Black Badger

Kairos followed after Hildebert.

He only managed to find him after reaching the underground parking lot. Hildebert was standing there, motionless in the vast space. It looked as though he’d walked there with his reason half severed by rage, then lost all sense of direction.

He’d originally planned to return to the cabin with Ami.

But there was no way he had the presence of mind for that now.

He probably didn’t even want to contact Ami.

Honestly, it felt almost miraculous that he hadn’t demolished the year-end party hall. Having seen with his own eyes just how close Kyle and Hildebert were, Kairos thought that all the more.

Both arms hung limply at his sides.

Kairos approached the man standing expressionless in the underground lot.

“Captain.”

When he called out while gently taking his arm, Hildebert turned his head.

“Let’s take my car.”

Still holding his arm, Kairos suggested it.

“How about a drive, at least.”

Hildebert stared at him.

But soon, he turned his body and followed without protest. Kairos felt grateful just for that—for the fact that Hildebert walked with him to the car.

It was fortunate he’d left a spare car at headquarters. He didn’t want to put him in the SUV that had carried Mongmong.

When Kairos opened both doors of the spare car parked in the HQ lot, Hildebert wordlessly sat in the passenger seat.

Then he didn’t move.

“If you’re tired, say so.”

Kairos stepped closer through the open passenger door and fastened his seat belt.

He reclined the seat a bit, too. After adjusting it, he closed the passenger door and got into the driver’s seat himself.

“Is it alright if I choose the destination on my own?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Hildebert answered shortly.

His voice was hoarse and cracked.

Kairos quietly started the car.

The vehicle rolled forward in silence. Hildebert’s gaze was fixed outside the window, though it didn’t look like he was actually seeing anything.

Eventually, he closed his eyes entirely. As if trying to sleep. Kairos drove more carefully than ever, hoping that, at the very least, the man would manage to get some rest.

Thinking that if he slept, the rage burning him from the inside might calm down a little.

But it seemed to be a failure.

The moment the car came to a complete stop, Hildebert opened his eyes.

In the dark interior, golden eyes gleamed.

Their light drew the eye more strongly than the night view of Center Core spread out beyond the window.

“...Thanks for stopping me.”

It was the first thing Hildebert had said in a long while.

Kairos let out a hollow laugh.

“I didn’t really stop you.”

“Just knowing someone was right there nearby kept me from turning everything into a complete mess.”

Then that was something, at least.

Kairos gave a bitter smile.

Even considering that five or six grown men had rushed him at once, Hildebert had shown remarkable restraint. Even in that situation, he hadn’t hurt anyone except Jaeyeon. It was an extreme level of self-control.

But saying that out loud didn’t seem like it would bring any comfort, so he stayed silent.

The knight commander, still looking at the night view, muttered after a while.

“What about Yo and Igor, and Rose?”

“All three went back to my place and are waiting. They’re waiting to hear from you.”

“Tell them to sleep.”

The man took a deep breath.

“In this state, I won’t be able to make any rational decisions.”

Kairos immediately pulled out his phone.

There were an astonishing number of messages. What surprised him even more was that despite all these messages, there wasn’t a single missed call.

He hadn’t received this many messages since coming down from the track.

Opening his inbox, he checked the messages from his kin first.

[Igor: You’re taking good care of the captain, right. We’ve cleared out all the Mongmong, and we retrieved the formalwear that got put on that degraded thing, so just focus on looking after the captain.]

[Rose: Handler, please take good care of the captain.]

[Yo: Tell him to do whatever he wants. Even if he says he wants to wipe humans out, just say you understand. Honestly, he probably wants to.]

[Deltei: How’s Hilde? ㅠㅠ I # Nоvеlight # seriously can’t even imagine how he must be feeling....]

Kairos relayed Hildebert’s words in the group chat with the four of them.

Then he added that he’d take good care of him and head back, explaining that they were currently out at a drive spot famous for its night view, before leaving the group chat.

After that, he checked the other messages.

[Commander-in-Chief: You’ve got Hilde with you, right? We’ve cleaned everything up here, so don’t worry about the aftermath and just take care of Hilde. We dealt with Jaeyeon as well, and all the dissatisfaction among the Badgers has been settled.]

