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The presence of the kin faded into the distance.
Kyle and Hecate retreated. I had no idea how they moved, but they pulled away from us at a speed I couldn't hope to match.
Supported by Yoon, I stared blankly down at Sion's body.
I'll give him a proper funeral.
Even if I had to do it alone.
"You need treatment."
Yoon glanced at me and muttered.
"Or you'll be following him soon enough."
"I'd like that."
Only after I said them did I realize it was a mistake. No one liked hearing that kind of thing.
But because it was sincere, it weighed even heavier on the listener.
If it had been Ami in front of me, her round eyes would have filled with pain and worry. Ricardo would have snapped irritably. Kal would have sighed, probably.
Sophia wouldn't have cared, though.
But the one who heard my true feelings was Yoon, and he didn't seem particularly surprised.
He didn't show any special agitation, either.
"Is that so?"
He replied calmly, then lifted me up.
The seniors came running from behind, but he didn't turn to look at them.
"I'm used to dealing with people in your state."
Can you collect Sion's body?
I was about to ask when his words made my eyes widen in shock.
What?
It was all too obvious who he meant.
"Ye-hyeon?"
A chill ran through me.
"Is he in that bad a shape? Why?"
"Weren't you about to say something?"
Yoon asked in a flat voice.
The seniors stopped behind us.
I couldn't pay them any mind. From the corner of my eye, they all seemed fine. That was a relief. I didn't have the energy to even talk to them.
"Can you retrieve the body?"
I pleaded quietly.
"Once I'm a bit better, I'll handle everything myself..."
"No reason we can't."
Yoon didn't seem offended or puzzled.
In that moment, I felt grateful that the one accepting my request in this situation was Choi Yoon. He didn't worry about me or empathize with my pain. He didn't get angry at my plea or feel betrayed.
His response without any emotional turbulence put me at ease.
Yoon turned his head.
"Retrieve that body."
Only then did I get a clear look at the seniors' faces.
Ricardo and Sophia stared at me intently. I couldn't quite read the emotions in their eyes.
Ami and Kal looked at Yoon.
The two nodded and rushed toward Sion's body.
I felt the strength drain from my entire body.
"Thank you."
"Sordi."
Yoon turned to Ricardo.
"Contact Samuel Han."
Ricardo nodded silently.
Supported by Yoon, I was carried to the Portal Zone.
The surroundings had suddenly grown quiet. Once Ricardo finished his report, the silence deepened. I moved forward, inhaling the stench of decay that filled the air in place of noise.
There was no conversation. Sophia, following silently behind, said nothing either.
I'm grateful you're not talking to me.
I have no face to show.
With those thoughts, I lost consciousness.
*
"Ten minutes left!"
A sharp shout woke me.
"Hang in there just a bit longer!"
I woke up quicker than expected.
I thought while staring at the barracks ceiling.
Only ten minutes remained until the Territory Reclamation War ended.
I'd woken up before the three hours were up.
It was surprising that creatures were still around.
Why did they waste their forces like this? I wondered, listening to the sounds of battle filtering through the tent. The Core must have been nearly complete by then. Probably just the upper part open to the sky, with everything below sealed shut.
Even if they breached all the barriers, the kin wouldn't win.
The outcome was already decided, so why did they keep throwing in creatures?
And what had they succeeded at?
Sequoia's words nagged at me.
I blinked a couple of times, then pushed my heavy upper body upright.
"Where do you think you're going, kid?"
Samuel's gruff voice flew at me.
You're here.
"It's almost over, so you don't need to go."
"I want to see it end."
"You'd go even if I tried to stop you, huh?"
The doctor seemed to have finished analyzing me.
He stood up from his chair with a bored expression and walked over to my bed. I grinned at his fatigue-lined face.
The edge of the tablet smacked my head.
"Ow!"
"Go on, then."
His voice was oddly subdued.
But I didn't have the mental leeway to guess why.
"Get treated right after the reclamation battle ends."
I nodded slightly and got out of bed.
I walked out of the barracks.
