Chapter 32

“...I take back everything I said earlier. It seems escaping will be difficult.”

“……”

My words brought a heavy silence that dominated the area.

No one asked why.

If they were observant, they could guess that there was something special in the red wave that had spread from that man’s hand just a moment ago.

“Everyone here has been detected by the enemy. As long as his magic isn't cut off, you can assume our location is being transmitted to the opponent in real-time.”

“Even Odin’s heroes wouldn’t have infinite magic. Moreover, given that he’s using an ultra-compact airship, his rank doesn’t seem very high... How long do you think it will take for his magic to run out?”

Still, was he an Archmage?

While everyone else was in extreme confusion, Ruppel calmly asked the question.

His soft, gentle voice seemed to calm the group slightly, and the commotion subsided a bit.

I paused to think before answering Ruppel question.

More accurately, it would be correct to say I searched my memories.

The current Odin was very different from when I first started D&K.

Unlike leading all forces haphazardly across stages, with a larger headcount, they now operated units systematically, distributing personnel to the right places.

The training methods had also changed.

Instead of the conventional growth method—obtaining magic power sources in Stage 1-1 to grow, then sending them to Stage 1-2, growing them further, and sending them to Stage 1-3—Odin used its stockpiled resources to instantly develop talents to a suitable level.

There was no need to worry about practical experience issues arising from this method either.

Odin had plenty of senior soldiers who could give new recruits battle experience comparable to real combat.

‘To operate an ultra-compact airship alone, I, or Leisia, must grant permission. The minimum requirement for that is...’

I finished my calculations and squeezed my eyes shut.

‘Level 3.’

I couldn't identify who the opponent was because of the distance, but it was clear that he was a Level 3 hero.

My physical condition wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad either.

All injuries sustained from fighting Agris, the White Hero, earlier had been treated, and my depleted stamina had been recovered to some extent through rest.

I could display my full power even if a battle broke out right now.

But what did that mean?

Even if we had defeated a Level 2 hero and our morale was high.

Just as the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 was distinct, there was a stark difference between Level 2 and Level 3.

Moreover, the difference between Level 1 and Level 3... it was simply not worth mentioning.

Impossible.

At this point, with our current strength, it was absolutely impossible to defeat the opponent, I could assert.

I honestly stated my judgment.

“It’s impossible.”

“Impossible? What is?”

“It's impossible to escape before his magic is completely depleted, to fight and win, or even to save just you, an Archmage.”

“I didn’t expect that, but... it’s bitter.”

Lupel Diev smiled bitterly.

There was no fear of impending death.

Perhaps when he encountered and was defeated by the White Heroes, he had already let go of his hope for life.

The Unit 450 soldier’s reaction was similar.

However, the Unit 917 members were different.

Sergel Fram and Latia Ram seemed determined.

Not determined to die.

It was the look of someone resolved to desperately resist any unreasonable situation that arose and seize an unseen victory.

‘Come to think of it, the three of them, excluding Lirisa and me, were volunteers.’

These were individuals who had long since offered their lives to protect their homeland.

While they might not be entirely without fear of death, they must have already overcome it and made their resolve.

Conversely, Lirisa and Bijan Leje were strongly staring at me for some reason.

It was as if they believed, without a doubt, that I would do something.

…I felt incredibly burdened.

“...There’s no chance of winning in a normal fight. So, I’m thinking of taking a gamble.”

“You had a method! As expected of a field commander!”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. The chances are still almost nonexistent. Just think of it as increasing a 0% chance to 1%.”

“Even that is something. There’s a huge difference between having a probability and having none at all, isn’t there?”

Bijan's words resonated with me.

He was right.

The difference between absolutely no chance and a slim chance.

There was a world of difference between those two.

* * *

“Are you really sure?”

Lirisa looked at me with a worried gaze.

Every time I said I was going to do something, Lirisa would always give me that look.

Come to think of it, was Ryan Kaltz one year younger than Lirisa?

Perhaps she was paying attention to me as much as she couldn't take care of her distant younger brother.

“I’m fine.”

At my reply, Lirisa made a displeased face but headed to where the other party members were waiting.

A single door connected to another room.

People were gathered in front of it.

“Good luck.”

Sergel Fram was the first to pass through the door.

Following him, Byan Leje, supporting the Unit 450 soldier, and Latia Ram, who hesitated and glanced at me once, passed through the door in order and were transferred to another location.

Ruppel Diev was nowhere to be seen; perhaps he had gone ahead while Lirisa and I were talking.

Finally, as Lirisa passed through the door, only I remained in this place.

“Huu…”

Left alone, I let out a deep sigh.

Here, I would face Odin’s hero alone.

“……”

I quietly looked down at my hand.

It was trembling.

