chapter_0043

42 – Lieutenant Lucy, do you like this?

42 – Lieutenant Lucy, do you like this?

After informing Lucy of the dessert shop’s location, I left the headquarters in a jeep, heading towards the munitions factory Lieutenant Mckell had mentioned.

After about 30 minutes of driving, the driver gently applied the brakes.

The jeep gradually slowed down and came to a complete stop at the entrance of the ruined munitions factory.

“We’ve arrived, Commander.”

I nodded once to the driver, opened the door, and stepped outside.

Entering through the half-destroyed main gate, I saw a group of patrol personnel gathered not far away.

The soldiers and Lieutenant Mckell, who were engaged in conversation, turned their heads at the sound of footsteps.

Upon spotting me, they quickly saluted.

“Commander! We’ve been waiting for you!”

I casually returned the salute and approached them.

“Where’s the research lab?”

“Ah, it’s this way.”

Lieutenant Mckell pointed to the ground.

Turning my head, I saw stairs leading down to the basement beyond a wide-open iron gate.

“An underground base, huh? Those Kingdom bastards sure love building things underground.”

“Indeed. Being allies of the Allied Nations, they act just like rats.”

The soldiers around Lieutenant Mckell chuckled dryly at his joke.

I also gave a faint smile and turned to Lieutenant Mckell.

“Your jokes have improved. More importantly, how much searching have you done?”

“We’ve only done a rough assessment of the situation. It doesn’t seem like they’ve set up any traps, so you can look around comfortably. If you’d like, I can accompany you, Commander.”

“No. I’ll go alone. You stay here with the soldiers and guard the entrance.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

Having received his reply, I descended the stairs into the basement.

As I went down the stairs, the surroundings grew darker, so I took out the flashlight I had prepared in advance and pressed the power button.

Click—

The light from the flashlight illuminated the path ahead.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was another iron gate, which was open, perhaps by Lieutenant Mckell.

Cautiously entering through the gate, I found myself on a floor coated with epoxy.

Long desks and various experimental tools were lined up on the glossy floor.

Things like flasks and microscopes.

Some of the instruments were so strangely shaped that I didn’t even know what they were used for.

‘What on earth were they doing here…?’

I wanted to understand the situation, but it seemed that any samples obtained during the research had been removed, leaving nothing but the various tools.

Observing the dust-filled room, I discovered an open automatic door.

Stepping inside, I found a wide corridor.

Iron bars were installed on both sides of the corridor, and each partitioned section, resembling a room, contained a bed and utensils.

It was like a prison, but there was no one there.

Judging by the fact that all the doors were open, they must have taken them away.

Taking a deep breath, I continued to walk.

There was another iron gate at the end of the corridor.

Reaching the end of the corridor, I grabbed the handle of the iron gate and pulled.

Squeak—

The door stopped before it could open fully.

Regaining my composure, I pulled the handle with all my might.

The iron gate swung open, scattering ashes.

‘…Ashes?’

Puzzled, I looked inside and saw that the floor was covered in ashes.

‘They burned something. A lot of it.’

If there was anything they could have burned in large quantities here, it would probably be paper.

Documents containing the research lab’s records.

‘But it’s sloppy. There are signs of a hasty escape everywhere.’

They must have built the underground base because they were conducting research that couldn’t be made public.

In that case, it would be logical to properly dispose of the experimental equipment, utensils, and beds in the iron-barred rooms when evacuating.

The fact that they didn’t means they didn’t have enough time due to a hasty evacuation.

‘They probably didn’t expect the Imperial Army to enter the city along the supply routes overnight.’

It’s likely that they burned the valuable research materials because they were short on time.

They probably set the fire and ran away without even checking if the documents were properly incinerated.

Looking around, I was able to easily find some paper that hadn’t been completely burned.

Of course, it wasn’t in perfect condition.

About half of the top or bottom was burned.

Still, it was enough to piece together the whole story.

Picking up a few sheets of paper from the floor, I shook off the ashes on the surface.

The letters written on the paper began to appear.

『…The ultimate goal is to develop cutting-edge combat weaponry that can create a turning point in the war. If we can turn humans into weapons through the fusion of magic and science, it will not only curb the Empire’s ambition but also make it possible for the Kingdom to become a major power…』

There were too many burned areas to read the other letters.

I turned the page.

『…Although most magic has been lost in practice, there are still some proven effective spells. Mana Bullet infusion and temporary physical enhancement can be used by most soldiers, but special techniques such as optical camouflage and gravity field formation require high talent.』

I turned the page.

