"How…"
Truth be told, Lania had been half in doubt about Carl Marcus's proposal.
Of course, she trusted her Oraboni's abilities.
But given the gravity of the matter, she had resigned herself to the possibility that things might not end well.
Yet Ark had moved far faster than expected.
And the massive supplies now before her eyes were the proof.
Carl Marcus had delivered on his promise brilliantly.
"…"
Once, she had braced for war.
But instead of bringing destruction, Ark's troops arrived bearing supplies for Kronos.
Just as Carl Marcus had said, the real alliance and exchange between Ark and Kronos had begun.
Lania's lieutenant spoke up.
"…That's what you meant by 'they're coming'?"
"…"
Lania was at a loss for words.
She was suddenly embarrassed by how fiercely she had shouted about the need to prepare for war.
"Have you waited long?"
At Carl Marcus's low-toned voice, Lania nearly collapsed as her legs gave way.
It was that unexpected.
And that sudden.
"…Oraboni."
"These are support supplies from Ark. They've accepted Kronos's proposal."
She had guessed as much when Carl Marcus appeared.
But hearing the words from his own mouth gave them new weight.
"Then… the people who came with you are from Ark…?"
"That's right."
Lania then turned her eyes to the visitors who had arrived at Kronos with Carl Marcus.
"Hello?"
A fresh and friendly greeting.
Lania's gaze slowly shifted and stopped on the woman who had just spoken.
"…Huh?"
Why?
The moment she saw the woman—with her ghostly pale face and perfectly flowing white hair—Lania felt like her heart had stopped.
It wasn't just the woman's uncanny appearance.
'What is this…?'
Thump, thump—
Her heart was pounding.
She didn't know why.
But soon, she had no choice but to understand.
The ether, who had recently been causing so much noise, were now whispering in her ears.
[Praise her. Worship her. Praise her. Worship her. Praise her. Worship her. Praise her. Worship her. Praise her. Worship her.]
[Ooh… oh, oh, oh, oh…]
[Princess!]
At the sound of the ether's whispers, Lania understood.
The woman standing before her—
She was the very cause of the ether's unrest.
"Is something wrong?"
"N-No! It's nothing…"
At the woman's question, Lania flinched.
She didn't know who the woman was.
But her instincts screamed.
She was dangerous.
And then, the whispers changed.
[Creak, creeeak…]
[Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.]
[Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate.]
Was it the Ethers' voices?
Or just fear?
Lania suddenly felt—
That woman must be killed.
'…What am I thinking?'
She shook her head.
What nonsense—thinking such a thing about a guest from Ark?
Even if the woman was truly dangerous, now was not the time.
As Lania tried to calm her breath—
"That's going too far."
Carl Marcus's low voice cut through the tension, and the woman smiled.
"Hmm? What did I do?"
"Enough with the teasing. There's no need for it."
With Carl Marcus's words, the once overwhelming whispers of the ether abruptly stopped.
It made no sense.
"I think it's time to unload the supplies. Is that alright?"
Carl Marcus's words brought Lania out of her daze.
"A-ah, yes! Just give me a moment. I'll let them know inside."
"Got it."
Lania turned and ran into the camp.
She informed her lieutenant to notify the Kronos Union council, and rushed back to open the camp's gates.
"Open the camp!"
At the shout of a Kronos soldier, the camp entrance—disguised with camouflage matching the surrounding wilderness—began to open.
If they were ambushed now, it could be fatal.
But thanks to Lania's authority within Kronos, the gates were opened without resistance.
"Where are the vehicles from?"
"They said Ark."
"Ark? Wait, did that alliance really go through?"
As the gates fully opened, Ark's supply trucks began rolling into the camp one by one.
Tension rippled through the Kronos soldiers.
But as soon as the trucks stopped and the supplies started being unloaded, the atmosphere shifted.
"Is that…?"
"Multi-Calorie Bars!"
Ark's multi-calorie bars were known for their excellent shelf life, nutritional value, and taste—even in Kronos.
And they hadn't just brought a few boxes.
Entire trucks were packed with them.
To the Kronos soldiers, who had been surviving on detoxified monster meat, it was a feast for the eyes.
"Ark-15 automatic conversion rifles?"
"They even brought weapons…"
Not just food—Ark had generously provided weapons and ammunition too.
As if Carl Marcus's alliance had truly come to fruition.
While not all high-ranking Kronos leaders were present at the camp, word spread fast.
Kronos—and the Kronos Union—had formed an alliance with Ark.
It was a monumental event.
"Who would've thought Ark would really accept the offer…"
"Still, isn't it a good thing? The Kronos Union is still unstable. Having a powerhouse like Ark at our side is a huge advantage."
"That's true, but…"
"Is something bothering you?"
"…No. Nothing at all."
There were still some doubts about Ark's true intentions.
But Ark had shown genuine goodwill.
At this point, the Kronos Union couldn't deny what was happening.
And with everything unfolding, one name burned itself into everyone's mind.
The man who had made the impossible happen.
Carl Marcus.
Lania Marcus's older brother.
Everyone in the Kronos Union was now watching that name closely.
* * *
The supply drop was over in an instant.
