After roughly half a day's march, the Fourth Platoon successfully returned to base that afternoon without incident.
As soon as they got back, Arcia took Sennia straight to the medical tent, while the two squad leaders and Otto went to report to their superiors.
"You're lucky—it was just three centimeters off from hitting your heart."
Marcia unbuttoned Sennia's uniform, inspecting the scar left by the bullet's exit wound.
"How does your arm feel when you move it?"
"Much better," Sennia replied, following Marcia's instructions to move her left arm in various ways. It was hard to believe that just hours ago she couldn't even move it. The wound had already fully healed.
"Nothing serious. Just be sure to keep your energy up for a while. And if you notice anything unusual, come see me right away."
Marcia handed her a few vials of energy supplement—standard issue No. 4, which Sennia recognized immediately.
"Try not to get hurt again, okay? Pretty girls like you need to be protected."
After saying goodbye to Marcia, Sennia followed Arcia to the open space in front of the barracks. Their commanding officers were still in the middle of their debriefing, and Sennia didn't know what else to do, so she sat on a crate next to Arcia.
"Marcia said you need rest," Arcia remarked when she noticed Sennia had followed her.
"There's nothing else to do, and I can't sleep at this hour anyway."
"Suit yourself."
Arcia didn't say more. She detached her submachine gun and began disassembling it for maintenance. Her hands moved with practiced precision, showing a deep familiarity with the weapon she had carried through countless battles. In just a few swift motions, the gun was reduced to a set of meticulously laid-out components. Even Sennia, watching from the side, was impressed.
"Have you ever been afraid?"
"What?"
Perhaps watching Arcia work had sent Sennia into a trance, her thoughts wandering. Her question came out of nowhere.
"Were you afraid the first time you went into battle?"
Arcia's hands paused for a brief moment, but then resumed their usual rhythm.
"Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't."
Sennia looked at her in silence. Her expression seemed to carry a weary resignation.
"The missions we usually get aren't the same as what the infantry face—charging into artillery fire and machine-gun nests to take a hill. But I still remember my first assault. The chaos on the front lines was overwhelming. Once the charge began, though—feeling the shockwaves of shells exploding beside me, flesh and bone splattering across my face, shrapnel piercing my body—when I finally got thrown to the ground by a blast, I didn't think much of it. If I'd died, I'd have died. After that, I stopped feeling anything during missions."
Sennia didn't respond. It wasn't uncommon in the military—soldiers becoming numb to the ever-present shadow of death. Arcia, like many others, had no choice but to carry out orders, again and again.
"Have you ever thought about what life might be like after the war?"
"After the war?"
Arcia reassembled the gun and sat back on the crate.
"The war started not long after I finished training in Altasa. I'm not sure what Night Knights do in peacetime... Probably just sit around waiting for the next war, like Nordhausen."
"The next war…"
Sennia didn't want to believe that was inevitable.
"Wait—Nordhausen served during the Conquest Era?"
She was surprised. From what she knew, by the end of Zaen's Conquest, the Dazilet Empire had been so drained by constant warfare that even the Night Knights were nearly wiped out.
"He left Altasa in the last years of the Conquest Era. After joining the front-line forces, the war ended a few years later."
The rise of the Dazilet Empire was a history written in blood. Over the past two hundred years of modern history, expansion and conquest had never ceased.
"By the way..." Arcia said suddenly, "Your tactical instincts make me doubt you ever trained in Altasa. But you never hesitate in battle. That's interesting."
Sennia shrugged at Arcia's questioning look.
"I know what I'm doing. And I know exactly why I fight."
"Why do you fight?"
"For peace."
Arcia chuckled—not mockingly, but with genuine curiosity.
"Then keep fighting..."
She stood. Otto and the two squad leaders were emerging from the command tent.
"Perfect timing. We've got a new mission. Meet at our tent in a bit."
"Already? What's the mission?" Sennia asked.
"An assault on the enemy's ammunition depot. High command wants to capitalize on our momentum. The army's launching another offensive tomorrow."
It was Edwin who answered, wearing a somewhat resigned expression.
"Not much we can do. We're the fire brigade. Wherever the emergency is, that's where we go."
"Save the talk. You two get your squads ready. We move out tonight," Otto ordered, leading everyone to the tent to discuss the mission details.
......
For animals at the bottom of the food chain, nightfall in the wilderness is dangerous. Predators lurk in the shadows, using the cover of darkness to strike before their prey even realizes what's happening. The Night Knights are no different—slipping through the dense forest, leaving only faint blurs and whispers of wind through the treetops. Tonight was another night for the hunt.
Nordhausen, leading the operation, raised his hand, signaling the squads to halt. Edwin's Second Squad also stopped. According to reconnaissance, the enemy had established a series of hidden warehouses spanning nearly a kilometer across the valley from east to west, storing ammunition and fuel. The supplies were enough to keep three Luvina infantry divisions and two artillery regiments operational for five days. Fourth Platoon's objective: destroy every warehouse in the valley, forcing the Luvina front line into an ammunition shortage.
"We've done enough of these infiltration ops. I won't repeat the details," Otto said, gathering both squads for final deployment instructions.
