Bad Born Blood - Chapter 22



Only Noblemtl

022

The imperial suppression force arrived at the northern outskirts. It is said that the rebel forces are gathering their forces there.

Woohoo!

As we were getting off the train and setting up camp, a high-ranking command airship was descending from the sky.

‘I don’t see any combat airships or aerial vehicles.’

I looked around and saw no combat aircraft. I was a little puzzled by the idea of ​​fighting without air support. There must be a reason.

Beep.

I heard the beep and checked the message on my retina display. The officers’ meeting was in five minutes.

“Codelock, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Codelock, who had been directing his men to build, nodded. Soldiers and androids were moving busily here and there in the barracks, building barracks.

The barracks are built according to a set design. All facilities are in the same location. For soldiers of the Empire, even a barracks they see for the first time has a familiar structure, like their own home.

As promised, Ilay and I met on the way to our camps. Ilay looked at me, nodded slightly, and approached me.

“We don’t have time to talk for long, Luca.”

Ilay said with a calm face. We were walking to the command center.

“Is it because of the Ramones family?”

Every time I uttered that word, I also smiled bitterly. Claude Ramones, who was killed by a knight during a mission I was leading… … He died without even realizing his own death. Everything was over before he could feel fear. That was the only consolation.

And his sister, Lillian Ramones. I treated her badly. But that doesn’t mean I hate her or dislike her. I just don’t care.

“… … Yes, it’s because of the Ramones family.”

Ilay answered weakly.

“I know you’re friendly with them, but there’s nothing we can do about it, Illei. If you side with the traitors, even if you’re a member of the Kartika family, you won’t be safe.”

“I don’t expect a miracle either. But, Luca, if we get the chance, at least Lillian… … I hope we can somehow save her.”

I couldn’t answer easily. My pupils stopped on Ilay without blinking. I used all my insight to read the guy’s emotions.

Normally, Illei wouldn’t be affected by my observations. But right now, he’s in a dangerous state. To be honest, I don’t think he should be on the battlefield. He couldn’t even control his own emotions.

“Do you like Lillian Ramones?”

I hit the nail on the head. Ilay turned his head stiffly. The guy’s lips trembled.

“… … Not now. It was my first love.”

I let out a short, hollow laugh.

“You tried to connect me with my first love? You’re really something.”

“Because Lillian doesn’t want to marry a nobleman.”

Ilay said bitterly. Lillian doesn’t want to be associated with noble men? I wondered. But I didn’t bother asking why. That wasn’t important right now.

“Hey, come to your senses. I’ve tolerated your antics up until now, but not this time.”

I said it bluntly. Even if my mind was a little shaky, the answer would have been the same.

It was really dangerous to save Lillian. It wasn’t something that could be dealt with through disciplinary action. If we were caught, our superiors would execute us on the spot without even asking why.

Suddenly, another commander was loitering nearby. The command post was approaching.

“… … Ilay, that’s the end of the story about Lillian. Don’t mention it anymore.”

Lillian Ramones must die. That’s the truth, whether Illie agrees or not.

The upper level was using a large transport ship as a command ship. The transport ship, firmly planted on the ground, looked like a building that had originally been there. A plain triangular airship with no exterior at all stood like a pyramid.

Ile and I entered the conference room of the command center. There was enough space for a hundred people to fit in.

In the center of the conference room, a holographic map was slowly rotating. I stood tall near the wall and waited for the meeting to start.

Cadets and junior officers like me stood around the conference room, while the senior officers sat down one by one.

“Luka, how’s your platoon doing?”

Ilay said, tapping my arm.

The meeting had not yet begun, so the surroundings were chaotic. Some of the cadets attended the meeting with their adjutants. They seemed to be actively relying on their adjutants. That was one way to do it.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

At my indifferent words, Ilay seemed to have already noticed my situation and laughed.

“You can’t control your temper. Looks like you’ve already had a fight.”

“I struck first because I thought the adjutant would treat me like a brat.”

“From their perspective, we are just kids.”

“If you act like a nice person like that, you’ll be ignored by your subordinates.”

Contrary to what I said, I wasn’t too worried about Ilay’s platoon. Ilay is a deep-minded person, so she’ll be able to manipulate and coax her platoon members. What I’m more worried about is that she’ll meet Lillian.

