Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Chapter 23 Survivors (5)
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The child spoke in an even more subdued voice.
“I don’t know, um, Mom and Dad were dragged off somewhere else…”
“How many days has it been since you all got out?”
“Uh… uh, th-that, a week…?”
Not just a day or two—a full week.
At that point, the Ain races left inside Calom Castle could be considered dead.
‘To borrow those bastards’ expression, disposed of.’
I pressed down firmly on the child’s head to signal that was enough and said,
“Don’t have unnecessary thoughts.”
The child slowly lifted their head and stared at me with trembling eyes.
“Adults are supposed to protect you kids. That’s what adults are for.”
I looked straight into those eyes and said,
“You don’t need to feel guilty for failing to protect the adults. That’s why I said no unnecessary thoughts.”
At my follow-up words, the child bit their lip hard as tears fell in drops.
I’d suspected as much from their overly sensitive reaction to Viscount Volvita’s question.
‘Guilt, after all.’
They must have been worried about the well-being of those left behind.
The child’s parents or neighbors were probably among them.
But for such a small body to secure their own life was already impressive and remarkable.
There was no need to shrink away like a criminal just for fleeing alone without looking back at the others.
After one round of comfort, the burdens weighing on the child came into clearer view.
That’s why I couldn’t stop myself from adding one more thing.
“You did well.”
Listening to the story, I couldn’t help but realize it.
This kid was the one who led the escape.
In that case, witnessing the passage in the rock crevice collapse must have tormented them with immense guilt.
No way they could emerge unscathed after their choices and urging led to others’ deaths.
“Thanks to you, they survived this long. Take pride in it.”
From the way they broke into loud sobs at those simple words, it seemed so.
The child’s crying quickly spread to the surroundings.
‘Just barely calmed them down.’
It didn’t even take a few seconds to turn into a sea of tears again.
I swallowed a sigh and roughly rubbed my dry face.
‘I misjudged.’
Understanding the sequence of events was important, of course.
But before that, I should have given more thought to how these young kids were feeling.
‘Then maybe it wouldn’t have hurt as much.’
Sighing over my hasty choice, I said to Viscount Volvita, who looked at a loss,
“If we keep this up, I’ll end up as some monstrous villain. Let’s rest a bit.”
“…Yeah, that’s for the best.”
Viscount Volvita, who had covered his face with one hand, nodded readily.
Fortunately, he seemed aware that he’d unnecessarily poked at the child’s guilt.
After calming the children down again like that, we pooled their testimonies and searched the area, but no additional survivors turned up.
In the end, talk turned to heading back to the camp.
It wasn’t easy, but we somehow managed to escort the kids back to camp through the long tunnel.
The sudden appearance of dozens of children had the players who hadn’t joined the search buzzing.
But there was no situation to pay attention to that mood.
‘We need to figure out what to do with the kids.’
In fact, command called an emergency meeting—and somehow, I ended up in the spot too.
Since I was the one who found the kids, it felt like pressure to take responsibility for the follow-ups.
“Finding survivors is definitely good news, but…”
“The situation’s not great.”
“Damn, of all times…”
“How many general-class?”
“Twenty confirmed so far.”
“Reinforcements? Any separate orders from above?”
“No. Proceed as planned…”
As I quietly listened in on the conversation, one grating word stood out.
‘General-class?’
I’d wondered what news had come in just before.
‘General-class showed up on the battlefield.’
News worth halting the advance, indeed.
Watching the muttering command staff, I raised my hand quietly but noticeably enough.
Dozens of eyes focused on me at the sudden move.
Ignoring the stares, I spoke flatly.
“We’ll go.”
If we left the kids with the players, there’d be no need to pull troops from the fourth battalion.
‘Better to pull players than his own forces.’
Viscount Volvita would bite at my proposal again this time.
‘No choice.’
General-class meant 7-star evolved species.
Objectively speaking, they rated it as needing ten regular knights to take down one general-class.
‘Even upper knights need two or three ganging up on it.’
Tough opponents even for my current level.
Such things showing up on the battlefield was anything but welcome news.
I clicked my tongue to myself without showing it.
‘General-class and above vanished traces a few years back.’
That was part of why the church army decided to retake Calom Castle.
For reasons unknown, the enemy’s main forces hadn’t budged for the past two or three years.
But that was old intel.
Fresh updates showed things had changed amid the repeated skirmishes near Calom Castle.
‘Looks like they got reinforcements too.’
With the situation like this, pulling elite troops for the kids would be a burden.
So I proposed the most efficient option available right then.
“I’m the one who found the kids, and I want to take responsibility.”
Not a lie. I did feel a degree of responsibility.
But that wasn’t the full reason.
With general-class in play, heading straight to the battlefield was too risky.
‘It exceeds the danger threshold I anticipated.’
