In the fleet admiral's office, Abraham sat comfortably on his seat, gazing at his secretary with interest. A few days have passed since Operation Aversatrix Mortem, and according to the reports of various intelligence officers, it was a resounding success.
However... Looking at what was before him. It might not have been as resounding as it seems.
Even though they were the victor in the southern assassination operation, the warrant officer leading the operatives appeared to be hesitant and reluctant, far from her usual self. Naturally, it was immediately noticed by Laplace and Abraham, who were always close to her.
"You don't look good, Mercedes. You have completed your mission, but it seems that it brought you more problems instead." Abraham muttered while staring directly at the silver wolf's avoiding eyes. "I don't want to force you in spilling out your problems."
"But the one beside me might not have the same opinion." He glanced at the white-haired lady with black horns and dark tail. Laplace had a cold expression on her face. The results of the SRU in the southern colony practically consumed her office.
And she wasn't happy about the things she was hearing regarding the SRU. The supposedly Special-Response Unit of the United Navy had displayed troublesome tendencies and were ineffective in dealing with the rebellion of the south.
Now, out of nowhere, after sending her best subordinate to deal with the rebellion. She came back different from before, acting strangely as though some dark secrets had spilled itself into light.
"Lady Laplace..." Noticing the expression of the dragoness, Mercedes felt complicated inside her heart. She was used to controlling the situation before her. This was the first time it got out of hand. Because of it, the highest authorities of the United Navy were now interrogating her.
"Don't worry, Mercedes. There's no need to be anxious about the problems you have in mind. The reason why we are doing this is simple. You stand behind us, even though you don't have much power compared to the captains. You are still extremely significant to the United Navy."
"We simply can't have you compromised for some reason, you know?" Abraham clarified the situation, not wanting to appear forceful before his secretary. They simply want her to be honest, and didn't wish to interrogate her.
Hearing the calm words of the fleet admiral, Mercedes regained a flicker of determination she had once before Operation Aversatrix Mortem. She gazed at the two highest authorities of the United Navy without a tinge of anxiousness and fear.
The two of them were the most respected people in her life. They were the ones that gave her hope in living and becoming someone anew. Someone who was freed from their past.
With this in mind, she wanted to be the one that tells them the truth. Mercedes wanted the two of them to be the ones who hear it first.
"I belong to the United Navy." She stated as though she was speaking of a fact.
Abraham merely grinned at the silver wolf beastfolk while Laplace raised her eyebrows. Despite not being in a good mood, she was open to hearing what her second-hand had to say.
...
A few days ago, in the southern city of Austerus.
Yote was leading Mercedes and her operatives to maze-like halls. Passing through every corner felt like a guillotine was about to behead him from the back. Some might think he was buying time for the leader, but it was the opposite.
He was really trying to sell out the leader for his survival. As a slave, he had no intention on being loyal to one individual. As long as someone could give him benefits, it would simply be enough. With his life in the line, he didn't plan in keeping his loyalty.
While the Latran felt nervous for his life, Mercedes and her men calmly followed from behind, keeping caution at every step. An enemy might appear in a corner, so they needed to be careful. Their guide was wasting their time, but they were patient during the entire short yet long journey.
Fortunately for them, however... They had finally arrived to where the leader of the rebellion dwelled. The Latran didn't hesitate to speak about the leader and his important identity in the rebellion.
Though, during the entire time, he kept glancing at Mercedes, as if trying to make something clear.
"Yote, have you taken care-" The leader of the rebellion was about to welcome his subordinate, expecting him to handle the intruders that had entered his domain. Sadly, it looks like Yote had betrayed him, selling him to the intruders.
He furrowed his eyebrows after realizing the betrayal. Anger boiled inside his heart, yet he maintained a cold appearance, wondering who these intruders were.
Mercedes and her operatives soon emerged from the hallway, walking forward without fear. Her men looked forward and their eyebrows were raised upon seeing the appearance of the leader. Mercedes also felt shocked after discerning his identity.
