I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 25

Eastern Special Operations Academy. Instructor Hughes Chaint.

Western Special Operations Academy. Instructor Miller Camp.

Northern Special Operations Academy. Instructor Yudis.

Lastly, the Central Special Operations Academy. Instructor Jin Crow.

All instructors, except for the Southern Special Operations Academy, which was too burdened with internal audits, had arrived at the Atla Colony, yet a meeting was not immediately convened.

The sudden terror of the Red Hand had complicated matters in many ways, but that was not the sole reason.

Sizzle, drip—

Jin Crow spoke to Lieutenant Antonio, who had volunteered to guide them.

“It’s a mess.”

“Ahaha…”

Each fleet was organized into a single ‘legion’ level, comprising around 100,000 elite troops.

Of course, the ships and equipment allocated, separate from human resources, boasted overwhelming firepower that surpassed that of most planetary defense forces.

Operated by the Ministry of Defense of the United Human Synthesis, colonies were generally managed under the Federation, often serving as supply depots or garrison areas for the fleets.

However, the issue was that the Atla Colony was, unusually, managed from the direction of the Lemal planet.

“My apologies. Hahaha…”

Lieutenant Antonio gazed at the broad avenue of the colony, his expression betraying a deep-seated frustration, even as he spoke.

Indeed, at the end of their gazes stood two factions of soldiers, each clad in distinct uniforms, glaring at one another in a tense standoff.

“Dark blue uniforms leading to black. And brown uniforms also leading to black. Quite the spectacle.”

Jin Crow, cigarette dangling from his lips, quickly assessed the situation.

In truth, it was a simple matter, one that required no convoluted thought if one had even a modicum of awareness.

“One side comprises the special operations officers of the Federal Army. The other, the special operations officers of the Defense Force.”

A classic struggle for command authority.

If Atlas Colony were a typical colony, it would naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Army. However, since it was constructed and managed by the planet Lemal, even in their state of refuge, they could not relinquish that authority.

“So, you’re saying that the security within the colony will be handled by our Defense Force, Lieutenant?”

“Ah, I apologize, Captain. But I believe the Ministry of Defense has formally communicated that command authority lies with us.”

“I am aware. However, what we received was merely a request for cooperation. The 17th Fleet has no authority to issue commands to us.”

As expected, the conversation unfolded as anticipated.

The female captain from the Defense Force and the male lieutenant from the Federal Army were locked in a heated argument, their subordinates, who should have intervened, merely glared at one another, thickening the already hostile atmosphere.

“I’ll sort this out quickly, Instructor.”

Ultimately, unable to bear it any longer, Antonio stepped forward, but Jin Crow shook his head, chewing the charred end of his cigarette.

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to observe a bit longer.”

At his command, Antonio instinctively began to say, “But still…” only to close his mouth upon catching the look of contemplation on Jin’s face.

He must have had something in mind.

Meanwhile, in that fleeting moment, the tension escalated, and finally, a frustrated sergeant from the Federal Army muttered under his breath.

“Ugh, seriously. As if I wasn’t already irritated, now we have these halfwits…”

“Hey, what did you just say?”

“What? Did I say something wrong? We came here to clean up your mess, so why the hell are you giving us grief? Huh?”

“You little…!”

Though only two special operations officers stood at the forefront of the scene, the ordinary soldiers were far from unarmed.

In fact, given the threat of combat with creatures and the terror posed by the Red Hand, even within the colony, they were clad in reinforced exoskeletons, a far cry from their usual light armament.

Naturally, should a clash occur, it could lead to a catastrophic moment where even friendly fire might result in casualties.

“Enough of this.”

And it was then that Jin Crow opened his mouth.

Naturally, the gazes of those confronting each other in the city turned sharply towards him, and at once, their emotions swayed like a pendulum.

“Loyalty. I present to you the instructor from the Central Special Officer Academy.”

“Loyalty!”

The lieutenant from the federal army saluted with a look as if he had seen a savior.

“…I present to you the instructor from the Central Special Officer Academy.”

In contrast, the female captain from the defense forces offered a stiff, formal salute, her face set in stone.

Sizzle, hiss—

Instead of acknowledging their salutes, Jin Crow ground the burnt-out cigarette into a portable ashtray and lit another.

It was then that Lieutenant Antonio, who had been at a loss just moments before, stepped forward.

With his brow furrowed, he approached the federal lieutenant and asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s that…”

“The Atla Colony has been a legitimate territory of the Lemal planet since its construction. Yet, the federal army is infringing upon our jurisdiction.”

But it was not the lieutenant who answered Antonio’s words; it was the captain from the defense forces.

Typically, an instructor from the Special Officer Academy holds a rank of at least a major, and indeed, Jin Crow’s rank was that of a lieutenant colonel.

However, she paid no mind and recited the principles she had upheld all along.

Naturally, Lieutenant Antonio could only respond with a furrowed brow.

“…Captain Satra, the jurisdiction will be returned to the federal side later. Moreover, this was decided by the Ministry of Defense, was it not? Must it come to this?”

At this point, Antonio’s words had lost their gentleness.

Not long ago, many soldiers from the federal army had sympathized with the defense forces of Lemal, who had lost their homeland in an instant.

