Chapter 115. The Second Blossoming.
Chapter 115. The Second Blossoming.
"To begin with, my Class is the 'Steel Commander.' The area I designate becomes a sanctuary that weakens enemy forces."
It was the same method the Mage Towers used on Titan. They would lay down a magic circle that barred outsiders from entering without permission, requiring a separate pass to get through. Develop it enough, and it could probably exert a powerful binding force just like a Mage Tower.
"It also seems to grant beneficial effects to allies, increasing their vitality and making them feel less fatigued."
"How do you distinguish between allies and enemies?"
"Upon contact, a marker appears on the person, designating them as an ally."
"That's a rather convenient ability..."
"Even so, the size of the designated sanctuary is only about two or three buildings. It's handy for a small group, but from the perspective of leading a larger force, it feels a bit lacking."
Still, for the gun-heavy US forces, that level of ability was a considerable asset. The sanctuary's size would probably increase as he grew. Once the U.S. President finished his explanation, everyone turned their eyes to the King.
"I am the Holy Grail Lord."
People expressed their confusion at the name, which gave away absolutely nothing at first glance.
"What kind of ability is that?"
"It is the power to appoint a small number of individuals and grant them powerful abilities."
Even on Titan, there had been several divine beings who granted abilities to lesser entities by using their Divinity. Simply put, the U.S. President felt oriented toward buffing a multitude of people, while the King felt strongly like a small, elite-focused force. At that moment, Chaeyeon, beside me, spoke up.
"The Holy Grail Lord... wouldn't that be similar to King Arthur from the legends? The name fits, and the ability matches too, don't you think? And he actually is the King of England."
The King pondered for a moment, then nodded, saying that made sense. I thought it was a valid point as well.
"Indeed... the story passed down in Britain is true."
Everything about the owner is recorded in their Origin Essence. The past, the present, and even the future. Looking at it that way, it was perfectly understandable.
"Wait a moment... if one's Awakening is determined by looking at a human's past and present, what happens in the case of criminals?"
The U.S. President posed this question to me. Whether a person is a saint or a sinner, the System seemed to be impartial toward everyone.
"What on earth would happen if, hypothetically, the world's worst terrorist were to Awaken?"
"Probably... they would Awaken an ability capable of mass slaughter..."
It wasn't just our president; the U.S. President and the British King also wore grim expressions, imagining what kind of events might unfold in the future.
"So zombies and monsters aren't the only things we have to worry about."
For any reasonably developed country, the gap in military power is so vast that even if anti-government groups acted up, they could be easily wiped out. But with society's infrastructure collapsed and without full armaments, the government was currently too powerless.
'And if every single human Awakens...'
For better or worse, anyone who had done something that left a major mark on the world was highly likely to gain a powerful ability.
"One day, someone capable of wielding an utterly absurd power will appear."
"..."
Right now, just among the Divine Authorities, there were those who lived on floating islands in the sky and held the power to transmute matter.
"An ability that initially only kindles a faint spark might grow, and grow, and grow, until it can reduce an entire city to ashes."
The mere thought of it seemed to give them a headache, as they pressed their fingers firmly against their furrowed brows and groaned.
"Whew, then what should we do...?"
"We must not fall behind such people."
Honestly, these two had potential that was not the least bit inferior when compared to anyone. Looking at the peak potential, the U.S. President would create his own personal sanctum where no one else could enter, and the British King could create a tiny number of immensely powerful Apostles.
'Of course, that's assuming they reach such a Divine level...'
"Very well. Then let's leave the discussion at that for now..."
We had been talking for quite a long time, so I began creating an atmosphere to wrap things up.
"If any of us discovers strange structures, or people using an unusual language, let's agree to share that information immediately."
"Agreed."
"And, additionally, let's also share any instances of people undergoing a Second Awakening."
I escorted them to the front of their helicopter, exchanged final farewells, and watched them depart. Our President let out a sigh and spoke to me.
"A tremendous amount has happened in just a few days..."
"Well, it has..."
"President Cheon-nim, do you have any separate plans in mind?"
"I'll be spending my time as usual, clearing the surroundings and restoring infrastructure. We don't know when they might arrive, after all."
* * * * * * * *
"Advisor, Her Majesty the Queen has come to visit."
"Here...?"
There was only one queen who would visit a place like this. And if word got out that the queen of a nation had visited a mercenary company, she wouldn't be looked upon favorably.
'But I can't exactly refuse to go when she has come here in person...'
"Where is she now?"
"She is in the reception room."
"Understood. I will go myself."
The subordinate saluted the Advisor and left the room, while the Advisor himself, seemingly troubled, wore a frown. After tidying up the documents he had been reading, the Advisor headed for the reception room.
