Preparations for Departure (2)
Choi Soohan, having drawn TP into her body until her Phase Power reached three million, looked thoroughly worked up. Her whole body had flushed pink and glistened with sweat, and the nipples crowning breasts swollen like little rice bowls turned upside down stood so stiff and blood-red they looked painful. Her pants were soaked through at the crotch with the slick that had run down them, as if she had wet herself. The fine tremors running through her suggested that the lightest touch would make her come apart.
"Miss Soohan. Allow me to show you to the bathroom."
"Th-thank... you."
Her face stayed composed, but her voice shook without mercy, and the moment she opened her mouth a rough breath spilled out. As she rose on her own, she grew so wet between her thighs that the trickle might as well have been written in the air.
Franc, having taken Choi Soohan to the bathroom off an unused spare room and come back, gave a shrug and spoke as if impressed.
"It is remarkable that she kept her reason after taking in nearly three million TP. When Yeongeun received two hundred thousand in succession, she was utterly steeped in lust."
"I was not! It wasn't that bad!"
Flushing at Franc's words, Yeongeun sat down beside me and began slowly rubbing her thighs together. Contrary to what Franc had said, though, Choi Soohan—left alone in the bathroom—cranked the shower on hard and set about cooling her overheated body by herself, stroking her clit and breasts that had grown so large a single hand could barely cover them. I watched that self-soothing for a while, her calling my name over and over as heated moans spilled out of her, then dismissed Spatial Perception and turned to Hwayeon and Yeongeun, who were talking.
"You said earlier that similar research was underway. What did you mean by that?"
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing much. I'd only heard that a few major powers were secretly studying ways to force growth in ability users who'd hit their limit, or to awaken ordinary people. Speaking of which—if you injected TP into a normal person, would they become an ability user? I wonder how that would turn out."
"Is that true? Do you know by what method such experiments are conducted?"
"Heh. You're curious too, aren't you? I looked into it a little myself. Apparently they extract energy from a Phase Stone and inject it straight into the body."
Hwayeon frowned slightly, stroked her chest, and spoke as if the whole notion were absurd.
"Energy extracted by melting down a Phase Stone is entirely different from ordinary Phase Power, is it not?"
"Which is why they do it in secret. Who knows what side effects there might be—I can't imagine what nerve it takes to run experiments like that."
Hwayeon and Franc both winced at Yeongeun's account, Franc most of all. Yeongeun stretched as if it were nothing, then leaned her head on my shoulder and went on.
"Aaah~ Thank goodness our Seoha is stronger than anyone. If he weren't, we never could have run an experiment like this."
"......I do not think anything good would come of this becoming known."
"Why not? Our Seoha doesn't have to watch other countries' moods anymore. If word got out, he'd end up sitting on a pile of money. You have no idea how badly ability users who've hit their ceiling want to raise their class. Even if he charged seventy-five thousand dollars for a single point of Phase Power, people would be lining up to beg him for it."
"That may be so. But if material power concentrates in a single person, the envy of other nations......"
"I know, I know. Human jealousy is the most dangerous thing of all. That's why I haven't stepped down from this seat and keep holding on, isn't it?"
Ho. Raising someone's Phase Power for a fee. Tempting.
"Giving TP to ordinary people wouldn't change much of anything."
At that, Hwayeon and Yeongeun turned to me with startled eyes.
"What? How do you know that? Have you actually tried it?"
"It's only a conclusion we reached among ourselves while experimenting during the fourth cycle, but......"
I told them the hypothesis about why my sister had been forcibly summoned into my Phase World, and what had happened when TP was injected into animals that were not Aberrants.
"Is that so? Then the research those people are doing is a complete lie."
"Not necessarily. The energy those people use and my Phase Power are probably nothing alike."
"......Hm."
Yeongeun's eyes flashed cold for a moment, then her face settled into disappointment.
"If it were possible to forcibly awaken someone into an ability user, that would be a real jackpot. No—not a jackpot. It'd be straight-up broken."
"Enough of that. Once Choi Soohan finishes washing up, the two of you help her at the training hall with controlling her strength."
"Sure."
"I will. You get the hang of controlling your strength fast enough once you've been beaten—I mean, once you've sparred enough."
When I stared steadily at Yeongeun, she cleared her throat and avoided my eyes. Hwayeon went to fetch clothes for Choi Soohan to wear once she was done, and Franc headed for the kitchen, saying she would prepare drinks for after training.
At the training hall in Shinchon-dong, Choi Soohan was beaten by Hwayeon and Yeongeun and drilled without mercy until nightfall. Half-unconscious, she was hauled home like luggage over Hwayeon's shoulder. She still hadn't come to after we got back, so I woke her with Healing Touch, fed her dinner, and sent her to her room to rest. Meanwhile Hwayeon went over to the office building to assign Choi Soohan to the raid team's reserve.