Espada stepped forward, squinting his eyes as though trying to confirm it. After scrutinizingly observing the leader, he finally muttered under his breath. "Things have become complicated. Is he a tribesmen of yours, Mercedes?" He glanced at the frozen first lieutenant.
The rebel leader was also astonished by the identity of the one intruding his domain. He didn't expect it to be a fellow clansman, specifically, the one who was exiled from the island.
"You must me the girl who was exiled. I didn't expect you to be alive, and well... Seeing you in this far-off land is astounding." The rebel leader smirked as the identity of his adversary made it easier for him to plan in taking care of them. "How's your sister?"
Mercedes who felt fear, at first, heard his last words. Hatred consumed her heart and mind. The calm-looking silver wolf was nowhere to be found as she glared at the rebel leader with deep-hatred.
"I'll kill you!" Acting through her emotions, she immediately pointed her desert eagles to the rebel leader and began firing an entire magazines worth of bullets. Seeing her, the rebel leader jumped away and swiftly hid in the darkness, dodging the entire rain of bullets.
Mercedes gritted her teeth and wanted to chase after the bastard. But before she could take a single step, she felt a hand over her shoulders. She glanced at the one stopping her and saw Espada with a serious expression.
"Calm yourself, First Lieutenant. Otherwise, Lady Laplace and Fleet Admiral Abraham would be disappointed." Espada muttered the names of the ones who she placed higher than everyone else inside her heart.
This gave her a tinge of clarity, calming herself in the process. Mercedes's body shook as she realized what she had done. She had failed the operation and acted through her emotions instead of her rationality.
"I apologize for my outrage... That bastard brought out some memories I'd rather not remember." Mercedes took a deep breath and apologized to her operatives for acting recklessly during an entire operation. "I'll accept punishment after the mission."
"For now, let's complete it." She turned her gaze towards the made-up throne of the rebel leader. He had long disappeared from the throne halls of the rebellion, but she understood the capabilities of her clansmen and knew their tactics.
"Before that, can you give us some idea about who he is? We need some information to know how to deal with the threat." Since Mercedes seems to know a lot about the rebel leader, Espada wanted to gain information from her.
Hearing the giant beastfolk, Mercedes didn't hesitate to explain the identity of the silver wolf bastard. "The rebel leader is part of the Argentum Clan, an organization of silver wolf assassins. They are quite infamous since they accept any job from intelligence gathering, espionage, and assassination."
"As long as you have enough gold in your hand, you can place a bounty in someone's head. They'll target anyone, whether it'd be a human, beastfolk, daemon, or sometimes an elf." She expounded to her men, but continued.
"Their capabilities aren't to be underestimated, they are assassins. Stealth is their first expertise, assassination second." When the operatives heard the explanation of their first lieutenant. They understood that they couldn't simply underestimate the rebel leader.
"So, an assassin, huh?" Espada observed his surroundings and noticed that his instincts weren't letting him lower his guard down. "How do we handle this guy?"
...
"I didn't expect the rebel leader to be an assassin..." Abraham muttered under his breath, surprised by the revelation. Though, now that he had thought about it, with the intelligence of the leader. It made sense that rebel leader was an enslaved assassin.
"Hmm... I remembering hearing the Argentum Clan during my time in the Frontier. They were an impressive clan of assassins. I didn't expect you to be a part of them," Laplace was somewhat impressed by the identity of her second-hand.
"Well, I was a part of them. A beastfolk turning into a more-human form wasn't ever heard of. Because of my Lycanthrope blood, I became akin to a curse in their eyes. When I was a child, me and my older sister were exiled from the clan, becoming nomads in the sea."
Mercedes wryly smiled as forgotten memories of the past kept echoing inside her mind. To think that her past would still encroach her, even in this supposedly second life of hers.
"Regardless of your identity, you'll always be a part of the United Navy and are important to me, Mercedes." Abraham stated to the silver wolf, whose ears raised after hearing the comforting words of the fleet admiral. Her silver tail slightly wagged left and right as she kept calming herself down.
Laplace raised an eyebrow, staring at Abraham. While the middle-aged man merely wryly smiled since he couldn't simply go back on his word.