Chapter 170 : Discharge
Although discharge, which every soldier dreams of, was confird, there were still quite a few preparations left to be done before leaving Winter Castle.
“……Aren't you already a discharged man? What are you doing taking Winter Castle's supplies as you please?”
Watching boldly raiding the 4th Special Task Force's supply warehouse, Edric spoke as if dumbfounded.
“Since I haven't gone outside Winter Castle yet, I haven't been discharged. I'm still a soldier at Winter Castle for now.”
“Then I order you. Put down everything in your hands right now and leave quietly.”
“I am a discharged person. I have no reason to listen to the Captain's orders.”
“Acting entirely as you please.”
Edric clicked his tongue while looking at , but he didn't really stop .
As if he could easily allow this much with his discretion.
“It feels new to think about it again but…… it is truly regrettable. There are really few soldiers like you.”
“Since you say there are so, isn't that fortunate at least? The future of Winter Castle is truly bright.”
“Not losing a single word. Do you happen to have any intention of serving a few more months at Winter Castle? The recent situation is unusual, so staying at Winter Castle might actually be better. Don't you think so?”
“That's why I must leave even more.”
“Groan, I knew you'd say that. I just said it just because.”
Only after completely emptying the 4th Special Task Force and Winter Castle's common supply warehouse did I pick up my backpack and leave.
The heaviness of the backpack transmitted to my shoulder was very satisfying.
“Since you emptied the warehouse too, are you leaving now?”
“Yes. It seems so.”
“Understood. You worked hard until now.”
The preparations to be done at Winter Castle ahead of discharge were roughly finished.
Now all that remained was to leave.
I moved my steps.
The journey wasn't far off.
***
As Edric said, a separate discharge ceremony wasn't held, but before leaving Winter Castle, the 4th Special Task Force including Edric saw off in front of the South Gate.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Stop by if your path ever leads here. Let's have a drink or sothing.”
“I think this is the first ti hearing such a thing from the Captain. Did you drink originally?”
“Because I couldn't drink with a subordinate. If I got disheveled for no reason, wouldn't my dignity be lost? But now you are no longer a subordinate.”
“I see. Understood.”
After the farewell with Edric ended, next, I exchanged greetings with the special task force mbers as well.
“Hmph. So you're going.”
“Yeah. You guys are also discharging soon, so do moderately and discharge. There's no loss like getting hurt for no reason.”
“Don't worry, if sothing happens, I'll run away regardless of Winter Castle or whatever.”
“I'm listening too.”
“……Oh my.”
Conlan slightly glanced at Edric, who was smiling brightly next to him, and said in a small voice.
“I don't know where you intend to go but…… still, if we et later, let's have a drink.”
“Let's do that.”
“And…… don't die.”
That could be seen as the last greeting Conlan could give in a world that had already beco chaotic.
“Well, it feels like you will never die. In my opinion, you are much stranger than that monster-like Captain.”
Conlan added that while giggling.
Albino also saw off.
“It was an honor to be with a mage of your caliber during this ti.”
“……I didn't know you would say such things.”
“Because facts are facts. If it's you, you'll probably leave a big footprint in the entire history of the Lagna Continent beyond the Empire. No, is it already done at the point you killed the Supre King?”
Albino smiled faintly.
“Anyway, let us et again if our fates connect, Vell Blackwood.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
After finishing the greetings with Albino, finally, I faced Alicia.
Alicia's eyes looking at trembled roughly.
“……I thought there was only one reason to live. Only revenge was my everything, and I could do anything for that.”
Alicia began her story as if relieved of sothing.
“Vell Blackwood, when I achieved revenge thanks to you, I made one resolution.”
A story she must have harbored for a long ti.
“That I would dedicate my remaining life to you.”
I knew too.
Alicia's attitude changed after hunting the Mage of Blazing Fire on a mission before.
I ignored it even while knowing.
Because such emotions weren't very helpful for surviving in the future.
No, in a way, it could be seen that I used Alicia's emotions.
“Vell, I know there are still many things you haven't told . And that you don't necessarily need .”
Alicia smiled bitterly.
“Still, soday, if you ever happen to need my help…….”
Smiling like that, she calmly stated her resolve.
“Then, please find .”
There was only one answer I could give to such a resolve of Alicia.
“Stay healthy.”
At that, Alicia's expression changed in various ways.
Surprise, regret, sadness…….
After an expression mixed with countless other emotions passed, Alicia smiled.
“Yes. You too, Vell.”
“We will be able to see each other again if our fates connect.”
“I sincerely hope for that.”
It was a long, long day.
Finally, I was discharged from Winter Castle.
***
I left Winter Castle, which had beco a ho.
But I had no intention of stopping my steps.
Because I had known for a long ti that the ti to leave would co soday.
It was just that it was now.
The warhorse received from Winter Castle was a breed that could adapt not only to the snowfield zone but also to the warm climate of the south.
