When I heard that the Chair was a traitor,
to be honest, I had a lot to agonize over.
‘The Association’s structure is way too unstable.’
A federation that seemed to lean on a single strong person, the Chair.
The moment that Chair disappeared completely, it would have been no surprise if it simply split apart into several groups.
And now that very Chair had turned out to be a traitor.
There was no way we could openly reveal that.
In every way, it was a troublesome situation.
In that situation, we somehow managed to subdue that Chair.
In that case...
‘Just killing someone like that would be a waste.’
That would be a bit too wasteful.
In the end,
if we wanted to keep this thing called the Association going, we had to do something...
and that method was exactly this.
[Legion’s Droplet, Bimanar]
[Prosthetic Body: Gangsan]
After forcing the Chair to submit,
we used a [Droplet] in much the same way as with me
to create that duplicate.
‘The original body... was in such a state it was hard to even call it human anymore.’
We somehow regenerated what was left of the human body parts and used them to create a Droplet.
Droplets supposedly reconstruct the whole body using the genetic information remaining in it.
Because so many parts had been lost,
it couldn’t be restored completely; patches of grayish Droplet flesh remained here and there.
But at the very least, it looked much more like Gangsan than he does now.
‘With this, the Association should be able to function smoothly.’
As I was thinking that,
– ...May I ask you one thing?
“Hm?”
From within the shadow, the one who had once been Gangsan
spoke.
– Why did you not bring that Association under your control?
“Hmmm.”
The dark knight scattering cold air,
who had now lost his name, spoke.
– If you used my name... it would be possible, even if it were a bit coercive.
“Well, that’s true.”
He might have gone through the withdrawal process now,
but until just recently, Gangsan had been the Association’s guildmaster in the System.
If we used his authority,
it would certainly have been possible to forcibly place that Association under the Legion.
However...
“That’s something for later.”
– ...?
“Someday, humanity will have to become one. But...”
I had deliberately chosen not to do that.
The reason was simple.
“The process can’t be coercive.”
The Association had certainly been a unified organization,
but because it had been unified by the Chair’s strength through force,
once that Chair was gone, it had shown itself incapable of staying united.
‘If anything, it’s only now that a proper unification has started.’
And.
Things like that would be similar if you compared them to human history.
In that case,
there was a perfect object lesson right in front of us.
“Slowly, taking our time.”
The Association had been unified all at once by force.
We would go in exactly the opposite direction.
Besides...
“It’s only that I’m not unifying them; in terms of meddling in their internal affairs, I fully intend to go all in.”
– ...
You know,
the way the world works, things don’t turn out right if you act too nice all the time.
That Droplet which inherited Gangsan’s name holds considerable authority.
On top of that, Bimanar is fundamentally quite intelligent.
If some problem arises within the Association, or if they start moving in a direction that’s bad for the Legion,
that Bimanar will step in, grasp it in advance, and sort it out,
or report it to us first.
They won’t realize it,
but through someone they trust, they’ll have us meddling in their internal affairs.
‘...Well, as long as they don’t catch on, it’s fine, right!’
If they did catch on, everyone might end up unhappy,
but if we hide it well, it’s a happy ending for everyone.
That’s why we deliberately slipped the Droplet in while Han Iseo happened to be away from her post.
‘Now the Association has to build its own strength.’
The Association’s potential was considerable.
In terms of pure potential alone, it was far greater than Gangwon.
We couldn’t just leave that potential sitting idle.
It would be hard to put them directly under the Legion right away,
but under the Legion’s support, they would gradually grow that potential.
‘And then, someday...’
when they themselves came to share a sense of solidarity with humanity,
and when all their resistance toward our Legion had faded away,
the Legion and the Association...
would become one.
*****
After that,
time continued to flow slowly.
After the Legion crossed the Wall,
they led that massive fortress around and fought battle after battle all across Gyeonggi Province.
“To think a day would come when we could live outside the Wall...”
“It really is incredible.”
Most of the operations were the subjugation of cities that would serve as humanity’s survival hubs.
The Walls would still remain the primary defensive installations for the survivors of Gyeonggi Province,
but with winter over and the awakeners’ strength having surged during that winter,
their living space was no longer limited to the inside of the Walls.
The Association, with the Legion’s help, got its forces back in order
and expanded its influence within Gyeonggi Province.
“Mom... Dad...!”
“Y-You...! Really, really...!”
“Is it really you, Hongsu...?”
