Interlude: Back at Rustkammer Base
"And now they have left the forest and are catching more monsters," Frederica said, her eyes glowing bright red.
Grethe stared incredulously at the small girl before her. Beside her, Willem sat with a deadpan expression on his face.
"Please take this seriously, Aide Rosenfort. We're not here to hear stories about your favorite cartoons."
"I am being serious!" Frederica protested. "This is exactly what I see!"
"I need to make a report to Major General Altner. Do you really expect me to write all this in a report?"
Unfortunately, as of now, Frederica was their only lead. No matter how much they investigated, they could only conclude that the missing Republic officer and five Eighty-Six soldiers had disappeared into thin air. They even had a couple of witnesses to testify as to that fact.
In the end, they ordered Frederica to keep them updated before dismissing her from the room.
Grethe sighed wearily, rubbing her temples. "Wonderful. And right before our operation in the Republic, too. They're going to wonder what we did with their prized Colonel, and they won't believe any of this. We need a plausible explanation."
"I suppose I can come up with something. Perhaps Colonel Milize came down with a sudden case of appendicitis. That should be enough to stall them in the short term. In the long term, however…"
Not only was this a difficult matter politically, it was a significant setback for the newly formed 86th Strike Package. Missing both a tactical commander and the operations commander when they were already short on hands, not to mention losing Shin's ability to track the Legion, would be a hefty blow.
"And what if, hypothetically, what Aide Rosenfort said is true? What are the implications of that?"
"I'm sure the military brass would be keen to find a way to this other world. Either for evacuation purposes, or to bring back some of these monsters for study. Just think of the potential, if we could harness the power of such creatures. It might even eliminate the need to maintain Esper abilities."
Grethe shook her head. "Sounds terrifying to me. Imagine if everyone had a pet Leviathan. It would spell the end of humanity for sure."
Willem thought this over for a moment. "...Come to think of it, we do have stories of dragons once roaming the land. Perhaps that world isn't so different from ours after all…"
Walking down the hall, Frederica gazed out the window. While she was glad that her adopted siblings were safe, she missed them terribly. This base felt empty without them. And she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Shiden was on edge and distrustful over the sudden disappearance of her Queen. Annette was distraught, thinking she had lost her best friend and former childhood friend in one fell swoop. And Fido just seemed very confused.
She would have to do her best to reassure them all, no matter how outlandish the truth was.
Frederica let out a sigh. "Come back soon, you fools…"