Глава 10

It felt like something was missing when I had no one to give orders to.

Thankfully, Blake and the lads stole this pen from the Dublinn forces. Otherwise I'd have to carve everything out letter by letter in the sewers.

Have you really done that before?

Go take a look at the sewers all the way at the edge of the city. You might just find my magnum opus, 'Victoria, a Brief History,' personally carved by my own hand.

Uh... How long did that take you?

I'm just pulling your leg.

Let's save the chit-chat for another time. Dublinn could be here any moment. I'll get some sleep. You should too.

General, Dublinn's Feline Caster is here. She wants to see you.

Is she alone?

Yes, she didn't bring anyone else.

Let her through.

General, her Arts are hard to defend against...

So it's your opinion that I can't handle her Originium Arts?

No, that is absolutely not what I meant! General, just like General Theresis, you have my utmost respect as a warrior!

Then go back to where you belong.

Yes, General!

Hoederer, stay here.

I'm sure you are already prepared, having met with the Confessarius's Messenger. I have a job for you.

You want me to find the people from the ship?

You worked with them before.

I'm a mercenary. Mercenaries never remember who we work with. Not unless their heads are worth a lot.

Surely it must be easily to deal with old friends, no?

Maybe...

The Babel assassin has already made it to the city center. It's the Confessarii's job to fend her off.

As for the others... Hoederer, why don't you take a guess who they have?

The mercenaries in the city still haven't found any traces of any one of them.

They will make their move sooner or later.

For the past six months, our eyes in Victoria have been keeping a close eye on that ship. Yet they were always one step ahead of us, to the point that they came all the way to Londinium without any of us noticing.

Why do you think that's the case?

There's only one possibility. There's someone working for them in Londinium.

Someone working for them... an agent.

They must have planted this sleeper agent years ago, and this agent must be of some standing too. Otherwise, there is no way they could've escaped our watchful eyes.

Makes sense. My impression is that the Dame Doctor's methods can be... unorthodox.

Hoederer, look into the backgrounds of all the rebels we captured recently.

You think we've already caught them?

There must be a reason why the Rhodes Islanders are still loitering nearby.

1:15 P.M. \ Overcast

Underground structure, Sudean Borough, Londinium

Here we are.

Who's there?!

Old Bill, it's me. I'm back.

It's you, huh, lad? I just saw Rockrock. I thought you two left on a mission together.

Uh, she came back first since she had something to take care of.

Who are these folks you have with you... Wait, Sarkaz?!

D-Do-Don't!

It's very likely they're the ones the commander's been waiting for!

I thought she's waiting for allies? There's no way they could be a bunch of devils!

Bill, give me a break. Where's the commander? I'll see her right now.

Think about it. Do you really think there's a chance I could be a traitor?

Not one bit. Everyone here treats you like you're their own baby brother.

Rockrock had you guard this place, right? Bring a few more men. You can escort us there.

Alright, if you say so.

As for you lot. Don't even think about pulling any funny moves. We are watching you, Sarkaz.

Uhh... Amiya, I feel a little unwelcome. Like, I've never felt this unwelcomed.

I get that sense.;......;It'll be hard for us to work together.

Sorry. They aren't usually like this. It's just, they're a little sensitive... about how some of you look.

Things will be much better once our commander talks some sense into them. Come with me. They're having a meeting up ahead.

Did you not hear that? They blew the port up with the defensive cannons! We can't stay here any longer! It's too risky!

But if we leave Sudean, it won't be easy for us to come back to help the people here.

I want to help them too. You think I don't want to? But do you know where our people are locked up? Are our men supposed to search house by house in front of the Sarkaz?

Feist and Rockrock have been searching for information.

They're too slow! The situation has changed. The Sarkaz could blow this hideout to smithereens any moment! All our hard work, gone!

The hideout is dead. Those people are alive.

That's awfully easy for you to say! It's not like it was you business folks who built this place from scratch, bit by bit!

Seems like they're in a bit of a row.;Did we come at a bad time?

Haha, just a minor squabble.

Don't worry. The commander won't mind.

Most folks here come from very different backgrounds. They may not agree with each other sometimes, but all of us stand together.

Besides, no matter how out of hand their feud gets, as long as the commander is here, we'll find a solution in the end.

Seems you really trust her.;Is she really that amazing?

Hm... She rescued most of us. If it wasn't for our commander, we would long have died by the hands of the Sarkaz or Dublinn.

Just like Rockrock. Her pa was beaten to death by the mercenaries because he wasn't willing to sell the defense force out.

As for me, I didn't want to work for the Sarkaz, so me and a few coworkers ran all the way here from Highbury. We almost died of hunger in the tunnels...

In the end, it was the commander who found us.

She was the one who pulled each of us up from our hopelessness and united us.

All of us look up to her, and we trust that she will lead us through each and every hopeless situation we'll come across.

Commander, help me out. We should get out of here right now, right?

Commander, I suggest we start a rescue operation right away.

Commander...

Harmo, Tyrell. Calm down, both of you.

Time is of the essence. This is no time for infighting.

That voice...

Vina, what's the matter?

No, nothing. I might just have misheard.

Mr. Feist, is the one who last spoke your commander? She sounds... very young.

Surprising, isn't it? When I first met her, I thought the exact same thing.

Do you remember how I figured out you were the leader the moment I first saw you, Cautus lady? Soon, you'll know how I knew.

Come, let's meet our commander.

I know how you feel, everyone, but there is one point that I think requires no discussion.

We will save our brothers and sisters in arms.

If we let our enemies hurt our warriors, who would be willing to fight alongside us?

If we let our enemies take our friends away, who would be willing to offer us a helping hand?

We are the Londinium Citizens' Self-Salvation Corps. We must save Londinium, but before that, we need to save each and every one of our living friends.

Her hands are slender and delicate. Fragile, even. Yet it seems to have enough power to quell the anger and anxiety that is about to boil over.

The meeting room falls into silence.

Those in attendance naturally cast their eyes on their commander. It is as though none of them have ever doubted whether her narrow shoulders could bear their heavy hope.

The scene is somewhat familiar.

Most of the Rhodes Island Operators feel this way. They all turn their gazes toward the Cautus who stands in front of them.

I think I know what Feist means now.

Ehhh, they really are kinda alike, right?