My view opened up. An unexpected scene unfolded before me.
A densely packed defense line. A couple more barriers had been shattered. Numerous Badgers held position in front of the broken barriers.
The scent of slaughter carried on the chilling wind.
The smells and gunfire told me the fight was still going. But the atmosphere was markedly different from before.
I took in the smiles on the faces of the Badgers holding the line.
The smiles of soldiers on the verge of victory.
"Five minutes until the third defense line withdraws!"
Ye-hyeon's voice rang out.
The Supreme Commander stood behind the line, with his aides.
I stopped in place and looked at my superior's face. Unlike the other Badgers, Ye-hyeon's expression showed no particular emotion.
He just looked a bit more at ease than when he'd gone out to confront Kyle.
I turned my gaze from his pale, refined features.
I spotted the seniors who'd faced the kin together with me.
They fought amid the line with the other Badgers. Kal and Yoon weren't visible—probably Yoon had gone to check the Core device or the portal's status.
I recognized most of the Badgers by face and name. Lee Ho-chang. Barbie Winter. Asil Fisher. Jason Tvain and Richard Green. William Walker. Jonathan Kudo. Shu Diamond. Aki. Angela. Hesi and Tom.
Everyone's faces were brighter than before.
Those with serious injuries must have already withdrawn.
I stood still, quietly watching the battle unfold.
Just as Samuel said, a scene where I didn't need to join in.
Five minutes passed quickly.
"Third defense line, withdraw!"
At Ye-hyeon's command, a mass of Badgers pulled back in a rush.
The medical team seemed to be withdrawing with them. From behind, Samuel shouted, "Hey! You get back in here quick!" as he headed to the Portal Zone.
I smiled at the doctor and nodded.
But I didn't move.
Soon after, Ye-hyeon shouted again.
"Second defense line, withdraw!"
Another rush of Badgers vanished.
The seniors, barely holding back their silence, had clear smiles on their faces. I watched the Badgers marching in formation toward the Portal Zone. Covered in blood and dust, their faces couldn't have been brighter.
It's really ending now.
"First defense line, withdraw!"
One minute left.
All the Badgers began to fall back. The seniors withdrew slowly, watching their rear. A few bursts of gunfire continued, but not as intense as before. The piles of corpses naturally formed trenches, and the charging creatures weren't numerous.
Richard Green stood at the rear of the first defense line, leading the withdrawal.
I observed them entering the Portal Zone.
Until Ye-hyeon, who hadn't moved, turned his head.
"Hilde."
The portal activated, and the Badgers returned.
Ye-hyeon stood on the blood-soaked ground, looking at me. The aides quietly watched me too.
They didn't ask why I was standing apart alone.
The Supreme Commander said gently.
"Let's go back."
The wind shook my hair.
I walked toward them.
As soon as I arrived, Ska grabbed my arm. He'd noticed my unsteady gait.
I gave a faint smile to express my gratitude.
The one staring at me intently.
He didn't add any words. His combat uniform was stained with sunset light and blood.
The evening wind stirred the heavy air.
We began walking toward the Portal Zone.
"I have a report to make."
I muttered in a hoarse voice, and Ye-hyeon nodded.
But he didn't respond until we reached the Portal Zone. Then, he spun around, shot a lunging creature, and looked at me.
"Talk after you're admitted."
Ah. So hospitalization was a done deal.
"After we get home."
Home.
I gave a bitter smile and nodded.
The High Command pretended not to notice the bitterness in my smile.
As per tradition in reclamation battles, where High Command went last, the aides entered the portal one step ahead.
The space shifted.
[2]
[1]
[0]
[Core generation complete.]
As soon as we arrived, an artificial voice rang in my ears.
With that voice, as my vision returned, cheers erupted.
"Woooooo!"
"We won!"
"It's over!"
"Rest!"
The excited shouts battered my ears.
I widened my eyes in surprise.
The underground Portal Zone.
In that vast space, countless Badgers roared in triumph. The noise was incomparably louder than at the year-end party, echoing wildly.
