Chapter 44 – Winning People (8)

The scale of the story was too grand compared to Natasha’s age of twenty-four, and there were many hard-to-believe parts.

But.

“A door that has closed once does not open twice… That is what he said, and with those final words, I fled.”

I saw her reciting, without missing a single syllable, the very words Jeremy Scott had spoken to me in the tavern’s food storage room.

‘The authenticity of the story… must be certain.’

I could not feel any sense of incongruity in Natasha’s words. It was not that her acting skills were great, but to be precise, it was the structure of the story itself.

She could not have cobbled together such a long and rambling story on the spot in this place.

‘Come to think of it, she wouldn’t be able to lie. We will have a three-way meeting in a few days anyway.’

Above all, Natasha was returning to the Ember with me.

Knowing that she was heading toward a dead end, she wouldn’t tell a lie.

If I talk to Jeremy Scott anyway, everything will be exposed.

As if reflecting on the time she escaped leaving him behind, Natasha continued speaking, her eyes deepening under the moonlight.

“After that, it was a grueling process. Along with Major General Baltics, we used our ranks to assert authority and passed through several checkpoints; upon reaching the platform, our lie was discovered, so we broke through by force and finally succeeded in escaping.”

“In the process, Major General Baltics, who suffered a fatal wound in my stead, lost his life in the elevator, and I had to flee without even being able to bury him…” Natasha said sorrowfully.

Just as the end of most spies usually was, Natasha’s story only grew darker as it headed toward its conclusion.

“After entering the snowy fields, we fought the cold, fought the raiders, and pressed forward. I still don’t know how I managed to survive and return back then.”

“So, what was inside the briefcase?”

“That is…”

Natasha mumbled her words.

Judging by the circumstances of the story, the document in the briefcase must have been classified information capable of bringing down the Ember of Progress.

“I’m sorry. The contents of the documents are difficult to disclose carelessly…”

“It is fine. It seems I made an unreasonable request.”

I did not ask because I was desperate to hear it.

Since we had not yet properly established a relationship of trust, I asked with a casual mind, thinking it would be nice if she told me, and if not, so be it.

‘She will tell me when she thinks we are on the same side.’

Otherwise, there was also the option of hearing it from Jeremy Scott.

However, because the contents of the document were the core of the story, Natasha was giving a vague explanation.

“I can at least tell you that Jeremy Scott was preparing a revolution to overthrow the anti-humanitarian Ember of Progress, and information about the mercenary organization ‘March’ that he secretly founded was written in that document.”

In short, a revolutionary mercenary organization called ‘March’, founded by Commander Jeremy Scott, existed.

‘I thought it was something like a weakness of the Ember of Progress, but I guess that wasn’t the case.’

However, there was no way the scale of the revolutionary army founded by the ‘Commander’ was small. This, too, could serve as a sufficient weapon to bring down the Ember of Progress.

That must be why he handed that particular document to Natasha of all people, and Jeremy Scott probably hoped that Herman Melville would rally the revolutionary army that would otherwise scatter after losing its leader.

‘So Jeremy Scott was actually on the side of justice… Only now does his behavior make sense.’

Reaching a conclusion, I asked her.

“Then, was his indiscriminate execution of soldiers also for the reason I am thinking?”

“Yes. His whims were merely an excuse; he selected and killed all those who took the lead in inhumane acts, as well as the subordinates of his political rivals.”

“Then, what about you, Natasha…?”

I asked because I did not understand.

Even if it was for the greater cause, Natasha had still taken quite a few lives by executing and commanding missions.

Although she said she did not kill a single civilian during the missions, how would Jeremy Scott, who must have judged based solely on documents, know that?

The reason was somewhat absurd.

“Partly because I took charge of office duties after my promotion to major and no longer went to the battlefield, and because I did not belong to any faction. My status within the unit was also high. And… there was also the reason that my smile is pretty…”

“Ah… I see.”

“I-I am not saying I am pretty, but Jeremy said so!”

“I didn’t really say anything, though.”

A person with a soft interior, unlike her emotionless exterior.

That was the Natasha I understood.

Now I had a grasp on how to handle her.

Calming her down as she fidgeted, I spoke.

“Anyway, we should get ready.”

“Pardon?”

“Thanks to us not trusting each other at all, morning has already dawned.”

A faint but bright shaft of light was leaking through the window along with the voices of workers starting the morning.

Because both Natasha and I were too thorough, and also because her story was long, time flew before we knew it.

Tucking the magic gun and bullets left on the table into the holster, organizing the bag, and putting on my clothes, I spoke.

“I didn’t know we would spend our first night together staying up like this.”

“I am sorry. I suppose it is an occupational hazard; it has become a habit to doubt first…”

“There is no need to be sorry. Isn’t that how a man and a woman’s first night usually goes?”

“…I guess it wasn’t completely false that you were written as a loose cannon in the files.”

“Was it written like that in the files? That I am a loose cannon?”

“It stated that you were the worst loose cannon among loose cannons who brought shame to his father’s face, indulged in alcohol, gambling, and women.”

“Those files… are very accurate, aren’t they?”

With those words, we burst into laughter at the same time.

All the tension and fatigue up until now melted away with that single word.

