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When you’re living a life pressed for time, it’s common to wrap up the day without even lifting your head.

This isn’t due to the vast distance between the sky and humanity, but rather, it’s because you’ve lost the leisure to even spare a moment to look up at the sky.

Thus, the gloomy sky bears no guilt.

The dullness arises from the harshness and fatigue obscured by dark clouds, born from a breathlessness that’s difficult to grasp even for a few seconds.

Under a sky tinted gray and the city below, the shadows reflecting in puddles merge with the urban landscape, melting into gray.

With my in-ear headphones in, I tightened my suit and hurried my steps.

—

Episode 19 – HELLDIVERS

As the Jamria Federation’s chaotic situation began to stabilize, the multitude of injuries sustained from the Mauritania Continent gradually faded.

However, while the wounds might fade, they never fully disappeared. They remained as faint symbols, invisible yet embedded within the nooks and crannies of body and mind.

With a month of investigation having fizzled out, I found myself with a bit of time on my hands.

It had caused quite the stir, making it difficult for me to continue as a Defense Attaché for a while, but it was a signal to prepare for some form of overseas duty soon. One might even consider it a kind of vacation.

I abruptly stepped out onto the street.

The city, gearing up for the holy season, was brimming with vitality.

Tourists that were clearly on vacation, citizens consuming the bustling streets.

Shops were engrossed in attracting customers to make a profit, and merchants lured tourists in with broken snippets of foreign languages.

There were even those capturing exotic scenery with magic cameras. Fortunately, there were no TikTok or Instagram Live users. Thank goodness for that.

Whether at home or abroad, I couldn’t help but feel my blood boil every time I encountered tourists loitering in busy areas with selfie sticks. I had too many headaches because of those fools broadcasting others’ faces without a mosaic.

The absence of such people made this area relatively livable. That was precisely why I dove into the streets without hesitation.

As I navigated through the crowd, various sounds reached my ears: busy voices calling out to someone, the flurry of rearranging stalls, scattered foreign languages.

I couldn’t help but glance at the faces of passersby, a strange mix of hope and disappointment riding a rollercoaster of emotions. At that moment, locking eyes with someone who had been staring at me, the foreigner politely apologized in short Abas—’My mistake, I’m sorry.’

From that simple apology, I sensed a strangely familiar tone. Since it was a language I had learned, I naturally replied.

“Tú no te preocupes. (It’s okay.)”

I waved goodbye to the foreigner, who quickly vanished into the crowd.

As I turned to survey the surroundings in place of the tourist who disappeared from my view, I noticed vehicles and magic control equipment scattered near the train station, along with road mirrors.

After lightly scanning the third eyes reflecting various angles, I resumed my steps into the crowd. Groups of passengers from a recently arrived train poured down the stairs, allowing me to rest on a plaza bench for a while.

“……”

Though it was just a fleeting moment, the break felt surprisingly long. Each time the automatic doors opened, countless eyes scanned the people, and the voices of those who found their companions echoed clearly from afar.

Between side mirrors and road reflections, I gazed at the crowd lined up at the station entrance, then rolled my eyes left and right before standing up from the bench to head down a narrow alley.

Amid the sound of shoes, splashes of puddles intertwined with those footsteps—splash, splash, sploosh. Occasionally, mismatched sounds cluttered together, but I chose not to question it.

The not-so-short alley felt unusually quiet compared to the lively plaza just a building or two over.

Maybe that’s why the sound of my footsteps echoed a bit louder.

“Hmm.”

Rolling my eyes subtly, I turned the corner and ventured further inside, accompanied by the sound of sneakers following behind.

—

Upon turning the corner, the faint glow of magical lights flickered on.

The sneakers splashed in a puddle, creating ripples, and at that moment, they abruptly halted.

The alley was dark.

Pastel-hued twilight clouds peeked between the tall buildings, their shadows casting deep darkness upon the alley.

Irregular external structures lay scattered around, deepening the shadows, and the alley was similarly shrouded.

“……”

The halted sneakers stood completely still, as if nailed to the spot.

When a pair of eyes began to scan the surroundings, suddenly—

-Thunk.

A sharp, hard object gently prodded my side.

In the shadowed heart of the gray city, a short voice whispered in my ear right after.

“This is your rib.”

It was a finger.

