In front of the Obols Squad encampment.
Isolde looked at Andrew beside her. Beneath her turquoise hair, her smile was just as incredibly gentle as before, but compared to the past, it lacked that sense of alienation typical of a solitary traveler, and instead held a touch of genuine, heartfelt intimacy.
The massive mountain pressing down on her finally had hope of being moved.
The revenge she once thought could only be carried out through the muzzle of a gun now had another possibility.
A possibility of truly subjecting the other party to a fair judgment.
And all of this was thanks to Andrew.
If not for his help, after today's interception battle, she would have been nothing more than a sinner who sacrificed others by any means necessary for the sake of revenge.
But for Andrew...
What had just happened was roughly equivalent to doing a good deed for the day. He even felt fortunate that he hadn't been able to wait and had run off to find Isolde.
Lorenz's behavior gave Andrew a strong sense of déjà vu, reminding him of something he had seen during his first life in the Flower Planting Nation: Impostors stealing identities for the College Entrance Exam.
That sense of déjà vu made Andrew unable to stop his fist from clenching the moment he discovered it.
Not to mention, this wasn't some exam; these were legitimate military merits forged in blood.
Even if the victim had been a stranger, Andrew couldn't possibly have chosen to sit idly by and let such a thing happen.
If that dog Lorenz had actually succeeded, even if only for a few seconds, it would have disgusted Andrew for half a day.
Unfortunately, this was New Eridu.
Most people, when facing Lorenz doing these things while relying on his status as a Major General, would forever choose to pretend they didn't see it as their first reaction.
Looking at Andrew, who didn't feel that offending a Major General was any problem at all—and instead had an attitude that it was only right and proper—Isolde spoke softly:
"Andrew, thank you for this time."
Regarding Isolde's thanks, Andrew waved his hand nonchalantly and said:
"It's what I should have done. Don't worry about it."
Then, to prevent Isolde from continuing to dwell on these trivialities with him, Andrew immediately changed the subject and said:
"Did you ask Roland to help submit the search report? With such a big contribution, surely you can be promoted one rank to Major General, right?"
Knowing what Andrew was thinking, the expression on Isolde's face couldn't help but become even gentler, but she immediately followed Andrew's topic.
She shook her head and said, "It shouldn't be that easy."
Subsequently, she began to explain directly to Andrew.
"Although this was a complete victory, the subjugation of Nineveh was achieved by you, Andrew, with the assistance of Hoshimi Miyabi. And the reason the battle line suffered zero casualties throughout was due to the other members of Section 6 and the Obols Squad acting as the vanguard, along with Meow-Da's assistance. In the end, it was also thanks to Hoshimi Miyabi's reinforcement that no accidents occurred."
"These are not things that I, a single commander, could change. So normally speaking, it should be me riding on your coattails."
In fact, for Lorenz to want to use this to be promoted to Lieutenant General was also quite a stretch. Even relying on the people behind him to push the wave and assist, there was a not-insignificant probability of failure.
Lorenz had misjudged one thing, but Isolde was very clear about her own situation.
As Lorenz's direct subordinate, after falling out with him, the people behind him would inevitably veto her with all their might, and other factions wouldn't give help to a stranger like her.
So while the possibility of using this to directly become a Major General existed and wasn't small, the possibility of failure was also not low.
But at least there was a chance, wasn't there?
As long as Lorenz couldn't get it, then her revenge plan could proceed smoothly.
Moreover, while he was in a coma and unable to move, wasn't it the perfect opportunity for her to collect evidence and push him directly onto the judgment stand?
Plus, she had also made a copy of that recording and submitted it.
Once this matter was placed out in the open, there was a high probability that Lorenz would be directly abandoned by his backers, leaving him to fend for himself.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a perfect situation, bar none.
And what she could do now was to quietly wait for the final result of the high command's judgment on her merits to come out.
As for that Isolde inside Porcelumex, she actually prepared to proceed according to the original method.
After all, there were only two leaders in that enterprise in total: one colluding with the Exaltists, and one colluding with the Defense Force.
No matter who had the last laugh, it wasn't what Isolde wanted to see.
So the best way was to deal with both of them and replace them with a leader who, even if not excellent, was at least a normal person.
And for this normal person, Isolde also had a candidate in her heart.
