"Slurp~ It tastes good, where did you buy it?"
"Closure supplied the goods, which cost me a lot of money..."
Watching his stockpile rapidly melt into the hooded mouth in front of him, Scout clutched his chest in anguish.
He wasn't joking when he said he spent a lot of money; although that shrewish merchant Closure, wasn't as despicable as other Vampire, she still "drained blood."
"That makes it really expensive."
The Doctor paused for a moment, then slurped the noodles even faster.
"Then I'll have to eat more."
"Whatever makes you happy..."
With a sigh, Scout simply pushed the box in front of the Doctor.
The latter didn't stand on ceremony and picked it up with one hand.
"Are you full?"
"Yes, that's enough energy."
After putting down his cutlery, the Doctor stood up and patted his shoulders, and Scout, understanding the gesture, came up behind him to help massage them.
"His Highness mentioned arranging an assistant for you before, why didn't you agree?"
"There's no need. We're already short-staffed enough, and besides, those documents aren't accessible to just anyone."
"Data... aren't you having too much work lately?"
Scout remembered the documents on his desk, even though Kal'tsit and His Highness were not there.
But to be honest, when those two were around, the amount of paperwork they handled was far less than what the person in front of them was doing.
"That's normal. The Babel Tower is growing stronger, and the Military Commission is preparing for war."
The Doctor's voice gradually became flat, and his cold aura was completely different from his previous cheerful noodle-slurping state.
"War..."
Scout was taken aback when he heard this term.
It wasn't fear; having been through countless battles, he was often the one feared on the battlefield, it was just...
"Even now, I don't quite understand, did our fight really make any sense?"
The Doctor, who was relaxing, turned his head slightly, and his voice regained some warmth.
"Scout, this isn't like you."
Scout shook his head with a wry smile. Normally, he wouldn't have had such doubts.
But unfortunately...
"The Military Commission is preparing to leave."
He revealed this widely circulated intelligence within the Babel Tower, and upon learning it, both logistics personnel and Elite Operator were equally shocked.
[We've been fighting for so long, our brains are about to explode, and suddenly we're stopping? What was the point of all our previous battles?]
No one said it aloud, but it was a tacit understanding.
Scout didn't care about any of this until a squad member silently came up to him and told him that he had to leave.
Why leave? Soon we won't have to fight anymore.
Scout naturally asked this question.
[I don't understand... Captain, if our battle could have been avoided from the beginning, then what were those who died fighting for?]
For Your Highness's sake.
Scout answered without hesitation that it was precisely because they had witnessed Theresa's brilliance and longed for the beauty she described that the Babel Tower was united in this way.
But we are going against our ideals.
Scout seemed a little dazed when he heard this reply.
He could have argued back.
To reach the golden dawn, one must endure the long night.
The current battle is necessary for that beautiful vision.
But...
My brother is dead. He died at my hands.
The team members calmly stated the sad reality.
[I pierced his skull with a bullet, relieved to have killed another enemy... until I personally ripped off the corpse's mask.]
Scout was speechless.
He didn't know when the team members left; he just stood there until ACE woke him up.
ACE brought a mission: gather intelligence and then snipe the target—a simple task for Scout.
[Something's not right about you... Don't look at me like that. Even if you cover your face, I can still sense it in your eyes.]
[Take a break. I've done the task for you. If you have any doubts, go find the Doctor... he might be able to give you the answer.]
Your concerns are valid.
The Doctor acknowledged Scout's concerns, which made him feel much better.
"No matter how you try to embellish it, war is war. Theresa's ideals were not wrong, but this Daichi could not contain such beauty."
As he spoke, the Doctor's thoughts gradually became blurred.
He recalled the first time he met Theresa.
The sorrowful "devil" took his hands and looked at him expectantly.
He knew at first glance that they would become good friends.
Will we succeed...?
Scout's voice pulled the Doctor back to reality; this Elite Operator had clearly realized the difficulty of that ideal path.
"I once thought... as long as I followed Your Highness, one day that wonderful thing would come."
"But even our own Sarkaz can't understand each other, how can we...?"
"Scout."
The Doctor interrupted Scout, turned his chair around, and looked up to meet his friend's gaze.
When you fire your bullet, can you be sure it will hit the target?
"Cannot..."
Scout wanted to say yes, but even he makes mistakes sometimes.
"But I'm certain that there won't be any additional factors interfering."
The sniper stubbornly added that the Doctor wasn't dwelling on it.
"Both the Babel Tower and the Military Commission were firing at the bullseye."
"The Babel Tower is far away, and the path is full of obstacles, but it's relatively safe."
"The Military Commission chose to take a shortcut, which had no obstacles and was very close to the target, but would expose them to the enemy's view."
Scout listened to the analogy and sighed heavily.
"This distance... it's so far it's almost despairing."
"Yes... Theresa's vision is too far-reaching, so far that most people may never see a bullet hit the bullseye in their lifetime."
The Doctor turned to look at the photo in front of Scout's bed; it was a group photo of the team.
In the corner of the photo, a young Sarkaz smiles broadly.
He arrived at this tower of ideals full of expectations, only to leave heartbroken, clutching the corpse.
The Doctor closed his eyes...
"I understand why your team members left."
"His pain is real, and his questioning is justified."
"The path to the Babel Tower must be able to accommodate this pain and doubt; otherwise, it is unworthy to bear the weight of ideals."
