The apple wine had turned out well.
I headed to headquarters, cradling the bottle of apple wine. If I waited for Samuel to get off work, the flavor might fade before I could give it to him.
A genius doctor who suffered from overwork as much as the high command did.
The moment I heard he'd gone to the mess hall for dinner, I dashed over.
"Doctor!"
"What is it."
White light poured into the mess hall, illuminating rows of white plastic tables and chairs.
The doctor, who had been sitting there lifting a cheeseburger to his mouth, widened his eyes.
"Did you get hurt again?"
The people around him turned to look at me as well.
Surprisingly, they were all badgers. They looked like they'd just returned from outside the core, with the scent of sand and wind clinging to them. Sweat-soaked hair stuck to their foreheads.
I recognized a couple of faces.
Seniors including Barbie Winter and William Walker observed me with curious eyes. Feeling awkward under the barrage of stares, I forced my lips into a wide smile.
I'd thought he was eating alone when I approached.
Now that I was here, I couldn't just say it was nothing, so I hesitantly held out the bottle.
"I'm fine. Sorry to interrupt your meal. I just thought if not now, I might not get another chance to give it to you...."
"What is it?"
The puzzled doctor soon recognized the contents of the bottle.
I watched his tired expression brighten up.
"Did you make this apple wine?"
"Yes. Please have some."
Pop! As he pulled the cork from the bottle's mouth, I added,
"If you like it, let me know. I made quite a lot."
"What?"
Barbie craned her neck, looking back and forth between me and the bottle.
"Is this booze? You made it?"
I nodded quietly.
The seniors, who had been silently scrutinizing me, suddenly grew noisy. They all leaned toward the bottle at once. Following Samuel as he sniffed the apple wine, they stuck their noses in too.
Even William Walker fixed his gaze on the bottle.
Ah....
I messed up. I should have given it to him when no one was around.
But Samuel didn't seem to mind.
"Let's all have a glass."
The doctor gestured for the badgers to bring cups.
"Hand over your cups."
None of the badgers refused.
In an instant, three-quarters of the bottle was gone. I smiled vacantly as I watched them toast. I'd have to fill another bottle full and take it to his place.
Good thing I made a lot.
As I gauged the remaining amount of apple wine, Barbie exclaimed.
"Wow!"
I jolted in surprise.
"What is this? It's so good!"
She looked up at me with her eyes wide open.
Her bright blue eyes sparkled. Since she'd just come back from outside the core, unlike at the colosseum, she was bare-faced.
Without the heavy makeup, her eyes looked much softer, filled with surprise and delight.
"You made this yourself? Amazing!"
"Yes. Glad you like it."
"This is the real deal."
Samuel peered into his cup and commented.
"It's seriously delicious, right?"
It worked out well.
I felt proud as the homemade brew received nothing but praise. William Walker and the other seniors I didn't know well also gave it high marks.
To be more precise, Samuel asked for a few more bottles, the others raised their hands saying they'd buy some, and Barbie said she wanted to give one to her dad.
Apparently, it was the exact drink he'd been searching for.
Wasn't that a bit exaggerated?
"I'm telling you, it's true! Do you know how much booze I've had in my life?"
Barbie stood up, grabbed my hand, and pleaded desperately.
"I'll pay any price—just sell me one bottle!"
"No, I'll just give it to you. Calm down, Senior."
After taking a flood of orders, I hurriedly excused myself.
Really glad I'd made so much apple wine.
*
The Closed Heaven Festival was approaching.
The D-Day that Center Core was preparing for in high tension.
All production activities halted a day in advance. The Black Badgers finished preparing for the reclamation battle the day before D-Day. That meant the badgers had to be at their assigned spots outside the core by the eve of the operation.
The Closed Heaven Festival was on September 7th.
The Black Badgers departed from Center Core on September 5th. They went to their designated locations, settled in, and acclimated. From the 5th to the 6th, there were no special schedules. They just ate, rested, and slept.
Being outside the core meant they had to stay on basic alert, of course.
Even that finicky Richard Green didn't nag on such days.
Two days before that kind of day.
So, on September 3rd, I was summoned by my mentor.
"You called, Senior.... Ah, Commander. Good day."
"Hey."
Entering the now-familiar mansion across the way, I looked at the irritated Yoon in confusion.
Yoon glared at me with eyes full of annoyance.
"Do you actually think this tastes good?"
Ah.
Lexick Basic Noodles.
The moment I saw the food on the kitchen table, my face lit up.
Ye-hyeon, who was sitting there blankly, chuckled at my expression.
As I approached the men in the kitchen, my eyes stayed fixed on the noodles.
The smell was already so good.
"Doesn't it taste great?"
"Are you messing with me? Trying to make me eat crap on purpose?"
"You're not going to have any?"
I pointed to the remaining basic noodles.
