In the distance,
a dignified-looking couple.
When I saw their faces, I nodded.
Of course.
They were faces I’d seen before.
‘Private Jang Hongsu’s mother and father.’
Private Jang Hongsu.
One of the strongest mages in our unit,
a squad-leader-class soldier unmatched in flame magic.
[Jang Jungseok]
[Lv. 12 Lower Water Mage]
[Kim Mikyung]
[Lv. 14 Lower Wind Mage]
Those two were Private Jang Hongsu’s parents.
Maybe it’s true that family members resemble one another.
The parents, too, had awakened as mages of decent ability.
They weren’t my family,
but I didn’t feel merely sorry for them.
They were the family of my responsibility—my unit member.
I was confirming that they were alive.
“Hello.”
After the branch guide who’d brought us here stepped away,
I hesitated a moment,
then approached the two of them.
“Y-you...”
“You’re... Hongsu’s friend?”
They’d bristled when a stranger suddenly came up.
But the moment I said I knew Hongsu,
the urge to avoid me vanished,
and instead they grabbed my hand.
“H-how is Hongsu right now...?!”
“That...”
If it were up to my heart, I wanted to tell them the truth.
That their son was alive beyond Gangwon,
and among survivors he was one of the foremost powers.
But—
“I can’t know that right this moment.”
“I... I see.”
Telling them that was impossible for me now.
Passing information from beyond the Wall into this region was forbidden by the [Penalty].
I watched their faces, so excited a moment ago, settle down.
“...A friend, you say.”
Once they realized they couldn’t learn whether their son lived,
their reason seemed to return.
“Where did you meet Hongsu?”
The husband looked at me with a somewhat skeptical gaze.
“Even if you’re Hongsu’s friend, we don’t remember seeing a young man like you...”
“Why are you saying that all of a sudden...”
“You know it too. In this world, the easiest thing to misplace your trust in is another person.”
“He says he’s Hongsu’s friend.”
As the husband doubted me,
the wife tried to restrain him.
“No, it’s fine.”
I waved my hand.
“I just didn’t want your husband to be too harsh to your son’s friend.”
“No. I actually think your husband’s attitude is the right one. Caution isn’t a bad thing.”
I’d come with good intentions,
but I wasn’t about to be the cause of a fight.
“Your son—Hongsu is in the army right now, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
“And the unit is the 423rd Battalion, right? Dug in deep in that mountain range up in Gangwon...”
“...That’s right, but how would you know that much? Even if you’re a friend, it’s rare to know the unit designation...”
“I said friend, but that’s not quite accurate. I’m his senior.”
“His senior?”
“Was it Parents’ Day? During a unit event—you visited the base, didn’t you?”
Now their eyes opened wide, as if it finally made sense.
“You mean you saw us then?”
“Yes. I was the cook. I’m the one who served you. I remember your faces when you came to the dining hall.”
“Ah... right. I remember thinking army food these days was surprisingly good—that was...”
This wasn’t a lie.
Especially the mother and Hongsu looked so much alike that it stuck with me.
“If you’re really Hongsu’s senior, then you’re a soldier too. How are you here?”
“I was a sergeant at the end of my term. The day I went on terminal leave, that incident happened...”
“...You must have had it rough.”
He’d been staring at me suspiciously up to a second ago,
but now the husband looked at me with a strangely sympathetic gaze.
In the army, suffering is pretty much a common lot for men,
and going on terminal leave only for the world to end—he must have found that pitiable.
“I had circumstances that left me surviving alone for a long time. Only recently did I join a place where people lived. Then I saw familiar faces and decided to say hello.”
“I... I see. Sorry for doubting you.”
“No, I have a fair idea how the world is turning. Being that cautious is the wise choice.”
They seemed to accept my identity,
but the shadow on their faces remained.
“When you said you were in the same unit, I wondered if maybe Hongsu was alive too... but I suppose not.”
“...Dear.”
At that,
I hesitated briefly, then—
“I said earlier I don’t know how Hongsu is right now.”
I added one more sentence.
“The Hongsu I knew in the unit wasn’t someone who’d die easily. He may be alive—don’t throw away hope.”
“...Thank you for saying so.”
They seemed to take my comfort as just polite words.
“All the nearby army units were wiped out. Probably the same in other regions. Unlike you, Hongsu would have been inside a unit, so likely...”
“You don’t know that.”
“Mm?”
“You know there are army units still left in Gangwon, don’t you?”
If what I’d heard from those criminals was true,
then the radio had certainly been transmitted to the people here.
These two would have heard those broadcasts too.
“Hongsu may be alive. Please don’t give up hope.”
“...Right. We should.”
“And this is because you’re Hongsu’s parents.”
“Hm?”
I took something from inside my jacket and handed it to them.
“What’s this? Jerky?”
“A gift.”
Combat rations.
When I turned monster corpses into fertilizer, I palmed a portion and made combat rations.
Something I can’t mass-produce yet.
I slipped some to them.
“In times like these, to hand over food—meat, even...?”
“Hongsu treated me well back in the unit. If something dangerous happens, this will help.”
I’d set it aside for my own use,
but giving it to a unit member’s family didn’t feel wasteful.
“If you ever need help, please come find me. I’m working at the Northern Branch right now, and my name is Shin Youngjun.”
