I knew the man who called me.
A massive body covered in crude muscles and tattoos.
A shiny bald head that looked like it would gleam if polished.
And that characteristic hearty laugh.
"Kurilta."
"Yeah! This time, you didn't forget and remembered well! Wahaha!"
Should I say that's just like Ark...
When I heard they were drafting trainees, I had a feeling—and sure enough, it was Kurilta.
"I missed you! Brother."
The brutal, tattoo-covered muscle-bound bald guy lunged at me.
Since I had no hobby of hugging sweaty men, I subtly avoided it, greeting him with a light sidestep.
"...Seems like you've gotten a bit shyer since I last saw you, brother."
"It's been a while, Kurilta."
Though Ark's intention in selecting the personnel was as plain as day, that didn't necessarily mean there was nothing good about it.
'Maybe this worked out just right.'
I had planned to meet Kurilta at some point anyway.
It was because I needed to look into Carl Marcus, as Esther had mentioned before.
'There are too many eyes here now... I'll have to ask him later when I get a chance.'
As expected, Kurilta wasn't the only familiar face.
"You're here."
Lieutenant Imosha, who took the lead.
"······."
Hildegard.
"Hmph."
Dmitri.
"I'm the mercenary accompanying you on this mission. Nice to meet you. I'm Clint."
Clint.
Including Kurilta, a total of four.
All of them were faces I knew.
'No sign of Kalakin, huh.'
Kalakin was still one of the trainees Ark was keeping an eye on.
There was no way they would recklessly draft him for such a dangerous mission—and they didn't.
'That means Ark is preparing for the worst-case scenario.'
The possibility of mission failure.
In that sense, the drafted trainees were all either fatally flawed or had yet to stand out.
In the case of Kurilta and Dmitri, they were competent but had fatal flaws as soldiers. On the other hand, Hildegard and Clint had no major weaknesses but were not exceptionally outstanding in overall training performance.
In other words, it was a lineup chosen to minimize damage to Ark in case of an emergency.
'Not that it matters to me.'
Ark might consider this mission extremely dangerous, but I already knew what would happen there.
As long as we didn't needlessly provoke Ouroboros, there wouldn't be any significant danger.
'If anything concerns me... it's still Hildegard.'
Hildegard had previously participated in the retrieval team for the experimental shell GHOST-157.
That wasn't the problem. The real issue was her eyes.
'Insight Eyes.'
The Piercer, Hildegard, possessed eyes that could see through the essence of a target.
Although her Insight Eyes weren't fully mastered during the retrieval mission or now, I still needed to be cautious.
'Even if it's unlikely... she might see through me.'
If that happened, things could get quite troublesome, so I needed to stay alert.
"Are we leaving right away?"
"Yes. Considering the distance and travel time, we can't afford to take it easy."
Compared to the first time I met Lieutenant Imosha at the Red-17 gate, his attitude was noticeably different.
It was only natural, though.
"Then let's go."
Without any particular introductions or greetings, the movement began immediately.
Since it was a long journey on foot, there was no time to waste on such trivialities.
"You're already familiar with Kurilta... This is Hildegard, Dmitri, and Clint."
At Lieutenant Imosha's introduction, the trainees spoke in turn.
"...Nice to meet you. I'm Hildegard."
Hildegard looked a bit awkward.
"I'm Dmitri."
Dmitri, as always, appeared confident and arrogant.
"I'm Clint."
Clint greeted politely and without any sharp edges.
Just as expected.
However, what caught my attention was still Hildegard's reaction.
'I'll have to keep an eye on her for a while.'
In the worst case, I might have to resort to more extreme measures, but not yet.
"I'm Carl Marcus."
After the brief introductions, Kurilta approached me as if he had been waiting.
"I knew you'd still be alive, brother."
"Same here."
"Hahaha! You haven't changed a bit."
Esther giggled softly.
["Wow, you actually have friends in Ark? That's surprising. With your personality, I thought you'd always eat alone."]
'Shut up.'
["But... that bald guy looks familiar... Did I see him in your memories before?"]
'Did something come to mind?'
["Nope? It's just... that bald head looks oddly familiar."]
Of course...
Ignoring Esther's pointless chatter, I continued talking with Kurilta.
"I heard you were staying in Noah... Is everything okay?"
"Except for the trouble sleeping."
"Haha! Same as always."
It seemed Kurilta knew quite a bit about Carl Marcus.
I figured I'd have to find a chance to talk to him alone about it later.
'Now's not the time.'
The current formation of the investigation team was Ark's standard tactical maneuver.
Which meant that even a low voice could be heard by nearby teammates.
So, I decided to change the subject.
"Do you know much about this mission?"
"I heard it's a reconnaissance mission. Well, they must've picked me because I'm just that good! Haha!"
In reality, he was chosen as a disposable piece, but there was no need to point that out.
If I did, the trainees—especially Dmitri—might not take it well.
"What do you think of the others?"
"That's what I don't like."
Kurilta's gaze swept over the trainees.
When his eyes met Hildegard's, her shoulders flinched slightly.
It was as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have.
"She keeps glancing at others like that. Gloomy little woman."
