The repercussions of Kyle piling the assassins’ bodies outside his gate had spread far and wide, yet Unit 06 itself remained peaceful.
Perhaps word had spread that anyone who provoked them would be thoroughly screwed, because even the neighboring units that had continued treating them unpleasantly after they submitted their discharge applications no longer came anywhere near them.
Thanks to that, the members of Unit 06 spent several days living as though they were on leave.
Corps Command continued sending them ingredients, and they had not even finished the supplies that the Corps Commander had previously given them.
The alcohol alone included a wide variety of whiskey, rum, beer, and more.
They also had plenty of meat and ham, so they spent several days lounging around while enjoying food and drink.
They could count on one hand the number of times they had ever relaxed like this, so it felt unfamiliar at first.
That discomfort did not last long.
Once they began enjoying themselves, the soldiers lounged around as though determined to squeeze every last drop of pleasure from the opportunity.
It was then that Unit 06 received its first visitor in quite some time.
“Loyalty! Greetings, Corps Commander!”
“Ah. We are both about to be discharged. There is no need for such excessive formality.”
At Silvio’s words, Kyle lowered his salute and gave him a puzzled look.
Why had the Corps Commander come to visit at this point?
He had not arrived empty-handed, either.
The Corps Commander had once again brought an enormous bundle of gifts.
“Were the gifts I sent satisfactory?”
“We have been enjoying them immensely, thanks to you.”
“That is good to hear.”
Silvio nodded before taking a document from inside his coat and placing it in front of Kyle.
“The discharge applications for everyone in Unit 06 have been approved.”
Kyle opened the envelope and examined the documents.
However, there was something strange about the date.
Under normal circumstances, even the fastest discharge process would take at least a month.
That was only when the matter was handled urgently. Ordinarily, the process would be carried out slowly over a much longer period.
Numerous procedures had to be completed, and true to the Empire’s rigid bureaucracy, each one took a damnedly long time.
If a soldier’s hometown was located in a remote region, the process could take several months.
Yet according to the document, they were to be discharged in only one week.
“Apparently, none of the members of Unit 06 have families. Since all of you entered the military at a young age because of the war, there was also no need to process anything through the administrations of your hometowns. That allowed the matter to be handled quickly.”
Silvio’s words made it painfully obvious that those above him wanted Kyle gone even a single day sooner.
“Your remaining leave will also be compensated at the rate of one month’s salary for every week. And here.”
“This is….”
The Corps Commander handed him another envelope.
“It contains the honors and compensation that you were denied all these years. On the day of your discharge, the Corps will personally place the compensation inside a subspace pouch and give it to you.”
“…….”
Why were they suddenly doing all this now?
Kyle stared intently at the Corps Commander.
“Is there something you want from us?”
“Those above seem determined to get all of you out of here as quickly as possible. In addition… they asked that you refrain from making contact with outside parties as much as possible until your discharge.”
Those words made Kyle understand how their discharge had been processed so quickly.
‘Was it the Intelligence Bureau?’
The message carried the distinct implication that they did not want him to create even more turmoil amid the existing chaos.
It was as though they were saying, ‘Let us finally reconcile.’
Kyle could have asked how they had the audacity to suggest that after tormenting him for so long.
However, when he was already about to leave the military, continuing to make trouble would only make the rest of his life more exhausting.
Kyle quietly nodded, and Silvio released a relieved sigh.
“You may take some of the classified documents with you. They might help guarantee your safety. However… they would prefer that you remain as far from the capital as possible. It would be even better if you went to another country.”
“…….”
“For reference, the Intelligence Bureau said that it would help if you wished to seek asylum in a neutral country.”
Kyle frowned when he heard that the Intelligence Bureau intended to help them.
How could he possibly trust those bastards enough to accept their assistance?
When that question plainly appeared on his face, Silvio continued.
“They mean nothing more than providing assistance. It is merely a measure intended to guarantee your safety, so I hope you will not feel burdened by it.”
“In that case, I believe there is a better method.”
Kyle then explained his idea to the Corps Commander.
“Must you really go that far?”