“Shin Youngjun... Right. Sergeant Shin. Got it.”
“I don’t know if we’ll ever need help, but it was good to hear about Hongsu after so long. Youngjun, if you need anything, tell us anytime.”
Anyway,
that pretty much wrapped up the business.
I couldn’t very well pull them under my command and protect them right now.
And it seemed they were in a safe spot for the moment.
So I could just head back as is...
‘...I told them not to give up hope, but their faces are still dark.’
Well.
Even hearing something like that isn’t enough to put your strength back.
They didn’t even know their son’s whereabouts.
I still had uneasiness lingering too, after all.
‘...Ah, come to think of it.’
I remembered a way that might ease those faces a little, and said:
“Live hard.”
“Hm?”
“Something good might happen soon.”
“What do you... mean?”
Leaving the puzzled couple behind,
“Are you finished here?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s return right away.”
I went back to the Northern Branch group member who’d guided me here.
After wrapping up,
we reached the base.
“Ah, you’re back.”
“We were waiting.”
In front of the Wall,
Han Iseo and Gang Jaeho,
the two leaders of this Northern Branch, were standing there waiting for me.
****
“You were waiting?”
I tilted my head.
“For me... why?”
“I think we mentioned it before, but we basically hold a regular meeting once a day.”
“Yes.”
“We’d like you to join today’s meeting, Youngjun.”
“Ah.”
I nodded.
We used to hold regular meetings with the team leaders too and discuss unit affairs.
They were doing something similar,
and they wanted me to take part.
“Understood. Let’s go.”
It was familiar work,
so without thinking much, I followed them
to the building they used for meetings.
“What’s this, why is everyone late today?”
As we entered the conference room,
a man already inside said,
“I’m always the one who’s late. Next time I’m late, no complaints, got it? Haha.”
Park Junggu laughed lightly.
But then—
“Hm? What brings you here, Youngjun?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah. You must have some business here. Sorry, but could you wait a little? This is our scheduled meeting time.”
When he spotted me,
Junggu said that.
‘?’
Apparently,
it hadn’t been discussed among the captains that I’d be attending the meeting.
“Ah. Uncle Junggu.”
“The thing is, Youngjun is going to...”
Thankfully,
the other two explained in detail,
but—
“...I don’t like that.”
When he heard I’d be attending,
Junggu frowned.
“What don’t you like?”
“Letting him into the group is fine. I trust Iseo, and he’s someone Iseo has vouched for as safe. Fighting alongside us on an operation would be fine too. But... attending the meeting is different, isn’t it?”
I had just come because I was called, without thinking much,
so I didn’t even know the weight of this seat.
“This meeting is where representatives of the survivors living in the North gather. I don’t see why Youngjun, who only just joined us, should be here.”
“Well, Youngjun has the ability for it. I thought he could help in the meeting.”
“I’m with Iseo on that. There’s certainly the question of representativeness, since he only recently joined... but we also need someone to represent those outside the group. How about treating Youngjun as attending to represent himself?”
That’s what Han Iseo and Gang Jaeho said,
but Junggu seemed to think differently.
“You say he has that kind of ability, but I haven’t seen any such ability.”
“You have seen it, haven’t you? The thing that had me tearing my hair out—the revival of the land’s vitality—he’s the one who did it.”
“Reviving geovitality. Impressive, sure. But that could just be because he has a profession in that line. Frankly, if someone’s a ‘geovitality revival specialist,’ they could do it at level 1.”
“Didn’t you say you trust me? From what I’ve learned, Youngjun has more than enough ability...”
“I trust you. I do... but, Iseo. Have you asked about Youngjun’s job or # Nоvеlight # traits?”
“That...”
Han Iseo knit her brows.
“That would be rude.”
“Knew you’d say that.”
In Gangwon and Gyeonggi both,
asking about another Awakener’s abilities is considered rude.
So she hadn’t asked me that either.
Junggu sighed.
“As I said, he could have a certain kind of job. But I haven’t seen anything that proves he’s that remarkable.”
“That... is true.”
Gang Jaeho frowned and asked,
“Then are you saying, no matter what, Youngjun must not attend the meeting?”
“Not never.”
“What do you mean?”
“If, as you two say, he really has ability befitting this seat, there’s no problem. It’s just that I haven’t seen that ability myself—that’s the key.”
Talking with the other two,
Junggu turned his gaze on me.
“Youngjun, I’d like you to tell us with your own mouth the extent of your ability.”
“By ability, you mean?”
“In a world like this, what else would ‘ability’ mean? Obviously.”
Arms folded, Junggu said,
“Level.”
“Level, huh.”
At that,
I looked over the three leaders.
[Intermediate Druid Lv. 26]
[Intermediate Shaman Lv. 27]
[Intermediate Barbarian Lv. 26]
All three were quite high-level.
They were as strong as squad-leader class in our unit.
Which is why they could serve as leaders of this Northern Branch, one pillar of Gyeonggi’s human forces.
And—
after roughly confirming their levels,
I opened my status window for the first time in a while.
And then—
I couldn’t help but hesitate.
[Shin Youngjun]
[War Cook Lv. 36]
[Strength: 169]
[Agility: 187]
[Mana: 163]
[Luck: 105]
“......”
...This.
If I say it, will they believe me...?
