"You're from the medical department..." she asked instinctively.
"I'm Anto, Medical Operator Anto. We met before at the Moonlit Night Bar." She received her answer.
Her vision gradually stabilized, and everything came back into focus. She turned her head and saw that familiar, pretty face. Her gaze shifted, and only then did she realize she was in a temporary infirmary, where many lightly or seriously injured patients lying in beds were staring at her curiously.
Provence blushed.
"S-sorry..." she stammered. She was somewhat surprised to discover that she was completely unharmed. She remembered that she had been surveying important data at the observatory, and then, then...
"I-I remember that I seemed to have..." The crimson blade light that had seen through all her evasive movements and pointed straight at her throat surfaced in her memory. Her tail jerked in fright at the terrifying recollection. "...How did I get here?"
"Miss Surtr brought you here." Anto helped her up and explained.
"Surtr?" Provence tilted her head slightly. The name was strangely familiar.
"Mm, a red-haired Sarkaz woman. I heard she's also a member of Rhodes Island, but she never operates on the main ship... You should have heard of the Ten Mysteries of Rhodes Island, right?" Anto instinctively glanced behind her, then lowered her voice and spoke cautiously. "The Phantom Operator, Doctor Kal'tsit personally cleaning an unoccupied room every day, and so on... Do you want to find her?"
"Yes." Provence breathed softly, calming herself before nodding. "I still need to find Amiya and that... Doctor Persephone. My mission failed, so I have to report on it."
She was scrutinized from head to toe. Anto only reluctantly nodded once Provence began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Although I really don't want to admit it, you truly have neither external nor internal injuries. You're simply shocked and exhausted... We're currently in Chernobog's Sarcophagus, and the Doctor and Amiya are in the temporary command center at the facility's top floor. Walk out from here and take the elevator, and you can go straight to the top. Everyone in Rhodes Island knows you, so no one will stop you."
"Thank you..."
"It was what I should do. And... thank you for your hard work, Operator Provence." Anto hugged her, then perked up and returned to her medical duties. As she left the infirmary, Provence instinctively glanced at the nearest bed. What she saw was a white-haired boy who looked no older than fourteen.
He seemed to be a Liberi. His entire body had suffered moderate burns and was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. A Fedia boy around the same age was holding his hand and quietly comforting him. When Provence looked over, the boy seemed to sense it and lifted his head to meet the gaze of the big-tailed wolf, then forced out a smile that was obviously unfamiliar to him.
Poor child. He must have been burned in the chaos.
She nodded at the boys and turned to leave. For some reason, she felt as though her tail was a little hot, as if it were being scorched by some kind of flame.
It was probably just an illusion. Like how seeing ice can make you feel cold. She felt the heat because she had seen the burns.
She continued on.
There were many people along the way, and all of them were busy. She saw several Rhodes Island Operators, some familiar and some not, carrying documents or pushing beds through the corridors. Some greeted her, while others were too busy to even notice her. Besides the Rhodes Island Operators, many locals wearing ill-fitting military and police uniforms were also helping out.
Does Chernobog have this many military and police officers? Perhaps.
She walked through the corridor. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows beyond the gallery, the entire city gleamed beneath the colors of twilight. She didn't see a single building destroyed by external force. Star-like lights had been lit in every corner of the streets. Guided by personnel and drones, people were leaving the various shelters and returning home. The vast quantities of supplies that had been safely protected were also being transported out of the warehouses, piled in the plazas to reassure people, and distributed to the citizens in an orderly fashion.
The Catastrophe... had really passed.
Roars came from the Mobile City's power hub, and Chernobog was moving in another direction, away from the damaged Catastrophe cloud. For the first time, Provence felt that the disappearance of a Catastrophe could be so understated. In her memories, every Catastrophe she had investigated in the past had resulted in massive casualties.
"The World-wandering Hunt... Here in Ursus, it should be called the Ember Demon. I always thought it was nothing more than a modern legend exaggerated by the media. I never imagined... something like that really existed."
