An energy path, faintly visible within the white light.
Since I knew the starting point and the destination, I felt as if I could step onto that path.
But it was not yet time to go.
I turned away from the path.
Whoosh!
The light vanished, and the greenhouse appeared before my eyes.
I had arrived at the terraforming ruins.
The greenhouse was entirely covered in green.
So much so that the pond in the center was no longer visible.
New sprouts were coming up where the vegetables had been growing, and the fully grown grain looked ready to be harvested at any moment.
Since it was an underground greenhouse, the yield was not large.
Even so, seeing everything grow well put me in a good mood.
Because if plants could grow well in this greenhouse, they were sure to grow well in my underground city too.
Inside the greenhouse, the Koreans who had crossed over not long ago were working hard.
Like medieval farmers, they were watering grain with simple tools and harvesting vegetables and potatoes.
Unlike the flourishing plants, the people’s expressions were not good.
It did not seem to be because they were tired or hated the work.
[They seem anxious. Perhaps even terrified.]
Sof was right.
Those people were trembling with anxiety.
As I tilted my head while watching the people working in the greenhouse, Catherine asked the young technician beside her.
“Is David at the base?”
“Yes. All the Koreans have crossed over, so Base Chief David has returned as well. The other technicians are guarding the underground ruins right now.”
If all the Koreans had come over too, then these ruins were bound to feel cramped.
I did not care if the others had uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, but I could not stand by and watch my own team members sleep in hardship.
‘Should I move the exploration team’s quarters?’
If it was too cramped, I would have to consider moving them to the underground city.
Catherine seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“There must be a shortage of places to sleep.”
At her words, the technician shook his head.
“That is not the case.”
He spoke with a stiff expression.
“There were many casualties among the groups that went out hunting. Quite a few groups failed to return at all, so I heard sleeping space is not a problem.”
I felt like I understood why the people working in the greenhouse were so anxious.
They were the ones who had crossed over this time.
Most of them were civilians who had only seen war on the news.
With people dying around them, of course they had no choice but to be afraid.
At the technician’s words, the group’s expressions darkened as well.
Everyone knew that the hunting teams had served as bait.
They had also been told that this fact was a secret, but they could not help their faces hardening.
Catherine’s expression did not change.
After nodding at the technician’s words, she immediately began to move.
“I need to meet David first.”
We went up to the surface with her.
When we climbed the stairs, we saw a corridor crowded with people.
Not long ago, there had been more Americans, but now most of them were Koreans.
Like the people underground, they all looked anxious.
There were people moving busily, but there were even more people whispering when they saw us.
Since most of our side were Americans, no one spoke to us.
When we passed through the corridor and arrived at the lobby, we could see the Americans.
Some of them were fine, but many Americans were lying on one side of the lobby.
People whose wounds had been wrapped with the bandages and cloth I had brought from Earth, treated with emergency first aid.
They were all injured.
Seeing the wounded, Tom frowned.
“May I go ahead first?”
Before Tom was one of my team members, he was an emergency medical technician.
He could not remain still after seeing the injured.
After hearing Tom’s words, I said to the exploration team members,
“We’ll disband here. Everyone worked hard.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Tom ran toward the wounded.
Catherine also dismissed the Americans who had gone with her.
They too ran toward the injured Americans.
Watching that scene, Catherine said to me,
“Captain Hyun, you should come with me.”
It seemed she needed me present for her conversation with David.
There was no reason not to follow her.
I waved to Magreta and Hanna, then followed behind Catherine.
David was in the office.
He was organizing documents at Catherine’s desk.
When Catherine and I entered after moving aside the cloth, David’s face lit up.
“You’re back. What happened to the operation?”
“It succeeded.”
He put down the documents and let out a sigh of relief.
“That is truly fortunate.”
His words were sincere.
David seemed to have finally caught his breath, but Catherine gave him no respite.
She asked immediately,
“How many died?”
David’s expression darkened.
He rubbed his face dry, wiping away his expression, then spoke in an even darker voice.
“……Many died. Half are dead, and half of those who came back alive are wounded. If this were an army, it would be enough to call it annihilation.”
At his words, Catherine nodded with a calm face.
“That is not as bad as expected.”
“……You say something horrible.”
David glared at Catherine with a grimace.
Catherine let that gaze flow past her indifferently and continued speaking.
“Because it is the truth. Besides, there is no one here who will carry my words elsewhere. I have no need to choose my words.”
I had no intention of spreading her words, but when she said it like that, it made me want to tell someone.
“Some groups lost contact entirely. The groups that returned said that if the monsters had not turned back midway, all of them would have died.”
“So that is why the casualty count went down. It would have been better if they had held them up a bit longer, but since the operation succeeded, it is satisfactory.”
David described the horrific results in detail, but Catherine merely found within them the reason why so many had survived.
David stopped speaking, his face appalled.
When he fell silent, Catherine opened her mouth.