According to what I heard from Edric, it had a very tiny bit of demonic beast blood mixed in or sothing.
‘Then…….’
Now what I had to do beca quite clear.
Find the Ascension Stone Fragnts, and eventually make a certain choice.
Although I was still postponing the answer to the choice, I wasn't postponing the task of finding the Ascension Stone Fragnts.
Every choice requires a qualification befitting it, and obtaining the Ascension Stone Fragnts was the minimum task to acquire that qualification.
Then where should I go to find the Ascension Stone Fragnts?
I felt it when I entered the Demonic Realm directly before, but even if it was the Demonic Realm, a mutant wasn't a target that could be found that easily.
Since finding them wasn't easy even in the Demonic Realm, how much harder would it be outside the Demonic Realm?
‘Above all, considering the number of people on the Anonymous Bulletin Board currently, there is no guarantee that mutants harboring Ascension Stone Fragnts will be discovered forever.’
Ascension Stone Fragnts are a limited resource.
In addition to that, since players must have been constantly searching for Ascension Stone Fragnts until now, that limited resource would have been depleted even more.
In other words, it ans discovering mutants harboring Ascension Stone Fragnts might be close to impossible anymore.
Even if there are remaining Ascension Stone Fragnts, in terms of efficiency, taking the Ascension Stone Fragnts possessed by players is bound to be more efficient than targeting mutants.
‘Taking Ascension Stone Fragnts…….’
The aning it possessed was absolutely not light.
Unless they possessed the Ascension Stone Fragnts separately without absorbing them, the act of taking Ascension Stone Fragnts was eventually not much different from taking the player's life.
‘Hmm.’
It's not just once or twice that I've killed players since coming to this world.
I've never particularly felt pangs of conscience either.
No, even if such signs appeared, the mind of the Postponer of Ruin wouldn't leave alone like that.
However, all that was eventually to protect myself, not to plunder the opponent.
Is it okay to indiscriminately massacre others for a great cause?
Then what is the difference between and the Newbie Hunter or the Supre King?
‘……No, actually there isn't necessarily a need to be different.’
I am not sothing like a hero.
I never was, and I have no intention of becoming one.
But that doesn't an I want to commit indiscriminate massacre under the pretext of collecting Ascension Stone Fragnts.
Not only is the risk of such an act a risk, but making enemies for no reason wasn't a very wise thing to do.
‘Then…… as expected, there is only one place.’
To obtain Ascension Stone Fragnts, there is no choice but to hunt mutants or et players who possess them.
Of course, so rchants seed to trade them, but I didn't have the capital to buy and scrape them all up right now.
Even if I did, it was questionable whether I could obtain a satisfactory amount.
I knew.
Those who are obvious possess more Ascension Stone Fragnts than anyone else, despite not absorbing them.
‘Bellerophon.’
I felt the necessity to find them.
***
Earth appearing beyond the sky.
The disappeared Supre King.
The collapse of the Eastern Union.
In the flow of that series of huge events, the Griffin Knights, one of the Empire's Three Divine Beasts Knights, also inevitably had more work to do.
Amidst the excessive workload that the word busy simply wasn't enough to explain, Yuliana rubbed her eyes where dark circles had settled deeply.
“I'm dying…….”
A player's body is tough.
Furthermore, if it's a player's body of Yuliana's level, she can sufficiently be active for about a week without eating or sleeping at all.
But what if that period isn't just about a week?
Yuliana, who hadn't slept for a single mont for over two weeks, now felt like her brain was burning dry.
Is the pen .
Or am I the pen?
Amidst that unknown question, Yuliana signed and signed again on the stack of docunts piled up fully today as well.
It wasn't simply chanically signing docunts, but labor that included precisely reviewing and judging the contents of the docunts.
It was then.
That Yuliana's office door opened violently as always.
Bang!
“…….”
“Commander, Commander!”
The culprit was, as expected, Royer who didn't listen to Yuliana's words even with the back of his ear.
“…….”
Yuliana didn't recite about the omitted knock to Royer again anymore.
She just quietly resolved that if the reason for omitting the knock she had talked about until her mouth was sore wasn't sothing significant, she would break Royer's fingers.
“He ca, he ca!”
“What on earth ca? Did the end of the world co? Then I won't have to see your tireso face anymore.”
In addition, I could also get so sleep called sleep.
Ah, they say you can sleep to your heart's content when you die, so isn't it actually good?
Ahaha…….
“I'm saying now is not the ti to be muttering such insane monologues?”
“……I don't know what it is, but if it's useless talk, know that it won't end with just a salary cut. Understood?”
At that, Royer's shoulders flinched slightly.
He already knew her condition wasn't good recently, but as thick killing intent flowed from Yuliana, he got tense without realizing it.
“Vell Blackwood has co to visit.”
“……What?”
The pen held in Yuliana's hand dropped powerlessly.
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