Author notes:
Kept you waiting huh? Barely fulfilled my promise for two chapters before ending April. A major reason for the wait was due to my carelessness in cooking breakfast, it's why I now have a sizeable burn on a dangerous location, near my left eye. With me being on a tight budget, I can't just go to a hospital, hence I settled for a local clinic for a lookover. Doc there said that I may be fine right now but should look out for an sequelae. It's annoying that when you're down on your luck, bad things keep happening, eh?
Anyway, a burn won't be able to keep me away from writing, not by a long short. So, without further ado, enjoy this chapter! Next one will be working on shortly! Once again, thanks for supporting me, Patrons and readers alike, on this journey!
P.S: May is just about starting, this lowly author hopes some of you can spare him a cent or two. :D
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"As much as I hate to say this..." Kallen puts down the aerial photos that Natasha passed her. "These won't be enough to disturb the murky water around us. They only show the before and after the act was committed, not during it."
Hearing such words, Natasha can't help but slump back into her seat. "Figured that's the case. These pictures, albeit they show the actual target was pure civilian, don't say much aside from the fact that it got ruined in the end. In the best case scenario, the 78th Squadron would be dismissed and that's basically it."
Natasha then sits upright, her fingers picking up and twirling a picture. "I have to admit, never thought it would be this hard to unearth something others decided to bury."
Kallen can literally see the unwillingness to give up radiating from Natasha. Chuckling, the S-rank Crusader says. "Even with us gathering falsified reports and the official respondents from Spain, we only managed to confirm that war crimes were committed, just not anything more than that. Knowing you, I guess you have a plan to give us something more concrete to work on?"
"I do, but it's hard to say whether it's a good plan or not." Natasha replied, a bit hesitant about its feasibility.
Raising an eyebrow, Kallen urges. "Do tell, don't keep me waiting."
Licking her lips, Natasha forms her words. "Well, you have since ordered us to maintain public security whenever we can, and helped stave off a few unfavorable attempts too. It's just that, I think, we're too high-profile and only act on the surface. This gives those committing more heinous deeds the time and chances to disguise their actions. So, my suggestion would be for you, sister, to order the Crusaders to be pulled back. Not without a logical explanation though, maybe setting up for the majority of us to go on another offensive..."
"And if we do that, they will be forced to pay attention to us on one front while lowering their guards on the others. This will make the others unable to contain themselves and act out, with them being unattentive you can easily snoof them out." Kallen finished Natasha's train of thought, prompting the gray-haired woman to nod. Sighing, Kallen continues. "What you're saying is that you want to create an opportunity to harm the innocents and catch them in the act. If we follow it through, many will suffer."
"Which is why it's doubtful whether it's a good plan or not. A part of me thinks that if we follow this through, we're no different than them by sacrificing the few." Natasha admitted while wording her words, very carefully at that.
"Yeah, we're not going through with it. Not even if that's the only way we can do it. Sorry, Natasha, but I would have to trouble you with continuing what you have been doing earlier." Kallen smiled wryly.
"It's fine, sister, this is better suited to my elements. Though I would like to request a change few changes, considering that just sticking to shadow has been quite unintuitive."
"You have another idea coming up already?" Kallen chuckled, making Natasha scratch her cheek with a light laugh.
"You know me, sister, the alphabet would run out before I'm out of plans. What I want is for you to grant me full autonomy on how I conduct my business. That and you would formally send me out for an intelligence-gathering quest on the other side of the front. So far, I've been very passive in my playstyle and it's time for me to change things up a little."
"... You want to go unsupported, are you sure? This task we have been undertaking may even place you away from civilization for months." Kallen reiterated in concern. "What if something happens to you and we can't contact you?"
Feeling warmth under the honest gaze of her sister, Natasha smiles reassuringly, interlocking the other party's fingers with hers. "Don't worry, sister, with us doing the right thing, the Lord will shelter us for whatever's about to come. And it's not like the first time I drop off the grid, only this time will take a bit longer than usual. You can trust me to keep myself safe and me bringing back actual results this time. Once we have something to move on, you can help me decide our next course of action. It's you, however, that should be more mindful of yourself. After all, you will be fighting on the frontline very soon, sister."
