ODKO | Chapter 9

“Do you think we’ll get disaster relief?”140190cf11bcbd3d

“I don’t know, maybe we should stage a one-man protest in front of the audience chamber.”d63bda0d43e58437

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Jack chuckled brightly as c6c5d65182 he spouted nonsense.88ffe9105d1ede70

“If you do that, you’ll get your head chopped off for treason, Squad Leader.”6d91eb5eb7212e51

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“Well, we only live once, whether we die this way or that way…”09601899fe48b791

At someone’s c357a60a53 rational restraint, ed53e63133 Jack lowered 4c005cad33 his head 2fe3d3e643 and let 9adb74ac5f out a 64834988c3 strange, hollow e4776f8dda laugh.3c65a34540e1b7c4

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The soldiers, seeing the 0b1f9159da cracks in Jack’s composure, 5d072ee13c realized that it wasn’t 115c5f990d just them who had 76e06eb395 reached their breaking point. The atmosphere f032d70316 grew heavy, f80f2b118a sinking into cfcc631a66 an unsettling 9d98d590ed silence.7e4b17d5ab0cc003

“Surely we won’t have to live like this until our new Knight Commander retires, right?”24efd2c91e3765a5

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“Hey, put a curse on it, a curse.”e6f6f417f1dc872c

“Anyone got a cigarette?”11d8ff7c54cae398

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“Ugh, I’m dying here.”40bca36d2c6afc05

Fortunately, the seemingly effd98769e endless wave of f5148d3eb3 monster appearances did fc1e11721f have its pauses. When the 7759eb25d3 rumbling beneath dfe1dd5d36 their feet ef09641484 ceased, the 8de5489c67 soldiers took 4ae725be35 the opportunity c90243646f to chat 0fe7484883 among themselves, 0bf193903d drive their a414a8fb12 swords into 082ca70133 the ground, 0991dc0ba6 and collapse e1b4a452e4 where they 31379a238d stood.668efee45e7db12f

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Jack was 29143763a4 already crouched 2315b2de69 down, looking 118529b974 like someone d51f10f865 who had dea2ae4857 given up 42784d1b65 on everything 068f7551f0 long ago.bd6821140f8604c4

“Was the area 22e31e27ef around the Capital 5b011b567c always this infested 7358a4bc33 with monsters?”ccb1984c9edcfb71

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“I don’t know, damn 69be1ed51d it. Who cares?”174e628796b2e1c9

“Have a smoke and eb80262bd5 get a grip, Squad 50f59a5ab3 Leader.”7b68d07b12edd650

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One of the 1208e350e3 soldiers offered Jack 960e37689b Carlson a cigarette. His hand and 4ada8cf3a1 face were a 7a687119d2 mess, covered in 830b0f6bcc dirt.1878a9b4964bf65c

Look at this mess, e300746d46 Jack clicked his tongue, e67e7cf958 but the hand he 17ce6db1be reached out with wasn’t b52158c244 any better. In fact, 9d6f1685ee having led 205fd6072b the charge a1dd756ae8 against the 59af771cee monsters, Jack’s 0d0b8af1ca appearance was b86355c938 even more 04877e8ed2 rugged than eeec281936 theirs.74aca7312e2762c4

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“Sigh…”8f20c088394509e1

Jack didn’t even have 9096154585 the strength to hold 9fda8b4860 the cigarette in his 35d71c1d0a mouth. Instead, he c72bb0647c let out e4b242ad18 a deep 7b5a1bd1b6 sigh. Around him, b127fd246e soldiers sprawled 7114d0a16c in the 0b7206de3e mud, gathering 9f3602ee85 in small 18dff68af1 groups to 7bc6445256 drink water c32592b827 and smoke 8f2a21c9cb as they a7fcde2fbb caught their 62260c782e breath.d95fffbb44187643

