The procession of refugees that had come to a halt began moving again.
There was still much to be done—punishing the rebels, redeploying troops, and taking measures regarding the extension of the deadline for destruction—but it was fair to say my work here was finished.
Magreta and Catherine’s work, however, was only just beginning.
Coordinating opinions between the U.S. government and Paradise for the benefit of Trappist.
Trappist and the underground city still needed many supplies, and the U.S. government and Paradise needed our help—no, my help—as well.
I could leave what came next to those two women.
Now that I had shown them my strength, it would be difficult for anyone to make unreasonable demands.
In truth, even if I had not shown them my strength, they would have had to follow our opinions.
After all, I was the one who had delayed Earth’s destruction.
I had no intention of doing so, but if I wanted, I could stop the relic and set the destruction in motion again.
The U.S. government knew that very well.
Thanks to that, Magreta and Catherine were able to continue negotiations with the U.S. government without much difficulty.
“I’ll go to Korea first. Contact me when the work is done. I’ll come pick you up.”
Earth was in shambles, but satellite phones could still be used.
At my words, the two women nodded, and I returned to the Baekdu Mountain base first.
The Baekdu Mountain base, where I arrived through spatial movement.
On the surface, the base had returned to how it used to be.
Many User candidates were heading from the underground relic to Trappist, and the chaotic atmosphere of the base had settled down, making it look like an ordinary military unit now.
However, judging by the sharp gazes that passed over me from time to time, it was not completely the same as before.
This time, I did not meet either the Allied Forces commander or the deputy director of the Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Both seemed busy dealing with the aftermath, and if I needlessly acknowledged them, I might get dragged into some troublesome affair.
Besides, the reason I had come to Korea first was not to meet them.
Instead of meeting those two, I met a Korean in Magreta’s barracks.
National Intelligence Service agent Han Seongjae.
After we met in front of the warehouse in Namyangju, he had handled several tasks under my orders, and now he had risen to the position of the Korean government’s liaison to me and the person in charge of Trappist.
“I heard you were promoted. You were a team leader before, so are you a section chief now?”
At my words, Agent Han let out a sigh.
“I was given director-level treatment, but… in truth, it’s not a position with much meaning.”
A special promotion by two ranks should have been a remarkable thing, yet his expression was not bright.
“I’m only a director in title. My actual work is the same, and in a situation like this, a higher salary doesn’t mean anything.”
After martial law was declared, Korea had also gone into rationing.
Of course, not everything had shifted to rationing, and commercial activity was still maintained to some degree, but the value of money was no longer what it had once been.
“They gave me the director’s position because they were afraid that if another director came to this base, he might become an obstacle to Deputy Commander Hyun.”
When I came here last time, the man in charge of the NIS agents had not liked me… Could it have been because of him?
In any case, the fact that his position had risen was helpful to me.
“First, the president heard the news that the destruction has been postponed and asked me to convey his gratitude. I also thank you. Public order was on the verge of collapse, and this has truly taken a weight off our minds.”
Unlike before, he formally relayed the president’s words.
In the past, he had felt like a sort of secret envoy or contact. Now, he seemed like an official carrying the president’s formal instructions.
Unlike other countries, Korea had secured the second-largest number of places in Paradise after the United States, and with many Awakening drugs distributed, quite a few people would be able to go to Trappist as well. But compared to Korea’s population, even that was a drop in the bucket.
Unlike other countries, Korea had plenty of food to ration and maintained control well, but that was ultimately only when there was hope.
With countless nations destroyed, and news spreading that Earth would perish before the year was out, there was no way public order could be maintained if only a small number of people could flee to another planet.
“The government will make a major announcement soon. The news will probably spread worldwide.”
“Even so, you must not stop the evacuation or slow it down.”
“We know that as well. Farming is difficult, so once the rice reserves run out, it will be dangerous.”
I took the Awakening drugs from a box and handed them to him.
“I brought more than before. As you know, please distribute these Awakening drugs mainly to specialists. If they are distributed improperly, I will step in.”
It was now possible to move people to Trappist even without Awakening drugs, but it was still not time to move civilians on a large scale.
Transporting civilians would come after dealing with the monsters on the moon.
That was why I had pushed back the end.
“I will do my best.”
Director Han took the Awakening drugs and answered with a stiff expression.
However, he likely did not properly understand what I meant.
Moreover, even if he did his best, the distribution might still not be done properly.
As I had seen at the Armed Forces Hospital, if those with vested interests siphoned them off along the way or granted favors to one another, there would be nothing he could do about it.
I could not check every single case on Earth either, but it did not matter.
In the end, those who Awakened would have no choice but to come to Trappist.
Even if they went to Paradise, they would have to come to Trappist again in a few years.
Once they came to Trappist, no one could escape my eyes.
I would be able to tell immediately whether an Awakened person had received preferential treatment.
And when that happened, what would become of them…
For now, it was better that Director Han did not know.
“We will prepare the supplies you requested as much as possible before you depart.”
I nodded at Director Han’s words.
