UCT Ch 27

Bryce and Owen returned to the base just minutes before curfew. Owen looked up at the cloudless night sky and said regretfully,

“The rain has stopped. They said it would last for several days…”

“What did you expect? You should only trust half of what the weather forecast says.”

However, even Bryce’s voice, as she said this, was full of lingering regret. She tried to change the subject.

“Green must have made it back safely.”

“She probably did. Or do you think the captain might have left her somewhere?”

“…It’s not entirely impossible.”

“No way. He’s got a strong sense of duty; he would have left her in her tent.”

“Tsk tsk. She’s probably sprawled out on the floor by now.”

As they continued towards the tent, Bryce suddenly smacked her forehead as if remembering something.

“Oh, right. I need to stop by the lounge. I left my comic book there and forgot about it.”

It was a precious comic book from the federation. If left in the waiting room for even a few days, the pages would get tattered or torn, or in the worst case, it could disappear.

After bidding farewell to Owen, Bryce hurried to the lounge, eager to retrieve her valuable comic book.

Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard two men talking in hushed tones nearby.

Normally, she would have dismissed it as idle chatter, but her ‘smuggler’s intuition’ kicked in again. It seemed like something unusual was being discussed.

Quickly hiding against the wall of a nearby building, Bryce began to listen to where the voices were coming from.

“…That unlucky bastard, we need to put him in his place someday.”

“Right, that smuggler rat is really getting on your nerves, isn’t he?”

‘…!’

At the mention of ‘smuggler rat,’ Bryce lowered her head. It wasn’t particularly surprising; she was used to being insulted. Ignoring it was in her best interest.

“Sigh, I’ve wasted my time. I should hurry.”

Just as she was about to brush off her clothes and leave, a significant comment followed.

“No, that petty thief doesn’t matter. He’ll mess up his own fate without us doing anything.”

‘Ah, these guys…’

What had she done to deserve such fuss? Anyone listening would think they had some personal vendetta. But that wasn’t the crucial point.

“That red-haired woman.”

“Ah, the ‘Saint of Bringerton’?”

‘…!’

Bryce’s limbs stiffened. ‘Red-haired,’ ‘Saint of Bringerton’ – it was clearly referring to Diana.

“The higher-ups seem to want to push her forward. She hasn’t even earned her wings yet. They probably think her pretty face will be good for publicity.”

“Well, it’s annoying, but it might not be entirely ineffective. You yourself said last time that the green recruits would flock to join because of her, right?”

‘…Really, it’s exasperating.’

Bryce’s mouth twisted with anger and irritation.

Of course, this wasn’t surprising either. Even though the air force had a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the army or navy, it still had its own firm hierarchy.

Moreover, unlike the army and navy, which were predominantly made up of commoners, the air force was officer-centric. That meant the majority of the base was occupied by noble sons.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most of them came here dreaming of being ‘knights of the sky’ like Fernan Lowell.

 

‘By the way, that guy will get caught up in a tiring situation.’

Diana’s situation was different from Richard’s. Not only was she an uncommon female fighter pilot, but she also lacked the family backing that Richard had. This made her particularly vulnerable to jealousy and sabotage.

The men kept talking.

“But, Ned, there’s no need to worry.”

“Why?”

“That red-haired witch won’t live long anyway.”

‘…’

Bryce’s heart skipped a beat.

“Pfft. Well, true. Isn’t the Grim Reaper, Baekgui, her squadron leader? She doesn’t have much time left to live.”

“Chuckle. Even Yanatol got dragged to hell because of her. In that sense, she’s kind of pitiful. She was lucky last time, but she can’t keep that luck forever.”

“Pitiful, my foot. I’m the one suffering here; I’m the most pitiful one.”

Bryce’s fists were trembling. Did these guys know what they were saying about their comrade? Probably not, they’d never know until they died.

“Want to bet? I bet she’ll live for three days, I’ll put three dukits on it.”

“Three dukits? That’s all? Hmm…”

One of the men hesitated for a while before whispering even lower. Of course, Bryce’s sharp ears didn’t miss it.

“I bet ten dukits she’ll die tomorrow.”

🌷🌷🌷

Diana woke up with a slight chill. Her entire body felt heavy as if pressed by lead, and she sensed the onset of a cold.

When she lifted her arm, she noticed the sleeve of her uniform was damp.

“…I fell asleep in wet clothes.”

Diana grumbled as she shifted in bed.

‘No, if you’re going to help a drunk person, at least take off the outer clothes and hang them up. Just, tch, throwing me here-.’

