The starlight on the balcony and the warmth brought by Kiana's innocent words had not yet fully subsided when a piercing emergency assembly alarm, like ice water, drenched the entire Schicksal Headquarters.
All leaves are canceled, all personnel immediately return to duty!
The gentleness on Kael's face vanished instantly, replaced by sternness and sharpness.
He gently handed Kiana, who was in his arms, to Theresa, whose expression had also changed abruptly, and said quickly: "Take her back to Cecilia! Immediately!"
"Kael! What happened?" Theresa asked anxiously, holding the still bewildered Kiana.
"Urgent report from the border! The Third Empire has unilaterally torn up the treaty and launched a sudden invasion! The specific situation is unclear, I must go to the command center immediately!"
As Captain Kael spoke, he quickly took off his casual jacket, revealing the uniform base underneath, his movements swift and decisive.
"The Third Empire?! How dare they!" Theresa's eyes widened in shock, then she immediately said, "I'm coming too! My strength can..."
"Obey orders, Theresa!" Captain Kael interrupted her, his tone uncharacteristically severe, "Your mission is to protect the Headquarters and non-combat personnel! This is an order!"
He knew Theresa's strength, but precisely because of that, she needed to stay in a relatively safe place.
The battlefield was merciless, and he dared not imagine the possibility of her being in danger.
Theresa was stunned by his tone, bit her lip, and her eyes instantly reddened, but she dared not argue further.
Kiana in her arms also seemed to sense the tense atmosphere, squirming uneasily.
Captain Kael glanced at them, his eyes complex, and finally just squeezed Theresa's shoulder firmly, saying in a deep voice: "Protect yourself, and Kiana."
With that, he turned and strode towards the command center, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Theresa watched his retreating figure, her heart feeling as if it had been fiercely clutched by something, both sore and painful, and filled with immense unease.
The atmosphere in the command center was extremely tense. On the massive star map, the previously calm border line now had several glaring red alarms, and the light points representing the Third Empire's fleet were continuously assaulting Schicksal's defense lines. Although there was no formal declaration of war, the offensive was exceptionally fierce, clearly a prepared attack.
"Captain Kael! You've arrived just in time!" A high-ranking general saw him and immediately pointed to the star map, "The Rhine River frontline outpost is under heavy attack. Although it's not the main attack direction, the pressure is immense! Bishop Otto personally named you to immediately lead the Asgard and its escort fleet to provide support. You must stabilize the front line!"
Rhine River front line? Captain Kael frowned slightly. That indeed was not a strategic choke point, and the Third Empire committing heavy forces there seemed somewhat illogical. But military orders were absolute and not to be questioned.
"Yes!" He stood at attention and accepted the order.
On the way to the spaceport to board the ship, all officers dispatched to the front line were required to complete a cold and cruel procedure—to write and submit an encrypted "will." Once they sacrificed, the system would automatically send it to designated loved ones.
Captain Kael sat at the temporarily arranged table, looking at the blank electronic screen, his finger hovering over the input box, feeling somewhat lost for a moment.
Loved ones? He was an orphan, raised by Schicksal since childhood, with no family.
Friends? Comrades? Cecilia, Siegfried? They had their own families and concerns.
Kiana? She was still so young... Finally, one name clearly surfaced in his mind—Theresa Apocalypse.
It seemed... only she was left. The girl who would bicker and fuss, get jealous, be clingy, be happy for a long time over a single compliment from him, and cry in grievance when he was transferred. They were each other's closest bond.
He took a deep breath, his fingers quickly moving across the screen. He didn't write too many sentimental words; that wasn't his character, and he found it overly emotional. He simply wrote:
[Theresa:]
[If you receive this, it means I probably won't be coming back. Don't cry, it'll probably look a bit ugly.]
[Bottom left of the dorm fridge, I left you a lot of bitter gourd sauce, ration it out. The scarf... is very warm, thank you.]
[In the future... eat well, don't always drink those stimulating beverages. Don't train too hard.]
[...If you meet someone you like, don't hesitate.]
[...Goodbye.]
As he wrote the last part, his fingertip paused slightly, and he ultimately deleted the phrase "take care of yourself" that was almost on the tip of his tongue, replacing it with the simpler "Goodbye."
Some emotions, he himself had not yet sorted out, so it was better left unsaid.
Besides, sacrificing himself... was unlikely.
After submitting the encrypted file and seeing the success notification, Captain Kael felt as if a stone had been lifted from his heart, yet also as if something heavier had been placed upon it.
He stood up, his gaze returning to its cold sharpness, and strode towards the Asgard docked in its berth.
The battleship's engines roared, slowly departing the spaceport, joining the formation, and warping towards the war-torn Rhine River frontline.
Captain Kael stood on the bridge, watching the stars rapidly stream past the window, his gaze calm.
He knew the disparity in national strength between the Third Empire and Schicksal; their current action was akin to a cornered dog jumping over a wall, and they must have some insane objective.
The Rhine River frontline might not be the main point of attack, but on the battlefield, situations changed in an instant, and any place could instantly turn into a purgatory.
He did not fear battle, it was just... his mind involuntarily flashed to Theresa's reddened eyes, filled with worry and reluctance, and Kiana's soft, childish words of "always together."
He tightened his grip on the armrest of the command chair. He had to return alive. He had promised.
Meanwhile, in the living quarters of the Headquarters, Theresa paced back and forth uneasily.
She had sent Kiana home, but she could not rest assured no matter what.
She tried to contact Captain Kael but only received an automatic reply: "Commander has entered combat readiness, communication restricted."
A strong sense of foreboding enveloped her. She rushed back to her room, opened her personal terminal, and frantically searched for any information about the Rhine River frontline, but all she received were encrypted or delayed messages.
Just then, her terminal received a system notification from the logistics department—
[Notification: You have been designated as Commander Kael's (ID A-0713) emergency contact and will recipient. Relevant documents have been encrypted and uploaded to your secure storage space. May the Lord bless you.]
The two words "will" pierced Theresa's heart like an ice pick! Her face instantly turned pale, her fingers trembling, almost unable to hold the terminal.
Kael... He... he wrote a will? And designated her as the recipient?
Immense fear and coldness instantly seized her, making her almost unable to breathe.
She suddenly rushed out the door, running frantically towards the spaceport, but was ruthlessly stopped by the guards.
"Let me through! I need to find him! Let me board the battleship!" Theresa shouted agitatedly, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"Apologies, Lady Theresa! Without orders from Bishop Otto or the Supreme Command, no one is permitted to leave the port without authorization! Please calm down!" The guards dutifully blocked her.
Theresa was stopped in place, watching the battleships in the distance about to depart for the battlefield, feeling as if her heart was being taken with them, a tearing pain.
She sank to the ground powerlessly, hugging her knees, her tears wetting the floor.
Grandma... Grandma must know! Why did she let Kael go to the front line?! There were so many other commanders!
Yes! Find Grandma!
Theresa suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope igniting in her eyes, and turned to run frantically towards the Bishop's Office.
She wanted to know why! She wanted Kael back! No matter what, she could not lose him! Absolutely not!
War had already ignited on the border, and within the Headquarters, another storm of the heart was brewing.
Captain Kael went to the unknown battlefield with simple instructions, while Theresa, to protect the unspoken feelings, was about to confront the most unfathomable "Grandma."
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