To be more precise, it was the index finger, precisely indicating between my ribs.

“This is where the lungs and heart are located. If you stab accurately, you can take someone out with one shot from behind. If you use a knife, it’s possible to aim for the heart if you just find the right angle.”

Of course, you shouldn’t stab just once. If the heart is pierced and you go to the ER, a thoracic surgeon can easily save you.

To ensure a sure hit, you need to stab multiple times.

That way, the blood vessels and organs will all turn into a ragged mess.

Before long, you’ll bleed out due to excessive blood loss.

“Be cautious of sudden ambushes. Especially right after turning a corner. If you get stabbed in the ribs or neck, even a doctor can’t save you.”

“Well, if the carotid artery gets cut, isn’t that instant death?”

“Exactly, that’s why I’m telling you to be careful.”

The Information Officer poked playfully at my soft side, withdrawing her finger. The aspiring Information Officer, shivering at the chill running down her spine, was a bundle of nerves.

“Ugh, that’s brutal…”

“What’s a person preparing to join the Information Agency getting all flustered over this for? You’ll learn everything at the agency.”

“But still, how can you casually talk about stabbing between ribs?”

“Do you think I’m just going to poke at ribs? I’ll stab your collarbone, liver, medulla, trachea, carotid artery, and your temple too. Anyway, you’ll learn all this once you join, so you might as well get familiar with it now.”

Ugh—

She shivered as if she were getting creeped out, trembling all over like her iPhone alarm ringing at 7 AM every day.

Frederick chuckled wryly, continuing in disbelief.

“What’s with all the fuss over this, Camila? You should’ve gotten used to it by now.”

It was a playful jab.

Camila, who had been rubbing her side, couldn’t hold back and exclaimed loudly.

“I’m not used to it at all!”

“Of course, you aren’t. Definitely.”

Frederick smirked, playfully tossing the words back. It was a grin that could turn the world upside down.

After barely calming the brewing tension inside, Camila, whose ears were flushed with color, suddenly spat out.

“Anyway. Now that I’ve been caught, let’s quickly address the issues.”

“I was planning on giving feedback afterward anyway. Before that….”

Frederick paused for a moment, then smiled and greeted her.

“Nice to meet you, Camila.”

It’s been a while.

The startled Government of Abas summoned me, forcing us to part ways.

Of course, it was merely a recall to my home country, so if my companions wanted to visit Abas to meet me, they could. The problem was that an order had been issued prohibiting external contact during the investigation period. Specifically, it was a mandate from the committee.

As a result, I spent nearly a month in isolation under interrogation. It was only now that I had the freedom to meet my companions.

“It’s really nice to see you. Wow, how long has it been…?”

I murmured happily as I sipped my coffee. The bitter acidity felt sweet, making me feel incredibly good.

“You must have had a tough time being interrogated. Judging by the fact that you couldn’t contact anyone for a month, it must have felt like you were under some sort of confinement?”

“Not to that extent. I was restricted from contacting anyone outside.”

“Wow… That sounds serious.”

Camila chimed in, slurping down her drink filled with caramel. The reason she made it all the way here was, after all, because of me. The moment I was eligible for a (not really) vacation, I contacted my group.

Having returned to the motherland, I thought we could all take a break together, but unfortunately, everyone was busy, so Camila came to meet me on behalf of the others.

After savoring the crema that had settled down, I spoke again.

“You’re still in Jamria, right?”

“Yes.”

Without even wiping the froth from her lips, Camila started to respond immediately.

“I’m planning to stay there at least until the local situation stabilizes.”

“Sounds like things aren’t good over there.”

“Considering a coup has occurred, it’s only natural that it will take time for the unstable political situation to return to normal.”

As she said, the group was still in the Jamria Federation. The repercussions of the rebellion led by the Archini tribe’s officer corps were still lingering, causing chaos in the area.

Especially after the military government was ousted, the power vacuum intensified the confusion.

“With the disappearance of Kasim and his faction, many political groups are in opposition now. Frederick knows, but… the conflicts that arise in the Third World are usually entangled in complex interests, aren’t they?”

“Fragmentation is the fundamental aspect of civil wars and conflicts in that area.”

A major tribe had collapsed.

The leaders of the rebellion had all been captured, and the former president had fled abroad, making it impossible for him to return. The power vacuum that resulted became a target for many.

