Chapter 156: Chapter 121: A Rescue and Assassination Mission, an Old Acquaintance
The Vengeance Angel Squad’s first mission: Rescue a clerk from the Civil Affairs Department on the enemy-occupied Rebino World. This clerk holds evidence of a secret rebellion involving several Governors and Great Lords.
And assassinate the six rebellious Provincial Governors of Rebino World.
For any Knight squad, a covert mission deep into enemy territory to carry out both a rescue and a series of assassinations was tantamount to suicide.
But for the Vengeance Angel Squad...
This was merely their first trial run, a chance to sync up.
...
「Thirty-six hours later.」
In stellar orbit around the Rebino system, a warzone seventy-three light-years from Ilibya World.
Aboard the Punisher Battleship.
Raphael leaned on the edge of the command console, his expression stern. Before them hovered a holographic, panoramic map of Rebino World. He methodically outlined the tactical plan and pointed out areas of concern.
"This is enemy territory, so our time is precious. The Administrative Region has already arranged for a merchant vessel to get us on Rebino World.
The operation will be split into two parts, running concurrently.
Seventy-Six, Knight Matthias—you’re in charge of assassinating the Provincial Governors. Before the operation begins, I’ll place psychic markers on you to help you locate the rebel Governors’ hideouts.
I will take the lead in finding our rescue target. Lord Reinhardt and Manon Knight will provide support. Once the assassinations are complete, I will finalize the rescue on my end."
Finished, Raphael turned to Technician Soldier Agate. "Sergeant Agate, I will inform you of the time and location for our extraction when the mission is complete.
Remember, you are the most critical part of this plan. There can be no mistakes with the time or place.
If anything unexpected happens, I will notify you immediately."
Technician Soldier Agate was as impassive as ever. He showed no sign of tension, despite being in enemy territory with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
In fact, aside from Raphael—the squad’s Think Tank, who was responsible for strategy and giving orders—no one on the Punisher ship felt nervous.
Even though he had been through the Verne Campaign, Raphael was, at heart, a Priest from a provincial Monastery. He had always lacked the iron-blooded nature of an Imperial Knight.
In fact, it was quite the opposite; he possessed the refined bearing of a scholar.
This was his first time participating in a top-secret mission of Legendary Level. Not only did he have to fight alongside powerful, decorated Imperial Knights, but he had to do so while giving them orders as their commander and Think Tank.
For someone of Raphael’s humble origins, this was a daunting challenge.
From Reinhardt’s perspective, Matthias was a man he had already defeated, while Manon and Agate, despite their Six-star Military Ranks, were just another pair of Elite Knights.
But from Raphael’s perspective...
...every Imperial Knight here was a living legend in their respective Battle Groups, a terrifying force capable of turning the tide of a small-scale battle single-handedly.
Any one of them could have been sent to an Imperial Administrative Region and given the authority to raise their own army.
And yet, here they were.
These endlessly decorated Divine Emperor’s Angels, standing before him, silently awaiting his tactical deployment.
He had studied under a senior Think Tank for years, but any novice strategist would feel immense pressure in this situation. It wasn’t just about shouldering the immense responsibility for a potential failure.
For a novice Think Tank to simply lay out a plan before these tactical masters, Battle Group heroes, and high-ranking sergeants without his voice trembling was a testament to his courage.
Raphael’s plan was brutally simple, with virtually no coordination between squad members.
But for a newly formed squad like the Vengeful Angels, letting each member operate independently and play to their own strengths was perhaps the best option.
That’s why no one on the ship objected to his plan.
An hour later, right on schedule, the merchant vessel meant to ferry them arrived.
After the Empire and the Holy City completely lost control over the various Star Zones, the question of betraying the Empire had become irrelevant to the Merchant Families.
As long as they weren’t siding with Void Demons, there was no business they wouldn’t do in the entire Ash Soil Star Zone.
