Margomedari Brompton. A cyclops doctor and researcher.
Versed in numerous subjects from medicine, linguistics, astronomy, physics, engineering, history, economics, business administration, to mystic studies… He had enrolled in and graduated from college repeatedly over the past decades, and was an accomplished individual overall. The cyclopes were a relatively long-lived race, and it wasn’t uncommon for individuals to devote their long lives to academic pursuits. That being said, those who dabbled in different fields as widely as he did were few and far between.
A nominal member of the Collina di Luce Central Hospital, where he oversaw development of new medicines and research on patient care, he had also been researching leprechaun ecology, and was the leader of the faerie maturation adjustment project for decades. And despite the years that had passed, he still held the rank of Second Enchantments Officer that came with the position.
In short, he was the one who had adjusted all the current mature faerie soldiers.
“Oh! I remember now! So that’s him! That burly guy!” Nopht nodded.
Tiat also remembered. Ah, so it’s that one-eyed giant who wore a giant white gown as big as a bedsheet. Due to her below-average stature, she vividly recalled him having to arch his back like a cat just to reach her eye level.
“So that’s his name…” Tiat mumbled. Once again, she was reminded of the rather obvious fact that everyone had names.
“He’s also Nygglatho’s senior who guided her a lot during her time as a student. Though to Doctor Margomedari, it might not have been as memorable since it’s his umpteenth time as a learner.”
“Oh?” They still didn’t quite get it. “So? He’s the assassin’s next mark?”
“Yeah.”
There was a brief pause.
“How’re they even gonna pull it off?”
Tiat silently nodded in agreement. Cyclopes had rather large bodies with comparable weight to match, not to mention their toughness which was on par with trolls. They were immune to poison, their skin impervious to regular blades, and even gunfire was unlikely to cause any significant damage.
Besides the truly immortal Beasts, they were likely one of the hardest living creatures in Regule Aire to kill.
“Who knows. If they were willing to back off in the face of those odds, things would be much simpler.”
The three of them walked on.
All this while, Tiat had been gradually reliving the memories in her mind, such as the first time she walked down this street with Willem. She had made so many willful requests back then, causing him no end of trouble. Yet somehow it felt like he always went along with everything she asked for, and even looked somewhat happy at the same time.
The second time she visited here was with everyone else. Lakhesh was also there, and though she appeared outwardly composed, she was actually more pumped than Tiat had been herself. Memories of being dragged around this way and that remained fresh in her mind, and though it was an exhausting day, she often thought back to them fondly.
Ahh, why???
Since she was young, she had kept viewing the place through recording crystals, so much so that she practically recognized the street where each film was shot by memory. Still, what came to mind as she walked past these landmarks wasn’t the stories, but rather memories of her frolicking with her friends.
They walked through the front door of the Winged Guard headquarters.
“Hmm…?” There was a subtle tension in the room.
It wasn’t quite like the kind that hung in the air before a battle, for there was no one barking orders or personnel hurrying to and fro. It was just that the soldiers passing by seemed to be on edge for some reason.
Tiat glanced around. “I hardly ever come here,” she said, “but was the vibe of this place always like this? Looks like things have changed a lot…”
“I mean, the 1st Div uses this place now. Compared to how things were under ol’ Limeskin, of course it’d be different.”
Word had it that the 1st Division was created as a force to deter the various organizations of the floating islands from waging outright wars. External foes like the immortal Beasts were not what they fought, but rather their fellow flesh-and-blood residents of Regule Aire.
It must feel pretty different from fighting Beasts. Maybe that’s why this place is so unsettlingly tense, Tiat thought.
“But I feel like it’s not just that. Fingers crossed that it’s not some new trouble—”
“Third Officer Glick Graycrack?” A short, sheep-headed private inquired. “And these two with you, would they happen to be First-Class Equivalent Soldiers Nopht Caro Oracion and Tiat Siba Ignareo?”
“Yes, that’s correct. You guys received the dispatch, didn’t you? We’re here as reinforcements from the 2nd and the 5th to assist with the Blackened Dagger case.”
Blackened Dagger. That must be their code phrase for the recent series of killings. I guess they couldn’t go around calling it a “series of killings.” Doesn’t feel like much of a difference though.
“Y-yes, we’ve received word, but about that…”
“It’s been a long journey, so let us get some rest first… Or at least, that’s what I’d love to say, but it looks like something’s up, so can you tell us what’s going on? Or bring us to someone with the authority to do that?”
“No, uh, t-that…” The private continued to give vague replies, bringing their conversation to a halt.
“Hey, are my words that difficult to understand?”
“N-n-no, I didn’t mean that. Oh, if it’s rest you three need, that can be arranged right this instant. I’ll show you to the officer’s quarters…”
“No, look here, I want you to tell me what’s going on first.”
The private finally cracked. “My deepest apologies, but I cannot disclose that information to you. Division commander’s orders.” He lowered his horns.
“Huh?”
“What?!” Nopht blew her top. “Come again? What’s the deal, huh?”
“I’m terribly sorry to inform you of this after you have made your way here, but I’m afraid you cannot be allowed to participate in the investigations…”
Nopht’s eye twitched. “The hell’s up with that?!”
Tiat swore she heard her pop a vein.
Nopht strode boldly down the hallway.
“Hey, w-wait, calm down a bit.” Tiat hurriedly followed behind.
“I AM calm!”
“Not now you aren’t! Jeez, Mister Glick, help me out here! And why’re you laughing?!”
“Ah, forgive me. It’s not like I ain’t pissed either. But she snapped first, y’know? So there goes my chance. Anyway, she doesn’t look as ballistic as usual, so young lady, you should be more than enough to keep her in check.”