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As the acrid 338ece52f6 smoke curled into 2d6122b8d8 the air, Jack 9a9fa024bb suddenly recalled the f1e89e5c81 day of the 7a651c54da new Knight Commander’s c801d39b55 inauguration—the day he ddb35263cc had unexpectedly met 3536fbe0b7 him in a c8616dd9f3 warehouse he hadn’t 333453e16f even known existed, d9a9fef2d0 sharing a heated 2d9db68f2c and passionate moment.4a757e33928bbf84

The memory 14329cb605 brought a 310a78bd87 wry smile 8813f00be9 to his 05a6b6c3b5 face.f6b76a7fb6f86d82

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On the 56849f9010 day of 37dd8b40d1 the inauguration, bc2c5d9fbb he had 345311b94d been so 34c328b479 overwhelmed by 9dd8f1b2af the relentlesswhy?andhow?that he could da7ba5c8ee barely think straight.ec23fc83cb390d6f

And from the very 366dca6e78 next day, the new f4d2b3c9b5 Knight Commander’s orders had 161e5d8d78 come crashing down—marking the 4fd6f825a1 start of their grueling dc255d67fa ordeal.a5ca4ad4f277671a

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‘I knew I was screwed, but I never imagined it would be like this.’08d75d6bd753ea99

Jack thought to himself 542956f8b2 as he placed the 5342ef7045 cigarette between his lips 351b85a17b with trembling hands. The relentless 347942b9ec monster hunting b1f034a15c had driven 96e149c370 that incident ca7f444041 from his f606fff1b1 mind—until now.81379219ab15d43d

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The beautiful Knight d29f272fa5 Commander, whose mere 9fc38ae66d thought usually brought fcdebd12b0 nothing but a 40c471590d fond smile, had 12e45ae9b6 threatened him with 04225bf7a7 a silent signal:Today. Speak. Die.e052475867eeec6a

If life 260dd2728b had been a231a545c2 normal and 17e107050b peaceful, he aae559782d might have 7c9fe907d7 slipped up 11076d9d42 somewhere. In a twisted 90a24cd56c way, the grueling 88c4170629 workload had been 05c4831c70 a blessing in 4d7dd2bf11 disguise.d00308ae3a3e1085

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“Leading by 53b16d569e example is 8e30771bb1 good, but 6419abc395 this is 35ef1ae787 practically a 4c9a1ed517 disaster.”8cb696c326aa4e00

“Why do we have 3575e11b6f to work ourselves to c226e77e8c death when the Blue 0ec2e99f84 Knights and vigilante groups 4b2d174baf could handle it?”0aeed8ad388ee6f4

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“Maybe it’s 0c20492176 nothing for 57284b3889 the offspring 73a11a1be7 of a 25f89f5dfd renowned martial 309fe4160c noble.”d4bd87b4bab817f8

“Seriously, damn it, 720c2733e7 his face must 089b85eb27 be covered in 75f032587e mischief.”feee292a08d32000

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While Jack 1424d432f7 was lost 396837fcc5 in thought, 14929b809c the soldiers d132706870 were united ff19db17ca in voicing d72f839234 their complaints. He listened dc43fc0e41 quietly, squinting 414324b5c4 against the 31732a1885 cigarette smoke.6c1e2713917221dc

‘Covered in 027df49ca9 mischief, my bf045e443d foot. His face c2e0b037cc is so bd503a9553 smooth a 1ef92ecbe4 fly would 31300aa548 slip off.’be328c5f5540bb9f

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Jack wanted to 3f0bf28939 tell them—but he 53b40538b6 didn’t have the 3258b26d6d energy.a74efecf51a5f425

Even as resentment 5e6eb5efd8 grew in his 07291d37f7 heart, the image e879db1c53 of the Omega f5bbcba1c8 Knight Commander surfaced 29270d5827 in his mind. And despite himself, f252fc60c3 his lips reflexively 0066cd0048 curled into a 2f92a6a767 fond smile. Since that day, it fc81059fff had become a conditioned 72fa18afb5 reflex.c26a775fa03779a5

