EP.114 Surviving in the Bottomless Pit
『...Nakseong (Falling Star). The star of the military nation has fallen.』
The golem's tone as it spoke of the major general's death was darker than ever before.
『The murder of a general is a grave crime that cannot be covered up by anything. Even if they... harbored subversive intentions and infiltrated. Revealing their crimes and punishing them is an authority permitted only to the military nation. Everyone here is a grave criminal who caused Nakseong. They have become enemies of the military nation.』
"Ha, tsk."
I had hoped it would rather know nothing, but it seemed to have slipped out of the dining hall secretly and witnessed this and that.
Well, with all that commotion, it would be stranger if it knew nothing. Besides, if the general didn't appear, the military nation would suspect based on that alone.
I said carefully.
"So, the conclusion is..."
『...I cannot state with certainty what orders will come down, but one thing is certain. There will be no more supplies from now on.』
"Damn it!"
I knew it! No matter what, we fought a general, so there's no reason they wouldn't take measures!
While I was beating the ground, the regressor who had been leaning against the dining hall wall muttered ominously.
"Then, there's no reason for me to have left the golem either, right?"
『...I beg your pardon?』
"I was going to dispose of all of them, but since there was an instructor anyway, I left one... Come to think of it, you said that's not an instructor, right? Then now that we're on completely hostile terms, there's no need to leave the golem, is there?"
Reaching above her head to grab Cheonaeng, the regressor trudged toward the golem. The golem backed away and spoke hastily.
『Denial. Please wait a moment. I wish to object to your judgment.』
"Object, my foot. The eyes of the military nation. Leaving you around hasn't produced any good results. Goodbye, farewell."
『Wai...!』
I held up my palm to stop the regressor who was about to split the golem in half and destroy it.
"Wait a moment, Ms. Shay."
"Why, again?"
"It's trapped in the dining hall anyway, isn't it? Is there really a need to dispose of it right now?"
"There's even less reason not to dispose of it."
Tsk tsk. You only know one thing but not two, regressor.
The golem being trapped in the dining hall means the military nation's means of obtaining information are limited. If so, it's better to leave it alive than destroy it entirely. Because we can leak false information through the only channel.
Planting false information in the opponent to induce carelessness. That's the basics of information warfare.
Fake. Information.
I informed the regressor of this fact by mouthing the words.
"What? Stop just moving your lips and say it out loud."
"Ah, damn it! We're so out of sync! I'm saying let's keep the golem because we'll use it!"
I ended up shouting outright.
The regressor belatedly went "Ah," and a dumbfounded sound flowed from the golem.
『...Did you say, use?』
"Eigo."
It's Eigo.
The golem was tied arms and legs, blindfolded, and locked inside a box. Having become enemies with the military nation, it was an unavoidable measure.
Sorry, Captain Eibi. But you can disconnect the sync, so it should be fine, right? Think of it as a vacation and rest comfortably while drinking beer with ice cubes floating in it.
After that, we gathered in the training room to discuss how to act from now on. Everyone attended except Callis, who was injured.
"Alright. Starting today, assume supplies are cut off."
Rarely, the regressor stood in front of the chalkboard. It was an extremely awkward sight that seemed like it would create some cognitive dissonance.
A lower-rank officer... taking the lectern?
The regressor tapped the chalkboard with Cheonaeng and said.
"From now on, we'll be managing food rations."
The chalkboard had the current status of remaining food written on it.
Remaining food count: 42 cans of beans. 2 cans of meat.
A despairing figure, a despairing ratio. Bean cans are rich in nutrients, but eating a lot of them gets tiresome, and above all, the number 42 is not enough.
"There are five people total who need food here. Even if we conserve and eat one a day, it'll run out in 42 days."
"Hm? You, the major, the teacher, the kid, the dog lady, the cat lady. If you exclude the vampire lady since she's a vampire. Isn't that six total?"
At the immortal's point, the regressor waved her hand and explained.
"Ah, exclude me. I have the Manhwanjeonseok."
"What's that?"
"It's a treasure of the old empire, I mean before it split. If you put ingredients in beforehand, it prepares three meals a day. Before coming in here, I loaded it up with plenty of ingredients. About 10 years' worth."
"What! You're eating delicious food all by yourself!"
"But there are restrictions. It's a subspace, so what's put in can't be taken out again. And only I can pick up food from the plates. This treasure itself was prepared for the emperor alone."
The immortal grumbled.
"What kind of treasure is that?"
"I agree. The treasures of the old empire are all like this. Luxurious and conveniently handy, but with many restrictions, so they're hard to utilize in various fields."
The regressor shrugged casually. I asked her.
"Can't you just give us a bite each?"
"Once or twice, but I don't want to do it every time."
"Tch. Then don't brag about it."
When I grumbled, the regressor made a confident expression and brought up the real business.
"Of course, I didn't bring this up empty-handed. I've prepared food ingredients separately for you."
The regressor created a crack in the air and swung her arm through it. What emerged from her personal subspace was a sack filled with food supplies.
Grains like rice, potatoes, and flour. Three slabs of salted meat, liquor and spices stored in glass bottles, and even twenty cans of meat.
Moreover, the spices and liquor were all premium products whose value was comparable to gold of the same weight.
