Chapter 46
The next morning, Angela opened the office door with a bang while yawning repeatedly as if sleepy.
Angela, who opened the door with a bright smile that showed her canines, was surprised to find someone inside and closed the door again. After clearing her throat outside the door, she knocked and entered.
“Good morning~”
No one responded to Angela’s cheerful voice. As she tilted her head and opened the door to enter, Anschel was sitting on the sofa, pale-faced. He wore an expression as if he had been burned white to ashes.
‘Why is this person like this?’
Angela sat down across from Anschel with round eyes.
‘I came early today to cut and eat some oriental melons, but someone came even earlier.’
Anschel didn’t even blink when Angela hovered in front of him. It was strange.
“Did something happen?”
“……”
“Lieu-ten-ant! I’m asking what happened to you~”
Even when she tapped the table and called out to him, he didn’t move at all. While she was perplexed by his behavior, the office door opened.
It was Harriet and Ender, who had grown accustomed to coming to work together. Ender entered while attending to Harriet as usual. Harriet, who came in limping, raised his hand with a small smile to Angela.
“Good morning.”
“Yes! Good morning, Captain.”
Angela replied energetically. But Anschel didn’t respond even when Harriet and Ender entered.
‘What’s wrong with this person?’
She tried asking Harriet with her eyes, but he didn’t notice Angela’s signal at all.
‘Indeed, without the lieutenant, no one responds to me.’
Angela anxiously tapped in front of Anschel.
“The lieutenant is acting strange.”
“…Hmm.”
Harriet put his cane on the desk and gazed at the ceiling for a moment.
At that moment, Anschel’s shoulder twitched. While Harriet was looking around for the remote control, Ryan entered the office very carefully. He wasn’t properly dressed in his military uniform. He must have overslept today.
There was nothing particularly different about the office today. Only Anschel, who should have been saying “Let’s begin the briefing” as soon as everyone gathered, couldn’t pull himself together.
“Is it because of the broadcast yesterday?”
“Broadcast?”
“Yes… the live broadcast.”
At that, Anschel’s shoulders jumped. Harriet had only seen the very end of the broadcast, so he didn’t know what questions and answers had transpired before. The same went for Ender.
With neat hand movements, Ender carefully held his heavenly sunbae’s precious coat and hung it on the hanger with knife-like precision, ensuring not a single wrinkle formed. Then he approached and sat next to Harriet.
Ender didn’t ask what was going on, but with a nonchalant face that suggested he had a rough idea, he took the TV remote from Harriet. When he pressed the power button, the screen slowly turned on, with the sound coming first.
“Perfect timing.”
Ender muttered, resting his chin on his hand. He wrapped one arm behind Harriet’s back and gently stroked his shoulder. Ender’s heart pounded for a different reason as he committed the ungrateful act of daring to place his hand on his sunbae’s shoulder, but Harriet neither pointed it out nor pushed his hand away.
On the TV screen, the pale, frozen image of “Anschel” appeared.
“Huh? Lieutenant?”
Not having seen the broadcast yesterday, Angela spoke up.
‘Why is the lieutenant there looking even more unfashionable than usual?’
While Angela tilted her head, Anschel looked up.
In fact, Anschel had a terrible chronic condition. It was a disorder that emerged occasionally, though he hadn’t experienced it much until now.
When the Ellikiss sank, he desperately tried to plead that his parents were aboard. But the words that actually came out of his mouth were very awkward and nonsensical.
He would speak incoherently when experiencing extreme stress, or great tension and excitement. It hadn’t happened often, but it wasn’t rare either. Especially when his parents died, Anschel couldn’t speak human language for nearly a month.
The second time was when he received his first military assignment. Anschel graduated from the academy at twenty-five. For a civilian, it was a fairly quick graduation unless it was an elite-level academy.
And for about 2 years, he toiled at the bottom of warships. He had to carry twenty heavy shells at once, and nearly died of exhaustion while using his ability to envelop the entire ship. If fierce waves brought water onto the ship, it was the grunt Anschel who had to wipe and clean the warship’s signs. After exactly 2 years of toil, an opportunity finally came to him.
‘Ender’s unit…’
Ender McGuire, who had been promoted at lightning speed as soon as he entered the military, was a winged lion whom no one dared call a product of family connections. Boarding his black warship, the “Amazement,” was a dream and ideal for lower-ranking soldiers.
Anschel Lee was appointed as Ender McGuire’s direct aide. Of course, he chose to ignore the fact that six aides had changed over the previous year before him.
