Codename Vestia

Chapter 31

Gamal was stubbornly insisting on following Doyeong.

Though Doyeong had firmly said no, the same Gamal who would cower and lower her ears at his slightest glare back on the island was now throwing a tantrum in the outside world.

“If I were just a regular office worker, I might take the risk of getting a kick to the shin and bring you along, but civilians aren’t allowed in the base.”

“I’m not a civilian. I’m a vampire.”

Gamal hurriedly spoke. While she wasn’t particularly fond of being a vampire, she was desperate enough to use even that fact to her advantage.

Being apart from Doyeong all day? That was simply unthinkable for Gamal.

Doyeong was exasperated.

“That’s the wrong way to classify. Anyone who isn’t a soldier is a civilian.”

“Major.”

Just then, Captain Tao appeared.

“Are you heading to work?”

“If possible, within today.”

Doyeong replied cynically, prompting Captain Tao to look at Gamal and say, “Ms. Gamal, please come along. There are people who wish to meet you.”

Doyeong’s face showed confusion.

“This crazy… No, do you mean her?”

“Yes.”

When Captain Tao answered, Gamal’s face lit up.

“So I get to go to the base?”

Her reaction, as excited as a puppy’s, was so endearing that Captain Tao chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, we’ll escort you to the base.”

“Hurry, let’s go.”

Fearing that Captain Tao might change his mind, Gamal quickly rushed ahead. Watching her, Doyeong turned back to Captain Tao and asked, “Is something going on?”

“Meeting someone from the 14th century BC isn’t something you get to do every day, even in times like these. Word has already spread far and wide.”

Although he had expected as much, Doyeong was surprised at how quickly the news had traveled.

“Aren’t you coming?” Gamal turned back to urge him. Doyeong started walking while asking Captain Tao, “How far has it spread?”

“Don’t worry. It hasn’t crossed the line of our existing military contacts. That boundary will hold for now.”

Doyeong sank into thought. Given the situation with the Grand Duke being detained, he didn’t think his minions were still chasing Gamal, but one could never be too cautious.

At that moment, Tora appeared, walking toward them. Jain was following a step behind him. Spotting them, Tora called out, “Marti, did you sleep well?”

Captain Tao addressed him. “Mr. Tora, you should come along too.”

“Where are we going?”

“There are people who wish to meet you.”

Tora’s expression turned curious.

“They want to meet me?”

Just then, Doyeong’s gaze met Jain’s. He acknowledged her.

“It’s been a while.”

“The last time we met was at the Piccadilly base, four years ago.”

Jain responded and offered a small bow.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Though her tone was calm, there was respect in her eyes, acknowledging the ordeal Doyeong had survived.

“I was lucky.”

Doyeong answered nonchalantly. Seeing the connection between the two, Gamal started to move forward but quickly turned back to Tora, grabbing his hand and tugging him along.

When Tora didn’t move fast enough, Gamal turned back with a sense of urgency. “Tora, hurry.”

Tora gently pushed her hand away. “Go on.”

Gamal hesitated for a moment before letting go of his hand and walking toward Doyeong. With that, Jain naturally fell in step behind them.

Tora watched Gamal walking with Doyeong and muttered, “It feels strange, like I’m sending off my Marti.”

The term “Marti” was said to mean “mother.” Jain commented, “I’ve heard that patronesses and their clients don’t share blood relations.”

“The one who gave birth to Rato and me thought it was bad luck that we were twins, so she abandoned us in the forest. Marti took us in and raised us. To us, Marti is our real Marti.”

Though Tora spoke with a smile, Jain was struck speechless by the sudden revelation. Seeing her reaction, Tora looked at her with surprise.

“This isn’t a sad story. It’s about how we met Marti, so it’s actually a happy one.”

Jain turned her gaze forward.

“I forgot that you’re not someone who follows conventional norms.”

“Jain must be more conventional than I thought. Judging by that expression, you made after hearing my story.”

“I’m not entirely devoid of compassion.”

Tora smiled faintly at that.

“Yeah. I guess that’s the case.”

Jain shot Tora a cold glance.

“Don’t be so quick to make assumptions.”

***

“This way.”

Captain Tao spoke as he passed through the automatic doors. Gamal, Doyeong, Tora, and Jain followed in that order.

The moment they entered, the people inside all stood up at once. Gamal looked puzzled; far more people were gathered than she had expected.

At a glance, there were no commonalities in terms of gender or age. However, from their formal suits, it was clear that these were individuals holding important positions. All of them also wore access badges around their necks, signifying civilian authorization to enter the base.

The colonel seated at the center of the room gestured toward an older man with a full head of white hair.

“This is Professor Henrik Soar from Boston’s Department of Anthropology. And this is Deputy Director Marcel Aries from the Metropolitan Museum, a linguist….”

The individuals the colonel introduced were all renowned scholars of impressive standing.

He then turned toward the scholars and gestured at Gamal, who stood there uncertainly.

“This is Gamal, daughter of the Satadi Tribe.”

A wave of excitement and awe swept through the group of scholars, resembling fans meeting an idol for the first time.

“Let’s all sit down.”

At the colonel’s suggestion, everyone found their seats.

“Oh, Ms. Gamal, please take this seat here.”

When Gamal naturally followed Doyeong toward the back, the colonel pointed to the prepared central seat. Gamal glanced at the seat and then at Doyeong.

Doyeong motioned with his head for her to go, but Gamal shook her head firmly. Though she couldn’t throw a fit in front of the colonel as she normally might, Doyeong raised one eyebrow in mild frustration. Gamal, feeling slightly intimidated, remained stubbornly standing.

