Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: 154: Luck
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"Whoa."
"Cough... Ronel?"
Ronel gazed at Han U-sol rolling on the ground and let out a low murmur of admiration.
The focal point.
The focal point had appeared.
"God hasn't abandoned us! He's watching over us!"
"W-What?"
She praised God without thinking. Han U-sol, covered in dirt, tilted his head in confusion.
"Ah, I mean, I'm just that happy to see you. Sorry, but could you follow me for now? I know you're disoriented and all, but time's tight."
Ronel led Han U-sol toward where the heroes had gathered.
The assembled heroes were shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. They had a gut feeling that they might have to charge the outskirts without any chance of victory.
That was the case until they spotted Han U-sol following behind Ronel.
Han U-sol was a fairly well-known figure even among rookie heroes. Not just for his skills, but his barrier ability carried a kind of symbolic weight.
The heroes' dour mood lightened a bit. From the vibe of livestock headed to the slaughterhouse, a flicker of "maybe, just maybe" passed through them.
Ronel nodded in satisfaction at the sight. This was why he was the focal point.
A being who could instill possibility just by existing, dispel needless anxiety, and unite everyone.
This was enough.
Ronel stepped forward before the heroes and began briefing them on the operation.
The unit advanced toward the outskirts. Their target: W District.
It was the zone the magic beasts advancing from X District had to pass through to spread to other areas, so it was estimated to have the highest concentration of them. Ronel's unit would head there, draw as much attention as possible, and buy time.
Just under 50 troops. Charging into a city district teeming with magic beasts with only them—this insane plan was something anyone would call a suicide mission.
Naturally, the soldiers were anxious. But they didn't feel like they were just marching off to pointless deaths.
This was entirely thanks to Ronel's efforts.
During the briefing, Ronel had vigorously rallied the troops. Spouting speeches straight out of some old black-and-white TV drama, she coalesced them around Han U-sol.
Emphasizing how he was skilled enough to face hordes of magic beasts alone, and the symbolism of his ability, "Authority of Protection."
It even instilled a sense of mission in the soldiers.
The symbolic weight of the Authority of Protection, which had shielded the city from magic beasts for the past three years. It made them feel less like green rookies charging to their doom and more like a symbolic unit striking for humanity's defense.
So, the unit's morale was fairly decent. For now, at least.
"...We don't know where Captain Aselrika is, right?"
"Yeah. But she's probably joined up somewhere by now. We got launched around the same time."
That was a relief.
It meant the unit heading to the outskirts might not be the only one.
Of course, having reinforcements or not made all the difference. If Aselrika had gathered troops like her and was heading to W District, nothing could be more reassuring.
'But somehow, I feel like the captain... might prioritize the civilians.'
Ronel had relegated civilian evacuation to a lower priority. She chose to assemble troops and strike the enemy heart over protecting civilians.
Strictly speaking, one could say she'd shirked her duty as a hero to protect citizens.
Would Aselrika do the same? Somehow, she doubted it.
She'd probably be circling nearby districts, helping with civilian evacuations and defenses.
Ronel decided to assume the worst-case scenario.
No reinforcements.
The magic beasts' quality and numbers at their absolute worst.
Obviously, this rookie-only unit wouldn't hold out long.
Ronel quietly spoke to Han U-sol so no one else could hear.
"...Ahem. Senior."
"Yeah?"
"Just in case, but prioritize your own safety over others. You get what I mean, right?"
To put it coldly, Ronel's unit was expendable against the magic beasts—nice if they could fight, but no big loss if not. Even dressed up nicely, they were just live bait to buy time.
There were plenty of other inexperienced soldiers and rookie heroes to replace them if needed.
But not Han U-sol. He was indispensable to humanity. Unlike her unit.
That's why she was telling him this.
If things went south, abandon everyone and save himself.
Treat them like disposable tools to be used once and tossed.
And that included Ronel herself.
"...Yeah. Got it."
Han U-sol nodded more readily than expected, and Ronel looked surprised.
Was this the same Han U-sol who'd gotten disciplined for recklessly rushing to save other heroes?
She'd prepared arguments expecting him to protest that he couldn't do that this time either. What had changed his mindset?
Well, a ton of people had died, after all.
In an era teaching that every life is precious, people were dying like flies.
The world had gone mad. A world where unsaveable lives outnumbered the saveable. As life's value plummeted, common sense grew imbalanced.
In a mad world, people had no choice but to go mad too. Maybe he'd grown numb to death bit by bit.
Perhaps he'd accepted that he couldn't save everything and let something go inside.
"...Yeah."
The man who'd once tried to shoulder it all and save everyone had finally let something go.
Ronel had once found that frustrating, but seeing him truly give up now left a bittersweet pang in her heart.
Why? Why this feeling?
She'd always wished he'd be more resolute.
Him nodding without hesitation to her words should be exactly what she'd wanted.
Could it be... that getting confirmation he'd abandon her if push came to shove hurt her feelings?
'Pathetic.'
Mouthing resolve to face death was one thing, but she was still scared of dying, after all.
Ronel mocked her own weakness and let out a self-deprecating sigh.
"...Let's go."
Still, the unit didn't stop marching.
The expendables moved forward. To fulfill their duty.
Toward the outskirts.
The path to the outskirts wasn't smooth.
Magic beasts that had left W District in search of the next meal soon blocked the unit's path, and the ambushes showed no sign of stopping.
Take down one magic beast, and another appeared. Take that one down, and yet another popped up from somewhere.
No one dying in the process was pure luck. Even with Han U-sol there, no casualties with this level of force was worth calling fortunate.
The young heroes' morale, riding high on momentum, soared as the unit cut through countless magic beasts. Using the distant inferno flames as their guidepost.
Finally stepping into the entrance of W District, the flames swelled as if welcoming them.
The blaze that had flickered far off, luring heroes, now surged in all directions to swallow them completely beyond the firestorm.
Scorching air that burned their throats enveloped the heroes. Enduring the sensation of their lungs melting, they advanced slowly, alert to their surroundings.
"Th-There's a Cyclops straight ahead! Multiple Chimeras too!"
Thud. A massive giant six meters tall looked down at the heroes. Behind it followed chimeras stitched together from various beasts' bodies.
Not one, but several high-rank magic beasts that were threats on their own. The heroes swallowed dryly.
"Everyone hold your positions! If you don't want to die, maintain the defensive formation no matter what!"
At Ronel's command, the heroes clustered tightly, bolstering their barrier. Support and enhancement spells poured onto the front line.
But.
Something was off with the magic beasts' states.
Beasts that should be charging with murderous intent were hesitating, shrinking back for some reason.
Like salarymen wary of their boss's gaze, the magic beasts hunched over, cautiously peering at each hero's face one by one.
As if searching for someone.
'...What the?'
Ronel tilted her head.
High-rank magic beasts were far more ferocious and cruel than low-rank ones. Why were they acting so passively, looking around nervously?
In truth, they weren't wary of the heroes.
It hadn't been long since Anis, furious at the magic beasts' atrocities, had gone on her rampage.
The magic beasts that witnessed it were terrified, so now they flinched at every human, wondering if it was her.
Just as humans couldn't easily distinguish magic beasts, they struggled to tell humans apart.
But Ronel had no way of knowing this.
She just chalked it up to a bit of luck, relieved the battle was unfolding easily.
"Attack!"
-Boom!
"Grraaaah!"
"Kieek."
High-rank magic beasts threatening even singly were useless if they couldn't fight properly.
The wary magic beasts didn't land a single attack before falling to Han U-sol's barrage of light projectiles.