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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm, hmm, hmm~.”
“Lieutenant Karin? Karin? Hey, Karin! Karin Maven!”
“Huh!? Wh-who…?! Ah, what is it? Was it you, Headquarters Commander John Hobbes?”
Karin Maven, who hadn’t even noticed someone entering her room, spoke in surprise.
It was a schedule that lasted 6 nights and 7 days.
She had been busy packing her luggage.
“Really… I’m starting to doubt if you’re the Karin Maven I know. You’re even humming.”
At that sight, Captain John Hobbes burst into laughter.
Unlike the others, John Hobbes had known Karin Maven for quite a long time.
Right after the fall of Emerald Lake Fortress, he was the only person who had taken care of her when she had locked herself in her room and refused to come out.
Karin wasn’t unaware of that fact.
So, from the moment her condition had gradually improved with the help of Director Werner Grimm, they had reached a point where they could exchange light jokes and play around.
“Is it that enjoyable?”
“…Wh-what is!?”
“Going on a trip with the director.”
“Trip, you say? It’s clearly a mission! Moreover, an extremely important mission of accompanying His Excellency the President.”
Karin answered, trying to hide her emotions.
But John Hobbes just smiled cheerfully.
If she really wanted to hide her emotions, she should have at least stopped the twitching corners of her mouth.
“Yes, yes, the mission of accompanying him to the capital and then to the Republic of Bostania, right? I haven’t even been on a domestic trip, let alone an overseas trip.”
“It’s not like we’re going alone…”
“That’s what it says on paper. Do you think our poor Armaments Department Head Edward will even catch Karin’s eye? Just looking at it, Edward will be like a sack of barley, lonely indeed.”
“Eek! Stop joking around!”
Karin pushed the playful Headquarters Commander out of her room.
“Whoa, calm down, Karin! I even brought a gift.”
“A gift?”
“You know that female soldiers in the Imperial Army are discharged immediately if they become pregnant, right?”
What John Hobbes had been hiding behind his back was none other than condoms.
Karin’s face instantly turned red upon confirming the identity of that gift.
“Commander Hobbes!!!!!”
“Hahaha! You should stay with me and the director at Forbidden Lake for a long time!”
John Hobbes burst into laughter and left Karin’s room.
It was just a normal everyday scene at Forbidden Lake, no different from any other time.
***
The helicopter carrying First Lieutenant Edward Roman, Second Lieutenant Karin Maven, and Lieutenant Colonel Werner Grimm arrived at the Supreme Command located in the capital.
“Welcome. It’s your first time seeing the Supreme Command, right?”
They received a warm welcome from Supreme Commander Arthur Philias and unpacked their luggage in their assigned accommodations.
It was natural since they had to go through a 1-night, 2-day schedule in the capital right away.
As soon as they finished unpacking, they all changed into the SSA uniforms they had prepared and headed to the President’s residence.
Because the schedule in the capital was none other than a meeting with the President, followed by a ‘banquet’.
Before departing for the Republic of Bostania for the post-war summit, they said there would be a time for the accompanying personnel to gather at the residence and build rapport.
For Werner, who didn’t particularly enjoy this kind of event, this whole process was just a hassle.
But for Karin, who was new to everything in the capital Hoenbaren, she couldn’t take her eyes off the sight of the huge city unfolding before her eyes.
“Wow….”
Capital Hoenbaren.
It was the only area that had hardly been affected by the war, preserving the appearance of what a metropolitan city of the Empire looked like before the war, including high-rise buildings.
Compared to Hoenbaren, Branberg in the Eastern Military District was no different from an underdeveloped countryside.
There, the only high-rise building was the Eastern Army Command.
Although there was an old-fashioned charm from the quaint and traditional-style buildings, it didn’t give Karin Maven as much impact as the sky-high buildings.
Edward, who had been watching Karin like that, smiled and opened his mouth.
“There was a time when my dream was to buy a house in Hoenbaren.”
“Really?”
“The first place I was assigned to was the Capital Corps. I’m from the countryside, you see.”
He himself must have had a similar expression to Karin’s right now.
Edward, the Armaments Department Head, added, recalling the hazy memories of when he first enlisted.
“It’s still overwhelming, both then and now. By the way, Director… You must have seen it a lot without me even asking.”
“That’s right.”
Werner Grimm answered briefly.
It wasn’t just that he had seen it a lot.
In the previous cycle alone, didn’t he become the head of the Supreme Command located in Hoenbaren?
Of course, it was a failure.
There were times when he had single-handedly stormed into the President’s residence and stabbed his heart with a sword.
That had also ended in failure, forcing him to regress.
“I don’t have any particularly good memories, though.”
Come to think of it, that was true.
The towering skyscrapers were nothing more than a passing background to Werner.
When you go to the mountains, there are trees, and when you go to the capital, there are high-rise buildings.
