Black Badger

Ricardo was more than a little shocked.

He had spent a very long time with Ska Owen.

They had first met on the battlefield and watched the Second War come to an end together. He had stood beside Ska as Ska’s mother passed away. They had lived through every kind of upheaval together, seen Ska promoted to aide-de-camp, watched him struggle when he first sat in that position, and seen him return now and then after getting beaten up by someone.

Throughout all those years, Ska Owen had shown astonishing resilience.

He was someone with extremely high self-efficacy, the type who overcame whatever hardship came his way.

There was a reason Ricardo and Jonathan Kudo listened to Ska so well. Even though the age difference among them was negligible, Ska was still the youngest of the three.

For reference, the oldest was Jonathan Kudo.

From this, one could see that age had little to do with maturity....

Anyway.

Blinking in surprise, Ricardo hurried over to Ska.

Ska stared blankly at Ricardo as he approached.

Only after the green-eyed man waved a hand in front of his face did Ska come back to himself.

“You okay~?”

“No.”

Ricardo froze his waving hand midair.

Ska muttered,

“I’m not okay. Sorry, but can you give me a ride home?”

“Well.... Isn’t that why you called me~?”

He wondered if Ska had been drinking.

“I didn’t drink.”

“Ah.... Either way, you don’t look like you’re in any condition to drive~.”

“Where’s your car parked?”

With gestures looser than usual, Ska loosened his tie.

Grabbing it carelessly, he walked toward the elevator.

“Basement level two? Three?”

Walking toward his Maserati parked on basement level six, Ska pulled something out of his pocket.

Shaking what looked like an anomalous-object detector, he scanned the green car.

Ricardo let out a hollow laugh.

“The car’s fine....”

Ska didn’t answer right away.

Only after both of them got into the vehicle did he speak.

“You know the driver’s seat light comes on a little late. If anything feels off, get out immediately.”

“Now you too....”

Just a few days ago, Hildebert had suddenly committed a home invasion and dumped a pile of weapons of unknown origin on him.

Now Ska was explaining “what to do if the car explodes.”

Starting the car, Ricardo sighed.

“Seems like things are pretty chaotic~....”

No answer came back.

The other man was focused on his phone, fingers moving busily.

He looked absorbed in work. Ricardo didn’t press him, entered the highway, and waited for Ska to look up.

Only after driving on partial autonomous mode for a while did the man in the passenger seat lift his head.

Normally, Ska would have apologized.

This time, he didn’t.

Instead, Ska Owen stared blankly out the windshield and murmured,

“Should I jump out?”

Ricardo was horrified.

“What?”

“If I jump out, maybe I won’t have to sit in the Supreme Commander’s chair?”

The green-eyed Badger stared hard at his companion.

“Is the Supreme Commander stepping down?”

Ska gazed ahead, lost in thought.

Only after Ricardo let out a heavy breath and turned his eyes back to the road did Ska answer.

“He said it might be better for him to step down and take an advisory position. He’s worked long enough to be called a dictator, and if he doesn’t step down at this timing, there’ll be backlash....”

“Well.... It’s not completely unreasonable~.”

“But me?”

Ska said in a vacant voice.

“Me? He wants to put me in that seat? Now?”

“...You’re good at it~? It was bound to happen someday anyway.... And if he becomes an advisor, doesn’t that mean he’ll be backing you up from behind for a while~?”

“With Kyle’s side possibly pushing in at any moment....”

The chief aide-de-camp bent forward, burying his face in both hands.

Thinking he absolutely couldn’t leave this guy alone at home, Ricardo kept driving.

Piecing the situation together from the words Ska let slip here and there—

It seemed Yehyeon would rather step down and move into an advisory role to firmly seat Ska as Supreme Commander than stay on and bring in an outsider.

If an outsider took the position, they’d be bound to screw things up.

Even if things didn’t turn out as badly as they had before.

On top of that, the current situation was one where a single mistake could lead to fatal consequences. Kyle wasn’t the type to care that forces behind the scenes were waging a power struggle.

So Yehyeon was preparing to resign, and Ska was resisting it.

And since the forces in the shadows also knew that war was right around the corner, they wouldn’t try to push Yehyeon out of his seat—would they?

“All I got back was, ‘Do you think they’d consider that?’”

Ska muttered gloomily as they entered the house.

“How could he do this to me?”

“Just wash up and go to sleep....”

Ricardo grabbed the back of his disoriented friend’s neck and dragged him into the bathroom.

The fact that the person whose neck he was grabbing wasn’t Hildebert, Jonathan, or Ami felt oddly fresh.

Which also meant the situation was that serious.

Ricardo stayed until Ska drained a bottle of liquor and went to bed with a troubled face.

***

If nothing else had happened, Ricardo would’ve stayed in Ska’s living room.

But near dawn, he was called out.

A Creature had appeared nearby. If he’d been completely off-duty, he wouldn’t have had to go out, but he was currently registered as emergency personnel. He couldn’t ignore the alarm.

He should be sleeping. He’ll be fine.

Casting one glance at the quiet bedroom, Ricardo ran outside.

Jonathan said he’d be heading over as well.

Thinking it would be fine, Ricardo went to the site. Even after the disaster and the collapse of the headquarters building, Creatures kept appearing. Ones that had successfully reproduced inside Center Core. Ones that forced their way in through the ground or entered the Core by other unknown means.

