Chapter 65
Joshua was on his way back to the farm.
The air, which had grown chilly as night fell, seeped into his body.
The path was pitch black.
The atmosphere was so secluded that it wouldn't have been strange for a zombie to appear suddenly.
He entrusted his surroundings to [Cool] and looked up at the sky.
The stars were beautiful.
They were beautiful enough to make him want to slow his pace back to the hideout.
He felt that he wanted to capture the scenery before his eyes forever.
'Nothing ever goes as smoothly as planned.'
Joshua fell into contemplation.
The first images that ca to mind were the two girls.
Adela Grace and Serena.
Just before they parted at the conference hall.
He had definitely warned them.
He'd told them a cluster of zombies would invade and that, in the worst case, they should abandon the group.
He felt a bit angry at the fact that they couldn't execute the plan even though he'd given them the answer.
[Cool] also added a hand, saying its disappointnt was great.
[Cool] had evaluated Adela particularly highly.
Back when they faced the Urgon in the forest.
She had co up with a different plan against him and moved without backing down.
Although one student died as a result.
He'd admired the fact that she moved by her own judgnt rather than soone else's command.
It was a task that required great courage.
'She must've known at least what needed to be done to survive.'
Survival is a human instinct.
Unless one has found sothing that transcends that.
Humans are designed to move according to instinct.
He thought about the character Adela Grace.
She was the type to impose a sense of duty upon herself.
That wasn't because she wanted the affection of others.
It was an action stemming from ambition.
Her ambition refused to let her beco a doll for her family.
Perhaps she even considered the crisis she was currently facing at the mine as an opportunity.
'It might be a relief that the person with her is Serena.'
Serena had lost her hotown.
She possessed the guilt of not being able to protect her ho with her own hands.
The fact that she couldn't abandon her comrades was close to a curse.
If Adela stayed, she stayed too.
He'd saved the trouble of having to save the two separately.
'It's ti to head to hell again.'
* * *
Joshua inford Leonard that he planned to head to the mine.
Since he'd recognized him as an officer.
It was necessary to discuss the plans with him.
“My opinion won't count for anything anyway, but as an officer, I'll say just one thing. I'm against it.”
Leo answered with emphasis so that his words were conveyed clearly to the leader before him.
Joshua just listened quietly.
When an opinion is offered, he wants the evidence to follow.
That was the communication between him and Leo.
“We're self-sufficient now. We can produce eggs and radishes. As for living space, if I and my subordinates repair the nearby abandoned houses, we can make them usable enough. We've resolved the basic necessities. Of course there are many other things we'll need, but if the goal is to find those, there are many places other than the mine.”
Joshua nodded his head.
His opinion was also one of the paths that could be chosen to survive.
And it was a choice that past versions of Joshua had made several tis.
“You're right.”
“Why are you being so scary? Don't just admit it so easily.”
“No, it's a really good opinion. I've even tested it before.”
“You know. Sotis you talk like a human who's lived several lives, and do you know how creepy that is?”
Joshua shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
“Leonard.”
“What?”
“As you said, the foundation here is enough for living. But that doesn't an it's safe. If the Order of the Moon collapses, the zombie cluster will move to find new prey.”
“Won't they just scatter once they've had their fill?”
“There is no concept of satiety for them. Their appetite is such that they're never satisfied no matter how much they eat.”
“Are you trying to say there's a possibility those crazy bastards will co to us?”
“It isn't just them. A new cluster might appear from a completely different direction.”
Leo's face turned pale.
The re thought of hundreds of zombies gathered together made nausea boil up inside him.
“The possibility is high.”
“You sure say such terrible things without hesitation.”
Joshua ignored the displeasure shown on his face and continued.
“Even if those bastards don't co to us, they'll grow stronger by devouring other groups.”
“Are you saying we should remove the danger factors in advance?”
“There is that too, but the primary reason is to save people.”
If one wants to pull people from another group, they must be prepared to face hostility.
However, the story changes in an ergency.
The justification of saving people.
That powerful justification allowed him to gain people without conflict with anyone else.
“Who is it that you want to bring?”