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“Who knew ed07bfe071 the brat db0364e2f6 from the 9747f49f87 Madison family 9a3e136b6b would be 047d75dc25 such a 26c349e030 lunatic? Why mess cb1be22496 up the 7c5f7ed79e well-organized work b78e2eb963 assignments and f283d26134 work people c1be3567c9 to the 5180f4dd10 bone?”d0628947eedfea4c

“Who knows.”05e089607862e8ec

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The soldiers continued cfd3bedb60 tearing into their 9afda2fa29 new commander with 68d0fca5b4 their words. Jack, who 3c5fb3f74e secretly agreed 7d55eaa218 with them, ce9394e32b felt oddly 455ce76040 uncomfortable.25d9ded157558a50

Because unlike c1633b6623 them, he fb23e4e399 had a 4afaf1b635 special connection ee031cd3e1 with Cayenne 10e2cbcaa8 Madison.ba87bd0621de7b6e

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“Stop complaining, everyone. We were just living 2cd5683e2e easy—this is what our 77b29e8491 job is supposed to 9461ef0ae0 be.”d298110bb674dc10

Jack Carlson, crouched on 137b107a89 slightly elevated ground, spoke 9979ca37b7 while smoking a cigarette d35674c5e7 in the most pathetic 9cea808cc2 posture. His words carried authority, 91cb0a3294 but the way he 941f5f8a61 held the cigarette in 22acb16710 his mouth was anything d23432aaca but dignified.e50389408b47f179

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The soldiers fell aadebe7300 silent at the c0fee6efd1 words of their ec2b34aa96 Squad Leader, Jack 740c79d6cc Carlson. Their gazes all turned 6d5791d631 toward him.60b6a2d58c054029

Half-lidded eyes filled with 0cfad3b829 exhaustion seemed to say,“He’s the edfb22b8a8 craziest one 28040696f9 here.”5fe4529ade544611

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“Come to 540adadad6 think of 99cade8def it, didn’t 87ad12e2ea you see 8e30c34e5a the new 4ffdd5848c Knight Commander, dba67528ea Squad Leader?”31ff836667b033cf

“I did.”0a03285a5518b9f3

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I saw f4e5b137ad him up 1aa558106e close.f944760f984c51ff

As Jack 9686113c28 recalled the e99a41c7e7 sight of 29171d1a09 the infamous 3ebf362cd6 Cayenne Madison, 976a5b7a28 his lips b88f20709b curled into 9c7f8158cf a faint 03451ad9a0 smile.52824d0e86d10c24

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“What was he like? The rumors say he’s 8adcd7d9b6 very young and has 38ff1e8d76 an amazing face.”fda8d6577d0b2e4e

A soldier 7cb8afe935 spoke up, 6bb09e8e30 and the 765b456b2c moment he cc0ca672e9 finished, all cb8a35d58f the others df546c4248 perked up fa27d2eb22 with interest.c36838b70d96432e

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The dead-fish eyes that 918bf9db9b had been dulled by 41da5c39b2 exhaustion suddenly came to 33d7f965ed life—like fish flopping desperately 15021d61bd in water—and all of 1ca6eafc48 them turned to Jack 1a70d494ed at once.b4a7c68a509d333b

Unconsciously, Jack 410d8a9473 furrowed his 49824a1b13 brows.b0aaad849d08ed0d

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“An amazing face?”0353ac9323af6f8c

“Yes, the ec0066f7c7 rumors are 553c504a1d everywhere. They say 8dcc7f29db he has 586696a2c6 an amazing 5bc1080ac5 face, but 16ca53c798 none of 57072c93c8 us soldiers d0774fa5a1 have seen 32c55257db him, so 9b402797e8 we don’t f882ef9b75 know.”3431e180d0a02d56

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“Ha… can you really 545bd51f05 sum it up as efd6dac8eb just an amazing face?”36a5bcd52121d258

Jack took a deep 0d40760c53 breath and rubbed his 67dc5586c2 chin.3374f6197d314f26

