Late at night.
Inside the deputy commander’s office, where the lighting lay low, Ron Howard recalled what had happened that afternoon.
“The answer is obedience… is it?”
They were his own words, but he found himself hateful for having said them.
Practicum Student Gale’s gaze had been accurate.
The current 3rd Guard Unit had truly fallen apart to the point that it was embarrassing to call it part of the Imperial Army.
The reason he had been unable to answer honestly despite knowing that was because doing so would have been as good as admitting that he himself had failed to properly fulfill his role.
His incompetent face was reflected on the surface of the swaying liquor glass.
When had it become like this?
He wanted to say it was because of Miguel, but Ron thought that would only be an excuse.
He drank the strong liquor in his glass and let out a bitter sigh, when a knock came from beyond the door of the deputy commander’s office.
“Come in.”
The person who opened the door and appeared was Gale.
When Ron asked what the matter was, Gale held out a bundle of documents onto Ron’s desk and said, “Today, one of my fellow practicum students followed the senior soldiers and returned intoxicated on phantom grass.”
In that instant, Ron’s expression hardened stiffly.
“I will ask one thing directly.”
Ron raised his head and met Gale’s eyes.
He could tell just by looking at them.
How furious Gale was right now.
“The phantom grass circulating in Yoshiura…. Do you know who is behind the organization distributing it?”
It would be a lie to say he did not.
He had already seen suspicious scenes several times and had pretended not to notice.
Ron wanted to say that he did, but looking at Gale before him, the words did not come easily.
After maintaining his silence, Ron said, “I knew.”
Gale approached him and slammed the desk.
A loud bang rang through the deputy commander’s office.
“Even at this moment, someone is being exposed to illegal drugs and having their life ruined. Do you intend to keep leaving it alone like this?”
It felt as though his chest were being crushed tight.
Ron had not intended to stand by and watch from the beginning.
He had thought more than once that he wanted to set this place right, where he did not even know where to begin.
But no matter how much he cleared away the corruption before his eyes, the filth that had flowed down would harden and reek.
What was the cause?
Miguel Wiseburn.
The moment Ron thought of him, his expression changed.
“Leaving it alone…. If you know who is behind it, do you think you can stop it?”
“If there is even the slightest possibility, shouldn’t we try somehow?”
“I told you before. Are you confident you can bear the weight of responsibility that comes from stepping outside the principles? Even if you may have to risk your life?”
Even after regretting it moments ago, here he was, repeating the same thing.
Ron was afraid of that responsibility.
The fear that the world he knew might change entirely.
He wanted change, but he was afraid of the storm that change would bring.
But the man before him spoke as if such things did not matter at all.
“If risking my life means I can set something wrong right…. Isn’t that worth trying?”
Unlike Ron, who had shrunk back in fear of change, Gale looked like someone prepared to burn everything down.
Ron examined the documents Gale had handed him.
Thousands of sacks of phantom grass were sleeping in Yoshiura.
They were preparing a plan to pour them into the river that crossed Yoshiura.
If this plan went forward, it was clear something uncontrollable would happen in Yoshiura.
“Where did you get this?”
“I found it in the office of one of Yoshiura’s organizations.”
“A River Lethe plan….”
The document Gale had given Ron was one to which he had added the information he had heard from the Yamaguchi organization member.
It was Gale’s judgment that in order to sound him out, he needed to convey the information more directly.
Gale closely observed Ron as he checked the documents.
Dilated pupils.
Quickening breaths.
Trembling fingertips.
As expected, it was the reaction of someone seeing the information written in the documents for the first time.
‘I expected as much… but this makes it certain that he isn’t Miguel’s accomplice.’
Among the countless options placed before Gale, who aimed to bring Miguel down, using Ron was certainly an attractive one.
But now that Ron’s relationship with Miguel had been revealed, deliberately using him carried risk.
Gale had intended to show him the documents and, if things went wrong, consider it as good as having declared war. But it did not seem that would be necessary.
Gale said, “Tomorrow night, Miguel and the organization members are said to be meeting at Moon Shadow Pavilion in Oiran.”
“What do you intend to do?”
At that question, Gale smiled faintly and said,
“I intend to stop them somehow.”
“Stop. This is no longer a problem you can solve.”
“You know very well that if we do not do even this, nothing will change.”
Ron knew it too.
He knew it had to be stopped.
Listening to Gale’s words, he felt as though the embers he had smothered while suppressing himself all this time were rising in his chest.
But perhaps because too many things had happened all at once,
his mind felt too tangled to sort out.
“We will continue this conversation tomorrow…. Until then, do nothing.”
Gale watched Ron clutch his head and left the deputy commander’s office.
***
The next day.
As if nothing had happened, patrol duty in Yoshiura began again.
Joseph had returned to his usual condition.
It seemed true that he had not taken the drug.
But perhaps because he knew he was guilty, Joseph avoided Gale’s gaze whenever they crossed paths, like a child.
“You cowards. See if I ever take you lot again.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Joseph, whom Gale encountered at shift change, did not seem to be on good terms with the senior soldier he had gotten along with so well yesterday.
During patrol, Gale tried to bring up various topics with Ron to discuss their plan afterward, but Ron did not say a word until the sun set and their duty ended.
When they returned to the command post after finishing duty and removed their equipment, Ron shouted,
“John, come here for a moment.”
The senior soldier who approached asked,
“What is it, sir?”
At that moment, handcuffs were fastened around Gale’s wrists.
“Deputy Commander…?”
The handcuffs had a rough texture and a black-purple color.
They were handcuffs made of anti-magic stone, which suppressed the wearer’s mana, and they were specially made to restrain mana users who had committed crimes.
