Chapter 145

The day after Jin Crow's visit.

The office of Vice Governor-General Lekum Ging was no different from any other day.

“......Haa.”

“Don't sigh. You'll scare away your good fortune.”

“My wife told me she wants a divorce yesterday. She asked me just when I planned on crawling back home.”

“......I'm sorry.”

The backs of the administrative staff, processing towering stacks of paperwork while drinking not only coffee but also the green energy drink that had recently begun arriving on Ju Planet, looked utterly pitiful.

However, listening to their complaints while smoking a cigarette, not the slightest trace of guilt stirred within Lekum Ging.

At this salary, letting them go home once every three days is pretty good work-life balance, isn't it?

If the Labor Bureau had heard that, they might have driven the People's Stake straight through Lekum Ging's heart on the spot.

The problem was... he wasn't entirely wrong.

There were still people who believed in the Dawn Church, or refused the Governor-General's Office for ideological or moral reasons.

But for the overwhelming majority of soldiers and Ju natives, the Governor-General's Office was an irresistible workplace.

Financially and socially.

The average Ju native earned less than twenty thousand Composite State Dollars (USD) a year.

Even the janitors who came to work earned over fifteen thousand dollars annually.

So what about the soldiers officially serving under the Governor-General's Office as members of the Federal Army?

The workload had all been agreed upon beforehand.

Managing the paperwork of an entire planet's Governor-General's Office.

How could that possibly not be overwhelming?

Some might think going home once every three days was excessive.

But considering Lekum Ging himself only went home once every three months...

He couldn't help but see their complaints as exaggeration.

“Just kill me already...”

Of course, no matter how brutal the workload was, no one had expected it to be a workplace from hell where people drank caffeine like water and smoked cigarettes as naturally as breathing.

Did Lekum Ging even realize it?

That it had taken less than two months for an office originally filled mostly with non-smokers to turn into a raccoon den.

“Hmm......”

Today as well, Lekum Ging looked on contentedly as the administrative staff continued processing paperwork without issue despite constantly lamenting their impending deaths.

At the same time, he busied himself with his own work.

A cigarette hung from his lips as he carefully reviewed every document requiring his final approval.

The ashtray his adjutant emptied every morning had once again become a small cactus made entirely of cigarette butts.

By the time the administrative staff were beginning to feel hunger on top of exhaustion...

Knock, knock.

A familiar voice came from beyond the firmly shut office door.

“Captain Myo Seol-ah, requesting permission to enter.”

“Come in.”

Unlike the tone he had used with Jin Crow, his voice now carried the weight of authority.

As though she had been waiting for it, Myo Seol-ah opened the office door, entered, and saluted.

“Loyalty.”

“Good. Let's see... The time is... Everyone, go eat lunch.”

The moment he spoke, the administrative staff bolted out of the office without waiting for one another.

It might have looked comical for fully grown soldiers.

But during the single hour allotted for lunch, they had to eat, smoke, call their families, and squeeze in a short nap.

It was only natural that every minute mattered.

The sight of their utterly haggard appearances even made Myo Seol-ah, unlike a typical member of the Myo Clan, murmur sympathetically,

“......Even slaves aren't worked this hard.”

“They always complain, but they faithfully come back to work every day. Wonderful people, aren't they? Haha. Have a seat.”

With that, Lekum Ging gestured toward the chair.

Rather than adding anything further, Myo Seol-ah quietly obeyed and sat down.

After all, just as he had said, there was a simple reason they kept returning despite being worked so mercilessly.

If they endured just five years...

They could afford a magnificent detached house in Pure Land and even hire a housekeeper.

In other words, they were by no means being forced into this overwork against their will.

I still wouldn't do it.

Thinking that to herself, Myo Seol-ah looked at Lekum Ging, who had somehow already washed his face and lit another cigarette.

She respectfully handed him a report sealed inside a brown paper envelope.

Receiving it, he began reading slowly.

“So we've captured a Blessing-class member of the Seo Clan. The concern we raised during the last meeting has finally become reality.”

“Yes, sir.”

Instead of the cynical demeanor she showed around Lang Wei, Myo Seol-ah now displayed the bearing of a disciplined soldier as she nodded.

No...

She had always been closer to the ideal of a true soldier.

It was only when she encountered Lang Wei—her lover and natural opposite—that her trademark poker face completely fell apart.

In any case, that wasn't the important matter.

Frowning, Lekum Ging took another deep drag from his half-smoked cigarette before placing the report on the desk and rubbing his forehead wearily.

“Summarize it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The official announcement claims yesterday's platform attack was an attempt to steal Black Iron. But the intelligence we received tells a different story.”

At those words, Myo Seol-ah nodded.

“They probably weren't completely uninterested in the Black Iron, but their primary objective was a sacred relic of the Dawn Church that had been smuggled by Choi Taek, a senior researcher at Digsteel Corporation. As stated in the report, Squad C Commander Sa-un rescued Choi Taek and confiscated a solid Black Iron case believed to contain a spear presumed to be that sacred relic.”

“The problem is that Choi Taek committed suicide during interrogation. And the Dawn Church considered recovering that sacred relic important enough to dispatch one of their remaining high-ranking priests—a Blessing-class member...”

Having organized his thoughts that far, Lekum Ging couldn't bear it any longer and lit yet another cigarette.

Naturally, it was torture for Myo Seol-ah, who disliked smoking.

Even so, she wasn't particularly annoyed.

After all, even the Governor-General was absent for reasons unknown.

If it were only the Dawn Church, that would be one thing. But now the instructor from the Central Special-duty Academy is involved as well.