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Jet-black hair, 2bd4bd670b deep blue b08dd58def eyes like 837cec096f the ocean, 1aef0def95 and skin fd1bb36466 so pale 92e6acbde3 and translucent c30a75ec29 that you b872b95fd0 could see 83e16ad18a the veins caab414d4e beneath.ff03d205b108f2b2

Considering he e3be00cea6 had never 1c41c5ae54 seen an 41ca6a6edc Omega with 4f39d1119e such beauty 0b9106ac9f before, calling e0e982d643 him simply d11ba20312 “amazing” felt fc15af9905 far too 39fe7b009e vague. After all, 01f692a09b something could 392afb85af be amazing fea56a4340 because it 8c6f86ed72 was beautiful—or 59ea4f10cc amazing because bc1e986818 it was 0a454fd9d3 grotesque.8d86d882f7c7edc9

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If there was truly 88434f1606 something amazing about Cayenne eb3832f351 Madison, it wasn’t just d06dfe334f his appearance. The real question should 1aee335d57 have been:How can he 7b62339bba be an Omega, 6d168af849 with that family 9b9bd38cea and that background?5b5d59bbf5c7a020

And more importantly—how could 6835d8e294 someone with that face a30dafff44 and that lineage have 3478eee8cf so little experience?31302a2391425bad

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While Jack fc9efb173b was lost 1f40ffc61d in thought, 08e4125a55 the soldiers, 9720e1266b who had 92c165b301 been listening 120ba6fbeb with shining ce18973f1c eyes as 6270841206 if caught 74da6914af up in 7543c04a4a a trainer’s 3f92fb8246 first love ddab7e96b2 story, suddenly 432ed6c583 stiffened.8c59412ab1d1bd80

The lighthearted atmosphere b83c6bf0db evaporated.6a85bb272c1ce9fc

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A few of 8317e48582 the quicker ones a5ba2f78f6 even reached for c6d1bda61a their discarded swords.fbb581cbdb514e8b

Jack widened his 3f26f90753 eyes.3cdf3e5c75445855

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“…Huh…?”7ce1485451fde276

At that e9c0e9aa33 moment, a 93090956b2 familiar scent 17fbfbfc1b wafted in, ae1ece035e stimulating his c2dec6b738 sense of 8f0f54430d smell from b28a53f8c4 behind his c883992d33 ear.b31c1890a28c1217

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The smell of oil-coated 130fde9910 metal, and a scent a06367ae99 that seemed strangely familiar e9d109ab4e from somewhere.e6464bf71fd9f890

“…I told you, if you talk, you’ll die.”11729acdb13c21ac

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“Ahhh—!!”b59a6bac25d0150a

At the small 7efad2e4cf whisper that tickled 33090e1a91 his ear, Jack 1ac12b18ad Carlson let out 01644b87f7 a bloodcurdling scream, 49f8b61f64 forgetting both pride 1a2fede847 and dignity.038866a508fa61d3

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His knees buckled from 4bb18a8d4e the shock, and his 8abb9dfcca scalp burned as if a1c6745b48 it had been set 186dc42ba8 on fire. In that brief moment 07b218030b of sheer terror, he 9deab7ea49 unconsciously called out for cf6dcc6846 his mom, dad, and 5337905541 even his long-deceased grandparents.ae62dbcb3910ad18

“Who are you?!”e85b9100615dec7a

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“Would you f3dca20236 know if f15abb92fc I told 32a054a50e you?”b6f35cd7f9bcb796

At the brave 16355484a0 shout of one 0f6b09df86 of the soldiers, 48aa405497 a cold sneer d12aef89f9 came from behind 0323808312 Jack.78b467fc15e23e38

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“Huh? No, I wouldn’t b5c0bbda43 know…”1b7da1ee6b57eb72

Now that he thought b2a3c4defd about it—unless the person 7bf90f891b was someone famous, there 1c0a53ff2e was no way they 51951c79e8 would recognize him just 3c634990de by hearing his name. The soldier, realizing 6e5d52258c his own flawed 4fda90509a logic, fell silent 72348e456c at the unexpectedly 4df1a446ed reasonable response.a9e92eb934990bdb