“Soone you know too.”
“If it's soone I know in the Order of the Moon, are you talking about Adela?”
“Yes.”
“She's certainly amazing in terms of ability. It's just that you haven't seen the face behind the mask she wears. That sly, relaxed appearance is just a tactic to make people hers.”
“As long as she does her job well, I don't care about her personality.”
Joshua answered as he stared intently at the boy before him.
Leo reacted with a flustered face.
“What's wrong with my personality!”
“That massive pride of yours is difficult for to handle. So I'm saying it doesn't really matter if Adela has a tiring personality.”
Leo showed a dazed look in his eyes.
It was an expression he hadn't shown even when discussing the mine.
Being compared to Adela seed to have been a much bigger shock to him.
“I don't need to persuade the other kids. They're more experienced in these situations than you are.”
* * *
Mid-February.
It was the ti when winter was coming to an end.
The cold was decreasing, and the gray weather turned clear.
He thought they'd passed the first winter safely.
It was lucky that his comrades hadn't fallen ill.
Even with [Holy] attribute magic, illness was fatal.
In this world, one might lose their life even from just catching a cold.
He'd died that way several tis back when he played the ga.
'I'm worried about leaving the farm behind, but if there's no problem with the magic formulas, it should be fine.'
He couldn't move around while bringing the chickens with him.
His current inventory had 2 slots.
Since bringing them from Triden, the chickens had ford a large family.
The number was slightly over 30.
To move them, a sub-space larger and wider than the inventory was needed.
'If things go well at the mine, I might be able to make one.'
While he was fitting the pieces of his plan together.
Muttering voices were heard from behind.
The owner of the voice was Leo.
“Talleon, isn't sothing strange?”
Leo asked Talleon, who was following behind.
“What do you an?”
“It's been two days since we left the farm. But we haven't even faced ten zombies so far.”
Leo was in a state of astonishnt.
Back when he stayed with the Sunlight Knights.
He had once gone on an expedition following the knights.
He still couldn't forget the experience from back then.
Zombies rushed in at every path, and they were always on guard even while resting.
By the fourth day, his entire body was screaming.
His legs were trembling, and his chest was pained as if being hamred.
That was the expedition he rembered.
“Oh~ were you surprised by that?”
Talleon's voice was refreshing.
He sounded like soone who found such a thing natural rather than surprising.
“Sir Joshua seems to have a good sense of direction.”
“No, don't you think it's beyond the level of just having a good sense of direction?”
“Well, that's true. Sir Joshua reaches his destination quite well even without looking at a map.”
“It isn't just that. That bastard is finding only safe places among the many paths.”
“Now that you ntion it, that's true.”
Leo felt drained at Talleon's simple answer.
This boy's head was filled with the thought that if it's good, then it's good.
“Captain, why are you curious about that?”
Gavinu cut in from the side.
Leo changed his gaze to look at the other boy.
Unlike the sowhat soft Talleon, Gavinu had a cautious personality.
“I want to watch and learn if I can.”
“If it's that, wouldn't it be better to ask him directly?”
“Are you crazy? It's obvious what kind of reaction Joshua would show.”
Gavinu looked at him with a gaze that seed mixed with a bit of irritation.
“What is the reason you want to learn?”
“I want to beat that bastard.”
“You want to beat him?”
“It's embarrassing to say this. I lost when I fought him at the conference hall. Since then, the goal of 'Overthrow Joshua' has been created for . Haven't you heard the saying that if you know your enemy and know yourself, you'll win a hundred battles? I want to know even a little bit about that bastard.”
Gavinu was appalled.
If he interpreted Leo's words, it ant he wanted to pay back the humiliation he'd suffered then.
To a person in the sa group.
It was hard to accept that he was grinding the blade of revenge against the leader.
“It's the competitive spirit that any knight possesses.”
Gavinu squeezed his eyes shut.
He even had a sense of rivalry toward Talleon.
He wanted to be stronger than him, and he wanted to be praised more than him.
But this feeling had never beco a goal.
“I hope the captain's heart doesn't cause trouble within the group.”
