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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Even after Werner Grimm had left, the core members of the Strategic Security Agency couldn’t leave their seats.
Under a suffocatingly heavy silence, they just kept looking at each other without uttering a word.
The first person to speak was Lieutenant Colonel John Hobbes, the chief of staff.
“…He really intends to do it, doesn’t he?”
“Hasn’t he been preparing for this all along?”
“But to be honest… the success rate of this operation is…?”
In response to Major Edward Roman’s question, the Information Chief answered in a calm voice.
“Less than 3%.”
“It’s practically suicide.”
There wouldn’t be much problem in raiding the Military Police and rescuing the personnel inside.
But what came after was the issue.
The President hadn’t been assassinated, and there weren’t nearly enough troops to support Werner Grimm’s intentions.
The members of the Eagle’s Nest were all provincial generals without real power, and even Supreme Commander Arthur Philias, who held full authority over the military, was as good as having all his limbs cut off.
Carrying out the operation in this situation would only appear as an attempt to rescue Brigadier General Arwen Orka who had been captured.
Even those who had never doubted Werner Grimm’s decisions couldn’t be yes-men this time.
“If only he’d give us a little more time instead of now…”
“Weapons Chief, there’s one thing you’re misunderstanding. In a situation where such plans have already been exchanged, the moment the Military Police catches wind of it, we’re finished.”
Judging from the series of events unfolding within the military.
The fact that President Mikhail Bismarck was implementing a second large-scale purge was not a rumor but an undeniable truth.
He was thoroughly cutting off even the heads of his close aides.
Before the massive invasion of the Republic of Bostania, he was focusing on purging those who might rebel against him or those who had achieved even more outstanding military merits during the war period and could potentially oppose him in the future.
It was only a matter of time before that black hand reached the Strategic Security Agency, headed by the legendary war hero Luthers Edan.
Not just the director, but everyone gathered here would be swept away.
The reason the President was leaving them alone for now was probably because he wanted to deal with the purge targets scattered within the Inspection Department, Military Police, and Intelligence Command first.
And regardless of the purge, everyone gathered here had received an indelible debt of gratitude from Werner Grimm.
“Edmund, don’t you remember? He’s the one who gave us, who had been abandoned and worthless to the military, a new chance. Who would have expected that mere soldiers and rejects from their units would be promoted to field-grade officers in an influential intelligence agency?”
It was true.
They had been hated and forgotten by everyone.
Those who didn’t even have comrades to celebrate the end of the war with had achieved remarkable results in the military in just over a year.
Not only were they all specially recruited as officers, but they had also undergone an unbelievable rapid promotion during that time, leapfrogging several years to reach field-grade officer positions.
Even excluding the nature of being a special intelligence agency directly under the President, it was an incredibly unconventional personnel order.
And now they were going to stab the back of the person who had given them all this?
“Edmund.”
The eyes of Otto, the Training Chief, turned fierce towards Edmund Roman, the Weapons Chief.
As the atmosphere began to change subtly, Lieutenant Colonel John, the chief of staff, hurriedly intervened.
“Wait. Let’s calm down and talk first. It’s not good to push too hard.”
“Chief, we need to be certain before we proceed. Doesn’t history tell us? How can the operation succeed if we’re not even united among ourselves?”
Not to be outdone by Otto’s words, Edmund raised his voice in rebuttal.
“Otto! I’m not saying we should betray his intentions! I want the Director to succeed. Not for my own sake, but because it’s the right thing to do!”
“Edmund Roman! I said calm down!”
“Chief, think about it. No matter what, this isn’t right! What the hell did that damned Arwen do to make our Director so stressed?”
Their evaluation of Arwen Orka was already rock bottom.
Even those not directly involved could hardly feel favorable towards her, and it was natural for them to harbor resentment since the main victim was the Director they were loyal to.
Karin Maven had earnestly requested that they not mention that part, so they were just pretending not to know.
“…”
John Hobbes was in the same position of not being able to speak rashly at Edmund’s outburst.
It was a huge dilemma.
The superior he respected enough to give his life for was trying to sacrifice himself for people who had ultimately stabbed him in the back.
