Chapter 51

◈ Chapter 51: Venus

"Always has to play the hero all by himself."

Amon grumbled under his breath.

Voices from the townspeople quickly followed.

"We—we can't just stand around like this."

"Right, let's get moving!"

They scattered just as quickly as they'd gathered.

"Lord Mago! I—I'll open my shop right now. Please, come to my place!"

One man sprinted off, shouting over his shoulder.

"No, no—come to my shop instead! I'll treat you properly, I swear it."

The market district downtown.

Shopkeepers who'd been minding their own stalls came running.

Lights started flickering on across the city, one by one.

The silent streets bloomed with warm orange glow.

"No thanks. I'm going back."

"Mago, what the hell are you talking about?"

Amon whipped his head around.

"It's too much. I'm heading home."

"Well I'm not staying! When you can have fun, you damn well—"

"Then I'll go alone, even if—"

Mago turned away from Amon—

And spotted Bell quietly gnawing on a chicken skewer.

"Bell! Where the hell did you get that?"

"Dunno. Someone just handed it to me?"

"Don't just accept food from strangers!"

"What am I, a child? If they offer, I take it. Why would I say no?"

"You hear that, Mago? Look at Bell. She's taking what's given. Oscar, poor bastard... if he'd come with us, he'd be having the time of his life... same for Kinjo."

"Speaking of which... Kinjo should be arriving soon. Hope he's alright."

---

"So—did you play the hero well? Did the citizens get their spirit back?"

Captain Simena asked with a teasing lilt.

"Is that why you sent us into town...?"

"Obviously. I don't open my mouth without a plan, Mago."

"For crying out loud..."

It wasn't a vacation for him. It was a day meant for the citizens.

"Figured you, Amon Coster, and Bell Red could use a morale boost too, after all the work in Anaconda. Did you eat well?"

"That's true, but—Captain Karasuma Ken of the 9th Unit and the 43rd Unit also took part in the Anaconda mission, didn't they?"

"The 43rd left before you. Karasuma I kept here."

"That's harsh."

"Karasuma can't leave. There's a reason for it. Anyway, Mago—what about the Magic Tool?"

"Five rounds left for December. Right now Oscar's holding it. You know the rest."

"You mentioned copying it, like with the musket... Despite being mass-produced, it'll fire ammunition instead of lightning."

"Yes, that's right."

"Go get the Magic Tool. I need to take it somewhere."

"Take it where..."

"Just follow me."

He led me out the door.

Captain Simena silently dragged me all the way to the headquarters' main gate.

A wagon was waiting near the front gate.

"Mago, go get your weapons. Now."

"The red one too?"

"Yes. The red sword and the black gun. Both of them."

"Are we going to kill someone?"

"Don't be so morbid. Nobody's dying. Well—if you tried to kill someone there, you'd be the one dead."

"Huh?"

"Hurry."

"Yes... understood."

I retrieved the Red Sword from the barracks.

Then the EX Revolver from the Technical Team.

Back at the wagon, I climbed in.

"Get in."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"No. Get in."

"Where the hell are we—"

"Just get in."

I had no choice. I ducked my head and stepped into the passenger compartment.

Based on his refusal to say anything, I figured we weren't going far.

That assumption was dead wrong.

Two days passed.

Being cooped up in that wagon the whole time felt like my spine was about to snap in half.

I was just thinking I could use some light exercise when—

The wagon stopped.

"Are we there?"

"No. Let's rest for a bit."

He gave me just enough time for some simple stretches.

Another full day passed.

"Are we there?"

"No."

"Ughhhhh..."

"I'm kidding. We're here."

Captain Simena stepped out first.

The moment I got off the wagon, I planted both hands on my lower back and arched my spine.

Then I bent forward, touched the ground, straightened up again.

Rolled my neck in a full circle.

"Whoa..."

When I turned my head, I finally understood.

I was standing right at the base of a massive stone wall.

Beyond the wall, naturally, stood a castle.

White stone masonry accented with gold trim gave it a distinct character.

And that golden exterior earned it a fitting name:

Venus.

Just as Venus was made of white and gold, the Imperial Knight Order—clad in white uniforms with the Golden Lion emblem—called this fortress home.

The elite protectors of the Emperor.

Right here, in Venus, the Imperial Knight Order and the Emperor himself resided.

The same Emperor who'd fled straight from the capital's fortress, Mercury, the moment the war began.

"Captain Simena. Why are we..."

"The Golden Lion Conference is happening today. Despite the name, it's not just the Imperial Knight Order. It's called that because it's held wherever the Golden Lion is stationed—the Imperial Army's strategic meeting."

"I know what the Golden Lion Conference is. My question is—why am I here?"

"The Empire scored its first victory last week. Now it wants a second, a third, and ultimately a final one. Naturally."

"Yes, that's right."

"Mago, you know the Imperial Army's organizational structure, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Just know it?"

He meant I should recite it.

"At the largest scale, there's the Imperial Army Corps. Beneath that, the divisions are split into four. First, the Knight Order—the guard and imperial guard division—which includes the elite Imperial Knight Order brigade."

"Hmm, you learned well at the training grounds."

"Should I continue?"

"If you start something, you see it through. You're not stopping because you don't know the rest, are you?"

"No, sir."

"Oh-ho, you'd better be right."

"The remaining divisions are the 7th Division, in charge of supply, reconnaissance, and scouting; the 8th Division, the combat infantry; and finally, the Navy—the Sea Combat Division. That makes four in total. Collectively, they're called the Seven Victories and Eight Standouts. Lastly, there's the independent unit, the Special Forces. Should I go below that..."

"Enough. If you know that much, I don't need to explain."

"I was the one doing the explaining just now."

