༺ A Road Flows Together With A Traveler – 2 ༻
The Captain shouted after grabbing me.
“With what confidence did you make such a false report?!”
Pressed against the wall in an instant, I raised my arms in defense and made an excuse.
“It was to alleviate suspicion. Think about it. A person on a confidential operation is accompanied by someone strange. You’d want to verify it right? That’s what the Colonel did.”
“Even so, how could you make a false report when you, the suspect, can’t handle the consequences? Making a false report to a superior is a violation of military law in itself!”
“Even during a confidential operation?”
After a pause, the Captain added onto her words in dissatisfaction.
“…If it wasn’t during a confidential operation, that is.”
“Then there’s no problem.”
I shrugged my shoulders and decided to teach the naive Captain about the terrors of society.
“Do you think the Colonel is some kind of a joke? He was just testing the waters.”
“Testing the waters…you say?”
“Yes. Whether my words were true or false wasn’t important. If I really was an irresponsible big brother, he would have seriously scolded me. If I lied, then he would have assumed I created a fake identity for the confidential operation and just played along. In the first place, does it even make sense for him to get angry when he got an answer to a question that he himself asked?”
It was a test by the shrewd Colonel. Thanks to my ability to read minds, I passed smoothly; otherwise, he might have looked at the Captain with a slightly suspicious gaze.
He wouldn’t defy the directive, but he might have placed us under surveillance. After all, he at least had that much discretion.
“Why…would he do that?”
“Maybe he was dissatisfied with Captain or presumed you to be far too naive for someone on a confidential mission.”
“…Um ugh.”
Overwhelmed by my logic, the Captain couldn’t say anything. I added on with a murmur, feigning pity.
“And honestly, I didn’t lie, did I?”
“Didn’t lie? I do not understand what you mean.”
“It seems you don’t remember…When our Bbey was only as tall as my knee, I raised you by carrying you in my arms…I remember fondly when you called me Orabeoni….”
“…! Negative! You forced me to do that! I would never have done it! If I wasn’t threatened!”
｢Humiliation…! It’s the shame of a lifetime!｣
Eh? Oh my? I want it as a joke to lighten the mood, but her reaction was unexpectedly intense. What’s this?
I prodded her once more.
“What do you mean forced? You used to beg me to give you piggyback rides. Don’t you remember? Those days when you spread your arms and toddled around were really cute.”
“…! That was an undercover disguise during the mission! In the first place! If you had only cooperated smoothly!”
｢To think that I rode on the back of this kind of man, were held in his arms, and were carried around like a baby! If only I could, I would erase all those memories from that time!｣
…I’ve been thinking for a while now, but…
Was the Captain perhaps confusing her memories as a golem with her own?
Eh? Wait. Hold on. This excessive immersion…
Could it be?
“Captain Abbey.”
“…What is it now? I’m starting to feel uneasy.”
“Were you perhaps constantly in synchro while controlling the golem?”
Mages that controlled golems synced their actions with puppets to replicate delicate movements.
Witch Doctors synced sensations between the puppet and the opponent being cursed to inflict terrible pain on their targets.
Combining the best of both worlds, the synchro-type magic golem followed the handler’s movements and even transmitted sensations and information. Essentially, the puppet was no different from an avatar.
Signallers were the Military State’s greatest Puppeteers, capable of handling dozens of such golems.
However, if what I read was true…
These signallers weren’t the elite of the elite with discretionary control over dozens of expensive golems. Instead…
｢Affirmative, but question. Why such an inquiry?｣
“…It is confidential.”
No wait, seriously? She was constantly in synchro during all of that?
“What do you mean confidential? It seems like it’s an affirmation. No, but…Surely, one of the two synchros can be turned off, right? Either the motion synchro or the sensation synchro. Do you always keep them on?”
｢Partial affirmative. I know only one of the two. The amount of information that can be obtained when in full synchro compared to when not is enormous. To not miss such minute information, I deliberately keep both motion and sensation synchros at their maximum. And…｣
Mid-thought, the Captain self-deprecatingly reflected with a bitter expression.
｢…Either way. Even if I turn off the synchro…only a dark, empty room will appear before me. There’s no reason not to synchro…. Even if it’s painful, feeling sensations is much better, after all.｣
“…It is…confidential….”
