Chapter 69
He approached Ender quickly with a face so pale blue it looked like he might vomit at any moment. As if the content couldn’t be overheard by the merpeople, he reported in a low voice.
“Colonel… we have a serious problem.”
“What is it?”
“…It’s an order from the Commander. You’re to return to the regiment immediately.”
“……”
It was natural for the military to want Ender. He was competent, talented, and his unit always brought victory. Before he knew it, Harriet reached out and grabbed Ender’s wrist, almost preventing him from going anywhere.
Harriet knew too well that the military was a frightening place. Because Ender was a tender and kind junior, Harriet thought he would surely get hurt with every battle he fought.
Harriet looked down at his own hand that had tried to reach toward Ender and smiled faintly. It was a smile slightly out of place from his usual demeanor.
Why had he tried to stop Ender? As long as he was a soldier and Ender was a soldier, obeying orders was natural. There was no reason to stop Ender. That was the obvious principle Harriet had lived by, and he had no doubt that Ender would follow it too.
“They’re determined to go to war with the Northern Sea. Colonel…”
“Someday you’ll face people emotionally too, Harriet.”
Military orders, superiors, the army, the president, obedience to those above, the war that Ender McGuire naturally had to participate in as a soldier.
Yet despite all that, Harriet kept tilting his head to the side, puzzled.
‘Don’t go, Ender.’
For some reason, those words lingered in his mouth. It was strange, since orders were absolute to him as well.
* * *
Delta Maxim, staring down at his polished boots that gleamed with sharp edges, nervously bit his lip while looking around. But when he couldn’t find who he was looking for, he lowered his head again.
Although the area was crowded with saluting soldiers, no one reprimanded him when his posture slackened and he bowed his head. This was because Delta Maxim was Dante Maxim’s nephew and a beauty with brilliant blonde hair and blue eyes.
Recently, he had lost his left ear and suffered a hideous scar on his cheek in an unfortunate accident, but even that had been perfectly restored through all possible means, returning him to his former beautiful appearance.
A huge crowd had gathered. Not only soldiers, but journalists snapping camera flashes watched him as if they might pounce at any moment.
‘Rather than being poorly photographed and leaving a foolish image in the media forever, I’ll just suffer a bit today.’
Delta straightened his posture and raised his head, but his blue eyes were busy scanning the surroundings restlessly.
The port was massive, built solely for war, with hundreds of containers filled with explosives capable of completely annihilating an entire region.
An enormous fleet waited at the harbor for orders, seemingly covering the vast sea with warships, ready to advance toward the Northern Sea at any moment. It was so threatening and majestic that even Delta had to swallow hard. He was newly impressed by his uncle’s power that had kept so many warships hidden.
“…Damn, what’s going on in this world?”
“Shut up. Want to get dragged away?”
“It’s just funny. The way everything’s turning out is amusing.”
Behind Delta, who was silently saluting while facing forward, came the whispering voices of two men. They were probably trying to keep their voices down, but Delta, who was diagonally in front of them, could hear everything. It was a rough male voice that seemed familiar.
“There’s no reason to invade the Northern Sea.”
“…It’s been decided by the Central Center and the military. It’s not something we can question.”
“I guess so.”
The man who agreed with a slightly deflated voice remained silent for a long time. Delta Maxim nearly snorted in derision. There were more than enough reasons and justifications to strike the Northern Sea. No one knew when those barbarians might target the East and West, and if that happened, all the trade ships currently crossing the sea would sink to the bottom.
Dangerous elements that could attack humans at any time needed to be cut off in advance. It was too precious for those beasts to occupy this vast and beautiful sea just because they were born in the water.
Alcita—though Delta couldn’t remember him—had apparently died shortly after Delta was born. Delta thought he was pathetic. He was a fool who couldn’t even protect his own son and fell out of Dante’s favor.
Dante’s associates unanimously described him as a person who didn’t know his place and only sang impossible songs about peace while being filled with dreams. Delta wasn’t interested in the dead man, but one thing was clear.
He had broken the very peace he desired.
