At my words, the expressions of everyone inside the tent changed.
Because there was no one who did not understand what it meant for an individual to declare that he intended to use hydrogen bombs.
The people wore complicated expressions, and the Allied Forces commander even glared at me with a grave look on his face.
Samuel seemed just as displeased, for he narrowed his eyes and asked me,
“Do you understand that saying such a thing officially is entirely different from us tacitly overlooking it?”
He, too, returned to his official position and began referring to himself as the United States government.
Of course, I knew that difference well.
“I do. It would be the difference between tacitly overlooking a nuclear-armed Israel and North Korea, which declared its nuclear development.”
There was no one who did not know that Israel possessed nuclear weapons, but under everyone’s tacit approval, Israel continued to trade with every nation without any sanctions.
North Korea, however, could not do that.
And it was not only North Korea. India and Pakistan had also been subjected to sanctions for a long time after developing nuclear weapons.
In such a situation, it was obvious what would happen if an individual said he possessed nuclear weapons and would use them as he pleased.
If people found out about this, there was no way they would remain still.
Naturally, the United States and other countries would find it difficult to simply stand by as well.
But even if that happened, it did not matter.
“There were countries that other nations couldn’t lay a hand on even after they developed nuclear weapons.”
Leaving aside France and Britain, which had joined hands with the United States, when the Soviet Union and China developed nuclear weapons, the United States and other countries had been unable to stop them.
“Surely you don’t think you are equal to those nations?”
“Well. At any other time, there’s no way that would be true, but right now, I don’t think it’s all that different.”
Earth was heading toward destruction, and the United States and other countries needed the black stones and awakening drugs I possessed.
On top of that, my base was not Korea, but Trappist, a place the United States and the other countries could not touch.
And lastly, there was me.
They were making such a fuss over the hydrogen bombs I had, but on this Earth, I was a more dangerous weapon than a hydrogen bomb.
They might not truly feel it yet, but someday, they would understand.
I rose from my seat and said to everyone,
“I think you understand, to some degree, why I’m saying this, so please discuss it with your home countries. With the United States and the other nations as well, and Korea too.”
My declaration would complicate things in all sorts of ways, but the United States and the other nations had no way to do anything to me.
Even if they blocked the Baekdu Mountain base, there were other ruins, so it would be useless. Even if they did not send energy users to Trappist, I could bring other people myself, so that would be meaningless as well.
In the end, the only thing they could do was prevent the rumors from spreading.
I left the tent and closed the door.
Clack.
As soon as the door shut, I heard voices from inside the tent.
The first voice I heard was Samuel’s.
As expected.
—Everyone, please watch your mouths. Word that he possesses hydrogen bombs must not leak out.
Samuel cracked down on what people could say.
The tent was well soundproofed, so no sound leaked outside, but it was not difficult to hear what was being said within.
Using altered earth magic, I converted the vibrations coming from the tent into voices.
Then, as I walked away, I eavesdropped on their conversation.
At Samuel’s words, Maxwell immediately objected.
—When he says it like that, do you think it won’t leak out just because we keep quiet?
Samuel, however, did not change his stance.
—Even so, secrecy must be maintained until consultations with our home countries are complete. Korea as well.
—What? Y-yes, sir. I’ll report it right away.
At Samuel’s order, Agent Han answered, sweating profusely.
I felt a little sorry for Agent Han.
It seemed I had placed a heavy burden on an ordinary NIS agent.
Then Commander John’s angry voice followed.
—Why on earth is he doing this? Couldn’t he just keep pretending not to know, as he has until now?
Samuel answered the commander’s question.
—It seems he is saying he intends to remove the shackles. It sounds like he intends to move beyond the limits of an individual and do what a nation can do.
—What do you mean, what a nation can do?
—It could mean strengthening Trappist’s right to speak, or perhaps forming an independent force. Independence, even.
—Surely you don’t mean founding a nation?
—That would be preferable, if anything. It’s a planet beyond our reach anyway, so even if it became independent, it wouldn’t be a major problem. The problem is if he decides the hydrogen bombs he currently has are insufficient. He has already acquired nuclear weapons by force twice. There is a high possibility he will not stop here.
Perhaps because he was from intelligence, Samuel understood the meaning of my words and my thoughts quite well.
[It is not as though you thought it through in that much detail, is it? It seemed rather vague to me.]
In truth, Soph was right.
My declaration simply meant that I would no longer allow myself to be underestimated.
That I would strengthen Trappist’s voice, and that I would act on Earth without restrictions.
“Still, it’s a good idea. Let’s make that my plan.”
Saying I would seize nuclear weapons from other countries was no different from saying an individual would act like a thug toward nations, but there were countries doing that even now, so there was no problem.
‘Is there really no problem?’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head and cast the doubt away.
Now was not the time to think about consideration or ethics.
After that, there was nothing more worth hearing.
I stopped the magic and headed toward the general tent.
The tent where dozens of people Magreta had gathered were assembled.
There were people I knew in that tent as well.
Dr. Miller and Dr. Ella, who had come with me this time, as well as the two nuclear technicians and the nuclear technician Chen Ming, were there, but there were also people I had never expected to see.
Carlo’s lover, Adriana, and Carlo’s family.
Carlo, the Latino man who had been the leader of our team during the first hunt on Trappist, had now become one of my fervent supporters.
He, too, had visited the underground city on the Ice Star, but in order to bring his family into the underground city, he had left and continued hunting earnestly.