[Choi Ami (Senior): Jack!!!! How’s Hilde? Hilde ㅠ He hasn’t started hating even seeing our faces, right? He’s not throwing up or crying, is he? ㅠ Even if he says he’s quitting the Badgers, I think I could understand, so please, I just hope things can stay like they are now ㅠㅠ]

[Choi Yun (Senior): Drag him back to your place or the cabin.]

[Ricardo Sordi (Senior): I’m sure you’ll handle it well, but.... He suddenly throws up sometimes, so keep an eye on him.]

[Sophia Kalak (Senior): Tell him not to worry about that kid who asked about that senior nonsense—he’s always been like that.]

[Carl Dow (Senior): Tell him it’s fine to take a long leave. I’d even understand if he quit.... But if possible, I’d like to keep him.]

[William Walker (Senior): I shut up the ones who were spewing complaints without any plan.]

[Luke Lyle: Shooting practice together tomorrow?]

[Nana Dol: By any chance, have you heard what day our promotion exam is?]

[Armor Major: Your car stands out too much.]

Kairos replied only to the Commander-in-Chief and Armor Major.

The rest were things he could answer slowly later. It was the first time Ricardo and Sophia had ever messaged him, but neither really seemed to need a reply.

After finishing his replies and about to check on Hildebert’s condition, the man muttered as if to himself.

“I caused such a mess on the way out that I don’t even have the nerve to check my phone.”

“They said they took care of it. Why not get some sleep and check your messages after you wake up?”

Kairos said quickly.

“The seniors are really worried about you.”

Hildebert didn’t answer.

He simply stared out the window with a face that revealed no emotion. Kairos knew well that this wasn’t a good sign. Hildebert was someone who always looked people in the eye when he spoke.

Kairos examined Hildebert’s profile.

“What do you want to do?”

“I can’t stand to watch Kyle die at human hands.”

The answer came back firm.

His gaze was still fixed outside the window, but his voice was resolute.

Kairos understood. He, too, didn’t want to see the war end with an ICBM or nuclear warhead dropping on a rampaging Kyle.

It was absurd to take Kyle’s side at this point.

And Hildebert would never stop being a Black Badger.

Still, Kairos wasn’t at ease either. He’d never imagined something like this would happen.

He felt conflicted about Jaeyeon’s actions.

He resented him for resetting everything back to zero.

At the same time, he felt grateful to him for saving Hildebert. This was something he would never confess honestly to Hildebert, no matter what—but Kairos preferred the present, with Hildebert back, over a peaceful world without him.

A thoroughly self-centered thought.

Kairos was well aware that he had a rather childish side.

“Kairos.”

As he was recalling the fifty years since the war, Hildebert called his name.

Kairos tossed his phone aside.

“What is it?”

“Even if the core of it was Jaeyeon, you still went through a lot handling the Emperor’s protocol.”

Hildebert turned his head and met his gaze for the first time since getting into the car.

“I heard your father passed away in the war against the Empire, yet I kept asking you to handle protocol. I’m sorry.”

“I really did kneel and kiss the Emperor’s hand without protest.”

In that heavy voice, Kairos wondered what he was about to say.

Knowing that fury was burning inside him, he thought it was a very Hildebert-like way of handling things, and the handler let out a hearty laugh.

“At this point, what can’t I do. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“No. I should have asked Yo or Igor. But I kept asking you again and again because it was easier for me—you’re good at protocol.”

“Do you have any idea how much favor I received from nobles and royalty? Kyle felt conflicted about me for that very reason, every single time.”

Hildebert blinked.

“What kind of conflict?”

The knight asked.

Kairos put a bitter smile on his lips.

“He thought I licked the feet of his father’s enemy far too eagerly.”

Hildebert’s mouth fell open.

His golden eyes widened, too. Then he froze, unmoving.

Kairos watched his shocked expression with amusement.

It would only last a moment, but even so, he felt good knowing he’d made him feel something other than rage, even briefly.

“Kyle? Toward you?”

“That’s right. Of course, he never showed it outwardly. He was genuinely grateful for the money I always provided.”

“Too eagerly.... What?”

