Patriot raised the spear in his hand.
This captain did not actually enjoy giving rallying speeches, but he himself had endured in silence for far too long.
"We are changing history. We are creating history—a history for the Infected, for those driven from their homes, for the oppressed."
"Our target: Chernobyl."
"OOOOOOOH!"
The brief rallying speech made the spark shine even brighter.
These Infected, ordinary people, men, and women who could never have gathered together under normal circumstances—
Their fates would once have ended amid panic and curses, unknown to anyone.
Now, however, they had gathered together, ready to step into history's next chapter.
This was strength—
The strength known as unity.
(Group: 488749799)
The culprit persecuting JunJun has been found: @Daidai...
Within a sprawling, extravagantly decorated castle somewhere in Chernobyl, countless Ursus soldiers patrolled and stood guard around the estate with weapons in hand.
This was Duke Baikal's residence. Unlike the Rostov family's villa, Duke Baikal's manor was a quintessentially lavish domain of the "old nobility."
A magnificent castle that inspired awe at a glance, an absurdly large garden courtyard, towers that served no purpose but to waste resources, and—
A dungeon once used to imprison criminals.
"Damn it, that bastard Andreyevich actually dared to release those documents—hey, Garson, how is the matter with the sacrifice being handled?"
In the basement of Baikal Castle, Duke Baikal sat at a wooden table, cursing furiously. He was completely unlike the elegant, composed man he had appeared to be before.
According to Baikal's original plan, he only needed to keep applying pressure and exhausting the Rostov family's resources.
Then, once the opportunity arose, he would assassinate the family's head and heir. Everything afterward would fall into place naturally.
But he had not expected the Rostov family head to expose the dirt that could have been used as a bargaining chip, as though he intended to perish together with his enemy. That act thoroughly enraged Baikal.
"The desired effect has been achieved. The cities around Chernobyl have stated that they will not interfere with the Third Army Group's 'counterterrorism operation.' We can proceed to the next step. Do you need me to contact Legion Commander Kerk?"
Garson's voice came through from the other end of the phone.
"Ah, damn it, there was no need to use the Third Army Group in the first place—damn you, Rostov!"
Baikal hung up, then viciously kicked the female Infected who had been chained to the wall beside him, her limbs restrained ever since earlier.
"Ugh—!"
The girl with short reddish-brown hair let out a pained cry, but she quickly endured the pain and glared at Grand Duke Baikal with murderous intent.
"What a terrifying look. But do you think anyone would fear a hyena chained up like that?"
"Mmph! Mmph—!!"
The girl roared at Baikal, but he merely watched her with the gaze of someone admiring an animal.
"You killed Sergei. I have to say, that is commendable for a girl, but he was a dog of some value. How do you intend to compensate me for that loss?"
Baikal grabbed the girl by the hair with one hand and yanked her head back, forcing her to look up at him.
"Cough—mmph!"
With a strip of cloth tightly bound over her mouth, the girl could only make sounds that might have been either cries of rage or pain.
"I've decided. You'll become my next dog—cut out her tongue and sever her tendons. A toy does not need to speak, nor does it need to raise its claws against its master."
Baikal gave the order to the masked soldier beside him, then left the dungeon.
"..."
Having received the order, the soldier drew a dagger and approached the girl, raising the blade.
Crack!
The dagger sliced through the cloth binding the girl's mouth.
"You lot—"
"I am not your enemy."
Just as the girl was about to curse, the "soldier" spoke in a voice that was incomparably reassuring.
"I'm sorry. I could not stop that duke just now. But it is all right now. You are very strong."
The "soldier" removed her mask, revealing a fair and gentle face. Only then did the girl suddenly realize that this soldier was actually an Elafian girl.
The little deer disguised as a soldier—Alina, the Reunion Movement's political commissar—reached out and gently embraced the restrained girl.
"It is over now. You were very brave. Leave the rest to me. I will find a spare key and help you escape."
"This has nothing to do with you! I'm going to kill that man...! He was involved in my father's death too!! I—I—"
The girl cried out in anguish, while Alina gently stroked her, unconditionally accepting every emotion pouring from her.
After a while, the girl, who had been extremely agitated, gradually calmed down.
"Avenging your family all by yourself? You really have been very brave. But you do not have to bear everything alone, all right?"
Alina rubbed the girl's hair, and the latter finally settled down.
"I'm Alina. What is your name?"
"...Lyudmila."
"Then, Lyudmila, will you wait here for me?"
"...Mm."
The girl calling herself Lyudmila nodded slightly. Alina smiled, got to her feet, and went to search for the dungeon's spare key.
"Infiltrating Duke Baikal's territory"—this was a mission Alina had volunteered for, and one that only she could accomplish within the Reunion Movement.
