As soon as the name came out of Lieutenant Colonel Banol's mouth, I couldn't hide my shock.
"The Young Lady will be leading the Kronos support convoy this time."
The Young Lady.
There was only one person in Ark referred to that way.
"The Young Lady… you say?"
"Do you know her?"
"...No. I don't."
This wasn't the kind of situation where I could pretend to know, so I feigned ignorance.
"Really? I thought you ran into her once at Gate Red-17?"
He must have known about the time I encountered the Commander above Red-17 Gate.
Well, considering the circumstances, it would've been stranger if Lieutenant Colonel Banol didn't know.
It was a slip on my part.
"Well… either way, since you claim not to know, I'll explain. 'Young Lady' isn't an official title. It's just what everyone in Ark calls her."
"…"
"Ark has no king, but there's someone who could be considered close. The Young Lady is such a person. You could say… she's like a princess of Ark."
Lieutenant Colonel Banol was right.
Ark wasn't a monarchy, so no one actually called her a princess, but her status within Ark made the title fitting.
She was the cherished daughter of the El family, the power behind the White Line—the most powerful Order in Ark.
In truth, she was practically royalty.
'No… her status isn't the real problem.'
As I already knew, her true identity was that of the Commander leading the Shadow Order.
One day, she would be the one to consume Ark.
So, the news that she would be leading the support convoy was absolutely unwelcome to me.
'...Checkmate.'
This journey was one I couldn't refuse—and shouldn't.
If I declined, there was no telling what might happen once the convoy made contact with the remnants of Kronos.
'In the worst case, the alliance itself could collapse.'
The biggest issue was that, from the Shadow Commander's perspective, she'd have every reason to make that happen.
That meant I had to participate in this mission no matter what and ensure the alliance was secured.
"...I see. Understood."
"Is there a problem?"
"No. None."
I understood the situation.
But there was no need to be scared prematurely.
I wasn't the same person I once was.
I had no intention of getting steamrolled like before.
"We leave tomorrow, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll be back tomorrow."
"Leaving already?"
"I've got a lot to do."
"Alright. Come to Gate Red-15 in the morning."
After finishing with Lieutenant Colonel Banol, I left his office.
It felt like I'd only heard bad news, but it was news I had to face eventually.
'So, the Commander is moving directly now...'
That likely had much to do with the defeat of the traitor Rook and Sartre of the Shadows.
On top of that, there was also Esther's long-hidden betrayal now out in the open.
'Well, that was probably just her acting out of spite.'
Still, from Esther's perspective, she'd come too far to turn back easily.
And since I'd always been quietly worried about how she might react, it was good news to me in a way.
'Of course, it's still a problem that her betrayal might've just been in the heat of the moment—her heart could change again at any time.'
["What are you thinking about so hard?"]
'...'
Esther's voice came out of nowhere, and I flinched without thinking.
It had caught me that off guard.
Esther was bound to me, and as such, she couldn't read my thoughts unless I intentionally projected them.
But sometimes, people don't need to read minds to understand.
["You did something wrong to me, didn't you?"]
...This must be what people meant by 'supernatural intuition.'
'Not sure.'
["You did! You badmouthed me, didn't you?"]
'I didn't.'
["If you didn't, you wouldn't deny it so strongly! Fine, open your mind right now. I'll come in and check myself."]
'You're crossing a line.'
I almost considered letting her taste the wrath of experimental round GHOST-157 again, but kind-hearted as I am, I decided to hold back this once.
["…Did you just touch something in your pocket? That's not what I think it is, right?"]
'It is.'
["...My master is so funny. Ha. Ha."]
Esther quickly backed down, tail between her legs.
Despite everything, fear outweighed logic in our relationship.
'By the way, are you alright?'
["About what?"]
'You know who the Young Lady really is—she's the Commander. You'll be seeing her soon. You got no thoughts about that?'
["Well… it'd be a lie to say it doesn't affect me. But what can I do? That ship has sailed. I think the Commander will understand."]
It was such a breezy answer that I felt like a fool for all my worrying.
'Well, yeah. The Commander and Esther were especially close…'
Maybe it really wasn't my place to be stressing over this.
Still, I couldn't help but worry about how the Commander would react when we met tomorrow.
'Anyway, I'd better head back.'
It wasn't something I could solve by brooding here.
It was time to take action.
I started walking.
*
After returning to the hideout.
The first thing I did was shove heavy weaponry, including the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle, into the [Rift Space].
It was a precaution in case something unexpected happened.
'Last time, I got into trouble because I didn't stash the heavy weapons in the [Rift Space] ahead of time.'
But that wouldn't be the case this time.
Not only had I stored the NOA-8 Heavy Machine Gun and the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher—now considered outdated gear—into the [Rift Space], but I had also placed the Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle inside.
My reserve arsenal was more than sufficient now.
'Of course, the best outcome is if I never end up needing the things inside the [Rift Space].'
Spare weapons are, after all, just that—spares.
