Chapter 123
Chapter 23 Survivors (5)
The child spoke in a more withered voice.
“I don’t know, uh, Mom and Dad were taken elsewhere… … .”
“How many days has it been since you guys left?”
“uh… … Uh, that, a week… … ?”
Not a day or two, but a week.
At that level, the sub-species remaining within Calom Castle would have to be considered dead.
‘To borrow the expression of the damn people, I’d have to say it was disposed of.’
I said, pressing the child’s head firmly to mean that it was okay to stop.
“Don’t think about it.”
The child slowly raised her head and stared at me with trembling eyes.
“Adults have to protect you. That’s what adults say.”
I said looking straight into his eyes.
“You don’t have to feel guilty for failing to protect your elders. So, don’t think about it.”
At the words that followed, the child bit his teeth and burst into tears.
I wondered if he was too sensitive to Baron Volbita’s question.
‘Is it really a feeling of guilt?’
He must have been worried about the safety of those who stayed behind.
Among them, there must have been the child’s parents or neighbors.
But just taking my own life with this little body was a great and great thing.
From nob le mt l dot com
Just because you ran away alone without looking back at others, you don’t have to shrink like a sinner.
After comforting her once, she seemed to see more of what was holding her down.
That’s why I can’t stop and add a word.
“good job.”
After hearing the story, I had no choice but to know even if I didn’t want to know.
This guy is the one who led the escape.
If that were the case, he would have suffered a great sense of guilt after seeing the collapse of the passageway that was said to have been in the rock crevice.
There’s no way he’ll be fine when someone else died because of his own choice and instigation.
“Thanks to you, I bought this much. Be proud.”
Maybe if you see that he started crying at the words that were not a big deal.
The child’s crying quickly spread to the surroundings.
‘I barely comforted him.’
It didn’t even take a few seconds for her to become a sea of cries again.
I swallowed a sigh and washed my face dry.
‘I thought wrong.’
Although it is important to understand the context of the work.
Before that, I should have thought a little more about how these young guys feel.
‘Then I might be able to get over it with less pain.’
I sighed at my hasty choice and spoke to Baron Bolbita, who looked bewildered.
“I think I’ll become the world’s most evil person if I do more, so let’s take a break.”
“… … yes, that would be nice.”
Baron Volbita covered his face with one hand and nodded obediently.
Fortunately, it seemed that he was aware that he had aroused the child’s guilt with useless words.
After appeasing the children again, the testimonies of the children were collected and the surroundings were searched, but no additional survivors were found.
Eventually, word came out that we should return to the barracks.
It wasn’t easy, but somehow he succeeded in getting the children to the barracks through a long tunnel.
Players who had not participated in the search murmured as dozens of children suddenly appeared.
But it wasn’t the situation to care about the atmosphere.
‘We have to decide what to do with the children.’
In fact, the command held an emergency meeting, and somehow I got involved.
Since I was the one who discovered the children, it feels like pressure to take responsibility for follow-up.
“It is certainly good news that there are survivors… … .”
“The situation is not good.
“Damn it, when it’s like this… … .”
“How many General-class objects are there?”
“The ones confirmed so far are said to be twenty.”
“Join? Are there any separate instructions?”
“no. Proceed as planned… … .”
As I was still listening to the conversation, there was a word that bothered me.
‘General level?’
I was wondering what news came a little while ago.
‘A general level has appeared on the battlefield.’
This is news that will stop the march.
I quietly, but clearly raised my hand as I watched the whispering command.
Dozens of eyes focused on me at the sudden action.
I didn’t care about the gaze and said calmly.
“We are going.”
If the children were left to the player, the 4th battalion would not have to be recruited.
‘It would be better to take out the players than to take out the troops I bring with me.’
Baron Volbita will be open to my proposal again.
‘It has to be.’
Speaking of general level, it refers to a 7-star evolutionary species.
If we discuss their strength in terms of objective figures, it is the level of thinking that it takes ten average knights to catch one general-level guy.
‘Even a high-ranking knight who can concentrate magic is a guy who has to work together as a group of three or four.’
At my level right now, he’s a tough guy to deal with.
It was not welcome news that such a guy appeared on the battlefield.
I clicked my tongue inwardly in an invisible line.
‘They said that generals and above disappeared a few years ago.’
It was also for that reason that the church forces decided to recapture Calom Castle.
The exact reason is unknown, but the enemy’s main forces have not moved for the past two or three years.
But that’s information from the past.
According to the newly updated information, the situation seems to have changed while the war of attrition was repeated near Calom Castle.
‘I think reinforcements came from the other side.’
In this situation, it would be burdensome to recruit elite troops for the children.
So at this moment, I suggested the most efficient way I could.
“I was the one who discovered them, and I want to take responsibility.”
It wasn’t a lie. Because I do feel a certain amount of responsibility.
But that wasn’t all the reasons.
If a general level appeared, it would be too dangerous to enter the battlefield directly.
‘It exceeds the risk level I expected.’
Although you need to take some risks to build your contribution.
If the risk is serious enough to threaten life, the story has no choice but to be different.
Efforts to launch a mission to participate in the war were a decision made without considering the appearance of generals.
