A moment later, a familiar face appeared on the screen. Despite the pressure of leading the First Irregular Company into the meat grinder of the Southern Quadrant campaign, Master Jet looked relaxed and at ease. Like she always did…
No, actually, she almost seemed to look better than how she had back in the safe haven of the NQSC. It was as though the exhaustion that everyone in Antarctica felt could not touch her. The perpetual dark circles under her eyes were gone, and her whole presence appeared strangely invigorated.
…Sunny had a suspicion of why.
Soul Reaper flashed him a bright smile.
"Hey, Sunny. How is it going?"
He simply nodded.
"We cleared that Fallen nest. Dorn was wounded, though. He'll need a few days to recover."
In the past month, his relationship with Master Jet had gradually changed. They grew a bit closer and more familiar with each other. That sense of camaraderie could only be forged by fighting side by side in numerous battles, and was only enhanced by the exceedingly rare background they shared.
Wasn't it funny, to see two outskirt rats leading the elite government Awakened into battle?
However, at the same time… after observing Soul Reaper in combat more, Sunny felt that he had come to understand the nature of her Flaw. And it was a grim one, for sure.
A long time ago… in a different lifetime, almost… before even the Forgotten Shore, Sunny had heard from Teacher Julius that Master Jet was feared by many Awakened. As the old man had put it, her problematic personality destroyed any chance she might have had of ever becoming a Saint. Actually, the exact words he had used were…
Who would want to help a psychopathic killer become a Saint?
Later, Sunny had learned more about the unspoken rules of the Awakened society and came to believe that these rumors were just a pretense to justify the suppression of the Sovereigns. A product of the contempt proud Legacies felt toward a clanless nobody from the outskirts who dared to become stronger than them, and refused to bend the knee to their power.
But now… he was not so sure.
Sunny had seen that Jet possessed a bizarre ability to absorb the soul essence of those that she killed. He had also witnessed her powerful, but fractured core that constantly leaked essence like a broken vessel. Later, he also observed that she seemed to lack the ability to naturally regenerate essence, as all Awakened could.
And so, he now suspected that Soul Reaper's Flaw forced her to constantly pursue murder. It seemed that killing was the only way for her to prevent her fractured core from becoming lifeless and empty.
That would actually explain a lot of things, from the true reason she had chosen to come to Antarctica to why a girl from the outskirts — someone who had never been treated like a human by the government — would decide to become a dedicated government operative.
Working for the authorities might not have been the most glamorous job, but if there was one thing it did not lack, it was an endless amount of targets that had to be killed.
So… maybe those who treated Soul Reaper Jet like a person obsessed with killing were not wrong. They were just mistaken about the reason for her morbid obsession.
Which posed a question… could he really trust her? What would happen if Soul Reaper's essence was running low, and Sunny was the only one around?
If he was correct in his suspicion, of course.
…While Sunny was thinking about that, Master Jet grinned and waved her hand in front of the camera. In it was a strange charm… no, actually, it was just a mundane… piece of jewelry? The thing looked like a golden circle with four stars engraved on it, beautiful filigree surrounding them, and a purple ribbon attached to the top.
'What the hell is that?'
Noticing his confusion, she shook her head.
"Gods, Sunny. Don't you know what that thing is? This is the Transcendent Star of Valor! The highest military decoration one can receive. It's your medal, fool. I finally managed to get the Army Command to issue it."
Sunny blinked.
"Oh. That's… great."
Master Jet let out an exasperated sigh.
"...It comes with a very sizable contribution point reward, too."
Instantly, his expression livened.
"Oh! That's great!"
Finally satisfied, Soul Reaper nodded.
"It took some convincing to make happen. Anyway, I'll hold on to it until we meet in person. About that… plans changed a little, so you'll have to complete one more mission before that happens. Ah, but don't worry. This one is a calm one, so your man will have plenty of time to recover."
Sunny stared at her with a dubious expression. Master Jet summoned the map of the Antarctic Center and highlighted several points on it.
"The division you're with is not going to proceed further south, since there are no big population centers there. However, there is a very important research installation at the southernmost point of the landmass. It's about four hundred kilometers away from your current position."
Sunny studied the map. The Antarctic Center resembled a gargantuan snake that sprawled across the ocean, and the installation Jet mentioned was situated at the very tip of its tail.
"What about it?"
She shrugged.
"Your mission is to reach the installation, secure the VIP currently residing there, and bring him back to the nearest siege capital. There is a garrison of local Awakened commanded by a Master at the installation, too. They will be responsible for evacuating the regular staff and scientists.
You can choose to go back on your own, but… that would be a jerk move, considering that they are expecting reinforcements to help them make the journey."
Sunny thought for a bit, then nodded.
"Sounds easy."
'...Yeah, no way. Something bad is definitely going to happen.'
Master Jet smiled.
"It does, doesn't it? In any case, after that is done, we will probably remain within the walls of siege capitals for a long time, and finally have time to rest. Good luck!"