The Deputy Commander Was a Troubled Girl

At the sight of that all-too-familiar silver hair, John's first reaction was that he was doomed.

But when the other person slowly turned around and he saw her face,

he realized things seemed somewhat different from what he had expected—that the Allied Forces had sent the female lead to approach and assassinate him.

This unknown girl had the exact same silver hair as the game's female lead, and her features were somewhat similar as well.

But upon closer inspection, he could tell that she was completely different from the female lead, Anna Splinter. She was someone else.

More importantly, the girl wore an Imperial uniform unique to the Empire, black interwoven with gold. Each shoulder bore an epaulet representing the rank of Imperial warrant officer.

A star, flanked by two bent golden stripes, gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

The Black Eagle Medal on her chest silently revealed her unit affiliation.

Clearly, this girl was a genuine Imperial officer, and a member of the Black Eagle Special Forces.

As everyone knew, the Black Eagle Special Forces had always maintained strict selection standards. Even as a warrant officer, she could only serve as a reserve member, but there was no way she could be an Allied Forces agent.

Phew, so it was just a false alarm!

John's heart slowly dropped back down from his throat, and his icy hands gradually regained their warmth.

But as he looked at the unfamiliar silver-haired girl before him, doubts inevitably began to rise in his heart.

Because as far as he knew, in the game Fall of the Empire, he had never seen anyone else with silver hair besides Anna.

The game's official lore had even provided an explanation for this in Anna's character profile.

It said that Anna had inherited a special bloodline, and that under the influence of a special magical formula, her hair had taken on a silver color completely unlike that of ordinary people.

But the game had never mentioned her having a sister, older or younger.

Could it be a coincidence?

The more John thought about it, the more confused he became. He could not help furrowing his brow, until he sensed the girl's puzzled gaze from ahead and suddenly came to his senses. He quickly pushed down his thoughts and gave her a military salute.

"Thank you, Warrant Officer. If you hadn't stepped in, I would have fallen into the river just now. You saved my life. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to come to me. I'll do my best to help. In any case, thank you very much."

"..."

The unfamiliar girl said nothing. She merely nodded almost imperceptibly, then silently handed John a document she had been holding.

"This is for me?"

Seeing her gesture, John uncertainly pointed at himself.

The silver-haired girl merely nodded.

Although John found it strange that this unfamiliar female officer had not said a single word—surely she was not mute?—

he did not dare ask rashly, lest he offend her. Besides, that silver hair identical to Anna's truly made him uneasy.

So he did not think too much about it. He quickly reached out, accepted the document, and began reading.

It was a detailed mission file. Its contents concerned Bahamut Town, the location of John's current assignment.

In addition to information on Bahamut Town's current leadership and the approximate number of local troops, it thoughtfully included a map of the surrounding region, along with the locations and administrators of the four villages and towns under its jurisdiction.

It had even marked areas where remnants of the Allied Forces might be present with red circles as a warning.

The contents were extremely detailed. It was clearly the work of the Black Eagle Special Forces.

It had to be said, although that musclebound bastard Jett had ruined his attempt to change jobs, there was nothing to criticize about the guy's professional competence.

Too bad they were not cut from the same cloth!

John sighed inwardly, then understood. This unknown girl before him had probably been sent by Colonel Jett to hand over intelligence to him.

He immediately gave the silver-haired girl another salute.

"I have received the intelligence for this mission. Thank you for the handover. Also, would it be convenient for you to tell me who the officer participating in this joint operation with me is? I'd like to discuss the plan with him later."

Of course, discussing the plan was a lie.

What he really wanted was to make that unlucky bastard take the blame for him.

If the guy did not know his place later, John could even put him in his place right away. After all, he was one of that musclebound bastard Jett's subordinates. This counted as getting revenge in advance. Heh heh!

John maliciously speculated to himself, but in the next instant, the girl before him pointed at herself under his silent gaze. Then her pink lips parted, and she spoke to him for the first time.

"Laiya Binote."

?

Wait, sister, you weren't mute after all?

Hearing her crisp, pleasant voice, as clear as pearls falling onto a jade plate and carrying an indescribable sense of comfort, John was stunned to realize that she could actually speak.

But he quickly came to his senses. He stared at Laiya in disbelief, and in his agitation, his voice became somewhat flustered.

"No, wait. If I understood correctly, are you saying that you're the deputy commander for this joint operation?"

As though accustomed to being questioned like this, Laiya showed no displeasure. Under John's stunned gaze, she merely nodded silently.

Then, perhaps feeling that a burden like herself would hold this remarkable Warrant Officer John back,

although she was somewhat resistant to conversation, she remembered what Colonel Jett had told her before she left. In order to leave a good impression on her commanding officer, Laiya frowned slightly before gathering her courage and adding,

"I'll do my best to cooperate with you."

"..."

John fell silent. He looked at Laiya, whose waist was not even as thick as his thigh.

She looked utterly harmless, like the girl next door—like even a dog could scare her into tears.

Realizing that he had been screwed over by that musclebound bastard Jett again, John instantly felt as though his world had collapsed.

It was over!

It was all over!

The burly male teammate he had imagined, someone naturally suited to take the blame, had not arrived. Instead, he had been given a tiny little thing who could not even beat him in a fight.

How the hell was he supposed to dump the blame now?

At this rate, they might as well declare game over before the mission even began!

Jett Slaifute, you're seriously inhuman!

John was filled with grief and indignation. He wanted to throw the damned document onto the ground and immediately go confront that bastard Jett, demanding to know what the hell he meant.

But when he sensed Laiya's gaze, nervous yet carrying a trace of expectation, he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

Instead, he forced a smile onto his face.

"I see, I understand. Um, I already know the situation. Warrant Officer Laiya, you can head back first. I may need to discuss a few matters on my end, so, you see..."

"..."

Laiya said nothing upon hearing that, but a trace of disappointment flashed through her emerald-green eyes. Then she nodded slightly to show that she understood.

Although John had not rejected her outright, she was clever enough to infer from his behavior that he was not particularly satisfied with her as his deputy commander.

After all, aside from her frightening combat ability, a monster like her could not do anything else properly.

It was perfectly normal for Warrant Officer John to be dissatisfied with someone as foolish as her.

Even so, she had a reason why she had no choice but to participate in this mission.

Because Colonel Jett had told her that in the current Empire, only Warrant Officer John could help her restore the Binote Family.

Only by remaining at his side could she live up to His Majesty the Emperor's expectations for her, the descendant of a criminal.

Therefore, no matter how much he disliked her, she had to shamelessly stay.

Even if she had to kneel before him and beg.

She had to secure the position of deputy commander in this joint operation.

With that thought, as she watched John's retreating figure ahead, the disappointment in Laiya's eyes gradually faded and was replaced by unprecedented determination. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and followed him.