Chapter 146: Mobilization Training Registration Period.
Chapter 146: Mobilization Training Registration Period.
“Heroes! Those in the healing class, please use this counter!”
“Martial artists, if you wish to share a room with members of the same school, you must apply in advance!”
“Excuse me? You’ve already retired? Then why are you here… I’ll call the person in charge for you!”
“If you are currently progressing through a Story, you may take these documents! Please register in advance next time.”
The area in front of the counters was exceptionally chaotic today. It was always a noisy place, but since it was the mobilization period, it had turned into a living hell.
There were Heroes who had come to submit documents in person, representatives or secretaries of specific organizations, civilians subject to mobilization, and members of various national military units or the Management Bureau’s own Defense Force.
If they had submitted their documents early or selected their preferred mobilization period in advance, they could have handled this much more comfortably.
But what could be done?
Even after becoming a Hero, a human is still a human—and humans love to procrastinate.
While online registration was possible, it only covered the most basic confirmation applications. Thus, this mess was an inevitable outcome.
Assignments to specialized units.
Refusal of mobilization due to academic studies or Story progression.
Certification documents to share a room with specific individuals.
Complaints regarding incorrectly sent notices.
All of these required a visit to the Management Bureau’s counters to be resolved.
Of course, the place wasn't this overcrowded every mobilization period.
There was a specific reason for it this time….
“Senior…? Wasn’t it much less crowded last year?”
Right. I was just thinking about that.
“This time, it’s that thing. You know, that incident.”
“That incident?”
What was it called again….
I pondered for two or three seconds, trying to find the word that had slipped my mind.
“Ah, right. The Hokkaido Incident. Normally, people would be assigned there too, but since it’s under repair, the Defense Force is handling it exclusively. All the personnel who should have been assigned there were diverted here, which is why it’s such a mess.”
“…The Management Bureau’s administrative processing is truly something else.”
“Tell me about it.”
I couldn't help but agree with Han A-bin.
It was obvious that a situation like this would occur, yet the Management Bureau’s strange habit of penny-pinching had manifested once again. They had only added a measly two extra counters.
Of course, even with twelve counters instead of ten, there was no way they could handle a crowd that had grown two to three times larger than usual.
“Heroes! The use of powers inside the Management Bureau is strictly prohibited! Do not use ice magic just because it’s hot!”
And the aftermath of that was this utter pandemonium.
By the way, shouldn't they at least allow ice magic?
It’s not like they’re making it hail; at this point, it seems more like a reasonable way to vent frustration.
As I was lost in these idle thoughts, standing next to me with a vacant expression—
“…How much longer do we have to wait?”
Han A-bin spoke up.
“Just give up and zone out; the time will pass quickly. It’s like… ah, right, a march. You’ve done it, so you know. If you just let your mind go blank like you’re on a long march, it’ll be over before you know it.”
Or just fiddle with your phone.
There are plenty of ways to kill time.
“It’s a bit hard to do that when it’s this noisy….”
It seems her training is still lacking.
Where did that incredible focus she showed on the Rubber Boat go?
“That’s why I told you I’d come alone. Why did you insist on following me?”
I told her to stay home and rest, but she just wouldn't listen.
I go through this every year, so submitting two more sets of documents wouldn't have changed anything for me.
“I’m already regretting it….”
As if resentful of her past self, Han A-bin let out a deep sigh while squeezed between the crowd.
Trusting her experience from last year and following me without a second thought had resulted in this hell.
It was only natural for her to regret it.
She had voluntarily walked into a hell she could have easily avoided due to her own lapse in judgment.
By now, thoughts like I should have just stayed home or Is it too late to go back now? were probably floating through her mind.
However, since the person she followed was her master and senior, and since she was a person with a sense of shame, it would be hard for her to voice those thoughts.
This was purely a psychological profile based on my imagination, but I’d bet it was about 90% accurate.
Therefore, I decided to offer her a hand of salvation.
“If it’s too hard, go home with Si-hyun. It doesn’t matter if I’m here alone anyway….”
I turned my head as I spoke, but—
“Where did Si-hyun go?”
Only Han A-bin was in my line of sight.
Baek Si-hyun, who had been dressed up stylishly by A-bin, was nowhere to be seen.
