After what felt like an eternity, the Line Assembly finally adjourned, and Nikolai Ivanov stood up, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
There had been several tense moments, but in the end, both the Navy Line and Nikolai Ivanov were cleared of any charges.
The incident was officially ruled a lone act committed by Sophia Belov, unaffiliated with the Navy Line. There were no confirmed accomplices or masterminds. Furthermore, the Navy Line pledged to fully cooperate with the investigation and submit all related evidence.
That was the final verdict reached after intense deliberation.
'I was this close to getting pulled in and ruined.'
It wasn't just his own position that was at stake—the Belov family itself had come dangerously close to disaster.
No matter how much the Belovs ruled the night in Ark, if the White and Red Line authorities seriously mobilized, they'd be crushed in an instant.
"Phew…"
Click. Ssssk—
Just as Nikolai lit a cigar outside the Line Assembly Hall, he spotted a familiar face exiting the building—and hurriedly extinguished it.
"Thank you, Representative! You saved my life."
"Ah, Mayor Nikolai,"
Ganesha Tripathi, the young representative of the Tripathi family, scanned Nikolai with a calm, unreadable look.
Nikolai felt a chill creep over him, but kept his composure.
"Yes, if not for your intervention, the Navy Line would have been in serious trouble. More than that—even Ark itself might have split in two and plunged into war."
"No need to thank me. I only did what was necessary—for Ark."
"Haha! Indeed. Everything for Ark."
"Well then, I'll take my leave."
"Ah, forgive me for holding you up. Safe travels."
Nikolai bowed deeply until Ganesha Tripathi had entered his car and it had driven far into the distance.
Only then did he straighten his back.
"…This job isn't worth it."
He found himself fantasizing about quitting everything and living in a rural part of the Blue Line, tending to crops.
A dream unlikely to come true in this lifetime.
* * *
"…Wh-what?"
Tatiana Belov was stunned by the voice she'd just heard.
As always, she had spoken like a prayer, never expecting a reply.
But this time—there was one?
["Do you want help?"]
The voice that repeated through the communicator was unmistakable.
No, there was no way she could be wrong.
"Carl… Marcus?"
["Yeah. It's me."]
This wasn't a dream.
Carl Marcus was truly responding to her message.
"How…"
Tatiana felt a lump rise in her throat.
She had waited—longed—for someone to answer her voice.
And now Carl Marcus had.
["Tatiana Belov."]
He called her name.
["Tell me what you want."]
His voice was firm, cold even—but she understood what lay behind it.
Her throat tightened.
A hoarse sound escaped her, and her lips finally parted.
"Help… help me…"
She didn't say what she wanted help with.
Because she didn't know—all she wanted was someone to help her.
There was no expectation. No plan.
Just a desperate plea.
Then, his voice came quietly through the communicator.
["Understood."]
No explanations. No conditions.
Just those simple words, before the line went dead.
Click—
"…Ah."
It wasn't even a special phrase.
Just an ordinary response.
Yet Tatiana felt something stir deep in her chest.
"Ah… ah…"
Tears welled up in her blue eyes.
She didn't know why.
But Carl Marcus's words felt like salvation.
"Carl… Marcus."
She whispered the name softly.
She didn't know what he was going to do.
But somehow, just knowing he was there… was enough.
"..."
With the communicator now silent, Tatiana stared at it in a daze.
Get up. Move forward.
She repeated those words to herself as she slowly rose to her feet.
"…Let's go."
No more sitting hunched in despair—it was time to face forward again.
Tatiana Belov told herself that.
* * *
It was only recently that I finally connected the voice from the communicator with Tatiana Belov.
Thinking about it, it had been obvious.
She was the one who'd given me the device. And if someone used the private channel for it—it was likely her.
["So, what now?"]
"I'm going to help her."
["How?"]
"I'll figure that out when I get there."
I didn't know what she wanted.
But it didn't really matter.
Helping Tatiana Belov was simply a step toward a greater goal.
'It's about time, anyway.'
Ivan Belov.
It was time to take care of him.
'If Ivan Belov remains, the Navy Line's defenses will develop major gaps as the Waves progress. He must be eliminated.'
There's an old saying: an incompetent ally is more dangerous than a competent enemy.
