An Unanticipated Savior

"I'm back! Who left the door open like that?! What if the soldiers discovered this place?!!" Carmella exclaimed in concern, only to notice a very tall woman standing in front of her.

"Unfortunately, this place has just been discovered by a soldier, Ms. Carmella Winton," Rosseaulyn quipped while greeting Carmella.

"Rosse?! Why would you come here?! I thought you were busy on duty at Headquarters?"

"They assigned me to oversee Luthernza right now after the guerrilla incident. So, I can often visit you from now on."

"Really? That would be great! Oh! I'd like you to meet my new sister here!" Carmella walked over to Vermilion and placed her hands on Vermilion's shoulders.

"Eh?! Oh! Hello... I'm Vermilion Yeleona..."

"Nice to meet you! How about this lady with the sharp eyes?" Rosseaulyn gestured toward Ayukawa.

"Um... She's... Ayukawa, my patient!"

"Patient?"

"Yeah…, she injured her leg and is staying with us until it fully recovers." Carmella explained nervously.

"What a happy family reunion, huh?! I guess I'll just stay in my room and not disturb your happy reunion!" Ayukawa said, walking back to her room and slamming the door.

"What's wrong with her? Your patient seems dangerous…"

"She's... somewhat bad-tempered... Just ignore her."

"Interesting... How about Ms. Yeleona here? Where did you come from?"

"She's from a village near the Nisaeria border..."

"So far away! Luckily, she's staying with you in Luthernza now..."

"Why do you say that? Is it because of the upcoming war with Nisaeria?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure if the war will break out this time. The peace negotiations are ongoing."

"But I heard Ayukawa say that those peace treaties and negotiations never succeed before, am I right?" Vermilion added.

"You're right. As a powerful nation like ours, we never make peace deals with others. But this time is different. Given the situation, if we attack Nisaeria, it will be a huge disadvantage for us. Even the General and the President aren't optimistic about this attack," Rosseaulyn said seriously.

"Why is that?" Carmella and Vermilion asked in unison.

"Well, that's classified military intel. Do you think I'm going to reveal it?"

"Of course! You shouldn't simply—"

"This is because we're facing two major issues there," Rosseaulyn interrupted Carmella.

"I thought you said it was classified?!" Carmella retorted.

"First, we're still unclear whether Logearia is providing military support to Nisaeria. We've sent many spies into Nisaeria, but we can't collect any useful intel. If it's true, that means we're declaring war on Logearia as well."

"Yeah, Dr. Apgar mentioned it before."

"Second, we're currently seriously short on soldiers. We've assigned too many of our men to our neighboring allies to defend their countries. Ironically, we can't even protect ourselves against some guerrillas, and now we're planning to attack others for revenge. What a joke... This country is definitely declining."

"It seems like we're hearing something we shouldn't know..." Vermilion said, looking worried.

"No wonder they're considering a peace negotiation with Nisaeria..."

"But from what I understand, we're offering an extremely unequal and unfair peace treaty to Nisaeria's government. It's up to them whether they're willing to accept it or not. They should know the consequences if they refuse it..."

"Obviously, it's unlikely they'll sign the treaty. This war is unavoidable and it's coming... But Captain Raynolds is leading the attack, right? I believe the national great soldier will win the war for sure," Carmella assured.

"How did you know Captain Raynolds is leading the attack on Nisaeria?! This information hasn't been released to the public yet, and I don't remember telling you about it!" Rosseaulyn asked in surprise.

"Well... Um... Vermilion, do you mind if I tell my sister what just happened, including your—"

"Go ahead, it's fine. I trust both of you."

"Seems like I'm about to hear an interesting story," Rosseaulyn said with anticipation.

Carmella spent almost half an hour explaining the unusual phenomena from the day they passed through the rooftop door until they returned home this morning. Carmella then asked Vermilion to demonstrate her power to Rosseaulyn, who was left in awe after witnessing such an amazing display of power.

"I never thought superpowers would actually exist in the real world! Amazing... Do you want to join the military?"

"Eh?! It's too sudden..."

"Oh, come on! She's only fifteen!"

"That means I'd have to wait for three years... What a waste of her power..."

"I better warn you not to think about using her power for bad intentions. More importantly, I won't allow her to join the military!"

"But it's up to her whether she wants to join or not. If you really treat her as your sister, you should respect her decision, just like what I did."

"Vermilion, don't listen to her! Joining the military is like digging your own grave."

"But isn't what you're doing now dangerous as well? I know all about what you and Dr. Apgar are doing."

"But I'm not asking her to join us, and she's not involved in our actions! Besides, you can't compare the danger between these two! Do you have any idea how many funerals I've attended since I turned eighteen last year? Countless! All of them died while on military missions!"

"Carmella! You..."

"Calm down, both of you! There's no need to fight over this, right? What's more, you haven't seen each other in a long time..." Vermilion quickly intervened to stop their argument.

"Sorry... I just can't bear to lose anyone that close to me anymore..." Carmella said, her eyes glistening with moisture.

"I understand your feelings... It's the same reason why you opposed my decision to join the military before."

"I'm so scared every time I watch the news... I'm afraid to see your name appear in the headlines..."

"You're thinking too much. Have you forgotten how strong your sister is?"

"Yeah yeah, stop boasting, Lieutenant Winton." Carmella teased, and the atmosphere seemed to relax.

"Ms. Yeleona, don't be frightened by our argument. We used to always argue with each other, and this is how we've maintained our sisterhood all this time."

"I see, it's an interesting way of maintaining a relationship..."

"To me, it's annoying! I can't even get a nap in my room!" Ayukawa stormed out of her room, her frustration evident in her voice.

