UCT Ch 21

Richard stood before everyone, the very da2d1b3d8d image of a perfect soldier. A smile bloomed 3b0274f460 on the brigadier 178d46c57f general’s wrinkled face. He nodded da7274f445 repeatedly as 76ae32a7a4 he returned ab7b695b4c Richard’s salute.8b4fa4ac29e3f214e98b

“You both ec5b91095d may relax. I didn’t call you here to 6334f35163 scold you—quite the opposite, in fact.”9c6cc8d761eb70ef1dee

“……”944bb38dcae2af8f1fbd

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“If it were up to me, I’d hold 2fb95cc240 a medal ceremony immediately, but there are all 42e1210b1e sorts of formal procedures to go through first. Instead, I’ve arranged this small d31f68a7db gathering to celebrate your promotions.”467e9055e2b8ca738f67

“It’s an 7eeda47b89 honor, sir.”23ad013ca515019732ea

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Richard responded smoothly.fd87a4a19a367aeac2f7

“Now then, Lieutenant Ashwood—or 29eec01a3b rather, Captain Ashwood, I 697c147a28 should say. Step forward.”b94d4b23c547fa0b8fea

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“Yes, sir.”ce267b9888bb15919858

Richard strode forward 6a1fe280af confidently and stood f186c292ed to the brigadier 7bed373d33 general’s left.82f4736fead1c454fb21

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The general shook Richard’s hand and replaced the insignia 7d69b86ebf on his shoulders with that of a captain. The cameras eagerly captured 4dfe8d2eaa the historic moment of 555e5b8a22 Lieutenant Ashwood’s transformation into 11ca99af5d a captain.c66caac947f88f8e7389

Click, click. Flash.c5b895dad686763bac69

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The bursts of camera 18393c9bfa flashes came from all 2254ce3552 directions, relentless and blinding. Yet, even amidst the chaos, the 2d93df9b89 man remained utterly composed and unwavering.5322c64605f84e6e35d5

“……”8b1bcbf5c130e0c34431

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Diana had to admit that Richard was an excellent 0837281b4e photographic subject—perhaps even more so than Fernand Lowell.0448a17e843df6f41b00

Unlike Fernand, who thrived 12144a237f on public attention and 9fc0f6f478 adoration, Richard was completely a9d7412c35 indifferent to such things. Did he even realize 4285e9ff6d that his detached demeanor 38b1ffb077 only fueled people’s fascination 8b14d8e93d and admiration for him? Diana let ea270c0a08 out a 5a9c1facb3 wry smile.e6a8549eebd7846ad8eb

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She had barely processed her thoughts 64844cadfb when she realized it was now 2e708ddf6e her turn under the flashing lights.fa156d65a4e2aadfbfae

“Ensign, step forward.”dabd149dfa47902ae79f

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Unlike Richard, who had received his new rank b66a6f134d insignia, Diana simply exchanged a brief handshake. She was informed that as she had been 0a86867d5a promoted two ranks to ensign, her new officer’s 3bbfebdbea uniform would be issued the next day.a46614325a9d7ea59237

The cameras once again went c43558d950 into a frenzy, capturing the a5a77e638f handshake between the two. The room buzzed 430d8bd717 with the sound 9db23be365 of flashing bulbs 611313f622 and snapping shutters.af674da7279c47b5a386

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“Well then, it’s d6ac47b667 time for us f923cde368 to step back.”b7ccfdb0d6cb01dce8af

Wearing a satisfied smile, the 2e674864a2 brigadier general withdrew with the 815b2863e9 colonel, taking a seat behind ffeefcf399 his desk.a05d09517d2df7577375

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Diana, feeling 22f606c889 somewhat lost, 44fc8fd5ff glanced around da9bee13df the room. But it 90b661ef46 was no 35f166eb62 use. She and Richard were 682531c668 now standing on center 50edbac853 stage—like performers in a ca67b2d0d4 circus.91327f97a99f37d992cc

