Now that I had officially become a soldier of Veldorgrad, all I needed was to gain the trust of everyone, from soldiers to sergeants. But the most important person was Commander Blood, not only because everyone in the barracks liked her, but also because she was the daughter of Colonel Friedrich, my toughest target. He was difficult for many reasons, primarily his combat skills. In his last battle, he faced fifteen armed men alone and came out with only a graze on his face, that was how he got the scar on his cheek. Few knew this, but I had to research every one of my targets. I asked those who had survived that day, and they said that from the moment they saw him on the battlefield, they felt a heavy aura coming from him, as if he was not normal. Despite the fear, they had to fight him at all costs. Only three of the fifteen soldiers survived, reporting that his movement speed was superhuman, even capable of surpassing my own. They didn't stand a chance. If anyone could rival him, it would be me. Even if I didn't have his speed, I came closest to matching his skills.
After hearing all of this, I trained even harder, spending sleepless nights honing my abilities. My former colonel raised me after my father's death. He had been a close friend of my father and understood why I trained so relentlessly. He once told me that my father had asked him to take care of me if anything happened to him on the battlefield. When I planned to fully infiltrate the enemy army, I told him to give the squad a reason for my departure. He said I would destroy the enemy army from the inside. In a way, he wasn't lying. Once my revenge was complete, I would have effectively dismantled the entire Veldorgrad army, as all my targets were considered the best soldiers. If they fell, Veldorgrad's side in the war would crumble. Tomorrow, the squad formations would be announced with their respective commanders. I had little idea who my squadmates would be or who the commander would be. It didn't matter; the main point was to know the enemies' positions.
These enemies I would not kill, they were my former comrades. Even though I was in Veldorgrad's army, I couldn't kill my comrades unless there was no other choice. If my "loyalty" to Veldorgrad was ever questioned and the only way to prove it was by killing one of them, then I would do it. I would not risk my ultimate goal for the sake of an old friend.
My next target for revenge would be Kiril. I still needed to figure out how to extract information from him, but I had some ideas. The only leverage I had was his old farm, Kiril's family property. Though he was no longer a farmer, he cared deeply about the land, an inheritance from his beloved late mother. From what I learned, his father had been an alcoholic who repeatedly tried to strangle him, always stopped by his mother hitting him with a stick. When Kiril grew older, his father tried to strangle him again, and Kiril retaliated, accidentally killing his own father. After that, he and his mother became farmers together on a distant property, thousands of kilometers from their original home, trying to escape the dark past. But the past had returned to haunt Kiril — and its name was Zephyr Wolfe. I had just thought of the perfect plan; I would head to the farm immediately to prepare everything.
My plan would be as follows:
I would plant dynamite in the main house of the farm and then call in an old friend. Kiril's father had been fairly well-known, so I would have my friend disguise himself as him and we would see what happened next. I would call him once everything was ready. He was my best friend and the person I trusted most, so he would help me. I couldn't execute the plan today, but I would have everything set up to carry it out tomorrow after the squad formations. Since Kiril was just an ordinary soldier, there was a high chance I would see him during the formation tomorrow and…
Knock knock.
Huh? Who's there?
Ivan, do you have some free time this afternoon? I need to talk to you.
That voice… Blood? What does she want to talk about? Whatever it is, I need to be cautious.
Yes, I'm free. Come in!
Actually, I wanted to talk somewhere more private. It's a confidential matter, and here, people could easily hear us.
That's not entirely true. I made sure to soundproof my room when I arrived, so no one heard me until now. But what confidential matter does she want to discuss, and why with me?
Okay, Blood, where do you want to go?
Uh… to m-my r-room.
Excuse me? I didn't understand that.
TO MY ROOM! PLEASE, DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA! I JUST NEED TO TALK TO YOU. IT'S EMBARRASSING FOR A WOMAN TO CALL A MAN TO HER ROOM!
Calm down, Blood. You don't need to shout. I just didn't understand what you said. I didn't think anything wrong. And it's lucky that no one is around; you'd feel even more embarrassed if someone had overheard.
What?! Did I shout too loud?!
You're so red you look like a chili pepper! Hahaha! Let's go; I'll follow you.
Let's move before someone sees us and thinks the wrong thing.
Wow, Blood's room is completely different from what I imagined. She has several stuffed bears on her bed. She's more innocent than she seems.
You can sit on the bed. I'll just grab something I want to show you.
Okay, I'll wait here.
I might as well plant some listening devices here. Maybe I'll get some valuable information later. Wait, what's this? A diary? It looks very old. Could it be from when she was a child? I shouldn't read it, but it might have useful information… Just a quick look… What?!
"Today, March 13, a boy came to talk to me. At first, I thought he would bully me, like everyone did when I transferred to this new school. But instead, he was very kind. I'm afraid of being manipulated, so I won't talk to him for now."
"Today, March 23, I completely lost it and took all my anger out on that boy. I was afraid of being hurt again, but he said something that made me question whether I should trust him. He said he would never hurt anyone, and one thing showed me he really didn't want to hurt me: he defended me from other boys. I think after that, I can trust at least one person. Oh, I didn't write his name here, but it's Zephyr Wolfe."
No… I can't believe it. It must be a coincidence. This diary can't be Blood's… Nadia…
Ivan, what are you doing?
I didn't think clearly. I went to her with tears in my eyes. After so many years, I had finally found my childhood friend.
Did something happen, Ivan?
Nadia…
Huh? How do you know my name?
It's me, Zephyr. Do you remember me? Don't you remember?
Ze…phyr? No. Zephyr is dead. He died after his father was killed in the war. You can't be him.
But I am, and I can prove it. Remember when you gave me your hat, and I promised to return it?
It can't be… I… I wanted so much to see you again, Zephyr.
Me too, Nadia. Me too.
Fourteen years have passed, and my greatest goal was to find you again.
But unfortunately, I didn't come to Veldorgrad just for that. There are still other objectives I need to accomplish here.