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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Awakening Amidst Loss
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Leaving the General Staff Headquarters, Lucy activated her optical camouflage in a sparsely populated alleyway.
Continuing on, Lucy arrived at a textile factory located on the outskirts of the capital.
Stepping past the entrance and going inside, she saw workers diligently at their tasks.
'No...'
It would be more accurate to call them spies disguised as laborers.
Lucy surveyed them, then deactivated her optical camouflage.
At once, the spies moving about the factory floor stopped in surprise.
One of them, after a brief hesitation, drew a pistol from inside his coat and aimed it at Lucy.
It was disorienting enough for a person to appear out of thin air, but for them to be wearing an Imperial officer's uniform naturally warranted caution.
"Identify yourself! How did you get here?!"
At the shout of the man at the front, Lucy opened her mouth as if annoyed.
"An eagle soaring high above never knows the affairs on the ground below."
This was a code phrase used within the Allied Forces Intelligence Department.
Realizing Lucy was an ally, the man lowered his pistol.
"...What brings you here? I wasn't informed of any report at this hour."
"I have business with the branch manager. Please escort me."
"What nonsense are you spouting...? Do you think the branch manager is someone you can just see whenever you feel like it?"
Lucy sighed softly, her red eyes half-lidded.
"Tell him Red Silk has come. He will grant permission then."
At the mention of Red Silk, the man visibly flinched and swallowed hard.
As far as the man knew, there was only one woman in the Allied Nations who used the codename Red Silk.
'I know her as a legend who carried out countless assassination orders, and a trusted subordinate of Count Caleldra...'
Unable to believe that such an important figure had come, the man pulled out a walkie-talkie from his pocket.
"Wait a moment."
Thinking he needed to verify her identity, the man exchanged a few words over the walkie-talkie.
During the conversation, the man's expression turned slightly surprised, and he bowed his head to the unseen person on the other end.
"Yes, understood."
The man, having replied respectfully to the person on the other end of the walkie-talkie, turned back to Lucy.
The man, still looking bewildered, blinked a few times, then cleared his throat and spoke.
"The branch manager says to come in. I will escort you."
Lucy nodded, and the man walked towards a fabric dyeing machine.
He operated a few buttons there, then pulled down a lever, and a loud 'thud' echoed.
Then, the noisy whirring of gears spread as the fabric dyeing machine slid aside.
Once the fabric dyeing machine was fully moved, a staircase leading underground was revealed.
"You can go down this way."
Lucy, exchanging a nod as a greeting, descended the stairs.
Opening the iron door at the bottom of the stairs and stepping inside, a concrete exterior wall unfolded before her.
In the vast, bunker-like space, the first thing visible was a map of the Imperial capital hanging on one wall.
On either side of the map, radar screens and surveillance equipment were lined up, and numerous spies were operating electronic devices in front of them.
'So this is the Palentia Branch...'
She knew they operated from a base in the heart of the Empire, but this was her first time visiting in person.
As she looked around, surprised by the larger-than-expected scale, a man accompanied by a secretary approached from a distance.
Sensing their presence, Lucy turned her gaze and recognized the man.
It was Theobald Berno, the branch manager of the Allied Nations Intelligence Department's Palentia Branch.
Although it was her first visit to the branch, she had encountered Theobald a few times before on official business.
However, she had no desire to acknowledge him.
As Lucy stood still and waited, Theobald approached and stopped before her.
"Lucy Emilia. What brings you here? I'm short on time, so state your business."
His businesslike tone dispelled any hint of familiarity.
Deciding that pleasantries were unnecessary, Lucy got straight to the point.
"I came to ask a question. Was it the Allied Nations who attacked the diplomatic vessel carrying Daniel Steiner?"
Theobald was silent for a moment.
He was debating whether to reveal this fact to Lucy.
After some deliberation, Theobald, believing it was only a matter of time before Lucy uncovered the full story, nodded.
"Yes. It was deemed a necessary action for the Allied Nations and carried out."
Upon hearing the confirmation, Lucy's hand trembled subtly.
Silent for a while amidst an unprecedented surge of emotion, Lucy met Theobald's gaze.
"...Was sinking a vessel carrying civilians truly a necessary action for the Allied Nations? Furthermore, I cannot understand why headquarters concealed all of this from me."
The subtle anger simmering in Lucy's voice grated on Theobald's nerves.
Theobald frowned openly.
"Had you eliminated Daniel Steiner sooner, such a misfortune wouldn't have occurred. Besides, why should headquarters inform you of everything? Do you think you're someone special just because you're protected by Count Caleldra?"
Lucy clenched her fists tightly.
"...I have carried out countless assassination operations under the Allied Nations' command. I believed, therefore, that when it came to assassination missions, the Allied Nations would trust me."