Seeing the resoluteness in Natasha's eyes, Kallen relents, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip. "...Promise me that you will place your well-being first. With us sinking our feet in dark water, who knows what could happen if we aren't being careful? As long as you're safe, you can still perform your duties to the Lord..." Kallen opens her eyes, gazing at Natasha's pink orbs before looking away, muttering low enough that the A-rank Crusader can barely catch it. "And to me."
Natasha will be lying if she said that her heart wasn't flustered hearing Kallen's last sentence. If Natasha was ever a bit regretful of having to partway with Kallen, she isn't now for she is feeling inspired and determined. At least, now Natasha has a person she can, no, must return to whenever her task is done. Is this how a soldier feels when they have to part with their lover? Can't say she does not like it.
Bringing the back of Kallen's hand to meet her lips, Natasha then says with full confidence. "My dear sister, we may part temporarily but trust me, I will return by your side! Until then, do keep yourself safe and sound, just for me!" The gallant way Natasha suddenly acted caused Kallen to blush. The S-rank Crusader then shyly nods under the intense gaze coming from Natasha, prompting the latter to smile in glee.
Unbeknownst to them both at the time, their relationship has since gone past what's permitted between master and subordinate.
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Whenever Kallen remembers that afternoon two months ago, she can't help but sports a light shade of blush on her cheeks. Back then, Kallen's mind wasn't in the right tune, having been frustrated time and time again due to their lack of progress. Hence, when Natasha volunteered herself to go even deeper and further before, Kallen was very worried and acted on impulse, thus prompting Natasha to be bolder than usual. With Kallen being a complete novice in the affair name Love, she really doesn't know how to react after her pseudo confession to Natasha and the latter's gallant reaction to it... Surprisingly, Kallen doesn't feel any semblance of discomfort against their respective actions though. After sorting through her emotion for weeks, Kallen has come to learn that she isn't afraid of getting to know Natasha better. And from the signals she has received, Natasha should be feeling just the same.
The question is, if both parties are of the same sex, is it allow? Well, the Lord's teaching doesn't really specify anything so it should be fine, maybe. Whatever the common man says isn't really suitable considering Kallen and Natasha's identities.
Perhaps, Kallen should explore the feeling that is swelling up in her chest whenever she thought about Natasha later, especially when the latter finally returns after her quest.
"Sister, the road ahead is cleared!" Said another Crusader beneath Kallen's command. "No more Demons are blocking our path to the frontline town."
Being pulled out of her silent mulling, Kallen gently smiles and pats the blonde-haired Crusader for her job well done. "That's great! You have worked hard for my sake."
Blushing at the direct compliment and being bathed under the envious gazes of other Crusaders, the blonde-haired girl fumbles a response. "I-It wasn't strenuous, sister! None at all! In fact, I would gladly do it again!"
Seeing her hyper-activeness, Kallen chuckles, nudging her head at the truck they're supposed to ride on. "Come, the convoy should make an entry before nightfall so let's not waste any more time."
"Yes!"
Having said that, the Crusaders board their respective vehicles alongside the standard infantrymen. Kallen, in particular, rides in the middle truck in the co-driver seat. Without Natasha, another one of her close aides commands the vehicle forward.
Currently, the convoy of tanks and trucks is tasked with reinforcing a frontline position, in a populated town, against possible enemy incursions. Were it only a standard probing attack, Crusaders may not be sent in droves but Natasha has sent her intelligence that it's a full counterattack. A full Spanish Coalition division has been gearing up just behind a ridgeline, warranting an increase in manpower in the region to hold them off. At least, until other parts of the frontline can break through and finish Operation Ballista.
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Discreetly avoiding a few distracted Sardegnian patrols, a young boy, barely 13 of age, skulks about in the alleyways of his hometown. Finally, after rounding multiple corners and holes in the fences to lose whatever tail he may have, the boy arrives at a nondescript sewer cover. Standing on top of it, the boy taps his foot on the manhole a few times before dropping a folded piece of paper. Then, without waiting for a response, he makes his way out of the area. Behind him, a hand half opens the manhole and grabs the paper. After making sure it's safe, the lid is returned to its former position, undisturbed.