People lost in ecstasy hugged each other and jumped around.
Flashes burst noisily from somewhere.
The seniors' cheers drowned out even the flash sounds.
People shouted, cried, laughed.
The cheers grew even louder as High Command appeared.
"Good work!"
"You've done well!"
"Territory! Reclamation! War!"
"Reclamation! Territory! War!"
"Give us leave!"
"Leave! Leave!"
"Uga! Uga!"
"Commander! Aides! Take leave!"
"The aides too! Rest long, you've earned it!"
"Invincibility!"
"Freedom!"
"Yeeeeee!"
Have they all gone mad?
I let out a hollow laugh while watching the frenzied seniors. Most were drunk on joy, out of their minds. They hadn't had alcohol, yet they shouted like they were wasted.
Some tossed their helmets aside. Others struck poses for the journalists swarming outside the Portal Zone.
A few teams linked arms and spun in circles on the spot.
High Command chuckled softly at their subordinates.
Ye-hyeon watched the excited Badgers for a while.
Then, as the noise began to die down, he spoke.
"You did well."
His husky voice silenced the Portal Zone in an instant.
The rampaging Badgers stopped and stared at the Supreme Commander.
The space fell still in a heartbeat. The silence overwhelmed everything. Even the journalists, thrusting mics forward and clamoring for interviews, shut their mouths.
I stepped back a couple of paces from High Command and waited for what came next.
"Thanks for doing such a great job. Now rest."
Ye-hyeon said with a faint smile.
"The Territory Reclamation War is over."
His superior's smile widened.
"We've won again this time."
Cheers.
Fervent cheers that shook the building.
I stood motionless amid the deafening roars.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. It wasn't hard to pinpoint the source. I'd shouted like this before and drawn out such cheers myself.
This was the sound of victors.
The cry of the winners.
After this thrill faded, they'd sweep over the spots left by the departed, tormented by guilt and loss. But before facing that reality, soldiers always got drunk on the euphoria of victory.
I knew why Ye-hyeon gave the Badgers this simple time to rejoice.
That's a relief.
Even as I thought it, a heavy loneliness enveloped me.
"Hilde!"
I'd been standing there dazed, it seemed.
I snapped back to reality when someone called my name.
"Hildebert! We did it! We really did it!"
"You're not hurt anywhere, right? Why are you just standing there like that?"
Hesi excitedly slung an arm over my shoulder, and Tom eyed me with concern.
Pure joy sparkled in the eyes of my fatigued cohort members.
I met their thrilled gazes and smiled wryly.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. You are hurt, aren't you?"
"It's not serious, and I'll head to Samuel soon, so don't worry."
I laughed seeing Hesi flinch and pull his arm away.
I stopped Tom, who looked ready to drag me straight to the hospital wing.
"I'm really okay. I'll go now, so you guys enjoy a bit more."
"Let's go together. I can support you."
"Want a piggyback? Think you can handle carrying him?"
"I can really go on my own."
"Aww..."
The drawn-out voice.
I whipped my head around at the sound from behind.
Intense green eyes entered my view.
A tall man stood with hands in his pockets.
Ricardo smirked and said.
"I'll take him~... You two chicks enjoy a little longer..."
"Senior."
Tom looked surprised at Ricardo.
At the same time, Hesi's eyes widened at the senior who'd come with Ricardo.
"Kal!"
Hesi's mentor didn't react to the deputy aide's shout and looked straight at me.
"Hilde. He's in the hospital wing."
His blue eyes showed no tremor.
"Let's go together."
You brought him.
I stood there for a moment.
I couldn't find words until the green-eyed senior approached to support me. Even when Ami rushed over and gripped my hand tightly, I couldn't respond properly.
I didn't want to face the emotions welling up inside.
But I needed to pull myself together.
Muttering cohort members and the seniors responding to them.
My body moved as I followed the senior.
Only when the Portal Zone's cheers faded from earshot did I speak.
"Thank you."
Kal looked at me with his clear blue eyes and nodded quietly.