Chapter 62

Chapter 62
Was Platon actually asking me if his own parent had abducted my associate?

“Haydam, sir?”

As I stood there in a daze, Platon spoke my name with a concerned expression.

“I inquired because I figured you were already aware… You cannot mean you had no idea?”

After a brief pause, I gathered my thoughts and replied.

“No… naturally I knew. I simply never anticipated you would be the one posing the question.”

I furrowed my brow and pressed him further.

“Yet how did you find out? Anton would never have told you himself…”

“My father mentioned hearing about the graduation speech from you, sir. It struck me as odd that an individual who skipped my own graduation ceremony would go out of his way to meet with you, so I investigated independently.”

He genuinely went out and pried into his own father’s affairs?

“I truly selected an exceptional adjutant.”

Platon offered a sheepish grin and proceeded.

“Thus… if my father acted discourteously, I wish to extend a formal apology.”

So that explained why he had beaten around the bush—it all boiled down to an urge to say sorry?

Anton abducting Homebody Honey was not Platon’s responsibility to begin with. And here he stood, a second lieutenant, prepared to apologize to a private. Meanwhile, Homebody Honey, upon learning my intention to make Platon my adjutant, had been far more keen on giving me an earful. The contrast borders on humorous.

“That is commendable of you, but the discourtesy belongs to him, not you. There is no need for an apology.”

“Is… that so?”

“By the way, did he not cast you out afterward?”

“I am currently residing in the officers’ barracks.”

So he had indeed been thrown out.

“When the announcement stated the recommendation system would give way to an entrance exam, he uttered nothing. The second they revealed you would author the test questions, he evicted me.”

“Oof.”

At that exact moment, I observed the team members up ahead halt and mutter among themselves.

“It appears they have located something further along.”

I hurried ahead to find the Commander and Meursault already present, conversing with stern expressions.

“What is happening?”

As I stepped closer and inquired, Meursault provided the answer.

“It is the crevasse.”

A crevasse, in plain terms, is a fracture developing in the ground. Following the arrival of the ice age in this realm, most of the terrain transformed into glaciers, and those glaciers split apart, leaving bottomless pits—that served as the in-game explanation.

“Based on the map, this vicinity ahead constitutes a crevasse zone… yet the snow still refuses to melt this far out, meaning the fissures remain concealed and invisible.”

Crevasse dimensions fluctuated drastically. Most appeared large enough to spot with the naked eye, but as snow accumulated layer upon layer, some grew so indistinct that telling them apart from solid ground became impossible. Even those deceptively modest openings typically spanned wide enough to swallow a grown human whole.

Had snow not been falling, spotting the bluish hue of an opening beneath the powder and collapsing it safely prior to crossing might have been feasible. However, with precipitation continuing, evaluating the ground color visually proved nearly unachievable.

Consequently, subjugation campaigns launched solely in spring, once the snow thawed. We had merely pursued the beasts so far that we wandered into a territory where snow still lingered.

“Continuing the search will prove challenging.”

Team 1 had tracked the footprints left behind by the fleeing monsters. Yet even those panicked beasts had begun erasing their tracks halfway through using their tails, and the snowfall starting a short while earlier finished masking whatever remained. We could no longer trace their path.

We pursued the direction of the final footprints discovered before walking straight into the crevasse zone. The snow-draped fissures ahead spanned wide enough to trap a grown man, whereas a large-class monster could cross them effortlessly. If the creatures fled beyond this boundary, pursuit became nearly impossible. We could detour around the landscape to reach the opposite side, but should they double back through here meanwhile, our search perimeter would develop a breach.

Regardless, our unit’s objective centered less on hunting down and slaying the four escapees and more on keeping watch to prevent them from ambushing the wounded during withdrawal. The Commander appeared inclined to abandon the search right here.

Truthfully, had I not sensed that peculiar unease radiating from the monsters, I would have opted to turn back myself. Visibility remained acceptable for now, but once the blizzard intensified, signal flares would cease to be our only problem—we would struggle merely to locate our path back to the Zone. We had already ventured excessively far outward.

“We are turning back.”

Ultimately, the Commander resolved to withdraw and discharged the signal flare indicating retreat.

Thus, we retreated to the designated intermediate rally point.

There, an unforeseen complication awaited us.

“Team 2 has still not returned?”

Out of the five dispersed teams, Teams 1, 3, 4, and 5 all reached the midpoint. Team 2 did not.

The Team 2 leader was a colonel aligned with the pro-Hayden faction—the exact individual who personally handpicked Lucas and Bones from my Team 10 to accompany him.

Meursault, expression rigid as stone, carried on with his briefing.

“Team 3 reports spotting Team 2 moving in the opposite direction.”

“They saw Team 2? Were Team 3’s search sectors not entirely separate?”

“At the time, they assumed Team 2 simply took a wrong turn causing their zones to overlap… but considering their continued absence…”

No further explanation was required. The reality of the situation was evident.

Blinded by ambition, huh.

The rationale driving the Team 2 colonel’s reckless gamble stemmed from a promotion hanging on this subjugation campaign. Ever since Anton representing the pro-Daphne faction announced his retirement, whispers circulated that Yosef of the pro-Hayden faction would soon step down as well. With two general slots opening up, everyone ranking beneath them naturally began harboring dreams of advancement. The Team 2 colonel clearly intended to distinguish himself through this campaign and attain general rank by any means.

The Commander maintained a carefully composed expression, though blue veins throbbed rigidly along his neck from sheer fury.