She just didn't know if he could grasp the opportunity.
The two of them had just lifted the door curtain of the Obols Squad tent and walked in when Ghostfire, who had been longing for them and watching the entrance, dragged Orpheus and quickly rushed over.
Having vaguely heard some commotion, she immediately asked with incomparable concern:
"Isolde! Did that guy Lorenz make things difficult for you?! Are you injured? What's the situation?!"
Ghostfire, who was incredibly worried about Isolde, unleashed a barrage of questions the moment she saw her, crackling like popcorn, to the point where Isolde didn't know what to answer for a moment.
Knowing that Orpheus—that is, Ghostfire—was concerned about her, Isolde revealed a gratified smile.
"Don't worry, Orpheus. I'm fine."
Ghostfire, who was incredibly familiar with Isolde, was stunned for a moment upon seeing this gentle smile. Then, she leaned in front of her somewhat suspiciously and asked with great uncertainty:
"Isolde, why do I feel like you've suddenly changed a bit?"
Hearing this, Isolde first felt a slight trace of surprise at Ghostfire's acuity, but she quickly adjusted her emotions and said nonchalantly:
"No, I haven't. Maybe... it's because I might get promoted this time, so I'm a bit happy?"
"Is that so? Could it be that my senses are wrong?"
Ghostfire, who didn't doubt Isolde in the slightest, shook her gun barrel, wondering if her feelings were really mistaken.
But she did feel that a subtle difference had appeared in Isolde compared to before.
She seemed to have become more... approachable?
But wasn't Isolde already the person she was closest to besides Orpheus?
Sure enough, she was overthinking it.
At the same time, Isolde also noticed that Trigger, who never took off her mask in the camp, had actually removed it now.
And her light gray eyes were staring straight at Isolde, as if she were truly using her eyes to carefully examine her.
Subsequently, amidst Isolde's surprised gaze, Trigger smiled and took the initiative to greet her.
"Commander, this should count as our first meeting in the true sense. Nice to meet you."
"First meeting?"
Isolde's thinking paused for an instant, then she immediately reacted.
"Wait, Trigger, your eyes... recovered?!"
"Mhm, because of Andrew's help."
With Trigger's brief and clear explanation, Isolde quickly understood what had happened.
Looking at yet another person whose fate had been completely changed by Andrew in such a short time, Isolde couldn't help but lament that this guy was definitely a man of heavy sin.
Even if he wasn't now, he certainly would be in the future.
"Achoo!"
Andrew, standing to the side, couldn't help but sneeze. Rubbing his nose, he secretly thought:
'Why do I feel like someone is cursing me? It must be that prick Lorenz. Sure enough, I still went too easy on him when I beat him earlier.'
However, although he had originally planned to take Soldier 11 away, things had changed after the incident with Lorenz.
Looking at Soldier 11—who, although expressionless on her face, had already shown reluctance to part based on the judgment of Andrew, who was familiar with the silent type through Anby and others...
Plus, seeing her personality, which was even more adapted to life within the unit than daily life...
Andrew spoke up:
"Do you want to stay in the Obols Squad for a while?"
Hearing this, Soldier 11 was instantly startled. Immediately, like a child afraid of being abandoned by her hometown, she shook her head vigorously and said:
"I am a member of the Silver Squad. I will not betray the Captain or my family. Sir, did I do something wrong?"
Realizing Soldier 11 had misunderstood something, Andrew said, somewhat torn between laughter and tears:
"No, no, no, you did very well. Very well indeed. And I don't mean for you to leave the Silver Squad and transfer to the Obols Squad. It's just a secondment—loaning you to help them out."
To reassure her, Andrew patted his chest and guaranteed:
"Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of you. I'm just asking if you want to continue getting along with them for a period of time."
"You don't need to consider so many things. You just need to consider your own thoughts."
Hearing Andrew's consolation, Soldier 11 finally relaxed again. She hesitated for a long time, looking at the other people who had become her friends during the battle just now.
Finally, Soldier 11 nodded and agreed.
Seeing that Soldier 11 finally agreed, Andrew turned his head and said to Isolde and Ghostfire:
"Before you succeed in your promotion, Isolde, just keep Soldier 11 in your team as the main attacker."
"!"
