Chapter 170 : Chapter 170
Chapter 170 : Discharge
Although discharge, which every soldier dreams of, was confirmed, there were still quite a few preparations left to be done before leaving Winter Castle.
“……Aren't you already a discharged man? What are you doing taking Winter Castle's supplies as you please?”
Watching me boldly raiding the 4th Special Task Force's supply warehouse, Edric spoke as if dumbfounded.
“Since I haven't gone outside Winter Castle yet, I haven't been discharged. I'm still a soldier at Winter Castle for now.”
“Then I order you. Put down everything in your hands right now and leave quietly.”
“I am a discharged person. I have no reason to listen to the Captain's orders.”
“Acting entirely as you please.”
Edric clicked his tongue while looking at me, but he didn't really stop me.
As if he could easily allow this much with his discretion.
“It feels new to think about it again but…… it is truly regrettable. There are really few soldiers like you.”
“Since you say there are some, isn't that fortunate at least? The future of Winter Castle is truly bright.”
“Not losing a single word. Do you happen to have any intention of serving a few more months at Winter Castle? The recent situation is unusual, so staying at Winter Castle might actually be better. Don't you think so?”
“That's why I must leave even more.”
“Groan, I knew you'd say that. I just said it just because.”
Only after completely emptying the 4th Special Task Force and Winter Castle's common supply warehouse did I pick up my backpack and leave.
The heaviness of the backpack transmitted to my shoulder was very satisfying.
“Since you emptied the warehouse too, are you leaving now?”
“Yes. It seems so.”
“Understood. You worked hard until now.”
The preparations to be done at Winter Castle ahead of discharge were roughly finished.
Now all that remained was to leave.
I moved my steps.
The journey wasn't far off.
***
As Edric said, a separate discharge ceremony wasn't held, but before leaving Winter Castle, the 4th Special Task Force including Edric saw me off in front of the South Gate.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Stop by if your path ever leads here. Let's have a drink or something.”
“I think this is the first time hearing such a thing from the Captain. Did you drink originally?”
“Because I couldn't drink with a subordinate. If I got disheveled for no reason, wouldn't my dignity be lost? But now you are no longer a subordinate.”
“I see. Understood.”
After the farewell with Edric ended, next, I exchanged greetings with the special task force members as well.
“Hmph. So you're going.”
“Yeah. You guys are also discharging soon, so do moderately and discharge. There's no loss like getting hurt for no reason.”
“Don't worry, if something happens, I'll run away regardless of Winter Castle or whatever.”
“I'm listening too.”
“……Oh my.”
Conlan slightly glanced at Edric, who was smiling brightly next to him, and said in a small voice.
“I don't know where you intend to go but…… still, if we meet later, let's have a drink.”
“Let's do that.”
“And…… don't die.”
That could be seen as the last greeting Conlan could give in a world that had already become chaotic.
“Well, it feels like you will never die. In my opinion, you are much stranger than that monster-like Captain.”
Conlan added that while giggling.
Albino also saw me off.
“It was an honor to be with a mage of your caliber during this time.”
“……I didn't know you would say such things.”
“Because facts are facts. If it's you, you'll probably leave a big footprint in the entire history of the Lagna Continent beyond the Empire. No, is it already done at the point you killed the Supreme King?”
Albino smiled faintly.
“Anyway, let us meet again if our fates connect, Vell Blackwood.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
After finishing the greetings with Albino, finally, I faced Alicia.
Alicia's eyes looking at me trembled roughly.
“……I thought there was only one reason to live. Only revenge was my everything, and I could do anything for that.”
Alicia began her story as if relieved of something.
“Vell Blackwood, when I achieved revenge thanks to you, I made one resolution.”
A story she must have harbored for a long time.
“That I would dedicate my remaining life to you.”
I knew too.
Alicia's attitude changed after hunting the Mage of Blazing Fire on a mission before.
I ignored it even while knowing.
Because such emotions weren't very helpful for surviving in the future.
No, in a way, it could be seen that I used Alicia's emotions.
“Vell, I know there are still many things you haven't told me. And that you don't necessarily need me.”
Alicia smiled bitterly.
“Still, someday, if you ever happen to need my help…….”
Smiling like that, she calmly stated her resolve.
“Then, please find me.”
There was only one answer I could give to such a resolve of Alicia.
“Stay healthy.”
At that, Alicia's expression changed in various ways.
Surprise, regret, sadness…….
After an expression mixed with countless other emotions passed, Alicia smiled.
“Yes. You too, Vell.”
“We will be able to see each other again if our fates connect.”
“I sincerely hope for that.”
It was a long, long day.
Finally, I was discharged from Winter Castle.
***
I left Winter Castle, which had become a home.
But I had no intention of stopping my steps.
Because I had known for a long time that the time to leave would come someday.
It was just that it was now.