“That’s just being irresponsible!”
Tiat tried tugging Nopht by the waist to stop her to no avail. The older girl obstinately marched on, dragging her along until she was reduced to having her feet slide along the corridor. Luckily no one’s passing by. I couldn’t bear to let anyone but the girls see me like this.
“Coming in!”
Obviously, Nopht didn’t bother knocking. She flung open the door to the division commander’s office with enough force to break it down.
“…Such a ruckus.” The person she sought was indeed there. A hulking semifer with a black goat’s features stood by the window, gazing outside.
He slowly turned around.
“So you’re the division commander here?”
Nophttt—! Tiat wanted to scream, but her lips remained sealed.
He spoke with a deep and commanding voice. “Yes, it is I, First Officer Kagera, division commander of the Winged Guard 1st Division. And who might you be, insolent lass?”
“2nd Division, First-Class Equivalent Soldier Nopht Caro Oracion. I’m sure you’re well aware of what that name means, aren’t you, Sir?”
“Hmm? So you’re the faerie weapon?” The goat-headed semifer replied disinterestedly. “This is my first time seeing one in the flesh. I see the rumors that they could speak like people are true.”
“Oh really?”
“Nopht! Wait! Don’t! Stop being rude or you’ll just create more trouble for Mister Limeskin and the others!”
Huh, I’m starting to be like Lakhesh now, Tiat thought as she launched herself at Nopht. Everyone keeps doing reckless things and I keep having to act as their brakes, but they never seem to listen.
Whadaya know, this is way harder than I thought, both on a physical and mental level. I wonder if this is how Lakhesh always felt? Next time I see her, I gotta thank her properly. And apologize.
Glick’s head poked in through the door. “Now, now, pardon the ruckus, I’m Third Armored Technical Officer Glick Graycrack of the 2nd Division, and there are some matters we wish to consult you on.”
“So you are the one in charge of these weapons? Once entrusted with the reins, you must grasp them firmly. You haven’t been very diligent in that regard.”
“Oh?” Glick chuckled. “You got me. I’m not so sure how I came to wear these stuffy rags myself.”
“I can clearly see that. Lime always had a tendency to take in drifters like yourself. I have known him for a long time, but I shall never comprehend that preference of his.” The commander shook his head tiredly.
Huh? Tiat was confused. His actions seemed to indicate displeasure, but for some reason, she sensed no enmity or malice directed towards “Lime,” or First Officer Limeskin. It’s more like respect, or maybe even affection…
“No matter. Despite being unneeded reinforcements, you are still guests, and I have no intention of treating you all with disrespect.”
“Why, you!”
“Calm down, please!”
Ignoring the two bickering faeries, the commander turned toward Glick: “Allow me to confirm the reason for your intrusion. It is because you are dissatisfied at being removed from the Blackened Dagger case, yes?”
“I appreciate your understanding.” Glick shrugged his shoulders. “We didn’t come all the way here to run errands after all. I get it if you guys treat us as outsiders, but to be turned away with no reason whatsoever is just too much.”
“So, all you need is for me to tell you that reason.” The commander exhaled, in a manner that was neither a sigh nor a sneer. “Doctor Margomedari Brompton was kidnapped last night.”
“What…?”
“This is a fact that has already been established. You may choose to verify it yourselves, if you wish.”
“Ah, no…I wasn’t doubting that.”
“Hoh?” Nopht was amazed. “To kidnap that old guy… Whoever did it has gotta be rather impressive.”
Yeah. Though Nopht’s choice of words was frivolous, she did have a point. The target was a cyclops, after all. His background as a scholar aside, cyclopes were large, heavy and strong—nah, strong couldn’t even begin to describe them. Whether it be drugging the victim, holding them at gunpoint or knocking them out, such conventional methods wouldn’t have worked.
So how in the world did they pull it off?
“Sleeper agents of the Winged Empire have been roaming the city of late. Although they are not entirely free of suspicion, it is more likely than not that they are uninvolved. A third party is now on the run with its mark—that is to say, Margomedari.”
I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Still tangled with Nopht, Tiat raised her hand. “Um, sorry to interrupt your conversation, I’m First-Class Equivalent Soldier Tiat Siba Ignareo of the 5th Division. May I ask something?”
The commander grunted. “Permission granted, faerie weapon.”
“Thank you. Uh… The culprit wouldn’t happen to be a silver-haired featureless, right? One with this mean glint in his eye, who looks approachable enough but you definitely can’t take his words at face value?”
She didn’t think it was likely, but she couldn’t ignore the urge to ask anyway. After all, the timing was far too suspicious. A separate, unknown faction appearing just as he (probably) reached this island? It seemed like too much of a coincidence.
“No,” he swiftly replied. “The culprit has already been identified. They are featureless, that much is true, but they do not match Ignareo’s description.”
Oh, what the heck? I see. She felt relieved, but at the same time, a bit disappointed. If it had really been him, I could’ve gone after him openly and without reserve.
“So? What’s that gotta do with leaving us out of the loop, huh?”
“Hold your horses—I have not finished speaking…though frankly, that is pretty much the meat of the matter. There is just one more thing for you to know, which is the perpetrator’s identity that we have discovered.”
“Are ya done hemming and hawing? My patience is running thin.”
He uttered a name. “Nygglatho Astartos.”
“What…?” Everyone present let out cries of bewilderment.
The commander lightly corrected himself: “Ah, my mistake, trolls only retain their father’s surname before coming of age. Forget what I just said. The culprit is Nygglatho, which is why I cannot allow you all to be involved in the investigation. We may be asking for impartiality in this line of work, but we are not so cruel as to make you arrest your friends and family.”