CHAPTER 32: THE TRUTH ?

Inside the tent, a peculiar scene was unfolding. The seven people present listened in silence to the major’s speech. His words were encouraging and full of motivation. The only issue was that there was no one else in the room: the major was merely a mirage, a projection that the Calamity used to better control its pawns.

Iris, who had found herself invited to the meeting, felt only boredom, barely paying attention to what was being said. Over the past month, she had often found herself suspended between illusion and reality.

At first, she had nearly gone mad, forced to mimic the behavior of those who were parasitized, so as not to stand out and give away her plans to the Calamity, which she knew was watching for the slightest anomaly.

It wasn’t until she learned to use the power of her Soul’s Eyes on herself that she managed to preserve her sanity.

Carla, on the other hand—freed from the parasite’s illusion thanks to Iris—was still struggling to adjust to the scene unfolding before her. When she looked at her colleagues and the zeal burning in their eyes, she felt only greater gratitude toward Lady Iris.

The two were lost in thought until a proposal from Captain Grégoire snapped them back to attention.

"Major, we’ve received no reports from the team sent into the city to investigate. I fear they may have crossed paths with a Calamity. With your permission, I would like to go there personally to assess the situation and intervene if necessary."

Carla immediately went pale. She knew that Lady Iris’s brother was the one responsible for the disappearance of her colleague. When a team had been dispatched to investigate, Lady Iris had assured her there was no need to worry—her brother was not someone easily defeated. But if Captain Grégoire got involved, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Whatever his strength, he was merely an Initiate, while her brother was an Intermediate-rank Enforcer, with years of experience to his name.

She wanted to speak out at once to stop him, but before she could open her mouth, Iris gestured for her to remain silent.

Even without using her Eyes, she could easily guess what Carla was about to do.

If Grégoire went after Sirius, it would be far easier to deal with him away from the group, she thought.

Unfortunately for her, the Calamity seemed to have plans of its own.

The major coldly denied the proposal:

"It is too early to draw conclusions. They are likely still alive. Your departure would be a waste of time and resources. Your top priority is to escort the new recruits to the fortress, which is in urgent need of reinforcements. I expect you to reach your objective by tomorrow. Increase the pace if necessary."

At those words, Iris saw an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss.

"Major, if I may..."

The major eyed her with skepticism before giving a curt nod.

With permission granted, she continued, adopting a pragmatic tone:

"We still have over a hundred kilometers to cover before we reach the fortress. As Initiates, we could make it in a single day if we didn’t take any breaks. But we’re traveling with thousands of children, the oldest barely fifteen. If we push them to match our pace, they’ll collapse along the way and only slow us down more."

Especially since, unlike the adults, they haven’t gone through the same kind of brainwashing that makes them so blindly zealous.

Of course, she kept that last part to herself.

Pausing before continuing, this time with a face full of resolve, as if offering herself up as a sacrifice:

"If you allow it, I’ll personally stay behind with the children and lead them forward as quickly as their physical limits allow."

Before the major could answer, Captain Grégoire spoke up, unable to hold back:

"My dear Iris, are you sure? No one has shown as much devotion to our cause as you. You deserve to be on the front lines. If you’d like, I can assign someone else in your place."

"Captain, ever since I pledged to serve the Empire, I’ve dreamed every night of the day I’d cut down those vile Calamities who threaten our land, bathing in their viscous blood. But if staying behind means our comrades can reach their destination faster, who knows how many lives that time could save? I could never—no matter how dear my dream—sacrifice the lives of my fellow countrymen."

Her answer deeply moved Captain Grégoire and the other Enforcers present.

"If only everyone had your determination. You are a true model for every Enforcer."

"Thank you for your kind words, but I am still far from embodying the prestige an Enforcer should hold."

This time, the major had no objections.

"Granted. Take a few extra Initiates with you—I don’t want anything unfortunate happening to the nation’s future before they fulfill their duties. As for the rest of you, increase the pace."

"At your command," the other Enforcers responded in unison.

The meeting didn’t drag on much longer. Once outside the tent and far from prying ears, Iris finally spoke:

"The image we saw today... was it the person you told me about?"

"Yes. That was Major Kraft. He’s been commanding the fortress for years. He’s an Enforcer of Master rank. A month ago, the Calamity attacks became more and more frequent. He feared they were preparing for a large-scale offensive."

"A general offensive?"

"Yes. Normally, when Calamities attack, they’re just minor skirmishes involving mostly low-level threats. The issue is that in recent years, there hasn’t been any real danger from them. We assumed the higher-ranking nobles among them had migrated elsewhere, leaving only weaker ones behind. Because of this, the high command started downsizing our forces, thinking the threat level was exaggerated—especially since hotspots were emerging elsewhere."

"When the major noticed the risk of a coordinated strike, he requested reinforcements. Unfortunately, the high command didn’t consider the situation urgent. To quote their reply: ’If a Master-ranked Enforcer believes he can no longer handle a handful of minor Calamities, perhaps he should consider a desk job. The Chancellery always welcomes tired souls.’"

The major took it badly. So did we—we felt abandoned by the very system we served.

So the major tasked us with recruiting en masse from the city of Astoria, to prepare for what’s coming. He gave Captain Grégoire full authority. All it took was a speech that mentioned the Emperor to stir their patriotic hearts. Then it was my turn to amplify that with my power, and the rest was easy."

Iris pointed to her head

, referring to the parasite.

"The prototype—was that also provided by him?"