EP.179 A Wish is Granted
The night was dark. A faint nightlight, just dim enough not to disturb sleep, brushed against Abby's bangs before fading. Like the night that suddenly arrived, at some point Abby naturally woke from her sleep.
Abby, who quietly opened her eyes, blinked for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from the bed as if struck by lightning.
"Ugh?! When did I fall asleep...?"
Abby, who had been having a private meeting with Zhinü in the dining room, had accidentally dozed off while listening to her story.
Over the past few days, Abby had overused her magical power to search the various districts of the Military Nation. Both physically and mentally, she was overburdened.
Even if that weren't the case, anyone would fall asleep listening to a gentle story with a full stomach and the warm scent of black tea.
"Inexcusable...!"
Beside Abby, who had jumped up in the middle of the night, Sepierre in a suit was sitting leisurely.
"You're awake, Captain?"
As if she had anticipated all of this, Sepierre's attitude was extremely serene.
Abby hurriedly got up and looked around.
"Question. Where did he go?"
"He left first. He left a message saying he would be waiting."
"...Is, that so..."
Abby's voice sank.
Even just this afternoon, she was filled with anticipation for the happiness she would finally feel at the end of her life.
An ordinary marriage and a sorrowful parting.
It was merely a formality, but it was enough decoration to adorn her final moments.
However, the other party was a heavyweight far beyond imagination, someone who had absolutely no need for someone like Abby. Backed by a holding company, operating secretly in the back alleys, exerting influence everywhere.
Perhaps... he...
Abby squeezed her eyes shut and cut off her distracting thoughts. This was not the time.
"I have a mission to fulfill. Could you lend me a carriage for official business?"
"Lending a carriage is very easy. But can you go in those clothes?"
"Clothes?"
Belatedly, Abby realized her clothes had changed.
Instead of her usual uniform, a yellow, fluffy garment wrapped around her entire body. It was a bizarre outfit, hard to describe, made of soft fur from her shoulders to her legs.
Amidst this, the soft texture of the fur coat was top-notch; just wearing it made Abby feel the coziness of lying in bed.
"W-What is this abnormal clothing?"
"It's a special chick pajama I made myself. It's a masterpiece that came out after pondering how much I could express the texture of a fur coat with Akhi Avatar."
"That's not what I meant! I am asking why my clothes became this!"
"It looked like it would suit you, so I put it on you. It actually suits you quite well. I'll pack it for you, so take it with you."
"Declined!"
The Captain hastily undid the packet, but the pajamas, which had fine fur added to each alchemy thread, took quite a long time to return to the packet.
Sepierre muttered.
"It's the middle of the night, why not rest more before leaving? Are you leaving right now?"
"I have things I must do. I have no more time to waste!"
"What is it you have to do, Captain?"
"It's classified!"
As if familiar with military-like answers, Sepierre naturally replied.
"Then please only answer the parts that are not classified. I need to at least hear the Captain's destination so I can know how far my carriage should go."
It was a threat disguised as a suggestion: if she didn't want to be kicked off the carriage midway, she should spill some information.
Abby wanted to point out the other's attitude, but kept it to herself. Zhinü's citizen level is Level 5. It is higher than Abby's, and she is a monster who has her hands in several military secrets.
Unless it was the top secret regarding the Signal Corps, speaking wouldn't be a leak of classified information. Regardless of Abby's affiliation, the action she was about to take was, for now, to protect the security of the Military Nation.
Abby, having finished her calculations, answered.
"I must investigate and monitor the 'Shadow' and the 'Magician' operating in District 10. Since I have almost grasped their conspiracy, I will now monitor their movements and intervene at the right moment."
"The Magician?"
Encountering an unexpected fact, Sepierre asked with a hint of doubt.
"Why is a Captain of the Military Nation looking for them?"
"...I do not understand why you are asking about that. Executing reactionaries and protecting the security of the Military Nation is the duty of a soldier."
"Hmm. 'Shadow' and 'Magician'. Even if Shadow is a vicious organization that has maintained its lineage since the Kingdom era, why the Magician?"
Why would Sepierre Vakia, a resident of District 1, be so knowledgeable about back-alley matters that had nothing to do with her?
The clothing packet that would normally transform in an instant was slow to change today. It seemed it would take a little more time for the packet to be completely disengaged.
In the meantime, Abby voiced her thoughts.
"Shadow is a heinous criminal intending to commit atrocious crimes. The Magician is like the haven of all petty crimes."
"Yes. Compared to Shadow, the Magician's deeds can be considered cute."
"Affirmative. That is exactly the problem."
Saying that the Magician, who survived like a weed for a long time, was much more dangerous than the openly rampaging Shadow, Abby spoke stiffly.
"The Magician obscures the aversion to illegal acts. He is a criminal who constantly engages in gambling, intimidation, extortion, alienation, pickpocketing, and so on, but even when he commits acts in ways beyond imagination, no one shuns or reports him. They only show either adoration or fear."
As if she had done the same, Sepierre nodded gently.
It was a smile containing various meanings. Feeling the back of her neck gradually turning cold, Abby continued speaking.
"The citizens see him, who is no different from the haven of petty crimes, and... they just stand by or look the other way. That is wrong. Regulations must be followed, and punishment must be strict. Only then can a society built on law and order be maintained."
"So, you intend to arrest even the Magician."
"...Affirmative. However."