Considering Hildegard's Insight Eyes, it was natural, but to those unaware, it seemed suspicious.
"I see."
"And that guy... He's a bastard who knows nothing of a warrior's honor."
Kurilta's eyes landed on the one exuding arrogance and swagger—Dmitri.
"I can't believe I'm stuck with scum like this..."
Dmitri grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear as he continued walking.
Dmitri Oleg was a member of the Oleg family, a noble house within the Red Line, and he was steeped in the typical elitism and superiority complex of the nobility.
'Of course, his abilities and background are outstanding... but his personality is flawed.'
That was one of the reasons why a noble from the Red Line had been drafted as a disposable pawn.
The Ark military pursued extreme efficiency. While status and background were certainly helpful, they weren't enough to overshadow pure merit.
"And lastly, that refined guy... Hm. I don't like him, but at least he's a bit better than the others. He knows his place."
At Kurilta's sharp words, Clint, who had been secretly listening nearby, flinched slightly.
No, to be precise, it wasn't so much that he was eavesdropping—Kurilta had said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
"······."
As Kurilta pointed out, Clint had neither notable status nor background, and his abilities were also unremarkable.
Because of these characteristics, Clint was classified as an extra or supporting character rather than a playable one in The Defense.
A man without any distinguishing traits.
That was Clint—the trainee.
'He's also the most likely to die on this mission.'
Outside Ark was the wild.
No one would protect you, so you had to fend for yourself.
That was true even among teammates who shared the same objective.
Not that I needed to make that obvious.
The reason I bothered to confirm what I already knew from Kurilta was simple.
'At least the characteristics of the personnel haven't changed much from what I know.'
The reason I was worried about this was also straightforward.
During the third wave, many changes had occurred within Ark.
First of all, the fact that these people were still trainees at this point was unusual.
'Originally, the trainees of this batch should have graduated from the training camp before the first wave even started.'
However, when I saved Tatiana Beloff, the timing of the first wave was pushed forward, and naturally, the trainees who should have continued their training were drafted, disrupting the training schedule.
Because of that, even as the third wave unfolded, they still hadn't graduated from the training camp.
'There must be multiple reasons. Maybe the reserve soldiers who were supposed to join died in the wave, or maybe the trainees of this batch failed to complete their training.'
The important thing was that despite these variables, their characteristics hadn't changed significantly.
At that moment.
["Hey, Master."]
Esther spoke cautiously.
I had already sensed it too.
'Monsters?'
["Yes, and quite a lot of them."]
'There's no need to fight them... We should hide.'
If we recklessly engaged in combat on this plain and ended up isolated, it would be a death sentence.
Of course, if I were alone, I could hide underground or summon Horus from a shelter, but the others couldn't do that.
Since the success of the investigation team's mission was also important to me, I planned to do my best within reason.
"Stop."
"...What's going on?"
"A horde of monsters. We need to hide."
"Hey, brother! Are you seriously saying we should hide like cowards?"
"What, are you just a sneaky rat who only knows how to hide, despite being hired as a mercenary from outside Ark?"
It was Kurilta and Dmitri.
Two people who normally wouldn't get along suddenly seemed to be on the same page.
"Then go ahead and die."
"...What?"
"I'm not stopping you. I'll be hiding."
Rather than wasting time trying to convince those stubborn fools with words, it would be better to show them through action.
As I prepared to hide, Lieutenant Imosha, the commander of the investigation team, spoke up.
"I will follow that advice."
Since the commander had spoken, neither Kurilta nor Dmitri could argue further.
I was just an outsider, but Lieutenant Imosha held command authority.
No matter how undisciplined they were, trainees were still trainees.
In Ark, where command hierarchy was the most crucial principle, disobedience was not an option.
"Understood."
"...Fine."
Kurilta and Dmitri couldn't hide their displeasure but followed the order without further protest.
"Where should we hide?"
"Follow me."
I took the lead.
* * *
Watching Carl Marcus stride confidently ahead, Hildegard, following behind, felt something odd.
That back... It felt strangely familiar.
'What is this feeling?'
She tried to focus her entire mind on observing Carl Marcus, but somehow, she couldn't see him clearly.
It wasn't often that something like this happened...
'...No, it has happened before.'
Hildegard remembered experiencing a similar phenomenon once.
A time when her Insight Eyes failed to fully read the target.
'The Skull Turncoat from the GHOST-157 recovery mission.'
Why was it?
Carl Marcus's back overlapped with the image of the Skull Turncoat she had seen back then.
'...That can't be.'
The Skull Turncoat was a monster.
But Carl Marcus was, by all appearances, an ordinary human.
Though calling him "ordinary" might be a stretch given that he lived outside Ark on his own, it was still the case.
'But back then...'
Hildegard remembered it clearly.
When the GHOST-157 recovery team had been trapped in the Swamps of Opacum, someone had killed the monsters and saved the team.
'Was it just a coincidence?'
There was no way to know the answer.
Suppressing her complicated thoughts, Hildegard continued moving forward.
Woof! Woof!
Grrrr...
The horde of monsters was approaching.