Eliminating Ivan Belov, the current commander of the Navy Line's defense forces.
That had been one of the assignments given to me—one of those crucial tasks to be completed before the Wave stages reached their more intense mid-phase.
'But… things are different now.'
Until I arrived here, I believed Ivan Belov had to die, no exceptions.
But the moment I saw Tatiana Belov, a new—much cleaner—option presented itself. One that carried far less risk.
'What if I strip Ivan of his position and replace him with Tatiana?'
I might be able to preserve the Navy Line's defenses without bloodshed.
Of course, Tatiana could turn out to be just as incompetent as Ivan—but that's a risk I could deal with later.
Actually, based on everything I'd seen from her so far, she didn't strike me as incompetent at all.
'Like Ivan, Tatiana is in line to inherit the Belov family. It's a far more worthwhile play than just killing him outright.'
So then, how to remove Ivan from power?
The answer was simple.
'Discredit him.'
For example—manufacture a blunder where he fails to defend the Navy Line during peacetime. That alone would be enough.
Fortunately, I had the capability—and the soldiers—to make that happen.
All that remained was the execution.
"…Carl Marcus?"
Tatiana's voice cut into my thoughts. She was eyeing me with a curious expression.
"Ah, sorry. Just got a little lost in thought."
"…No, it's fine. I'm just grateful you even came."
["Well, at least she knows. "]
"Eep…!"
Esther's sudden jab made Tatiana flinch, even though she remained invisible.
As a qualified ether adapter, Tatiana had clearly sensed her presence.
'Be quiet.'
["…Tch. Fine."]
Tatiana glanced around, clearly unsettled.
"Just now… what was that? I could've sworn there was something…"
"Forget about that. Tell me your story."
"Forget about it? You really didn't feel anything?"
"I didn't."
["Liar."]
"Eek!"
Tatiana flinched again as Esther stuck out her tongue and faded away.
I wanted to lob a GHOST-157 at her just for that, but with a guest in front of me, I had to restrain myself.
"Wh-what was that, really…"
"Don't worry about it."
Apparently, Esther's presence had left quite the impression. Tatiana was still visibly shaken.
Time to shift the conversation.
"You said you wanted to break free—so you're talking about escaping the Belov family's influence?"
"Ah, yes… That's right. But how did you know about the Belovs?"
"Just rumors."
"Oh… I see."
Her reaction was awkward—but understandable.
The Belov Family.
On the surface, they ruled Ark's night and controlled the Navy Line, but peel back the curtain, and they were nothing more than a mafia.
If Tatiana wanted to break free of them, it made sense that the name itself wasn't something she bore with pride.
"…It's not that I hate the family. Or my father. They're still my family. I just… hate not being able to live my own life."
"I see."
"It was a selfish request, I know. But thank you for coming."
She clearly thought I had come simply to comfort her.
A massive misunderstanding.
"I think you're mistaken about something."
"…Huh?"
"I didn't come to comfort you. I came to actually help."
Tatiana blinked at me, stunned.
And then she smiled faintly—sadly.
"That's… impossible."
"It's not."
"You really think… you can pull me out of the Belov family's grasp?"
"There's no need to pull you out. The point is, you don't want them controlling your life, right?"
"…Yes. That's true."
"There's a way."
"There is?"
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
Power defines privilege.
If Tatiana became the legitimate successor of the Belov family, all her problems would solve themselves.
'She'll probably hate the idea… but that's her problem to deal with.'
As long as I could convince her, it would serve both my goal of undermining Ivan and establishing a strong ally in the Belovs.
"Tatiana."
"…Yes?"
"This method is effective, but it requires your resolve."
"Resolve… for what?"
"You need to become the true successor of the Belov family."
"…What?"
Her eyes widened.
A long silence followed—one that felt eternal.
Only after it passed did she finally respond.
"What are you talking about? Me, the successor of the Belov family? Were you even listening to what I said?"
Her voice rose, understandably.
She'd asked for freedom from the Belov legacy, and here I was telling her to become the head of it.
