It has already been seven years since Patriot rescued me. I’ve been so busy working that I didn't even notice how much time had passed. Time truly flies.
"Staff Officer, here is the report on the Originium Slug breeding results."
"Yes, good work."
We had successfully bred the Originium Slugs. Ordinarily, the hardest parts of raising livestock are feed supply, disease prevention, and maintaining the population. However, these creatures seemed to have stomachs that could digest anything, and their immune systems were so robust they never got sick. As long as they were fed, they bred on their own—they were the perfect livestock.
The only downside was their generally low reproductive drive, but Spiky was strangely lustful. He didn't just stop at the previous alpha female; he was making moves on all the other females as well. My head throbbed when I read the report about him building little houses out of twigs to focus on his courtship displays. Well, at least the population problem was solved.
The real problem was something else entirely. The mess hall constantly reeked of that fishy snail smell. Originium Slug sashimi, seasoned Originium Slug, Originium Slug soup, grilled Originium Slug... we even ate Originium Slug jerky during operations. Ugh!
"Does it not bother you at all that your children are ending up in our stomachs?"
I said it, though I knew Spiky, perched on my shoulder, wouldn't understand human speech. He was an irresponsible male. He was the most active breeder, but all he cared about was the female he was mating with; he didn't give a damn about the eggs that resulted from it.
Then again, maybe he figured that since he produced so many, a few were bound to survive on their own. In fact, we didn't touch any slugs except those designated for food to ensure the third generation stayed stable.
Regardless, Originium Slug farming had entered its golden age. Since the population was growing too large, it was time to start considering external sales routes.
"Staff Officer. The Yeti Squadron has returned from their mission."
"Tell them to come in."
The Yeti Squadron was a special unit Yelena had formed after stepping down as the Caster Leader. Composed of Infected children rescued from labor camps, the Yeti Squadron was now considered one of the strongest forces within the Guerrilla.
"Yelena. Good work."
I greeted her with a smile, and Yelena smiled back in response.
"It was nothing. This much is no problem for our Yeti Squadron."
"Casualties?"
"Why even ask something so obvious? Zero."
Indeed, Yelena, with her mastery over ice Arts, and the Icebreakers who guarded her, were the most perfectly adapted unit for this tundra.
Their tactic of using the freezing weather and ice Arts to pin down the enemy while the Icebreakers shattered them with long blades was highly effective, even against the elite Ursus army.
"How were the Ski Drones?"
"Ah, they were definitely a help. Using skis for hit-and-run tactics felt great."
The Ski Drones were a creation of mine. After I manifested my Arts, I had made several types of drones, and the Ski Drone was one of them.
While Ski Infantry were useful in the tundra, they had the disadvantage of losing mobility on uphill slopes. They were also quite cumbersome to carry around.
To compensate for this, I created the Ski Drone, which uses a drone to carry the equipment when skis aren't needed.
In truth, it was just a transport drone with skis attached to it.
"Rest well today. We have to smash an overseer outpost tomorrow."
"Okay. See you later."
Yelena snatched Spiky off my shoulder and left the tent.
"By the way, why won't he give us separate rooms?"
Both Yelena and I had grown quite a bit. Physically and mentally, it was no longer appropriate to call us children. Given our ranks as Staff Officer and Squadron Leader, it would have been perfectly fine for us to have individual tents, but Father stubbornly refused to grant permission.
I was the one suffering because of it. Yelena was growing more mature by the day, gradually becoming the beauty I remembered from the game. Her mature appearance was already doing a number on my heart.
"Whew... now isn't the time for this. I need to outline tomorrow's operation."
A few days ago, we received intelligence that an Ursus surveillance team was planning to raid a village that supports our Guerrilla. We had to smash the outpost serving as their base so they wouldn't even dream of looking in that direction.
Since tomorrow's operation was vital for protecting an important village, maybe I should accompany Yelena.
...It absolutely wasn't because I was worried about Yelena. It was to protect the village that adds a glimmer of vegetables and meat to our fishy snail-filled diet.
----
Living in the tundra for seven years has taught me that nothing ever goes exactly as expected.
You never know when the snow will start falling like the sky has been punctured, nor can you predict when it will stop.
You can never anticipate when those wretched Ursus overseers will barge into this territory.
And in this godforsaken land, I ended up having an unexpected encounter.
"So you must be the 'Yeti' I've heard so many rumors about?"
A woman with white hair and amber eyes was looking at us, her eyes sparkling. The horns on her head and the dragon-like tail identified her as a Draco.
It was a voice I was hearing for the first time, but I knew exactly who she was. I couldn't possibly not know. She was the main villain, the final boss of the game Arknights.