“I believe this will guarantee our safety more reliably.”
“…Understood.”
The Corps Commander would also be discharged soon.
He planned to avoid the chaotic capital and head west, so Kyle’s proposal did not particularly concern him.
“Congratulations on your discharge.”
“Thank you.”
Kyle briefly bowed his head.
Silvio watched him for a moment, released a quiet sigh, and left Unit 06.
“Whew… I should have been discharged first….”
Perhaps he was paying the price for exploiting Unit 06 all these years, but although his own discharge had already been scheduled, Silvio seemed destined to endure a difficult military life until the very end.
On the day Unit 06 was discharged, everyone from the Central Army to the Intelligence Bureau would become extremely busy.
The suffering awaiting the Intelligence Bureau, in particular, was already obvious.
“Tsk, tsk. The Intelligence Bureau is going to have a difficult time.”
Muttering to himself, Silvio headed directly to Central Army headquarters.
Kyle’s objective was clear.
He wanted the safety of Unit 06 to remain guaranteed even after their discharge.
In that case, the best solution was for them to leave the military from a neutral position without earning the resentment of any particular faction.
The moment Silvio reported Kyle’s proposal to the Commander, a long silence followed.
“…Was there no possibility of persuading him further?”
“No, sir. He was resolute.”
The Central Army Commander clutched his head at Silvio’s answer.
Merely imagining what would follow was enough to give him a headache.
“You should have tried harder to win him over! You know perfectly well that this will cause even greater turmoil!”
“My apologies.”
“Did you handle the matter carelessly because you are about to be discharged?”
Silvio was also preparing to leave the military.
For some reason, he was in such a hurry that he had even accepted financial losses to arrange the earliest possible discharge date.
In the past, the Commander might have kicked him in the shins, but he could no longer do that now.
“Haah…. You may leave.”
“Yes, sir. Loyalty.”
The Central Army Commander watched Silvio depart after saluting and released a quiet sigh.
“The moment this is announced, all hell will break loose.”
After muttering those words, he immediately contacted the Intelligence Bureau.
Perhaps because he could already imagine the Director of the Intelligence Bureau throwing a spectacular fit, he felt exhausted before the conversation had even begun.
“Whew… Should I have applied for discharge as well?”
The Commander recalled Corps Commander Silvio walking away without a care in the world and massaged the space between his eyebrows with his thumb.
Regardless, the matter had already been decided.
As though seeking revenge for everything they had suffered, Kyle intended to retain possession of the classified documents until the day of Unit 06’s discharge, then leave them exactly where they were when the unit departed.
In a sense, it was only natural.
Kyle could have handed everything over to his immediate superior, the Corps Commander, but Silvio was also about to be discharged.
Should Kyle give the documents to the Central Army Commander instead?
That was impossible.
Unlike Silvio, whose connections had been severed and who was barely clinging to a rotten lifeline, Central Army Commander Werner was aligned with the Imperial Family.
Neither the Scarlin faction, the alliance of central nobles, nor the Antonio faction, the alliance of regional powers, wanted that.
The Jorza faction, a coalition of vested interests, would most likely oppose it as well.
In other words, from Kyle’s perspective, this truly was the best method of leaving the military without favoring any side.
The only problem was that it would open the gates of hell for everyone left behind.
Perhaps the information contained within Unit 06’s classified documents was not even the true heart of the matter.
However, did that distinction still matter now?
The situation had already reached a point where circumstantial evidence alone would be sufficient to drive an opponent into a corner.
Even if they wished to isolate Kyle and eliminate only him, it was far too late.
It might have been possible before his disciples grew powerful, but now even attempting it would be far too burdensome.
Realizing that Kyle’s method was ultimately the best available option, the Commander had no choice but to quietly summon the Central Army’s key officers and begin preparing for that day.
The Intelligence Bureau did the same.
“Is this his revenge for everything he suffered?”
Contrary to expectations that he would erupt in fury, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau merely gave a bitter smile and released a quiet sigh.
If the news had already passed through the Commander before reaching him, then the other factions had likely learned of it as well.