Even I would've found it laughable.
"Tatiana."
"…I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I have no intention of becoming the Belov successor. That's someone else's role."
"Tatiana."
"…What now."
"Do you know what you call the only person in an organization who can do whatever they want?"
"What are you talking abou—"
"Boss. Or Capo."
Her mouth fell open slightly.
"If you want the right to be free, then claim it with your own hands. No one else will do it for you."
"…That's…"
She started to respond, then stopped, lips twitching as she fell into deep thought.
I didn't know exactly what was going through her mind.
But it didn't matter.
No matter what conclusion she came to—nothing would change on my end.
"…Thank you for your words. I understand what you're trying to say. But… I still don't want to be the Belov successor."
"If that's your stance, then so be it."
"…What?"
"Something wrong?"
"N-no... It's just that you gave up so easily, is all."
"It's your life. The choice is yours."
"Yeah... that's true."
Well, that's a lie.
No matter what Tatiana chooses, nothing will actually change.
I will make sure of that.
"Then, I'll take my leave. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."
"No! You've helped more than enough. That part about claiming my own rights… I won't forget it."
"Then that's good."
She looked like she had come to some internal resolution.
Not that it meant anything to me.
'Now then… let's get to work.'
I stepped out of Tatiana's room.
She had no idea.
Not even a sliver of a clue what I was about to do next.
* * *
I made my way to a quiet mountain path in the Navy Line territory.
A place far from Ark's ever-watchful CCTV networks.
Given what I was about to do, I couldn't afford to leave any trace in the entry records.
'This should be far enough.'
I confirmed that no one was within a kilometer radius, then burrowed straight into the forest floor.
Shffshff!
Digging deep, I covered my trail and descended even farther.
This was to avoid the subterranean surveillance of Ark.
Digging. More digging. And then even more.
Eventually, I started to feel the heat—volcanic terrain, after all. That was my cue to change course.
I turned, heading outward—toward the edge of the Navy Line's perimeter.
["Ugh… Can we not do this mole routine again? This is so claustrophobic..."]
"It's necessary."
["Tch."]
Amid Esther's grumbling, I swam through the soil swiftly.
Shff, shffshff!
Janus churned its bone tentacles with power. How long had we been tunneling?
["Master, I think we've pretty much arrived."]
"Yeah?"
It was time to head up.
With the kind of strength Janus had gained, this burrowing operation had been fast and efficient.
'This should be the spot.'
Cool air greeted me after what felt like a long underground voyage.
I emerged not far from the Navy Line's front lines, but just far enough to stay out of direct sight.
"Janus."
[Skree!]
"Send the call."
I didn't need to clarify who.
Janus already knew.
[Beeeeeeeeeeep────!]
The signal shot out in all directions.
Now, I waited.
'Hmm...'
While I waited for him, I scanned the Navy Line front with a 36x magnification scope.
Just as expected—the recent Wave had left them wide open.
'They're completely off-guard. Typical.'
Even Ark, for all its might, couldn't maintain perfect post-Wave defenses—especially after something like a triple Wave.
Reconstruction was underway across the front, with little to no active defense.
'They probably think it's safe now that the Wave is over.'
And usually, it would be.
But not always.
In Ark, anything can happen.
That's the world we live in.
'Not that I'm one to talk…'
What I was about to do could cause serious damage to the Navy Line.
I'd be cautious, but if I wanted Ivan Belov out, it had to be significant.
'Caution's the only way through.'
Time passed.
And finally, a figure emerged from the eastern plains of Ark.
The Turncoat Knight.
["Kin…"]
"You're here."
With my comrade in place, I pulled on Kupf's Bone Mask and my Sky Whale Cloak.
Time to stop being Carl Marcus—
And become Pawn, the Turncoat.
"Remember: no killing. But you can cause damage."
The Knight looked confused for a moment, but nodded.
["Un… derstood."]
If he did start to go berserk, I was ready to step in. But based on his current state, that seemed unlikely.
'Alright… Let's go.'
Time to hit the Navy Line.