"...."
"...."
I hadn't expected her to speak to me first, not at our very first meeting.
So, I was at a loss for words.
["How have you been, Esther?"]
That wasn't the end of it.
That oh-so-perfect Young Lady even showed off a bizarre trick—transmitting her voice through ether—to speak directly to Esther.
["…Oh, uh. Commander. It's been a while."]
["I heard from Luke. But I know that's not how you really feel. No doubt that bastard Sart stirred things up. Right?"]
["...."]
["Don't worry, Esther. I'll get you back. I promise."]
["...."]
Esther didn't respond.
Or rather, she couldn't.
'This doesn't feel good.'
Maybe she picked up on my thoughts, or maybe the conversation had simply run its course, but the Young Lady spoke again.
["Let's talk more later. We still have plenty of time."]
With that, she turned around.
["...."]
Even as the Young Lady's back grew more distant, Esther still couldn't say a word.
She seemed to need time to think.
"...."
I still wasn't sure what her true intentions were.
But I had a bad feeling—whatever she was after, it wouldn't be good for me.
As I stood there deep in thought.
I heard a familiar, booming voice from somewhere nearby.
It was directed at me.
"Wahaha! Brother! So you came too!"
A voice as bold as his massive build.
More scars than I remembered.
The signature bald head and tattoos.
It was someone I knew well.
"Kurilta."
"I heard the story. They say this journey began because of you, Carl. I knew you'd pull it off."
I couldn't help but wonder how the rumor had spread so far, even reaching a regular soldier like Kurilta.
But I didn't bother voicing that out loud.
"Anyway, I'm glad we're together on this one, brother."
"Come to think of it, you haven't been on recent missions. Was there a reason?"
"Ah… I got injured during training. Yeah, that's it, an injury."
"I see."
It felt like Kurilta was dodging the question, but I had no intention of digging any deeper.
To be honest, I just didn't care that much.
'My head's already full thanks to that damned Young Lady. I don't need another headache.'
Now that I thought about it, there was something I wanted to ask Kurilta.
"Ah, do you know anything about Lania?"
"Lania? Lania Marcus? Your sister?"
"Yeah."
"Of course! Did you find her?!"
Apparently, the fact that the leader of the remaining Kronos faction was related to me hadn't reached the rank-and-file soldiers.
Well, it made sense—probably classified.
"Yeah. She was among the Kronos remnants."
"I knew it! I knew she was alive! A true heir of the Great Spirit!"
Twitch—
That phrase again.
I finally asked the question I'd been holding back.
"What exactly is this 'Great Spirit'?"
Kurilta's expression shifted oddly.
"Carl… are you hurt? Your head! Yeah, you hit your head, didn't you?"
"…It's not that. I just forgot for a second."
"Forgot? About the Great Spirit?"
"Yeah."
Kurilta narrowed his eyes.
"Carl, you…"
Was he suspicious?
Of course he was.
So, what now…
"Yeah, you definitely hit your head. You might not know, but that has to be it."
Contrary to my worries, Kurilta came to a very simple conclusion.
Honestly, I kind of regretted not just saying I was injured in the first place.
"So, what is the Great Spirit?"
"The beginning and end of all souls."
"And?"
"That's it."
"…What?"
Kurilta's dead-serious attitude left me blinking in confusion.
"…Then what does it mean to be an heir of the Great Spirit?"
"It means exactly what it says. A descendant of the Great Spirit. You asking me this really proves your head got messed up."
"So, what does that mean?"
"It means what it means."
"And what does it mean?"
"That's it."
Once again, Kurilta's absolute certainty left me speechless.
Ah…
Of course it'd be like this with you.
'…Still, it wasn't a complete waste.'
At least I had a rough idea of what Kurilta and Lania meant by the Great Spirit.
Whether it actually existed or not, knowing it didn't hurt.
"Oh, then does that mean I'll get to see Lania this time?"
"Probably."
"Hrm."
Kurilta looked genuinely happy.
It seemed like he had long felt guilty about leaving so many behind when he left the tribe.
'Didn't really matter to me.'
It hadn't been my real tribe anyway.
"We're moving out!"
Right then, a shout from an officer—likely a captain—signaled the official start of the Kronos support mission.
The way they departed the moment everyone gathered showed how urgently the Ark wanted this expedition underway.
'Makes sense.'
Even though it was right after a Wave, considering how far the Kronos remnants were, it was smart to leave as soon as possible.
Move too slow, and we might find ourselves caught by a Wave on the way back.
The one big difference from previous journeys was the vehicles.
Thanks to them, the actual travel would be easier.
'Of course, that doesn't mean it'll be pleasant.'
Even if the cargo trucks made in the Ark didn't make much noise, a procession this massive was sure to attract attention.
