Nico stepped out of his integration room guarded by two soldiers and into the mana-lamps-lit corridor, following the two dazed men.
Rolling his shoulders and rubbing at his wrists where the cuffs had been, he spoke, "Sorry, I never asked… But who exactly did I just confess my life story to?"
The two men walked ahead of him in silence.
After a beat, the man in samurai-style armor spoke without stopping.
"Major Aldren Kale," he said. "Northern Border Defense, Shinkōtsu."
The wolf-eared man spoke next.
"Lieutenant Colonel Aoyama Shigure," he said calmly. "Shinkōtsu Border Defense."
Nico blinked before slowing half a step.
"…Wait," he said, looking at the wolf-eared man. "You're the senior one?"
Shigure glanced back once with a faint smile.
"Handle the rest," he said to Major Kale as he turned away. "I'll forward the report to the capital."
And then he was gone.