When the Doctor opened his eyes again, he stood up and patted Scout on the shoulder.
I'm not good at offering words of comfort; all I can tell you is my choice.
"I will continue to calculate the trajectory and do everything I can."
"I am very sorry for this tragedy."
"But we can't stop fighting yet... If we stop now, all their efforts will have been for nothing."
Scout was pushed towards the bedside by the Doctor with such light force that even Liberi couldn't move him, yet Scout couldn't resist.
"Please get yourself together and prepare to move forward again." The Doctor's voice was much softer.
"If you absolutely have to find a culprit for that tragedy, then take your anger out on me."
Scout was startled and was about to retort when the Doctor interrupted him again.
"I arranged his battle, even if it was based on the right consideration of his abilities, but there is no doubt... it was my decision that led to this."
You shouldn't think that way...
Scout's voice was serious; he was the one speaking at that moment.
If anyone else dared to say that, he would smash their mouth in.
You should know that this happened before the Doctor came to the Babel Tower.
Due to the disparity in manpower, their battle with the Military Commission was nothing short of a complete rout.
The person before me made ruthless decisions, with mechanical efficiency, yet managed to compensate for their lack of combat strength with their wisdom.
[Just follow the Doctor's orders, and he will surely lead us to victory!]
This is a quote that has recently circulated in the Babel Tower, and undeniably... it's an affirmation of the Doctor's abilities.
But Scout didn't want to hear those words.
There is no doubt that the Doctor is desperately trying to minimize the damage to the Babel Tower.
He really... wanted to save everyone's life.
But when everyone's expectations rest on one person's shoulders, can the weight of those lives be borne?
"I was out of my mind. The Sarkaz don't have time to think about these things right now. I'll get myself together. As for you..."
Thinking of this, Scout felt the mattress beneath him getting hot, and he stood up to pull the Doctor onto the mattress.
"You should rest now. I'll lock the office door until you've had a full eight hours of sleep."
"No, the fact that you can think about these things shows that your mind is clear."
The Doctor tried to resist, but his strength was no match for Sarkaz.
"As for eight hours, that's unnecessary; six hours of sleep is sufficient..."
"I'm taking the instant noodles away."
"..."
Scout found it somewhat amusing to see the Doctor obediently lying back down.
"I'll buy more snacks from Closure, you should get some rest."
"Then I'll give you my salary..."
"So you still get a salary?"
"..."
The two fell silent for a moment, skipping over this heavy topic.
"I have a special mission. Are you interested?"
The Doctor brought up the topic again, and Scout crossed his arms, somewhat helplessly saying:
"It's best if it's not some kind of tourist trip, you know... I can adjust my mindset."
I can't say for sure.
The Doctor pulled the blanket over himself, making no attempt to remove his hood.
"A fairly strong mercenary group that was not recruited by the Military Commission."
Recruiting tasks? How is that any different from tourism?
Sensing Scout's confusion, the Doctor uttered a series of code names.
Scout knew these infamous names, and just as he was wondering...
"These people were all taken care of by this team."
"Let's ask beforehand... what the team leader's temperament is like?"
Scout no longer considers this a vacation; he even wants to invite ACE to join him.
"We had absolutely no information, all we knew was that the team leader had been thrust into the spotlight."
The Doctor's words chilled Scout even further, but thankfully his next words reassured him somewhat.
"We have information on most of the mercenaries in the group; the only missing piece is their unknown leader."
"The information about them is at the very bottom of the left drawer. Take it and find Flamebringer; he's your partner on this mission."
"That swordsman?"
Scout recalled that his opponent often had a cold face and was extremely ferocious in battle.
"Yes, he and his squad will assist you."
"Are there any hard and fast targets?"
"No, the Babel Tower does not force others to join."
"Understood, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
Scout turned off the lights and opened the door to the room.
He stopped at the doorway, the corridor light shining into the dormitory, but he stopped right in front of the bed.
"Doctor."
"Um?"
"Is there really no shortcut on our path...?"
After a long silence, the Doctor's calm voice rang out.
"It's not that there aren't shortcuts, it's just that the Sarkaz lack the ability to take them."
"The nations would never want to see a united Kazdel; the shortcut was blocked from the very beginning."
"And that's why... Theresis chose to revive the past of Teekaz, Theresa chose to forge the future of Sarkaz."
Scout, somewhat unwilling to accept this answer, said:
"And now? Have we been abandoned...?"
"..."
"I'm sorry, I talked too much."
Scout's voice softened.
Please get some rest.
Snap--
The door closed, plunging the room into darkness.
The Doctor lay in bed, not asleep, quietly staring at the ceiling.
Yes...
Regardless of who wins or whether they can reach a bright future.
Those things are no longer relevant to the current Sarkaz.
They were destined to pave their way with their blood and bones, perhaps willingly, perhaps out of necessity.
He can't change the status quo.
Even the best chess players cannot break out of a deadlock when they don't have enough pieces.
Fortunately, the various states restrained each other, allowing them to barely play against each other on the chessboard.
"Well--"
The thought that the Sarkaz's current respite was due to the decay of the nations themselves sent a chill down the Doctor.
We're still too weak...
Lost in thought, the Doctor slowly drifted off to sleep.
If only I could wake up with the power to overturn the entire chessboard...