Alina often watched the boy named Orson desperately working himself to the bone for everyone.
Without realizing it, the thought of I have to do something for him too had taken root in Alina's heart.
All this time, Talula and Orson had carefully protected her as though she were a fragile work of art.
That was not what Alina wanted. She hoped that she could rush onto the battlefield with them too, in a different way.
Alina began thinking about what she could do. In the end, she found her answer in her Originium Arts—an exceedingly subtle ability that could put those around her in a relatively peaceful state, causing them to overlook her presence.
Later, Orson gave those Originium Arts a name: Akari Mode.
"...What terrible taste."
Alina walked through the dungeon. Many cells still bore unwashed bloodstains and unidentified bones.
Her objective was to observe Grand Duke Baikal and the layout of this castle. During the mission, Alina also came to understand one thing—this duke called Baikal took immense pleasure in tormenting the Infected.
The girl named Lyudmila had been captured after assassinating a researcher, then imprisoned here to become his toy.
At the end of the dungeon, Alina spotted the keys. But just as she was about to pick them up, another soldier questioned her from behind.
"Stop. What are you doing?"
"...The Grand Duke ordered me to bring that assassin to the interrogation room."
Alina silently made up an excuse.
"What is there to interrogate? What could someone like that possibly know?"
"Orders are orders."
"Tch... What the hell is Baikal trying to do? These old nobles are complete lunatics... Take it and get out of here."
The soldier grumbled as he motioned for Alina to take the keys and leave. Alina lightly raised an eyebrow at the substance of his complaint.
—This was different from what she had expected. The army did not seem to obey the old nobility unconditionally.
With the key in hand, Alina returned to Lyudmila, unlocked her chains, and crouched before her.
"Your foot is injured. I'll carry you."
"But... there's no way we can escape like this."
"Do not underestimate me. I am a weak person with no combat ability, so I have my own way of fighting. I have memorized all the shortcuts and blind spots in this building, the security routes, and the shift-change times."
Alina spoke proudly, trying to make the trembling girl before her believe in her.
—I cannot fight directly like Orson, Talula, or FrostNova, but that does not mean I must stay somewhere safe and passively wait for their return. I will enter the battlefield alongside them in the way a weak person should.
"Will you... really be all right?"
Lyudmila gently wrapped her arms around Alina and asked in a low voice.
"Mm. You are much lighter than I imagined. Hold on tighter."
Alina replied with a smile, then quietly left the dungeon.
As they passed the study in the corridor, Alina noticed a blueprint that had not been there yesterday.
Since they needed to leave, Alina only gave it a cursory glance. It appeared to depict some kind of enormous power propulsion device.
Large enough... to push a mobile city.
"..."
Alina seemed to realize something, but their first priority was escaping Grand Duke Baikal's territory.
The soldiers stationed here were all exceptional. Precisely because they were so "exceptional," the patrol routes and shift patterns Alina had observed earlier had not changed at all.
In the end, the two of them escaped without incident through the vineyard behind the castle.
"See? We got out."
Alina took off the Ursus soldier's uniform. Her silver-white hair and fair, slender body made Lyudmila realize in surprise that this little deer was even thinner than she was.
Moreover, beneath the glove on this Elafian's right wrist, there was unexpectedly nothing at all.
"Thank you for helping me, Alina..."
"Save your thanks for later. First, let's meet up with my companions."
"Companions...?"
"That's right. A straightforward but hot-blooded warrior, and a clumsy boy who always makes people worry about him."
Alina smiled as she introduced Talula and Orson to Lyudmila.
But when she thought of Orson perhaps being alone with Talula right now, tangled up together, the smile on Alina's face instantly froze.
Of course, Alina's worries were unnecessary. Orson was still at Peterheim Middle School—
Tangled up with W.
"By the way, Lyudmila. This question might hurt you, but... why were you captured? It might be able to help us."
"I... um..."
At the mention of that question, JunJun's expression instantly became somewhat embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. If it brings back bad memories, then forget I asked—"
"I accidentally fell into a pit while I was running away..."
Lyudmila answered awkwardly.
"I see. You have really been through a lot. Once we reach the base, get some proper rest, Miss Lyudmila."
Alina responded with awkward but polite composure, while recalling something Orson had once done in the northern territories—
"What are you doing, Orson? Why are you digging pits around the camp?"
"These are not just pits! Alina, you probably do not know this, but the Reunion Movement is still short one special operator, and this is my recruitment method!"
"Um, by digging pits?"
"These are not ordinary pits. I call them—the JunJun Trap."
...It was probably just a coincidence. After all, anyone could accidentally lose their footing.
As Alina thought this, she suddenly heard Lyudmila cry out beside her.
"Ugh!?"
Before you continue