When I first fell into this world, I immediately felt despair.

The feeling of being alone in a world with nothing to rely on was a sensation I had never experienced before in my life, and it gnawed at my spirit to the point of exhaustion.

That's why my gaze inevitably fell on Odin, the only link between my reality and my current self.

How many times had I made up my mind to contact them?

If it was Odin, if it was Leisia.

I expected that they would be a place for me to lean on, and furthermore, that they might help me find a way to escape this body and return to where I belonged.

However, along with the expectation, there was also a vague sense of unease.

Would Odin truly recognize me as a commander?

After all, my player character might already be firmly in place in the current Odin, and they might not even know of "me."

If so, could I really persuade them?

I lacked confidence.

I had tried to suppress my uneasy feelings, wrapping them in a thick cloth in a corner of my mind, thinking that if I met them after gaining strength, things would work out somehow.

It was a form of self-rationalization to avoid the fear of meeting them.

But now, the reality I had been avoiding was right in front of me.

What could I do?

I had to face it head-on.

A flicker was detected from the door straight ahead.

It meant someone was coming to this place using the transfer phenomenon.

I quietly closed my eyes.

‘I’ve been looking for you for a long time.’

Leisha.

I seemed to hear her voice.

‘Master.’

From the first time we met, Leisha always had a smiling face.

Though she was now Odin’s strongest combatant and a symbol of Odin, there was a time when she was also a naive recruit.

She looked at everything with curious eyes.

She always confronted the fear of the unknown.

And when she accomplished something, she smiled with a proud face.

“...I've been looking for you for a long time.”

A voice was heard.

I opened my eyes.

The opponent was smiling.

“Commander.”

Still, he calls me commander.

I felt greatly relieved for a moment.

I confirmed my opponent.

It had been a long time since I stopped training soldiers, but I wasn't completely uninterested, so I quickly remembered who he was.

“Balta.”

A Level 3 soldier belonging to Odin.

Excluding Level 1-2 soldiers who were still developing their abilities and couldn’t officially use Odin’s name, he was among the youngest recruits.

Cold blue eyes contrasting with fiery red hair.

Wielding a grotesque double-bladed axe as lightly as a pen, unfitting for his handsome appearance, he smiled even more brightly when I called his name.

“My, you remembered me.”

However, I had to tighten my grip on the weapon in my hand even more.

I had seen that smile on Odin’s soldiers countless times.

That was the smile of someone who had found their prey.

“To remember me, a mere subordinate... It’s an honor. It must mean you were very interested in your soldiers.”

“……”

“That’s why I have a question.”

Balta’s expression changed.

In the blink of an eye, the smile that had been on his lips vanished, replaced only by clear contempt in his eyes as he stared at me.

“Why did you betray us? No, not 'why,' but 'how'... should I say? Well, I’m not curious about the method, so let’s stick to 'why.'”

“What are you talking about? Explain it so I can understand. No, before that, I have something to say. Tell Leisia about my current situation...”

“Respected Commander. I will not listen to your excuses.”

Balta, who had lowered the axe from his shoulder, took another step closer.

His stance was lowered.

Even though he must have known I was merely a Level 1 hero, he showed no sign of complacency and a clear determination to give his all.

“Leisia ordered me to capture the commander alive, no matter what…”

“……”

“I have no intention of leaving a traitor alive. That is our will.”

Ah.

Come to think of it, Balta was this kind of guy.

To put it nicely, he sticks to his convictions.

To put it another way, he was so stubborn that he couldn't be reasoned with.

My gamble had failed.

Now, all that remained was how to survive a battle against this monstrous Level 3 hero, who would give his all without complacency, even if his opponent was a powerless rabbit.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

Balta kicked off the ground.

I thrust my shield forward.

I would somehow block his blow and use the impact to fly towards the door behind me, then escape using the transfer phenomenon.

…Though I had made such a grand plan.

Honestly, considering the power behind the swinging axe, I wondered if it was even possible.

I guaranteed it.

That axe would cleave through my shield, my arm, and even my body.

Only a desperate outcome came to mind.

Was it because I judged it impossible?

Or had I given up without realizing it?

My head was screaming that I absolutely had to survive, but my body felt as if it had already given up on life, unable to exert any strength.

“…Damn it!”

I bit my lip until it bled.

The metallic taste of blood on my tongue awakened my weakening, crumbling spirit.

I put strength into the legs planted on the ground, into the two hands gripping the shield, and into the eyes glaring at the enemy.

If I was outmatched by strength, I had to survive by other means.

If I couldn't block a full-force attack, then I had to destabilize Balta's attack.

Balta was getting closer and closer.

I, too, sprinted forward.

At that moment.

“Ryan Kaltz. You're doing something too reckless.”

A voice I shouldn't have heard was heard.