Chapter 40

Author Notes: And with this chapter, we've reached a milestone of 40 chapters in total for this story... but be warned, there may be a slight character break from the norm in this one.

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"Commanderrrrrrr!!!"

"Sensei~~~!!!"

"Commander! Where are you?! Please respond!"

Caught in the avalanche, they crawled out onto the snow, screaming at the top of their lungs, searching for Moore.

—Why did I let go of his hand back then?

Regrets swirled and gnawed at Rapi's heart, but there was no point in lamenting the past. At the brink of being swallowed by the avalanche on the mountainside, she should have held onto his hand at all costs.

Amid the whirlwind of her remorse, Rapi's crimson eyes caught a glimpse of something artificial jutting diagonally from the snow.

It was unmistakably Moore's assault rifle, a familiar sight. Battling the snow that threatened to trip her up, she rushed over to it and lifted it from the ground.

"Commander...!"

Knowing that he always wore the sling belt around his neck and right armpit, she had expected to find him buried beneath it, and that expectation momentarily stunned her when the sling belt seemed to have torn apart halfway through.

Digging frantically into the snow where the rifle had been lodged, she found nothing. No sign of him, no shape, nothing.

The last time she saw Moore, he was on the distant mountainside, visible now only as a small figure.

In the backdrop of the approaching avalanche, he was seen firing his assault rifle towards Talkative.

"—Why did you let go of my hand?"

Uttering her complaints internally, Rapi clutched the assault rifle she had retrieved close to her chest.

Still, the faint scent of gunpowder and the lingering warmth from the gunfire seemed to serve as undeniable proof of his existence.

"No...! He can't be gone far yet!"

Commander couldn't possibly die from something like this.

He was a human with extraordinary vitality, physical strength, and mental fortitude. He had lost his right leg and right eye but never lost his will to fight.

"He's still alive!"

Reprimanding herself, Rapi tightly tied the torn sling belt and hung his assault rifle over her shoulder.

"You guys! Are you all okay!?"

Suddenly, Anis raised her voice.

Approaching them were the six wolves. It seemed they had managed to escape the avalanche unscathed.

The wolves looked around, and realizing that they couldn't see his presence anywhere, they slowly raised their noses towards the sky.

"What... What are they doing?"

"I have no idea..."

Anis and Neon exchanged puzzled looks.

Their sense of smell, enhanced far beyond humans and even Nikke, allowed these formidable hunters to detect prey from several kilometers away, depending on the wind direction.

With their incredible sense of smell, the wolf hunters suddenly turned their gaze north, and then all of them rushed towards the north, led by the five wolves in the group.

Among them, one particularly large wolf, with golden eyes, turned to look at the girls, as if saying, "Don't talk back much and just follow us."

"Let's go!"

"Is Commander over there!?"

"If you're lying, we won't forgive you!!"

The girls followed suit, sprinting across the snow-covered plains, with the massive wolf leading the way.

----

"Hey, fuc*er! Don't ignore me. What happened to your usual chatty self, you talkative bata*d?" 

Talkative had been regretting this deeply. 

He had believed that if it could separate them from those human-like dolls, his fighting spirit and morale would crumble, and things would go its way. 

"Do you want to fight? I'll gladly indulge you, but first, give me back my clothes. We'll fight fair and square. I'm unarmed, which should be a nice handicap for you, right?" 

Caught in an avalanche and knocked out, Talkative now tried to take action while the "combat enthusiast" was unconscious. It quickly disarmed him and stripped off his clothes, leaving only the upper body covered.

However, that was a mistake.

But even if it had removed all of his clothes, the outcome would likely have been the same. 

[Nice to see you again,]

he had confidently proclaimed on that mountainside. But now, Talkative felt differently.

He was far from happy.

"Hey, can you hear me? Is your earwax blocking your ears, you talkative basta*d?" 

[Shut up!]

Did he have to provoke him every step of the way? It seemed like his choice of words was working, though. 

Talkative, a misanthrope through and through, sighed as it turned its attention to Moore, who was sitting cross-legged in the snow. 

Despite the freezing cold, his upper body remained bare. His skin, a mixture of various races but leaning toward a paler tone, was starting to redden from frostbite. 

Even a vagrant would be dressed more appropriately for the weather, but Moore seemed unfazed, as if he wanted to assert his dominance. 

Taking this as a cue that its shout had hit home, Talkative, finally realized that it could engage in a conversation from now on. 

[I have a few questions. Please answer them honestly.]

It seemed that he had become quiet. Taking advantage of his silence, Talkative asked another question.

[Have the abilities of those human-like dolls who accompany you ever improved?]

He posed the question and waited.

Waited.

Waited.

But Moore remained silent.

[Hey! Can you hear me!?]

"Hmm? Oh, did I make a mistake by talking? You told me to be quiet, so I thought I shouldn't speak. But before I answer, let me ask you this: Do you know the meaning of the word 'sincere'? It's the last word that should come out of your mouth, don't you think? At least, it's not something that someone who sets traps, ambushes, and triggers avalanches should..."

As soon as Moore began to open his mouth and seemed on the verge of launching into a torrent of sarcasm and insults, Talkative swung its tail, targeting Moore's left arm joint.

With a dull sound, the joint dislocated, causing Moore's left forearm to bend in an unnatural direction. Talkative briefly glanced at the distorted arm before using its right hand to grab the wobbling left forearm and expertly reset it into its original position.

"What's this? Hit a nerve, did I? My apologies for that."

[Answer the question!!]

"...Sincere, sincere, sincerity, huh? Well then, let me answer sincerely. I don't know. That's my sincere answer."

Tookatib wagged its tail again. Seeing this, Moore shook his head from side to side while sighing.

"Is this an interrogation or torture? Is your brain okay? Let me tell you, there won't be any answers other than 'I don't know.' I'm leading this squad for the first time. There are no comparisons to make."

[...Next question.]

Despite being irritated, there was no choice but to accept it to some extent. Talkative moved on to the next question.

[Where are you from?]

"Ark."

[Did you experience any illnesses in your childhood?]

"...Are you making fun of me? Maybe I did, who knows? I don't remember."

It wasn't a response of lying. His words may have been harsh, but he seemed to be answering sincerely in his own way.

[This is the LAST question.]

As if to emphasize that this was the main point, Talkative declared. Moore, appearing disinterested, propped his chin on his hand and urged him to continue.

[Kratos Project.. Does that ring a bell?]

With a loud thud, Moore's heart seemed to skip a beat, and then he was hit by an intense headache.

"Gah... hah...!?"

Unable to bear the splitting headache, he broke into a cold sweat on his forehead despite the freezing cold, crouching down. Seeing Moore in pain, Talkative burst into triumphant laughter.

[Fuhahahaha! From your reaction, there's no doubt about it!! Human!! From now on, you'll be coming with me!!]

"Haa... I don't mind going... Haa... but there's one condition."

Although it had been the worst headache he had experienced recently, Moore quickly recovered. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Talkative.

He had already been disarmed, and even his cold-weather clothing had been taken from him. His movements were restricted as if he were in custody.

Even though there was hardly any means of resistance left, was he still trying to maintain a brave front?

Normally, there would be no need to listen to him. However, even at this stage, it was curious about what conditions someone who didn't lose their fighting spirit would set. In a playful mood, Talkative asked.

[Go ahead, tell me.]

"I don't know how far you plan to take me, but you'd better feed me properly. And give me cigarettes and a lighter. They're in the pouch on my body armor at your feet. If you don't let me smoke nicotine and tar, I'll make fun of you non-stop."