I had expected he wouldn't come back easily, but that bastard Ha Cheolsu really had no intention of returning. I wished he would just hurry back and get himself killed good and hard against the Wall of Space. Every time I thought of him I felt filthy and sour, like I had finished my business and forgotten to wipe. Worse, the Wall of Space I had set in reality would be recalled the moment I entered the Phase World, which meant I would have to station Hiarid against the chance that bastard came back then—and I didn't like that either.
She was a Peak-Rank aberrant, no less. Parking combat power that would otherwise take several B-Class ability users and dozens of supporting C-Class users, and leaving it to sit idle, genuinely rubbed me the wrong way.
When I called Miho and Hiarid and told them to stand watch at the Ability User Association's officetel from tomorrow until I returned, Miho bent her brows, looked up at me, and asked:
— Can't I go with you too, Master?
"What I ask of you matters more than anything. You can do what I tell you, can't you, Miho?"
— Yeah! I can do whatever Master tells me!
I stroked the head of Miho, who answered brightly while clutching my sleeve and flapping her fox ears, and she laughed like a little rascal—heeheehee. Patting her head, I demanded a vow from Hiarid.
"I'll say it once more. Whatever comes out of that room, do not spare it. Kill it with everything you have."
=Do not trouble yourself. I swear upon the meaning of my existence that I shall annihilate any who pass through that space.=
— Me too!
"Good. I'll trust you."
I stroked Miho's head once more, then Hiarid's as well, and the Hiarid who had been petted opened her eyes wide and stared at me. Four of her wings gave a soft flutter, and I deliberately pretended not to notice.
Early Monday morning I got up and, beside Hwayeon, who was putting on Paul Dict's Tight Plate Armor, started getting into my own Force Leather armor. To the eye it was nothing but leather pants and a leather jacket, but there were so many belts that even on my third time wearing it the method was fussy enough to make me not want to put it on. I grumbled and fitted the belts one by one from memory, and Hwayeon—in the tights armor that laid bare the full outline of her ample rear—smiled.
"They aren't belts. They're banding. The banding grips the muscle, so you can put out elastic force. The defense is excellent, too."
Hwayeon, already armored ahead of me, had just started helping with the banding when the elevator doors opened and my sister stepped out in Grand Blue's pale sky-blue dress uniform, white feathers arranged over it like an open miniskirt.
"Seoha, you're up...... Oh, Auntie?"
"Siha, you're here?"
Just off the elevator, my sister looked as if she hadn't expected Yeongeun to be here, then bowed to Yeongeun, who was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I did~ Did you sleep well too, Siha? I heard our Seoha was entering a raid today, so I came to watch."
"You did?"
"How much time is left until departure?"
"The whole team has assembled. The supporters are packing consumables and garrison gear."
Listening to my sister, I checked the time. It was nearly six-thirty. Departure was set for seven-thirty, and they had gathered early. I slid the Extrema Ratio EX into the dagger pouch on my thigh, pulled on the black Force Leather jacket, hung the Cheonchongun at my waist, and asked my sister:
"What's this?"
I touched the open skirt spread prettily over the miniskirt that fell to just above her knees, like the tail of a wing, and it was as soft as sheep's wool. At my question she glanced at Hiarid, then forced a smile, tucked her arms against her sides, and flapped only her palms.
"Ah, so this is made from those feathers. How's the strength? The effect?"
"W-well... it's incredibly light, and tough."
She kept sneaking looks at Hiarid. Wearing clothes made from Hiarid's sisters' wings right in front of Hiarid clearly left her uncomfortable.
"Hiarid. Do you dislike that clothes were made from your sisters' wings?"
=If it is of help to the Heavenly Lord, then Shamud and Alhimbri, held in heaven's embrace, will be satisfied as well.=
"You heard her? If it's tough and good, we ought to pluck Hiarid's feathers too and make some for Hwayeon and Yeong—ahem. For the lady as well."
That had been close. I had nearly said Yeongeun's name in front of my sister.
=If you require them, as many as you wish.=
"You heard her? Let's go."
Only after hearing Hiarid's answer did my sister relax. Together with Hwayeon, who had covered the curves the tights armor revealed with a navy half-coat, I headed for the elevator.
We stopped on the floor below to tell Mom and Dad we were heading out, then all of us moved to basement level three. More than a few hundred people were swarming the underground parking garage, and among them I spotted Kim Chang-hyun and Kang Ju-chan.
What are those two doing out this early?
They saw me and started to raise their hands, then, conscious of the eyes around them, quietly lowered them again. So I waved first, and Kim Chang-hyun and Kang Ju-chan grinned and waved back.
"What's this. You two know the Master?"
"Yes, sir! Classmates, same homeroom!"
"Ho ho ho. Now that's one hell of a school connection."
"Hehe."
With my lovers, my sister, Hiarid, and Miho trailing behind me, I walked toward the platform and glanced around. Every face was threaded with expectation as people busily checked their own tasks or talked with the colleagues beside them.