"Lucy."
"I was the one meant to assassinate Daniel Steiner. It was my decision to make and my mission to execute. So why did the Allied Nations not trust me?"
"Lucy Emilia."
"Yes, of course, considering various circumstances, you might not trust me. But in that case, you should have at least informed me that the mission had been changed! But the Allied Nations—"
Theobald slapped Lucy across the cheek.
Smack—
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed loudly in the enclosed space.
As Lucy, having been slapped, let out a couple of breaths, Theobald spoke.
"Don't get agitated and listen. The Allied Nations are simply moving forward for the greater good. So, stop questioning and return to standby for your next mission."
Normally, Lucy would have nodded, turned, and walked away, but this time, she didn't.
"...You told me not to question?"
Lucy's voice was barely a whisper.
It's for the nation. It's for the greater good. It's for the people. It's for the world. It's for peace. It's for revenge. It's for balance.
These were the words the Allied Nations, and Count Caleldra, had told Lucy every time she raised a question.
Even though she knew these weren't satisfactory reasons, Lucy had always accepted them without complaint.
Because the Allied Nations were good, and the Empire was evil.
But could the Allied Nations, who had caused Daniel Steiner's death along with civilians, truly be defined as good?
Especially the Allied Nations who hadn't said a single word to her, despite her countless acts of loyalty.
"Just how long...?"
Lucy, looking at Theobald, clenched her jaw.
"Am I supposed to stop questioning?"
The pent-up rage in her heart began to ignite.
Theobald knew he shouldn't let that anger fester, but he had nothing specific to say to Lucy.
So, as he remained silent, Lucy, in a fit of pique, turned and walked away.
Theobald didn't stop her, and Lucy simply climbed the stairs and exited.
Theobald sighed softly, then turned to his secretary beside him.
"Report to Count Caleldra. Tell him that Subject 187, the sole successful specimen... No."
Theobald, looking at the spot where Lucy had been, said with a headache,
"Tell him that Lucy Emilia might have had a change of heart."
* * *
…Having left the branch, Lucy walked wherever her feet took her.
She had hoped that this time, the Allied Nations would provide a proper explanation, but the fact that everything had come to naught left a hollowness in her heart.
Caressing the cheek Theobald had slapped, Lucy, with dead eyes, continued to walk aimlessly, noticing that more and more light was entering her field of vision.
The sounds of citizens' voices, tinged with laughter, reached her ears.
Involuntarily, Lucy raised her head and realized she had passed through the alleyway and emerged onto a main street.
A cool breeze blew, and Lucy's gaze drifted across the road.
[Golden Rose Patisserie]
That shop with the ornate sign was where Lucy had first tasted an Imperial dessert.
As if in a trance, Lucy crossed the road and walked towards the patisserie.
Meanwhile, raindrops began to fall one by one from the dark clouds covering the sky.
Citizens who felt the raindrops each opened their umbrellas, but Lucy did not.
She simply continued her steps as if approaching the patisserie was the sole purpose of her life.
Arriving in front of the patisserie, Lucy noticed a man and woman eating dessert by the window.
The man was laughing playfully, while the woman, though hesitant, brought a parfait to her lips.
In that scene, Lucy found herself projecting Daniel and herself, eating dessert here in the past.
"..."
The rain began to fall more heavily, soaking Lucy's uniform cap and coat.
Passersby stared oddly at Lucy, who was standing blankly in the rain, as they walked past.
However, Lucy paid no mind to the stares of others, simply tracing back through her memories.
—How is it? Does the dessert suit your taste?
Daniel's words, spoken in that very shop, vividly resurfaced in her mind.
As Lucy recalled the taste of the parfait she had eaten then, a faint smile touched her lips.
But the smile soon vanished, leaving behind only emptiness.
'You said we'd eat stollen on Christmas.'
He was truly a foolish and pitiful man.
And he was a bad man, making promises he couldn't keep, not knowing when he might die.
'And...'
He was also a grateful man who had risked his life to fight the Security Bureau to protect his subordinate.
But now, he was gone.
He had vanished from this world along with the diplomatic vessel.
At the absurd truth, Lucy let out a low laugh.
It was nonsensical that a man who seemed as if he would never shed a single drop of blood had died so suddenly.
'Foolish man...'
Lucy's laughter, as she spoke ill of Daniel, suddenly turned into sobs.
With her eyes closed and her lower lip bitten hard, tears began to well up at the corners of Lucy's eyes.
In the pouring rain, Lucy raised the back of her hand to wipe her eyes, letting out a breath tinged with chill.
Paradoxically, it was only in a world without Daniel Steiner that Lucy could finally realize.
'I... Daniel Steiner...'
That she had loved him deeply.