“Si-hyun? She’s right next to me….”
Perhaps because there were so many people, A-bin only realized now that Si-hyun had vanished.
“….”
“….”
A brief silence followed.
“Don’t tell me. Did Si-hyun become a lost child?”
A voice filled with an emotion that even I found absurd escaped my lips.
“…Isn’t ‘lost child’ a bit much? Si-hyun is an adult… surely….”
“Right. Ha. Ha. Ha.”
Exactly. Si-hyun is all grown up; she’s at an age where she can take responsibility for herself.
Yes. Nothing will happen.
Nothing….
“Baek Si-hyun! Where are you?!”
“Si-hyun!”
Our voices overlapped.
Loud voices, filled with worry and dread.
It wasn't that we were worried about Baek Si-hyun’s safety.
There was no way a full-grown adult—an A-Rank Hero, no less—would come to harm just because they disappeared while standing in line.
Therefore, we weren't worried about what might happen to Baek Si-hyun.
“Baek Si-hyun! Where did you go?!”
“Si-hyun! Pick up your phone!”
We were worried about what kind of trouble she might cause.
* * *
For some reason, she didn't even pick up her phone. We even went to the Management Office to put out a missing person announcement, but Baek Si-hyun was nowhere to be found.
However, it wasn't that we failed to meet her.
We just met her in a very unexpected way.
“I wonder what a greenhorn who can’t even manage his own disciple thinks he’s doing, strutting around like this.”
“Ah! Master, I finally found you!”
We arrived at the high-ranking officials' quarters after being contacted by the Lord of Infinite Castles.
There, we found the fool casually sipping coffee.
The idiot was smiling brightly with her lips to a mug, seemingly unaware that we had been worried sick about her.
I wanted to snap at her, but as they say, you can't spit on a smiling face.
“Si-hyun, come here for a second.”
“Huh? Okay!”
Leaving Baek Si-hyun’s punishment to Han A-bin, I sat in the chair the fool had occupied and faced the Lord of Infinite Castles.
“What exactly happened that led to you having our disciple here?”
“I caught the stupid brat trying to take the elevator down to the Restricted Area, claiming she was looking for a bathroom.”
“What?”
“I don’t know how she did it, but she was bypassing the elevator security. When I checked the CCTV, she was just spamming the buttons, and suddenly the security was breached.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
Is the Bureau’s security really that pathetic?
“Wait, it can be breached like that?”
“That’s why I’m planning to give the security team’s useless leeches a piece of my mind. How can they even swallow their food when their security gets bypassed by a single brat? It’ll be the perfect excuse to scold them, saying I can’t retire because they’re so incompetent.”
As he spoke, the Lord of Infinite Castles nodded, looking satisfied just by the thought of berating his juniors.
What a crazy, sadistic geezer. Still, I had to express my gratitude this time.
“Well, anyway…. Thanks, Old Man.”
Was he surprised by my words?
“Hmm? A greenhorn like you expressing gratitude so readily? I suppose if one lives long enough, one sees everything. Did something happen?”
“My disciple has a knack for attracting trouble. If you’d left her alone, she probably would have broken something in the Restricted Area.”
If it had ended with just breaking a Bureau elevator, that would have been a relief. The thought of her breaking an Otherworldly Power Repulsion Field or a Reality Stabilizer gives me goosebumps.
Not to mention the aftermath, the responsibility for her management would have fallen on me.
Just thinking about it is horrifying.
So, bowing my head to the Lord of Infinite Castles was a small price to pay.
“I suppose she really is your disciple. Two of a kind, both restless troublemakers.”
“Are you going senile? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Where on earth do she and I look alike?
I shot back with a voice laced with irritation.
“It’s hard to see oneself clearly. So, if you can’t agree, just nod and accept it. I’m not idle enough to chat with a brat.”
The Lord of Infinite Castles simply replied in a leisurely tone.
Then, without listening to my response, he pushed his creaking wheelchair away from the table.
“….”
I missed my timing.
Even if I wanted to argue, he had turned away after delivering such a logical point, making it hard to say anything.
However, the atmosphere didn't feel like the conversation was over, so I sat in the chair and waited for a moment.
Clack.