Abby's lips were already parched.
"If the Magician actively cooperates with me and helps in executing the Shadow... depending on the situation, I may overlook the suspicions without questioning them."
"Can a Captain who must follow regulations do that?"
"Since he was not caught red-handed, there is no ground to prove his crimes. It's all circumstantial evidence. Therefore."
Please, let it not be so.
Abby earnestly wished, but.
Sepierre shattered Abby's hope.
"It seems you roughly guessed it. That's a relief. It saves me the effort of explaining."
Sepierre welcomed Abby, who had crossed over to the knowing side, with open arms. Right after, Abby's pajamas completely unraveled, revealing her pale naked body.
Looking at Abby, who had become completely defenseless, Sepierre delivered the truth.
Along with a smile full of superiority, sent from someone who had known the secret beforehand to someone who had not.
"Yes, that's right. The gentleman who came with you is the Magician, and my master."
Abby tightly closed her lips, picked up the uniform packet on the table, and inserted it into her bio-terminal. Alchemy threads took their place over her soft curves. After that, tens of thousands of alchemy threads sequentially formed, weaving a pitch-black uniform over Abby's body.
It only took a few seconds for Abby to change into a Captain of the Military Nation. The Captain grabbed her officer's cap and stood up. Captain Abby walked past Sepierre and left the room.
Sepierre followed beside Abby as she strode along.
"I will cooperate, Captain. I'll lend you my carriage."
As if she had been prepared, a bearded coachman immediately brought the carriage. Sepierre put Abby in the back seat and quickly sat in the seat next to her.
Abby glanced at Sepierre sitting next to her.
"...I am in the middle of an operation. I cannot guarantee your safety from the forces in the dark."
"It doesn't matter. I can at least protect myself."
"Also, all military operations exercised by the Military Nation are military secrets. I cannot inform you, who is merely a civilian, of the operation's contents."
"But you'll have to tell me how far this carriage needs to go. That's efficient, isn't it?"
A way of speaking that forced the opponent to agree through sound logic. His shadow was reflected in Sepierre's words. It seemed what he taught wasn't just knowledge.
Anew, Abby realized that she knew nothing about him. Abby muttered sadly.
"...From where was it an act? From where was his plan?"
The Magician who ran the back alleys of the Military Nation, and a criminal sponsored by the holding company Cheonui Mubong.
Just with what has already been revealed, he was a heavyweight beyond imagination. It was rather strange that he was locked up in the Abyss as a simple laborer.
"What on earth was the Magician aiming for by approaching me...?"
He hadn't particularly extracted information, nor had he tried to use Abby. He consistently responded to her requests and made various considerations for her.
Even the return favor that Abby had racked her brains to come up with held no meaning to him. Yet, he readily accepted Abby's requests.
The easiest answer to the question 'Why?' would be that he had favorable feelings for Abby.
But exactly what kind of favorable feelings?
"I don't know either. Probably no one except Master knows."
Confusion and doubt amidst vague goodwill.
Watching Abby feel emotions she had graduated from a long time ago, Sepierre rejoiced at the birth of a comrade.
"But one thing is certain. Master will fulfill your wish in a way no one else could expect."
"Impossible. I have... no such wish like yours."
Born in the Military Nation and raised as a Signal Corps soldier, she had lived her life accessing all the information of the Military Nation in a dark room.
Abby had no wish she wanted to fulfill herself. She only had duty...
"Ah."
Sepierre let out a small sigh, realizing something from Abby's words.
"Now I understand. Master intends to gift you a wish. Your very own wish, more precious than duty."
At a certain hideout in District 14.
Ulfen, who had gathered the 'Shadows' ahead of their great undertaking, finally opened his mouth after a long wait.
"...The execution is tomorrow."
Ulfen, half-submerged in shadow, declared solemnly.
"Tomorrow, the Military Nation will become a crucible of chaos. The shadow of flames will cover this city. We will eliminate the wild dogs that temporarily took our place, and we, the true darkness, will operate in secret."
The 'Shadows' cheered as they envisioned the world that would soon arrive. The swallowed cheers filled the conference room with a quiet fervor.
Ulfen drew his sword. Without even showing a drawing stance, a small knife painted pitch-black was already there like a ghost.
"A system... only has meaning when utilized. Military Nation, nation of dirt and iron born from trampling the corpse of the Kingdom. I shall use your system for my purpose."
From now on, the shadow of the Military Nation would be their domain.
The half-shadows who heard Ulfen's plan quietly gathered their trusted subordinates. They were the mid-level managers, so to speak, and the actual action leaders.
"The execution is tomorrow. Be prepared."
"We've been waiting. It was getting hard to hold them back."
"Only hold them back until tomorrow. There must be no disruption to the plan. Tomorrow, like a bursting dam. We must move all at once to overturn the nation."
Unless they were highly trained Shadows, it was easier to give a hint to move the ragtag bunch agilely. The half-shadows conveyed the message to their trusted subordinates in various locations.
Like waves crashing in the dark night, the Shadow's plan spread quietly and secretly....
"Today is the day of execution!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Now, let's go in!"
"It's a revolution! We're overturning this damn nation!"
"Market? Family? They're the same trash but acting arrogant! Charge!"
"Cops are human too! Don't be scared!"
Even though enough oil hadn't been spilled yet, flames erupted from all over Amitengrad.