“Shall we go now? To get the license issued.”

“Yes, I will lead the way.”

If anyone else was late, I at least could not be.

Because the certificates were issued in order of grades.

Finally, it was time to return home.

* * *

The morning of the day the novice magic engineer certificates were issued.

There were less than ten minutes left until the start of the issuance.

There was a white-haired man who had waited for morning to dawn without sleeping a wink.

“Carlyle, let’s go.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Heimdall Arcadius was.

He had been ordered a week of confinement for a pathetic reason, and in the meantime, he had become anxious to the extreme.

‘That fellow Charles took the top score? I thought he would pass the exam, but to think he is the top scorer…’

The madman, Charles, whom he met while moving through the snowy fields for escorting personnel, who was traversing the vast snowlands alone.

Now he knew that his real name was Aylen Vale, and his origin was the nameless Ember that Heimdall had headed to.

And that he was the son of Damian Vale, the only person in that Ember with whom conversation was possible and interesting.

Thus, even when he questioned the Wayne brothers about his identity, he had regarded him merely as a bridgehead to establish a connection with Damian.

But the situation had changed.

According to the news delivered by Chief Engineer Herman Melville…

“Charles’s level is that of a mature intermediate. Apparently, because his answer sheet contained the core of the classified project, Vexel had to rewrite the answers.”

“Classified project?”

“You know… that project analyzing the magic wave of Eternal Magic. Was it the amplification tower?”

“…!”

Because the guy was a true monster who wrote down the only solution caught by Herman Melville using just his intuition.

That was nothing short of great news for Heimdall, who had to save the world… no, first save his own life, with magic engineering.

Since he had once put Aylen in his debt with the golden compass.

“I naturally thought Leona Melville would be the top scorer of this exam… I must meet him quickly. Let’s hurry!”

Heimdall, who left the leadership department, started running at full speed toward the city hall.

Under normal circumstances, Carlyle would have grumbled about maintaining dignity, but.

“Are you that happy?”

“Yes, I discovered someone even greater than Damian, and if things go well, it’s an opportunity to bring him to my side. How could I not be happy?”

At the sight of Heimdall rejoicing like a child, he only smiled bitterly.

Thus, the two ran and managed to arrive in time at the city hall square, where the certificate issuance had just begun, and.

“We issue the magic engineer certificate and the golden badge representing the top scorer to Aylen Vale, and award one hundred gold coins along with five pieces of intermediate magic engineering equipment!”

In the presence of Odin and Herman Melville, the voice of the intermediate magic engineer, Vexel Mytro, echoed loudly through the magic engineering amplifier, and.

“Waaa! The birth of a new magic engineer!”

“Hooray! Hooray! Long live the Immortal Ember!”

“Aylen! Aylen! Aylen! Aylen!”

They witnessed the marvelous sight of the crowd of over a hundred thousand gathered in the square, shouting his name so loudly that the sky seemed to split.

“Representative of the successful candidates, Aylen Vale, to the platform!”

Soon, at Vexel’s dignified command, Aylen Vale, standing between the boy who took second place and Leona Melville who placed third, climbed onto the platform with a majestic stride, and.

“I, Aylen Vale, solemnly swear before the world that I will fulfill my calling as a magic engineer, engraving in my heart the single noble goal of humanity’s salvation…”

In the silence where solemnity and reverence coexisted, his magic engineer’s oath flowed through the amplifier.

That heavy voice and solemn attitude were shaking not the ears, but the hearts of the people.

“…”

The sound of people barely holding back tears was heard from here and there.

Alternately looking at him, Heimdall thought with his mouth agape.

‘Crazy bastard. I knew his acting skills were out of the ordinary, but… he’s putting on a complete show.’

From Natasha to Herman Melville, and from Herman Melville to Carlyle.

Having heard all the stories related to him, Heimdall had no choice but to think so.

He felt it when they first met, but now that crazy bastard, with his eyes welling up with tears, didn’t care a bit about the mission of a magic engineer.

Since he was a guy who moved only for his own benefit and safety.

Because he had heard the story that Aylen had flatly told Natasha that he could not work with Heimdall, he knew.

He had thought he was a terribly cold-hearted guy.

However.

“Carlyle…”

“Yes.”

“I want that guy. I want to make him one of my people no matter what it takes.”

Rather, because he had tried to discard him, Heimdall truly liked him.

If Aylen became his ally, he would be equally merciless to his enemies.

While Heimdall was staring intently at Aylen Vale with eyes glistening with possessiveness like that.

Aylen, having finished the oath, was coming this way with the golden badge representing the top scorer pinned to his left chest.

“Lord, he is coming.”

Carlyle, standing beside him, stood behind him with a solemn expression, tidying his clothes that were disheveled from running.

However, contrary to Carlyle’s expectation that he was coming to Heimdall to return the compass.

“…?”

Aylen Vale merely passed by without giving even a single glance toward the exit where they were standing.

“L-Lord?”

Carlyle, who was treated like an invisible man, looked at his lord with a worried expression at the unexpected situation, but.

“Hehehe… Hahaha!”

His lord, Heimdall Arcadius, was merely trembling his hands in ecstasy.

At his feet, the dirt-covered golden compass rolled miserably.