Chapter 40

It was true that having new recruits helped in many ways, starting with combat.

However, as a field commander, the presence of new recruits was undoubtedly a burden.

The first real combat was particularly taxing.

No matter how excellent a soldier's basic abilities were, there was a high probability that they would only be able to utilize a fraction of their capabilities in their first battle and would not be helpful.

No, it would even be fortunate if it ended with them merely not being helpful.

The moment they became a burden, there was a possibility that one person could endanger the entire unit.

In that sense, Edam could be considered a proven talent.

His combat abilities or authority weren't particularly outstanding, but at least he was someone I could trust to watch my back.

I looked at Selina with a hint of expectation.

Her red eyes trembled subtly.

"Uhm…"

"Is it difficult?"

"…I'm thinking about it right now. Ryan, do you prefer a cold truth or a kind lie? I'll match your preference."

"Truth, of course."

"He's dead."

"......?"

What on earth was she talking about?

My comprehension couldn't keep up for a moment.

I thought a cold truth would be something like, 'it's realistically impossible to recruit a soldier from another unit for such and such reasons…' Not a sudden mention of death.

My head felt numb, as if struck by a hammer, but I quickly regained my composure and asked for the details.

"That's not a joke, explain it in detail."

"Ryan. Actually, our unit is maintained very well."

Selina sighed deeply, squeezed into the room, and sat down confidently in a corner of the table.

And then she stared at me.

It meant for me to sit opposite her, I presumed.

After pulling out a chair and sitting down, Selina's mouth opened as if she had been waiting.

"The growth system. It's a truly revolutionary system. A system that can cultivate superhumans who transcend human limits just by a mage granting them magic… It must be because they have something like this that the Alliance is being helplessly pushed back by the White Hero."

"Is that a problem now? The Alliance successfully copied the White Hero's system… Oh, come to think of it, did you say it was in the testing phase?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Ruppel."

"At least address him as Archmage, or Your Highness. Ryan sometimes makes my heart drop. In a bad way."

Amidst the incessant noise, Selina's voice was clear and transparent, piercing through distinctly.

Perhaps the sunlight was dazzling, as Selina slightly furrowed her brow, closed the window, and drew the curtains.

In the darkness, her red eyes were beautiful, yet at the same time, they evoked a ferocious beast.

"Ryan, you're right. It's still incomplete, but… the system itself isn't unstable. It's just that… there are many things we don't know yet, and we just can't fully utilize it."

"Then isn't there no problem?"

"I told you, we can't fully utilize it… I also took an interest in the growth system and conducted much research, but I just don't understand it."

"Don't understand what?"

"Loyalty."

Loyalty…

It was a part I had never even considered.

Upon reflection, it was strange.

In this world, how many soldiers would truly exist who volunteered for the military solely out of pure patriotism?

Just look at our Unit 917.

Lirisa and I were refugees, forcibly drafted into the military.

Latia was driven by revenge.

I couldn't be certain, but I believed Byan's ambition for advancement was the decisive reason he joined the military.

Only Sergel joined the military out of a pure desire to protect his homeland with patriotism.

Everyone had different reasons.

In contrast, the White Hero soldiers possessed only absolute loyalty to their queen; no other reasons existed.

Yes.

Even Odin's soldiers initially fought for the queen, not for me.

I never felt it was strange.

Because it was a game.

I briefly wondered why such details weren't implemented in such a realistic game, but then I thought, it's a game, so they probably omitted it for the player's convenience.

I dismissed it.

But thinking about it now, it was clearly odd.

"The White Hero heroes who received the benefits of the growth system all fight on the battlefield with absolute loyalty to their queen. However, the Alliance soldiers, who likewise received the benefits of the growth system, do not. It's frequently happening that soldiers with strong power, exceeding human limits, use that power to escape. And in that process, casualties sometimes occur."

"…Edam wasn't assigned to another unit, then."

"On the last day of his leave, Edam Dayla and his parents disappeared without a trace. The kingdom's specialized agency tracked his movements and found him near the border, tried to apprehend him, but he fiercely resisted, even using his authority, and was unavoidably killed… or so they said."

I don't know how to describe this feeling.

My connection with Edam wasn't long.

But this camaraderie is truly vexing.

Just once.

To have shared the boundary between life and death and then to be shocked by his news and feel regret.

Affection is a terrifying thing.

I realized it once again.

"…Thank you. For telling me."

Edam's face, distorted as he bowed his head to Lirisa and me, saying he was going to see his parents and apologizing for not being able to accompany us, came to mind.

I had thought he looked that way simply out of regret for not being able to join us.

But that wasn't it.

Perhaps Edam had been contemplating desertion even then.

"…I was surprised."

"By what?"

"Actually, I didn't say anything because I thought Ryan would be shocked. But… you're surprisingly unaffected?"

"......?"

Only after hearing Selina's words did I look at the mirror in the room.

Ryan Kaltz's expression in the mirror was no different from before.

***

Selina lived a life that was admirably busy.