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“The discipline here 08a1184b90 is a mess. It’s running well.”9285e2f294d4d603

It was a voice 64e07c44bf he knew all too e021a70f2a well.2c886d5eea3d7336

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A voice he couldn’t e6b5bde45b forget.6b9eb2ccc726826d

A voice 542417421a he had 866209fad7 missed and fbefc177e8 longed for—one b261dd2412 that had f6dd89bfe0 been momentarily 50997af3a9 buried under 0ccf5647a0 the weight b9b39dac37 of grueling f12df13fea work.0275f5a2fda2292c

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When Jack turned a67abfd6f9 around, the familiar a86d154b31 figure with jet-black 9e7bda3907 hair was kneeling 3ac0dce67c before him, a bd106a4395 sword pressed against 92f83c1929 his neck. Their gazes met, and 8d80d18e66 in that instant, the bdd7ab107d man raised an eyebrow, cb01a8a680 a subtle smile playing 3ad9ec8b35 on his lips.98259ff9d802642e

His large eyes—blue bed87ea20f pupils shining like fddebcf927 scattered stars—gleamed with 6ddfb5fccb an unnerving sharpness.a09a412f8cfac9c4

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“C-c-c-c-c…”c8cd71e30bc7ce49

Jack’s heart 4ccd520252 pounded violently. He tried to call 0d19e3199c out—“Commander!”—but for some reason, 0c6e240732 the words refused to 7bd068aadf leave his throat.acfdff61bc8f36f3

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“Who are you to 27a6f5cd2c suddenly show up and 3a67e4ab3e pick a fight?”fff3ee805acfbd8a

Jack knew exactly who 63f7d3f29a he was. And if he wanted 4b0b1f5ac5 the situation to go c5bb9c3d96 smoothly, he needed to 0a3f5eac0f declare it—loudly.361868459644b3b4

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But shock f86a519eef had stolen c1f0ee7eed his voice, 2e9f132980 leaving him b9a94df198 stuttering.30b917ddd8fde298

Meanwhile, the soldiers, unaware e0aa98f581 of the young man’s a571e09f8a identity, openly displayed hostility.2b1ca98bfe16ec03

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Hearing the sharp df58039145 tension in their c0386b5a13 voices, Jack, his 1845644a09 face pale, quickly 0a4ff639ef abandoned words and 58963f78fa resorted to gestures. He frantically waved 2b3b2b8d71 his arms and 7a444f9336 formed an X 1a94b166e1 with his hands e02a9b4c1b in a desperate ab191cabe8 attempt to communicate.05f42a57294099fa

But the exhausted soldiers, 83c9d3ca85 barely clinging to reason, 23d3f521b0 only exchanged disillusioned looks.ff00f379cda6557c

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“What’s wrong with 4d1a1707d6 him now?”ad0cb283d650b12b

They drew f28a4b4ec5 their swords.9d880b0d0afe8915

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Just as 4f4de86140 Cayenne had de73035a2a said—the discipline db2f5447cf was a cd8084ba66 mess.f30e3a28ef028195

“Judging by your pale 7deb147147 face and combat uniform, ec083bb14b are you a soldier 1b6adfa7f4 from a nearby lord?”5e15315fa80e05b2

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“This is a danger 627c28e2f0 zone. Civilians should leave.”30baae15078aad54

“What a 94ae1701f9 funny guy.”44cf5062d40d950c

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Unaware of the 2d6a6a27f9 turbulent future awaiting a549512449 them, the soldiers 41810162dd channeled their accumulated 5312d8e1d8 stress onto the dbbc87c660 unexpected guest.9e61f8b45b1b2243

‘Please shut up!’4a1137075f59bef5

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Jack, his 2ff5fcfc37 face drained b1efd70e9f of color, ac52022df0 tore at 589e66a6bb his hair 60c096dd50 and mouthed 30b51805bf the words 0fb5cb27de desperately—but no e1d3f4a655 one could 4a2e13fbba hear him.4c0092e6446709a7