Ivan Belov fit that perfectly.
He'd risen to a critical post in the Navy Line thanks to his family's influence—but in the long run, his incompetence would create devastating vulnerabilities.
Which meant that for someone like me, who was trying to protect Ark, he had to go.
'And while I'm at it, I can help Tatiana too.'
From what I'd gathered, Tatiana was also a child of Anton Belov, the capo.
Forging a connection with her wouldn't hurt.
'Of course, if she ever finds out I killed Ivan, that'd be a different story…'
Naturally, I had no intention of letting her—or anyone—find out.
If it were ever revealed too carelessly that I was the one who killed Ivan Belov, I'd have to deal with the full wrath of the Belov family.
'So then…'
Now that I'd more or less finished tidying up the hideout, it was time to move.
The distance to the Navy Line wasn't exactly short, and considering the time left before the next Wave, I had to get moving.
'Even if it's after the Triple Wave, and the interval between Waves is likely to be longer… there's no need to be complacent.'
I set off—headed for the Navy Line.
* * *
Once I arrived at the Navy Line, I made my way toward the officer's quarters to meet Tatiana Belov.
I could've gone ahead with removing Ivan Belov first, but I figured it'd be wiser to hear what Tatiana actually wanted help with.
'Esther.'
["Yes?"]
'Find her.'
["…Huh?"]
Esther looked at me, confused.
But in this situation, we didn't have many options.
["Who am I looking for, exactly?"]
'Tatiana Belov.'
["Who's that?"]
Esther blinked, her eyes wide with confusion.
Now that I thought about it, she'd never actually met Tatiana, had she?
'Just find her. It shouldn't be hard for you, right?'
Even if Esther didn't know who Tatiana Belov was, her abilities made locating her trivial.
A Grade-1 Spectral Entity like her could do that in her sleep.
["…You really make full use of me, don't you."]
Grumbling, Esther flew off toward the officer quarters.
Not too long after, she returned, her footsteps slow and deliberate.
["No woman by that name in there."]
'You sure you checked properly?'
["What do you take me for…? You think I'd miss someone in a place that small?"]
She grumbled again, but she wasn't wrong.
If Esther couldn't find her, she likely really wasn't there.
'Then… the Belov estate.'
It was a bit unexpected.
Even for the child of a Capo, it was unusual for someone with a military post like Tatiana to be living at the estate instead of the quarters.
'Well, there must be a reason.'
The fact that Tatiana was asking for help in the first place already hinted that something was going on.
And if it involved the Belov family… well, that wouldn't be surprising.
'I'll know once I meet her.'
With that thought, I turned toward the location of the Belov estate.
It wasn't hard to find.
After all, there weren't many mansions that large and opulent within the Navy Line.
"What is your business here?"
No sooner had I appeared at the gates than the Belov family's guards moved to block my path.
Their tone was neutral, but their presence alone radiated authority.
"I'm here to see Tatiana Belov."
"What's the purpose of your visit?"
"It's personal. Ask her."
"Please state your identity."
"Carl Marcus."
The guards exchanged brief glances before replying.
"Please wait."
Soon after, one of them returned.
"You may enter."
I followed the guard into the estate.
At last, I stood before Tatiana Belov's room.
"You may go in."
The door opened.
And finally, I came face to face with Tatiana.
"…Carl Marcus!"
"I don't have much time, so let's skip to the point. What is it you want from me?"
Caught off guard by the abruptness of my question, Tatiana hesitated for a moment—but then her lips moved, her resolve clear.
"I want… to escape this cage that binds me."
It was a short statement.
But it told me enough.
The fact that she was in the estate to begin with, coupled with bits of scattered intel—put the picture together.
'Is Anton Belov grooming her as his successor?'
That was different from what I knew.
Then again, perhaps it wasn't surprising.
In the Ark I once knew, Tatiana Belov didn't exist.
'Wait a minute… if that's the case…'
The pieces in my head began to click into place rapidly.
I realized I might need to revise part of my plan.
Killing Ivan Belov outright carried enormous risk.
It could brand me a traitor and sever all ties with the Belovs.
'But if Tatiana really is a candidate for succession… I can use that.'
There might be a way to remove Ivan from power without resorting to assassination.