"To avoid detection, Nordhausen and I will infiltrate from the east. Edwin, you'll take the west. Here's the rough layout—there's a main road down the center."
He spread out a military map, red marks tracing the warehouse locations along the valley.
"Nordhausen and I will handle the five warehouses on the east. Edwin, you'll take the seven on the west. Priority is to plant charges. If you're discovered, make it loud—draw their attention to one side. Got it?"
"Got it!" the two squad leaders replied in unison.
"Move out!"
The squads fanned out to the valley's flanks. First Squad split into two-man teams to reduce the chance of being spotted. They bypassed the checkpoints and infiltrated the compound.
"This is a mechanical delayed detonation device. You know how to use it?" Otto asked.
Sennia had been paired with Otto. He was assembling explosives and a strange mechanism.
"Never seen one before," she admitted.
"No problem. Just keep watch. If anyone comes, warn me."
The timing device, detonator, and explosives had to be assembled in a specific order, with precautions. Otto didn't have time for a lesson.
"Got it," Sennia nodded, then took position on higher ground, scanning the area. Soon, Otto called up to her—he was finished.
"Why not prep the bomb earlier and just bring it ready to go?" she asked.
"Because this model has design flaws. For safety, we only assemble them on-site. There's a newer, safer version, but the army still has loads of these in stock."
"I see."
"The next warehouse is that way. Step lightly, follow me."
They slipped through a window, avoiding guards as they moved on to the next target.
Meanwhile, Edwin's team was also progressing smoothly. A few guards spotted vague blurs but couldn't identify them, dismissing it as imagination.
Back on the eastern side, Otto and Sennia finished early and took cover on a rooftop, waiting for the others. From there, they had a clear view of the road and three warehouses below.
"So, what made you join the Night Knights?"
With time to kill—and curiosity—Otto struck up a conversation.
"The reason I joined..." Sennia seemed to think.
"I used to live in Nidalo with my parents. My father inherited a bakery from my grandfather. We made a living selling bread—until Skolavo troops raided the town during a border conflict. My parents died."
Otto studied her closely. Her tone was calm, her eyes sharp and cold—no sign of emotion.
"I got lucky and ran into a Dazilet patrol while fleeing. A man in a black coat asked if I wanted the power to take revenge. I said yes. He took me—and some other kids who barely looked old enough—back to Altasa. The rest... is now."
Otto didn't reply at once. Silence settled between them.
"It's not an uncommon story among the Night Knights," he eventually said with a sigh. "You know most of us are chosen orphans."
"I met plenty like that in Altasa."
They fell silent again.
Just then, movement caught their attention—Nordhausen's team was arriving at the rendezvous point.
"Time's about right. Let's go."
Otto patted Sennia's shoulder, and the two joined up with Nordhausen.
"Any word from Edwin?" Nordhausen asked.
"Nothing yet. Should be soon."
Everyone looked westward, but saw no signs of the second squad.
"Should we check on them?" Sennia asked, concerned.
"No need. Let's head to the extraction point."
Otto trusted his comrades. They moved up the hill beside the depot. From the summit, they could see all twelve warehouses, and with No. 3 stimulant-enhanced vision, every moving figure below.
"Looks like Edwin's team pulled it off too," Otto said, watching the second squad retreat.
A moment later, Edwin and his team scaled the cliff with practiced ease.
"Status?" Otto asked.
"All done. No resistance."
"Good."
Otto checked his watch.
"Take a seat. Six minutes."
He sat down, pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Edwin sat beside him, asking for one. They lit up, watching the depot below, their expressions relaxing.
"Wanna bet which side goes up first—east or west?" Edwin grinned.
"One pack. East explodes first."
Otto placed his bet calmly but confidently.
"One bottle of Chastan's finest. East explodes," Nordhausen joined in.
"Isn't this a bit unfair? You worked alone, didn't you?"
"Then I'll raise the stakes. Two packs—maybe not premium like Otto's—and a bottle of Suriankan red," Edwin countered, looking at Nordhausen.
"You always wanted that bottle, right?"
"Deal."
They all focused on the valley, not wanting to miss the moment of detonation.
"Are they always like this?" Sennia asked, exasperated. Arcia beside her looked equally resigned.
"Only when there's nothing to do..."
Just then, a massive burst of fire suddenly erupted, lighting up nearly the entire valley. The shockwave that followed roared through the air with a thunderous explosion, so powerful it swept Sennia off her feet and sent her crashing to the ground, covered in dust and dirt.
"Are you alright?"
Arcia, expressionless, walked over to Sennia and helped her up from the ground.
"I told you to keep your distance."
Sennia was still disoriented, the deafening blast leaving her ears ringing painfully.
"The east side—it was our side that blew first."
"That's right."
"Damn, I lost big."
The three officers were still seated at the edge of the cliff. It was unclear how they managed to withstand the blast wave, but their appearances had certainly suffered—now looking somewhat ridiculous.
"Just now... what happened..."
Seeing Sennia in a daze, as if her soul had left her body, Arcia had no choice but to lay her back down and administer a dose of Type-2 serum.
Mission accomplished: wounded – 1, killed – 0.