And in the process,
the relationship between the Legion and the Association began to progress little by little.
“I met that young man who said he used to be your senior. He told me I had to believe you were alive, that I had to keep hoping... but even so, I just couldn’t believe it. And yet, now...”
“Mom... sniff.”
A married couple and a soldier faced each other,
and suddenly burst into tears.
“I see... So you really did become a Legion soldier. I used to daydream that if you were still alive, I’d invite you into our group.”
“That’s going to be hard. I’ve got my comrades.”
“Comrades, huh... Is that Legion place at least livable? No one bullies you?”
“Bullies? No way. It’s actually better than regular army life was. You know that? Back in the unit, I had just barely made Private First Class, but now almost everyone is my junior.”
At those words,
the husband in the couple muttered as if he’d realized something.
“Come to think of it, the mana I can feel from your body... it’s the sort of level I’d only sense from executives...”
“Haha, you know. It’s just thanks to my gear and my guild backing.”
He was the Legion’s 3rd platoon leader
and recognized as the second-strongest among the Legion’s mages after Sergeant Lee Minjae.
“...Son. Don’t tell me.”
“Did you rise through the ranks without us even knowing?”
A mage who wielded flames stronger even than Jung Hwayeon, who had been an Association executive.
As Private First Class Jang Hongsu and his parents chatted amiably,
“Mr. Jungseok and Ms. Mikyung... what’s going on?”
the others who saw them exchanged puzzled words.
“They say that young man is their son.”
“Their son... Didn’t they say he was off doing his military service?”
“Turns out that army was that Legion.”
“H-Huh? Seriously?”
“It’s not just that kid. You know that young guy Yongtae in the Central Branch? Apparently his childhood buddy is in the Legion too. And besides them...”
Among the soldiers belonging to the Legion, there were those who were acquainted with the Association’s survivors.
The Legion actively deployed those people so they could talk with the Association members.
“...There’s Ms. Mikyung’s son, and that kid who’s Yongtae’s friend.”
“At the very least, it doesn’t seem like a bad organization. I mean, they did save us, so that much is obvious...”
“I’d only ever seen lots of deserters... How are they managing to maintain that kind of discipline in a world like this?”
“S-Still, we can’t let our guard down. If we relax around a force with that kind of power and they betray us, we’re done for.”
Slowly, but surely,
their wariness toward the Legion began to ease.
And then, on another such day,
“Chair! Did everything go well? There weren’t any problems...?”
“Heh heh. With me guarding him, how could there be any problems.”
The Association’s new Chair, Jo Beomseok,
had, at the Legion’s invitation, gone with his escorts to meet the Legion’s commander and now was returning.
“How was it inside that fortress?”
“What about the Legion’s executives...”
“Someone said they saw Legion soldiers walking around together with monsters—what was that like...?”
Many people gathered at the news of their return.
Those who had many questions about the Legion, which still wasn’t properly known, fired off questions.
“...Come on, Junggu, that’s way too exaggerated.”
“No, I’m telling you, it’s real!”
“You’re saying it looked bigger on the inside than the outside... I mean, really, Junggu—have you never heard of the laws of physics?”
Little by little, information about the Legion started to leak out.
“If we weren’t careful, someone like him might have been elected Northern Representative instead of Iseo... Junggu really is better suited to being escort captain.”
“I’m going to suffocate here...!”
Park Junggu beat his chest in frustration when people wouldn’t believe him.
Heo Yunchang, who had been teasing him, soon turned his head
“Chair.”
“...Ah, what is it.”
“What did you think of their commander after meeting him?”
He then turned his head,
looked at Jo Beomseok, and asked.
“Was he also a seasoned general like you, Chair? Or maybe a former general?”
At that question,
Jo Beomseok opened his mouth, his expression somewhat tense.
“He wasn’t even a field-grade officer, much less a general officer. A young officer... His rank is First Lieutenant.”
“A First Lieutenant, huh. That’s something in itself.”
“...Yes. He really was an extraordinary person.”
“...Chair?”
Chair Jo Beomseok
was breaking out in a strange cold sweat.
“When I first heard he was a First Lieutenant, to be honest, I looked down on him a bit. Among the capable officers I’d expected might overcome this catastrophe... there was no such name. And on top of that, a First Lieutenant—rank-wise, that’s lower than my own grandson. I imagined he’d be just as green as any other youngster.”
“So then why...”
