"If maintenance is finished, gather your gear and regroup!"

After the medics completed emergency treatment for the injured, the Unit Commander prepared to get the soldiers moving again.

Just as Senior Lily and I were about to move accordingly, we spotted a cloud of dust in the distance.

Two vehicles were raising that dust cloud. They looked like cars made from metal blocks bolted or nailed tightly together—those were what we commonly called Light Tactical Vehicles.

The fact that those were here meant...

"...Could they be on reconnaissance from a nearby unit?"

"Now that I look closely at the vehicles, they seem to be for reconnaissance... I'll report to the Unit Commander!"

Lily said this and stepped back. I slowly moved, hiding behind some nearby cover.

They were likely allies, but there's always a slim chance it could be the enemy in disguise.

-Clack. Click.

I took out my Unique Armament, loaded a magazine, and held my breath.

Then, the Unit Commander came rushing behind me and spoke.

"What's going on? A reconnaissance vehicle is coming?"

To that question, I pointed with my hand beyond the horizon.

"Oh, dear..."

The Unit Commander immediately called over the radio operator to communicate.

"This is the supply unit under the 12th-4th Battalion..."

The Unit Commander was urgently communicating over the radio like they had encountered a rescue helicopter while stranded.

Soon, a response came back.

[Please stand by for now.]

"Are they allies?"

"It seems so. For now... they ask us to stand by..."

The Unit Commander counted the approaching tactical vehicles. There were only two, so it was unlikely they could transport the entire company.

Still, they could probably send a few of the injured and request additional vehicle or transport aircraft support from the main unit, which was fortunate.

The two tactical vehicles approached swiftly, kicking up dust.

As they stopped in front of us, the dust from the vehicles spread everywhere, filling the area.

Amidst the dust, around six silhouettes were moving busily, escorting someone.

She emerged confidently, cutting through the dust.

'Is that person in charge here?'

As I was thinking this, a woman with gray hair appeared from the dust.

She had sparse eyebrows, dead fish-like eyes, and triple-whites (skin, teeth and iris). Under her prominent nose were pale purple lips.

A middle-aged woman with translucent skin showing hints of veins.

She didn’t look particularly healthy.

She was the 5th Division Commander.

"Attention!!!"

Upon seeing her, the Unit Commander shouted a vigorous salute, almost like a scream.

“I personally came to rescue you all. Is everyone okay?”

The 5th Division Commander surveyed the unit thoroughly, as if searching for something. Then our eyes met.

Grin.

She slowly smiled with her eyes, sending a chill down my spine.

'What is that expression?'

Could it be the look of someone disappointed they didn't 'accidentally' kill me?

I tightened my grip on the shotgun.

The Division Commander soon turned her head to converse with the Unit Commander.

During that time, I examined the six individuals standing in formation behind her.

‘The Special Task Force, perhaps?’

The team the Division Commander always led, known for being the most powerful combat unit in the division under normal circumstances. Though there were only six of them…

“I sent a unit to bring you all here, but it seems they're not present?”

“Well…by the time we escaped and reached the rendezvous point, they were already gone.”

“Oh dear…they must have been swept away by the group of Magical Creatures; it's caused quite a stir at Division Headquarters.”

The Division Commander seemed genuinely relieved and gave the Unit Commander a few pats on the shoulder.

“Well, it's something that at least you all survived; we should be thanking the heavens.”

“Yes, that's right! It really seems like we were helped by a stroke of luck…”

“It seems there aren’t many injured... One, two, are there any fatalities?”

“None at all!”

“That explains why the number of personnel is just right.”

The Division Commander nodded contentedly and continued speaking.

“As much as I'd like to take everyone with me… We only have two vehicles, so we can only take about one more person."

"Ah, yes... Then maybe just the soldier in the worst condition..."

"We should take the Academy cadet."

"Yes, ah... understood!"

-Grin.

The Division Commander narrowed her eyes and smiled. At a glance, it seemed like a kind smile, but a closer look revealed a different story.

Peering between her narrowed eyelids, she calmly assessed my expression.

Although she scrutinized me with cautious eyes, I found them oddly unsettling. It felt like walking into a public restroom and finding my reflection in the mirror staring back at me without moving.

The Division Commander looked at me and spoke.

"Are you Gardner?"

"...I am Cadet Gardner, a 1st-year at the Academy."

"Yes, just as I've heard, you look quite impressive."

"Thank you."

"Are you by any chance connected to His Excellency the President?"

"I didn't quite catch that."

His Excellency the President. Why did that come up? Such an out-of-context question.

Silence filled the air for a moment.

After briefly making eye contact with the Division Commander, I felt my tension rising for no reason. During this, the Division Commander gestured toward the Humvee.

"Get in. We need to hurry back since the Medal ceremony is overdue."

"...Yes, I understand… However."

I hesitated as the Division Commander spoke.