“I’m sure there were no groups that managed to kill an Akzar monster…… Then I’ll tell you our results. We dealt with the giant monster beneath the city. And we also cleared out a considerable number of monsters in the city. That was all thanks to Captain Hyun.”
She said this while pointing at me.
David looked at me.
“I knew you were skilled, but to that extent……”
“It is not merely a matter of being skilled. In practical terms, the only person capable of hunting Akzar monsters is Captain Hyun.”
Catherine and the Americans had also killed a scout monster, but several people had died in the process.
That was less a hunt than a battle that divided life from death.
“The one who dealt with the giant monster we call the control entity was also Captain Hyun alone. Without Captain Hyun, we could not have done anything. Right now, Captain Hyun is more important than every person here combined.”
“That is tremendous praise. No, since you are the one saying it, it must not be praise, but a statement of fact.”
David looked at me with an admiring expression, then tilted his head.
“But why are you giving such praise?”
It was true, but as David said, there was no reason to go that far.
Catherine said,
“We need to raise Captain Hyun’s position.”
“Position?”
“My position?”
David and I asked back at the same time.
“Yes. As the leader, it is something I can decide on my own, but I still need to inform you, since you are the base chief.”
“……So it was a notification.”
David spoke in a bitter tone.
Catherine nodded as if it were only natural.
“Yes. It is a notification.”
She looked at me.
“Surely you won’t refuse?”
“What position are you giving me?”
Since I already held the title of second exploration captain, a new position did not particularly appeal to me.
Catherine answered,
“The position I will give Captain Hyun is……”
***
After finishing her conversation with David, Catherine summoned the people.
Since even the wounded were not exempt, the place where they gathered was naturally the lobby.
People gathered.
Unlike last time, there were far more Koreans this time.
The Americans, who had once numbered well over a hundred, now did not even amount to a third of that.
In their place, the Koreans seemed to number over two hundred.
It was only bearable because the number of Americans had dropped so much, but at this rate, this was the capacity limit of these ruins.
[These terraforming ruins are ready, correct?]
[Are you thinking of starting soon?]
[We caught the control entity too, so we should start.]
[Just say the word. The preparations are complete.]
The place was full of people, and the mage who managed these ruins said the preparations were complete, so it seemed we would have to start when the time was right.
Once the people had gathered, Catherine had people line up boxes at the entrance to the corridor.
They had built a platform for a speech.
Catherine climbed onto the platform.
The people who had gone to the city with her lined up behind it.
The Americans, my team members, and even me.
I did not want to stand in a place like this, but I had no choice but to agree when told it was necessary for morale.
Catherine began her speech.
“Everyone, you have worked hard. While you were fighting the monsters, we assaulted the monsters’ stronghold, destroyed their base, and dealt with the command monster. All of this was thanks to your sacrifices.”
Catherine bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
Seeing her, an American, bow her head, it seemed she had taken the Koreans into account as well.
After a moment, she raised her head and continued speaking.
“Some of you may have seen the monsters withdrawing. The monsters retreated because they realized we had destroyed their stronghold.
Regrettably, we were far too late. We did our best, but many people died.”
Her voice trembled.
“I am sorry. We could not save everyone.”
After thanks came an apology. It was not merely a simple apology. She added the assault team’s achievements to that apology.
“The situation has now changed. Since we have dealt with the command monster and destroyed their stronghold, we can eliminate the remaining monsters one by one. There will never be such a sacrifice again.”
And after the apology, hope for the future.
She was not merely a cold-hearted woman.
Then again, if she were that kind of person, there was no way she would have taken the position of leader over the direct line of her family.
At the end of her speech, she took out the black stones and showed them to the people.
“As proof, we have brought back the black stones of those monsters, the ones we call Akzar monsters. Eighteen in total, equivalent to two thousand ordinary black stones.”
The red, purplish black stones dazzled the people’s eyes.
She showed the black stones and concluded her speech.
“What you have done is admirable. Everyone, you have worked hard.”
When her speech ended, applause rang out in the once-quiet lobby.
Clap, clap, clap clap clap!
One or two people began to clap, and that applause spread to everyone.
It was an excellent speech.
If I had not known her, I might truly have been moved.
Catherine became even more frightening.
After finishing her speech, she introduced the people standing behind her.
“Here are the people who risked death to head into the monsters’ stronghold.”
From the Americans to my team members, she praised them all.
After introducing everyone else, she pointed to me last.
“There would be no end if I tried to praise this man. The second exploration captain. Since there is currently only one team conducting exploration, I suppose we should simply call him the exploration captain.”
At her words, David, who was standing near the front, smiled bitterly.
“But from now on, we must call him by another name. Vice Commander Hyun. As of now, Exploration Captain Hyun is the deputy commander of Farewell.”
She had not said she would raise my position for nothing.
There was no waste in her words or actions.
The fact that she had raised my position meant she had an immediate use for it.
And that was right now.
I climbed onto the boxes.
Solo Reconnaissance (1)