EPISODE 3

EPISODE 3

ANGELICCA SEVERIA

“What happened?! What the f*ck was that?!”

The deafening shout of one of the warriors exploded throughout the entire hall. The air instantly grew tense as everyone turned their attention toward the destroyed main door behind them.

My eyes followed theirs.

One of their comrades was lying helplessly on the floor near the shattered entrance. The sight alone was enough to make the other warriors freeze in shock.

“W-Who are you?!” the warrior stammered, his voice trembling as he looked at me with widened eyes. “D-Don’t tell me you’re a—”

“Yes,” a deep voice interrupted coldly before he could even finish his sentence. “She is a full-blooded Severian.”

The entire hall fell silent.

The warrior’s unfinished words immediately died in his throat.

At the sound of that commanding voice, everyone quickly turned toward the ruined main entrance. I slowly lifted my gaze as well, only to see a tall figure emerging beyond the broken doorway.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the hall.

The warriors visibly stiffened the moment they recognized who it was.

Commander Sival.

As soon as his presence registered in their minds, they immediately lowered their heads in respect.

Commander Sival continued walking forward. His sharp eyes briefly landed on the warrior sprawled across the floor, but there was no concern in his gaze.

He simply looked at him for a split second before walking past him as though he were nothing more than an obstacle in his path.

The warriors quickly stepped aside to give him room to pass.

I remained standing exactly where I was, silently watching him approach me.

He stopped right beside me. Without hesitation, he turned to face the warriors standing before us.

“It looks like I arrived too late,” he said in an even tone. “What a pity… I wasn’t able to save your comrade.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed him briefly glance at me. It was only a quick sidelong look.

“Good thing only one warrior died today,” he murmured. “I honestly thought we were going to lose five.”

“Anyway,” he continued smoothly. “I’ll be the one to formally introduce this young lady to all of you... This woman beside me is Angelicca Severia.”

The instant my name left his lips, I felt countless pairs of eyes shift toward me all at once. 

“Like me, she is also a Severian,” he continued. Then his voice carried a faint trace of pride as he added. “But unlike me… she is full-blooded.”

“...so I hope all of you will be patient with her,” he said firmly. “And more importantly, I expect every single one of you to show her the respect she deserves... Because Angelicca is the first female warrior ever permitted to enter our line of work.”

The moment Commander Sival finished speaking, the entire room was immediately filled with low murmurs and restless whispers. 

I remained standing where I was. Honestly, I was already used to this kind of reaction. Situations like these had followed me for as long as I could remember.

Because in our world, women were never truly allowed in this kind of field.

Women were not expected to fight, command, or stand alongside warriors. We were seen as fragile beings that needed protection, meant to stay behind closed doors while men handled violence, leadership, and war.

And unfortunately for me, my situation was far more complicated.

I was a full-blooded Severian.

That alone already dictated what my life was supposed to become.

As a Severian woman, my role should have been simple, to become a wife, stay inside the household, and give birth to as many children as possible. 

That was the destiny expected from women of pure blood like me. 

We were raised to preserve our lineage, to produce heirs, and to serve our future husbands faithfully.

Nothing more.

“We can leave now, but before anything else, remove the corpse of that warrior first."

Then Commander Sival spoke again, “I will not tolerate anyone who disrespects Angelicca,” he said coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the warriors in front of him. “So unless you want to be buried beneath the ground, learn to respect her.”

That was his final reminder before the warriors immediately obeyed his command. Without wasting another second, they bent down and roughly dragged the dead warrior’s body away from the area, mixing with the heavy footsteps of the men as they pulled the lifeless body toward the exit.

When we were finally left alone, Commander Sival turned to face me.

“Angelicca,” he called seriously.

The tone of his voice immediately made me look at him.

The moment our eyes met, I noticed the sudden change in his expression. His face had become far more serious than before. 

“There’s something you need to know,” he said in a grave voice.

I remained silent, waiting for him to continue while keeping my attention fixed on him.

“The gathering of the commanders at the headquarters with our leader has just ended,” he explained. “According to the information gathered by our private investigators, there is a pack planning to launch an attack against our territory. But we still don’t know which pack it is."

“So you’ll be assigning battalions of warriors to every area?” I asked, trying to process the seriousness of the situation.

Commander Sival gave me a firm nod.

“Yes, Angelicca,” he answered. “Even the new recruits from earlier are going to be deployed to the frontline.”

I slowly nodded my head after hearing his answer.

“Then I’ll lead the frontline—”

“No.”

My words were instantly cut short.

