Unsong Bird

The battleship swayed with the waves, and the whole Squad 96 room was in great spirits. They were all drinking, laughter filling the air. Jackal sat in his bunk, looking around, unable to shut his eyes even once. It was oddly ironic—so many soldiers enjoying themselves, even though they were heading to war.

"Kenneth."

"Yes, Jackal?"

"You're not going to join them?"

Kenneth rolled onto his side, glancing down at Jackal with a faint smile.

"No, not really. I dislike drinking at sea."

Something had been lingering in Jackal's mind, haunting him since he joined the military.

"Kenneth... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Why is everyone so relaxed? Why haven't I been learning anything? Each day that passes, we get closer and closer... but I doubt I'll magically get stronger."

Kenneth frowned—more like a look of pity.

"Listen, the reason everyone is having a good time is because they're nervous."

His words lingered in the air before he continued.

"They know... they're either going to die or at least suffer. If they're sailing to their deaths, why not try to have a better time, right?"

"I get that, but why was everyone so excited yesterday when Tsubasa gave his speech?"

"Even though Tsubasa is our squad leader, survival is your own job. Everyone knows that. It's just something Tsubasa does to lighten the mood."

Kenneth continued, "And about you not learning anything—you're not the only one. But the way the world government works is that they only use supplies on the North Mainland. Most soldiers are inexperienced and have to learn as they go."

"You're saying I'll either die or adapt?"

"Pretty much. Try to lessen your worries."

The door opened, and Tsubasa stepped into the lively room. The moment everyone noticed him, silence fell. Just his presence alone made them stop what they were doing and focus entirely on the doorway.

Tsubasa wore his usual mischievous grin, but there was a slight stain of blood on his hands.

"Everybody, we have an emergency. Please remain in the room and don't let anybody enter or leave. Two soldiers have been found dead. If anyone tries to force their way in, you may use force."

Everyone immediately saluted and responded, "Yes, Captain!"

"Tetsu, you're in charge. And Jackal, you need to come with me. A third party has claimed you had a conflict with the two dead soldiers."

Jackal looked perplexed. What could he have possibly done? But the captain seemed to be in a hurry, so he followed without question.

They moved down the long hall, climbed two grand staircases, and entered what could only be described as a large, fancy meeting room filled with chairs. Tsubasa went to the side and sat down, while Jackal stood beside his chair, unsure of what was happening.

As Jackal scanned the room, he noticed a lot of high-ranking were present. The only ones he recognized were the sergeant who had conducted his interview on the first day, sitting two rows to the left, and Mitsu, who stood behind him. On the complete opposite side of the room, Lady Silvira stood with the other demon who had startled Jackal when Tara had shown him her room.

Once everyone settled down, the sergeant spoke:

"As you might know, two people were found dead—or rather, infected. Luckily, Tsubasa managed to subdue them before they could infect more people. One was a Half-Elf, the other a Human. As far as we are aware, they were involved in a small argument before they were later found bloodied and infected with Necture blood."

The room grew tense as people exchanged uneasy glances. The sergeant continued:

"We've received testimony from one of the human's fellow squadmates that a third party witnessed their exchange earlier before they were found infected."

A brief silence followed before a soldier sitting next to the sergeant spoke up.

"He had white hair, dull eyes, and the most prominent feature was the 96 mark on his neck."

The sergeant nodded before turning to the soldier.

"The man beside Tsubasa—can you say with confidence that he was the one present?"

The soldier squinted slightly, hesitating before reluctantly answering,

"Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt."

The description undeniably pointed to a member of Squad 96.

Tsubasa opened his mouth. "Are you suspecting one of my soldiers of causing the incident?" His voice carried a hint of defiance.

The sergeant quickly retorted, "We have no other leads. Please, Tsubasa, don't take it personally, but we have to be sure. This could very easily turn into something dangerous for the entire vessel."

The tension in the room thickened. Every captain present could feel the shift in pressure—it was as if Tsubasa was displaying the difference in their strength through sheer aura alone.

Breaking the silence, Tsubasa spoke with unwavering confidence. "I'm certain Jackal is not the culprit. He's been in Squad 96's quarters since the supposed incident."

Throughout the ordeal, the other captains had been studying Jackal. He looked ordinary—white hair, dull gray eyes, almost lifeless, like a fish staring into the void. But the most striking feature was the 96 mark seared into his neck, dark as blood.

Jackal hadn't noticed it, but one of his habits had surfaced on his face. Throughout his childhood—at least, what little he could remember—putting on a smile or a grin had always lessened the burden of what others were thinking. Now, it had become second nature, appearing whenever he didn't know what to do.

Then, the demon girl standing behind Lady Silvira raised her hand.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Lady Silvira and Tara from our room had a small encounter with Jackal—moreover, something Tara made us aware of."

The sergeant, intrigued, asked, "What would that be?"

"As you know, demons have different traits from other races—one of them being enhanced smell. When Tara first arrived with Jackal, she remarked that he reeked of something... but she said it wasn't human."

A brief silence followed before she continued.

"And I would have to agree. Upon meeting Jackal, his scent wasn't human."

The words took a few seconds to sink in. Now, all eyes darted toward Jackal, as if expecting him to suddenly transform into some creature after being called out. But nothing happened. He simply stood there with a small, polite smile.

Then, the sergeant interrupted the silence.

"We have actually been aware of this issue. Mitsu, would you elaborate?"

Mitsu stepped forward. "When we picked Jackal up at Central Academy, Tara mentioned he reeked and asked him if he was human. He answered that he was—but at the time, my Manipura told me it was a half-lie." She paused before continuing. "Later, we tested him with a Radiator Ball, which showed no unusual reaction. Both the sergeant and I asked him again during his interview, and my Manipura confirmed he was telling the truth."

In the next moment, Lady Silvira stood up, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword—then vanished.

Jackal didn't even have time to react. One second, she was across the room the next, she was only inches from his face. Her blade swung swiftly toward him, but before it could connect, Tsubasa parried the strike with ease. Without hesitation, he countered with a precise sword technique, slicing off a few inches of her hair. Silvira immediately backstepped, putting distance between them and slipping out of Tsubasa's reach.

"Well, that's interesting," she mused, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Jackal didn't react at all. But Tsubasa—your rumors doesn't do you justice."

Tsubasa's eyes remained locked on her, his voice cold, almost threatening.

"My squad has no traitors."

The Sergeant interrupted the exchange.

"That's enough. From now on, we will be on high alert. Relay this information to your squads and proceed with caution. We are most likely dealing with a Cursed Sacrifice. It's impossible for a Corrupted Cursed, or Necture to be onboard due to our security measures—meaning the culprit is most likely a soldier hiding among us."