[Sukamoka Vol. 3] Chapter 3 Part 3: The Division Commander’s Office

It was late at night when Feodor returned to the Winged Guard’s base and reported to the First Officer that he’d been unable to find Lakish. As to the reason why, he provided a plausible explanation: she might’ve been taken in by some civilian or other.

“Although it’ll be harder to keep up the search, at the same time I determined the urgency of finding her was reduced, so I came back to make my report.” Feodor concluded.

The First Officer peered down at the paper in his hands. “In other words, it’s not as if we’ll find her dead on the streets if we give up the search for a couple of days? That’s nice and convenient for us. Though…” He roughly scratched his face. “It feels almost too convenient.”

Feodor bit back the urge to click his tongue. The First Officer might seem to be laidback, but he certainly wasn’t dumb. He’d thought his report was constructed flawlessly, but somehow the Armado had sniffed out the hints of a lie.

Still, it was just a hint. If he wasn’t sure of it yet, Feodor could mislead him as much as needed. “Of course we still have reasons to feel uneasy, but if you look at the evidence there, I believe it’ll show this is the natural conclusion to arrive at.”

“Hrm… I suppose so. What are your plans from here on?”

“Pending permission to do so, starting tomorrow I’d like to continue asking around and searching. It’s become necessary to search more carefully without being reckless, so I believe I’ll need some more time.”

“…Well, you make a strong point.” The First Officer murmured. “Oh well, it can’t be helped. I’ll allocate your duties to someone else, so for now, please continue to focus on your search.”

“Roger that, sir.” Feodor placed his hand on his chest to bow – and was surprised to find his field of vision becoming hazy. “U-Ugh…”

“Something the matter?”

He rolled his neck lightly. “No, just a little dizziness.”

“Running around too much, I suppose? You’ve done enough for today, so hurry up and get some rest.”

That’s wrong. Feodor didn’t remember pushing himself that hard. If anything, he was confident that he wasn’t so weak that it’d take something of this level to strain his health. This has to be something else.

Thinking about where it might’ve originated from, only one thing stood out to him: the time he’d used the Imp’s Eyes on Lakish just a few hours earlier. It was a power he’d never genuinely succeeded in using until now, and by sheer coincidence or whatever else one might like to call it, it’d worked perfectly. He couldn’t discount the possibility that it’d put his body under some sort of burden.

Pathetic. Even though this is my own power, I don’t even know what kind of effect it might have on myself…

“Thank you very much, sir. I’ll do just that.”

Feodor had Lakish to worry about now, so he couldn’t exactly rest easy. On the other hand, there’d be no point in pushing himself too hard and collapsing. Nodding to himself, Feodor turned to withdraw from the office, deciding in his heart that he’d sleep until daybreak–

“Pardon me!” The door right in front of him flew open and a panicked Alogantropos – a Private First Class – flew in. “We have a report from Lyell’s northeast districts! There’s been an incident – a medium-size building collapse!”

The First Officer groaned. “Once again, huh?”

“There’s more! A medium-scale explosion has been observed, and we predict the steam pressure valves in the underground facilities have reached their limits!”

“…Once again.”

It was natural for the First Officer to be so annoyed. Lyell was a city built from machines, and while they could self-repair to some degree, in the end they couldn’t persist forever without maintenance. Alongside the deterioration and breakdown of the machines, the city that relied on those same machines to maintain itself was slowly being lost. Every day, little by little, this city was being erased.

“Well, have there been any civilian casualties?” the First Officer asked.

“Unconfirmed, but it’s likely there’ll be some severely wounded. Third Officer Nilulerod has begun search-and-rescue operations and evacuating residents. Although it’s after the fact, we’d like to get your authorization.”

“Ahh, it can’t be helped. We’ll just say something like ‘If you think about it, everyone’s a victim of the Beasts in the end’ and nobody’ll complain about it. Go on, get ‘em out.”

Aside from existing to preserve all of Regul Aire, the Winged Guard had all sorts of restrictions placed on their activities. In particular, actions that benefitted specific cities were harshly frowned upon.

“Understood!” 

Feodor watched the Alogantropos private salute and quickly leave the office. “…Those sorts of incidents just keep happening, huh.”

The First Officer shrugged wearily. “No skilled technicians are in the city anymore, so it really can’t be helped. It’s pitiable enough to make one want to do something about it, but in the end, it’s a problem the city government is responsible for. It’s not our lot to be concerned about these things.”

“That’s… true.” Feodor breathed a heavy sigh. “Well, then. I’ll excuse myself.”

He bowed once, and this time withdrew properly from the office, closing the door behind him.

For now, that went well. Without letting it show on his face, he felt relieved. For the time being, the First Officer had accepted his version of events. Some things might have seemed out of place, but if that was all, it’d be no problem. Lakish would be safe for a while, and Feodor himself could still operate freely.

Perhaps because he’d allowed himself to relax momentarily, a huge yawn escaped from his throat. Guess I’ll go and get some sleep.

Covering his mouth and letting a small tear trickle out from his eyes, Feodor walked down the hallway.

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Prev -> Chapter 3 Part 2: Sleepless Night
Next -> Chapter 3 Part 4: Early Morning