Chapter 17#

Extra 1#

My name is Lainer Ayden.

That’s right. My parents are die-hard fans of Marshal Lainer Haint. I’m twenty-eight this year, born in the year Marshal Lainer Haint sacrificed himself. So all throughout school, there were always at least a dozen kids named Lainer in my grade.

Naturally, my parents gave me this name hoping I’d become someone as great as Marshal Haint. But my idol is Marshal Schuitt Reese.

Schuitt Reese — the youngest marshal in the history of the Human Alliance. Unlike Marshal Haint, Marshal Schuitt was a rather controversial figure. After ascending to the position of marshal, he swiftly consolidated power with an iron fist, drastically weakening the influence of each legion commander and seizing absolute control of the entire military department. The disgruntled legion commanders launched a rebellion, only to be crushed by Marshal Schuitt with absolute force.

Opinions on his actions were deeply divided.

His supporters believed he had cleansed the filthy swamp of the military. From that point on, the entire military worked in unison and quickly drove the Zerg to remote star systems unfit for human habitation. Deprived of resources, even if the Zerg produced another Queen, they would never pose a threat to humanity again.

His critics believed he was far too autocratic, hoarding all power in his own hands, reducing the military to nothing more than his personal dictatorship.

However, none of this controversy prevented Marshal Schuitt from becoming the most sought-after eligible bachelor in the entire galaxy. Yes — Marshal Schuitt was still single, and had never been involved in any romantic gossip. Young, handsome, supremely powerful, and of impeccable character, he was the dream man of every Omega and even every Beta. It was hardly surprising.

My family happened to have a devoted admirer of Marshal Schuitt — my younger brother. As an Omega who was pampered at home, I had never dared to refuse any of his demands. On my first day becoming one of Marshal Schuitt’s personal guards, my brother demanded that I record every single thing the marshal did. And so, this Marshal Observation Diary was born.

Year × Month × Day ×

Today was my first day reporting to the Marshal’s residence. So nervous. The captain of the personal guards had a rather complicated expression when he heard my name. Could it be that he doesn’t like Marshal Haint? That seems unlikely, given what a charismatic person he was.

When I first met Marshal Schuitt, his presence was several times more overwhelming than in his holographic projections. In that moment, I could barely breathe.

Marshal Schuitt truly lived up to his reputation — stern and unsmiling, with an extremely severe demeanor. But when I announced my name, his expression seemed to soften for just an instant. A moment later, I heard him say, “You have a good name.”

I was so excited! Among all the newly recruited personal guards, Marshal Schuitt only spoke a single sentence to me. Maybe it was thanks to the name? Apparently, these two marshals were close friends.

Year × Month × Day ×

My idiot brother actually wanted me to pull strings and sneak him into the Marshal’s residence, and Mother even helped plead his case. What absolute nonsense. Once he sees firsthand how Marshal Schuitt treats Omegas who throw themselves at him, he’ll probably never dare to have such a foolish thought again.

Today, while serving as the marshal’s sparring partner, I noticed something strange — the marshal seemed to have two name tags hanging around his neck. Aren’t name tags gene-bound, one per soldier? Then whose is the other tag? Unfortunately, the moment the tag slipped out from the marshal’s collar, he immediately tucked it back in before I could read the name on it.

Also, the marshal is seriously terrifyingly strong. Both sparring partners were knocked flat. It hurt so much.

Year × Month × Day ×

Someone came to see the marshal today. Wearing a white coat from the research institute, quite good-looking, and just barged straight into the marshal’s office. The marshal never tolerates interruptions while working — I was waiting to watch him get thrown out. But instead, a few minutes later, I received orders to bring tea inside.

Honestly, I was genuinely shocked. Having served as the marshal’s personal guard for this long, this was the first time I’d ever seen such an expression on his face. How to describe it… tender, with a hint of nostalgia. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good look at whatever had brought out this expression. I only caught a vague glimpse — it seemed to be a photo album.

During shift handover, I asked a veteran guard whether that person was the marshal’s sweetheart, given how specially the marshal treated him. The other guy looked at me like I was an idiot a few times before saying that the person was a family member of the marshal’s sweetheart.

The marshal actually has a sweetheart! What a massive scoop! But as a competent personal guard, I will absolutely never leak this information to anyone.

Year × Month × Day ×

The marshal actually dislikes Escape from Blue Star — such a classic piece!

At today’s banquet, a fairly well-known pianist played Escape from Blue Star, saying it was a gift for the marshal. The marshal flew into a rage and had that pianist thrown out of the Marshal’s residence.

Year × Month × Day ×

There’s a room in the Marshal’s residence that no one is allowed to enter. The marshal is a workaholic — his schedule is packed every single day. But no matter how busy he is, the marshal will always spend some time in that room.

Today, I happened to pass by and saw the marshal inside, the door not fully closed. There seemed to be a piano in there, and I could faintly hear a piano melody — it sounded like Escape from Blue Star. How strange. Doesn’t the marshal hate this piece? So much so that he forbids anyone from playing it in his presence.

But I didn’t dare look any further. The last guy who spied on this room had just been kicked out of the personal guard unit not long ago. I’m not about to let my curiosity ruin my future.

Year × Month × Day ×

Something major happened today. Residual Zerg appeared on Human Alliance territory through a newly formed wormhole. It wasn’t really that big of a deal — the Zerg that appeared were only low-level, and a standard mech squad could handle them easily. The wormhole was located near an asteroid belt with no inhabited planets. But the marshal actually rushed there personally, piloting that legendary mech.

Year × Month × Day ×

My feelings are very complicated right now.

Today, the marshal received a visit from a mercenary squad. They brought him something. I was present.

It was a mech — completely wrecked, with a massive hole torn open where the cockpit should have been. From the marks, it was clear that the Zerg had forcibly ripped it apart. What happened to the person inside… one can only imagine.

The Zerg devour everything.

Mech Compendium is a required course for every military academy student. Graduating with top marks in everything — how could I possibly fail to recognize this mech?

Dawnbreak.

Owner: Lainer Haint.

The expression on the marshal’s face — I couldn’t bear to recall it even now. That kind of ultimate pain, even I could feel it standing several meters away. After that, the marshal waved his hand, and everyone left.

In the instant the door closed, I thought I heard the marshal’s voice choke with a sob.

“Lainer.”

In that instant, I suddenly understood — the identity of the marshal’s sweetheart, the one the veteran guard had mentioned.

This diary entry ends here.