This land was beautiful—yet cruel.
Felix held Amiya in his arms, his gaze fixed on the distant expanse. From afar, he could see the jagged, half-buried pillars of Originium jutting from the earth, and the endless rows of mercenary encampments. As dusk deepened, warm firelight flickered from within the tents, glowing like scattered stars.
"Ah…"
Amiya stretched out her small hand toward the horizon, as if trying to seize that fleeting light.
"Amiya, do you want to go there?"
"…Mm. But… I'm infected. I still need treatment."
Her voice was soft, her fingers fidgeting against each other. The longing in her eyes—so open, so helpless—was enough to soften the heart of anyone who looked.
Felix felt the ache of it too. In his previous life, the Amiya he knew was already the leader of Rhodes Island—gentle, steadfast, impossibly mature for her years. But here and now, she was only a child.
Younger even than Rafaela… and already burdened with the identity of an Infected. For someone so small, what a cruel fate.
At present, Oripathy was not strictly considered fatal. Just last year, a Columbia scientific journal had published research on Infected activity patterns and disease progression. The findings concluded that patients could not withstand intense exertion—forcing the heart to pump faster only accelerated Originium crystallization in the blood. Worse still, use of Originium Arts hastened the process further.
So their lives became prisons of the body—confined, medicated, unable to move freely.
And to be stripped of freedom… was the same as death.
To the world, the Infected were already the walking dead. Prejudice and fear drove them into desperate labor, the kind that worsened their condition until they collapsed at their posts. The Ursus mines were filled with such stories.
Felix reached out and gently ruffled Amiya's head. She gave him a fragile smile—sweet, reassuring, yet so painful to look at.
"Don't worry, Brother Felix. I'll be fine."
"…Do you have an outside permit?"
"Mm… I haven't asked the Doctor yet." Her voice dropped even lower.
After a moment's thought, Felix pulled a small mechanical device from his coat—an apparatus shaped like a respirator. He fitted it carefully onto Amiya's face. The device unfolded into a sleek mask, covering the lower half of her face.
"Can you breathe?"
Amiya tested it, then brightened and nodded quickly.
"Good. Then let's go."
Smiling, Felix tightened his hold on the little rabbit, and with a sharp hiss his coat vented a burst of gas, propelling them both upward in a surge of lift.
"Amiya, hold on tight."
"Mm!"
She clung firmly to the inside of his coat as he kicked off, striding into the air with her in his arms.
The sudden weightlessness made Amiya panic at first—but then came a strange, wondrous sensation of floating.
She dared to open her eyes.
She was flying. Flying across the skies of this wounded land.
Below, mercenaries on the bridge gawked, rushing to the railings and shouting in disbelief. On the deck, Theresa and Kal'tsit had stepped out, watching quietly. Theresa gave her a gentle, helpless smile. Above, the twin moons gleamed in the night sky.
"…So beautiful."
"Yes. This is our world, Amiya," Felix said softly.
They soared onward. Amiya's eyes shone as she spotted mercenaries eating dinner together, squads training under torchlight, and—most surprising of all—children.
In Babel, children were rare; almost everyone here had the strength to fight. But these little ones, barely six or seven, must have been the mercenaries' sons and daughters.
"Mm… We'll stop here for today, Amiya."
Felix whispered to the little rabbit in his arms,
"We'll leave the rest of the sights for another day."
"Mm… Thank you, Brother Felix. Heehee."
Amiya savored the cool night wind brushing her cheeks, the exhilarating sense of flight still lingering in her chest. It was her very first time experiencing something so new and wondrous, a feeling she knew she would never forget.
By the time they descended back onto the bridge, the curious mercenaries who had crowded to watch had already dispersed. At the front stood the Doctor, freshly returned from medical examinations. The moment Amiya touched the ground, the Doctor rushed forward in quick strides, pulling her tightly into his—into their—arms.
"Doctor…"
Amiya giggled happily, burying herself in that familiar scent of antiseptic, faintly mingled with something clean and soothing. Yes, this was the Doctor's scent. Rising on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around them.
"Amiya missed you. I've been very obedient during my checkups… Can you tell me a story tonight?"
"Of course."
The Doctor stroked her head with a care so delicate it was as if they feared breaking a fragile porcelain treasure. Then, lifting their gaze, they met Felix's eyes briefly before taking Amiya's small hand in their own.
"See you tomorrow, Brother Felix."
She turned and waved her free hand, smiling sweetly, before leaving with the Doctor.
Felix caught the Doctor's look—it was complicated, layered with thoughts unspoken. Stretching lazily, he turned back to see Theresa smiling faintly, and Kal'tsit watching him with her usual calm expression.
"Not resting at this hour?" he asked.
"Hardly, when you've just sent Amiya soaring into the sky," Theresa said with a quiet laugh. Her curious gaze lingered on Felix's back, which had returned to its normal shape now that the mechanical expansion had retracted.
Kal'tsit's attention, however, was fixed on the mechanical respirator Felix had retrieved from Amiya. After a pause, she asked, "What exactly does this mask do?"
"It works much like a gas mask—keeps the nose and mouth from direct exposure to Originium dust. The design uses formulas and principles from the latest Columbian research. A small batch has been manufactured already, though aside from some trades with the Pioneer Association, the military hasn't shown as much interest as I expected."
Felix shrugged. Compared to the military's aggressive pursuit of combat drones, this device was hardly a hot commodity.
"Mr. Felix," Theresa interjected gently, hands clasped together, "would you be willing to discuss terms regarding this item with us tomorrow?"
He had no objections. If Babel wanted them, he would sell. He had no intention of placing strict restrictions on such a transaction.