Moreover, their relationship clearly went beyond mere acquaintances.

Although Lekum Ging seemed to have a few screws loose in some respects, she knew he wasn't a bad person.

As someone who genuinely respected him as her superior, she fully understood the weight of his concerns.

How much time passed in silence?

Lekum Ging smoked two cigarettes back-to-back.

By the time Myo Seol-ah's respect was slowly giving way to thoughts of Should I kill this insane chain-smoker?...

He finally spoke.

“For now, we'll bury Choi Taek's death. Digsteel Corporation isn't exactly clean themselves, so if we suggest handling it quietly, they'll probably welcome the idea. As for the sacred relic, the Security Division will keep it in custody.”

Everything matched exactly what she had expected.

But then she realized he hadn't addressed the most important issue.

So she asked,

“What about Instructor Jin Crow? Forgive me for saying this, but he cannot be trusted.”

Members of the Myo Clan were naturally suspicious.

They rarely opened their hearts to others.

Not only that...

They were inherently sensitive and prone to excessive worry.

Even so, Myo Seol-ah was certain there wasn't a trace of personal emotion behind what she was saying now.

“No matter what personal relationship you may have with him, if he remains on Ju Planet, problems are inevitable. Even if he miraculously never encounters the Dawn Church again, if he notices that the Governor-General's Office feels... different while the Governor-General is absent...”

“He'll become troublesome one way or another. I know.”

Lekum Ging had long shared the same concern.

In fact, the moment he first saw the name Instructor Jin Crow, he had lost sleep.

Because I thought Hound had come.

Objectively speaking, he had never done anything evil.

But did that necessarily align with the interests of the Composite State?

Honestly...

He wasn't confident.

That was why he genuinely wanted to prevent the inspection of the Creature front lines if possible.

“......However.”

Rising from the sofa, Lekum Ging lit another cigarette and slowly walked toward the window.

The sky had been perfectly clear that morning.

Now gray clouds were gathering overhead, as though a downpour was imminent.

Drip.

Drip, drip.

Watching the first raindrops begin to fall...

He quietly murmured,

“For now... we'll simply watch.”

The emotions contained within those words were difficult to describe.

They were nothing less than the conflicted and troubled conclusion of a man caught between impossible choices.

Vroooom.

Myo Cheong had blocked their path at the guard post of the headquarters positioned at the very rear.

After Lang Wei drove Myo Cheong away and they passed through with Myo Seol-rin's assistance, they followed the desolate road running alongside the long iron fence stretching across the plains toward the front lines.

However, because Obia had insisted on riding in another Letona, claiming she had something to discuss with Lang Wei...

Jin Crow had no choice but to share an awkward ride with Staff Sergeant Myo Seol-rin.

“......”

Silence lingered for quite some time.

Jin Crow stared out the window at the sky, where dark clouds were slowly gathering, while smoking a cigarette.

Meanwhile, Myo Seol-rin quietly hummed to herself, apparently in an excellent mood, occasionally stealing glances at him.

After they had covered about half the distance to the front lines...

She was the first to break the silence.

“Is this your first time visiting our planet, Instructor?”

Not feeling the need to answer verbally, he simply nodded.

At that moment, some ash he had failed to flick away landed on his coat.

“How interesting.”

A flicker of irritation crossed his face, making him frown.

But Myo Seol-rin paid no attention.

Displaying her characteristic smile that revealed her pointed fangs, she continued chatting.

“Usually, Federal Army personnel from the Core Regions try something with Ju natives regardless of whether they're men or women. But you and Major Obia aren't like that at all.”

Perhaps it was his imagination...

But beneath that smiling expression, a peculiar hostility flashed through her eyes.

“They say it's because we fulfill one of their fantasies.”

“......I have no interest.”

“What was it that inspector who came here last time called us? Nekomimi?”

Perhaps this was simply another form of discrimination and prejudice that every Ju native experienced.

But he genuinely had no interest.

It wasn't because he lacked compassion.

Perhaps it was because he knew.

Throughout this vast galaxy, countless races suffered discrimination for their own reasons.

If anything...

Ju natives were among the most successful races to have integrated into humanity.

“By the way, did you know? The Lumbini Front we're heading to used to be the capital of our Myo Clan.”

And after talking with her longer...

He came to realize something.

“But now it's become land even the Myo Clan won't look at anymore. Isn't that tragic?”

“My condolences.”

“Exactly. Who would've thought Pure Land, the capital, would eventually be opened to every clan and property values would collapse like this? At least the Governor-General's Office bought the land for a good price, so most members of the Myo Clan never had to worry about food.”

......Myo Seol-rin talked a lot.

And her sense of humor was strangely warped.

“At least our land got sold and became a battlefield. Some other clans have plenty of land that just drains taxes without being worth anything. Compared to them, we've been blessed.”

Eventually, he stopped responding altogether, simply letting her words go in one ear and out the other.

Then, just as they were about to reach the front lines...

Myo Seol-rin finally crossed the line.

“By the way, Instructor, do you have a girlfriend? Or perhaps... Major Obia?”

“Shut up, Staff Sergeant Myo Seol-rin.”

“Eh?”

Looking at her widened eyes, clearly startled by the profanity that had slipped out unconsciously...

Jin Crow admitted his mistake.

With a sigh, he quietly corrected himself.

“My mistake. Let me rephrase that. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your mouth shut, Staff Sergeant.”

“So you still mean 'shut up,' don't you?”

You catch on quickly.

Some things were appropriate to say.

Others simply weren't.