Although the faction Sedon had built claimed to be an Imperial Administrative Region, in the eyes of the Merchant Nobility, he was just another one of the Knight Warlords hiding behind the name of the Old Empire.
As long as it didn’t mean betraying the Emperor, and as long as there were no direct conflicts of interest, the wars between Knight Warlords were not only none of their concern, but were also opportunities to profit from both sides.
The merchants didn’t care what business Reinhardt and his party had borrowing their ship to land on Rebino World.
Still, the captain of this Expedition Level commercial warship gave them a lavish welcome.
On the bridge.
"It has been far too long since the Fury was graced by the presence of Imperial Knights. Please allow me, on behalf of the Capet Family, to extend our most sincere greetings. I am Nolan, captain of the Fury."
The slender, well-kept member of the Imperial Merchant Nobility spoke with an unctuous, bureaucratic slickness that set one’s teeth on edge.
But Raphael wasn’t worried that these nobles, who valued coin more than their faith in the Divine Emperor, would betray them. When they departed, everyone who had seen or learned of them would lose those specific memories.
Robbing a Mortal of a few memories...
...was a simple matter for a Master Level, Tier One Mind Mage.
The strongest combatants on the ship were merely a Clan Knight with a Two-star Military Rank and a Navigator who possessed a Wizard Bloodline.
Whether out of concern for his own safety or fear of later retribution, the moment the attendant Clan Knight sensed Reinhardt’s Earth Knight Level aura and met his terrifying, deathly gaze...
...the young Clan Knight swallowed hard and chose to keep his mouth shut, resolving to take the secret of ever having seen Reinhardt’s party to his grave.
As a Knight, he understood far better than the captain just how terrifying these men were.
Besides, compared to his Loyalty to his family, that soul-piercing gaze—one that seemed to question his very Loyalty to the Emperor—was so crushing he could barely breathe.
As for the Navigator with the Wizard Bloodline, Raphael used Telepathy to inform Reinhardt that the man had agreed to have his memory of them wiped afterward.
The Mighty Power of a Master Level, Tier One Mage was not something a mere Navigator could resist.
En route to Rebino World, Reinhardt happened upon a young woman in the ship’s dining hall. She appeared to be a descendant of the Capet Family and had strikingly long, rare, silver hair.
When Reinhardt saw her, a little boy of about six was playing alone by her feet. She sat at a long table, lost in thought as she stared at a photo inside a locket, as if longing for someone.
And the other person in the photo, if Reinhardt wasn’t mistaken, was... Maxim?
He stood behind her.
Reinhardt glanced at the somewhat withdrawn little boy on the floor, then paused for a moment before speaking. "What’s the name of the man in the photo?"
Only then did the young woman realize someone was standing behind her.
Reinhardt’s towering Physique clearly startled her.
She scrambled to her feet, smoothing her dress and forcing a smile. "Maxim... his name is Maxim. Lord Knight, do you know him?"
’So it really is that damn kid.’
After arriving in the Iberian World, Reinhardt had searched for traces of Maxim, but Albert had told him that during the crash, Maxim was the first to be swept away by the Void Storm.
He hadn’t been heard from since.
Upon learning the whereabouts of his old acquaintance, Reinhardt’s perpetually cold and ruthless expression finally softened. But judging from the young woman’s condition, he didn’t need to guess: Maxim was either missing or dead.
He probed with a few more questions, and when he brought up Maxim’s current situation, the woman, whose name was Colari, sighed in resignation.
"He came back once, seven years ago. He told me he was going to kill Demons, and that it would be the last time we saw each other. Lord Knight, since you know him, could you please tell him... tell him how much I miss him.
I know he’s one of the Emperor’s Angels and I’m just a Mortal, but..."
As she spoke,
her gaze fell upon the little boy playing by himself. She clutched the locket tightly, the pain of separation and the sweetness of her memories swirling in her eyes, before dissolving into a complex, profound, and wordless silence.