If the Unit Commander was worried about me, I shook my head to reassure them not to worry.

Her red hair, tied back and swaying like a tail, gave a desperate impression.

‘She must be implying not to offend the Division Commander's sensibilities by being overly modest.'

Anyway, it's not strange for an Academy cadet to return alone.

After all, an Academy cadet is not a soldier.

There's no reason to stay and fight till the end here.

Everyone must feel that way.

There are only two Tactical Vehicles in the first place.

There isn’t room for many people.

It makes sense for someone who isn't even a soldier, like an Academy cadet, to take a seat if there's only one available.

Everyone present understood and accepted this.

Yet, I couldn't stop myself from speaking.

"Am I to return alone, leaving 'our' unit members behind?"

"Yes."

"...In that case, I absolutely cannot return."

"…"

At my declaration, everyone around us froze.

She nudged me slightly in the ribs, urging me to catch on quickly and get going.

But I ignored it.

‘Mentioning His Excellency the President suggests there's some deeper situation…’

Based on the incidents that have unfolded: His Excellency the President, the Division Commander's arrival, the Medal, the failed retreat of the unit, the only two Tactical Vehicles, the Special Task Force…

My instincts were screaming that I shouldn’t follow that person.

From the beginning, the fact that they arrived with only two vehicles carrying just the Special Task Force seemed dubious.

The composition of their numbers didn’t convey any genuine intent to rescue the isolated unit during our escape.

It felt like they only needed to take me back, that’s it.

That attitude made me incredibly uneasy.

‘I need to insist on returning with the supply unit.’

Given what I saw of the Division Commander’s personality in the game...

Her pretending to be kind with that wide grin was bizarre from the start.

I was sure she had some ulterior motives.

And I resolved not to act according to the Division Commander’s plans until those motives became clear.

‘The person I saw in the game viewed people like pawns in a game, and Academy cadets like cheap pieces.’

“I will stay and return with all the unit members here.”

I chose not to follow her.

Then, the Division Commander moved her lips.

“Well… Jessica, put this guy to sleep.”

At the Division Commander’s command, a Special Task Force member came forward and struck my jaw without hesitation.

The impact was so intense that my vision went dark.

‘This can’t be…’

“Tsk, how troublesome…”

Jessica, a Special Task Force member, cleanly dealt with Gardner’s jaw.

As he began to collapse, she caught him and murmured.

It would have been better if he’d just boarded the vehicle.

Knocking him out like this was a moment’s work… and when he awakes, he’ll likely start whining again.

Going on about returning with his comrades and whatnot, this is why camaraderie is so troublesome.

Jessica felt a headache looming as she pondered how to handle the situation.

But it was too early to worry about that.

Crunch.

Gardner, who was thought to be unconscious, grabbed the back of Jessica's head.

"This isn't right..."

Then he began growling in her ear like an animal.

Startled, as she was about to throw him off, Gardner pushed Jessica with the stock of a shotgun.

From his possession, he pulled out something.

An object resembling an ordinary grenade.

However, everyone present knew it wasn't something ordinary.

The reason was that it was burning unnaturally black.

"What the hell is that?"

The first to react was the Special Task Force Commander.

The aura coming from that grenade was immensely ominous.

She attempted to use her power to snatch the grenade away, but strangely enough, she couldn't even lift it, let alone take it from Gardner.

This meant that...

The grenade possessed more energy than the Commander could control with her abilities.

'Are you telling me my power isn't enough to handle just one grenade?'

Just how much power is contained in that grenade?

And where on earth did he get it from?

From the beginning, what exactly is that?

It was as if he held something 'that did not exist' in his hand.

It was entirely pitch black.

But this blackness was not just darkness.

It was like gazing into a deep abyss.

A darkness that seemed to pull you in.

She had never seen anything like it before.

The Special Task Force Commander, flustered by the grenade that was incessantly growing in size, yelled to her team.

"Take that grenade from that bastard!!!"

Upon hearing those words, Jessica immediately snatched the grenade from Gardner.

She hurled it forward with all her might.

With Jessica's full-force throw, the grenade flew at an incredible speed.

Then, in mid-air, it started pulling everything into a singular point.

It seemed to vanish between spaces.

Only to expand explosively, pushing the surrounding space outward like a balloon bursting.

Inside the displaced space, there was a darkness darker than the universe itself.

The pitch-black darkness soon started to pull itself in and disappeared.

In its place, as if the darkness vanished with a rebound, a blinding white light and violent energy erupted, illuminating the surroundings.

BOOM!!!

The deafening noise and blinding flash.

And the impact that rattled one's bones.

It was as big an impact as being hit on the head by friendly fire through a mortar shell.

'If I'd taken a hit directly with this...'

Thanks to Jessica throwing it with all her strength, they were able to get out of the range...

"Is this guy insane..."

The Special Task Force Commander felt a surge of anger, realizing they were all close to death.

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