That’s the extent of his impression and recognition.
“Ah…”
“I don’t particularly like high-rise buildings in the first place. Not only are they vulnerable to Titan attacks, but they also look like chicken coops made to confine people.”
“As expected, you lack romanticism, Director. Well, I don’t have any good memories either.”
Edward shrugged his shoulders and casually rested his chin on the window.
Karin, who had been looking excited, also glanced at Werner’s expression.
“…But the scenery after the war is a little different.”
“Th-that’s right! The war is over, isn’t it?”
“Yes. The war is over.”
Werner smiled faintly at Karin’s appearance, readily agreeing with him.
Although the President’s summons were awkward, it would probably be less of an issue than expected.
It was clear that he would think he had put a leash on him.
The recruitment of the Revolutionary Front, who were extremists of the Revolutionary faction.
The dismantling of the Imperial faction that had remained in the Eastern Military District.
Everything was going according to plan.
So, from the President’s perspective, this might really be a kind of ‘reward’.
As the director of the National Security Agency, Werner Grimm had vividly witnessed the reality of war heroes who had not chosen to submit to the President.
Demotion, discharge, rank reduction.
If they were unlucky, they even ended up in court.
Even Heinrich Rendal, the commander of the Eastern Army, who was directly purged by the President, could be called a war hero who had achieved his own merits.
Luthers Edan, who had achieved much greater merits than them, had bowed his head before the President could even make a move.
There was enough room to view it positively to some extent.
‘Moreover, from the President’s perspective, he would think he has a firm grip on my weakness.’
Although Arwen Orka didn’t intend it, her accusation itself was a card that could pressure Werner.
Just because he was using a fake identity didn’t change the fact that he was actually Luthers Edan.
If he wanted to expel him, he could expel him at any time.
In such a situation, it might not be bad to not be too wary of the President and enjoy this time itself.
Because he was willing to join hands with the President or even the devil if it meant making everyone, including Arwen, Lea, and Charlotte, live a happy life.
With that thought, they finally arrived at the President’s residence after driving through the avenue of Hoenbaren.
Indeed, it was a magnificent sight befitting the dwelling of a superman who had pushed the Emperor into the back room and taken the Empire into his own hands.
The columns erected like a temple, and the dome-shaped roof made of transparent glass had a premodern yet modern architectural style.
It was a building that could be called a museum or a parliament without any issues.
Just by looking at the fact that the Imperial Parliament, which had become half-paralyzed with the President’s rise to power, was in a building that was simply a renovated theater, the difference in authority was evident.
As they lined up at the entrance of the residence, the tightly closed door soon opened wide, revealing the President.
Mikhail Bismarck, the President of the Empire.
At the same time, Werner Grimm saluted him with a sharp salute.
“Ah! The members of the National Security Strategy Agency, who have been working tirelessly day and night for the Empire, have finally arrived.”
“You flatter us, Your Excellency.”
In appearance, he looked like he had just entered his 40s.
In fact, he was approaching sixty, just like Arthur Philias, but his sparkling eyes still contained youth and the ambition that came with it.
Even Karin was surprised by the fact that the President in front of her was a much neater and sharper-looking handsome man than the image she had thought of.
“Come in first.”
The President smiled and tapped Werner’s shoulder, then brought them inside.
“Did you hear the detailed schedule on the way?”
“I heard we’ll depart by plane tomorrow evening.”
The President nodded in satisfaction at Werner’s answer.
“That’s right. Therefore, I have planned a lavish evening banquet today with all the members of the entourage. It will be on a different level from the banquet you saw in the Eastern Military District.”
“I’m also looking forward to it.”
Of course, it was a lie.
In the first place, whether it was lavish or less lavish wasn’t the problem.
In the first place, a banquet was something that Werner could hardly enjoy.
Isn’t it just expensive alcohol and delicious food laid out for the sake of building rapport?
But he couldn’t show such an attitude.
It was in front of none other than the President, so he couldn’t openly express his feelings, whatever they may be.
“By the way, Lieutenant Colonel Werner, did you receive the list of the entourage members in advance?”
“No. I didn’t receive it, Your Excellency.”
“Hmm, is that so? That’s a big problem.”
A big problem?
A rather ominous feeling flashed through his mind.
“Actually, you see, a few members of the entourage were urgently changed for this trip.”
The President continued to speak as if it was nothing.
“Wasn’t the selection of the entourage members managed solely by the secretariat?”
“That’s true, but the two members who were originally supposed to participate in the entourage happened to catch a severe case of enteritis.”
“…”
“So, inevitably, a friend of yours who you know well will be accompanying us.”
Throb.
Werner felt like the headache that had been quiet for several days was coming back to life.
“Lieutenant Colonel Drake Brown. He will be joining us.”
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Drake??!?!?!