Commander

Boom!

The Erosion Species' head exploded with a sound like tearing air.

Ugh, it got on my clothes. If you're going to die, at least die cleanly.

The Erosion Species, now headless, stopped moving.

I stood on its corpse, closed my eyes, and focused on sound.

But all the way to the far end of the train, I sensed nothing.

So that was the last one. I lowered my gun barrel toward the floor.

"Haah…."

The threat should be gone now.

I let out an involuntary sigh, my feelings tangled.

Then I scratched my head and thought, vaguely dissatisfied.

*I panicked and ran away….*

My long-anticipated first meeting with the Commander.

The moment I confirmed he was safe, I'd fled the scene as if bolting from something.

The reason was simple enough. The Commander had appealed to me far more than I'd expected.

There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of pain.

One is physical suffering — the kind that comes from bodily injury.

The other is mental suffering — the kind that originates in the heart.

If I had to choose between the two, I preferred the latter.

I liked people who cried over a lover's farewell more than people who cried from a knife wound.

And the reaction someone showed under torment mattered just as much.

Not someone with a fragile mind who crumbled at the slightest discomfort.

I preferred the anguish that a strong-hearted person finally, inevitably let slip.

*If I had to put it in terms of a metaphor — the difference between a gemstone and a pebble.*

In that sense, the Commander was clearly a person of strong heart.

Eyes that didn't waver in their resolve even at the very edge of death.

I found myself wondering: what would it take to make him look truly pained?

He was undoubtedly someone worth the effort of tormenting.

Of course, this wasn't anything like romantic feeling.

If I had to compare it to something — a film actor who'd caught my eye.

It was nothing more than anticipation for what he'd show me next.

Still, I should have at least exchanged names.

Running off in a flustered panic without even having a conversation.

The pathetic image of myself sat heavy in my chest.

*Even so, it couldn't be helped. Playing the role of Leila is difficult right now.*

Was it because I'd used that still-unfinished technique on the Erosion Species earlier?

My head throbbed with a splitting headache that felt like it might crack my skull open.

From experience, it would settle down if I waited a little.

But keeping up a flawless performance in this condition was another matter entirely.

So — there might still be threats remaining on the train.

That was the excuse I'd used to make a hasty exit….

It was a tremendous stroke of luck that there had actually been Erosion Species left on board.

"Is anyone… alive."

I surveyed the interior of the train, now a wreck from having been knocked on its side.

What met my eyes were bodies rolling across the floor.

I had never actually seen a corpse before.

The woman who'd stabbed me in my previous life had taken her own life while my eyes were closed.

And since becoming Leila, I'd been shut away in headquarters the entire time.

Seeing a dead body for the first time, I found myself absently touching my own throat.

*Less… affecting than I expected.*

Even I found it strange.

I'd always had a visceral aversion to grotesque things.

Yet somehow, looking at the corpses stirred almost nothing in me.

Perhaps the possession had affected my mind.

Well — my brain had physically changed, after all.

Expecting nothing to be different would have been the stranger assumption.

Then, out of nowhere, a curiosity struck me.

The Erosion Species I'd just killed — it had been eating someone, hadn't it.

I crouched down beside the woman who'd died with her torso severed.

I pushed her shoulder to see her face, and immediately felt a dull disappointment.

*…At least don't ruin the face. I can't recognize anything like this.*

I'd wanted to see the expression of someone being eaten alive.

But her face had been split open by claws — an absolute mess.

If I tried pressing the two halves together like this… yes. The flesh had been torn away entirely.

Can't be helped. I'll give up on this one.

I rose from my crouch, feeling vaguely cheated.

And then I met eyes with a man standing in the doorway.

Good grief. If you're going to come in, make some noise. You startled me.

I sent him a look with just a hint of feeling in it, and he apologized quickly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just a little worried… it was a needless concern, I see."

"Mm, understandable. Come to think of it, I don't think we introduced ourselves either…. Ah, there don't seem to be any more Erosion Species on the train. You can relax."

"That's… a relief."

Honestly, I'd let my guard down.

If I'd been properly alert, I would have noticed him long before.

Getting distracted because I wanted to see a pained expression.

Was it really impossible to suppress that particular appetite? I felt a flicker of self-contempt.

Then a sudden doubt surfaced.

But wait — this person is the Commander… right?

I didn't think I'd actually gotten a confirmation from him directly.

If I'd mistaken some random civilian for the Commander….

The possibility, however slim, made me a little anxious.

Should I ask? I should ask, shouldn't I?

While I was quietly spiraling, he dipped his head in a bow.

"Thank you. I truly thought I was going to die this time…. I owe my life to you."

"Not at all. There's nothing to thank me for. Fighting Erosion Species is a Valkyrie's duty. I only did what needed to be done."

Well — in truth, I'd sprinted here desperately to save the Commander.