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned solemn.
Huh, I’m starting to feel a bit sorry. I left her in such bizarre positions while tied up or tore her legs away, telling her not to synchro.
Nahhhh, surely not. She wasn’t an idiot. Would she really have kept staying in full synchro? Haha…
Haha.
Wow….
“…Question. With what kind of gaze are you looking at me right now?”
The Captain asked with a nauseated look. I pretended to be sad, dabbing my eyes with a handkerchief.
“Sob, sob. Our poor Bbey…. In the future, your oppa will earn a lot of money and make you happy.”
“Please stop talking nonsense!”
I felt a little, no, very sorry.
I treated her so harshly because it was a golem, but if I had known she, as a person, would feel the same things, I wouldn’t have done it. I wasn’t some sociopath lacking empathy, you know?
Without the ability to read thoughts, even a good citizen like me could become a devil, I see. Humans truly did find the devil within themselves….
Right then, the clock struck 10 PM. The Captain got up from her seat upon seeing the time.
“…?”
“It is the end of the workday. Within the next hour, I must finish washing and doing laundry before preparing for bed.”
“Why do you even have an end of the workday when you’re outside? You sleep when you sleep and wake up when you wake up.”
“A regular lifestyle and tidy attire are basics when it comes to work. Regardless of where I am or the situation at hand, I must act according to the time. Even if no one is watching.”
“Come on. It’s not like Captain spent everyday in that stuffy room wearing an uncomfortable officer’s uniform.”
“…?”
｢Question. How can I not wear an officer’s uniform while on duty?｣
No, what. If no one is watching, relax a bit. Golems can be controlled without wearing anything. Jeez, you’re so uptight.
The atmosphere was becoming somber again. I wiped under my nose and muttered.
“You go wash first. I’ll yield it to you.”
“…If you wash late, you won’t make bedtime. Please go ahead and wash first. I’ll tidy up the room in the meantime.”
If you say so. I put down my bag and headed to the bathroom.
It was truly typical of quarters made by the Military State. It seemed like they generously removed one of the three barely fitting beds to create space.
Bed, light, stand; that was all the furniture in this room.
There was no need for a wardrobe since there were clothing packets. Additionally, one could eat meals at the cafeteria. Hence, this place was just for sleeping.
Even the tiny attached bathroom felt like a luxury.
“It’s not too bad, I guess. At least it’s something.”
The Colonel did us a favor by giving us a relatively decent room.
After all, in shared quarters, bunk beds were lined up in a straight row while the mattresses were as hard as a steel desk.
I entered the bathroom first.
Of course, the water flowed well, but there was only cold water. Ah, this coldness… Yes, I’m starting to remember. Just as expected of the Military State.
If I used Standard Magic, I could easily make warm water, but that would surely drain my meager mana. I guess it can’t be helped.
I turned on the tap. Perhaps since it was a relatively nice room, there didn’t seem to be any daily water ration limit. I took off my clothing packet and doused myself in cold wat-
“Euaghhh!”
I’m freezing to the bones! Save me! I didn’t know the water in the Abyss was actually on the warmer side…!
I was in the middle of reluctantly washing myself when, from outside the door, the Captain’s voice was heard.
“How long will you be washing?”
“Ah, just wait a bit! I’m almost done!”
“You must not be late for bedtime. Please hurry up.”
What’s so wrong with sleeping in? It’s fine to lose a bit of sleep, you know? What a fascinating organism.
While I was busy scrubbing my body with the streaming water…
｢Morning glory… No, I mustn’t use it. Until I return to the corps, I am not permitted to use communication magic.｣
Thoughts trickled from the room. I listened to them like background music while scrubbing every corner of my body.
｢…In truth, now that he knows I’m a signaller, I must kill him. There’s no guarantee he’ll keep this secret forever. If he goes around revealing my identity….｣
Signallers only communicated through golems. They must never reveal their real bodies.
The information they handle ranged from minor to crucial. If someone captured a signaller and extracted information through torture or interrogation, that alone could destabilize the Military State.
The Windowless Room existed to protect signallers, who were stopovers for all information, and, in turn, protected the Military State. Moreover, it also safeguarded synchro-type golems.
