Free Web NovelPavela stared out the window for several seconds.
Then, using her left hand, she tugged at the quilt and secretly buried herself a little deeper inside.
The movement was tiny.
But Margaret saw it clearly.
The Major General did not smile.
At least, not on her face.
Whether that glint in her eyes counted as a smile was hard to say.
She gave Pavela a few seconds of silence.
Then she switched back to the main topic.
"Back to that day's operation."
Pavela turned half her face back, the red on the tips of her ears not yet fully faded.
"On an official level, the characterization of the entire matter has been finalized."
Margaret said, "The objectives of the arrest operation were achieved. All seven members of the Iron Teeth Society were captured alive and have been handed over to the Gendarmerie's Special Operations Group for custody. There were no casualties."
"What about the Gendarmes I knocked unconscious?"
"Lieutenant Graf's men?"
The corner of Margaret's mouth twitched slightly.
"He wrote a report afterward stating that his team encountered an 'unexpectedly chaotic situation' during the arrest, and some members were knocked down by'stray bullets and explosion shockwaves' during the melee."
"'Stray bullets and explosion shockwaves,'" Pavela repeated.
"Yes. He made no mention of a sixteen-year-old academy freshman taking down his entire Special Operations Group, including their mecha."
"Does he still remember I was the one who did it?"
"You were already sitting on his mecha watching the moon."
"..."
"But he is a smart man," Margaret said. "Smart men know what should be written in a report and what should not."
Pavela thought about it.
A Gendarmerie Lieutenant, leading an entire Special Operations Group plus a light scout mecha, completely wiped out by a young girl in an academy uniform.
If that were written into an official report...
Lieutenant Graf's military career would likely end prematurely in a very spectacular fashion.
So he chose'stray bullets and explosion shockwaves.'
Very smart indeed.
Pavela felt that Victoriana's official narrative system wasn't much different from the one back in Usar.
But this was for the best.
She truly did not want her name left on any reports.
"What about that mecha?" Pavela asked. "That Hound-II. I think I stripped its knee joints and elbow armor."
"The repair costs have already been handled."
"Let me guess—billed to the Schwartz Family."
"Of course."
Pavela silently calculated the economic losses she had caused during her time with the Schwartz Family.
Half a teaching building, a training ground, a school gate, several simulation devices, and a light scout mecha.
Plus various medical expenses, hush money, and cleanup costs.
She decided to stop counting.
She owed Eleanor more and more.
"Those were the internal explanations. As for the external one..."
"'The Gendarmerie pursued a group of dangerous fugitives in the Old District, using the latest experimental suppression device from the Royal Research Institute during the operation.'"
"...Experimental suppression device."
"Yes, to explain those hard-to-explain optical phenomena. The people at the Royal Research Institute were more than happy to cooperate—they're dying for a chance to showcase their 'research results' to the public, even if those results don't exist."
Pavela almost laughed.
The Royal Research Institute, the stronghold of the Pro-war faction that fought tooth and nail against the Imperial Army General Staff Department in the Imperial Council, was casually used by Margaret as a scapegoat.
"As for the explosion—"
"Let me guess," Pavela said, "a steam pipe?"
Margaret looked at her, a hint of approval appearing in her dark green eyes.
"A steam pipe fell into disrepair and was affected during the pursuit, causing a localized explosion."
"However, this excuse has already been used twice in Eisenburg. The last time was when you blew up the teaching building."
"Personally, I think a third time might not work so well. So if possible, I hope you won't blow anything else up for a while."
"...I'll try my best."
Pavela coughed twice.
"So."
She summarized, "The external story is: the Gendarmerie conducted an enforcement operation in the Old District, which was completed successfully without any incidents."
"Correct."
Margaret nodded. "Without any incidents."
Pavela gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Then her brain began processing another matter.
The Fire of Freedom.
At the very beginning of the Iron Teeth Society's attack, that small alley had already been blown beyond recognition.
The bodies.
The bloodstains.
The forged military boot prints.
Along with all that carefully planted evidence for the frame-up.
Everything would have been destroyed in the explosion.
On one hand, this ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) meant the Fire of Freedom's meticulously planned frame-up operation had completely failed.
They wanted to create the illusion that the 'Imperial Army General Staff Department assassinated a Security Bureau informant' to drive a wedge between the pro-war and pro-peace factions—this plan vanished into thin air with the physical disappearance of the alley.
Including that poor young man who had been used as 'the price'.
On the other hand— freewebnovel.cσ๓
Pavela didn't know if the Fire of Freedom had ultimately crossed paths with the Gendarmerie.
The level of chaos that night far exceeded everyone's expectations.
First, a series of explosions and battles.
Then the array activated, sealing off the Return Power of the entire area.
Next, the Gendarmerie intervened, and the Special Operations Group entered the scene.
Finally, Pavela knocked everyone unconscious.
In this series of chaos, did Igor, Natasha, and the other subordinates manage to evacuate in time?
Were they caught in the crossfire of the Gendarmerie or the array?
Were they captured?
Margaret hadn't mentioned anything about the Fire of Freedom in her narrative just now.
There was no news of them in the official bulletins either.
There were two possibilities.
First: they successfully withdrew.
Before the array activated and before the entire area descended into chaos, they safely escaped the Old District according to Igor's 'three-route evacuation' plan.
Second: they were captured, but the authorities chose not to make it public for some reason.
Pavela leaned toward the first possibility.
Igor was a cautious man.
By the time Pavela subdued him, Natasha and the others had already left the scene.
Pavela had also let Igor go.
With his abilities, he should have been able to withdraw from the area before the array activated.
To be honest, Pavela hoped they were alright.
For a very pragmatic reason.
If Igor were captured or severely injured in the chaos and unable to continue operating, the Fire of Freedom would replace the person in charge of the Eisenburg area.
Pavela would have no idea who the newcomer was, what their style was, or how many people they had under them.
Their operational patterns, infiltration routes, and communication methods would all be unknowns.
But Igor was different.
Pavela understood Igor.
She knew his fighting style, his thought patterns, and his weaknesses.
An enemy you know is always easier to deal with than an enemy you don't.
So Pavela hoped Igor was still around.
As for Natasha—
"Pavela."
Margaret's voice interrupted her thoughts again.
Pavela pulled her attention back.
Margaret's posture had changed again.
She leaned forward slightly, her hands moving from her knees to the armrests of the chair.
It was the posture of 'what I'm about to say next is quite important.'
Pavela recognized the signal.
"Didn't I just mention the Royal Research Institute?" Margaret said. "Regarding them, I have one more thing to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Someone wants to see you."
"?"