The class wasn’t high.

No backup was needed. The cleanup was quick. He deployed silver thorns a few times and it was over.

It was summer, but since it was late, the air was a bit chilly.

Ricardo filed a completion report with headquarters.

Then he turned to walk toward Ska’s motorcycle, which he’d taken without permission.

At that moment, a pitch-black motorcycle screeched to a stop nearby.

Kiiiiiik!

The rider skidded to a halt, leaving skid marks, and clicked the visor open.

“Rick.”

Seeing the familiar gold eyes, Ricardo raised an eyebrow.

“Long time no see.... Decided you only come out at night now~?”

“No. It’s not that—I happened to be passing nearby and sensed a Creature....”

A laugh escaped him.

Hildebert was on medical leave. Creature or not, he had no obligation to care.

Sure, maybe it was intuition or something—but no one could live their whole life with their nerves pulled tight.

There wasn’t time for that kind of lecturing.

Hildebert rolled his golden eyes around and said,

“And I was planning to visit Aide-de-Camp Ska’s residence.”

“Ah~. So that was the next home invasion target~?”

Snorting, Ricardo mounted his motorcycle.

“I was wondering what it was about....”

“There’s no need to visit the aide-de-camp’s residence secretly. I planned to stay at a nearby 24-hour fast food place and go once it was daylight.”

“So.... You were going to come later?”

“If you’re going to the aide-de-camp’s place now, I’ll come with you.”

The green-eyed man didn’t answer and started the engine.

He knew the white-haired junior would follow on his own.

Sure enough, when he pulled out, the sound of an engine followed from behind.

Ricardo Sordi let a faint smile cross his face and increased his speed.

***

Jonathan Kudo was already there.

He’d returned from night patrol duty.

Jonathan wasn’t particularly surprised to see Ricardo come back with Hildebert in tow.

Only after the front door closed did Hildebert remove his helmet and smile when he met Jonathan’s fixed stare.

“How is Tom doing?”

Jonathan’s patrol partner was still Tom Husson. Just like during the disaster.

Jonathan scanned Hildebert from head to toe before answering.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a relief. Please send him my regards.”

Black eyes boring into the junior.

“Why don’t you tell him yourself?”

At that, Hildebert smiled bitterly.

Up until then, none of them thought much of it. The homeowner would be sleeping deeply after drinking strong liquor. He was someone who was usually sleep-deprived to begin with, and with all the recent chaos about the Supreme Commander’s resignation, it was only natural that he wouldn’t wake up from their noise.

The men waited silently in the living room, letting him sleep for at least seven hours.

Hildebert and Ricardo suggested Jonathan get some rest, but the stubborn man didn’t listen. Those who knew his formidable stubbornness didn’t ask twice.

Peaceful time passed.

It wasn’t until dawn broke and the three men knocked on the bedroom door that they sensed something was wrong.

Knock knock

“Aide-de-Camp?”

He might not wake up from the first few knocks.

Knock knock knock

“Aide-de-Camp Ska?”

But wasn’t it strange that there was no response after repeated knocking?

Knock knock knock!

No response.

The faces of the men standing before the bedroom door hardened rapidly.

Hildebert stopped knocking and lifted his head, checking the area around the bedroom.

Beside him, as Hildebert quickly checked for any anomalies, Ricardo rattled the locked doorknob and slammed his fist against the door.

Bang bang bang!

“Ska!”

He shouted sharply.

“Ska Owen!”

Bang!

Jonathan kicked it.

He shattered the bedroom door. The wooden frame tore apart sharply.

Regardless, Jonathan Kudo shoved the door panel aside, toppling it.

The Badgers rushed into the bedroom.

There were no signs of intrusion.

Instead, they found Ska Owen burning up like a furnace.

“Call an ambulance!”

“It’s faster to load him into the car and go to headquarters.”

As Jonathan shouted in a trembling voice while holding the aide-de-camp, Ricardo replied, pulling out the car keys.

“Put him in the back seat.”

“I’ll call Samuel.”

Hildebert said, taking out his phone.

The unease in his voice left the others unable to respond.

Leaving behind the junior who had indirectly indicated he wouldn’t follow, the second-generation Badgers got into the car.

And sped toward the hospital.

***

Overwork.

If he’d been an ordinary human, hospitalization would’ve been required.

But Ska Owen had an enhanced body, so after treatment, he was able to return to the mansion. Samuel let out deep sighs and said he recommended hospitalization, but Ska stubbornly refused.

So Ricardo and Jonathan returned with medicine and IV fluids.

Hildebert was still at the house. The one guarding the place ran out when he heard the car.

They moved Ska to the bedroom, gave him the medicine, and made their calls.

Ricardo contacted the Supreme Commander.

Yehyeon arrived quickly.

The superior entered the house with a troubled face.

When he entered the bedroom, Jonathan, who had been sitting by the bed, stood and dipped his head.

Ska... didn’t open his eyes.

With both eyes closed, he said,

“Commander. I don’t want to work.”

Ricardo ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) and Hildebert blinked, but Yehyeon wasn’t surprised.

The pale man went and sat on the chair beside Ska.

He looked down at the aide-de-camp gloomily.

“I know....”

Pulling out a tissue, he wiped away the cold sweat.

“But you still have to work....”