At Ron’s abrupt action, the senior soldier asked in surprise,
“Deputy Commander, what is this…?”
“John, put him in the holding cell.”
“The holding cell, sir? Why so suddenly…?”
Ron raised his head and looked at Gale.
His eyes looked more serious and resolute than they had at any point since Gale had come here.
“There is no ill will, so do not misunderstand. This is so that I can take all the responsibility.”
He looked back at the senior soldier.
“Do not ask why. Guard him well until I return.”
“At least explain….”
“Corporal John Mulker!!”
At Ron’s appearance, which was quite different from usual, the senior soldier immediately answered that he understood.
“Follow me.”
As Gale was dragged out of the command post, he turned his head and looked at Ron.
Seeing Ron’s tightly clenched fist, Gale could tell what he was thinking.
‘Major Reina used to do that all the time too.’
Superiors often fell under the illusion that they had to sacrifice themselves in place of their subordinates.
It would not be particularly difficult for Gale to break free of these handcuffs right now and shout at him, but Gale obediently left the command post and said in a small voice, “Do not overdo it, sir.”
Ron said nothing.
***
The holding cell in the basement of the Guard Unit building was fairly quiet.
The holding cell itself was larger than expected, but it was probably also because the Guard Unit members had lax standards for locking up troublemakers.
When the iron door with thick iron bars closed, the senior soldier brought a wooden chair in front of it and said,
“I don’t know what you did, but don’t think about escaping. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Deputy Commander act like that.”
A long time.
Inside the holding cell, Gale sat on a rusty iron chair and fell into thought as he turned the senior soldier’s words over in his mind.
If Gale’s thoughts were correct, Ron should be heading straight for Moon Shadow Pavilion on the top floor of Oiran by now.
‘Rebellion….’
In his previous life, when Ron had started his rebellion, countless rumors had circulated within the Imperial Army about why he had rebelled.
Among those rumors, the one known to be the most credible was that he had grown sick of the irresponsible actions of his superiors and raised a rebellion.
The northern part of the Empire was an extreme environment where blizzards raged every day, and battles against magical beasts occurred daily.
In such a situation, Ron had lost countless comrades due to the operations of an incompetent superior built on sacrifice. To prevent any further sacrifice, he had turned the tip of his sword, and that was when the rebellion began.
Of course, it was only a rumor about what might have happened.
But Gale thought that rumor was not entirely wrong.
He, too, had suffered under an incompetent superior.
But even if one experienced something like that, pointing a sword at one’s superior was a completely different matter.
In other words, the sacrifice of comrades alone could not make someone turn the tip of their sword toward an ally.
For that to happen, something was needed to make the hatred they had built up explode.
For example, the scene Ron was about to face at Moon Shadow Pavilion would be enough, Gale thought.
“As expected, I can’t just stay still.”
He could not be certain at this stage, but if Ron opposed them without any preparation, he would surely lose his life.
He had to get out of here quickly.
By now, it should be about time….
The moment Gale rose from his seat, urgent footsteps came from the entrance of the holding area.
Blond hair shining even under the dim light.
It was Anesia.
She caught her breath and said,
“…Corporal John. The squad leader is calling you.”
“What call all of a sudden?”
“Squad Leader Jill said a higher unit is coming for a unit inspection.”
The senior soldier, who had been listening quietly, sprang up from his seat.
“Ugh! Things finally quieted down for a while, and now they’re planning to stir everything up again? Haah….”
The senior soldier looked Anesia over once, then tossed her the ring of keys and said, “It’s the Deputy Commander’s order. Make sure he doesn’t get out of here.”
“Understood.”
After the senior soldier hurried out of the holding area, Anesia approached Gale with the ring of keys.
“I’m doing the right thing right now, aren’t I? Tell me quickly if I’m not. I have to go say I was talking nonsense because of the phantom grass smell.”
Soon, she found the key to the holding cell and opened the thick iron door.
“I didn’t think you would come.”
“I felt like I’d never be able to repay my debt otherwise.”
“Debt?”
At that, she tugged on the red badge attached to her Guard Unit uniform and showed it to him.
Seeing her take such a reckless risk merely to repay a single debt made him laugh despite himself.
“Because of the phantom grass smell… That’s the excuse you came up with after all that?”
In that instant, Anesia’s face flushed red.
“Should I close it?”
“Sorry.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
Gale immediately thought of a plan.
For now, meeting Nike was the most urgent matter.
“We need to get outside.”
At that, Anesia nodded and said, “I’ll go first and keep watch. Follow me carefully.”
***
It was a day when the moon looked unusually large.
He was clearly walking down the same street as usual, yet it felt as if he had come to a different city.
Ron drew in a deep breath and looked at the massive building rising before him.
Oiran, the largest tavern in Yoshiura.
Miguel was here.
Ron steadied his wavering heart and entered, and when an employee saw his uniform, they said,
“Welcome. What brings you here?”
“Guide me to Moon Shadow Pavilion.”
“I apologize, but if you do not have a reservation, entering Moon Shadow Pavilion today will be difficult.”
Ron spoke in a sharper tone than ever before.
“This is an emergency. Cooperate without resistance.”
“Ah, that is… Um. Then I will check and help you enter.”
The employee went somewhere, then soon approached again and said, “It has been confirmed. I will guide you right away.”
The closer Ron came to Moon Shadow Pavilion as he followed the employee, the heavier his heart became.
After climbing for a long while, the employee stopped before a luxuriously decorated door and said, “Then please have a pleasant time.”
Then the door opened, and with the huge full moon as a backdrop, Miguel Wiseburn appeared among what seemed to be easily dozens of organization members.
“You have come, Ron.”