Yeah—attention even from beasts and monsters that hadn't stirred during the Wave.
Wiiiiiiiiiiiin...
The trucks, each of which easily appeared to weigh over ten tons, began to move, marking the true start of the journey.
As I sat quietly in a corner of one of the trucks, staring outside, someone approached me.
It was Major Arden.
"You came after all."
"Yeah. I didn't expect you to come. Isn't the Special Mobile Strike Unit of the Red Line not something you can easily leave?"
"Haha... there were circumstances."
Major Arden chuckled awkwardly.
If I had to guess, he was either dismissed or suspended from the Special Mobile Strike Unit.
'There shouldn't be any real reason for that... Is it because of Möbius?'
If it's the Möbius I know, trying to recklessly recruit new members like Arden would certainly warrant punishment.
That might very well be why he's here.
'Or maybe he's using that as an excuse to get closer to me.'
Whatever it was, it didn't matter to me, since I already planned to make use of Möbius.
"I'll see you next time then."
"Yeah."
After Major Arden returned to his seat, Kurilta, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"You know him?"
"Yeah."
"Hm... He seemed to have a decent rank. As expected of my brother."
Kurilta nodded with a proud look for reasons I couldn't understand.
He was still an enigma.
'More than that, the problem is that it's not just Möbius involved in this mission.'
It wasn't just the leader of the Shadow Order I was referring to.
This support unit included a significant number of members from various secret societies, not just the Shadow Order and Möbius.
I subtly scanned the people inside the truck.
'Even the Guardians and the Silver Dawn Society are here.'
And if you included the people in the other trucks as well, it wouldn't be wrong to say that at least five different secret factions were participating in this support unit.
'It means more and more factions are beginning to move, not just the Shadow Order and Möbius.'
They would each act in line with their own objectives and interests.
And amidst all of that, I had to find a way to make this mission a success.
'…Among them, the one I need to be most wary of is that damned woman.'
The leader of the Shadow Order.
I still didn't know exactly what she was after.
But considering the recent visits from the Turncoat Rook and Sart of the Shadows, there was no way it would be anything good for me.
Just as I was lost in thought—
"Carl."
At Kurilta's call, I looked around at the stirrings in our surroundings.
A siren lit up inside the truck.
It was the signal that monsters had appeared nearby.
'They showed up earlier than expected.'
But then again, considering the pace at which our support unit was moving, perhaps it wasn't all that surprising.
After all, we were traveling in vehicles, and the convoy itself was enormous.
When I turned to look behind us, I saw a swarm of monsters—numbering easily in the hundreds—clinging to the rear of the convoy.
At a glance, they looked to be at least Grade-6.
'If I had been alone, this would've been a real pain…'
However, the monsters didn't know.
They didn't know who was inside these vehicles.
"All units, defensive formation."
The voice of Colonel Heimler, the Young Lady's aide, echoed through the truck.
Click.
There was no need for the soldiers to even disembark.
As countless barrels extended from the sides of the trucks, an overwhelming volley of fire erupted.
KUGUGUGUGU!
BOOM! CRASH!
Even a swarm of Grade-6 monsters was nothing more than a walking shooting gallery in the face of such firepower.
[KIEEEEEEK!]
[KIIIIK!]
The monster horde, which had numbered well into the hundreds, was reduced to double digits in mere moments.
Thanks to their sacrifice, a few monsters managed to reach the trucks.
But the problem for them was that the trucks transporting Ark's materials and personnel weren't so easily damaged.
Grooaar! Grooaar! Grooaar!
The claws and fangs of Grade-6 monsters that could shred steel were useless against the reinforced transport trucks.
And those that slipped through were swiftly eliminated by the barrels that turned back toward them.
BANG───!!!
I quietly watched the scene unfold and nodded.
'As expected, they delivered...'
The real problem was how many times we could afford to unleash such firepower.
Of course, since this journey was meant to deliver supplies to Kronos, it wasn't like we were lacking in resources.
But if we ended up using all of the supplies we were meant to deliver, what would be the point of this mission?
'I'll have to wait and see how this unfolds.'
Maybe, just maybe, the Young Lady's goal was to burn through everything during the journey and make the entire mission meaningless.
But I shook my head at that possibility.
That would be too messy for the Shadow Order's style.
'Then again, without Esther, it's hard to say whether the Shadow Order will stick to their usual methods.'
Sigh...
'This is giving me a headache.'
There were far too many people to keep an eye on.
* * *
Lania Marcus looked up at the sky.
Today, the sky looked incredibly calm, not a single cloud in sight.
"A storm is coming."
"Pardon?"
"Just saying."
As Lania turned around, countless voices whispered in her ears.
[It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes. It comes.]
[Oh noble one…]
[Our princess who will fulfill our long-cherished wish.]
From beyond,
Something was coming.