I had heard it yesterday: today's sortie was Grand Blue's monumental first step, and its first raid. The Master—me—left out of something like that? Did that make any sense? And they hadn't said a word to me.
If I hadn't found out, I'd have been loafing around.
The team entering the Asumpfre Sunken Ruins with me today was fifty-four from Teams 1, 3, and 5, plus eighty supporters. I was the overall lead, but the people actually running things on the ground were Hwayeon and my sister, entering as my aides—and Choi Soohan, to attend me. That was 134, plus me, Franc, Hwayeon, my sister, and Choi Soohan, five more, for a total of 139.
But no matter how I looked at it, the crowd packed into the underground garage seemed well over five hundred. Looking around, I saw familiar faces and faces I had never seen. For a start, every senior executive of Grand Blue and everyone at team-leader rank or above seemed to have turned out. Plenty of Business Support staff were here to move the luggage, and the secretary's own secretaries, those older girls...
I was committing faces to memory when the department-head level people approached. Among them, Aunt Hyeryeong saw me, broke into a wide smile, and was about to speak, so I beat her to it.
"Aunt Hyeryeong smiles the moment she sees me. Do you like me that much?"
"Mas...... Pardon?"
"Ho ho ho. I can't keep the smile off my face whenever I see the Master either, so how much more must Director Lee feel it. And this time the Master is sortieing in person, so a windfall is as good as secured. Of course the General Affairs Director can only beam."
"N-no, that's......"
As Aunt Hyeryeong began to fluster—first at my words, then at Boss Park Jiwoong's—Department Head Kim Pyochung grinned mischievously and joined in.
"The General Affairs Director may be delighted by the growing pile of byproducts, but over in Business Support we're going bald from the warehouse space shrinking by the day."
"Oh, come on! Stop teasing! Boss Park Jiwoong can talk like that because he's set down the weight of being a leader! Department Head Kim the Ladybug should stop fretting until his hair falls out and hurry up and submit a land-purchase plan!"
"Hup! We agreed not to use that nickname!"
"You grinned like a fool when Miss Miho called you that, and now you're trying to wriggle out of it?"
"The General Affairs Director isn't cute like Miss Miho—ah. I surrender. I surrender."
"Don't you think it's wise to refrain from remarks that could threaten your life?"
"Yes, ma'am. Goes without saying."
The people around us laughed at Department Head Kim Pyochung looking weak under Aunt Hyeryeong's scolding, and he himself didn't look offended, so I figured he was enjoying it too. It was a good thing, seeing the executives get along. In dramas, faction fights tore raid teams apart.
But why ladybug?
"Ahem. In any case, I was a little uneasy when the destination of the first sortie was suddenly changed to the sunken city, but with the Master joining us, it should proceed without any real trouble."
"I'll do my best so everyone can return safely. There are an awful lot of people, though."
"It is the first sortie, so every affiliated ability user without urgent business has gathered. On top of that, the video team is filming, so that we may keep the footage for promotion."
At Department Head Ha Yucheol's words I looked to one side, and there really was a video crew filming the underground garage with broadcast cameras. Standing beside a rolling camera with a serious face was Cho Min-ho. I had heard the kid had a baby-faced look that didn't match his age and was wildly popular with the women on the PR team, but judging by his expression alone, you would never guess it.
When word came that preparations for departure were finished, Aunt Hyeryeong asked me, as Master, to say a few words before we left, and I climbed onto the platform. From up there, the crowd filling the vast underground garage came into view at a glance. With everyone gathered looking at me, I focused Mana Sieve into my eyes and watched them for a moment.
There were many people and many expressions, but not one of them held unease. Most faces carried expectation; the rest held only excitement, thrill, tension, and the like. With Mana Vision lit in my eyes, I looked over all of them and turned over what I ought to say.
No—if they were going to do this, they could at least have handed me a speech in advance. What kind of thing is it to shove me up here empty-handed? When I get back, I'll have to scold Aunt Hyeryeong too.
Somehow, before I knew it, I had ended up as Master of Grand Blue—but Grand Blue also had Franc, and Hwayeon, and Yeongeun, and a good many other precious people besides. So should I say that, with my ability and my lovers' help, I would lead Grand Blue until it became the greatest raid team in the world? I sorted the thought quickly, then opened my mouth.
At the answer that rang through the underground garage, I poured Mana Sieve into my throat and shouted with everything I had.
I had kept it short for fear a long speech would turn strange, and I had still worried it might have sounded odd—but everyone answered with fervent applause, so fortunately it seemed all right.
"Grand Blue Raid Team's first raid—we depart!"
When Hwayeon, standing beside me, called it out in a loud voice, the combat ability users and supporters began climbing into eight vehicles, and everyone else drew back toward one wall to clear the way. I boarded the large bus at the very front, and as we pulled out of the Grand Blue building, the bright sun poured down a fierce light, as if lighting the road ahead of us.