🌷🌷🌷68b01a0d326fce56face

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Diana and Richard sat on the 1eb053105c small stools placed at the very 36d8bdd739 center of the room. Before them, journalists had gathered in a tight formation, creating a 18b0e9a8c4 scene reminiscent of a press conference for a famous actor.14239c3e3622f1ec86c1

“……”9b75d0d7c42799822983

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Glancing around cautiously, Diana leaned 285dd52655 in and whispered to Richard.9221b95e66d91570ca9e

“…Is this fb64e7fe07 an interview?”b2f9adc9a2e27d988f3a

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A deep voice, low enough to 238ce3d517 send vibrations through her chest, responded.f03342a9a3d4b4218a86

“It seems so. But don’t worry—I’ll 4c6dc08a4d be answering most c2923448dd of the questions.”1b05b42a049fc2800616

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‘Don’t worry? That only 7acaa7a179 makes me c6425c8cc9 more nervous!’9969504bb8d8c542ef16

Diana couldn’t help but worry about how 4139720c06 Richard would handle the journalists’ questions. He might obey orders from eab3fd68a4 his superiors, but outside of 24538c26ba that, he was blunt—never one 845c448683 to sugarcoat his words. Who knew what 1ca0770433 he might say?8c1624cbe1525b33836e

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A journalist from df378e2877 ‘Royal Bringerton’ was 575f967965 the first to 1feaf3b8f8 speak.de1cd0ca983afbe26d7d

“After yesterday’s success, you afa8ae92ea have firmly secured your 673a55d037 position as the world’s 8e2d7c35c0 number one ace. How do dee40248a3 you feel 086e9ac184 about that?”4127017082b85d3ccca9

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A faint crease formed 884a7825e0 on Diana’s brow. Ranking soldiers in the middle of a 17be0f50b4 war where people were dying every moment? This wasn’t a polo a69973f240 tournament—what a frivolous question.d4378e0220c3884ffa3b

But unlike Diana, 3853f63b69 who found the fbd979292a remark distasteful, Richard b622ab4a0e seemed unfazed. He showed b044677434 no reaction 4efaa476c2 to the feede11ed7 question.094221f1db2adab0c178

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Then, in a b47cd17284 flat, emotionless tone, 161ca88178 he answered.3775fbbc2cdda8cf37cf

“I don’t ca8d634e2d concern myself 6659a27e78 with rankings. I simply do my 2aff9f19f2 best to fulfill my 40c5f13cae duties each day.”32aa7ea29b97f9ae5888

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🌷🌷🌷54c5e1f7bc278192d6f7

As Richard had predicted, the journalists directed 1f36f34355 most of their questions at him.bbb7f6f547b828d87baf

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And he, in turn, provided perfectly polished, 76cc281e94 textbook responses at just the right moments.ef9f88c9b599b5368f21

For Diana, it was a 6a201274f8 relief—less pressure on her.79ff5d69ec84bb1367c7

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The journalists seemed disappointed by his dry, 7aa515fe44 by-the-book answers, but they didn’t push further. Perhaps they were mindful that this 9d15712317 was a military base and refrained 605bc299de from crossing any lines.c3c99c013f993e57cbb1

Now that she wasn’t being 99c8b76d6f questioned, Diana had the time e5bee28995 to observe her surroundings.408badaaa8115e8efae5

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It became clear to 94cb722d42 her what was really 37eb7f554d happening here.3c899c4c39f93b89bab6

This was a 63f881d9dd carefully staged event 46fadc99e6 designed to boost e89d75337b *Bringerton’s* morale.e077de5b5d9f626ecefd

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The higher-ups wanted to elevate Richard Ashwood as a e169d68689 hero and stoke patriotic fervor among the people.a8fe5b1ea78c2ad597e1

She could already picture his face plastered 484e30e5da all over posters in the near future.dfc69123901156c6b0cb