But telling him that on a first meeting would only make things awkward. I gave him the answer Leila would have given.

At that, he asked with remarkable courtesy.

"Would it be all right if I asked your name? I'm Yujin."

"Leila. As you can see, I'm a Valkyrie. And you are…."

"Ah, I was assigned as Commander starting today, though…."

"I knew it! You had that kind of air about you."

Thank goodness. He really was the Commander.

Slightly relieved, I gave him a quick once-over from head to toe.

The Commander had an overall impression of seriousness.

Neatly trimmed black hair. Lips set in a slight tension.

Taller than me, with a build that clearly came from training.

But his eyes weren't carrying that same feeling as when we'd first met.

Well — it would be strange if he always had the look of someone prepared to die.

Even as he was now, he wasn't bad at all.

*Good. I'm glad the Commander turned out to be someone like this.*

Whether he noticed me appraising him, I couldn't say.

The Commander, who had been looking back at me, opened his mouth with a faintly wistful quality.

"Leila…."

"Yes?"

"No, it's nothing."

If it's nothing, don't start saying it in the first place.

I barely managed to shape my almost-crumpling expression into a smile.

A Valkyrie scowling at the Commander.

For someone who needed to be building goodwill, that was something to avoid.

"Well then, shall we head outside."

"Ah, yes."

The Erosion Species were all dealt with — there was no reason to stay inside the train.

I stepped out of the overturned train alongside the Commander.

Outside was nothing short of chaos.

*I was too frantic earlier to notice. There were a disgusting number of them.*

Corpses of Erosion Species, headless and collapsed.

The count alone came to well over thirty.

The stench was overwhelming from every direction, thick with the smell of blood.

I made all of this, and yet — it's quite something.

The Commander, who had taken my hand to climb out of the train, seemed struck by the sight as well.

He stared wide-eyed, looking at me as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"Th-this…. Did you do all of this, Leila?"

"Yes. I may not look it, but I'm B-rank. I have some ability."

To be precise, it was less that I was strong and more that they were weak.

In the original story, this was nothing more than a tutorial to introduce the mechanics.

These were weak enemies, designed from the start to be wiped out by Leila alone.

I gave the surroundings a light sweep with my eyes, then hopped down from the train.

And from far in the distance, someone came running toward us in a frantic rush.

It was the train conductor I'd forcibly dragged along.

"L-Leila! A-are you all right…!"

"Yes. All the Erosion Species inside the train have been dealt with. You don't need to worry."

"I-I thought about running away…. I'm glad I didn't…!"

"Yes. It would have been very bad for you if you had."

"Ha, hahaha…."

A Valkyrie is obligated to eliminate Erosion Species.

That applied even to retired Valkyries who had left active service.

Meaning — if I had been alive and simply fled?

She would have faced severe punishment under military law.

That was why she'd waited, trembling, for me to return safely.

She looked older than me, and yet she was fidgeting like a child.

I laughed quietly to myself and asked her.

"Have you already sent a support request to headquarters? If you have, I probably don't need to do it separately."

"Ah, w-well, about that…."

"Yes?"

"F-for some reason, I can't reach anyone outside…. It's as if something is jamming the signal…."

As I expected. The source of all this must still be alive.

Waking up in the derailed train, having my life saved by Leila.

Defeating the new type of Erosion Species jamming communications — that was one complete episode.

I thought it over for a moment. This wasn't a bad opportunity.

I could use this to get a little closer to the Commander.

I turned to the conductor with a composed, serious expression.

"Conductor. I have a favor to ask."

"Ah, yes. What is it?"

"I'd like you to move the civilians somewhere safe. Staying here will only put them in danger. Please find a way to get word to the outside."

"And what about you, Leila…?"

Trains have a basic function that allows them to reverse.

So following the tracks backward from here should allow a retreat.

I gave the conductor a reason to fall back, framing knowledge I already possessed as a deduction I'd just arrived at.

"My guess is that the signal jamming is also the work of an Erosion Species. Isn't it strange to begin with? The fact that Erosion Species appeared this close to the city."

"That's… true…."

"So if the jamming hasn't stopped, it means there's still an Erosion Species somewhere out there. I intend to find it."

The conductor looked somewhat flustered at my words.

Perhaps it was the revelation that the threat wasn't over — or perhaps she found it troubling that I intended to stay behind.

But as far as I was concerned, this was the best course of action.

Having civilians linger here would only create danger.

And if one of them happened to die, it could easily become my responsibility.

Better to clear away the obstacles and resolve the problem quickly.

Of course, I wasn't planning to do it alone.

I walked over to the Commander, who had climbed down from the train.

"Commander Yujin. I have a favor to ask."

"Ah, yes. What is it?"

"I know this is sudden, but… please form a contract with me."

A little early, perhaps — but let's go ahead and unlock the advanced content.