The Vice Commander Was a Troubled Girl

Seeing that head of silver hair, so familiar it was burned into his memory, John's first reaction was that he was finished.

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

he realized things seemed different from what he had imagined—different from the Allied Forces sending the heroine to approach and assassinate him.

This unknown girl did have the exact same silver hair as the game's heroine, and her features were somewhat similar as well.

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

More importantly, the girl wore an Imperial uniform threaded with black and gold, with an epaulet denoting the rank of warrant officer resting on each shoulder.

A star, flanked by two bent golden stripes, gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

The Black Eagle Medal on her chest silently declared her unit affiliation as well.

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

As everyone knew, the Black Eagle Special Forces had always been strict in their selection. Even if she could only serve as a reserve member as a warrant officer, she could never possibly be an Allied Forces agent.

Phew, so it was just a false alarm!

John's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, slowly settled back down, and his icy hands gradually regained their warmth.

Yet as he looked at the unfamiliar silver-haired girl before him, doubts could not help rising within him.

Because, as far as he knew, aside from Anna, he had never seen another silver-haired person in the game Fall of the Empire.

The game's developers had even offered an explanation for this in Anna's character profile.

They said that Anna had inherited a special bloodline, and under the influence of a special magical formula, her hair had taken on this silver color, so different from that of ordinary people.

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

Could it be a coincidence?

The more he thought about it, the more puzzled John became. His brows furrowed tightly, until he sensed the girl's questioning gaze from ahead and abruptly came back to himself. He hurriedly suppressed his thoughts, gave her a military salute, and said:

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

"..."

The unfamiliar girl said nothing. She merely gave an almost imperceptible nod, then silently extended a document she had been holding toward John.

"This is for me?"

Watching her movement, John uncertainly pointed at himself.

In response, the silver-haired girl simply nodded.

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

he considered that asking rashly might displease her. Coupled with that silver hair identical to the heroine Anna's, which truly made him uneasy deep down,

he did not dwell on it. He quickly reached out, accepted the document, and began reading it.

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

Besides detailing Bahamut Town's current leadership and the approximate number of local troops, it thoughtfully included a map of the surrounding area, along with the locations and administrators of the four villages and towns under its jurisdiction.

Even the areas where remnants of the Allied Forces might be lurking nearby had been circled in red as a warning.

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

It had to be said, although that musclebound bastard Jett had caused his job-hopping plan to fail, the guy was truly beyond criticism when it came to professional competence.

What a pity they were not walking the same road and could not plot together!

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

He immediately gave the silver-haired girl another military salute and said:

"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? So I can go discuss the plan with him later."

Of course, discussing the plan was a lie.

Getting that unlucky bastard to take the blame was the real goal.

If the guy failed to read the room later, John could even give him a show of force right away. In any case, he was a subordinate of that musclebound bastard Jett. This would count as taking revenge in advance. Heh heh!

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

"Laiya Binote."

?

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

Hearing that crisp, pleasant voice, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, carrying an indescribably comforting quality, John was filled with shock at the realization that she could speak.

But he quickly came to his senses. He stared at Laiya with an incredulous expression, and in his agitation, his voice could not help turning somewhat flustered:

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

As though she was accustomed to being questioned like this, Laiya showed not the slightest displeasure. She merely nodded silently beneath John's blank stare.

Then, perhaps feeling that she, this burden, would hold back the remarkable Warrant Officer John,

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, gathered her courage, and added:

"I will do my best to cooperate with you."

"..."

John fell silent. He looked at the girl before him, whose waist was not even as thick as his thigh.

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

The moment he realized that musclebound bastard Jett had screwed him over again, John felt as if his sky had collapsed.

It was over!

It was all over!

The hulking, broad-shouldered teammate he had imagined, someone born to take the blame, had not arrived. Instead, he had been given a tiny thing who could not even beat him in a fight.

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

At this rate, there was no need to wait for the mission to begin. They could just declare game over already!

Jett Slaifute, you were simply inhuman!

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

But when he felt Laiya's gaze before him, tense yet carrying a trace of expectation, he still forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

Instead, he forced a smile onto his face and said:

"I see, then. I understand the situation. Warrant Officer Laiya, you may return first. I may need to go discuss some matters on my end, so, you see..."

"..."

Laiya said nothing at his words, but a flicker of disappointment passed 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 did not seem very satisfied with her as his vice commander.

After all, a monster like her could do nothing well except wield terrifying strength.

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

Even so, she had reasons why she absolutely had to participate in this mission.

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

And only by following at his side could she live up to His Majesty the Emperor's expectations for a descendant of sinners like herself.

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 vice commander in this joint operation.

At that thought, when Laiya looked once more at John's back as he gradually walked away ahead of her, the disappointment in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by unprecedented determination. Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped forward and followed him.

(End of Chapter)