『…What if talent could be artificially created? For example, what if ordinary soldiers could have the same strength as the Imperial Guard? This experiment, which began with the initial question, involves injecting enhancement substances into unidentified volunteers with high magical aptitude…』

I turned the page.

『…In conclusion, it was all a failure. All of the volunteers showed abnormal magical reactions, causing vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, confusion, hallucinations, and self-harm. The magical enhancement was also insignificant, making it unusable in actual combat. Furthermore, it is doubtful whether those who have suffered such pain will pledge allegiance…』

I turned the page.

『…According to the data recently provided by the Allied Nations, there is an individual who has succeeded in the experiment. As of now, they are unique, and their magical enhancement far exceeds expectations. Thanks to this, our researchers express their respect to the Allied Nations and name the code for the project that will be carried out in the future after the individual’s name…』

Reading the last part of the page, I narrowed my eyes sharply.

“…We will name it the Lucy Project.”

Lucy Project.

That was clearly written at the end of the report.

*

After taking the report, I left the research lab and instructed Lieutenant Mckell to keep the discovery of the research lab strictly confidential.

Afterwards, while patrolling the nearby area to clear my head, I headed to the dessert shop where I had promised to meet Lucy in the afternoon.

Entering the shop, the soft classical music made my ears feel comfortable.

As I was admiring the Gothic-style interior, someone raised their hand from a window-side table.

“Major! Over here!”

Turning my head, it was Frien.

For some reason, Lucy was sitting next to Frien.

Puzzled, I approached and asked.

“Cadet Frien? I didn’t expect to see you with my adjutant.”

“I came to eat dessert and happened to find Lieutenant Lucy. I heard that you were coming too, Major, so I was waiting. Oh, and I’ve already ordered the menu, so you can just sit down.”

“You ordered the menu? You?”

“Yes. I heard from Lieutenant Lucy that you were singing about wanting to eat Eclair. So, to save you time, I ordered it in advance.”

I see. It wasn’t bad, so I nodded and sat down across from Frien.

Then, I glanced at Lucy.

‘…She was an experimental subject? Lucy?’

Even in the game, Lucy’s past wasn’t revealed, so I was learning about it for the first time now.

Moreover, human weapons like Lucy don’t appear until the end of the game.

Well, there is one more in the enemy country, but that person is purely talented, so they are an exception.

That means their cutting-edge weapon development project will continue to fail even in the distant future.

‘Anyway…’

How can Lucy, who was an experimental subject of the Allied Nations, pledge allegiance to the Allied Nations?

Is there something else I don’t know?

As I stared at her with questions, Lucy and I made eye contact.

Her blood-red eyes, resembling blood, felt a little more eerie today.

“Major? Is there something you want to say?”

Looking for an excuse, I joked.

“Just. I was just looking because your beauty seems to stand out today.”

Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, Lucy blinked a few times and then nodded slightly.

“…Thank you.”

Thinking I had gotten away with it, I let out a sigh of relief, but then I felt Frien’s gaze.

She was looking at me displeased that I had praised Lucy.

Just as I was wondering why, a server approached with a tray.

“Did someone order Eclair and coffee?”

“That would be me.”

When I raised my hand, the server smiled and placed the Eclair and coffee down.

Next, she placed mint chip ice cream in front of Frien and Lucy.

Lucy stared blankly at it for a moment and then looked at the server.

“Excuse me, there seems to be a mistake with the order.”

“Huh? That can’t be…”

Before the server could panic, Frien interjected.

“It’s the right order. You can go back.”

Thanks to Frien’s bright smile, the server awkwardly nodded once and returned to the counter.

After confirming that the server was gone, Frien said, maintaining her smile.

“Lieutenant Lucy entrusted me with ordering the menu, right? You didn’t say you wanted anything else, so I ordered mint chip ice cream. I thought you’d like it.”

Even so, shouldn’t you have asked the person in question?

Feeling that it was a bit too much, I turned to look at Lucy and involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat.

“…”

Lucy was glaring at Frien as if she wanted to kill her.

Author’s Note

Thank you to the passing Kamen Rider for the 45 coin donation! I’m so grateful for your kind words that it’s a good work, it gives me strength just to hear it. I will do my best to write this novel so that Kamen Rider can continue to consider it a good work. Thank you so much for your support!

I would also like to express my gratitude to all the readers who read this work.

The weather has gotten a lot colder these days, so I hope everyone has a warm day.

Then I’ll see you again tomorrow!