Hearing this, Orpheus, who had been chatting enthusiastically with Soldier 11 earlier, instantly had her eyes light up; her joy was visibly written on her face.
Isolde was also clear about what Andrew was guarding against by choosing to place Soldier 11 temporarily in the Obols Squad. She nodded with incomparable solemnity and said:
"Okay, I will take good care of her."
Having arranged the matters related to himself in Scott Outpost properly, Andrew bid farewell to everyone.
"In that case, I'll head back first. There are still people at home waiting for me to open the shop."
Finally, Andrew instructed Isolde:
"If you encounter any problems, let Soldier 11 bring you to find me. I will try my best to help you."
This time, Isolde did not insist on refusing. She simply nodded gently.
"Mhm."
Without Lorenz relying on his Major General status to block the way in the middle...
With the assistance of Roland and Ray pushing the wave, Isolde's combat report was quickly transmitted to the place it should normally reach.
Looking at the combat report in her hand, which hadn't suffered the expected modifications, the woman responsible for the review subconsciously raised her slender eyebrows in surprise.
Subsequently, she couldn't stop herself from revealing a look of schadenfreude and delight.
Although she hadn't expected Lorenz to crash and burn so badly.
But now, she didn't need to forcefully lower that guy's credit to prevent him from really becoming a Lieutenant General. It really saved her a lot of breath and effort.
After all, if someone is unwilling, there must be someone who is willing.
She could suppress it forcefully to prevent a Lieutenant General from appearing in the opposing faction, but the other side could constantly resist in order to add a Lieutenant General to their power base.
This was great.
With a matter of principle like this being stabbed out into the open...
Let alone resisting, whether that bunch of Lorenz's subordinates who covered for each other could survive the subsequent anti-corruption purge and reckoning safely was a big question mark.
It was just that this Colonel Isolde...
Because she was the one who put this matter on the table, even if she was in the right and was also the victim, promoting her to a General rank later would probably result in her existence being isolated.
I'm afraid it will be very difficult for any faction to be willing to accept her...
Under these circumstances, her path in the Defense Force afterwards might not be easy to walk.
But no matter what, that old geezer's plan to tacitly allow Lorenz's actions in hopes of expanding the sphere of influence of his subordinates had fallen through again.
It was truly something to celebrate.
After reading it repeatedly a few times to confirm she hadn't seen it wrong, the woman decisively raised her hand and dialed an internal communication line of the Defense Force.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
The face of a very steady-looking elderly man appeared impressively on the projection screen. The complex military rank on his shoulder, faintly visible in the shadows, indicated that he held an absolutely not-low status in the Defense Force.
Seeing the call connect, the woman decisively waved the report in her hand and said:
"Have you read this combat report? It doesn't contain any inconsistencies with the actual situation reported by my spies on the scene~"
Hearing this, the old man was also somewhat surprised, but he still nodded and said:
"I saw it. I just didn't expect Isolde to actually make Lorenz fail. This is somewhat... inconsistent with our initial expectations."
"We thought we would at least have to find a reason to prevent his promotion during the meeting."
Regarding the old man's emotion, the woman actually had a piece of intelligence that could provide the answer.
"Regarding this point, I actually have a piece of intelligence~"
Subsequently, the woman unhurriedly took out another intelligence file.
This intelligence had nothing to do with the Nineveh interception battle, but rather detailed what exactly happened after Lorenz arrived at Scott Outpost following the end of the battle.
And the level of detail in this intelligence... saying it was like being an onlooker the whole time wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Except for the matters inside the main tent—because of the visual obstruction and the Hunter Andrew's acute senses making them dare not approach to eavesdrop, resulting in no detailed record...
The process of how Andrew silently entered the camp like a 'Warriors' game character and beat those personal guards into 'tri-folds' was recorded in full detail.
At the same time, there was his state when he entered the main tent and carried Lorenz out.
The result was seeing Lorenz go for wool and come home shorn—wanting to forcibly seize the Obols Squad's credit, only to successfully kick an iron plate.
According to the military doctor's rough assessment report...
With the injuries Andrew inflicted, by the time Lorenz woke up, the medal ceremony for the Nineveh interception battle would already be over, let alone stealing credit.
However, compared to this, the old man quickly discovered a 'blind spot' in this intelligence.
____
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