Chapter 1

Raw provider: Tsalispark

Translator: Nancie

Editor: Emme

Clang-!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shell hit the ground and made a shrieking noise, so loud that it could burst one’s insides. Yet, she continued running through the yellow cloud of dust.

The opponents collapsed, screaming, as they were hit by the rain of bullets. They lay there, moaning and bleeding, hanging between life and death. In this battlefield, there were no winners or losers; only the deathknell echoed everywhere.

*

“You have to make a decision.”

“We have to seize this opportunity whenever we can. It won’t come again.”

“But this will end the lives of many civilians who have nothing to do with the war! Don’t tell me, those innocent people will become victims?!”

“If we let go of this opportunity, even more people will be killed. Anyway, those people are bound to die at the hands of the terrorists.”

“So to say, you don’t care if those many people lose their lives?!,” one of the people gathered in the Commander’s room raised his question.

“Stop!”

The solemn voice of the man seated at the head of the table rang out. He was gazing at a map and his eyes were covered with layers of frost. The noisy room fell into silence as soon as his voice sounded.

The Lieutenant General, a man in his mid-fifties, the one who had just spoken, asked the Colonel seated next to him, “What is your opinion on this matter?”

This time, everyone directed their attention towards the Colonel. The Colonel had short, black hair that covered the corners of her eyes. Her shining eyes were so cold that everyone present could not help but feel a little chilly.

She held her chin with her left hand while her right one was placed above the table. Her dry lips were tightly sealed and she was tapping the table with her finger, creating an uncomfortable rhythm within the Command Room.

The Colonel was called Kasia del Roman. For a woman, she was perhaps the highest ranking military commander in the U.S. Yet, her origins, achievements and the troops she had led may not be recorded in the future. Currently, she was the closest aide to the Commander of the U.S. army forces. She led the front lines in the numerous battles against the militant organization, the I.C.S., which had launched many attacks in Europe and America and were trying to gain control over the Middle East. She was less than forty years old, and even though her rise in ranks was notable, no one could ever get close to her.

At the same time, one could not simply ignore her existence.

It had been a long time since the Commander had asked every one under him to obey her orders and she was nicknamed ‘The Reaper of the Battlefield.’ Yet, as an ally, she was simply a war goddess, the only one who was capable enough to calm the raging storm.

Her dry lips opened to speak.

“I have no idea what you all are hesitating about. We must bomb the city before they flee the place.”

Those who had opposed the idea raised their voices against the female who had spoken so nonchalantly, as if bombing an entire city was the most natural thing to do.

“The U. S. military is held responsible to lessen the death toll!”

“There are even new-borns trapped in the city! How could you utter such merciless words as a fellow human being?!”

Kasia didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“The army’s greatest responsibility is to win the war. The lives of countless people rest on our shoulders and this is to gain victory. Don’t waste your time going on and on about your love for humanity. How are you going to deal with the consequences of failing to take action now?”

The Commander who had been paying rapt attention to her words nodded his head in agreement.

“Declared. Today at 1810, we will bomb the city of Mosul.”

Another round of disagreements arose within the room.

“I won’t accept any opposition,” the commander added firmly.

People exchanged astonished gazes.

Just after the Commander had announced his decision, Kasia got up and silently left the room. A grey-haired verteran, who was thoroughly dissatisfied with her decision, followed her.

“Colonel Roman! Give this another thought! Are you really going to slaughter all the civilians? There’s ought to be another way!”

The man walked ahead of her and tried to persuade her with an urgent voice.

“Think over this again. We can’t allow this to happen.”

There wasn’t a trace of mercy in her eyes as she spoke.

“If a hundred civilians don’t die today, three hundred of them will be sacrificed next month. Isn’t that a simple arithmetic problem?”

“But!”

“The Commander had made it clear that he would not take any more opinions into consideration. I believe he had also mentioned that ‘this is an order, not a request.’”

Her low voice was so spine-chilling that it even froze the old man who had spent forty years in the battlefield.

“Everyone retreat! Retreat now!”

“We’ll be dropping the bomb in a minute!”

“The identities of the soldiers have been confirmed!”

As the rays of the scarlet sun illuminated the desert, the Commander gave his instructions.

The heart-shattering screams of people echoed far and wide. Those who were aware of the plight of the people, turned away their heads, their eyes tightly shut.

