MDBYF ~ 02

Chapter : 02

Now that a large-scale war had broken out, the role of Sentinels was more important than ever. There was even a joke that the nation possessing the greater number of well-trained Sentinels was practically guaranteed to win the war.

The Empire had built up its national strength through numerous wars. That was why it had stationed personnel throughout the country, ensuring that even children living in remote rural backwaters—places no one cared about—could undergo testing for Sentinel manifestation.

Sentinels were among the most powerful assets a nation could possess.

And Colonel Josef Kirchner was one of them.

When the sedan carrying Colonel Josef Kirchner pulled up in front of the Intelligence Command building, the soldiers standing guard immediately stiffened. Josef returned their salutes and entered the building with swift yet flawless movements.

The headquarters of the Intelligence Command had once been a large villa used by the royal family. Though it appeared luxurious from the outside, anyone who knew what lurked within would undoubtedly see the place in a very different light.

“Colonel.”

Lenart, his adjutant, who had been waiting for him, rose from his seat.

“The prisoner?”

“He has been prepared for interrogation immediately.”

“Lead the way.”

Lenart took the lead, guiding Josef down into the basement. The underground facility had been constructed after the villa had fallen into the hands of the Command. Yet whenever Josef descended those stairs, he could not help feeling as though the place had been there for a hundred years.

“Colonel.”

The subordinates waiting outside the interrogation room snapped into salute.

“We’ve tried several times, but he absolutely refuses to speak.”

“And since he’s a Sentinel, we’ve had to be extremely careful in dealing with him…”

Josef accepted the file containing the prisoner’s personal information, scanned it quickly, and nodded.

“I’ll speak with him myself.”

Only a small number of his personal adjutants, including Lenart, followed him into the interrogation room.

The prisoner, firmly restrained in a specially designed chair, immediately caught Josef’s attention. A hood had been placed over the prisoner’s head, no doubt to keep him in a sedated and controlled state.

Josef strode toward him and pulled off the hood.

The face of a man bearing unmistakable traces of torture was revealed.

“Joel Ganister.”

That was the name written in the file.

Accompanied by his armed adjutants, Josef took a seat in the chair positioned opposite Ganister.

“Colonel Josef Kirchner. Right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re quite famous. Any soldier who has fought in this war would know your name. Whenever one of our units gets hit by an air raid, we say, ‘Looks like Josef Kirchner drew another line.’”

It was a mocking reference to the phrase the Imperial newspapers used when praising his achievements:

Every line Colonel Kirchner draws on a map brings another Weimakh army to ruin.

Until now, Josef had led the wars that had consumed the nation toward victory through countless strategies and tactics.

In truth, war was like a vast game of chess to him.

His duty was to reduce his opponent’s pieces one by one, and Josef had never failed.

“I’ve always wanted to smash that precious head of yours.”

“Talk. Where is the area where the trenches are hidden?”

There was only one piece of information he needed to extract.

Ganister possessed the final clue regarding a secret operation the enemy nation was preparing.

Josef stared directly into Ganister’s eyes, preparing to dig the truth out of his mind.

“Why are you so curious about something like that? A great colonel like you should be perfectly capable of figuring out the situation even if someone like me refuses to talk.”

“Do you want me to search through your mind piece by piece?”

A flicker of fear crossed Ganister’s eyes.

But in the end, he merely lifted his chin and continued to provoke Josef.

“I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“I would have preferred to hear it directly from your own mouth. What a pity.”

Josef finally rose from his seat and seized Ganister by the forehead with one hand.

His ability as a Sentinel was simple.

He could read the minds of others and manipulate their consciousness.

With that ability, extracting classified information from Ganister would be effortless.

Giving Ganister the opportunity to speak voluntarily had merely been Josef’s gentlemanly courtesy.

But since Ganister had rejected that courtesy, Josef had no choice but to do what was necessary.

“Come to think of it, I met someone at the prison camp. Someone you know very well, I imagine.”

“Rosenheiler!”

The moment Ganister shouted the familiar name, Josef’s eyebrow twitched.

Realizing that his provocation had struck home, Ganister eagerly continued.

“We captured him. He was an excellent soldier. Almost a shame to break him.”

Ganister grinned.

“You know something? Rosenheiler remained loyal to you until the very end.”

“…”

“And yet you abandoned him.”

His grin widened.

“In the most miserable way possible.”

Josef remained silent for a moment.

Then, looking directly into Ganister’s eyes, he gave a cold, mocking smile.

“I hope you’ve said everything you wanted to say.”

The moment Josef activated his ability, the focus disappeared from Ganister’s eyes.

Gripping his forehead tightly, Josef closed his eyes and began searching through countless memories for the information he wanted.

Beckmann’s trenches.

Blueprints flashed before his eyes.

Military officers appeared, discussing something while holding those documents.

Then the image of the trenches themselves passed vividly through his mind.

At last, a map marking the location of the trenches appeared before him.

Josef immediately released Ganister as though throwing away something useless. Ganister, drained and utterly exhausted, slumped in his restraints.

“To the operations room.”

Three or four adjutants followed behind him.

Soon, Josef stood before a rectangular table covered by a large map.

The location of the trenches he had just discovered was there.

Picking up a bright red marker, he drew a circle around a single point on the map.

Clara had been sitting quietly in the room where she usually stayed when she suddenly heard the faint sound of a car engine in the distance.

She jumped to her feet.

Looking out the window, she saw a black sedan approaching the estate.

Josef is coming back.

It had been five days since he had last visited the estate.

Just as he had told her he would.

Clara hurried out of her room to welcome her fiancé, who was finally returning to the marquis’s residence.

But as she descended the staircase leading to the lobby opposite the entrance, her steps suddenly came to a halt.

Another woman was already waiting for Josef.

Josef’s Guide…

The moment Clara saw the woman—the one whose compatibility with Josef had been so good that she had begun providing him with guiding—her heart sank heavily.

The woman stood quietly beside the door with her hands folded in front of her.

It was obvious that Josef had told her to come and wait for him.

Could he be in urgent need of guiding?

Soon, the large front doors opened, and her fiancé appeared.

He looked exhausted.

For a moment, Clara completely forgot about the Guide and hurried toward Josef.

But the instant their eyes met—his gray eyes meeting hers—it felt as though something had lodged in her throat.

She could not say a word.

Having forgotten what she had intended to say in the first place, Clara finally managed to force out a question.

“Has something… unpleasant happened?”

“Clara.”

For an instant, he gave a short, hollow laugh.

Clara’s heart dropped.

“Have you forgotten that we’re at war?”

There was no mistaking it: Josef was in poor condition.

His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.

As he pressed a hand to his throbbing head, Josef’s gaze shifted elsewhere.

“If there’s anything I can do to help…”

“I need guiding.”

It was as though he were pushing her away while making it clear that her help was of no importance.

“But I’m your fiancée.”

“A fiancée who can’t even provide a decent session of guiding.”

Josef gestured toward the Guide.

It was a signal for her to come closer.

He soon took the Guide by the wrist and began climbing the staircase to the upper floor.

Clara could only stare blankly at his retreating back.

Then Josef spoke one final time over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…”

“I’ll keep my promise.”

With those words, Josef disappeared from sight, taking his Guide with him.

Left alone in the empty lobby, Clara remained standing there for quite some time without moving.

Or perhaps—

it would be more accurate to say that she simply couldn’t move.