60 – Pinecone (8)
What should I say at a time like this?
Tetis Libra held back her words. She didn’t think she was wrong, so she kept her mouth shut.
Edan Valf, the leader of the special dispatch unit, chuckled.
“So, the executive thinks their actions are righteous.”
“…I don’t think they’re wrong. The motos of the resistance are to protect civilians…”
“Those guys are not civilians.”
“…Excuse me?”
“They are closer to criminals.”
It’s incomprehensible.
“What does that mean…”
“This village used to be a mining village. There is a reason why the last stop of the federal train was built here.”
“…….”
“To mine the nearby mines, miners gathered. Naturally, a village was built, and as a result, the village of Pinecone was born.”
“I know.”
“But ironically, as the size of the village grew, and the number of people increased, do you know what the people of this village did first?”
Edan Valf glanced briefly at the train.
“They engaged in tax evasion.”
“…Tax evasion, you say?”
“Not only ungrateful to the resistance that protects them but they also falsified the amount of resources mined and reported. Based on those results, the resistance sent only the appropriate amount of border troops according to the value of the village. The fact that Pinecone had undergone changes was directly related to the reason why it had a small number of border troops.”
“How did they…?”
“Mentioned by Lieutenant Rotten Miller.”
That is indeed a clear mistake.
But to simply label them as mere criminals because of that…
“You still seem unconvinced. Tax evasion is a major crime. You could consider it as one of the reasons why the train got stranded in Harvest’s encirclement. If there were more border troops stationed from the start, this situation would not have occurred.”
“……..”
“But that’s not the only reason. It reveals truths that no nobles know,” Ethan Valp stayed silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the surface of the train.
Then he spoke.
“Finecone is a town stained with blood. Disgusting truths are hidden there. Once the nobles hear about it… they won’t be able to refute my words anymore. They are all part of the same corruption.”
…
“Stop distributing food rations.”
Tetis Libra muttered those words curtly, concealing her expression. Her contemplative face refused to entertain any questions.
“…Do as you’re told,”
Blanca and Avakusa whispered.
“Why the sudden change? Did one of the civilians cause trouble?”
“He’s been living on the train all day; he wouldn’t have had the chance to see any civilians.”
Regardless of the reason, we stopped distributing food rations. And soon after, the condemnation erupted.
“Why? Why aren’t you giving us any…? Are you telling us to starve?!”
“If food is scarce, does that mean we should eat less?! No, if they were a resistance, they should prioritize civilians!”
“Are you saying we should be satisfied with the breakfast ration…? Damn it! Does that make any sense?! You crazy bastards! That’s not even enough for one meal!”
The protests grew louder. The majority of those who voiced their discontent were armed either way.
I kept my mouth shut. Tetis and Libra acted solely according to orders.
After all, my current status was that of a soldier.
Even though I had grown close to Tetis Libra, she was still my superior. It was only normal for me, as a soldier, to obey the commands of my superiors.
The barrage of criticism soon subsided. As the Resistance members raised their guns, they retreated back into their homes.
Avakusa chuckled.
“That’s why you shouldn’t do good things for them. They should be grateful for what we’ve given them so far.”
“This time, I agree. We told them to keep it a secret, and yet they stood up and spoke out. Promises ought to be kept discreetly among people.”
Perhaps Avakusa and Blanca were right.
I looked around the quiet town.
Why did Tetis Libra tell us to stop distributing food rations?
The questions that arose remained buried silently in my heart. As long as the train was fixed, there would be somewhere to go.
We just had to hold on until then.
Since food distribution hadn’t been completely cut off, the people in the town could still endure. With a little tightening of our belts, we could manage for the remaining period…
…at least for a while…
“Uh.”
I stood up.
“Yeah? Drakan. Where are you going?”
“To the restroom.”
Although the other villagers didn’t seem to notice, one person was worried.
A brother and sister were left alone without anyone to protect them.
Penut and Melin.
I took out some of the hidden red potatoes. I sneaked into the children’s house during the night.
The night when everyone went to sleep was quiet. I opened a creaking door and stepped inside.
I met the eyes of the child who was dozing off with his back against the wall.
“… W-who…?”
“Shh.”
“… Hyung?”
Penut, the older brother of the siblings, looked at me with a broad smile. The wariness I had seen earlier disappeared, and he quickly got up and came over to me.