“It was an utterly ridiculous misconception.”
He said this as he wiped away his cold sweat with a handkerchief.
“We didn’t even talk for that long. But even in that short conversation, I felt an incredible charisma and leadership. I never imagined there could be someone like that among today’s young officers.”
“That much...?”
“No. This is just from a brief talk. If he gives off that level of charisma from first impression alone... then the more you get to know him, the more extraordinary he’ll turn out to be.”
The escorts who had received the Legion’s commander together with the Chair
also silently nodded.
‘...For Jo Beomseok to speak like that.’
‘Just how great a commander is that First Lieutenant Kim?’
‘Well, with someone like that in command, it’s no wonder they were able to build a force like that.’
While people were wondering inwardly,
Jo Beomseok let out a heavy sigh.
“I thought everything would be over once we succeeded in driving out those ghosts. But now it feels like things are only just beginning. I don’t know if we’ll be able to negotiate well with someone like that...”
“You’ll do fine, Chair. We’ll help you too.”
“Huu...! Right. Even if it’s something impossible, we’ll just have to make it work somehow. Thank you.”
And so,
though they still had a long way to go,
“The Legion has requested the transfer of a few people into their guild in exchange for handing over equipment and supplies. They also said that, if we want, information exchange is possible to improve the abilities of our production classes.”
“Huh! Absolutely not! Do they think they can buy our Association members with a pile of equipment?”
“There is a condition: it only applies if the individuals in question agree. Most of them seem to be family members or relatives of Legion soldiers.”
Slowly, step by step,
“Even so, this is an insult to us...!”
“This is the list of equipment and supplies they offered.”
“...It’s far too much to brush off as ‘just’ a list. Do these equipment stats even make sense?”
The potential the Association had been holding
was gradually blooming.
*****
“Phew! Things are way too busy.”
Ever since the Legion arrived,
everyone in the Association had become incredibly busy.
They had to put their forces in order as much as possible before that Wall fully opened.
“Hehe, still, we’re not busy making food like before anymore, are we?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Heh heh. It’s a big deal that that Chef can produce food now. With the Legion supplying materials as well... we won’t have to worry about starving to death for a while.”
And it was the same for the three leaders of the Northern Branch.
Among them,
the one who had become Northern Representative was Han Iseo.
The other two,
Gang Jaeho and Park Junggu, were busy working to assist her.
And, like on any other day,
after finishing their busy duties,
the three of them were on their way back to the Northern Branch.
But then,
“...Huh? Please wait a moment, Junggu.”
“What is it, Jaeho?”
As they were heading back,
Gang Jaeho suddenly came to a stop and tilted his head, listening to something.
“What is it?”
“Uh... the trees are telling me something.”
The trees near the Northern Branch were friendly toward Gang Jaeho and the humans.
Because to the trees as well, it had been the humans who ended that brutal winter and brought them spring.
“Really? Why would someone still in treatment suddenly...”
“...?”
And as a result,
the trees turned their chatter toward Gang Jaeho, who could understand them,
and excitedly started talking about what they had seen.
The trees had only meant it as some idle gossip,
“Hm... you two, this way for a second.”
“What’s going on...”
“The trees say they saw people going further inside.”
“Well, it’s not like this area is our private property. People walking around is...”
“The problem is...”
Gang Jaeho sighed and said,
“that among them is Youngjun.”
“Huh?”
After that last battle,
he was the one who, because of his severe injuries, had been transferred to the Northern Branch to continue treatment.
That was Shin Youngjun.
“Why is someone {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} who should be lying in bed...”
“Exactly. We don’t know what it is, so we should probably go take a look.”
He had refused to get involved in the Association,
and because of his injuries, he hadn’t been drawn into their busy work either.
Even so, he was a benefactor to whom they owed a great debt.
The three of them, concern on their faces, headed into the forest.
And there, inside,
“Ah, looks like someone else is coming.”
“What? So it wasn’t just the two of us who were called?”
The three leaders of the Northern Branch
found themselves facing two men.
“...The Chef,”
“and even Jongdu... What are you two doing here?”
The chef and the architect.
It was Howard Jin and Kim Jongdu, two of the Association’s representative production-class members.
The two production-class members and the three leaders of the Northern Branch
looked at one another in puzzlement.
“Huh?”
And then,
from behind them,
“What business do the three of you have here?”
A young man in a hospital gown,
Shin Youngjun emerged from the forest.