“I mean he thought I was being servile. He never conveyed those feelings directly, but I’m fairly perceptive about things like that.”

A look of astonishment settled into Hildebert’s eyes.

Kairos quietly watched as Hildebert opened and closed his mouth, his expression still stunned.

Only after a long while did the Swordmaster speak carefully.

“You weren’t overly servile to the Emperor.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not saying that just to comfort you....”

“I know. I don’t think I acted so cravenly as to dishonor my father’s death, either. But Kyle lost both of his parents in that war.... His standard for what counts as ‘craven’ was different. Even after becoming knight commander, Kyle always kept his principles so firmly that it became a topic of gossip among the nobles. It’s not surprising that he didn’t like me.”

Hilde looked even more troubled.

Kairos looked at him and let out a short laugh.

He hadn’t been particularly hurt by Kyle’s reaction.

And he conveyed that fact.

He explained that he’d even envied Kyle’s pride. An unbending dignity. That very trait of his childhood friend might have contributed to how things ended up like this, but....

“I didn’t know Kyle at all.”

After a long silence, Hildebert finally spoke in a voice that sounded worn.

In the golden eyes staring at the windshield lay a pain Kairos couldn’t even guess at.

“I never imagined he was burning with such enormous rage, even while sitting in the position of knight commander. If I had known this earlier....”

“It probably wouldn’t have changed much.”

They had come too far.

Kairos was watching with his own eyes even now as Hildebert suffered the aftereffects of having his leaf-veins damaged.

A thinner body than before, a poor complexion.

Kyle had chosen to direct his anger at Hildebert.

He had surely heard, after waking up, about the death of Swordmaster Rei Renyr.

And he would never forgive Hildebert.

For handing the sword over to humans.

For the reason he handed the sword over.

And for the fact that Rei Renyr died because he hesitated.

“If it’s too painful, I could step in at the very end.”

When Kairos made the suggestion carefully, Hildebert fell silent again for a long time.

Then he gave a slow but firm answer.

“I intend to tie off my relationship with Kyle myself.”

“If that’s your will....”

“But revenge on Colton comes first. And for that, I’ll need to go to Antarctica first to recover my strength.”

Why was Antarctica suddenly coming up?

He was puzzled, but Kairos didn’t ask right away.

Instead, he asked the question he’d been wanting to ask all along.

While noticing the light spilling from the phone screen tossed in the dark car.

“Do you hate humans?”

Instead of answering immediately, Hildebert looked down at the phone screen lying near the gear shift.

“We shouldn’t see humans as a single mass.”

His voice was tired.

“Just as it’s unjust for them to see us as a single Creature. Those who shouted that they’d perish together, those who claimed they’d give peace in exchange for immortality, and those who loved us enough to throw away their lives—all of them were different people.”

“A doctrine that’s hard to put into practice.”

“Yes. Hard to practice.”

“You could rest. I can contact the seniors on your behalf.”

“No. I should reply myself tomorrow. Even if the seniors are disappointed, that can’t be helped....”

What was he talking about?

Kairos widened his orange eyes in surprise.

He looked at the Swordmaster, head bowed in thought, and spoke.

“You mean the TF seniors, right? Aren’t you being too harsh on them? They wouldn’t be disappointed in you—they’d be worried about you.”

Hildebert gave a bitter smile.

It was an expression layered with complex emotions—guilt, apology, and sorrow all mixed together.

Keeping the smile on his face, Hildebert said,

“After things fell apart with those two, something inside me broke. Since that day, whenever something happens in a relationship, I keep thinking it’ll end up being severed anyway.”

Then he added awkwardly,

“Things fell apart with Kyle and Rei too.... That’s the train of thought. I know it’s not healthy.”

Kairos couldn’t refute that.

Rei Renyr, reduced to ash. What could he possibly say to Hildebert in front of Kyle, who had tried to cut his leaf-veins in rage over Rei’s death?

What words could he offer, standing before the living man, to tie off a relationship that had been broken beyond repair?

All he could do was convey that the seniors were deeply worried.

Words that probably wouldn’t reach him.

***

I woke up in the bed that had once again become mine now that the Emperor was gone.

Rage flared up inside me.