“…Meaning we now require a search party for the search party.”

“My apologies.”

“There is nothing here requiring your apology.”

Meursault lowered his head, projecting profound shame.

In my view, even if the Team 2 colonel managed a safe return, he would not retain all his limbs. Moreover, I harbored zero intention of letting the scoundrel who dragged my two cherished newly commissioned officers off on an unauthorized solo expedition walk away unpunished either.

Throughout all this, snow descended with increasing ferocity.

The Commander gazed silently for a prolonged duration toward the path Team 2 likely traveled, then spoke in a heavy tone.

“I will not jeopardize everyone else’s lives for the sake of a single fool. We are heading back.”

It represented the most rational choice available to a commander.

Yet departing now meant those fools would certainly perish. Should Team 2 have chased the monsters, they would have marched straight into the crevasse zone we just abandoned. We identified the crevasses solely because the snowfall had not yet turned violent. A unit comprised of a mere colonel and green officers would never notice fissures amidst a full blizzard.

“We cannot do that.”

Before I even voiced a thought, some lunatic possessed the audacity to openly defy the Commander’s directive. I glanced over, and naturally, it was Platon.

The Commander and Meursault were so astounded by the insolent junior officer’s defiance that they fell silent momentarily, simply staring. Platon seemingly interpreted this as tacit approval, pressing forward with an intensely serious expression.

“Team 2 includes newly commissioned officers. Those fresh officers possessed no alternative but to obey when their superior instructed them to abandon the designated route to hunt monsters. Exactly as you observed, sir—one idiot could get newly commissioned officers killed over nothing. Someone must pursue them and warn them regarding the crevasses. With your permission, I shall go.”

Consistent as ever, this individual.

Under ordinary circumstances, I would have dismissed Platon immediately. Yet I harbored several personal motivations for feeling uneasy about simply turning back.

Should we leave now, discovering what those monsters fled from might never happen.

Subjugation campaigns occurred strictly once annually, during spring. The large-class monsters fleeing today would not approach the Zone again until next spring at the earliest—and they might well perish out here on the tundra beforehand.

And wasting the early conditioning I poured into them would prove unfortunate…

Even after putting them through demanding training simulations, spotting a hazard in actual combat and reacting appropriately eluded just anyone. Lucas and Bones remained far too valuable to sacrifice so carelessly.

Very well. We are pursuing them.

Having reached my conclusion, I extended an arm to shove Platon back a pace and stepped forward myself.

Or rather, I attempted to do so.

“Don’t you dare, Haydam.”

The exact moment I moved to support Platon, the Commander halted me abruptly, as though anticipating my exact maneuver.

“I have overlooked your recklessness countless times, but this is not the moment for you to intervene. Your bravado fails to yield positive outcomes every time.”

It constituted remarks a father and superior held every right to direct at me. Yet backing down here remained impossible.

Hearing the phrase “bravado” conjured memories of those novice officers gazing upward and applauding during the graduation speech.

“Father.”

I met the Commander’s gaze head-on.

“You are not about to dismiss the courage those newly commissioned officers displayed during the graduation speech as mere bravado, are you?”

Platon might treat his superiors casually, but Lucas and Bones possessed no choice except complying with whatever their superior commanded. They had merely shed their shells. Should we let them die so pointlessly now, who would ever take seriously my argument that every child inside the Zone ought to be admitted into the military academy to foster talent?

“And I had no intention of suggesting we search for Team 2.”

“Then what is your plan?”

“That crevasse we just observed. I shall advance solely that far, designate it as a hazard zone, and return immediately.”

The Commander stared at me momentarily, seemingly at a loss for words, before responding.

“So you intend on going personally.”

“I doubt the others harbor any eagerness to risk their lives because of a single idiot either.”

“Does marking a danger zone genuinely necessitate a child like you?”

“I cease being a child when crushing monsters yet transform into one whenever the task turns hazardous, do I not?”

The Commander subjected me to an unreadable expression.

“How can you remain so reckless and arrogant… At times I genuinely wonder if you are truly my offspring.”

鋭い as ever.

“Meursault.”

The Commander addressed him without breaking eye contact with me.

“Take the rest and lead the retreat.”

“Sir?”

This time Meursault nearly leaped out of his skin.

“What do you imply? Do not tell me Your Excellency plans on remaining behind as well?”

“You do not genuinely believe these two will simply mark the hazard and return quietly, do you?”

I hastily worked to conceal the guilty expression flickering across my face and accidentally locked eyes with Platon.

Judging by his demeanor, returning quietly had never featured in his plans either.

Sensing a gaze upon me, I glanced up to find Homebody Honey monitoring me with undisguised anxiety. He looked prepared to raise a hand and volunteer for the journey at any second, prompting me to shake my head firmly. Should Homebody Honey detach from the retreating party as well, the withdrawal group might encounter greater peril than us. With both the Commander and myself peeling off, leaving behind at least one individual capable of handling large-class monsters—Homebody Honey—with the returning unit was essential.

The Commander tracked my line of vision, spared Homebody Honey a brief glance, then looked away and stated.

“If your minds are made up, move out. Delaying any further guarantees both we and you will lose our way in this blizzard.”

And then—

Before we even reached the crevasse, we discovered bloodstains turning the pristine white snowfield crimson.

Platon immediately scanned the environment, presuming the monsters caused it.

Yet the instant I laid eyes upon it, I understood.

This.

Was not the handiwork of monsters.