For a while, she would run around various parts of the airship, observing the maintenance process, interfering here and there, and then she would personally inspect each supply item delivered from above, only to suddenly disappear somewhere, claiming urgent matters to attend to.

This went on for several days.

Two days before Unit 917's official operations were scheduled to resume, Selina returned to the airship and burst into my room.

"Ryan! If you're inside, could you answer me? Otherwise, I'll assume there's a problem and break down the door!"

It was 3 AM.

Right from the crack of dawn.

"Wow… My goodness… What on earth is this situation?"

I was so dumbfounded that I even wondered if I was experiencing an incredibly realistic dream.

I couldn't ignore the knocking and go back to sleep, so I somehow got up and opened the door.

Selina's eyes, currently shining as if she had plucked stars from the night sky and embedded them, were clearly visible even in the darkness.

I was dying of sleep, and looking at those bright, sparkling eyes made irritation well up within me.

"Selina. Do you know what time it is?"

"Hmm… It's exactly 3:12 AM."

"I wasn't asking for the time, I was… Ugh, never mind."

I gave up trying to speak.

I could tell just by her eyes and expression.

For some unknown reason, Selina was currently in a frenzied state.

A state where she was so fixated on something that she was oblivious to her surroundings.

She would probably just let anything I said go in one ear and out the other, so it would be more effective to calmly follow Selina for now and then scold her for her rudeness later.

"So, what is it?"

"You need to come somewhere with me."

"When? You don't mean now, do you?"

"Yes, now! Immediately!"

"…Wow, this wasn't in my plan."

I resisted desperately.

However, with my injured and weakened body, there was no way to escape from the grasp of Selina, who was both a mage and a knight.

In the end, I was forcibly dragged to the deck by Selina.

Despite it being the dead of night, the deck was as bright as midday.

I felt the last vestiges of my sleep completely vanish.

Wondering what was happening, I lifted my head, and what met my eyes was the shimmering of space, occupying more than half of the deck's open area, radiating brilliantly.

A crystallization of magic that connected spaces.

It was a portal.

"Ryan. Do you get motion sickness?"

"Not really…"

"Then that's good. Long-distance spatial magic causes considerable dizziness, so some people experiencing it for the first time end up bedridden for a day or two."

"That's not the point. Where are we going that you're even using spatial magic?"

I barely managed to stop the rampaging Selina.

Only then, as if regaining her senses, Selina smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry. I got too excited and forgot to explain. Our destination is the Verdin family's estate."

"......?"

"I'll explain the details on the way. We're in a hurry."

Why am I going there?

The words reached my throat, but Selina grabbed my hand again, forcing me to shut my mouth.

She had grasped my wrist and flung herself into the portal without a moment's hesitation.

Knowing full well that crossing a portal involved intense dizziness, I quickly closed my eyes.

I could distinctly feel a strong light shining on my eyelids, and dizziness washed over me.

How much time passed? Only after confirming that the light was gradually fading and the dizziness and nausea were also subsiding did I open my eyes.

The surrounding scenery had completely changed.

Instead of the quiet, natural landscape of the city outskirts where the airship had been docked, the scene of a large city with paved roads and pretty houses packed closely together, growing taller, greeted me.

And in the distance.

A mansion of astonishing size, which I was sure was the largest and most luxurious in this city, displayed its grandeur.

"Ryan. Welcome to Verdin. The mansion you see there is the Verdin family's estate. It's one of the most beautiful mansions in the kingdom. It's one of my proud possessions."

"…You don't mean that's our destination, do you?"

"Unfortunately, not today. I hope the day comes when I can invite Ryan to the mansion."

A sense of relief surged at her "no."

If she had suggested going to the Verdin family mansion for breakfast with the Margrave, I might have let out a girlish scream.

For me, whose goal was survival, meeting high-ranking nobles was merely an increase in risk factors, something beyond my ability to handle.

Selina walked quickly down the dawn street, where no one else was coming or going.

Having no choice but to follow her, Selina spoke.

"Actually, there's someone I really want to introduce Ryan to. I know it's an imposition to come so early in the morning, but they're a very busy person, so there was no other way."

"Someone you want to introduce me to?"

"Yes. Someone who will be a great help to Ryan… and by extension, to our Unit 917."

For a moment, I wondered if Selina had succeeded in recruiting the sixth member.

But then I noticed a contradiction.

Although Selina generally used honorifics, she didn't use such formal expressions for a mere soldier.

I thought it might be someone not ordinary.

Did my thoughts show on my face?

Selina, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around, stared at my face, and then grinned.

It was a mischievous, impish smile.

"Don't worry too much. The person I'm introducing you to isn't the Margrave."

"…Was it that obvious?"

"Yes. It was amusing to see you freeze as soon as you saw the mansion. But while you don't need to worry, it would be good to prepare some appropriate tension and courtesy."

"......?"

"Because the person Ryan is about to meet is a retired Archmage."

"......"

Honestly.

I really wanted to punch Selina.