Chapter 165: Group 3

The Human Federation is the sole link between the few remaining national powers left over from “that generation,” and the representative of hope for humanity’s new century.

It is the one and only cultural, military, and political core that holds absolute ruling power over all of humanity.

The descriptions of the Human Federation in books are all roughly the same.

To the average person, the existence of the Human Federation is both inviolable and unreachable.

But Ephnel wouldn’t imagine the Human Federation to be so wonderful.

At the very least, Ephnel wouldn’t harbor such naive thoughts.

To Ephnel, the Human Federation was just a distant entity that wouldn’t interfere with the “city,” nor would it provide shelter without reason.

“What does this have to do with the Human Federation?”

Ephnel asked.

“Why do you think they’re suddenly transferring me away from Seikyo City?”

Masaki Hinaki suddenly smiled, her tone becoming elusive.

But she didn’t explain, instead continuing:

“Speaking of which, there’s one more thing I need to tell you, about the new commander who will be taking my place—she and her so-called ‘reinforcement unit’ have decided to set out early after receiving news of the ‘Angel’s’ appearance. They are expected to arrive here in the next two days—this is the latest news I received two days ago, and it’s also the third thing I wanted to tell you.”

“A week early?”

Masaki Hinaki chuckled.

“That’s right. So impatient, aren’t they?… This means I’ll have to step down from my position as commander and leave very soon. After the new commander arrives, you’ll have to get along well with her.”

“You’re leaving after she arrives?”

“Mhm.”

“Do you have to go back?”

“Of course I do. My position has been stripped, but my military rank is still there. If I were to linger in another city, it would definitely cause trouble, right?”

Masaki Hinaki raised her eyelashes.

“…All banquets must come to an end.”

Ephnel pursed her lips.

While feeling a bit stunned and subtly disappointed by the fact that Masaki Hinaki was leaving early, she also fell into thought because of the other meaning in Masaki Hinaki’s words.

Masaki Hinaki and Seiran.

These were the two people Ephnel had spent the most time with since she became an Agent.

In a sense, Seiran was Ephnel’s senior, and Masaki Hinaki was Ephnel’s “contemporary.”

The three of them were friends who had supported each other and walked together since that time.

Everyone else was dead.

And now, Seiran had become an Angel, her condition unknown.

The status of Hien, who had disappeared with her, was questionable.

Masaki Hinaki was also leaving Seikyo City.

The only one left was Ephnel.

“Then, the new commander and Agent, are they coming for Seiran?”

“Of course I can’t say for sure, but at this point, the fact is obvious.”

“Seiran…”

Ephnel lowered her gaze, the figure of her former friend once again appearing before her eyes.

“If they’re coming here because of the Angel…”

If those people were indeed coming for “Angel Seiran,” then they would surely try to deal with Seiran by any means necessary, right?

Ephnel was not without her own selfish feelings for Seiran.

Seiran’s current situation was still unclear.

The feeling Seiran gave Ephnel at that time was very strange.

It was hard to imagine that her actions were of her own will.

Instead, she was like a marionette that had lost Seiran’s original soul.

Ephnel couldn’t help but wonder: what on earth happened to Seiran?

For what reason was she under the Apostles’ control? Was she being held hostage? Or was she forced to take some kind of psychoactive drug? Could she still be saved?

But one could imagine the difficulty of trying to have a conversation with Seiran.

It wasn’t that Ephnel hadn’t tried; the result was failure.

In any case, given the current situation in Seikyo City, the possibility of getting another chance to face Seiran alone was extremely slim.

Rationally speaking, giving up on the naive idea of “saving Seiran” was the “correct” thing to do right now.

Ephnel clenched her fists.

“Putting the issue of Seiran aside, their arrival is not a bad thing for the situation we’re currently facing.”

This was a fair assessment.

For the people of this city, who took over the Order Organization and what they would do after taking over were not things they cared about, nor would they consider the matter of the original Agent, Seiran.

What the people of this city needed was a stable life.

Masaki Hinaki had been intentionally or unintentionally mentioning the “Human Federation.”

It wasn’t that Ephnel was completely unconcerned.

But no matter what was happening on the Human Federation’s side, how the internal factions of the Human Federation were foolishly scheming against each other in this era, it had nothing to do with Ephnel, nor with the people here.

“Indeed, you’re right.”

Masaki Hinaki pursed her lips, not denying it.

“After you were injured, our efficiency in dealing with Erosion disasters dropped significantly. With their support, our grasp of the current situation will definitely be more stable. In the short term, this is indeed very reassuring support. But…”

Her tone shifted.

“There’s an undercurrent in the depths of the Human Federation, Ephnel. I think if I say it like this, you should be able to understand my thoughts—if the Human Federation values the benefits it can bring to humanity now more than the future of this city, then we have no choice in the face of a behemoth like the Human Federation. The crisis brought by the Apostles this time makes it impossible for me to place all my trust in the Federation. This is also the original intention behind my establishment of this department.”

Masaki Hinaki looked at Ephnel seriously and handed her a document.

“‘Group Three’—full name ‘Third-Type Reaction Special Operations Group’. While independent of the Order and the Special Disaster Division, in principle, it is under the joint jurisdiction of both. However, personnel belonging to Group Three will not accept direct orders or appointments from either, except in special circumstances. The group leader’s military rank will only be one level lower than mine, and higher than Fushihara’s.”

While Ephnel was looking over the detailed information in the document, Masaki Hinaki provided a simple explanation on the side.

But the more she looked, the stranger Ephnel’s expression became.

Yonomori Nami, Nishizaki Yuki, Fushihara Ayaka, and the group leader, Masaki Hinaki… there weren’t many people, but they were all people Ephnel was familiar with.

She even saw her own name—under the “Acting Group Leader” column, her name was clearly visible.

“I say, are you serious about this personnel selection?”

“Of course. The personnel for Group Three won’t be on a large scale. After all, it’s a secret agency, so the candidates on this list were all jointly decided upon after discussions with Fushihara and me. They are people who can be absolutely trusted. Of course, this list is also confidential.”

“That’s not what I meant… I wanted to ask—what’s this ‘Acting Group Leader’ about?”

“‘Acting Group Leader’…”

Masaki Hinaki looked as if she had just realized.

“Because I’ll be leaving Seikyo City soon, I need someone to act as the group leader in my place and handle some affairs, so I need an acting group leader.”

“Why me?”

“Because I believe you’re the only one who can handle this, and… you have the highest military rank.”

“Why are you forming something like this if you’re leaving Seikyo City?”

“That’s a secret.”

Masaki Hinaki smiled slyly.