“Why didn’t you come yesterday?”
“I was busy. What about the potatoes I gave you?”
“We ate them all. So, I’m a little hungry…”
Of course, that was the case.
I hadn’t given them a lot to begin with. It was inevitable that they would run out soon.
I put the potatoes I brought on the shelf inside.
“Eat it secretly. Only three a day. The amount won’t be enough, but you have to endure it. Got it?”
“…Hyung. The village atmosphere is strange.”
“I know. Everyone must be hungry. Don’t let anyone else see you eating together. Only eat together when it’s just the two of you.”
“… Yes!”
“Can you promise?”
“I promise!”
I patted the boy’s head. I turned around to leave the room.
But then I detected a sense of presence that came in despite my sensitive senses.
“……”
I lowered my body. I moved the boy behind me.
Almost soundless footsteps. The measured steps approached the building like a thief.
Who is it?
Sounds like a stride I’ve never heard before.
“Hyeong…?”
“Shh.”
I reached for my waist just in case. Should I attack? But at least it’s a person.
I could cause more disturbance if I raise a fuss…
Creak.
The door opened before I could finish my thought. I confirmed the face of the person who stepped inside, illuminated by the moonlight.
She was a girl who looked puzzled and startled when our eyes met.
The tip of her red and black fox ears twitched. Confusion was etched beneath her pretty face.
I let go of my waist. The name is obvious…
“Kiara.”
“…What are you doing here? You weren’t planning anything strange for the kids, were you?”
“Oh, no! Unni!”
Peanut interjected urgently, shaking his head.
“Hyeong was going to share some food…!”
“Food? I said we’re not distributing any more…”
Kiara carefully checked the outside. She closed the door and came inside.
The look in her eyes towards me was filled with suspicion.
“You’re not really up to anything strange, right?”
“Only crazies have an interest in that side with the kids.”
“…But it seems like your head is screwed on straight.”
Kiara handed the bag she brought to the child.
“Here.”
“…Unni. This is not… for us, is it?”
“You’ll eat it. Peanut. Share it with your little sister when she wakes up. And make sure to finish all of the soup. Don’t forget to drink the water, too. Got it? Focus on increasing the amount rather than roasting it.”
“…Okay. Thank you. Unni.”
“You’re a good kid.”
She smoothed my hair and glanced at me with cold eyes. The change in her gaze was instantaneous and chilling.
“If you have time, would you like to talk?”
“…Sure.”
There was no reason to refuse.
. . .
The moonlight was bright. As we moved a little further from the village, all that could be heard in the forest was the sound of the wind.
She settled on the open field and sat across from me. She hesitantly spoke up.
“You, are you strong?”
It was an inexplicable question. To be strong.
“What do you mean?”
“He said so. People like you are so rare to see that it’s almost impossible. He described your actions as sharp as a sword’s edge.”
Was she talking about Ned Moore, the village chief?
I raised my hand slightly and waved it casually.
I thought I was just moving naturally, but perhaps the training had seeped into my body.
…Well.
Walking silently had become a habit without me noticing.
Lately, I often felt like my body had turned into a war machine. But it didn’t necessarily feel bad.
Now more than anyone else, I knew that without strength, I would only be humiliated by others.
“What do you want to say?”
She trailed off at the end of her sentence and changed the subject.
“…If you’re part of the resistance, do you happen to have a gun?”
I quickly drew the pistol from its holster. It was the large-caliber semi-automatic pistol I received from Peregrine Alto’s laboratory.
‘Half-Blood.’
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The more I looked at it, the more peculiarly shaped the gun seemed. Its overall form followed that of an automatic pistol, but the paintwork was unusually unique.
Black and red intertwined like a pattern. One could say it resembled a gun that looked at a black-red wolf.
Come to think of it, the color matched the woman in front of me.
…Peregrine Alto.
Undoubtedly, he was a strange developer. Both in terms of performance and design.
“Why is it so big?”
“Because it’s not a weapon made for civilians.”
“Can you show me for a moment?”
It was something that should be refused, saying it didn’t make sense. However, I handed her the pistol, removing the magazine.
The reason was simple.
I had confidence in subduing someone with my bare hands.
Chiara’s eyes sparkled. She looked at the gun with gloved hands, as if fascinated by it.
“It’s different from the weapon the resistance usually carries.”
