“How nice of you to come rescue us.”

“You have quite the knack for getting into shit situations.”

The Puppet Master cursed while looking us over, seeing the countless injuries covering our knights.

I clicked my tongue.

“Not my fault. How’d everything go?”

“As well as can be expected. If not for the mulched guard squad, possibly missing Royal, definitely missing Royal, and abandoned student squad. We at least got one of the bastards. You wouldn’t happen to know what happened to whatever took out your guards, would you?”

“...”

I looked at the man with a neutral face, lips shut, yet conveying my meaning perfectly.

He let out a long sigh.

“Nevermind. But if you’re doing this, then you need to leave. I’ll slot you on a Rail soon. All of you will take it and go home. And I mean your actual homes. Don’t come back to the Magisterium until you’re recovered, or until the Magisterium no longer has any interest in the events that transpired this day. And don’t tell the military a damn thing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. But thank you for the vacation.”

I smiled, letting out puffs of smoke as I chuckled.

Man, it was good to have friends like this.

After a bit of relocation and some discussion, the squad and I had decided to keep the dead Royal a secret. Nobody would be able to gather any evidence and while our injuries were suspect, it wasn’t like they could blame us.

We had run into a stray escort beast, after all. Those were rather strong, but through hard work and the power of teamwork, we were able to triumph over it while sustaining injuries in the process.

What a nice story.

All around us, the rest of the unit was preparing to return to base. Bodies were strapped in and critical wounds were tended to. The Puppet Master, being courteous, put us in a separate transport and sent us off with the initial group.

It wasn’t long before we rolled through the gates.

He called for his assistant healer Vizen.

“I need you to tend to these kids. Get them operational.”

“Got it.”

He went between the knights and tended to their injuries.

It was nothing they wouldn’t recover from. Apparently, even shredded flesh and shattered bones could be wholly repaired if it was a knight that sustained it.

That made me scoff. Their resilience was freakish, as evidenced by the Royal that just refused to die.

Once that was all taken care of, we were ordered to pack our things. The Rails came and went from the base daily, so it wouldn’t be long before the next departure. The sun was beginning to rise and morning was our departure time.

Once all was said and done, the Puppet Master came to us in our dorm.

“John, I’d like you to explain to me what happened. I gave them your alibi, but that still left some unanswered questions.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and sat back on my bed with Umara against my chest, the others sitting nearby.

“It was pretty simple. We were found by a Royal not long after I let off my third shot. Alongside the Royal though was some odd creature with a huge mouth and a bunch of flaps of skin on its face. No eyes.”

“That’s a Songbeast. It’s like a scout, but uses sound instead of sight. They’re a bit tougher than Scouts but still specialized.”

“Sure. Anyway, that thing was there when the Royal attacked us, no doubt how we were found. My squad and I ran away while the three warlocks were immediately decapitated. After that, the two knights pinned it down and heavily injured it, taking an arm in the process before ultimately dying to it. The Royal was tasked with killing me, so it gave chase and went on a suicidal rampage that we were barely able to fend off. We sustained some injuries in the process, but it didn’t take long for it to eventually die under our constant barrage.”

“I see…”

He considered the story. Not much was new other than the specific details, especially about the Royal.

“The Royal said that his boss was interested in me and wanted me dead. It was obviously willing to die in pursuit of that mission. Another thing, it was a bit like the Cyclops Scout in that it was able to shoot lasers from its eyes.

“In fact, here, take a look.”

I suddenly brought out the still intact head of the Royal, a strange amber liquid dripping from its stump.

The Puppet Master scrutinized it, gazing into the lifeless golden eyes.

He nodded.

“Very well. Take the body and never show it again. I know you want a Crown, and this particular variant does in fact have good eyes. Use it well. What about the rest of it?”

“I have what’s left of its torso and limbs. Everything else is scattered across the battlefield.”

“Right. And the rest of you. You understand that you’re essentially accomplices to a crime, correct?”

“Is it really a crime?”