｢The exposure of the Windowless Room…and my identity being revealed…was a grave mistake….｣
Signallers must only live in the Windowless Room; their lives must continue inside that box.
Absolutely nothing, except a golem’s body which can be abandoned at any time, should come out.
Only consciousness could be sent out.
Of course, since signallers weren’t born in the box, they inevitably had to move at some point. The advantage of a signaller was their portability, after all.
Therefore, when a signaller moved around in person, they were given confidential directives so their affiliation and name remained hidden; a book of operations with such high security clearance that even a Colonel could not open it.
｢According to the rules, I should…kill him….｣
“Okay, I’m done washing!”
Freshly cleaned, I put on my clothing packet and flung open the door.
In that span of time, the bed was neatly made. The pillow and blanket seemed inviting and the light was dimmed to a soft glow.
The Captain, who had been sitting neatly on the bed, stood up as soon as she saw me.
“I shall wash myself now.”
I spoke while drying my hair.
“The water was warm, okay? You can just turn on the tap straight away.”
“Noted.”
And with that, the Captain stiffly entered the bathroom, as the door closed with a Click.
Leaning against the bathroom door, the Captain was lost in thought.
｢…However, though it is shameful to say, he did save me.｣
I had found the Captain in a steel box near Tantalus, bleeding from the head.
When the overturned Tantalus landed on the ground, the immense shockwave spread in all directions. The impact, powerful enough to split the ground, caused the Captain, who was inside the buried box, to lose consciousness.
I just happened to find it, thinking it was a treasure chest.
However, the only thing inside was the bleeding Captain.
A Captain of the Military State wasn’t even worth plundering. Rather, I should worry about getting robbed by her instead.
I was just about to bandage her head and leave.
At least I would have if she didn’t wake up and make that request.
‘…Please…take me…to that place….’
‘Where even is ‘that place’ in this cramped space?’
Barely able to open her eyes, she asked me to move her with a dying voice. I was going to ignore her and leave her there, but…
‘…I’m…counting on you…Oppa….’
I could even grant the wish of a dead person, so why wouldn’t I be able to grant the wish of an injured one? I supported the barely conscious Captain and moved her to the desk.
After fumbling for something in the drawer, she put it in her mouth.
It was poison meant for suicide.
‘AH! What the-!’
I kneed her in the stomach in surprise, causing her to vomit out the poison and faint.
Thanks to that, I was left in a dilemma.
There were two ways to hunt an elephant with a gun.
The first was to shoot an elephant on the brink of death…
And the second was to shoot an elephant and run away until it died.
What? You say an elephant would die from a gunshot? Come on. There’s no way a gun, which barely worked on people, would be effective against an elephant.
Honestly, it was more realistic to hunt it with a toothpick. At least Qi Arts could be used with a toothpick.
Anyway, I had already struck the nearly dead Captain and if this continued, it would seem like I had captured her. After deep contemplation, I decided to just help her with the mindset of saving a person’s life.
As a result, I was moderately satisfied. After all, the Military State was far too inconvenient to travel without any identification.
“I’m done.”
“Eh? Already?”
The Captain emerged from the bathroom.
With her stiff uniform discarded, she stood in her shirt, drying her wet hair; it was the epitome of someone who had solely poured water over their head.
What in the world? Surely she didn’t actually douse herself with that water. Could it perhaps be that the faucet somehow recognized an officer and gave warm water?
No, wait. The Military State was a place that gifted cold water, even to officers. If one wished for warm water, they would have to heat it themselves with Standard Magic.
I looked around perplexedly.
“How was the water temperature?”
“As you said, it was warm.”
That? You call that warm? That’s odd. Has the definition of relative high and low temperature changed recently?
“The water was slightly warmer than the average supplied water. Given the large facility, I believe the collected water temperature is a bit higher.”
The Captain, drying off her hair, seemed utterly unbothered. In fact, she even looked slightly thrilled.
The Captain spoke with an expression that seemed more joyful than ever before.
“To be able to douse myself in water. This is truly heaven. As expected, larger facilities are the best….”
Was she a Captain or part of the needy?
Oh, I see how it is. She’s the Captain of the needy.
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