The warhorse received from Winter Castle was a breed that could adapt not only to the snowfield zone but also to the warm climate of the south.
According to what I heard from Edric, it had a very tiny bit of demonic beast blood mixed in or something.
‘Then…….’
Now what I had to do became quite clear.
Find the Ascension Stone Fragments, and eventually make a certain choice.
Although I was still postponing the answer to the choice, I wasn't postponing the task of finding the Ascension Stone Fragments.
Every choice requires a qualification befitting it, and obtaining the Ascension Stone Fragments was the minimum task to acquire that qualification.
Then where should I go to find the Ascension Stone Fragments?
I felt it when I entered the Demonic Realm directly before, but even if it was the Demonic Realm, a mutant wasn't a target that could be found that easily.
Since finding them wasn't easy even in the Demonic Realm, how much harder would it be outside the Demonic Realm?
‘Above all, considering the number of people on the Anonymous Bulletin Board currently, there is no guarantee that mutants harboring Ascension Stone Fragments will be discovered forever.’
Ascension Stone Fragments are a limited resource.
In addition to that, since players must have been constantly searching for Ascension Stone Fragments until now, that limited resource would have been depleted even more.
In other words, it means discovering mutants harboring Ascension Stone Fragments might be close to impossible anymore.
Even if there are remaining Ascension Stone Fragments, in terms of efficiency, taking the Ascension Stone Fragments possessed by players is bound to be more efficient than targeting mutants.
‘Taking Ascension Stone Fragments…….’
The meaning it possessed was absolutely not light.
Unless they possessed the Ascension Stone Fragments separately without absorbing them, the act of taking Ascension Stone Fragments was eventually not much different from taking the player's life.
‘Hmm.’
It's not just once or twice that I've killed players since coming to this world.
I've never particularly felt pangs of conscience either.
No, even if such signs appeared, the mind of the Postponer of Ruin wouldn't leave me alone like that.
However, all that was eventually to protect myself, not to plunder the opponent.
Is it okay to indiscriminately massacre others for a great cause?
Then what is the difference between me and the Newbie Hunter or the Supreme King?
‘……No, actually there isn't necessarily a need to be different.’
I am not something like a hero.
I never was, and I have no intention of becoming one.
But that doesn't mean I want to commit indiscriminate massacre under the pretext of collecting Ascension Stone Fragments.
Not only is the risk of such an act a risk, but making enemies for no reason wasn't a very wise thing to do.
‘Then…… as expected, there is only one place.’
To obtain Ascension Stone Fragments, there is no choice but to hunt mutants or meet players who possess them.
Of course, some merchants seemed to trade them, but I didn't have the capital to buy and scrape them all up right now.
Even if I did, it was questionable whether I could obtain a satisfactory amount.
I knew.
Those who are obvious possess more Ascension Stone Fragments than anyone else, despite not absorbing them.
‘Bellerophon.’
I felt the necessity to find them.
***
Earth appearing beyond the sky.
The disappeared Supreme King.
The collapse of the Eastern Union.
In the flow of that series of huge events, the Griffin Knights, one of the Empire's Three Divine Beasts Knights, also inevitably had more work to do.
Amidst the excessive workload that the word busy simply wasn't enough to explain, Yuliana rubbed her eyes where dark circles had settled deeply.
“I'm dying…….”
A player's body is tough.
Furthermore, if it's a player's body of Yuliana's level, she can sufficiently be active for about a week without eating or sleeping at all.
But what if that period isn't just about a week?
Yuliana, who hadn't slept for a single moment for over two weeks, now felt like her brain was burning dry.
Is the pen me.
Or am I the pen?
Amidst that unknown question, Yuliana signed and signed again on the stack of documents piled up fully today as well.
It wasn't simply mechanically signing documents, but labor that included precisely reviewing and judging the contents of the documents.
It was then.
That Yuliana's office door opened violently as always.
Bang!
“…….”
“Commander, Commander!”
The culprit was, as expected, Royer who didn't listen to Yuliana's words even with the back of his ear.
“…….”
Yuliana didn't recite about the omitted knock to Royer again anymore.
She just quietly resolved that if the reason for omitting the knock she had talked about until her mouth was sore wasn't something significant, she would break Royer's fingers.
“He came, he came!”
“What on earth came? Did the end of the world come? Then I won't have to see your tiresome face anymore.”
In addition, I could also get some sleep called sleep.
Ah, they say you can sleep to your heart's content when you die, so isn't it actually good?
Ahaha…….
“I'm saying now is not the time to be muttering such insane monologues?”
“……I don't know what it is, but if it's useless talk, know that it won't end with just a salary cut. Understood?”
At that, Royer's shoulders flinched slightly.
He already knew her condition wasn't good recently, but as thick killing intent flowed from Yuliana, he got tense without realizing it.
“Vell Blackwood has come to visit.”
“……What?”
The pen held in Yuliana's hand dropped powerlessly.