But as the defense forces continued to be so uncooperative, the federal soldiers were driven to the brink of frustration.

“It’s about upholding principles, Lieutenant.”

Yet Captain Satra stood her ground, silent and unwavering.

“What is it?”

“It’s the federal army.”

Meanwhile, the very place where they stood in opposition was none other than the heart of the city, drawing the eyes of the onlookers naturally.

“Goodness, since when did they protect us…”

“The defense forces would rather risk their lives.”

“Come on, my friend, even so…”

“What, did I say something wrong? What good is it to try to restore things with mere words!”

Yet, contrary to expectations, the response from the citizens of the Colony was quite hostile towards the Federal troops.

At this point, Jin Crow, who had been quietly observing the situation, could crush the nearly burnt-out cigarette with certainty.

‘There’s something going on…’

A few thoughts sprang to mind, but it seemed he wasn’t yet at the stage to pinpoint anything clearly.

“Captain Satra. And Lieutenant Antonio.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Jin Crow called out their names, and soon their gazes met, a mix of anxiety and anticipation swirling between them.

However, the words that followed were unexpected for both sides.

“Come to an agreement on your own and wrap it up. That’s all.”

“…Yes?”

“Huh?”

With that, he turned on his heel and headed straight for the assigned quarters.

“Inst, Instructor?”

Lieutenant Antonio, who had been a beat slow to gather his wits, blinked and called out pitifully, but Jin Crow was already far away.

*

Wuuung—.

As Jin Crow opened the door to his quarters, three gendarmes led by Obia were already waiting for him inside.

“Why did you call? Isn’t this the first time you’ve summoned me like this?”

This time, however, it was not Obia’s sudden action but Jin Crow’s summons that had brought them here.

He sank into the sofa, looking at Obia, who was grinning as if she had caught a weakness or received an unexpected gift.

“It seems this isn’t the kind of story that’s good to share with so many ears around.”

“Gah, are you telling me to shove off while my subordinates are struggling? That’s harsh.”

“…You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll step out, Instructor.”

Naturally, Obia retorted with a voice laced with mischief, but the gendarmes, having developed a thick skin, stepped aside without a moment’s hesitation.

The gendarme who had previously exchanged silent words with Jin Crow even offered a nod before stepping out.

Thanks to that, Obia pouted her lips and grumbled for a while.

“They’re not usually this obedient. They must be relying on you, Instructor. This won’t do. I’ll have to give them some mental training soon.”

“Handle that as you wish, but let’s get to the point.”

“…What is it?”

For a moment, the foolish mask slipped away, and she instinctively sensed that something intriguing was afoot, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she asked again.

And Jin Crow, as if to meet her expectations, spoke forth.

“There’s something you should know.”

“So, what is it?”

“Why the friction between the Lemal Planet Defense Force and the Federation troops stationed in the Atla Colony is occurring, and why public sentiment leans towards the Defense Force.”

At the same time, Jin Crow briefly relayed the situation he had just witnessed.

However, Obia responded with an unexpectedly indifferent expression.

“Eh, isn’t it just the Defense Force acting out of inferiority complex, as usual?”

Her words were quite sharp, yet surprisingly, they held the most plausible answer.

After all, the reason Captain Satra had been hostile towards him was not solely due to the Federation troops.

“Given that they can’t even protect their own planet, they must think, ‘We’ll protect the colony.’ Something like that, right? Like a child throwing a tantrum.”

In truth, it was likely that most of the Federation troops thought the same way.

Yet, Jin Crow shook his head.

“Well, I don’t think the Federation needs to go this far for that.”

It was a response directed at Obia, as well as a statement that reinforced his own doubts.

“Actually, it would be better for the Federation to hand over security to the Defense Force. After all, the current mission of the 17th Fleet is to reclaim Lemal Planet, not to occupy the Atla Colony.”

As he had mentioned before, the Atla Colony was created from Lemal Planet.

In other words, most of those who had previously resided in the colony considered Lemal Planet their homeland.

Yet, the 17th Fleet, which was using the Atla Colony as a base, would deliberately clash with the Defense Force, which had earned public support by fighting for the planet?

“Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“…Oh.”

At this point, Obia too realized that something about the situation was far from ordinary and nodded in agreement.

But one crucial question remained.

Obia reached for the cigarette pack Jin Crow had placed on the table, pulled one out, and lit it.

Huff—

The tip of the black cigarette glowed red as it burned, and she murmured softly through the smoke that drifted into the air.

“By the way, what reason do I have to investigate this?”

It was a playful provocation wrapped in casual speech, yet it was a genuine question.

As if to say she wouldn’t cooperate unless a valid reason was presented.

“Isn’t it so? Our role is to scout for any promising candidates at the Remaal Planet Defense Academy. I wonder if it even makes sense to meddle in other matters.”

Unlike her usual playful demeanor, the way she spoke with her mask removed, her distinctive red eyes gleaming, was almost captivating.

Yet even she could not help but mutter foolishly in response to Jin Crow’s subsequent words.

“It seems that either the Defense Force or the Federal Army has joined hands with the Red Hand.”

“…What?”

“Or perhaps, both.”

That was a reason beyond imagination.