All the scholars’ eyes were on this interaction. Finally, the colonel gestured toward Doyeong.

“Major, please take a seat here as well.”

Suppressing the urge to curse, Doyeong reluctantly sat in the chair next to the central one. Only then did Gamal take the central seat.

Once everyone was seated, the colonel interlocked his fingers lightly and began.

“The Sea Peoples remain shrouded in mystery. This is not only because there are few records or artifacts, but also because no surviving witnesses have ever been identified—except for one individual who has not been cooperative with us.”

It was clear to everyone that he was referring to the Grand Duke, though no one spoke his name.

“Other than that individual, Ms. Gamal is the only known survivor. That’s why we have a request. Would you be willing to share what you know with these scholars?”

Gamal looked confused.

“What I know?”

“Yes, things like where you were born, the surrounding environment, the people, and customs.”

“I’m not good with history.”

“That’s fine. Just sharing what you remember will be of immense help in uncovering the mysteries of the Sea Peoples.”

The colonel pointed toward a younger Black scholar seated among the group.

“And Professor Washington here would like to learn the language of the Satadi Tribe.”

However, spending time with these people would mean less time with Doyeong.

Gamal hesitated. Seeing this, Captain Tao stepped forward from where he stood to the side.

“Colonel.”

He leaned in and whispered something in the colonel’s ear. Though Doyeong couldn’t hear it, Gamal, with her sharp hearing, perked up as she caught the words.

Noticing her reaction, the colonel nodded. After Captain Tao stepped back, the colonel addressed Gamal again.

“If you agree to help, we’ll grant you authorization to come and go from the base as a collaborator.”

Doyeong was incredulous. They’re actually trying to negotiate like this?

Then Gamal turned toward the scholar sitting beside her and said…

“What do you want to hear first?”

Doyeong could only sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.

***

Beyond the glass, Gamal could be seen conversing with the scholars, likely to adjust the schedule. Even if she seemed more interested in trivial matters, Gamal appeared to listen quite seriously to what the scholars had to say.

“So, she follows the Major, huh?”

Doyeong turned to look at the Colonel, who had come to stand beside him.

“It’s like an imprinting effect on a duckling.”

“Whatever the case, getting her on our side is what’s important. As expected, our Major is competent.”

“That’s not exactly a compliment that makes me feel good.”

The two shared a connection that went back to when Doyeong graduated from Saint-Cyr (the French military academy) and was commissioned as a second lieutenant under the Colonel, who had been his team leader at the time.

This familiarity allowed Doyeong to speak relatively freely with the Colonel, even though he was now the regimental commander.

The Colonel also turned his gaze to Gamal beyond the glass.

“Getting the cooperation of a vampire who’s lived as long as she has isn’t something that happens easily. The others are all so arrogant they might as well snap from their own pride. They think they’re the aristocracy of vampire society.”

The Colonel shrugged.

“No matter how many times you tell them that the class system was abolished after the French Revolution, it doesn’t stick. Their blood has dried up so much there’s no room for new information to get in. Really, the old-fashioned types are the same no matter the species.”

He gestured toward Gamal with his chin and asked, “Did she ever mention joining up?”

“She’s not soldier material.”

Doyeong answered firmly without looking away. The Colonel, finding this unexpected, responded, “I heard her swordsmanship is incredible.”

“Even so, she doesn’t have the guts to kill a psycho who kept her exiled on an island.”

“Well, that’s her brother, isn’t it?”

Doyeong didn’t bother hiding his look of exasperation as he glanced at the Colonel.

“If your own brother were holding the detonator to a bomb capable of killing hundreds of people, what would you do, Colonel?”

“I’d kill my brother.”

Despite the younger officer’s audacious tone, the Colonel answered without much reaction. Then he shrugged.

“Soldiers are cold pragmatists, after all. But in her case, it might not be about having a soft heart—it could be because it doesn’t align with her sense of justice.”

“That’s why I’m saying it’s not Gamal, not anymore.”

At that moment, Gamal finished her conversation with the scholars and stepped out.

“Doyeong!”

“I’ll be going now.”

Doyeong saluted and left. Watching him walk away, the Colonel muttered to himself, “He’s got the tone of a husband who doesn’t want to trouble his wife. What a guy.”

***

When Tora entered the room, the person sitting in front of the table stood up. She was a white woman in her mid- to late-thirties, wearing rimmed glasses. Her outfit was a two-piece suit that gave the impression of a high-ranking official, and she had an access badge hanging around her neck. Her hair was neatly tied back into a single braid.

The woman extended her hand to Tora.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“This is Professor Laura Miller, from Yale’s History Department.”

Jain, who had followed Tora into the room, introduced the woman. Tora shook the professor’s hand and smiled faintly.

“Hello.”

There was something about the firm but gentle grip of his handshake that caused the professor’s face to flush for some reason. Jain found the situation exasperating but gestured toward the table in the center of the room nonetheless.

“Please, have a seat.”

After Tora took the seat across from her, the professor turned on her tablet and began speaking.

“Today’s session is just a light Q&A, so there’s no need to feel nervous….”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Oh, uh, alright.”

Tora’s unshakable confidence seemed to throw the professor off. Thinking some ice-breaking might be necessary—not because the situation truly called for it, but more out of adherence to some kind of protocol—she asked, “Your braided hair is unique. Does it hold any special meaning?”

“I just braided it because it looks nice.”

Tora replied nonchalantly, but then his demeanor shifted. He smiled subtly, and the atmosphere around him changed in an instant.