We gathered at the train station at two in the morning.
It was my first time seeing Yehyeon in combat uniform.
The remnants of summer still lingered, so it wasn’t particularly cold. The Commander stood in the bluish darkness, looking over us assembled before the train.
“You’ve worked hard since dawn. Get some rest.”
Then, he was the first to step up onto the train.
There was no chance to keep watch on Sophia. Yehyeon got out of the car with Ami, exchanged a few words of greeting, and disappeared into the train as naturally as if he’d done it a hundred times.
We had come all this way, so the message was clear: don’t feel pressured, just rest.
So I followed him without pressure.
“Commander.”
I spoke gloomily from behind him as he took out a packet of cocoa in the dining car.
Yehyeon turned his head without surprise.
He handed me a cocoa stick, meeting my somber expression.
“Want one too?”
“I’m not questioning your leadership, Commander, but I keep wondering if this is really the wise choice.”
All the more so because I had already received Kudo’s message from the front line—‘Plenty of Creatures in sight.’
Amazingly, Kudo and I now exchanged messages. The senior who once felt untouchable said nothing in the group chat with Ska and Ricardo, yet always replied to me directly.
That Ricardo found this hilarious was beside the point.
What mattered now was what the message contained.
Yehyeon studied my gloomy face and gave a faint laugh.
“That’s what you call questioning leadership.”
“Please think of it as the advice of a coward.”
“Thanks for worrying.”
Even with a faint smile, he didn’t look like he’d change his mind.
“Go get some rest. You can’t let your rhythm fall apart.”
“...Yes.”
So it was useless.
Realizing I’d failed to persuade him, I turned away with a bitter expression.
Yehyeon smiled faintly and, just as I turned, called my name.
“Your birthday passed recently, didn’t it?”
It took me a moment to recall.
Then I remembered—my administrative birthday was August 20th.
“Sorry I didn’t celebrate it. Have you remembered your real one yet?”
“No. I’ve never celebrated my birthday, since there’s no way to know my true date of birth.”
“Then let’s stick with August 20th. It’s late, but... is there anything you want? Something you need?”
The unexpected question left me still.
I had no intention of declining. If I were honest, I wanted to ask him again to reconsider letting me stay on the front line during the recapture operation. But that request had already been denied. Asking twice would truly sound like doubting his command.
So I made a different decision.
“When the recapture is over, please tell me why Jaeyeon hates you so much.”
Yehyeon’s eyes widened.
“If it’s something I’m allowed to hear, that is.”
For a while, the Commander said nothing.
While I waited for his answer, the train started moving. Just like the first day I went outside the Core—ignition, then the slow push forward.
The engine noise filled the silence.
Finally, Yehyeon spoke quietly.
“All right.”
His tone revealed nothing.
“It’s something you’ll have to know someday, anyway.”
Why?
The unexpected answer made my eyes widen. But I didn’t ask further. I didn’t want to disturb this pale man’s brief rest, and I knew asking now would mean nothing.
Better to sleep a little, then focus on the reality ahead.
I bowed my head and headed for an empty compartment.
***
The knocking on the door woke me.
I ran my hand through my hair and opened it. Ricardo and Ami stood outside.
“Not eating breakfast~?”
“I am.”
Straightening what must have become a bird’s nest of hair, I stepped into the corridor.
“What about the others?”
“Commander’s working, and Carl took Sophia out.”
Ami looked up at me with her round eyes and gestured for me to go ahead.
She walked three steps ahead, smiling that light smile of hers.
“They’re from the same batch, you know.”
Of course.
Morning had already come. Through the train window, the bright light of early dawn poured in, flooding the dining car with white. Platinum squares of light embroidered the plastic tables. The air smelled of roasted coffee beans.
It was such a peaceful scene, hard to believe it was the day before the recapture operation.
“You ever play that thing—K or whatever it’s called~?”
As I bit into a double-layered toast, melting into the cozy atmosphere, my senior asked.
I blinked while chewing the buttered toast.
Didn’t think he’d remember that.
“I did.”
Three times.
“I haven’t found the Easter egg yet, but it’s a good game.”
“What’s it about—?”
Ricardo sipped his espresso, asking.
Ami, munching colorful cereal, listened silently.
I checked that we had about an hour until arrival, then gulped my milk.
“It’s a roguelike. Fairly difficult, not boring. Out of the five From series, it’s considered the most purely fun.”
“What’s a roguelike...?”
“When the character dies, the game starts over from the beginning.”
But that wasn’t what he really wanted to know.
I smiled slightly at his blank expression.
“The Emperor is the final boss. You clear the stages one by one, and when you kill him, the game’s over.”
Ami reached out her hand toward me without looking.
I placed the strawberry jam jar into her hand.
Carl and Sophia weren’t in sight. Judging from the smell of coffee, they’d finished breakfast before us. I’d probably only see them again once we reached the battlefield.
“The Emperor—was he someone you knew~?”
“Ah, yes. The Emperor I served.”
I answered casually, spreading peanut butter on my third toast.
Then I felt their stares and lifted my head.
Ami was frozen mid-bite, staring at me with half a toast in her hand. Ricardo squinted and set down his espresso cup.
“Hilde served an Emperor?”
Ami’s voice sounded shocked.
“There was an Emperor?”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t sure what part surprised them.
“There were Emperors and Princes, too. Wizards and priests as well. That’s the kind of world it was.”
“Wow.”
“You killed the Emperor?”
Ricardo asked something absurd.
