally arrived.
He had not yet repaid all the kindness he had received, and yet his master was giving him another enormous gift even as he prepared to leave the military.
A great upheaval would soon engulf the capital.
If they used it properly, those who had remained crouched in hiding until now would finally have an opportunity to rise and stretch their limbs.
“Tell the leader that the day we move is not far away.”
“Yes, sir.”
The young man handed his subordinate the note he had written and recalled the face of the master he had not seen for many years.
“I should pay him a visit once he crosses into a neutral country.”
With those words, the young man once again buried his face in the mountain of documents piled before him.
If he wished to spare even enough time to see his master, he had to work diligently now.
Thus, as the enormous force regarded as the greatest thorn in the south’s side prepared to stir, the Empire’s other powers also began awakening from their slumber one after another.