“Because it’s something else.”
“……”
She stole a glance at my horn. Hesitatingly, she asked,
“Um… um…”
“Call me by my name.”
“Dr… Is Drakan not an ordinary member of the resistance?”
“Closer to being the opposite.”
“…May I ask one more question?”
“What?”
“Why did you distribute food to the children?”
Why did you distribute it, she asked.
“There were leftovers.”
“Huh?”
“Just because I wasn’t hungry today, I gave them what I didn’t eat. Don’t bother.”
“……”
Chiara lightly placed her finger on my pistol. It pointed at me.
Even though it was an empty magazine, it still sent a chill down my spine. But Chiara didn’t pull the trigger. She simply turned it around and handed it back to me.
“Drakan.”
“What now?”
“I think I misunderstood something. I’m sorry.”
It was a clean apology. Along with it, she made one more request.
“…If you have time, could you help me? I want to become a skilled mercenary like a respectable person. But I’m still awkward when it comes to fighting. They say you just have to accumulate slowly, but… I’m running out of time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know. That the man is lying. So, I want to show it before it’s too late.”
Chiara’s voice was desperate.
“I’ll listen to anything. So please teach me. There are limits to learning alone. Please teach me how to fight. So that I can do my share like one person.”
It was a sound that couldn’t be understood because it was too abbreviated.
Instead of asking deeply, I refused bluntly.
“Find someone else. There are people within the Resistance.”
“Oh, no. They cannot be trusted.”
“But you can trust me?”
“Not that I trust you… But Peanut has never followed anyone like that before. Children never lie. Sometimes they see better than adults.”
Chiara looked up at me. The pupils had moonlight in them.
Her face seemed to be half crying when I saw it again.
It was a pitiful expression.
I twisted my impression without even realizing it.
Was it intentional or not?
If it was intentional, it was a facial expression that could be learned.
“… Can’t I really? Oh, if you want, I’ll give you my body. Just teach me even a little…”
What’s so desperate?
I stood up.
“Explain the reason properly from the beginning.”
“I told you earlier.”
“So explain it so I can understand.”
“…Oh, well, Mr. Ned Moore…he’s like my father. He used to be a well-known mercenary. “
“He’s your father?”
“If you have to say one side, he’s my stepfather. He raised me who was born without one arm.”
She lifted her clothes. The metal smell passed by my nose.
As I guessed before, her entire right arm was covered with machines.
“Cyberware.”
“It’s not for combat. But I can manipulate it as I want. Thanks to it, there’s no inconvenience in daily life. But…”
She squeezed and let go of her hand.
“I’m not satisfied with being comfortable. I want to become stronger, worthy of the value of this item I received from the old man. The old man… he’s dying. He says he’s fine, but I know there’s not much time left.”
Her excuse was an emotional farewell.
“Before the old man dies… I want to show him that I can handle my own path. But no matter how hard I try, my skills just don’t improve… That’s why I asked him to teach me.”
“I’m part of the resistance. If I leave here, I have nothing to do with you.”
“I know. I understand. So please, just a little… just a tiny bit. Teach me what I’m doing wrong. The old man sighs when he sees me move. He tries to teach me something, but he always does it verbally, and I often can’t understand what he means.”
Chiara shrugged her shoulders.
“…I don’t like seeing the disappointed expression on the old man’s face. Before the last moment comes, I want to reassure him.”
The moon, momentarily hidden by clouds, revealed its appearance once again. It was then that I noticed her eyes were unusually red.
Cracked pupils. Eyes of a predator like mine.
A reddish hue, as if stained with blood.
“…Could it be that your eyes are not prosthetic?”
“My eyes are ordinary. It’s just… slightly different from others.”
“What’s different about them?”
“They show things better. Clearly. It’s not about clinging to someone’s ankle. These eyes show everything, even what others can’t see.”
“Is that so?”
I didn’t want to disappoint her.
It was an honest statement I could blurt out because I was a child. The woman in front of me was young. Despite pretending to be an adult, I could still tell she was a girl.
Likewise, my words were all genuine. They resonated more because they were expressed as they were.
“…Is it possible…?”
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and sat back down.
“One hour a day.”
I raised my hand. Chiara’s complexion brightened.
“Every day at this time. Remember. There won’t be any more.”
“…Yes!”