If the information in my hands has changed, the plan must also change.
‘I’m sorry about the contribution.’
Nothing was more important than life.
‘Just happened to come up with another method.’
Fortunately or unfortunately, I know of cases where this game pays off generously.
The seven gods invested in this game will also contribute to protecting those children.
I see the potential to build contributions in other ways too, but there’s no need to go into a dangerous place.
So I completely revamped my plan.
“What would you like?”
Perhaps Baron Volbita noticed that I was about to withdraw.
But what if you know what to do?
Right now, someone has to go back the way they brought those children.
“Recruit as many people as you think you need.”
As expected, Baron Volbita did not reject my offer.
“Yes, I understand.”
I soon gathered the players together and explained.
Even the dangers of the general level were told as they were.
As a result, 46 people showed interest in escorting and volunteered.
Including me and the party members, there were a total of 49 people.
‘There are 12 silver players and 37 bronze players.’
Almost half of the people who responded to the mission to participate in the war were missing.
I wanted to take them a little longer, but there were not a few people who had regrets about the mission to participate in the war.
It’s something I can’t force them to choose.
The final number was confirmed and reported to Baron Volbita.
“Once the number of people is confirmed, we will depart immediately.”
Soon, as soon as the permission came out of his mouth, a new mission window popped up.
MISSION
[Sub Scenario: Escort]
You find survivors who have escaped the farm under unexpected circumstances. But if you can’t take them to the battlefield, escort the survivors to safety.
[compensation]
• 3000~5000 contribution to the main scenario is paid differentially
My predictions were right. No, it exceeded my expectations.
‘It gives more contribution than participating missions?’
I knew that the gods cared about their followers, but was this enough?
While I was looking at the newly opened mission with a bit of a strange feeling, Baron Volbita started talking to me.
“Be sure to take me to a safe place.”
His voice, slightly more subdued than usual, sounded bitter.
To be honest, I was a little surprised. Because I didn’t know he would say that.
In my eyes, Baron Bolbita was sensitive to responsibility.
It will be easier to understand if you think of it as the type of person who doesn’t want to create responsibility.
This must have been the reason why he spent days and nights agonizing over whether or not to accompany the player.
‘It must have been burdensome to take them on their own since players are dipping their toes all over the church here and there.’
Even within the military, there will be political factions, and there will also be forces that are not on good terms with him.
What if you take players in that situation and take a lot of damage?
It is difficult to avoid political attacks under the guise of censure.
‘I understand.’
It didn’t look favorably on Baron Volbita.
But what I see may not have been all he had.
I answered after a short hesitation while looking at Baron Volbita.
“I definitely do.”
“… … Thank you.”
Baron Volbita, who shook my hand, immediately turned away.
There would be no need to wander around as long as each path was decided, so I started preparing for departure right away.
* * *
49 players, 72 farm survivors, 121 total.
While going back the way I came to lead quite a lot of people and supply supplies, my head was in a commotion.
It was because there was a word that came out of the child’s story and continued to follow me.
‘turncoat… … .’
I knew from a long time ago that there was a force that betrayed the Aracial Alliance.
The first to turn their backs were the fairies.
I heard that among sub-species, it was the only one that suffered a lot from illegal human trafficking.
It is said that there were many cases that were secretly sold as slaves because of the special ability to dream with a body smaller than a person’s hand.
‘Starting with fairies, step by step, a total of six races defected.’
Afterwards, the last of the wizards belonging to the Mage Tower joins the ranks of defectors, and the war situation is clearly inclined.
That was the history of Bihar I knew.
‘I’d like to ask what race the renegade man in charge of the farm was and how it was managed.’
I couldn’t ask a burdensome question to a child with swollen eyes to satisfy my curiosity.
In the end, I kept my mouth shut and led the ranks.
But just because I was quiet didn’t mean other people were quiet too.
“A farm… … .”
“You mean you’re raising sub-species for food? Like we raise pigs and slaughter them?”
“Isn’t that too inefficient? Humans take a long time to grow up. Giving birth is limited to one person at a time. Are other sub-races different?”
“It’s not as efficient as livestock.”
“Hey, are you saying that now?”
“what is the problem? It wouldn’t be wrong.”
I swallowed a bitter breath as I listened to the whispering conversations of the players.
It’s because I know why the monsters set up an inefficient sub-species farm.
‘Because subspecies are born with attribute magic.’
Even if a lower evolutionary species eats a sub-species with attribute magic, it only absorbs mana, that is, life force.
‘It can be seen that it cannot distinguish the type of energy input.’
However, 7-star, general-level or higher evolved species can distinguish and absorb sub-species’ attribute magic.
It means that it can handle elemental magic like a sub-species.
‘That’s why farms exist.’
Being born with attribute magic does not require special lineage or conditions.
You can really see it as an individual characteristic or individuality without any rules.
That’s why they put effort into breeding sub-species by creating farms.
In the documents I read, it was also said that an aphrodisiac or estrous drug was periodically sprayed to induce orgy.
‘In that way, if the newly born baby has attribute magic, he will eat it.’
To the monsters, sub-species are a kind of resource.
It would not be wrong to say that it is a material to enhance power.