Tana asked plainly, cradled against Vetsmon’s shoulder.

I cheered him on silently as the Puppet Master nodded.

“It technically is, because John isn’t a noble. But so long as none of you say anything about it, he’ll be fine. I’ll take care of the debriefs. The only good thing about death is the fact that nobody can question the story.”

“Dead men tell no tales.”

I muttered a phrase, making him hum.

“Grim, yet accurate. The Rail leaves in an hour. Be there. The tournaments are in another month, so after this, you’ll only have one more trip to the bases. Also, John, you’re about to top the rankings. Congratulations on becoming number 1.”

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“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

He confirmed, a little smile spreading across his face.

I didn’t think I’d gathered that many points, but then again, I did kill another Scout. This time, there were even plenty of uninterested witnesses. That I was second place already also certainly helped.

I had been around 400 points behind Ponteck before the trip. An Authority 7 Scout was more than enough to push me over that by itself. Of course, Ponteck had been killing things too, but nothing as strong as what I faced. There was little he could do to keep his lead.

I shrugged.

“So long as the President doesn’t breath down my neck about things, I don’t care what happens.”

“Then I suggest you disappear for a while.”

“Don’t you worry about that. I have a feeling that I’ll have some business to take care of. Though I need some damned rest anyway.”

I let out a long sigh, smoke accompanying my breath. Umara had already pointed out the dark bags underneath my eyes. An entire week of constantly being on edge and working my ass off had taken its toll. But now, I could finally relax a bit.

The Puppet Master nodded.

“Sure. Just stay safe.”

“I will. Thank you, sir. I appreciate what you’re doing for me. Really.”

“Hm. You say that then make my job harder. So long as you make it worth it though, I won’t complain.”

“You’ve already complained a lot…”

“Keep testing me and it won’t stop.”

“Haha, alright, alright.”

I relented as he scoffed, taking his leave.

Not long later, all of us were packed aboard the Rail like stowaways, headed back home for a well-deserved vacation.

……

…

“Thank you guys as well. I don’t like hoarding this corpse for myself, so if you all need anything, just let me know.”

“Don’t worry about it. Totally honest, I was about to buy you a corpse to make up for what the President did to you. At least now you got something even better.”

Vetsmon smiled, lounging across from Umara and I alongside Tana.

The two seemed to have gotten close since the battle. I still remember Tana running after her beloved all panicked. I felt happy for the big lug.

I waved my hand at his words though.

“Those are two different things. I couldn’t have brought that thing down without all of you. I mean, we quite literally gave it our all. It went well, but without any one of you, that battle wouldn’t have ended nicely.”

“That’s true. And yet when we take into account all the things you’ve helped us with, something like that seems inconsequential. Stop arguing and just take the damn beast. I’m too tired to explain my generosity.”

“Mm.”

Feiden nodded in agreement, still half asleep even though he had slept for over a day straight.

It wouldn’t be long before we rolled to a stop at the much grander Capitol Rail Platform. The sun had already risen quite a lot despite us departing in the dead of night, and it looked to be about noon by the time we would exit the station.

The ride had generally been quiet; everyone had been busy recovering. While Umara and I weren’t physically wounded during the fight, we had exhausted even our plentiful Mana and Psyka reserves.

I was especially drained. I had fallen asleep not even 10 minutes after the Rail departed the base. And like Feiden, I had slept for a full day, only waking up to eat or drink something.

Yet all of that stress, training, and the sleep was more than worth it.

In one night’s rest, I managed to complete the entirety of my advancement formation’s second layer, even connecting it with the first and forming the beginnings of the third.

I was on my way to advancing to the 5th Authority. If I kept up at this pace, I would get there well before the end of the school year, which I was more than happy with.

My overall power had already grown significantly by finishing the second layer, and the new gun was just a nice bonus.

The Lewis Gun was the first automatic weapon I’d attained, quite appropriately a light machine gun. It wasn’t the best in its class, but it was a damn welcome addition to my arsenal.