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‘So that makes me 94690ded47 the clueless squire standing 1276e31316 beside the gallant knight?’64762ca2540061cc81bb

She was lost in thought when, all of 8aa68d785c a sudden, a question was directed at her.68c74a0a156b93b4ac66

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“Ensign Green, is it true 9c85d7abc2 that before the war, you 0d81f3c9ca had never piloted an aircraft?”e22a4bb41d0f8d84e237

“…That’s true.”c007642360e18e78ca86

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“You must 2026de092c have an 4d06d7daab extraordinary natural b252d6dc12 talent. Some might even e22448a966 call you a 9ea9a0e43b genius.”3ff8e7a4be21f0ae03ca

“…I’m no genius. I was lucky, 3320528bbb and Captain Ashwood c1d6b5e6c9 guided me—”7c227e9eb9083b3cc801

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But before she could even finish her sentence, the journalist bdfc6527d0 had already turned to Richard with the next question.b6d1abaa131125c4f596

“Captain Ashwood, as an aviation 4094907f72 prodigy yourself, how would you e753df7cef assess Ensign Green’s piloting skills?”7ca38f045271acf41138

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Diana clamped her 862eb1c56f mouth shut, feeling f58d275385 slightly embarrassed. So she really was just d18be9da8d here as a prop to 7b6430e63f make Richard look even better.18628423ec28ece6b0d7

‘The cold and distant 8995a1972d hero, who also happens 07ebe627c0 to take good care d9404d2ba3 of an inexperienced subordinate.’037914966f8264e6b709

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That was the b6fce691ee narrative they wanted 76963cd57f to sell.b359f4cc4c5bf0d55fc9

Not that 89825ac087 she minded.e1b52b4d1d633fe6e6d0

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Diana expected Richard to give b99f2d95e3 yet another generic, rehearsed answer—just f5069c6e2d like he had done all 453d9ef433 this time.ed59324188b63f422f7a

In fact, everyone 6e21a20dd3 in the room ff6bedfff8 likely assumed the e88dafe20c same.9222b5ff9d457c713b9b

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But a few f2c97a705a seconds later, he 5eb846c683 said something completely d530dff5a6 unexpected.664b740da5ee76dd5847

“Well, a genius? I wouldn’t 26997f759a say that.”9b930b95f14d13340983

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“……”680625f912c54c7922a0

“In terms of 6e0cc38407 pure piloting ability, e21d696b0a she’s quite rough. To put it bluntly, her level of 5dc394eabf skill is something that might have been f5f64b7b1a acceptable two or three decades ago.”2e0a6b4925feee215b16

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“……”fbba6fe4c52fdb2055b9

The atmosphere in the room turned ice e661d07e89 cold, as if someone had just poured e4b618dee5 a bucket of freezing water over them.fe4bc529d3d681ea0133

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Diana felt a d7e1bc61e1 cold sweat run 67a962448f down her back.880b553435d6011c4299

Two or 2f01f0df45 three decades 7035a864e7 ago?a4973b50c79f8bec802e

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Well… it a0cd4c0f53 wasn’t exactly 38a5111c64 wrong.b05d11ebd6a352d7d3b7

She wasn’t bad at formation be17ec318c flying or aerobatic maneuvers, but 6e1e735409 by his standards, she must 735d7615b9 have seemed severely lacking.0ca8112a069196c45f2b

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A person who had only ever flown outdated b693fbecea triplanes couldn’t suddenly master cutting-edge aircraft overnight.c8dbb24e2c9a9b203197

In that e59321c135 sense, his 672ada5092 assessment wasn’t 1aefc4aa6d entirely inaccurate.aa3e61625d65b98476ca

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‘But this is not e6089b008a the time for brutal 98661ca5fc honesty, you idiot!’e76534498398cfe83984