Some risk was necessary to rack up contributions.
But if it got to seriously threatening my life, that changed everything.
Pushing for the participation mission was a call I’d made without factoring in general-class.
If the intel in my hands changed, so did the plan.
‘Contributions are a shame, but’
Not worth more than my life.
‘Conveniently, another path opened up.’
Fortunate or not, I knew this game handed out generous rewards in cases like this.
The seven gods sunk into this game would grant contributions for protecting those kids too.
With another way to build contributions in sight, no need to dive into danger.
So I scrapped the plan entirely.
“What’s your call?”
Viscount Volvita had probably caught on that I was pulling back.
But knowing changed nothing.
Someone had to retrace that path back with the kids right away.
“Pull however many personnel you deem necessary.”
As expected, Viscount Volvita didn’t shoot down my proposal.
“Yes, understood.”
I gathered the players soon after and laid it out.
Told them straight about the general-class threat too.
In the end, forty-six showed interest in escort duty and volunteered.
Including me and my party, that made forty-nine total.
‘Twelve silver badges, thirty-seven bronze.’
Nearly half the folks who’d signed up for the participation mission dropped out.
Wanted to take more, but plenty clung to the participation mission.
Couldn’t force their choices.
Locked in the final headcount and reported to Viscount Volvita.
“Numbers set? Depart at once.”
No sooner had permission left his mouth than a new mission window popped up.
MISSION
[Sub Scenario: Escort]
You discovered survivors who escaped the farm unexpectedly. But taking them into the warzone is impossible—escort the survivors to safety.
[Reward]
• Main Scenario Contribution 3000~5000 (differential)
My hunch hit dead-on. No—surpassed it.
‘More contribution than the participation mission?’
Knew the gods doted on their followers, but this much?
Staring at the new mission with mixed feelings, Viscount Volvita spoke up.
“See them safely all the way.”
His voice came out a touch hoarse, laced with bitterness.
Honestly caught me off guard. Never figured him for those words.
In my eyes, Viscount Volvita was the sensitive type about blame.
The sort who hated manufacturing headaches to answer for.
Explained his agonizing days over taking players along or not.
‘Players embedded everywhere across the whole church—taking them freely must’ve felt dicey.’
Politics and factions existed in the army too, along with forces on bad terms with him.
Pull players and take heavy losses?
Tough to dodge political hits disguised as reprimands.
‘I get it, but’
Didn’t paint Viscount Volvita in a good light.
But what I saw wasn’t his whole deal.
After a brief hesitation while studying Viscount Volvita, I answered.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
“…Appreciated.”
We shook hands, and Viscount Volvita turned away at once.
Paths set, no point lingering—I kicked off departure prep right away.
* * *
Forty-nine players, seventy-two farm survivors. Total headcount: 121.
Leading such a sizable group back along the supply route left my head buzzing.
One word from the child’s tale kept trailing after me.
‘Traitors…’
Knew factions had betrayed the Ain Alliance ages ago.
First to turn tail: the fairy tribe.
Among Ains, they’d suffered the most from illegal human trafficking.
Body smaller than a human hand, special ability to induce dreams—ended up secretly sold as slaves plenty.
‘Fairies first, then bit by bit, six races defected total.’
Last in line, the magic tower wizards joined the defection ranks, decisively tipping the war.
That was Bihar history as I knew it.
‘Wanted to ask which race the farm-managing traitor hailed from, how they ran things, but’
Couldn’t pile burdensome questions on a kid with swollen eyes just to scratch my itch.
In the end, I led the column on with my mouth clamped shut.
But my quiet didn’t hush everyone else.
“A farm, huh…”
“Raising Ains as feed? Like pigs we fatten for slaughter?”
“Not efficient, right? Humans take ages to grow. One birth at a time max. Other Ains different?”
“Less efficient as livestock, yeah.”
“Hey, that what you say right now?”
“What’s the issue? Not wrong.”
I swallowed a bitter breath while eavesdropping on the players’ murmurs.
Knew the reason monsters bothered with such an inefficient Ain farm.
‘Ains born with attribute mana.’
Lower evolved species eat attribute-mana Ains and absorb only mana—life force, that is.
‘Like they can’t distinguish the energy type fed in.’
But 7-star general-class and up? They distinguish and absorb Ains’ attribute mana.
Means handling attribute mana like Ains do.
‘Why the farms exist.’
Born with attribute mana? No special bloodline or conditions.
Pure individual trait. Personality, even—no rules at all.
Hence the effort breeding Ains in farms.
Docs I’d seen mentioned periodic sprays of aphrodisiacs or estrus drugs to spark orgies.
‘Then devour the newborns packing attribute mana.’
To monsters, Ains were a resource, plain and simple.
Boosting their forces? Spot on.
Damn system