It also told me that I was reaching the limits of what the 4th dimension was capable of offering to me. I had looked around a bit more and there wasn’t much more in the way of advanced weaponry. Though there were some other outstanding pieces.

For one, I found some weapons of non-American origin. The one that stuck out the most was the Wechselapparat, also known as the flamethrower. Although not the first of its design, this flamethrower was an updated version that made its way through the trenches in WW1 in the hands of the Germans.

The only issue with it was the fact that it needed to be operated by a two man team since the nozzle was attached to a long hose. Perhaps at some point I would try to have some pyrotechnic fun with Umara, but I slotted that away for now. I didn't know if she was actually capable of operating it.

There was a semi-automatic shotgun by Browning, along with some other machine guns that needed a crew to effectively operate. There were also some mortars, but I couldn’t really think of when I could possibly use that. Perhaps during another siege.

The most valuable weapon was still the Lewis Gun, the semi-auto shotgun being a close second, so for now, I didn’t bother searching any more. My energy was better devoted toward simply advancing my formation.

“Haah… How are you feeling?”

I stroked Umara’s arm, her head turning up on my chest a bit.

“I’m alright. It’s just… Those five soldiers who had been guarding us. Our lives were paid for with their own. It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“An unfortunate consequence of this war. The only thing we can do about it is get better.”

“But do you not feel any pity? Those five had families that they’re never going to see again because we were being hunted by some suicidal Royal.”

“I was being hunted, not all of you. So yes, their deaths are my fault, and I do feel bad about it. But I don’t feel like I have the luxury of feeling any kind of pity. Like I said, we can make up for that by getting better. No need to waste energy dwelling on it.”

“...”

Umara was silent, perhaps contemplating my answer. It didn’t seem to be one she liked.

I looked down at her.

“Is there another answer I’m missing?”

“...No, not necessarily. I just can’t help but think about how devastating the news will be for their families. Not to mention how it feels like we’re running away.”

“We’re doing what we need to so this matter doesn’t get more complex than it needs to be. It would be trouble otherwise. I mean, the only other alternative to this whole situation would be us dying with those knights. By all means that should’ve happened, but we capitalized on the lives of those that died for us. What would it have meant if we wasted their sacrifice?”

“...I still feel like shit.”

She pinched her nose, and it became clear that she was no longer looking for answers.

I hugged her as all the others contemplated our conversation in silence. The mood turned down a bit, but thankfully the ride was almost over. The cabin fever wasn’t helping the situation.

The Rail soon docked at the Terminal, letting us depart with our luggage.

Before we all separated, we gathered together one last time.

I spoke.

“I need to take care of this corpse, so I’ll be heading straight to my mentor. Whatever I do after that is up to him.”

“Well, I need to get home so I can finish healing my arm. That means I’m going to the Church.”

Vetsmon spoke next, making me nod.

“Say hi to your parents for me.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll be going to my manor. I’ve learned a lot this trip so my father will want to hear about it.”

Feiden was next, to which Tana chimed.

“Same. I need to report to my parents. I’ll be gone for at least a couple days.”

“I’ll be calling my mother, but unless she says otherwise, I’m staying here.”

Umara looked up at me. It seemed we would both be sticking together.

I let out a breath of smoke before concluding.

“So everyone except us is leaving. Well, take all the time you want. There’s no rush to return, that’s for sure. I’d like to hangout though, so we should find a day to gather again.”

“I’ll let you know when I’ll return after getting to my Peerage. It shouldn’t be long.”

“Sure. Stay in contact and relax. We won’t have anything too exciting, and you three need to focus on getting back in shape. Don’t go training or anything.”

“I’m going to feast and then sleep for another day.”

Feiden punctuated his announcement with a yawn, making me laugh a bit.

After that, we said our goodbyes and separated. I walked with Umara to the hotel where we unpacked, and she stayed there while I went straight to Maxwell.

It was time to see if I could finally get a Crown.