"That Seven Victories and Eight Standouts structure, plus the Special Forces—today, the Imperial Army's officers are gathering to plan the next victory."

"So that means... the recaptured capital..."

"Mago, you're here as the Special Forces representative. Me and you. The heroes of the first victory can't be absent from this meeting."

"Why didn't you tell me from the start?"

"Tell you what?"

"That we were coming to Venus. It would've been nice to know."

"I was afraid you'd chicken out from the pressure."

"Me?"

"Was I wrong?"

"If I'd known in advance, the wagon ride wouldn't have felt like pure penance. I think I would've been pretty excited."

"Excited...?"

"I'm about to meet all the high-ranking officers of the Imperial Army in one place. Why wouldn't I be excited?"

"Marjelo was throwing a fit, faking sick to get out of coming."

"So you had a precedent like that..."

"That's right. I didn't expect the answer to be 'excited.'"

"That's because I'm always aiming for a promotion."

"Ambitious. Unexpected. I guess I still don't know you that well."

"At the very least, until this war ends, I want to rise higher than anyone."

"Pretty soon you'll be telling me to step aside..."

"Who knows?"

"You've got a long way to go!"

Captain Simena slapped me on the back.

The impact made me lurch forward.

"Still, you're going to play a big role today. You've got a lot to do. You're the face of it all."

"Captain Simena. 'Face' has been a banned word for a while now."

"You're hilarious."

We exchanged trivial banter as we reached the castle gate.

The guards in white uniforms recognized Simena's face and opened the gates. One of them led us inside.

I followed along, letting my eyes wander, taking in more of the castle. I kept lifting my head to look up.

Venus was so enormous that even trying to take it all in at once was impossible. It radiated a presence so powerful that it was hard to imagine this fortress had ever fallen in my past life.

"This is your first time here, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I had the same look on my face when I first came, Mago."

"I didn't expect to set foot here so soon."

"So you were planning on it... Now that I think about it, you're nothing like Marjelo. I used to think you two were similar."

"You thought that?"

"Not anymore. I had to drag Marjelo here by force. But her strength is well known to the division commanders, so even without a rank, she qualified as a representative."

"Because those division commanders tried to recruit her back when she was a trainee."

"Exactly. But in the end, Marjelo chose the Special Forces!"

"I'm a little bitter about that."

"Huh?"

"I never got any offers from the division commanders."

"Hmm, maybe there's something you don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. You'll find out soon enough."

Deep inside Venus, at the end of the third-floor corridor.

"Please wait here."

A Knight Order member stood by the door and said.

The room inside was just as splendid as the exterior.

"Mago, I'm going to the restroom."

"Yes, understood."

"Might take a while."

"Is there something wrong with your gut? If so, Kinzo could take a look—"

"Don't say horrible things. That's not it. I meant this place is so big I might get lost."

"You don't have to hide it."

"I'm not."

Simena let out a sigh and stepped outside.

While I was idly touching the decorative items in the room out of curiosity—

A knock came.

No way Simena would knock.

"Who is it?"

The moment I asked, the door swung open.

The instant I saw the woman who twisted the handle and stepped inside—

My arm shot up reflexively.

I snapped to attention and barked out a salute.

"Special Missions Unit, 15th Unit Commander—!"

"Mago, isn't it."

She cut me off before I could even finish my name.

Her navy-blue uniform, left chest area—

There wasn't a single bare patch visible.

It was completely covered in medals and insignias.

The 7th Division Commander.

And for context—the 63rd Company I'd belonged to, and the 7th Company I'd run into in the Entertainment District, were all part of the 7th Division.

Even in my past life, meeting her had always put me on edge like this.

Just facing her was enough.

"White hair, just like fresh snow. Pure white."

"Thank you."

I wasn't sure if that was a compliment, but I responded fast.

"Simena Extin happens to be absent. Mago, how's life in the Special Forces?"

"It hasn't even been a month yet. So far, it's been—"

"Good. Ignorance is bliss. So why don't you consider checking out the 7th Division?"

"Excuse me? I don't think I—"

"A navy-blue uniform doesn't mean we're weak, Mago. All that chatter about black being elite and white being imperial—at the end of the day, the backbone of the Imperial Army is the 7th and 8th Divisions."

"Yes, I believe that's—"

"White Dog and Crow mix petty power struggles into their missions. Compared to that, why not join the largest and most organized division? It's not too late."

"No, I've already been assigned to the Special Forces—"

"You'd be a perfect fit for the 63rd Company. We don't rank our units by combat power like children in the Special Forces. The 63rd is the fastest reconnaissance unit in the entire Imperial Army. If you came over, you'd be looking at a Company Commander position in no time—"

She just kept talking, ignoring everything I said.

And I would know—I used to be the Company Commander of that very 63rd Company.

"I'll give you time to think it over. What do you say?"

"It's been almost a month since I was deployed. I appreciate the offer, but I think the timing is off now."

"There were reasons I couldn't find you when you were still a trainee! I had no choice but to tell you now!"

"Reasons?"

"Back then, that bastard Simena Extin locked down the entire recruitment pipeline! He thought having Marjelo Arnis was enough. Greedy son of a bitch—"

"Excuse me...?"

"Never mind. Forget it. If you change your mind, you come find me. Anytime."

She slammed the door shut and left.

And I mean slammed.

The window frame rattled.

Moments later, as if they'd all coordinated their turn order, the next person walked in.

White uniform. Golden Lion emblem.

And his chest was just as dazzling with medals.

I recognized him instantly.

The Imperial Knight Order Commander.

"Mago. Hey."

He approached with a friendly air.

"Yes... hello..."

"Good to meet you. I should have come to see you sooner. That bastard Simena Extin—"

What the hell did Captain Simena do to make everyone grit their teeth like this?