Naturally, their firepower was inferior to the main weaponry I used.
'Then… maybe I should finish up work on the hideout before I leave tomorrow.'
Thanks to the life water, my hideout had become a place that was hard for beasts and monsters to enter.
On top of that, the location was smack in the middle of the sacred mountain, Noah—so unless something truly serious happened, it was safe to assume no beast or monster would charge in here.
However…
'Uninvited guests who show up here might not all be beasts or monsters.'
What I was about to do was in anticipation of exactly that.
"Janus."
[Kiiit!]
I pulled out the charred, Thunderstruck Branch I'd been carrying with care and held it out to Janus.
It was what remained after upgrading the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle.
"Eat."
[Kiiit!]
The moment I gave the order; Janus devoured the Thunderstruck Branch without hesitation.
Crunch, crunch—
Crack, crick…
It was hard to believe something as charred as a burnt tree branch could be eaten so enthusiastically.
As time passed, Janus's body began to tremble as it finished digesting.
[Bone Armor ('Janus') has absorbed the power of the 'Thunderstruck Branch'.]
──────────────
[Bone Armor (Lv.5)] [Janus] [★★★★★★★★★★★ (11-star)]
— A piece of armor that links a domesticated bone parasite to the energy source of the Ark's standard officer protective gear (Lv.5).
— It has been named Janus.
— Current absorption rate of Ankelenth's Fang: 39.6%
— Can use 'Ankelenth's Roar.
— Has absorbed the power of the Thunderstruck Branch.
— Can wield the power of thunder.
"View Details"
──────────────
[KIIIIIIIIII!!]
Janus let out a shriek of joy.
Crackle, crackle!
With it, a storm of thunder stirred around us.
It had literally become imbued with the power of thunder.
["…What's wrong with our boney boy?"]
"What."
["He seems a bit rebellious now."]
"Quit saying nonsense."
Ignoring Esther's silly remark, I focused my will on Janus to use the real reason I had fed him the Thunderstruck Branch.
[Kiiit!]
Then, from Janus's body, a long bone tendril infused with the power of thunder extended outward.
Not just one.
Dozens of bone tendrils, each brimming with thunder energy, began to slither underground.
'Good. This is exactly as I expected.'
Normally, bone tendrils start to necrotize a short time after being detached from Janus.
But with the power of thunder, the story was entirely different.
If the tendrils were separated while infused with thunder, they could use that energy as a power source, maintaining their form and strength far longer than usual.
'Then…'
As I gently conveyed my will to Janus, the bone tendrils hidden underground suddenly surged toward me.
Shwaswaswaswa!
Of course, not a single one of them touched me—but that wasn't the point.
'Even though they've been separated from Janus for a while, they still moved.'
In other words, I had successfully managed to detach bone tendrils from Janus and keep them functioning by using the power of thunder as their energy source.
'Perfect. It worked.'
Now, the rest was simple.
Every time I left the hideout; I would plant thunder-infused bone tendrils around the area and leave.
That way, I could fend off not only potential beast or monster invasions, but also unexpected intruders.
'And that's not all.'
Protecting the hideout was one thing, but the thunder power Janus had acquired could be used for more than just an energy source.
It wasn't just about empowering the bone tendrils with thunder—it was also possible to generate artificial magnetic fields.
'If I use this right, I won't just be using thunder—I could even gain a certain level of control over metal.'
Feeding the Thunderstruck Branch to Janus had been the right move in more ways than one.
'Alright then…'
I began reinforcing the hideout.
*
The next day came.
Before setting off on a long journey, I cloaked the hideout in a camouflage net and made various preparations before officially leaving.
I also made sure not to forget planting the thunder-charged bone tendrils nearby and around the hideout.
'It won't last forever, but it should hold until I return.'
Sure, the chances of anyone actually intruding were low, but this kind of precaution helped put my mind at ease.
'Not that there's much to steal anyway.'
At best, just the tent and the camo net.
Maybe the life water if someone went to extremes?
'Hmm… the life water might be a bit too much, yeah.'
With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I headed for the Red-15 Gate.
Just as Lieutenant Colonel Banol said, when I arrived at the Red-15 Gate, it didn't take long before I saw the support unit—
A massive group, no less.
Easily over a hundred people.
It was a true large-scale support force.
'And they even brought vehicles.'
Usually, vehicles aren't used outside the Ark due to noise and safety concerns.
But using vehicles to transport supplies now meant that this unit had enough firepower to handle a beast horde if needed.
'Hmm…'
As I drew closer to the unit, I began inspecting the individuals within.
Some familiar faces, some not.
Major Arden, Kalakin, Hildegard, Iris, Cowardly Belle, and so on…
But among all the familiar figures, there was one person who drew my attention above all.
Standing above the rest, commanding the support unit.
'…She's here, just as I thought.'
The Young Lady.
The Commander of the Kronos Support Unit, and the leader of the Shadow Order with ambitions to swallow the Ark whole.
"You're here?"
She looked at me and smiled.