"Wow, despite having read about it, hearing it firsthand is a completely different experience," Jos said, leaning forward as Malvin finished his retelling.
"Fitting end for a monster like him," remarked Tores, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Beaten to death... feels almost poetic." There was a strange sense of satisfaction in his tone, though it carried the weight of the brutality he'd just heard described.
"I mean, its understandable," Aeron added, crossing his arms casually. "I probably would have done the same thing."
Clare, however, furrowed her brow, her expression softening. "But... I'm sure he won't do something like that again," she said, her voice tinged with hope. "Right, Captain?" Her eyes moved to Malvin, searching his face for reassurance.
Loreen joined in, her tone half-curious, half-insistent. "Yeah, you wouldn't beat a criminal to death like that again, would you?"
Malvin leaned back in his chair, meeting her gaze without a hint of hesitation. "Of course not. I was just too emotional at the time," he said evenly. "And Philip Crude didn't give me a choice in the matter."
The Specialists, along with Clare, seemed to collectively exhale. Relief passed through the room like a silent wave. But Malvin's calm exterior concealed the truth. He had lied to them.
He had told them that he'd chased Philip Crude down, that the criminal had tried to ambush him, and in the ensuing fight, he had no choice but to beat him to death with his baton. What he had not told them—what he would never tell them—was the truth. He had omitted Xain, the Hatred burning in his eyes, the breakdown that followed. Malvin's reasoning was simple: *It's not my story to tell.*
"So what happened after that? And what about Officer Daniel, Archie, and ST-24?" Jos asked, his curiosity reigniting as he leaned in closer, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Well," Malvin began with a sigh, "as you all know, Joshua Ambrose escaped and left Ironhelm. Archie got a little injured, but nothing serious. Daniel came out of it unscathed. Two of the sentinels Archie brought with him were destroyed, but ST-24? It was damaged when it tried to block Ambrose's escape route but was eventually repaired. Actually, it even has an upgraded body now, so there's that."
"Upgraded?" Loreen asked, tilting her head.
Malvin nodded. "Yeah. Faster, stronger. They did good work on it."
The group murmured their approval, but Malvin wasn't done. "Anyway, when we reported everything—what happened, what we did—well, let's just say Captain Howard wasn't exactly thrilled."
"Wait, really?" Tores asked, raising an eyebrow. "You would think he'd be happy knowing Philip Crude was finally dead."
Malvin gave a short, humorless laugh. "Oh, he was. Everyone was. But he was also pissed. Furious, actually. He yelled at us for going on an unauthorized mission and for putting ourselves in danger. He even threatened to fire us."
"Seriously?" Clare asked, her voice rising slightly in disbelief.
"Yep," Malvin replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "He wasn't wrong, either. We didn't tell him about the duel situation, and we went behind his back. He had every right to be mad."
Loreen nodded along, her expression thoughtful. "That makes sense. I mean, if any of us did what you did, Captain, I'm sure we'd get yelled at too."
"Oh, absolutely," Malvin agreed, leaning forward slightly as his tone turned stern. "But let me make one thing clear: If any of you ever pull a stunt like that, I won't just yell at you—I'll fire you on the spot. No second chances."
"That's harsh!" Jos protested, throwing up his hands dramatically. "You did it, so we should get a pass too!"
Malvin shook his head, the faintest flicker of a smirk tugging at his lips before fading. "We were fucking idiots," he said bluntly. "Learn from our mistakes. Don't follow our example."
Jos slumped down on the floor, a theatrically dejected expression plastered across his face. Meanwhile, Clare tilted her head and asked, "So, why didn't you all get fired, Captain?"
Malvin turned his gaze to her, his annoyance evident. "Because Deputy Chief Edward came in and congratulated us," he said flatly, "and let us keep our jobs."
His tone was laced with annoyance, and it was clear just how much that particular part of the story still irked him.
"Why do you sound so annoyed, Captain?" Loreen asked, her tone cautious but curious.
Malvin turned to her, his expression hardening. "Oh, I don't know, Loreen. Maybe because that bastard holds that shit over me every chance he gets?" His frustration was evident as he leaned back, rubbing his temple before mimicking a conversation. "'Hey Malvin! Why don't you go get me a cup of tea?' 'Why don't you ask the server? You know, the person whose actual job is to fetch things for officers?' And then, of course, it's, 'I'm the reason you still have a job.' So what do I say? 'Okay, I guess I'll go fuck myself and get your tea!' Ugh, I fucking hate that bastard!" Malvin's voice rose sharply as he slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, causing an awkward silence to fall over the room.
Nobody dared to ask any more questions about the Deputy Chief, each silently deciding that pushing the topic further might earn them a punishment—or at the very least, Malvin's wrath.
Malvin exhaled sharply and leaned forward, looking as though he was trying to shake off his irritation. "Anyway," he began, his tone shifting back to neutral, "the three of us got medals for taking down Philip Crude when it was made public. Later on, ST-24 got one too. That was also the thing that made Noemi decide she wanted to join the Ironguard."
Aeron tilted his head slightly. "You taking down Philip Crude or the medal?"
Malvin shrugged. "Honestly? Probably both," he admitted. "Speaking of my family, my mom and dad weren't exactly thrilled when they found out what happened. Neither was Viktor. But you know what? I was happy seeing him upset." A flicker of satisfaction crossed his face.
Tores raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back his question. "Again, how are the two of you even friends?"
Malvin threw up his hands, exasperated. "I don't know," he admitted, shaking his head like it was a mystery even to him. He glanced up at the clock mounted on the wall and sighed. "It's getting late, and if I don't head home now, my mother's going to be furious with me." He pushed himself up from his chair, brushing invisible dust off his uniform as he began walking toward the door.
"Huh, that's it? You're not going to say anything else?" Jos called after him, a sentiment clearly shared by everyone else in the breakroom.
Malvin paused at the doorway, looking over his shoulder with a faint smirk. "You seem to forget how this all started. I wanted to abuse my power to make you all sit here and listen to my story so I could get a free therapy session. And guess what? I got exactly what I wanted. So goodbye—and get back to work."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
"Well, I guess that's... that?"
End of Arc 6.