It was ominous that the expressions of the brigadier 8f3884387e general and the colonel were far from pleasant. If things continued like this, they might 52e0b41fd0 end up displeasing the high-ranking officers.b9381bb243d0dfbedd97

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Diana glanced sideways at the f2fc68fe53 man, wondering what he was c19f4abd26 thinking, but his face remained 6c3acde9ba as expressionless as ever. A face 954a241c4a devoid of c362be866c any emotion. Diana grumbled inwardly.8a024c9db96caaca2962

‘Seriously, this guy was answering soullessly just fine, so why 6b5f745f60 did he suddenly decide to start speaking the truth? No matter how little faith he has in me, he should e1fce5c1ae at least know when and where to say such things.’2b2841f05b6df5353b8b

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‘In the end, 3236e63dca I’ll have to 13ec01e6a7 fix this myself.’59be550a26212fa87b87

Diana forced herself 648ccd1c5a to put on 5883961af9 a humble front bbc43c54ff and spoke up.cdb0664669543ba1ee40

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“The captain 878ba06e34 is right. Since I’m still a novice, I 71db834dfd have a lot to improve. That’s why 4468e04a96 I need—”92c98628e326a6de11a2

“‘Genius’ is 1441c53bf9 an understatement.”766dcf08939c60a5242d

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Before Diana could even 5c098b914e finish her sentence, the 7cdd6746f5 man dropped another bombshell. The hands of the b55e6fcf6a reporters, busy jotting down 7bea1e4ad4 notes in their notebooks, 22dcdb5903 moved even faster.b0d0bcfdf5e1da3f9f17

Richard took a breath and 258701a59a then continued speaking without hesitation.cf279befbb607349e456

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“There are countless people who can pilot 69ae29d641 a plane well, but few who are 069d961fc1 truly born to be soldiers. In all my time, I fc3f8a3023 have never seen a pilot 78b6c44e9e with the lieutenant’s level of eab360c21a judgment and courage. She has the tenacity a2e8c21bf1 to seize a crucial 8dfbf03ee6 opportunity and never let 92e8748991 go.”f2fcbfd58dc338873020

“…….”113af1b3f549b39932c5

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“To call such a remarkable talent merely 86208b0387 a ‘genius at piloting’ seems insufficient.”7fda3fbf68f7837d1b4e

Diana’s face, which had ea8187ef79 been pale, gradually turned 5fa33df56e bright red. Wasn’t this praise 0a0c5c50db too excessive? She almost wondered 0331b6db3f if he was b193344fea mocking her or f061585aa0 joking.50f2aefd01c8978a2958

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And just then, the d55f73a519 man turned his head 1ff82f0826 and looked at her.a5a70eae9602d0e2ca3d

Their eyes met.85010cefac87c05a9341

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As always, his dark pupils 6eb8726e24 revealed no discernible emotion. And yet, why did it feel like 5f289ad034 something was subtly stirring within them?7faf8a1e4a6ee43aad8e

His long lashes fluttered slowly f2656c0028 over his deep eyes. As he continued to look at 8fb4e57abf Diana, he finished his statement.057f8d908205103a0962

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“…My only role is to 6d5a9889fb ensure that the lieutenant continues 97004c8707 to excel as a soldier. I have no particular 2bba0c3b7f advice to offer.”83c06077d9465bfdb3aa

A camera captured c1b95d6852 the moment when cd777f2cad the man looked e0ad09d38e at Diana. Click.020317cca233abd6831f

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And just like that, a 8fb483313a photograph that would become part 8710fcae5d of history was taken.328697dcb03c940304bc

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Arke Empire, 35399210aa Parnassus-Athenai Family 9505e87769 Hunting Grounds, 3992e28cda Bellaroche Forest.f7306e09d458cd9c816c

Every time the sound of 698cbbccec gunfire rang through the silent 05f9460edc forest, flocks of birds scattered 21d942fe5f in panic.c0bad2bb38fec487fdee