She muttered to herself as the elevator doors opened before her. The route to the top floor was more crowded and slower than she had expected. When she finally reached the top floor, several Rhodes Island Operators hurrying about brushed past her.
Was there some kind of emergency? It didn't look like it.
She knew the Elite Operator leading them, a man codenamed ACE. His face showed only the sort of fatigue caused by overwork—not a serious problem. ACE was an excellent warrior. The more difficult the mission, the less likely he was to show it on his face. But the simple, trivial details were precisely what gave these elites headaches.
So she didn't speak to him. She merely stepped aside to clear the way, while familiar voices drifted faintly from farther away.
"Regarding the mobilization of the sixteenth batch of food, here are the relevant forms and plans..."
"A small-scale disturbance has broken out in Area C31. We've already arranged the necessary personnel..."
"Negotiations with the Ursus authorities..."
"Great Yan has publicly expressed its regret internationally. Mobile City Lungmen recently indicated that it can provide aid..."
"The communications network with the main ship needs to be reinforced a second time..."
"The unidentified forces in the nearby outskirts have already withdrawn..."
It was Amiya. Provence could recognize her voice. She saw several clerks who seemed familiar hurrying out of the largest office with their arms full of documents. They didn't even greet her when they passed.
They really are busy, she thought.
But she still pushed open the door—and saw the poor Little Rabbit buried beneath a mountain of documents.
There were truly an enormous number of files, piled even higher than Amiya's ears. When Provence opened the door, she saw an unfamiliar white Caster, apparently of the same race as Amiya, helping process the documents on the other side of the desk. When Provence entered, the Caster nodded at her.
Was she another new recruit of Rhodes Island? Provence noticed the Rhodes Island armband on her shoulder.
"Amiya?" she called softly.
"Yes?" Then she saw the pair of rabbit ears drooping behind the mountain of documents suddenly spring upright again. All right, perhaps there weren't quite as many documents as she had imagined. Or perhaps there was nothing wrong with Amiya's height after all. When those pointed ears saw that it was Provence who had come in, they drooped again, and Amiya seemed to quietly sigh in relief.
"So it's you, Operator Provence." The young Caster smiled gently. "Have you recovered? Perhaps you still need to rest a little longer."
"I've recovered. But my previous mission..."
"Your previous mission has already been completed." Amiya interrupted her with a smile. "You did very well. The Doctor successfully received the data, and it played an important role. As for commendations and leave, you'll have to wait until we return to the main ship."
"Huh? Miss Surtr? But I remember that I was attacked at the time..."
When she said the name Surtr, the other white Caster sitting beside Amiya raised her eyes and glanced at her. The look seemed like some kind of scrutiny, but it lasted only an instant before vanishing like an illusion.
"And everyone says the one who stopped the Catastrophe was the World-wandering Hunt... the Ember Demon." She changed the words at the last moment to the local Ursus name.
Then she saw a troubled look appear on Amiya's face.
"Mm, the exact circumstances are a little complicated. But the Doctor is handling everything now and will issue an official incident report soon. Chernobog really did survive this time thanks to outside help. But the efforts of the citizens and the Infected must not be overlooked either."
"What about the attack..."
"Mm, that was a misunderstanding. Mr. Yan Ke has already submitted an application to join Rhodes Island. He should explain some of it to you later."
"I see..."
The chaotic dream gradually faded from the little wolf's memories. Perhaps under Amiya's gentle voice, the terrifying face of the Blade Beast had also begun to blur. Yet as the memory of the battle disappeared, a burning longing rose within her. She didn't know why, but she recalled the great fire at the end of the dream, and the large tail behind her swayed unconsciously.
"Can I go see the Doctor?"
Amiya sounded utterly listless.
"The Doctor is currently facing about three times my workload, or perhaps even more. I suggest you wait until tomorrow or the day after before going to see her."
"Then... what about Miss Surtr?"
The Little Rabbit suddenly perked up again.
"Sister Surtr is in the lounge next door. She just returned from the outskirts. Right, I'll take you there—" She stood up and was about to leave her seat.
Before you continue