“You don't have to worry. When I feel I can win, I'll hand over a fair challenge. I won't do a surprise attack.”
“That's quite a relief.”
“Now it's your turn to answer. The reason why Joshua is so familiar with the geography.”
It was a difficult topic for Gavinu, but he diligently wrung his brain.
Past versions of himself had felt similar emotions.
Where the leader's terrifying judgnt was grounded.
He had said once.
That he'd experienced it several tis.
That he'd tested every single thing he'd thought of.
Even looking back, he still couldn't understand the aning of those words.
“I'm not sure.”
“I'm disappointed since you had a face like you knew sothing.”
“Even if we knew, it would probably be a thod we couldn't even imitate. So give up on that.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
In the end, the conversation ended without any results.
He turned his gaze forward.
Joshua told them to form a unit starting with the two of them.
Was that why?
They moved in groups of three even when traveling.
He knew that was the blunt leader's own way of being considerate.
“Luna, isn't it tiring?”
Tania looked after Luna, who was walking beside her.
Whenever Joshua was away, she volunteered to act as her guardian.
Thanks to that, Luna never hid her emotions from her alone.
“I’m fine.”
A soft and fine tone.
Luna's voice was like the lody of a beautiful vocalist.
If she were taught to sing, she would surely beco a great success in the future.
It wasn't just that.
Back when she couldn't open her mouth at first.
Tania thought the cause was that Luna had suffered an emotional wound.
But that was a mistake!
She just had a weakness in terms of language.
Once Tania taught her letters and words, Luna absorbed them at a terrifying speed.
From the perspective of a teacher, there was nothing more fun than this.
“Tell whenever it's hard for you to walk. Big sister will carry you.”
“I'm really fine. And I'm very heavy, so I'll be a burden to you too, big sister.”
“Ahahaha, no. That's just because I lack strength compared to others.”
Tania flinched with a startled face.
Luna's build was that of a little child.
But for so reason, she was excessively heavy compared to her small size.
Even though she spoke confidently, Tania was anxious deep down.
She wasn't confident she could reach the mine while carrying her.
“Senior, you haven't forgotten what I said, right? You have to move while looking after Luna.”
Tania approached Joshua and whispered softly.
“Don't worry. Luna is strong.”
“Senior, you say that, but I'm not sure. She's still a young child. I don't know what kind of power she has, but she shouldn't have been called for the task of facing zombies. It'll remain a big trauma.”
Joshua just remained silent at her heartfelt advice.
The level of a familiar was influenced by the mage's mana.
Even though Luna looked young, she possessed a level of power equal to his own.
In fact, she might be better in terms of combat.
The [Holy] attribute is magic of protection and healing.
The destructive power is almost non-existent.
On the other hand, a dragon's claws, teeth, and tail contained strong physical force.
But regardless of those facts.
He didn't know how Luna would accept the fight.
The intelligence of a dragon is extrely superior.
She'd learned human speech in a month and was even able to speak fluently.
When she realizes the fact that she was born as a hound for hunting monsters.
What kind of expression would Luna show him?
He was a bit afraid.
“Oppa, don't worry.”
Sothing wrapped around his right hand.
It was a warm feeling.
When he turned his head, Luna was reaching out and holding his hand.
She called him oppa.
The expression master would be correct.
But they decided on this so that the other comrades could accept it naturally.
“I know what you want, oppa, because I woke up to achieve that, so there is no way I'll be hurt by that task.”
There was resolve in Luna's gaze.
Among her unique skills was sothing called Soul Resonance.
Even without speaking out loud, a part of his emotions and thoughts flowed into her.
“Right.”
Luna smiled.
He felt there was no lie in that smile.
She had never acted like a spoiled child.
She blended herself into the surrounding atmosphere and erased herself.
That was the reason the other comrades accepted Luna without any resistance.
She had gone beyond the level of being mature.
It was a situation he should be happy about, but for so reason, he felt bitterness.
“Luna.”
“Yes?”
“Tell if it's hard. That is an order.”
It was just for a mont.
He thought Luna's eyes were wet.
Thud! She buried her face in his back.
Joshua accepted that as a sign of agreent.
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