I stopped speaking the moment Commander Sival rejected my suggestion without even allowing me to finish.

I lifted my eyes toward him and found him staring directly at me with an unusually serious expression.

“Angelicca,” he said formally. "When are you going to stop fighting on the front lines?”

I clenched my jaw slightly but remained silent, allowing him to continue.

“It’s far too dangerous,” he added. “And you already know that you’re one of the warriors most trusted by the commanders... for now, you’ll handle the cannons from the headquarters tower instead. You’ll be safer there.”

I slowly shook my head.

“It would be a waste of the money I could earn if I don’t fight in the battle zone,” I said calmly.

The rewards given to warriors assigned to dangerous battle zones were far greater than those for ordinary missions. The higher the risk, the larger the payment. And no matter how exhausting or life-threatening those battles were, I always accepted them without hesitation.

Not because I cared about wealth.

But because I needed that money for something far more important.

When Commander Sival heard my response, he let out a long and heavy sigh. His shoulders slightly tensed, as though he had grown tired of this conversation long ago.

“Angelicca,” he said seriously. "Until now, have you still been wasting all the money you earn on the abandoned village? You won’t gain anything by helping them for the rest of your life,” he continued. “The number of people being exiled there will only continue to increase. More and more people will keep being thrown away into that place. So I hope you finally consider ending this... Because that has always been their fate—”

I felt my eyelids lower slightly.

And the instant he did, he abruptly stopped talking.

The unfinished words disappeared from his lips as though he suddenly realized what he had just said.

That place was where society threw away the unwanted.

The weak.

The injured.

The powerless.

People who no longer had value to the pack were sent there and forgotten like they were nothing more than burdens waiting to die.

Children who lost their parents.

Old people abandoned by their own families.

The Warriors are too wounded to fight anymore.

Women and orphans left to survive on scraps.

I had seen all of them with my own eyes.

Commander Sival quickly closed his mouth after noticing my reaction. A faint tension appeared on his face before he briefly looked away from me, avoiding my eyes for the first time during our conversation.

“Alright… I apologize. I’ve already said too much again."

Slowly, he returned his gaze to me.

“You know I’ve always considered you like my own child,” he continued. “Your father entrusted you to me. He told me to watch over you… even if you insist on doing dangerous things. I am still supposed to protect you. I am still your guide.”

“Yes,” I said. “I haven’t forgotten that.”

My eyes remained fixed on him, refusing to look away. “But I won’t stop my mission. This is the only thing my father left in my care. It’s the only thing he told me I must handle for as long as I live.”

I clenched my hands slightly at my sides as I continued.

“There’s no point trusting the leaders currently sitting in power over our realm,” I said bluntly. “They’re useless. They do nothing for the people they’re supposed to protect,” I added. “That’s why the people have no one else to rely on… except me.”

When I finished speaking, I turned away from Commander Sival and began descending the stairs.

Then I heard it.

A long, restrained sigh from him.

I continued walking for a few steps more, intending to leave it at that.

But before I could get far, I stopped.

Something made me pause.

Slowly, I turned around and looked back at him again.

“When is the payment?” I asked calmly. "I need to buy supplies this Sunday.”

Commander Sival let out another deep sigh.

“Alright,” he said finally. “Go to the office this Saturday. I’ll tell the release officer to prepare your salary early.”

“Thank you,” I said simply.

I slowly turned my back on him.

I continued walking in silence until I finally stepped out of the hall. 

I needed to confirm for myself first. I needed to find those warriors and see whether they had already dealt with their rude and disrespectful comrade, the same man whose insolence had clearly crossed the line earlier.

That was originally my plan.

But the moment I wandered farther into the enormous courtyard, my steps gradually slowed after spotting several familiar faces standing in the distance. Even from afar, I immediately recognized them.

The instant they noticed my presence, their expressions visibly shifted. Without hesitation, they immediately began walking toward me in hurried strides.

They finally stopped directly in front of me, forming a respectful line. Their postures instantly straightened, their faces carrying unusual seriousness.

“Miss Angelicca,” one of the warriors spoke formally

I focused my full attention on the warrior who had started speaking. 

“The thing is...” he continued uncertainly and awkwardly scratching the back of his head while lowering it slightly toward me.

“Fortunately...” he began hesitantly, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. “It looks like Geral will survive... although his life is still in critical condition because he suffered a severe neck injury—”

“Just carry out the task I assigned to all of you.”

“Y-Yes, Miss Angelicca,” they responded almost simultaneously.

“Follow me to the building.”