As a soldier, he should naturally follow Werner’s words with the spirit of absolute obedience, but what if the purpose was not at all rational?
President Mikhail had crossed the line too far.
In the underground of the Armaments Bureau, in military facilities set up on the outskirts of the capital Hoenbaren, they were cultivating Titans.
Not content with that, he had dropped several Titans into Saint Francis, one of the representative cities of the Republic of Bostania.
If Charlotte Evergreen hadn’t detonated the hydrogen bomb, the world would have been engulfed in war with the Titans again.
Probably not just the 300,000 citizens sacrificed in Saint Francis, but hundreds of millions, billions of lives would have been lost.
That’s why they needed to stop it more certainly.
If this operation failed to completely oust the President, who would take responsibility for what came after?
The truth that everyone knew but had been deliberately ignoring surfaced.
Even Major Otto Bichan, who had been showing an intense reaction, was now just biting his lip in frustration.
It was so true that even he unconsciously agreed.
“…I’ll try.”
“Karin?”
It was then that the black-haired aide, who had been silently watching the whole situation, stepped forward.
“I’ll… try to persuade the Director. I might be able to do it.”
She had witnessed the ‘weak side’ of Werner Grimm more than anyone else gathered here.
That was why Karin Maven could understand him even better.
When Lea Gilliard had fallen into a coma.
When he had lost consciousness after being shot by Charlotte Evergreen who visited the Graveyard.
The Werner Grimm—no, the war hero Luthers Edan that Karin had seen was the most fragile man of all.
-Support him well by his side. You’ll be able to do what we couldn’t.
She remembered the last words Charlotte Evergreen had left her.
She couldn’t dare to know exactly what had happened in the Graveyard during the war with the Titans.
She didn’t know what was between them and that man.
She didn’t know what Werner Grimm was trying so hard to hide.
But one thing was certain.
Then and now, the man she admired would bravely throw himself into a hell without an exit for the sake of his comrades.
She was the person who assisted the Director.
If he was overdoing it, she naturally had to stop him.
Before the runaway train failed to slow down and crashed into the dark depths of the sea.
“Karin.”
The other colleagues were looking only at her.
They vaguely knew too.
The fact that Karin Maven was the only key to overcoming the current situation.
She clenched her fist and followed Werner Grimm up the stairs.
Today, of all days.
It was her time of reckoning.
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“…You can come in.”
Creak.
Soon the wooden door opened and Karin Maven carefully entered the bedroom.
“Karin Maven.”
“Director.”
The man and woman faced each other.
Everyone was tired.
Especially Werner’s eyes, which had always been full of spirit, were already clouded over.
There was no vitality, no wisdom, no energy that strangely persuaded people.
The human commander who had led the seemingly impossible war against the Titans to victory was not there.
Only the director of the Strategic Security Agency remained, trying to struggle somehow without thinking of the consequences in an increasingly tangled situation.
That fact was so frustrating.
“If you’ve come to check on my condition, I’m fine.”
Even now he was saying such nonsense.
He was trying hard to be considerate, but at the same time, he was putting up a wall.
Surely a man who had risen to that position by confronting the President wouldn’t lack such thoughts.
Don’t come.
This is not a place for you to be involved, he seemed to say.
“…That’s not it.”
“Then?”
“I’ve come to ask you… to reconsider the operation.”
The true purpose she had forced herself to utter.
However, the response was an unequivocal answer.
“No. I can’t do that.”
Karin Maven felt as if her heart had stopped.
Although he was clearly in front of her, he was moving away faster and faster.
She might be able to reach him now, but if things continued like this, it was clear that he would soon be beyond even her grasp.
What on earth was driving him to this extent?
“Werner Grimm!!!”
It was the first time she had called out his name.
She clutched her aching chest and suddenly knelt before her superior.
Startled by this sudden action, Werner approached her.
“Karin…!?”
Then her delicate hand firmly grasped his arm.
“Please, Director…!! Please listen to us. Don’t try to shoulder everything alone…”
Tears fell from her ruby-like red eyes that had been looking only at Werner Grimm.
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