That was because the information had deliberately been transmitted through official channels.
“A vicious free-for-all is about to begin.”
Just as the Director said, the struggle had already begun.
Proof came in the form of a massive flood of gifts being sent to Unit 06.
Representatives from one noble house entered Kyle’s office carrying bundles of presents while claiming that they wished to congratulate Kyle and Unit 06 on their discharge.
Others brought entire oak barrels filled with expensive liquor and personally carried them into the storage building.
“Wow! The gifts just keep coming.”
Kyle spoke quietly to the impressed Coutinho.
“Even so, do not allow them to roam around too freely.”
“Yes, sir. We have already limited access to your office and the storage building.”
Kyle nodded.
Why else would they suddenly begin bombarding Unit 06 with gifts at this point?
They wanted to understand the building’s internal layout.
Observing it from afar was one thing, but seeing it from the inside was entirely different.
They also wanted to determine whether any of the buildings or terrain looked suspicious.
Naturally, Kyle had anticipated this and prepared several mechanisms that looked suspicious to anyone who saw them.
There were such mechanisms inside Kyle’s office, in the basements belonging to each battalion, in part of the storage building, and even within the armory built on the left side of the training ground.
He had deliberately created suspicious-looking devices that people would be unable to resist investigating.
Once Unit 06 was discharged, the people who poured into the base would have no choice but to search all of those locations.
A vicious struggle was inevitable.
“It is a shame that we will not be able to stay and watch the fighting.”
“Be satisfied with screwing them over.”
Even as Kyle said that, a hint of regret remained on his face.
He desperately wanted to watch the Intelligence Bureau agents who had worked them like dogs all these years suffer in return.
However, even that desire became meaningless before the word “discharge.”
This was a period when one had to be cautious even of a falling leaf.
Kyle stopped there and resumed enjoying the days leading up to his discharge.
In effect, all their remaining leave had been taken away.
However, none of the members of Unit 06 had families.
From their perspective, eating and drinking like this on someone else’s money was far better than traveling anywhere.
In other words, this had become their substitute for leave.
Honestly, it was an incredibly sweet arrangement.
In contrast, the buildings surrounding Unit 06, which should have been quiet, were somehow packed with people.
Every last one of them was watching Unit 06.
“Would you stop trying to restrain one another? Unit 06 still has plenty of time before its discharge. Is there really any need to begin this already?”
“Ahem!”
At one man’s words, another man cleared his throat and quietly moved to claim a position near the window.
They were not the only ones.
The sounds of arguments could be heard from all around, and the Intelligence Bureau agents who had identified those groups naturally became extremely busy.
It did not end with them.
Even the Central Army mobilized troops in preparation for an unexpected incident.
If the factions went too far while trying to keep one another in check, trouble could easily erupt even before Unit 06’s discharge.
Several times a day, the sound of something breaking or someone shouting could be heard.
Despite all that, laughter continued to ring throughout Unit 06 as though none of it mattered.
“How peaceful.”
Kyle stood in his office, gazing at the scenery outside the base while drinking the expensive tea he had recently received as a gift.
It possessed a deep flavor unlike anything he had tasted during his long military career.
Of course, there was no possibility that Kyle knew how to brew such tea properly.
“Bitter.”
Kyle frowned and lowered the teacup.
Even so, the smile did not disappear from his lips.
Happiness was relative.
While the people outside were suffering miserably, he and his men were living comfortably.
There was no greater happiness than that.
Perhaps because of this, when Kyle took another sip, the tea that had tasted bitter only moments ago somehow seemed sweet.
“Not bad.”
A smile remained on Kyle’s lips.
He leisurely enjoyed himself, treating the renewed shouting from the distance as nothing more than white noise.
Meanwhile, a report arrived in the capital from the south.
「The southern rebels are secretly gathering in the Central Region.」
As though it had detected the rebels’ movements, the Ropec Empire, which had temporarily halted the war because of its own internal turmoil, also began showing unusual activity.
「Urgent Report: A massive military force is gathering along the Ropec Empire’s border!」