While we were talking, the lights in the conference room went out. The chatter and noise stopped as if it were a lie. Without anyone giving any orders, perfect silence took over the conference room.

OMG.

In the darkness, the holographic map glowed more clearly. Our gaze stopped there and then turned to the stage.

Captain Heilas Custoria stood on the podium. He began his briefing in his uniform.

The Imperial Army is always direct and clear, with little formalities and ceremonies simplified.

“… … The rebels’ base is the Arcane Ruins.”

The holographic map zoomed out, revealing the Arcane Ruins. A brief commotion rose in the conference room.

Anyone who looked at the Arcane Ruins was sure that they were a fortress. It seemed to have been used as a fortress a very long time ago. A double wall surrounded the ruins.

‘fortress…….’

The planet Novas had traces and ruins of the ancient civilization Arcane scattered throughout the planet. The ruins came in many forms, but fortress-type ones were rare.

It wasn’t a problem that it was simply an Arcane Fortress. There were now almost no relics in operation. But this time, I had a bad feeling. The rebels were stationed in the fortress, and the captain of the guard was talking about it as an important matter.

“The rebels have figured out how the Arcane Fortress works. A high-density force shield surrounds the entire fortress in a dome shape, and turrets that appear to be Arcane weapons are shooting down flying objects one by one.”

The barely captured footage was played on the display behind the captain of the guard. A blue-ish energy attack mercilessly pierced through the aircraft.

Because of this, it seemed that the suppression force was thinking of giving up air support and going to ground warfare.

“The number of turrets appears to be five. The 11th Armored Brigade will take the lead in breaking through the fortress and taking out the turrets, and the entire army will rush in to surround it.”

The turret locations predicted by the strategy computer flashed as red dots on the map.

The armored brigade is a higher-level unit that can use standard armored vehicles, even if it is not a legion-level unit. The Empire has invested considerable force into this suppression.

‘Arcane Fortress in operation.’

I glanced at Ilay with only my eyes turned. Ilay is very interested in the Arcane civilization. The boy’s curiosity must be blooming in his heart. Or maybe he can’t even think about it because he’s worried about Lillian.

“… … The operation will begin at 14:10.”

One hour and thirty minutes later. The operation was a quick one.

The lights in the conference room turned on. As the meeting ended, a murmur rose from all directions.

The main concern was the operation of the Arcane Fortress. Everyone expected that there would be some connection between the Arcane Fortress and this rebellion.

Illeido was leaning against the wall, resting his chin on it, lost in thought.

“Ilay, let’s go back.”

I said, patting Ilay on the shoulder. Ilay nodded and left the conference room with me.

Beep.

Our terminals were sent a one-time short-term data. It was the manual for this operation. There were also instructions for the variables.

One-time data will be lost if not learned within a certain time. This was a security measure.

Ile and I walked around and studied the operation details. After about two minutes, we looked up from our terminals almost simultaneously.

“Well, I expected it, but you’re just a sidekick.”

I wasn’t pleased.

The main force of the suppression force entered the fortress and broke through the defense line. Our unit, which had a cadet platoon leader, was to enter after the situation was somewhat settled.

“If it’s natural, then it’s natural. The higher-ups don’t really want us to die.”

“Ilay said, putting the terminal in his chest pocket.

“What’s the difference between this and a picnic?”

“That was a pretty warmongering statement, Luca.”

I shrugged. I’m not a warmonger, but if I was going to go to war, I wanted to stand out.

I know it’s a bit of a foolish thing to say. But I felt like I could do something. I was starting to feel anxious, wanting to show my strength and ability. It might also be because I’ve been excluded from actual missions.

Towering.

We stood at a crossroads. My platoon’s barracks were on the right, and Illei’s were on the left.

“Ilay, please don’t do anything stupid. This is not advice, it’s a warning.”

I stepped back and pointed at Ilay with my index finger. A sad glimmer passed through Ilay’s pupils for a moment.

“I know.”

My insight told me that was a lie. The guy was determined to get Lillian out of there if he ever met her.

Please, I prayed, let Lillian Ramones die in confusion, and not be found alive by us…