The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven) novel Chapter 354

Chapter 354 Rise In Rank

“Does Brigadier General Fleming know I’ve taken down a thousand enemies?” Miles asked.

Miles did not want to question whether the girl in front of him was truly his granddaughter, nor did he want to doubt whether Lionel had lied to him.

Everything would become clear once he traded a thousand enemy kills for his granddaughter’s release from the Bastion Prison.

Ken visibly froze when he heard Miles’s words.

The young doctor gave Miles a strange look.

“Captain Henderson, are you sure you didn’t take a hit to the head or something? In the whole military, only Brigadier General Fleming got close to a thousand confirmed kills.

“Your own count hasn’t even reached double digits. There’s simply no way you could accomplish that today,” he said. Miles froze at the doctor’s remark.

Since trading a thousand enemy kills for his granddaughter’s release was not part of any official military regulation, Lionel had warned Miles not to speak of his actual kill count to anyone.

Miles had known this arrangement was not exactly by the book, which was why he had given strict orders to all his subordinates never to mention his battlefield record.

Hence, though many knew Miles had been stationed at the front lines for years, most assumed he played it safe, commanding from the rear while letting his men charge ahead.

There were times when Miles had fought alongside soldiers from allied forces, and some had witnessed his desperate, blood–soaked efforts firsthand. Even then, Lionel had made sure those witnesses were silenced with confidentiality agreements.

Miles had always believed Lionel’s help came from empathy–a man who had once endured the death of his own young granddaughter.

Miles had respected and trusted Lionel deeply, never once doubting his intentions.

At that moment, as the young doctor made the comparison between him and Lionel, Miles suddenly realized with a jolt- Lionel’s celebrated feats were built on accomplishments remarkably similar to his own, accomplishments that had never been revealed to the world.

Suddenly, the ringtone of Ken’s military–issued phone broke the silence in the operating room.

He glanced at the caller ID and gave the young doctor a meaningful look.

The young doctor immediately understood and quickly left the operating room.

Once the door to the operating room was shut, Ken pressed the answer button and switched to speakerphone. “Captain Henderson has pulled through and seems to be in stable condition, Brigadier General Fleming,” Ken reported. On the other end of the line, a relieved voice responded, “That’s a relief. Glad to hear everything’s fine.”

Miles was not sure if it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn there was a trace of regret in Lionel’s voice. Miles tightened his grip until his knuckles turned white, then asked, “Is my granddaughter still in the Bastion Prison, Brigadier General Fleming?”

There was a brief pause on the other end.