In truth, Babel had little to offer him. From a purely pragmatic, profit-driven perspective, this alliance wasn't the ideal choice. If he truly wished to enrich himself, he should have approached the Military Commission instead of Babel.
But between the two siblings, he could see how much more burden Theresa carried. She had crossed mountains and seas, endured countless hardships, and yet might still meet the same end. That was why Felix respected her.
Babel's coffers were limited, too shallow to pay for the respirators outright. So Felix proposed knowledge in exchange instead. This time, he turned directly to Kal'tsit.
"You want me to teach you medicine?"
Kal'tsit blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Beside her, Theresa's hands clasped a little tighter in surprise, but her eyes soon settled back on Kal'tsit.
"You know as well as I do that medicine isn't something one can learn or master in just a few days," Kal'tsit said coolly, her tone detached. "But if you're determined, and you believe such teaching is worth the trade you're offering… then I won't object."
Felix only smiled, offering no further explanation.
In all of Terra, there was likely no physician more accomplished than Kal'tsit. She wasn't a miracle worker who could raise the dead—but during his past life at Rhodes Island, Felix had witnessed firsthand the marvels of the Medical Department. Many who stood at death's edge had been pulled back by her hands.
She was, without doubt, a master surgeon. But beyond that, her expertise in Originium and its medical applications was unmatched.
Every Operator who joined Rhodes Island underwent thorough medical examinations, and it was Kal'tsit and her department who assessed their conditions, determined infection stages, and measured blood Originium levels.
Tomorrow's Development wanted to catch up to what Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals had achieved in medicine during Felix's previous life. Hiring doctors to study Originium was one option, but perhaps the only real shortcut was to drag this calm-faced white-haired cat straight into his camp.
Of course, that was impossible. So Felix decided instead to learn everything this cat could teach, and then pass that knowledge on to those who needed it.
With his learning ability and "loading bar" speed, it shouldn't take him too many days to get through all of Kal'tsit's courses… right?
Before classes began, Felix stopped by the training grounds. There, he spotted Hoederer leading a band of mercenaries, while Ines stood off to the side catching her breath.
"Well, if it isn't the great Pioneer himself."
Hoederer greeted him with a grin. Though their contract had already ended, he still called Felix by that title—after all, a benefactor like this one was the kind of patron a mercenary might not see again in a hundred years.
"So, what brings you to us?"
Catching the unfriendly glares of the mercenaries nearby, Hoederer sighed. He stepped closer to Felix, and with just one sharp look, those staring eyes scattered away.
"Good thing this is Babel, not the mobile city of Kazdel. If it were, not even I could stop those hotheaded idiots from trying something."
"Don't worry," Felix replied evenly. "I've never once considered going there."
He fixed Hoederer with a look. "Interested in working for me again in the future?"
That made Hoederer pause. "Now that I didn't expect. You're talking a long-term contract, sir?"
"I'll be returning here again," Felix said quietly. "When I do, I'll need the support of Kazdel's mercenaries."
Felix studied him for a long moment. "Ever thought about leaving Kazdel entirely?"
"Maybe. If the Military Commission's plans for war against Leithanien and Victoria ever truly unfold, mercenaries like us will be dragged to the frontlines."
Hoederer shrugged. "So, what's your plan?"
"Be my eyes and ears in Kazdel," Felix said. "The Frontier Zone has only just been established, and now with Babel on board… the balance here is bound to shift."
"Just intelligence work?"
"I don't worry about the Frontier Zone's safety."
Felix smiled faintly. "Even if I don't hire you, the Sarkaz mercenaries will fight to protect it."
Hoederer's thoughts drifted to the Sarkaz children living peacefully in the Frontier Zone. He nodded slightly. Yes… if the Military Commission ever decided to attack, there would certainly be mercenaries who'd defend it with their lives. And beyond that—this was the stronghold of the Undead.
The Undead… Hoederer fell silent. This "Pioneer" had ties to them far deeper than he had guessed. If Felix truly could rally the Undead to his side, how much strength would the Military Commission need to topple the Frontier Zone?
When Felix departed, Ines came to stand beside Hoederer. Noticing the look on his face, she asked, "What did the Pioneer want with you?"
"Details aren't important. What about you? Who were you sparring with just now?"
"I lost."
"Lost to which mercenary? If he's unaffiliated, I'd like to recruit him."
Ines shook her head. "It wasn't a mercenary. It was the Pioneer's bodyguard—the blonde Caprinae."
"…Even I wouldn't bet on beating her," Hoederer muttered, then after a pause added, "Ines, from here on, I'll need you to serve as our link with the Pioneer."
At the mention of work, Ines's expression grew serious, and she nodded. "Understood."
---
Later that day, Felix sat in class as a student, smiling faintly while Kal'tsit lectured from the podium on the principles of medical science.
This kind of subject simply didn't exist back at Columbia's Trimount University of Technology—at best, there were biotechnology courses, but true medicine required years of study at a medical school.
Felix hadn't had the connections to enter one. So instead, he came to Kal'tsit.
He wasn't her first student, but he was certainly the most memorable. Sometimes he scribbled notes, other times his eyes seemed to stare past the blackboard into nothingness, as if tracking invisible lines of thought. On occasion, Theresa would stop by with Amiya, which softened the tone of Kal'tsit's lectures—because Felix had a habit of holding Amiya's hand while they learned together.
He was "loading." Loading with everything he had. His natural talent, combined with Kal'tsit's unparalleled mastery, made his progress skyrocket.
[Kal'tsit Lv.90 is teaching you the skill [Medical Science]. Current progress: 0.5%. Sub-class [Physician] unlock progress: 0.02%.]