ㅡ Knock, knock...
Hearing a voice from inside telling him to enter, he carefully opened the door and went in. The Queen was seated there.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing coming all the way here without even an escort...?"
"For an escort to be of use, they would have to be stronger than I am, and there is currently no one in our kingdom stronger than me."
Unable to refute the Queen's words, the Advisor cleared his throat awkwardly and took a seat.
"However, what business brings you to a place like this?"
"I came all this way because I wanted to hear directly from you whether the news you passed on to us is true."
"When have I ever told Your Majesty a lie...?"
"I always trust you, but the news this time was simply too shocking. And while I was at it, I thought I'd take a look around outside as well."
The Advisor stared at the Queen for a moment with a tired expression, then sighed as if he had no choice but to give in and spoke.
"It is an undeniable fact. It matched the phenomenon that occurs during Commander-nim's process of returning."
"Is that so..."
The way her face grew faintly flushed and a smile crept up on her lips made it painfully obvious who she was thinking about.
"When you meet him, Commander-nim will be very pleased as well."
"...?"
"You can pretend otherwise, but it's written all over your face."
Every member who had spent long years with the Commander knew. What the Queen thought of the Commander, and what had happened between them.
"This is advice I offer because you are like a granddaughter to me: Commander-nim is the type who won't know a thing unless you tell him directly."
"Isn't my age greater than yours, Advisor, by quite a margin, for you to be calling me your granddaughter?"
"I meant it as just a figure of speech..."
A High Elf—especially one who would become a Queen—lives for centuries as if it were nothing. Busy as she was running a nation, she had occasionally come here a few times to see Commander-nim. Regrettably, however, the Commander had been away each and every time, and she had never once seen him.
'And then he went back home...'
Personally, the Advisor was also curious. Perhaps it was his age, but seeing children made him feel inexplicably happy. So, just imagining what kind of person a child born between the Queen and the Commander would grow up to be made his heart swell with anticipation.
"A child of the Calamity and the Queen..."
It seemed he had accidentally spoken his private thoughts aloud. He hurriedly glanced at the Queen; her face, which had been only slightly red, was now deeply crimson.
"Those were just my private thoughts... I apologize. Still, from an old man's perspective, spending my twilight years looking after a child wouldn't be so bad either."
Whatever the Queen was thinking, she was smiling to herself absentmindedly. Seeing that she didn't seem particularly offended by the Advisor's slip of the tongue, she appeared to be slightly looking forward to the idea herself.
"Even so, you never know. Commander-nim might have already started a family..."
"That doesn't matter. Elves are a race that looks at only one person for their entire life. But a man having multiple wives—isn't that a custom of humans?"
'I believe I heard that wasn't allowed in Commander-nim's homeland...'
Afraid he would hurt her feelings if he told her, he said nothing and merely sipped at his coffee.
"I am confident I can get along well with Ahjussi's wives, too. Do you think I became Queen for nothing?"
"..."
"Still, leaving without a single word was rather detestable, so when I meet him, I'm going to give him one good smack."
The Queen was the only person on Titan who would dare to say she would give 'the Calamity' a smack. The Advisor simply laughed as he watched the Queen make her confident, self-assured declaration.
* * * * * * * *
ㅡ Scratch, scratch...
"Sihu, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, my ear just itched..."
"Oppa, doesn't that mean someone's talking badly about you?"
"..."
A fair amount of time had passed since the U.S. President and the British King returned home. Our daily routine was no different than usual.
Today, as always, I was spending time patrolling the village when contact came in from the others.
"President-nim, we finally have a person who has undergone a Second Awakening."
After receiving the message, I nodded to the girls and headed toward the Assembly Hall. A man, presumably the one who had experienced a Second Awakening, was seated there.
"The System notified you that your Second Awakening was complete?"
"Yes..."
Summarizing what he said, it wasn't so much that his existing abilities were strengthened, but rather that he had gained an additional ability similar in nature to the work he had done in the past. Since he had been a mechanic, he told us he had gained an ability related to crafting.
'Still, we have too few cases...'
Even as I was talking with the man, reports kept pouring in about others whose Second Awakenings had been completed. At the same time, satellite radio transmissions came in from both the UK and the US.
"All these Second Awakenings are happening simultaneously and suddenly...?"
As people began experiencing their Second Awakenings, we spent several days so busy we hardly had time to sleep or rest. We compiled lists by comparing the documents we had written about people's past occupations against their newly Awakened abilities, and shared information with the other nations.
Then, after all that work was finally finished, as we were resting in the Assembly Hall with the group, the System's alarm sounded once more, heralding yet another situation.