I barely suppressed a laugh. It wasn’t strange for him to misunderstand—last time, I had been the protagonist.
But in this new game, the protagonist was a skeleton.
I slowly shook my head.
“I’m not the protagonist. The Emperor I know appears, but otherwise there’s nothing familiar. I need to play more—haven’t collected everything yet.”
“So it’s another one of those hidden Easter eggs where only you can guess the right answer....”
Ricardo made a reasonable point.
I nodded silently, sinking into thought. Who was K?
Kyle had hated the Emperor. But he’d never touched the game. He wouldn’t even have known what a quest or stat was.
Still doesn’t, probably.
So it must’ve been someone else. Someone of my kind, not human, who made the game. Because I never told humans about the Emperor I’d served—never his appearance or his way of speaking.
And I’d never had any desire to.
“Before you start punching in answers, at least make a call first~...”
The soft voice pulled me back to reality.
“I showed you E’s letter, didn’t I? That means you’ve earned the right to see the other series’ letters too, huh~?”
I blinked.
In the shaking train, I looked at the two sitting across from me.
Ricardo’s long fingers tapped the rim of his empty espresso cup, his half-lidded eyes waiting for a reply.
I caught the intent behind his words.
So this senior was worried I’d unlock the Easter egg and have a meltdown alone.
I pressed down the smile rising to my lips.
“Yes.”
If he knew I’d read his mind, he’d get annoyed, so I added lightly,
“You invited me last time, so this time I’ll be the one calling.”
“But, Hilde.”
Ami, pouring espresso over her vanilla ice cream, called out to me.
“What were you, before?”
“Pardon?”
She eats well.
“What do you mean?”
“What was your job before, Hilde?”
“Ah.”
Still thinking about the wizards and priests, huh.
So very Ami. I smiled gently.
“A knight commander.”
The vanilla ice cream slid off Ami’s spoon and dropped with a soft thud.
Ricardo’s hand, halfway to pulling out a cigarette, stopped midair.
I didn’t really understand their reactions.
Instead of asking, I just wiped the spilled ice cream from the table with a napkin.
The weather was lovely, I thought.
***
The train stopped.
Yehyeon was the first to step off.
“Commander!”
Voices rose in unison around the train.
“Salute!”
“Salute.”
Soldiers.
Yehyeon returned their sharp salutes. The stillness I’d expected shattered immediately.
We had to wait by the train for a while as people ran up one after another, delivering endless reports.
Normally, I would’ve been fascinated watching all the different occupations.
But my attention was captured elsewhere.
The fortress.
A gray wall encircling the ruined city. It stretched from where my eyes could see, disappearing into the horizon. It had to be the fortification built to protect the Core devices during the recapture operation. Those enormous walls marked the border of the area to be reclaimed.
When had they built this?
As I stared blankly, Carl spoke quietly from behind me.
“Printed by 3D printer.”
Really?
“They usually station troops up there to prepare for siege warfare.”
Ah.
Siege warfare. Not exactly a pleasant term. Though there were far less pleasant ones.
I gazed at the gray structures and turned my eyes inside the walls.
The countless weapons behind the ramparts caught my attention next.
Especially the fighter jets.
“Want me to give you a ride later?”
Ami asked as I stared at the rows of aircraft behind the fortress, completely absorbed.
I blinked at her in surprise.
“Is that possible?”
“Not those models. They’re all drones.”
The round-eyed senior checked the fit of her boots and gloves as she explained.
“They’ll launch the moment the Core opens. It’ll be deafening later, so brace yourself. If you want to ride, I’ll take you up in another one next time.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll look forward to it.”
“The squad leader says to wait in the container~?”
Ricardo approached.
“Go stretch a bit and rest....”
I wondered what “container” meant—then saw it.
The accommodations were made of containers. Open the massive metal door and inside were rough bunks. At the head of each bed was a locker with a crumpled blanket shoved inside.
Not far away were container-type bathrooms and showers. Water tanks.
A tent with tables and chairs for meetings.
Portable stoves and camping chairs....
“Looks like a modern version of encampment.”
“Is there any other kind of modern encampment?”
I muttered, staring absently around our sector. Carl passed me, tossing back his reply.
“Don’t just stand there. Warm up.”
It was noon before Yehyeon finally gathered us inside the tent.
The Badgers seated at the table watched silently as he closed the tent flap. He looked more battle-ready than before—his long hair tied back, something wrapped in cloth strapped to his back.
And from both ears, the silver gleam of morphing weapons.
He apologized for making us wait and walked to the head of the table.
Everyone’s eyes followed him.
Sophia, sitting at the end, stared with burning hatred, but Yehyeon seemed unaffected—or simply used to such stares.
Either way, his face remained the same as ever as he stood at the head.
After brief greetings for our arrival, he reannounced the schedule for the recapture operation.
Then suddenly, he looked at me.
“First, Hilde.”
Sensitive from sensing the growing presence of approaching Creatures, I lifted my head immediately.
“Yes.”
“Before we begin anything, I’ll give you this.”
He took off the cross-body bundle he’d been carrying.
Wrapped in black cloth.
For a moment, the shape felt familiar. I scolded myself not to sink into foolish sentiment, pushed the thought away, and deliberately avoided looking at it.
Avoiding it was easier.
Yehyeon held out the black-wrapped object to me.
“This should fit your hand best.”
“Yehyeon.”
I was so startled I forgot to use honorifics.
“I’m not... ready for that yet—”
Yehyeon looked at me with a sad smile.
Holding out the sword.
The sword I had once given to him.
