SCT-Novel Chapter 156: Preparing For The Expedition
Chapter 156: Preparing For The Expedition
“Haa, haa.”
Airi struggled to suppress her nausea, covering her mouth. The intense movements of the baby inside her suggested that her act of seeing the future was also affecting her child.
“It’s okay, ah...”
Nonetheless, Airi did not take her eyes off the crystal ball, nor did she withdraw the mana concentrated there.
She only gently stroked her swollen belly as if comforting her child.
“It’s okay... just bear with it a little longer.”
She had only confirmed the starting point.
Previously, she had been so terrified that she avoided it, but now that even her partner had left her side, she couldn’t just sit idly by.
If knowing the future meant changing it, she had to find a way to resolve it, even if it meant facing that terrifying vision again.
“Just a little longer...”
Maintaining her composure for this purpose, Airi withdrew her hand from her now-still belly and focused her power on the crystal ball again.
To understand the context of the scene she saw and decide how to act.
“...Aha.”
And after some time had passed.
A faint laugh escaped her lips as she etched everything into her mind.
“Haha... Ahahahahaha...”
The longer she laughed, the more the overwhelming despair that had filled her heart was swallowed by emptiness. In a strange way, it felt almost refreshing.
Knowing the cause and outcome was far better than the gnawing uncertainty she had previously felt.
“...Oh, Mother of All Beginnings.”
Even if everything she had worked for was to be reduced to nothing.
“Is this what you intended...?”
To save as much as possible from the coming destruction...
If all the pieces of her destiny had come together just for the sake of this one vision, then...
“Was it for this... that you guided me to him?”
“...Airi.”
As she embraced her belly, contemplating such sorrow, a voice came to her.
When she looked in that direction, she saw a woman who had come to her room, looking at her as she sat on the floor.
“A guest has arrived.”
Tashian Pheloi.
The person who could replace her in her absence.
“...Yes.”
It seemed as if she understood the situation, and pity was evident in her eyes, but Airi ultimately ignored her and tried to pass by.
But being pregnant, her body was heavy, and she was mentally exhausted.
“Are you okay?”
Seeing her steps falter, Tashian expressed concern, but Airi forced a smile in response.
“I’m fine. Tashian, please stay here.”
She hoped Tashian wouldn’t interfere. If her prophecy was correct, they each had their own roles to play.
-Click.
As she opened the door and stepped out, what greeted Airi was a man in a black cloak and mask.
She could immediately guess his identity upon seeing him.
“Who are you?”
“If I say I’m the leader of the revolutionary organization Nihil, would you understand?”
“...Nihil?”
“Yes, I managed to escape from prison and, while looking for a place to hide, found my friend’s residence and decided to take refuge here for a while.”
The revolutionary organization Nihil. It was a name Airi also knew.
Although the people turned their backs after the leader was captured, the remnants were prophesied to play a significant role at the appointed time.
“I came to see my friend, but it seems he’s not here. So, I would like to ask for your help as his lover... If it’s okay, can we go inside and talk?”
A situation where the leader of such a group escaped and made a suspicious proposal.
Nevertheless, Airi did not outright antagonize the man before her.
His face, representing the subjugation team, looked quite familiar to me.
“Ah, from the excavation site...!”
“Haha, it seems you remember.”
Yes, the man before me was one of the officers in charge of the excavation site’s garrison.
An officer who served as an adjutant to Marcus, who commanded the legion at the time.
“I’m Sanson, the former adjutant who assisted Marcus, who led the empire’s 1st Legion. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to be your adjutant for this subjugation mission and assist you with all my heart.”
“Similarly, I’m Petra, from the 1st Legion’s reconnaissance unit. Leave the scouting missions to me.”
“I’m Malcolm, serving as a chaplain and military doctor. If you’re injured, please let me know anytime.”
“I’m Byron, from the vanguard. And this friend here is...”
Starting with the first adjutant, the soldiers representing each unit introduced themselves.
Their introductions, beyond being firm, felt passionate because they all sincerely wanted to follow me.
Not just following my fame, but because they had personally gone through hardships with me.
“...Haha.”
Realizing that the trust built from that had brought about this meeting, a sense of calm began to settle in my previously anxious heart.
Having once gone through life and death together, I felt confident that I could achieve anything with them.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“No, we are the ones... We consider it an honor to assist you in this mission for the empire and humanity.”
“Yes! You are the hope of humanity!”
“We will go to hell and back with you! Please lead us well in place of Commander Marcus!”
Marcus Cradle.
Although the nobles mocked him as an incompetent general, those who knew his true self respected and admired him.
And those who gathered now in front of me were the ones who respected and admired him.
Feeling that I was chosen to inherit that will, a warm energy started to well up from within my heart.
“Then, Hero Woo Hyo-sung, can you tell us about the expedition plan from now on?”
But the surging confidence was soon enough shaken.
“Plan?”
“Yes, this mission is a large-scale expedition. As the person in charge, shouldn’t you lead the management of the expedition?”
Yes, the responsibility of a large-scale expedition was akin to managing a ‘small society.’
Managing not only the personnel but also the assets and resources used by the subjugation team, as well as the procedures when visiting garrisons and residential areas...
The difficulty of managing all that would only increase exponentially with the number of armed forces participating in the expedition.
“In the case of other heroes, they have deputies to help them. Didn’t you hire one in advance?”
“...Ah, yes. Until the day before the expedition, I was busy with various events, so I couldn’t arrange it properly.”
In previous expeditions I’d participated in, the commander didn’t handle management—they had someone else take care of that. Usually, it was someone familiar with administrative work, like a lawyer or a young noble from an influential family.
Hiring someone like that required preparation, like arranging meetings and going through the proper procedures.
But the nobles were already displeased with my sudden rise in status, and I hadn’t even had the chance to attend social gatherings...
“This is troublesome. Even if we delay the expedition a bit to find the right person...”
“Can you leave that role to me?”
At the moment I was about to seek advice, a blunt voice was heard.
When I turned my gaze in that direction, I saw a boy descending the stairs from the opposite side.
No, although he appeared delicate and it was hard to distinguish, the person was clearly the head of a family, whom one would call a young lord.
“...Cheska?”
“You remember me, Mr. Woo Hyo-sung.”
Cheska Plandor.
Garam’s supporter and perhaps the only noble who could be considered friendly to me.
“No, I should call you Hero Woo Hyo-sung now.”
“Anyway... I’m also planning to support this expedition, so if there’s no suitable person, could you entrust me with the management of the expedition?”
His outwardly arrogant and calculative demeanor...
...clearly demonstrated that he was the most suitable person for the current situation.