However, Kasia remained as cool as a cucumber as she watched the whole episode unfolding by the Commander’s side. For her, it did not matter how many lives were lost and how much blood was shed.

The only thing that mattered to her was the victory of the army. She didn’t care about anything else.

She was confident that the decision they had made today would help them succeed in the conquest. The very purpose of her existence was to win. The crimson sunset reminded one of the glow of blood.

*

In the United States, Europe and the Middle East, there had been sporadic terrorist attacks orchestrated by the ICS. It had been reported that one of the ICS’s main figures, Khalid, was believed to have been killed in the bombing which took place a month ago.

“Their activities have been less frequent compared to the past. With this, I can ensure that Ahid bin Khalid is dead.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that another guy will rise up to replace him.”

“Killing these people would not inflict a decisive blow on the organization. If the head, Ahmad Ali Mohammed, isn’t dead, it will only be a matter of time before they reband!”

The meeting held in the Commander’s office could not come up with an effective conclusion.

Not only that, the officers raised their voices as the world media criticized the joint coalition which decided to bomb the city of Mosul a month ago, thereby killing 100 civilians.

Kasia del Roman was still searching through all sorts of secret documents, which were handed down one after another, with an indifferent face.

The officers present were more concerned about her mysterious attitude than the Commander. The Commander was merely her puppet, putting her opinions into practice.

Her quick movements came to a halt as she stopped browsing through the documents. Kasia, who had been unable to take her eyes off the documents in her  hands for a long time, spoke quietly.

“Maybe it’s time to end the war.”

She remained motionless for a long time before raising her voice, “I need to end the war.”

There was a sudden silence in the room as everyone paused, including the Commander.

All at once, the white phone started ringing. Everyone except Kasia was flabbergasted. The phone call was made by the President himself.

“Your Excellency, Mr. President.”

The Commander listened to the President as the evening sun shone on the streets. The expression of the officers changed as the Commander gazed briefly at Kasia while he was speaking.

“Okay.”

The Commander answered and put down the phone. The room was in complete silence as everyone watched the Commander expectantly.

“What I’m telling you now is confidential. You must never reveal this to anyone. Ahmad’s abode is confirmed. It is closer than I thought.”

He inhaled and said with a low voice.

“We will send our assassinations unit to the place. If they don’t return by the designated time, we will be dropping the bomb without any concerns about the lives of the assassination team.”

Robert Hagle, who was opposed to the end, shouted in resentment: “You must be out of your mind. Who in their right mind would be willing for this mission?!”

At this question, Kasia replied calmly, “I am.”

The office was silent again. No one could comprehend Kasia’s words.

“Are you… out of your mind?” Robert asked, looking at Kasia with his unabated eyes.

Kasia looked up at him. There was no fear, surprise or tension in her eyes.

“This might as well be our last chance. How many informants do you think sacrificed themselves to get this piece of information? More than 30 special agents have been killed for as long as 17 years. Their deaths are not recorded, so there must be more to it. If we miss this opportunity, we will never be able to find Ahmad. I hope I succeed in my assassination attempt, but if I fail, everything will be lost..”

Her voice was cool as ever, but given the situation, the listeners could not help but shiver at her words.

“The Colonel of the U.S. Army is moving in directly as an assassin. I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous thing!”

A young Major on Kasia’s left came to his senses and questioned the Commander, who replied heavily, “It doesn’t matter what the Major has heard. Just now, we received direct orders from the President.”

The faces of everyone present grew pale with shock.

“When is D-Day?,” an officer questioned.

Kasia answered his question tonelessly, “On June 13th, at 21:00. If I don’t return by then, drop the bomb.”

At 4 p.m. on the 10th of June, the air sank heavily in the Command Office.

The Reaper of the Battlefield, Colonel Kasia del Roman. Everyone called her so, but only a handful of people knew her history.

When and how she had started her military career, which unit she had worked under, the operations she had carried out and, of course, her real name… everything about her was a mystery.

The documents featuring her were confidential and people who were dissatisfied with her quick rise in ranks reported and  protested countless times.

There was only one answer given to them from the higher-ups: ‘If you don’t accept it, you may leave.’ Rumors about her said that she was gaining more power because of the support of a huge tycoon. Many soldiers refused to listen to her orders. They never stopped harassing her and day after day, she was ridiculed.

Yet, Kasia del Roman never changed.