Not because there wasn't much to unload.
It was because there were more than a few troops aboard the trucks to begin with, and with the Kronos soldiers joining in, the overwhelming manpower emptied the massive supplies in no time.
"We have to leave right away?"
I nodded at Lania's question.
"Yeah. Even though we rushed, we don't have much time left before the next wave."
"...True."
Lania also nodded in agreement.
"Still, it's a shame. Since you came all this way, it would've been nice if you could stay a little longer."
"There'll be another opportunity."
"Have you ever thought of staying here permanently? If it's you, Kronos would welcome you with open arms."
"I have things I must do in Ark."
"...Right. If that's what you want, then I suppose there's no helping it."
Lania didn't bring up anything like familial affection or blood ties.
She knew all too well that such things held no real meaning in this ruthless world.
'No… That's probably not the only reason.'
If I wasn't mistaken, this was the greatest form of consideration and respect Lania could offer me.
"Oh, right, oraboni."
"Go on."
"That woman from earlier—who is she?"
"You mean the Young Lady."
"...Young lady? What Young Lady?"
"They call her that in Ark. I don't know her name."
I actually did know, but I didn't see the need to tell Lania.
Considering what her name implied, it was hard to tell what might happen if even that became known.
"Anyway… be careful around her. She's not normal. That woman's dangerous."
"I know."
"...You still travel with her, even knowing that?"
"There's no other choice."
"...Still, be careful. She might be even more dangerous than you think."
Though I knew everything Lania did, I nodded anyway.
"It's about time we head back."
"...Take care. And let's meet again."
"Yeah. I'll come back next time with another bundle of gifts."
"Haha."
The visit had been brief.
It couldn't be helped. With such a tight schedule, there wasn't even a sliver of time to spare.
Still, this much was necessary.
"Oh, by the way. I'd like you to get signatures from the council members of the Kronos Union regarding the supply drop. We need to document this alliance."
"If it's just that, it's no problem. I'll take care of it quickly."
"Thanks."
As Lania had said, getting signatures from the council members present in the camp was done in a flash.
And with that, the paperwork for the supply drop was complete—it was truly time to leave.
"Are you done?"
While I was finishing up, that high-and-mighty Young Lady had been leisurely strolling around the Kronos camp, enjoying a calm walk.
"Yes."
"Heh… Then we should head back. Let's go."
"I suppose we should."
There were no disagreements between us, so there was no need for further discussion.
"Oh, that cute girl from earlier—was she your little sister? She was adorable. I almost wanted to bite her to death."
"Maybe."
The Young Lady's eyes gleamed with laughter.
Everyone in Ark already knew Lania was my sister, so it wasn't something I could hide.
"So, she is? Hmm, I wonder if I could use her as a weakness then?"
"Go ahead, if you can."
I said it sincerely, knowing who Lania was, but the Young Lady simply giggled like she found it amusing.
"You really care for your sister deeply, huh?"
"Think what you want."
"Wow, I wish I had an orabonilikeyou~"
"Shut up."
Her nasty personality was just as I'd expected.
Ignoring her annoying chatter, I climbed aboard the truck.
It was time to go.
There was no need for a separate farewell with Lania.
Given the situation—and the fact that we had already said goodbye earlier—it wasn't necessary.
"We're heading out."
The Ark soldiers climbed onto the trucks with perfect coordination.
So precise and disciplined it was hard not to be impressed—truly soldiers of Ark.
'This should be enough.'
Despite having delivered a massive amount of supplies to Kronos, there was no real reward or welcome in return—but that couldn't be helped.
Time was far too short.
Vrrrrr—
The truck's plasma engine reignited, turning in the direction we had come from.
Back the way we came.
*
The return journey was smooth.
So much so that the soldiers in the truck were yawning widely.
"I was all tense for nothing—this mission's easier than I expected."
"Yeah, really."
"Don't let your guard down. The mission isn't over yet. It's not complete until we've returned to Ark."
"Haha, understood, Lieutenant."
Maybe it was because the mission had been too easy.
The tension among the soldiers in the truck on the way back had completely dissipated.
Any mission that took them outside of Ark usually carried great risk.
But this time, not a single casualty had occurred so far, so it was understandable that the soldiers were starting to relax.
'It'd be nice if it really ended like this…'
Unfortunately, in this godforsaken world, there was no such thing as a safe place or an easy mission.
And this moment was no exception.
Screeeeeeech─────
Screek, scree-screek───
Screeeeaaaam!
As if to prove that point, the ether around me began to scream.
'Something… is coming.'
But no matter how I looked around through the small windows in the truck, there was no sign of beasts or monsters.
That left only two possibilities.
Sky, or underground.
'…If it's from the sky, that's manageable. But if it's from underground, that's a whole different story.'
There was a simple reason I was wary of something approaching from below.
Given how violently the ether had been reacting, if something was indeed closing in through the ground, there was only one possible culprit targeting us.
Of course.
Rattle—!
The truck suddenly jolted violently, confirming that my worry hadn't been misplaced.
Thunk!
THUUM—!!
A hunter from the deepest, darkest depths had begun to slowly close in on us.