On his first day of appointment, he stood in front of the door with his entire body stiff from nervousness. Behind that door was a man who might become a hero. Anschel stood in front of Ender’s commander’s office and knocked.
[“Come in.”]
A dry voice was heard, and Anschel opened the door vigorously and greeted. The only problem was that it wasn’t a normal greeting.
“H-Hello do you!!!”
Perhaps due to extreme nervousness, his chronic condition flared up. Ender, who hadn’t even bothered to look at him, slowly raised his head at the moronic sound. His red eyes had frozen coldly. Fucking hell. Anschel cursed inwardly.
“Ah… hello, I mean hello…”
He needed to add “sir” at the end, but his tongue was twisted and he couldn’t speak properly. Anschel wanted to bite his tongue and die right then.
But perhaps it was that idiotic appearance that first made Ender respond. Of course, that wouldn’t be the only reason.
In any case, the current Ender trusts Anschel quite a bit. He also quite liked Anschel’s exceptionally quick wits.
“Are you a retard?”
“……”
For reference, the young Ender McGuire was truly an unapproachable trash. He had passionate red eyes, but he was mineral-like, cold, and uninterested in almost everything.
Anyway, Anschel knew well that he was someone whose tongue stiffened and who babbled nonsense when nervous. That’s why he usually composed himself and practiced mind control.
There had been a few more crises until now, but yesterday was too sudden.
Having just escaped Ender McGuire’s insane actions, he ran into journalists who had been lying in wait. Moreover, they were famous local broadcast writers whom even Anschel knew. A male announcer with quite attractive lips approached Anschel.
“Hello, you’re Anschel Lee, the candidate running for president this time, right?”
“That’s… correct…”
The logo on their microphones and cameras was one that Anschel knew for certain. Although it was a local station, it was quite large and occasionally broadcasted nationally.
Appearing on TV without mental preparation was an extremely troublesome affair for Anschel. He refused several times, but everyone from the writers to the PD wouldn’t back down.
“You just need to answer very simple questions. The world is curious about you.”
The hook-nosed male writer said very seriously. Anschel hesitated for a moment, but even then, he coolly rejected them.
“Please make an appointment and come back.”
So I can prepare mentally.
“Candidate Anschel, I sincerely apologize for the rudeness of visiting without a prior appointment. But people are looking for innovation. There will be citizens whose hearts will turn to Candidate Anschel even a little through this broadcast.”
The announcer with very beautiful red eyes was not only attractive in appearance but also eloquent. His confident speech made him seem much more competent than the writer beside him.
Anschel hesitated for a moment and stalled. To be fair, Anschel was in no position to be picky. He needed to gain as many votes as possible and was truly at a crossroads between life and death.
But if he acted conspicuously here, it could throw cold water on Ender’s plans. Then Anschel would truly be a dead man. Anschel Lee really, truly did not want to be at odds with Ender McGuire.
While he was pondering what to do, the announcer gestured and poured a very fragrant chrysanthemum tea into a paper cup. They seemed to have prepared it in a warm thermos, but unfortunately, it was hot summer now.
He didn’t reach for the chrysanthemum tea that was visibly steaming hot. Meanwhile, Anschel had somehow already sat down in the chair they had prepared. And the problematic interview began.
Anyone could tell that Anschel in the TV screen was nervous. Harriet even muttered “Oh dear…” out of sympathy.
– Candidate Anschel Lee, you’re running for president, and is it true that our hero, Colonel Ender McGuire, is behind you?
– That’s correct.
Despite his nervousness, his voice was quite calm.
It wasn’t something to hide anyway. In fact, Ender had directly stated that he was sponsoring Anschel. The announcer, who skillfully set the mood with smooth questions that could be answered easily and simply, immediately threw a rather sharp question.
– If you’re elected as president, what do you plan to do first?
What could he have answered here?
Angela fixed her eyes on the TV screen with an interested expression. It was surprising that Anschel had done such an interview live. And Anschel’s answer was even more surprising.
– I’m going to destroy it.
He said it so calmly. Angela’s mouth fell open, and Ryan dropped the coat he was holding. The Anschel in the TV groaned. In fact, he had intended to say, “I will destroy the president’s system and end the war.”
– My goodness, that’s quite a provocative statement.
The announcer’s voice became forceful. The announcer, after looking surprised, wore an expression like someone watching a fish that had taken the bait. A bit of controversy was good for the broadcasting station too. Of course, it would be dreadful for the person involved.
– Who exactly are you planning to destroy?
– The president, the president’s…
Of course, at that moment, Anschel had realized what he had just said and was quickly trying to correct himself, but it only led to another misunderstanding.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
