Of course, during his spare time, Shade had not forgotten to visit the friend who had helped him at Green Lake—Captain Rades.
On the day Miss Galina and Margaret were attacked, Captain Rades had led a squad to create friction and conflict at the border, firing the second shot that marked the end of the Green Lake Negotiations. Shade had fired the first. After that, Captain Rades had been relieved of his military duties and temporarily transferred back to Tobesk City.
On the third day of Sunlight Month, Shade brought a bottle of wine to visit the captain at his rented apartment, only to find him packing his luggage.
"Good morning, Detective. Don't be surprised. The new assignment has come through. I'm leaving Tobesk right away. I'm not serving in the army anymore."
"What? So soon? But—"
"Don't worry, Detective. I'm a member of the navy now."
He turned around, smiling as he shook out his newly issued uniform for Shade to see, then gestured for him to look at the medal box atop the pile of clutter on the table:
"From now on, please address me as Major Rades."
The middle-aged man's eyes shone brightly, and Shade was happy for him as well:
"From captain to major? Congratulations, Ma— I mean, Major Rades from now on. That really wasn't easy."
"Yes, it really wasn't easy."
Thinking of the ups and downs he had endured over the past two years, the former Eight-Gun Captain could not help sighing:
"My promotion and decoration aren't normal circumstances, so the military has arranged for me to spend some time in the navy first. Next year or the year after, they'll transfer me back to the Royal Army. By then, no one will care where a major like me came from."
"But naval work