Mistaken for a War Hero

Chapter 42
Lieutenant Lucy, You Like This, Right?

『 Translator – Divinity 』

After informing Lucy of the dessert shop’s location and leaving the headquarters, I headed to the military factory that Lieutenant McCael had mentioned, riding in a jeep.

After about 30 minutes of driving, the driver gently applied the brakes.

The jeep gradually slowed down and came to a complete stop at the entrance of the collapsed military factory.

“We’ve arrived, Commander.”

I nodded to the driver and got out of the jeep.

Entering through the half-destroyed main gate, I saw the patrol unit gathered not far away.

The soldiers and Lieutenant McCael, who had been chatting, turned their heads at the sound of my footsteps.

Upon seeing me, they hurriedly saluted.

“Commander! We’ve been waiting for you!”

I casually returned their salutes and approached them.

“Where is the laboratory?”

“Ah, it’s this way.”

Lieutenant McCael pointed at the ground.

I turned my head and saw a staircase leading underground beyond the wide-open metal door.

“An underground base? Those Kingdom bastards sure love building things underground.”

“Indeed. Being allies with the Allied Nations, they’re acting just like rats.”

The soldiers around us chuckled at Lieutenant McCael’s joke.

I also gave a faint smile and looked at Lieutenant McCael.

“You’ve become quite the joker. But how thorough was the search?”

“We only did a basic assessment. It doesn’t seem like they set any traps, so you can look around freely. If you’d like, I can accompany you, Commander.”

“No, I’ll go alone. You stay here and guard the entrance with the soldiers.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

After hearing his reply, I descended the stairs into the basement.

As I went down the stairs, the surroundings grew darker, so I took out the flashlight I had prepared and turned it on.

Click—

The light from the flashlight illuminated the way forward.

There was another metal door at the end of the stairs, which was already open, probably unlocked by Lieutenant McCael.

I cautiously stepped through the door, and an epoxy-coated floor spread out before me.

On the smooth, shiny floor were long tables and various experimental tools.

Things like flasks and microscopes.

Some of the equipment had such strange shapes that even I didn’t know what they were used for.

‘What exactly were they doing here…?’

I wanted to understand the situation, but it seemed they had removed all the samples and results from their research, as there was nothing left besides the various tools.

Observing the dusty interior, I found an automatic sliding door that was left open.

I stepped through the door, and a wide hallway stretched out before me.

Metal bars were installed on both sides of the hallway, and each section, divided like a room, had a bed and tableware.

It resembled a prison, but there was no one there.

Judging from the fact that all the doors were open, they must have taken the prisoners with them.

Taking a deep breath, I continued walking.

There was another metal door at the end of the hallway.

I walked to the end of the hallway and grabbed the doorknob, pulling it.

Creak—

The door stopped halfway.

I took a breath and pulled the doorknob with all my might.

The metal door swung open, scattering ash.

‘…Ash?’

Curious, I looked inside and saw that the floor was covered in ash.

‘They burned something. And a large amount of it.’

The only thing they would burn in such quantities here was probably paper.

Documents containing the laboratory’s research records.

‘But it’s sloppy. There are traces of a hasty retreat everywhere.’

They must have built this underground base to conduct research that couldn’t be exposed to the world.

Then, logically, they should have properly disposed of the experimental equipment, the tableware, and the beds in the cells when they retreated.

The fact that they didn’t meant they were pressed for time and had to evacuate in a hurry.

‘They wouldn’t have imagined that the Imperial Army would use their supply route to infiltrate the city.’

It was highly likely that they burned the valuable research materials because they were short on time.

They probably set the fire and fled without even confirming whether the documents were completely incinerated.

Looking around, I easily found some unburned paper.

Of course, it wasn’t completely intact.

About half of the top and bottom were burned.

Still, it was enough to get an idea of what had happened.

I picked up a few sheets of paper from the floor and dusted off the ashes.

Then, the letters written on the paper became visible.

『…The ultimate goal is to develop cutting-edge combat weapons that can turn the tide of the war. If we can turn humans into weapons through the fusion of magic and science, it wouldn’t be impossible to not only break the Empire’s ambition but also for the Kingdom to become a major power…』

Many parts were scorched, making it impossible to read the other letters.

I turned the page.