Small tribes that had been watching for an opportunity and even moderately powerful tribes were likely sniffing around the political organizations in the Jamria Federation (including the military and warlords) at this point.

However, ousting the rebels did not bring only negative results.

“At least it’s good that they captured Kasim quickly. If the military had taken full control of the federation, it would have been chaotic, right? If we had delayed even a bit longer, the administration could have been completely overrun.”

Indeed.

The military government of the Jamria Federation (Phase 2), which had just been born a week ago, had been failing to seize control of the government. To be more precise, they were gradually taking over.

Why had they been failing to seize control for almost a week? This was because Kasim and his faction were “a coup army that had taken power through rebellion.”

In normal circumstances, a coup army does not garner support from anyone. Unless the leader has run the country into the ground, rebellions do not have any grounds for legitimacy or popular support.

(There have been instances where a leader’s mismanagement led to support for a coup army. A couple of notable examples of such foolish leaders are Romania’s Ceaușescu and Egypt’s Farouk I.)

Although the former president of the Jamria Federation was indeed a fool and a dictator, he was still a leader who had been (illegally) elected. At least he had some form of legitimacy as a leader. However, Kasim and the rebel forces had taken the capital in just four hours without presenting any justification for gaining the support of the populace.

Would bureaucrats follow such incompetent people?

The civil servants in the government departments shrugged off the orders to be loyal, saying, “Get lost!” and the members of the federal parliament, representing the legislative body, even armed themselves and staged protests in the halls of power.

Even within the military, many officers who looked down upon the coup or had bad relations with Kasim’s faction were arrested by the military police and unlawfully detained.

The executive, legislative, judicial branches, and the military came together to pray to the Earth God, “Please send those armed gangsters to hell!”

Whether that fervent prayer reached the deity or not, in just a week, we stormed the Presidential Palace and showcased a reverse military coup to oust the coup army.

Even though our family situation had somewhat deteriorated, the citizens of the Jamria Federation were indulging in a festive atmosphere.

(Though experts in international politics and defense diplomacy speculate that this could also turn into a funeral, but that’s another story.)

I nodded with a proud voice and said, “That was some impressive situation assessment, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

Camila, sipping her drink, rolled her eyes, displaying a sour expression.

“I agree that the decision was good… but honestly, the idea of storming the Presidential Palace seems a bit too radical even now.”

“…….”

I blinked at her, who was expressing a negative opinion. Why was she saying that when she was the one who jumped off a tank and shouted for liberty while taking down rebels?

It was a terribly hypocritical attitude. It was like those European colonialists who declared war when the Qing army dumped opium into the sea (the source of all the world’s evils in world history).

“…So, is the lack of shame a unique aspect of British culture?”

“What?!”

“Well, I mean… you enjoyed yourself and then suddenly started saying something different.”

“Do you want to taste a bit of that flavor? I practiced some new tech this time, so let’s test it out. Put on armor and come out quickly.”

“Ah, wait a minute. That’s not really fair…”

A brief ‘discussion’ ensued.

Successive chaos finally ceased, and we tried to regain our inner peace. After all, we were all in the same boat, and such meaningless jokes and arguments had been frequent occurrences over time.

Camila gently shook her head with a pleasant smile while sipping her sweet drink. I downed my espresso in one go and smacked my lips.

“Well then, let’s talk about the local situation bit by bit.”

“Okay! Now, tell me about the latest news quickly. Everyone is curious about Frederick.”

“You don’t need to rush me; I was going to talk about it anyway.”

No need to be such a pest, honestly.

As I set down the empty espresso cup, she eagerly slurped down her drink. She led me out of the café, and I pulled out my gloves to shield myself from the chilly wind.

“Been a while since we had Abas, right?”

“Yes!”

I glanced at the clock and noted that it was the perfect time—just right for dinner.

As I pulled away my gaze, I smiled and suggested, “Since we’ve finally met, why don’t we take a break and eat something delicious?”

“Oh, sounds great! Let’s talk during dinner!”

Camila bounced with joy like a child. Putting work-related discussions aside for a moment, she exclaimed that we should hurry to have a meal. Her expression was one of pure excitement.

“Yes, let’s go!”

With that, I led her, who was all smiles, towards the bustling streets of the capital.

 

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