"Sister! This person helped us fight against the overseers."
"An Infected...?"
"Yes, that's right. My name is Talulah. I assume that Cautus lady over there is the commander?"
She approached us defenselessly, as if greeting an old friend.
"Stop. Don't come any closer. We cooperated temporarily in the previous fight because we had a common enemy in the overseers, but that's over now."
It was a cold judgment befitting a squadron commander. Yelena scanned Talulah from head to toe and frowned.
"Besides, what's with that Ursus military uniform?"
It was a reasonable suspicion for Yelena to have. Wearing the same uniform as the overseers we had just fought—even if she had helped us, the possibility of her being an enemy couldn't be ruled out.
"I wonder? I've prepared several versions of a lie. Which one would you like to hear?"
"Kill her."
A chilling command left Yelena's lips. She was a spoiled child inside the tent, but she was terrifying out here.
"Wait! It was a joke, a joke! Are you the captain leading the Yetis?"
"You talk a lot for someone about to die. By the way, you lot, did you not hear me? Why aren't you killing her?"
Despite her urging, the members of the Yeti Squadron only hesitated.
"But... Sister. She just helped us. Really."
"If you won't do it, I will."
Yelena summoned her Arts as she spoke. Even considering that the tundra was naturally cold, an unnatural chill began to fill the air.
"Yelena. Stop."
"Earth...?"
Yelena was an outstanding Caster, of course. But her opponent was that final boss, Talulah. Even the compatibility of their Arts—heat versus cold—put Yelena at a slight disadvantage. There was nothing to be gained from a direct confrontation.
"Don't push yourself. It's true your subordinates disobeyed orders, but they are children who haven't experienced the 'gray zones' yet. They likely judged that person to be an ally."
Is an Infected automatically an ally? Not necessarily. There are many people in the world, each with diverse personalities. Among the Infected the Guerrilla had saved, not a few had attempted to sell us out.
Is someone who helps you once automatically an ally? That's closer to the truth than the previous statement, but it's not always the case. There were those who would hold a single favor over your head until it was bled dry.
The members of the Yeti Squadron were still young on average and hadn't experienced enough of the world to distinguish between true allies and true enemies.
"Aha. So you're the leader?"
Of course, the Talulah standing before me now wasn't that kind of person yet, but her future self was more than capable of it.
"No. The leader of the Yetis is indeed her. I am merely an outside collaborator. If you have something to say, say it to her."
And since she would eventually lead Yelena, Father, and the Guerrilla to ruin in the future, this person was clearly an enemy—a black mark on destiny.
"Is that so? Then I'll do that. Your name is Yelena, right, miss? How about a handshake as comrades who just fought together? I have a lot to talk about."
"No. Why should I?"
The wind was blowing cold indeed. Good job, Yelena. Be even more cold-hearted.
"...Was it you who placed the Arts on those Originium crystals the Yetis are carrying?"
"What if it was?"
"It's very sophisticated Arts. You must have used that to toy with the Ursus overseers. Amazing."
Despite the cold response, Talulah gave a sudden compliment without being deterred. One might expect her to be embarrassed or discouraged, but she wasn't at all.
"Hehe."
The spoiled Yelena from the tent briefly peeked out. Regardless of everything, she was still only sixteen. It was an age where one craved praise.
"If I can melt your ice, will you listen to my story?"
"...! Don't talk nonsense. You'll never be able to do it."
Before I knew it, Yelena's eyes were burning with competitiveness. In truth, her pride regarding Arts was quite high. It was only natural, given she had defeated the unit's Caster Leader when she was ten.
But then a random Infected appeared out of nowhere and provoked her, challenging her to a duel to see if she could be defeated. She couldn't just let that slide.
"You better be ready."
"It's been a while since I fought a compatriot."
Yelena, her pride wounded, and Talulah, who had provoked her to start a conversation, both drew their weapons. Yelena had a dagger, and Talulah had a two-handed sword. The situation was on a hair-trigger.
"Yelena, step back."
Before the two could clash, I spoke up. I was worried that an unnecessary fight would make Yelena even more interested in her. I should have nipped this in the bud earlier. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
"Earth? It's dangerous. Don't step in. I can tell now that we're facing off. This woman is strong."
"I know. That's why you should step back. Fortunately, the opponent doesn't harbor any ill will, so there's no need for a collision. She said she wanted to talk, so we'll talk and then leave."
I moistened my dry lips with saliva. The opponent was a woman who had learned politics from the Ursus nobility. I couldn't afford to be careless. I had to sever this connection right here, today.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register