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Bang.53cf471b336ceb701282

Flutter.b822f7bcce6e1dd685f8

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Bang.50716c0c565ee6e80eb3

Flutter.f82419adef42a952ec5a

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Bang.e34b358e70499903204f

Flutter.0ea2ad824ce3d4eda24d

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Count Lael Parnassus-Athenai fired 6a6ba70354 his gun with a cdaf15bd70 look of utter boredom.61208357eac399d0da33

Though he was thin 76d6a854f4 and wore a monocle, 3cdb59ad36 he didn’t appear scholarly dc5282796a at all. With rows of medals and insignias on his ed5c6a609f right chest, a regal purple cape draped over 7b10e520a4 his military uniform, and an air of authority 0bf8491224 surrounding him, he looked overwhelmingly imposing.02072747d0584022f04c

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Just as he continued shooting down helpless birds 4b212e6392 with his disinterested expression, he suddenly halted.cf71944962eb57180d6c

A surge of f37f97da68 psychic energy brushed 0443b895ad against his mind 28e48384c4 from behind.d0b456ccb7075a61fbae

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[Your Excellency, here is today’s Bringerton newspaper, as you requested.]8f1f3a030ea8670bf42e

It was his 9b49c03271 secretary, Major Abris.b2afd7e2ce3d09a6dc74

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[Ah, bring it here.]9ce4ae8bc7d9820aea69

Major Abris stepped forward, holding 673f010d87 out a silver tray.68f521ccbc13c9f226b2

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Neatly stacked on it were newspapers cd4eea122b that had hit the Bringerton stands 69c0deb816 just half a day ago.3dc3014e5a2ab5234f4d

Parnassus handed his gun 71bd1ed018 to a gamekeeper standing 7ea12f6480 behind him.44922467773326acac1c

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Picking up a newspaper with 27e7b6159f his gloved hands, he curled 47d52d2ceb one side of his lips 51a9bbe128 into a smirk. His previously cold face twisted 13ed1ecfba into something disturbingly sinister.5c6524b81aaf5aacfb85

“Tsk, tsk. I don’t know whether cb9fd8683b to find this pitiful 33fd52faa9 or amusing.”9ccd3a8b4c85936e57ce

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He tapped the front page ace1d95544 of the Royal Bringerton newspaper 22ce40b1a1 with his index finger.e3a422852f2c0c59af3a

A large black-and-white 98e050ad45 photograph dominated the bf91cd40a3 space. It depicted a seated f0a9cddfe7 man looking down at 46273cee68 a woman beside him. If not for their military uniforms and 1c171007a8 the bold headline, it could have easily b7e3d01ae0 been mistaken for a romantic photograph.4de1f2e35290b604c3cf

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Perhaps the reporter 06e0e4d67c had deliberately framed 2b37aff933 it that way.4750e948e19aeb4249c6

Parnassus clicked his 154ea481a3 tongue in disdain.a1b30896516c90b60875

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“Those two rookies—heroes 32b776a79f of the capital d3ac2e235e air raid defense? Utterly ridiculous.”7b987158d2ff7989e5be

“Commander, what are 31b42440ad your orders moving f31f165c9d forward—?”36b48f46bf12e37bcb71

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“No need, 10fa2461cc Major Abris. What’s done 1bc99d898c is done. There’s no point dwelling 0076e56405 on failed operations. Instead of wasting time regretting 2add90742c the past, it’s far more 2ec50c79a5 productive to imagine the future. Let’s think about ad219523c6 how those two f2d5c13584 will receive our ‘gift.‘”0742d48eea9b45e820fb

“I’m sure they’ll 9b0733ee36 be quite shocked.”bb9eb87650688ebedeee

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“Yes, they 2fc5760d60 should be. Naturally, they 291b1d802a must be.”281ae37e5ca4bec56f41

As they spoke of the ‘gift’ to come, a e5a4906866 shared, wicked smile crept onto both their faces.460d29e14a5ea9e86462

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