Because of Alcita Maxim’s rash actions, many people died and were submerged under the sea, ultimately giving humans justification to invade the sea. The peace he wanted was eventually broken by Alcita himself. Delta sneered and mocked the dead man.
“I’m just… scared.”
“Please shut up, Noel.”
Hearing the familiar name, Delta couldn’t contain his curiosity and glanced back casually. The chatty individuals were Noel and Van from Ender’s unit.
It was Ender McGuire who had recruited them with abilities that were useless except for detecting gems in labor camps. The military had mocked them, wondering what contributions such petty abilities could make on the front lines, but contrary to expectations, they had achieved excellent results in every battle at the front. Gradually, the military began to recognize them as capable young men.
Come to think of it, there were people who appeared to be from Ender’s unit visible here and there. This was because Ender had abruptly resigned his rank and returned to the countryside, leaving his unit suspended in limbo.
Ender’s unit, composed entirely of soldiers with considerable skills as ability users, had swept the Western and Southern seas with just three warships.
“It feels like… the world is ending.”
For the frontline members of Ender’s unit, who were said to be able to knock birds out of the sky, this was quite a weak statement.
Without merpeople, how could the world possibly end? This sea was practically human territory now. Because of this sea, humans might live even more abundantly than they did now.
Delta was about to mock them when he was stopped by a military vehicle that had just smoothly arrived at the dock. The harbor, which had been noisy until a moment ago, became as quiet as death.
The sun was scorching hot, but a chill that could cool even a single drop of sweat crept up. A few escorts got out and surveyed the surroundings.
The vehicle door opened, and an old man stepped out. Limp, lifeless white hair, a wrinkled face. Dante Maxim, who surveyed his troops with a gentle and benevolent smile, raised his hand. Two of his aides followed behind him. Finally, a man appeared following them.
The crowd, which had been quiet when Dante appeared, suddenly filled with excited fervor. Journalists who had been merely swallowing in anticipation now frantically flashed their cameras to take pictures.
Although interviews had been forbidden in advance, they watched with eagle eyes, ready to pounce at the slightest opening like a pack of wolves. Their momentum was so strong that the barrier set up as a barricade almost shook.
Delta Maxim almost covered his throbbing left ear without realizing it. Even that pain now felt sweet. The man was the one who had tried to cut off his ear and kill him. At first, Delta had hated and feared him, grinding his teeth in hatred, but as time passed, his affection gradually returned.
Of course. He was also a soldier, so he couldn’t refuse to return to duty.
For a soldier, disobeying orders meant death.
“He’s a hero.”
“Is that Ender McGuire?”
“He’s much more handsome than in his photos.”
“A national hero.”
Whispers and murmurs. Amid the noisy crowd, Ender’s fine brow slightly furrowed. He brushed his black hair upward and put on his officer’s cap.
Though his face was shadowed, it couldn’t hide the gleaming red light in his eyes. Delta swallowed as he watched him follow behind Dante with long, graceful strides that looked almost like a painting.
Dante Maxim climbed onto the platform, receiving the full attention of soldiers and journalists alike. The platform, hastily constructed for the sudden deployment, was small, but Dante’s figure was clearly visible.
And then, light shone on the black warship firmly anchored at the port, revealing a massive screen. The crowd there looked up in confusion. Dante Maxim brought the microphone close to his mouth.
“Why must we invade even the Northern Sea? I know many citizens have questions. But please watch this video.”
Dante Maxim began with a stiff voice unlike his usual self, as if he had become a soldier. His expression was rigid, as if he were tense.
The screen displayed on the ship showed two individuals with blue hair. They were holding hands tightly. Their expressions looked quite fearful, but no one paid attention to that.
“Those are… merpeople.”
The blue hair and glimpses of blue eyes.
‘I heard merpeople could take human form, and it’s true. How disgusting.’
Delta Maxim wanted to spit. The two merpeople were running urgently with human legs. And then, as if they had reached a dead end, they clasped each other’s hands tightly.
The merpeople finally jumped desperately into the sea. Their human legs disappeared and transformed into mermaid tails with beautiful scales. They escaped into the sea, and soon the video ended.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