Until last time, I had received supplies from the U.S. military, but now that transporting supplies had become difficult, I had to borrow the Korean government’s help.
That did not mean I had given up on American supplies.
That was why Magreta and Catherine remained at the Djibouti base.
Since I had decided to bring as many people as possible to Trappist, I had to take every supply I could.
After finishing that official conversation, I brought up a personal question.
“After this, I’m thinking of going south.”
“Are you planning to go to Seoul? Shall I prepare a helicopter?”
I shook my head at his words.
I no longer needed a helicopter to go anywhere.
And I was not going to Seoul.
“I’m thinking of visiting my hometown.”
Before I came to Earth, my brother had mentioned it, but until recently, I had no intention of meeting my father.
No, I had been deliberately avoiding the thought.
An old farmer who had considered his land more important than his children.
Whenever I thought of that old man, my chest only felt stifled.
But now that even Soph had brought it up, I could no longer keep ignoring it.
“Your hometown?”
At my words, Director Han made an awkward expression.
Why was he making that face when I said I was going to my hometown?
When I looked at him in puzzlement, the director cautiously opened his mouth.
“Did you know?”
“What?”
Know what?
“I thought you were going because you knew.”
“What are you talking about?”
At my words, Director Han let out a sigh.
Watching my reaction, he asked,
“Is the reason you’re going to your hometown to see Deputy Commander Hyun’s family—your father?”
“If not that, there’d be no reason to go to my hometown.”
“Right. Of course.”
Director Han nodded vigorously.
“What on earth is this about?”
He answered my question cautiously.
“Ah, well, we received word a few days ago. It seems Deputy Commander Hyun’s father was injured a little. They said there was a minor clash with someone else… Since it seems you’re not on good terms with your father, I was debating whether I should tell you. If I didn’t say anything and you found out later, it could become troublesome.”
At Director Han’s words, I frowned.
It was not because the Korean government was protecting and monitoring the old man in my hometown.
After all, the United States had also protected and monitored my family, so the Korean government would be the same.
The fact that Director Han and the government knew I was not on good terms with my father was not a problem either.
Even without confirming it directly, they could have figured it out from my actions.
The reason I frowned was because I had heard the old man was injured.
Not injured to the point of death, apparently, just enough to be lying in his room, but it still made me feel truly awful.
“You’re saying the old man got hurt badly enough that he can’t even go out to farm?”
He was a man who never rested, even in winter, because he had to manage the greenhouses.
And yet he was resting indoors.
It seemed his condition was worse than I had thought.
When I wore a serious expression, Director Han quickly added,
“Well, he apparently stopped farming some time ago…”
At Director Han’s words, a hollow laugh escaped me.
“Haha. I see. That was only natural…”
The sky had turned dark, and the temperature had become a mess.
No matter how remarkable a farmer he was, in a situation like this, he could not farm.
That was only natural, so why had I assumed my father would still be farming?
I was dumbfounded by my own fixed idea.
My father, unable to farm.
That was something I had never once imagined in my life.
If only to tease him, I felt I had to visit my hometown.
Before I went down, Director Han was able to tell me in more detail how my father had been injured.
If it had been before, it would have been a shocking story, but now it was an extremely ordinary reason.
My father had been injured while protecting the grain in the warehouse from thugs targeting the farmers’ stores.
Truly, it was a reason just like my father.
The reason he had not been badly injured was also because the agents guarding him from a distance had rushed over.
Given the old man’s personality, he would never have allowed anyone to guard him up close, so the agents likely were not at fault.
After hearing that story, I headed south immediately.
Flying low while casting concealment magic, the radars spread across the Korean Peninsula could not find me.
As I headed south at a speed far faster than most helicopters, a few hours later, I was able to pass over Seoul.
Seen from the sky, Seoul had become a gloomy city where soldiers stood guard everywhere.
A city where checkpoints continued without end, and where I could even see people being shot by martial law troops while looting shops.
It was a sight I could never have imagined not long ago, but I turned away from it and continued descending.
Past Gyeonggi Province, through North Chungcheong Province, and down to the countryside below.
As I followed the road downward, I arrived at my destination before I knew it.
I looked down from the sky.
Not very large rice paddies, small plots of field, and a stream flowing in front of them.
And an old house.
The country house still looked just as it had when I left.
No, not exactly the same.
The house looked older too, but the greatest difference was the paddies and fields in front of it.
It was not farming season, but the paddies and fields that the old man had cherished like his own life were now desolate, with only dust blowing over them.
I checked inside the house.
Even when I swept through it with my senses, I felt no one there.
“They said he was so injured he couldn’t move, but it looks like he’s getting around just fine.”
I expanded my senses further.
As I continued spreading them out, it did not take long before I detected a presence.
I flew toward the place where I sensed it.
The presence came from behind the house, halfway up the mountain.
Biting my lip, I flew through the sky, and halfway up the mountain, I saw an old man asleep.
An old man, covered in dirt, asleep with soju and a cup set before him.
The place where he lay sleeping was in front of my mother’s grave.
I could not bring myself to land beside him.
Hometown (2)