『…Although most magic has been lost, there are still some that have proven effective. Imbuing magic into bullets and temporarily enhancing physical abilities are things that most soldiers can do, but special techniques such as optical camouflage and gravity field generation require a high level of talent.』

I turned the page.

『…What if talent could be artificially created? For example, what if ordinary soldiers could possess the same strength as the Imperial Guard? This experiment, which started from that initial question, involves injecting enhancement substances into unidentified volunteers with high magical aptitude…』

I turned the page.

『…In conclusion, all attempts have failed. All volunteers showed abnormal magical reactions, experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, confusion, hallucinations, and self-harm. The increase in magical power was also minimal, deemed unusable in actual combat. Moreover, whether those who suffered such pain would remain loyal…』

I turned the page.

『…According to recent data provided by the Allied Nations, there is a subject who has successfully undergone the experiment. Currently, this is the only one, and their magical enhancement far exceeds expectations. Therefore, our research team expresses our respect to the Allied Nations and names the next project after this subject…』

I narrowed my eyes as I read the last part of the page.

“…It shall be named the Lucy Project.”

The Lucy Project.

That’s what was clearly written at the end of the report.

***

After securing the report, I left the laboratory and told Lieutenant McCael to keep the discovery of the laboratory confidential.

Then, I patrolled the surrounding area to organize my thoughts and headed to the dessert shop where I had promised to meet Lucy in the afternoon.

As I entered the shop, gentle classical music filled my ears.

I was admiring the Gothic-style interior when someone from the window table raised their hand.

“Major! Over here!”

I turned my head, and it was Frienne.

For some reason, Lucy was sitting next to her.

Curious, I approached them and asked,

“Cadet Frienne? I didn’t expect to see you with my adjutant.”

“I came here for dessert and happened to see Lieutenant Lucy. I heard that you were coming as well, Major, so I was waiting. Oh, and I already ordered the menu, so you can just have a seat.”

“You ordered? Already?”

“Yes. I heard from Lieutenant Lucy that you were singing praises about wanting to eat éclairs, Major. So I ordered in advance to save you some time.”

I see. It wasn’t a bad idea, so I nodded and sat across from Frienne.

I glanced at Lucy.

‘…An experimental subject? Lucy?’

The game never revealed Lucy’s past, so this was the first time I learned about it.

Moreover, no other human weapon like Lucy appeared until the end of the game.

Well, there was one more in the enemy camp, but he was an exception, possessing extraordinary natural talent.

This meant that their cutting-edge weapons development project would continue to fail even in the distant future.

‘That aside…’

How could Lucy pledge allegiance to the Allied Nations while being their experimental subject?

Was there something else I didn’t know?

Lost in thought, I inadvertently met Lucy’s eyes.

Her crimson eyes seemed even more eerie today.

“Major? Do you have something to say?”

Searching for an excuse, I blurted out,

“Just admiring your beauty today.”

Perhaps surprised by the unexpected answer, Lucy blinked a few times, then nodded slightly.

“…Thank you.”

Relieved that I had smoothly navigated the situation, I let out a sigh, only to feel Frienne’s gaze upon me.

She was staring at me with disapproval for complimenting Lucy.

Just as I was wondering why, the waiter approached with a tray.

“Thank you for waiting. Who ordered the éclair and coffee?”

“Over here.”

I raised my hand, and the waiter smiled and placed the éclair and coffee in front of me.

Then, he placed mint chocolate chip ice cream in front of Frienne and Lucy.

Lucy stared blankly at it for a moment, then looked at the waiter.

“Excuse me, I think there’s been a mistake with the order.”

“Huh? That’s impossible…”

As the waiter looked confused, Frienne interjected.

“The order is correct. You can go now.”

Thanks to Frienne’s bright smile, the waiter awkwardly nodded and returned to the counter.

After watching the waiter leave, Frienne maintained her smile and said,

“Lieutenant Lucy, you left the menu selection to me, right? Since you didn’t say you wanted anything else, I ordered mint chocolate chip ice cream. I thought you would like it.”

Shouldn’t she have at least asked Lucy what she wanted?

Feeling that it was a bit too much, I turned to Lucy and broke out in a cold sweat.

“…”

Lucy was glaring at Frienne as if she wanted to kill her.