"Ms. Ayukawa, I apologize if my sudden visit has made you uncomfortable," Rosseaulyn said, her tone attempting to be conciliatory.

"I'm seething with resentment just at the sight of soldiers, and I feel an impulse in my heart to kill you all!"

"She seems more dangerous than joining the military, and you actually allowed her to stay with both of you?!" Rosseaulyn exclaimed incredulously.

"Rosse! Please stop provoking her!!!" Carmella's voice rang out, a mixture of worry and frustration.

"Judging from your name, you're from Zennegreb, right? You harbor so much hatred toward us... Is it because of our invasion eight years ago?" Rosseaulyn inquired, her curiosity tinged with caution.

Ayukawa remained silent, her face contorted with anger, her eyes radiating fury. Her resentment seemed to bubble over, causing her hands to tremble incessantly. Thankfully, she didn't have a knife in her hand this time. She clenched her teeth, willing herself to rein in her murderous intent, not wanting to unleash a tragic event.

"Looks like I hit the mark. How did you enter Kothern? And why are you here?" Rosseaulyn's questions pierced the tense atmosphere.

"Hahaha!!!" Ayukawa's laughter erupted, tinged with a malevolent edge. Vermilion and Carmella sensed the shift in her demeanor and discreetly moved behind Rosseaulyn.

"What's so funny?"

"Why am I here?! Obviously, it's to exact my revenge and slay every last soldier of Kothern!!!" Ayukawa declared defiantly.

"Revenge?! Your anger... you must have killed many of our soldiers!" Rosseaulyn's grip tightened on her army knife, her eyes locking onto Ayukawa with fierce intensity.

"You're sharper than your sister! Indeed, I've taken the lives of many of your men after infiltrating Kothern last week!"

"Many of our men?! ... I heard about soldiers being killed on the train from a small town to Luthernza last week, and there have been numerous soldiers slain around here recently. They were all victims of a skilled blade... Are you responsible for these brutal massacres?!"

"Yes! It's me! The ones I've killed were deserving of death!"

"No, no! Rosseaulyn, she's spouting nonsense! She's not involved in these acts of violence at all," Vermilion interjected urgently, her concern palpable.

"...So, you're the one..." Rosseaulyn ignored Vermilion's explanation, slowly advancing toward Ayukawa.

"Rosse! Stop!"

"Rosseaulyn! She's not—"

Just as everyone, including Ayukawa, anticipated that Rosseaulyn was about to deliver judgment for Ayukawa's murderous deeds, the unexpected occurred. Instead of wielding her knife, Rosseaulyn dropped it to the floor and embraced Ayukawa in a tight hug. The bewildered expressions on Vermilion's and Carmella's faces mirrored Ayukawa's confusion. Ayukawa's mind went blank as she stood enveloped in Rosseaulyn's arms.

"So, it was you... Hahaha, it's you…" Rosseaulyn repeated softly, her laughter a mixture of joy and relief.

"Wait... Wait a minute! What do you mean by this?! Are you... Are you out of your mind?!" Ayukawa stammered, her voice a blend of incredulity and disbelief, gently pushing Rosseaulyn away in astonishment.

"You know what? You saved Captain Raynolds from those damned soldiers!" Rosseaulyn exclaimed with an air of revelation.

"Huh?! What in the world are you talking about?!" Ayukawa's confused.

"Rosse, what's going on? What do you mean by Ayukawa saving Captain Raynolds?"

"Listen closely, and remember, don't breathe a word of this to anyone else, or we'll all be in trouble."

Everyone nodded, their attention fully captivated.

"This is the third reason, known only to me, for why we're at a disadvantage attacking Nisaeria. Raynolds and I suspect that a Lieutenant and his men have turned traitor. They were assigned to attack Nisaeria alongside Raynolds. However, Raynolds's forces were redirected to defend other cities, leaving only thirty percent of the soldiers in this impending war as his, while the rest are the Lieutenant's men. And they cannot be trusted."

"But how does this connect to Ayukawa's actions?"

"None of these men that Ayukawa killed were trustworthy. They were the Lieutenant's men, and if my memory serves right, there were hundreds of them. We believed that he was planning to assassinate Raynolds. But now, thanks to Ayukawa, we've effectively minimized the threat, helping to clean up those betrayal."

"This is absurd... I never thought something so twisted could be happening," Ayukawa stated incredulously.

"But why would the Lieutenant want to kill Captain Raynolds?" Vermilion's curiosity shone through.

"I'm afraid I can't divulge further details... Captain Raynolds is my most trusted comrade. I hope this won't be his last battle."

"Wow! I had no clue that my esteemed sister was working so closely with the great Captain! Both of you have met him face-to-face, and I'm consumed with envy. I hope I can meet him in person one day. I want to see his Prussian blue eyes!"

"He always wears sunglasses to conceal his eyes. I've seen his eyes only once, and they are indeed stunning. However, Ms. Ayukawa's eyes seem even more captivating to me... so sharp, they send a shiver down my spine..."

"What on earth are you saying?! Carmella, why is your sister such an oddball?"

"I've been searching for that answer for nineteen years..."

"Just a jest to lighten the heavy atmosphere. But Ms. Ayukawa, I highly recommend you rein in your murderous intent towards us... or else you'll find yourself in serious trouble. Your injured leg should serve as a lesson."

"You're clever, but not quite clever enough. Do you truly believe I would just kill your insignificant men for revenge? They were the ones who invited trouble first; I merely defended myself. There are only three individuals I truly desire revenge upon! I have no interest in the rest."

"Given your explanation, I won't press the matter any further. Let's all strive to get along harmoniously!"

"Yes! I agree." Vermilion and Carmella chimed in simultaneously.

"Another enigmatic individual," Ayukawa sighed.