"Then can I have it?"
Yoon shot me an incredulous look.
Ye-hyeon burst out laughing. He looked like he'd just gotten off work. His black jacket hung over the chair back, and his white shirt was rolled up to his forearms.
I offered my mentor, who was signaling to either eat it or toss it, some apple wine.
"I brewed this recently."
Then I gratefully took the utensils Ye-hyeon handed me and started eating the basic noodles.
Yoon had barely touched his, leaving almost a full bowl.
Why couldn't everyone appreciate this taste?
"What."
As I ate happily, Yoon said.
"Why does this taste good."
"Ah. This batch turned out really well. I made a ton, but it's almost gone now."
Seeing Yoon peering into the apple wine, I casually added.
"Falcon liked it too."
Ye-hyeon and Yoon stared at me intently.
I was aware I'd said something surprising.
I met their gazes and gave a faint smile.
A few days ago, I'd actually sent that apple wine to the three elders. I hadn't expected anything in particular. I'd just thought, since it turned out well, I should share with people I knew.
And they happened to be among those people.
I hadn't even expected a reply.
But surprisingly, all three responded promptly.
[Falcon: Fine product.]
[Restricted Caller ID: It's been ages since I had good booze.]
[Spitfire: My goodness, it was moving!]
Their notoriously picky palates all seemed satisfied, which made me feel good.
Spitfire even sent an unasked-for gift.
Oak barrels arrived—far more expensive than the cheap ones I'd bought online.
[Spitfire: I definitely want to try your next batch.]
Well, no guarantee the next one would turn out this good.
Anyway, when I relayed the story, Ye-hyeon smiled faintly.
It was the smile of the supreme commander.
"Well done."
His voice was gentle, but it carried authority.
"Showing them a small gesture of goodwill can't hurt."
"I should have given it to you first, Commander. Sorry for being so late."
"No."
Ye-hyeon tasted the apple wine Yoon offered and grinned.
"Samuel must have loved it."
He was right. I'd scored big points with the doctor.
I'd seen the man, who never smiled brightly due to his grueling workload, beam several times. His reaction made all the effort of brewing the wine vanish. He even dubbed me a 'gourmet.'
As I proudly glanced at Yoon while sharing the story, my mentor closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Idiot."
That was too much.
Ignoring the teasing, I cleanly finished the noodles.
My mentor looked down at the empty bowl—not a drop of broth left—with a pathetic expression.
Undeterred, I looked up at him and grinned.
Watching us in our silly antics with a faint smile, Ye-hyeon broke the silence.
"Hilde."
I straightened up quickly.
"Yes."
"Don't kill Sophia."
Ye-hyeon cut straight to the point without preamble.
"If she goes berserk, just disarm her."
"Why is this coming up?"
Yoon, standing beside me with a bitter smile, furrowed his brow.
He seemed unaware of why Ye-hyeon had summoned me.
My mentor, directing his question at Ye-hyeon across the table, kept his eyes fixed on me as I briefly explained.
As soon as I finished, he widened his eyes.
His usually emotionless face now held surprise.
"To think you'd say something so commendable."
That was Yoon's reaction.
He seemed to love the story I'd relayed.
"Did you summon him to suppress a subordinate's reasonable response?"
My mentor turned to Ye-hyeon with genuine puzzlement.
Ye-hyeon let out a small "heh" at his wide-eyed mentor. It wasn't a pure laugh. Pale veins faintly rose on his white forehead.
He was angry.
But I didn't think I'd said anything over the line....
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, my superior gave a sinister smile as he looked at me and Yoon.
Smack!
Ow!
"What?"
"Ah."
"It's an order, so burn it into your ears."
I didn't even know what hit me.
Suddenly, the top of my head hurt. Caught off guard by the undetected attack, I stared at Ye-hyeon with wide eyes as he regarded me with a chilling smile.
Yoon stood beside me, casually rubbing his head.
My superior didn't seem inclined to lecture at length.
"Forbidding the beheading of those who commit insubordination."
"...Understood."
"And considering your unique situation, we're departing on the 6th, not the 5th."
Ah.
Right. I might attract creatures if I went.
"Prepare well. Get plenty of rest."
"Yes."
"And steel yourself."
I silently met the eyes of the man across from me.
Ye-hyeon accepted my gaze and smiled bitterly.
The chilling smile from moments ago had vanished.
"You haven't faced him yet, have you?"
I immediately knew he meant Kyle.
And that he anticipated Kyle's attack—and knew I'd been long-time friends with him. I stared at the face so like Lee Seung-hyun's, unmoving for a while.
He sure knew how to hit below the belt.
Only after hearing my mentor set down his second glass did I snap out of it.
I replied steadily.
"Yes."
I'd been prepared since the day before the war broke out.
"I'll follow orders."
And then September 6th arrived.
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