Aji, who smelled the scent, perked up her ears and drooled at the mouth, and the immortal's eyes went wide. Even I was so tempted that I straightened my posture.
"Is this about enough?"
The regressor boasted. Having been eating unsatisfactory meals in this isolated space, I gulped and said.
"No, what is this. You've been hoarding this all along?"
"You were receiving supplies, so there was no reason to use limited resources."
"So you're bringing it out now that supplies are cut off? Couldn't you have brought it out earlier? If we had this before, we wouldn't have lived like this for the past few months. You greedy thing."
"Greedy? I guess you don't need the food? Then I'll put it back..."
"No. You're the best prisoner in history."
Before the regressor could change her mind, I repeatedly gave thumbs up while checking the food contents.
Looking again, it wasn't just the liquor and spices that were premium. The rice had a divine freshness that made even eating a single grain feel as filling as a full meal, and the flour was the highest grade wheat from the Golden Plains, each grain gleaming golden.
The potatoes prepared for self-sufficiency were hardy varieties that could fill an entire field even if planted as-is. We couldn't grow them in the Bottomless Pit, but if soil existed, this alone would have been enough to hold a siege.
"The meat is from black pigs raised on wild acorns and herbs in the oak forest... This is insane. We could live like kings."
"Don't get too excited. They're all premium products, but food isn't eternal either. We have to survive about the remaining 9 months with this food."
"9 months? Why 9 months specifically?"
At my question, the regressor hesitated. Like someone debating whether to share this information.
'If we're going to survive the remaining time anyway, it's better to have a defined period. I already revealed the 9 months information. There's no need to hide more and make them anxious.'
The hesitation was brief. The regressor answered.
"9 months. Probably after that... you'll be able to escape from here. Someone will come down."
"Someone is who?"
"They exist. Someone who can destroy this Bottomless Pit..."
"With force? By smashing it?"
"Not like that. I mean someone who can erase it, conceptually."
'The strongest earth mage of the current era, the proxy of the Earth Mother Goddess... the land serpent that swallows the sky, she who will become the nightmare of Seonghwangcheong.'
Just from the sporadic thoughts, I could indirectly feel that majesty. Even that bratty regressor held fear and reverence.
Not wanting to recall, the recollection was cut short. But that alone was enough for me to indirectly feel the dreadful danger.
But...
Why is she thinking about fighting that?
"...Anyway. I heard from a certain information source that she plans to erase this place. When she lifts the curse placed on this land, this land will return to its original form."
'The certain information source is me from the last round. Many things changed in this round, but this won't change. Considering her intense will.'
9 months. The declaration that we could escape if we just endured that time had meaning. Even the immortal greatly relieved upon hearing those words.
"Ooh! That's fine! 9 months is plenty survivable!"
Tyr, who had entered this place voluntarily, also welcomed it, though he didn't show it outwardly.
'...I don't really mind the simple and cozy life spent here. But it would be different for Hue. She would long for warm sunlight and wind brushing past her ears.'
His gaze turned toward me. A faintly rising smile beautifully adorned his lips.
'Yes. A life regained after all. Leisurely roaming the outside wouldn't be bad either.'
Haha. This is a bit burdensome. Why do I feel like I'll become a world travel guide.
Anyway, the reactions were good. The regressor was encouraged by the positive responses.
"Anyway, that's the end of what I have to say. Any questions?"
I raised my hand and asked.
"What are you going to do about Nabi's mana grass?"
"It'll work out somehow when the time comes."
"No plan again?"
"Don't worry too much. If it really doesn't work out, I'll personally..."
'If the poison symptoms can't be cured by around that time, it can't be helped. I'll just keep her breathing as long as possible and make her comfortable before leaving. I was planning to overthrow the Lord of All Things first when I get out anyway, so I can root them out before they find a new king of cats. I can't look after Nabi forever either...'
What, she talked as if she'd raise her forever. Was saving Nabi purely for practical reasons?
When the regressor was about to declare with a cold expression.
Meow-.
Then, the sound of Nabi crying was heard from outside the door. The regressor puzzledly opened the training room door.
"Nabi? What's the..."
However, when the door was opened, Nabi's figure had already disappeared. Instead, a glittering crystal ball was rolling away in front of the door. It looked like it had been taken from the golem wreckage in the management office.
'What could this intention be... No, that can't be. Nabi is the king of cats...'
Even reflexive wariness didn't extend toward the king of beasts.
The regressor made a touched face for a moment, then carefully fiddled with the crystal ball. And then blurted out.
"...I'll try to do something somehow."
"What? What do you mean somehow."
"Somehow! I'll do it! There are 60 days worth of mana grass. We can think about it after 60 days!"
The regressor shouted loudly.
She's really easy to get attached to. Seeing her get moved by such a small gift.
It's just that the thorns bristling in her heart are so sharp, but once she gets attached, it seems like she'll carry it to the next round.
Come to think of it, she had a friendly attitude toward Tyr from the start, right? I heard she formed a fairly deep bond with him in the previous round.
"But, did you know?"
But I have no intention of staying in a place like this for 9 months. I said confidently.
"We don't necessarily have to wait 9 months. 90 days is enough."