“Ah.”

With this belated realization, something snapped in her mind. The events of the previous night flashed before her eyes like pages of a book turning.

[…You insufferable jerk…]

[…]

[...But you think you’re so great, huh? You don’t even say a word… Damn…]

[…]

[…Just wait… I’ll show you with my piloting skills… I’ll make you take back calling me outdated…]

[…]

Diana pressed the back of her hand against her mouth. Suddenly, she felt nauseous, not from the hangover but from the psychological impact.

She remembered muttering nonsense after drinking and being supported by Richard Ashwood. Especially that problematic statement she had made.

[The captain seems like a kind person, really.]

[…]

[You’re just pretending to be scary.]

“…I’m going crazy.”

The hand covering her mouth now touched her round forehead. A dull headache crept up her spine to her head.

‘To lose my mind over a few drinks and start mumbling nonsense. I’m not that much of a lightweight, so why-‘

It seemed she had pushed herself too hard recently. The tension had released, making her drunk faster than usual.

The silver lining, if there was one, was that Richard Ashwood hadn’t gotten angry or annoyed with her.

In fact, he had even supported her for the several minutes’ walk back, which was an extraordinary act of kindness for him. Given his usual character, he might have left her on the street, but instead, he brought her to her bed. She wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or not.

But one thing was certain. Diana felt like she might die of embarrassment. Her cheeks were so hot they felt like they might burst.

‘I should never drink again.’

With deep sighs, Diana straightened her bedclothes.

🌷🌷🌷

After the morning briefing by the regimental commander, Diana went looking for Richard.

He was alone, smoking while gazing at the horizon.

The pink dawn light bathed the side of his face, the dense, long eyelashes casting shadows under his eyes.

Though she felt like she might be interrupting his precious smoking time, she figured it was better to speak her mind first. After taking a deep breath, Diana spoke in a small voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm? …For what?”

Even as Diana came close, the man didn’t acknowledge her until he finally nodded and looked down at her. His dark eyes scanned her face dryly.

“Yesterday. For my behavior-”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The man shook his head with a slight smile, whether in genuine ignorance or to tease her, she couldn’t tell. Feeling her face flush, Diana mumbled,

“You took me back to my tent when I was drunk. I wanted to thank you for that.”

Why was it so hard to say something so simple in front of this man? Diana couldn’t understand herself. A brief silence settled between them.

The silence ended with the click of his tongue. He spoke in a tone that seemed to mock her.

“…Making a fuss over nothing.”

He dismissed her apology with one sentence and blew cigarette smoke in her direction.

As Diana coughed and waved the smoke away, he smirked.

“After all, I’m a ‘kind’ person, so I can do at least that much.”

“…That’s…”

“Kind and considerate, huh? That’s what the lieutenant said to me yesterday. Did you forget already?”

Damn it. Diana bit her back teeth and lowered her head. He slightly raised one eyebrow and shook his head.

“Let’s leave yesterday’s matter at that. I wasn’t looking for an apology or thanks. Rather-”

“…Yes, Captain.”

“You’ll be escorting on my right side for today’s flight.”

Diana flinched at his words. As the topic shifted, the awkward atmosphere between them evaporated instantly. Now it was time to discuss matters of life and death on the battlefield.

He spoke while gazing at the horizon, shimmering with pink.

“Once we spot the enemy, switch to mind-melding state immediately.”

“…”

“It’s not a suggestion; it’s an order.”

Diana lifted her head again, her eyes wide. He seemed surprised by her reaction, shrugging one shoulder.

“To fight a devil, you must become a greater devil. Besides, there’s no reason to reject an efficient combat method.”

“Is it okay not to report this to the higher-ups? Shouldn’t the other squadron members know about it too?”

The man shook his head while flicking ash onto the ground.

“It’s between you and me. As long as you’re not an Arke spy, there’ll be no issue.”

“Isn’t the captain the one who knows best that I’m not a spy?”

At Diana’s retort, he raised his eyebrows slightly. He spoke nonchalantly.

“You never know. The lieutenant might have received orders before she was even born.”

For a moment, Diana was deeply shaken. Even though there was no way this man could know about her past life. It must be a jest. Don’t be scared for no reason. She forced herself to smile.

“…Your joke goes too far.”

“Yeah, it was too much.”

Noticing the discomfort on Diana’s face, he quickly acknowledged his mistake. Looking down at her, he spoke in a calm tone.

“The point is, don’t clutter your mind with non-combat issues. If problems arise, I’ll handle them.”