The last time I came to Earth, his lover Adriana had come with me, and she had returned with Carlo’s family.
The others were the same, but Adriana and Carlo’s family looked terribly haggard.
“You still haven’t been able to go to Paradise.”
“It was just as Carlo expected. Leaving aside the Paradise tickets, Carlo’s family had been deported from the United States and sent back to their home country. If not for Magreta, I wouldn’t have been able to bring them with me.”
Behind Adriana, Carlo’s family looked around with frightened expressions.
The other families were not much different.
As I looked over the people, Magreta let out a sigh.
“As I told you over the phone, everything has been handled terribly. Not only the U.S. government, but the other countries as well aren’t even thinking about the families of the Trappist expeditionary force.”
Magreta seemed to have no anger left in her anymore.
I looked over the ordinary people gathered in the tent, more than fifty of them, including the families Magreta had brought, the two doctors, and one nuclear technician.
It was not a small number, but considering the number of members dispatched to Trappist, it was not many.
“I couldn’t even touch the other countries, and even among the families in the United States, I could only barely bring those I was able to contact.”
Some families must already have left for Paradise, so Magreta had likely done her best.
However, among them, aside from the people I had brought, there did not appear to be anyone who looked like a specialist.
“You weren’t able to bring any specialists.”
Magreta spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. There was interference from the U.S. government, but the important personnel had already received Paradise tickets, so it was difficult to bring them. They don’t know when those tickets will actually be used, but they seemed to think it was better than going to an unfamiliar Korean land and a planet connected to it.”
As expected, we lacked publicity.
Trappist, connected to Korean land, could not help but be very different from “Paradise,” which the U.S. government guaranteed.
Even so, it would have been difficult to go around searching for experts without tickets one by one.
“You don’t have to worry about that. By the next time I come, those people will know about Trappist too.”
To be precise, they would hear about me.
This was also why I had officially declared my possession of nuclear weapons just now.
“Did you try speaking to your parents?”
“As expected, it was impossible.”
“Are both of them still on Earth?”
“They both hold important government positions. I think they’ll remain until the very end.”
“Please tell me their locations. If the situation gets bad, I’ll bring them here myself.”
At my words, Magreta smiled brightly.
It was not a business smile, but one that came from the heart.
It was such a beautiful smile that the people gathered here stared at her in a daze.
There were no Koreans here, but that did not mean I had not thought about the families of the Korean members.
Regarding the families of the Korean members, I had left a message with Agent Han when I exited the command tent.
[The Korean government should check and inform me, by the time I come next, about the families of the expedition team and specialists who can come to Trappist. That will be the compensation for the black stones, awakening drugs, and Trappist tickets I provide to Korea.]
The reason he had stammered at Samuel’s words was because he had been listening to my telepathy magic.
Even thinking about it now, I felt sorry for Agent Han.
It seemed I had entrusted far too heavy a task to an ordinary agent.
After meeting the people, I did not head straight to the underground ruins with them. Instead, I first went to the base warehouse.
There, the supplies Magreta had obtained were piled high.
All sorts of seeds, daily necessities, equipment, electronics, and even weapons.
Unlike how difficult it had been to bring people, she had brought a mountain of goods.
“I raided a government stockpile warehouse and loaded everything onto the transport plane with the families. Once I brought out the black stones and awakening drugs, they handed the goods over immediately.”
“Is the capacity all right? That’s in there too.”
“It’s fine. There’s plenty of room.”
Perhaps because I was continuing to grow, the capacity of the box kept increasing.
The problem now was not the box’s capacity, but the amount that disappeared during spatial movement.
The last time I moved nuclear weapons, one of the three disappeared. This time, how much would vanish?
I could only believe it would be better than before.
After putting everything in the warehouse into the box, I headed to the underground ruins with the people.
As we descended underground, the families trembled with anxiety, while the nuclear technicians and scientists examined the vertical passage and chattered enthusiastically.
Even though they had already been to the ruins before, the scientists’ curiosity had not changed.
Together with the scientists, who found everything so fascinating, and the families trembling in fear, we stepped onto the altar.
“Everyone, hold hands with me at the center. Even if you end up remaining here, don’t worry. I’ll go to Trappist and come back to move you again.”
I reassured the people as I took their hands.
In truth, I did not know how many people I could move at once.
I had never transported this many people before, and I did not know whether I could return immediately after going once.
But I had to reassure them.
After exchanging a nod with Magreta, who was holding hands with Carlo’s family at the opposite end, I entered the portal.
Fwoosh!
White light engulfed the world.
This time, I was too busy checking whether the hands being held were all right and whether the energy was flowing properly to spare any attention for the other paths.
Fortunately, there were no problems during the transfer.
Fwoosh!
It was the same after we arrived.
Without a single person falling behind, all fifty-plus people arrived on Trappist.
[I truly cannot tell where your limits are.]
Even Soph was dumbfounded at the sight.
However, Soph was not the only one taken aback.
I, too, was greatly surprised when I checked the box.
“Huh?”
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
“If it’s a problem, then it is a problem…”
“What kind of problem makes you smile like that?”
Magreta came closer and tilted her head.
The reason I was smiling was because of the box.
I pulled my hand out of the box and said to Magreta,
“The inside of the box is exactly the same. Nothing disappeared from it.”
Everything I had put into the box was safe.
In particular, all six hydrogen bombs, the intercontinental ballistic missiles, were safe.
The nuclear technicians and the spirit mage