In the sewer system beneath the town, a man is soon passed with the paper, his eyes scanning the content with the aid of a dimly lit oil lamp.
"Little Pero has confirmed, the intel checks out. It seems like they have taken the bait, sending numerous high-value targets here." The man said to his fellow officers of the guerilla cell, one that was formed with people that stayed behind.
"So, we follow through with this, boss man? Instead of them being wary of the Coalition a few klicks out, what if they're for us? Bagging all of us in one go is a nice catch." A gruff voice asked without any hesitation, just genuine curiosity.
"Yeah boss, what if that grayish lassie lied? We have been causing as much trouble as possible behind the line, if not for our discretion, we would have been taken out long ago by the Crusaders. By now, they may even stoop lower than usual if it's just to write us off." Said another officer while stroking his beard.
Another officer next to him scoffs. "As if those dogs from the Papacy aren't already dog shit. I will forever remember the day they tried and held my abuela hostage, just to lure me out." He then sniffs. "My abuela made me proud to be her grandson, crushing their balls before joining us in our cause."
They all nod at the man's reminiscence, the Spanish Resistance is stronger with his abuela, who has now become a sort of spiritual support for the growing group. After their banter, the officer in charge then says.
"Due to our special circumstances, coordinating with the Spanish Coalition is a nightmare due to the fear of capture. Hence, it's still unconfirmed whether the Coalition will make a push for this town or not. It's not like we, as Spanish, will be able to just go out and ask anyway. Either way, I would have given the order to relocate further behind the front due to the increase in security around this part. Yet," He then opens a folder containing the images of the destroyed Murcia all those months ago. "That meeting changes everything... My daughter was there, screaming my name in vain, you know."
They all fall silent as an oppressive atmosphere descends upon them. The man in charge then continues. "Ever since then, our resistance has witnessed more and more mistreatments and slaughters of our citizens. And not just that, we've been collecting more and more evidence of their misdeeds. Enough that they've been putting a price tag on our heads, nearly succeed in getting us to if not for the tip from that lady..."
"Lady Raven..." One of the other men in the room muttered.
"Right, Lady Raven. A Crusader that is discontent with the way the so-called Soldiers of God conducted themselves. That single sentence from her has allowed us to escape unscathed with most of our resources. Ever since then, she has been discreetly helping us at different intervals. Ultimately, it resulted in our meeting a week ago to cash in the favors we owed her."
One of them grimaces. "She is asking for a lot. In a way, our safety is guaranteed due to the number of dirty papers we have on the Sardegnians. If we gave it all to her, what will keep them from cracking down even harder than before?"
"That's the thing though, she isn't asking for all of them. Merely copies and a few unique ones., it's as if she's trying to do something else with the evidence instead of getting rid of it." Another interjected.
"Perhaps she is trying to bring the war crimes to light?" Somebody else said that, causing a few others to look at him incredulously. "Think about it, guys. She is not sharing the bed with the Sardegnian Army, in fact, none of the Crusaders are from what we have seen. This could be an internal investigation that the Crusaders are conducting and they need our help to put a stop to the bloody affair."
"That... could be the case. Though I highly doubt they would like to use them overtly, this thing can burn Sardegna to the ground, given the right person to use it." They all nodded.
"Unfortunately, that person is not us. We have been quite unsuccessful in smuggling the evidence out. Credit where credit is due, these Sardegnian seems to know all of our smuggler routes."
Hearing the complaint, the man in charge responds. "That's because they have also been using them before this war. Causing a large amount of disturbance in the process. If we weren't quick to change our way of moving around, we wouldn't even be here in the first place." He then stops, shaking his head. "Let's leave the matter of war crimes and such behind us, leave them for the Coalition and Crusaders to deal with. We must now concentrate on the inbound convoy. I've decided, we must seize this chance to cause a major blow to the Sardegnian, and lower their standing in the eyes of the locals, our friends, and families."
The others share a look before giving their leader resolute nods. "Your order, boss man?"