Building a New Family - 8
A week had passed. I watched the kids with trembling eyes, praying over and over that they wouldn't get hurt.
Ugh...
The zombies right in front of them weren't all that impressive. They moved slowly, and they had no way to attack from a distance. A single swing of the plastic sword in my hand would cleanly take them out. But I kept my body tense as I stared at those zombies.
"Aim properly for the head! They're not fast, so no need to slow down—just conserve ammo!"
The ones fighting those zombies right now weren't me, Seohee, or Sua—they were the orphanage kids.
Honestly, they still look so young...
These were the kids who'd survived that horrific battlefield, so their skills were guaranteed to some extent. But surviving one real battle didn't mean they could fight properly. I needed more certainty. And they started hunting the zombies under Hari's commands.
Gunshots rang out, and zombies toppled over one after another. Solid results.
But it's still a bit lacking...
Of course, considering everyone except Haena was a minor, this was more than enough.
"...Huh?"
A dog's howl echoed through the street. It was too high-pitched to be a proper howl—more like a scream from rotting vocal cords.
"Hell Dog, right? That's what it's called."
"Yes, Master. Should we help now?"
"Let's watch a little longer."
Hunting regular zombies with guns wasn't all that surprising. Sure, standing still while aiming precisely at a zombie's brain and pulling the trigger without shaking wasn't easy. But I wanted more from them.
"Stay sharp, kids! Make a strong impression on Daddy... er, I mean, the boss!"
Hari's face flushed red at her slip-up.
"S-sorry—"
"It's fine. Get ready."
"Yes!"
It was cute. I didn't mind. In tense moments, kids could slip and call their teacher 'mom' or whatever. The age gap wasn't that huge, but hearing a young girl like Hari call me 'daddy' wasn't so bad.
But now wasn't the time to grin like an idiot. For them to safely pass this test, I had to stay on edge too.
I narrowed my eyes and watched the Hell Dog burst out from the alley corner. Black-red veins, half-rotted but solid muscles, chunks missing here and there but still a fairly large dog shape. One of the elite monsters prowling around here.
"Shoot! Now!"
No matter how tough the muscles, it couldn't tank bullets. With the guns they had, they could take it down—as long as they didn't panic and faced the Hell Dog head-on.
"Kyaa, kyaah!"
"Don't break formation! Ignore the others! Focus on the Hell Dog in front of you!"
I let out a faint smile.
Kids are still kids, huh.
Hell Dogs were fast. Quadrupeds were quick at full speed anyway, but this zombified mutt was unnaturally swift even compared to that. Of course, no dog could outpace a finger on the trigger. It was an enemy they could drop if they didn't panic—but
Yeah, not quite.
One girl couldn't control the recoil and fired into the air. I dashed in front of her and lightly sliced the charging Hell Dog with my mana-flickering plastic sword.
"H-heek!"
The other girls weren't much different. Only Hari stayed calm and shot steadily; some dropped their guns or squeezed their eyes shut. I didn't think it was abnormal. High school girls risking their lives against zombies was the real unnatural part.
"...That's all that's left, Daddy... Father?"
"Neither."
"Got it, Boss."
Hari pouted and shot me a sulky glare.
"Come to think of it, you're not really the boss either..."
"Th-that's not important!"
"True enough."
I walked around, calmly checking the Hell Dog corpses. And I realized more of them had been killed by bullets than I'd expected.
"How...?"
"I-I took down a bunch too! I tried hard!"
"Ah..."
Come to think of it, Haena was in on the test. She hadn't stayed in formation like the others, but she'd fallen back to a safe spot and calmly picked off Hell Dogs without panicking.
"Good job."
"Thank you! I'll keep working hard!"
Truth be told, even without the test, I'd planned to take Haena along. She wasn't my slave yet, but she was combat-ready right now.
"I'll only bring two into the dungeon: Hari and Haena. The rest of you, sorry, but wait at the orphanage."
"Just one more chance!"
The girls clasped their hands and begged. I shook my head firmly.
"This isn't a field trip. Grow a bit more, and we'll go together then."
"Okay..."
I was gathering people for the dungeon dive. With most zombies in the area cleared, all that remained were Anseongu's dungeon and boss.
And for that, I needed somewhat reliable companions—not for fighting monsters, but for cleanup. Ones I could trust not to die the second I looked away.
"Alright, time to head back? I'll walk you."
"Okay..."
"Can't you sleep over again today?"
"Director Yeowon talked about you a lot, mister."
I chuckled and shook my head.
"I've got people waiting at home, so that might be tough—"
Then I saw an unbelievable face.
"Kangyeon?"
Soo Kangyeon, Katus patrol captain, was here.
"Is it okay for you to be here?"
"Don't worry. Once that anomaly hits, it's safe for about a month."
"Phew..."
I didn't want another mess like that. Monsters didn't scare me, but these people dying did.
"I've got good news."
"What is it?"
Kangyeon smiled brightly.
"I reported the previous incident to command. Katus recognizes your organization—specifically, the 'Sunwoo Faction of Anseongu'—and accepts Anseongu as your territory."
"Sunwoo Faction?"
Sounded kinda yakuza. Not a great ring.
"I hadn't heard an official name, so I used the one I suggested. If you have a preferred—"
"No, that's fine. But control means—"
"It means we recognize you as the ruler of this land. Including the orphanage and all areas."
"...Pardon?"
It felt like the number of people I was responsible for had ballooned overnight.
"The orphanage..."
"The reduced supplies were partly punishment, but... Katus isn't exactly flush either."
"Ah..."
"Supporting this orphanage benefited Katus too."
"Huh?"
"It used a lot of resources, but we got well-mannered, cooperative adults—stable talent."
I tilted my head.
"Why not raise them yourselves?"
"Raising kids takes manpower. Think of it as outsourcing."
I nodded. Yeowon handled kids like magic, but childcare was tough. In an apocalypse, even more so. Plus, in this world, normal folks who fit into organizations didn't survive long. Scouting outsiders or survivors was risky.
So they'd used Yeowon's safe, nurturing orphanage, even at a loss, to solve that.
"But some in the organization questioned the orphanage support."
"..."
"Command plans to cut it off now, turn Anseongu into a 'friendly secure rear' with your faction, and focus on conquest."
"Good news for me."
I had no desire to expand endlessly. Anseongu alone was vast in land and resources; no need for territory I couldn't manage.
If they weren't fighting, I'd gladly accept.
"Thank you for your efforts."
"Glad you're pleased. Even if not now, please keep trading with us. We're practically allies."
"Trading?"
Kangyeon smiled and eyed the guns the kids held.
"Where do you think those guns and ammo came from?"
"Ah."
"Katus holds a 'military supply point,' with facilities to produce guns and ammo. You'd have a hard time with that..."
I nodded with a grin. Guns weren't that common here—not enough for orphanage kids to casually tote rifles.
After greetings with the other kids, Kangyeon left with her patrol.
"Whew..."
My shoulders felt heavier. Family grown. Responsibilities multiplied.
"So now I can call you Boss, right?"
Hari beamed at me. I nodded with an awkward smile.
"Of course."