A mug was placed in front of me.
Along with the warm steam—
“Drink. Coffee is fine, right?”
The Lord of Infinite Castles spoke.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Have kids these days not been taught to offer guests a drink? Just shut up and put it in your mouth. I have something to discuss.”
“No alcohol?”
“Just shut up and drink.”
Yes, yes. I’ll do just that.
There seemed to be no point in further questioning, and for some reason, the Lord of Infinite Castles looked like he wouldn't proceed with the conversation unless I took a sip. So, I carefully sipped the coffee in the mug.
First came a deep bitterness.
Then, a hint of sweetness and the richness of milk lightly brushed past my throat.
After one sip—
“Your thoughts?”
“It’s just coffee.”
To be honest, my tongue has become so desensitized that I couldn't tell what was different.
“Tsk. As expected, I was wrong to expect anything from The Hammer’s brat.”
Such verbal abuse followed, but since it was true that my palate was dull, I quietly sipped the coffee.
By the time the coffee in the mug was almost gone—
“Regarding your disciple, Han A-bin.”
A sentence delivered in a calm tone, unlike the usual Lord of Infinite Castles, flew toward me.
“What about her?”
“Why don’t you leave her to me?”
“I refuse.”
I wondered what was up since he was being unusually compliant.
A transfer of discipleship, then. Since I had no interest in such a thing, I tried to end the conversation with a short, blunt answer.
“Think about it. Lee Ha-ram, what can a guy like you possibly do for that child?”
The Lord of Infinite Castles persisted, uncharacteristically clingy.
“Combat techniques and ability development. And I can give her experience.”
“Do you truly believe you are capable of that?”
Based on his phrasing, it sounded like there was anger behind it, but the voice that actually escaped his lips was incredibly calm.
As if he were truly trying to persuade me.
“I have the results to prove it. I’ve boosted her combat power several times over, helped her develop her new telepathy ability, and even gave her command experience….”
“Do you truly believe it was possible only because it was you?”
“….”
“I won’t deny your achievements. You brilliantly revived a seed that was rotting away. Without you, that child would have withered away without ever showing a sprout of talent.”
“…Thanks for the compliment.”
“However, she has reached a limit. The direction you and that child take as Heroes is far too different. For that child to grow, she will need specialized education.”
The Lord of Infinite Castles’ words continued to pour out.
I could have argued back if I wanted to, but I didn't open my mouth.
Because it was so similar to the direction I had been thinking of.
“I’ve had a chance to talk with her, and she aspires to be in command. If that’s the case, being my disciple would be far more advantageous for her. I can provide letters of recommendation as well.”
This was also something I had considered.
If I thought about A-bin’s future, I knew that accepting this proposal was the right thing to do.
“…I don’t mind.”
“Then, let’s proceed with the formalities. Call Han A-bin over—”
“But you see, Lord of Infinite Castles.”
However. How should I put it?
“What is it?”
“We should hear the person in charge’s opinion too.”
Something I couldn't quite put my finger on bothered me, so I gave that answer.
It wasn't about the staff hidden within her.
That object had already been dyed in Han A-bin’s colors; even the Lord of Infinite Castles would find it difficult to notice.
It was just… something felt off.
“…I suppose you’re right.”
Did he agree with my words? The Lord of Infinite Castles stopped his barrage of words after that.
Silence descended upon the room once again. The one who broke it was—
“I’ll ask about that matter later. More importantly, why are you here? Did the three of you come for a tour of the Management Bureau?”
It was the Lord of Infinite Castles’ original way of speaking.
Now this was a conversation I could handle.
“It’s the mobilization period, so I came to submit some documents.”
“Is it that time already? No wonder there were so many brats gathered together.”
“Aren’t you submitting any documents?”
“By foolishly stopping at a counter? I’m part of the command; I can just write them up and put them in myself. What does it matter?”
So the folks in command have such a direct channel.
Must be nice.
Keeping that sarcasm to myself—
“So, about that, Lord of Infinite Castles.”
“What?”
I pushed a piece of paper toward him.
“How about you take care of my documents as well?”
I bowed my head.
“….”
The Lord of Infinite Castles looked at me as if my behavior was utterly absurd.
But what did it matter?