Without waiting for another response, I immediately walked ahead of them. The sound of my boots echoed softly against the stone pathway while the warriors quickly followed behind me in orderly silence. I could feel their presence trailing close behind me.

Not long after, we finally arrived at the bullet manufacturing building.

The place was as busy and noisy as ever.

The sharp clanging of metal rang repeatedly through the air while workers moved tirelessly from one station to another. Sparks occasionally flew from the forging areas, briefly illuminating the dim sections of the massive workshop. Rows of supplies, tools, and crates were stacked neatly across the area, while the heat from the machinery made the atmosphere noticeably warmer.

I immediately began assigning individual tasks to each warrior so the work could be finished more efficiently and without delay.

I gave precise instructions one after another, and none of them dared question my orders.

The warriors quickly scattered to carry out their assigned duties. Some headed toward the storage area while others prepared the transport equipment nearby.

Large and incredibly heavy wooden crates filled with bullets were soon lifted onto their shoulders and carried across the workshop floor. 

The crates were carefully loaded into five enormous carriages stationed outside the workshop.

Each carriage was being pulled by five powerful stallions, their massive bodies covered with dark leather harnesses reinforced with metal straps. 

After the first batch had been fully loaded inside the carriage, I climbed onto my horse as well, gripping the reins firmly before giving the signal to depart. 

Not long after, we finally departed from the manufacturing area.

The deliveries continued one after another throughout the day.

A total of four batches had to be transported, and the hideout where the ammunition was being delivered was located quite far away from the main territory. 

The journey consumed both time and energy, yet despite the difficulty of the work, not a single error occurred.

The warriors followed every order I gave without question.

I heard no complaints, grumbling, or excuses.

Because of their obedience and efficiency, the entire operation was completed before five in the afternoon, precisely within the timeframe I had expected.

Everything had gone smoothly.

And now…

I stood quietly near a shallow stream, silently watching my stallion lower its head to drink from the flowing water. The horse’s dark mane swayed gently with the breeze while ripples spread across the clear stream each time its muzzle touched the surface.

The soft current of the water flowed steadily over scattered stones, producing a calm and soothing sound that echoed faintly through the area. Nearby, insects continuously buzzed among the tall grass and trees, their droning blending naturally with the gentle rush of the stream. 

Then suddenly, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from behind me.

The footsteps were slow yet firm, each step carrying noticeable weight as it pressed against the ground. 

“Miss Angelicca, are we allowed to leave now?”

The voice came carefully from behind me, carrying both hesitation and respect.

At those words, I slowly turned my head toward them.

The moment I faced the group, our eyes briefly met, but almost immediately, they all looked away one after another as if unable to withstand my gaze for too long. 

“B-But if you still have another task for us, we don’t mind at all,” one of the warriors quickly added.

A stiff and awkward laugh escaped from him afterward. Despite his nervousness, however, he still tried to politely meet my eyes again, as though determined not to appear disrespectful in front of me.

I remained silent while observing them.

“But before that,” the same warrior continued. "We were hoping we could properly introduce ourselves to you. The commander told us that you’ll be the one handling us newcomers from now on.”

He stared at me for several seconds after saying that, seemingly waiting for some kind of response.

But when he noticed that I had no intention of speaking yet, he awkwardly brought his clenched fist close to his mouth before releasing a dry cough to ease the tension surrounding them.

“My name is Jace, Miss Angelicca,” he formally introduced himself.

He stood tall after saying his name, trying his best to appear composed despite the uneasiness obvious in his face.

“I’m Kaiser.”

“And I’m Marti.”

After that, the other warriors began introducing themselves one after another in quick succession. 

However, there were simply too many of them.

There were forty-nine warriors in total.

Because of that, only a handful of names actually remained in my memory while the rest gradually blurred together after several introductions. Still, I silently observed each of their faces, unconsciously memorizing certain features instead, the scar on one warrior’s jaw, another’s unusually sharp eyes, the different tones of their voices, and the varying levels of nervousness hidden beneath their formal demeanor.

Once the introductions finally settled down, I spoke.

“As far as I know, this Sunday is your designated rest day, correct? Your schedules should’ve already been given to all of you.”

“Yes, Miss Angelicca,” Jace answered respectfully.

“If that’s the case,” I continued. "Would it be possible for me to borrow your time on those days? There’s something I’d like all of you to do.”

“Whatever it is, we’re ready to follow your instructions,” Jace replied without hesitation. “Are there more materials you need delivered? Or perhaps another difficult task?”

“No. We’re going to the market to buy food supplies for rations.”