Chapter 143. Good News.
I stared at the empty space where they'd vanished, my expression indescribable. The others watched me with concern, well aware of my loathing for the Celestials.
"Sihu, are you okay?"
"Honestly? I'm not. I held back because you're all here. If it weren't for that..."
I let the sentence trail off. The people who knew me would understand even if I didn't finish it.
"Representative, I ask cautiously, but is the Celestial named Raphael...?"
"It's not exactly a name. Celestials use bestowed titles as names, even though they have actual names."
"In that case, Raphael is..."
I just smiled at the group asking about Raphael and said nothing. Still, those who had heard my exchange with the Celestials could probably guess who it was.
If I'm honest, what happened with that child still doesn't ignite a burning vengeance in me. But every time I see a Celestial, I feel revulsion at their conduct, and more than anything, the girl's face that naturally comes to mind because they share the same race—that makes me feel foul.
I quickly shook off the thought and turned my attention to what lay ahead.
'I have to meet with the U.S. and the U.K., and I need to pay a personal visit to China, and...'
If the Dimensional Fusion kept progressing, I'd also need to search for my squad members and for her as they crossed over. They weren't the type to go around getting swindled, so I wasn't really worried, but anything was possible, wasn't it?
"Every single time I see those bastards, my mood turns foul..."
The two of them must have sensed my darkening mood, because they pressed in from both sides and wrapped their arms around mine.
"What's this...?"
"Just..."
"Heehee."
My mood lifted in an instant. For real.
"Let's go inside..."
"Okay..."
"♥"
"What time did they say they'd arrive in Gimpo?"
"They departed yesterday, so they should be arriving any minute now."
Today was the day the U.S. President and the King of the United Kingdom were due to arrive. Since they were guests of a sort, we were busily preparing a meal.
"We requested the dispatch of a communications technician, right?"
"Yes. They said none of their survivors were capable of handling the communications equipment."
Since the United States was a country overflowing with weaponry, they were sending a technical specialist along with a neatly packaged bundle of well-maintained weapons.
"They've just landed in Gimpo."
"Then they'll be here soon."
No sooner had the words been spoken than they took a helicopter from Gimpo and landed in the village. We were all dressed quite formally in suits. That was partly to welcome them, but the main reason was to honor those who had been lost during the operation.
"Mister Cheon, it's been a while."
"At the time, things were so urgent I just had to return to Korea straight away."
"I understand completely."
He meant back at the Hanford Site.
"Anyway..."
"Please, don't worry. We have taken the utmost care with the fallen."
At a gesture from the President, soldiers—not in combat fatigues but in full dress uniforms—stepped out of the helicopter carrying coffins. They were high-quality coffins, decorated with flowers, each one draped in the Taegeukgi.
Once the coffins were set down, people began laying flowers upon them, one by one. Finally, the soldiers saluted and the civilians observed a moment of silence, paying their respects. For their final journey, I raised my sword.
- Chaos Swordsmanship: Dimension Severance
Space split apart. A faint aura of death seeped from the rift, and something faintly corporeal emerged.
"Hear me, Messenger of the Underworld!"
The hazy form rippled, as if listening to my words.
"These honored souls shall be escorted by a Messenger of general rank!"
At first, the Messenger was stunned that a living being had opened the gate to Myeonggye, and it bristled at the living man's preposterous demand. But then, as if sensing something, it quelled its anger and bowed its head in deference.
One by one, tiny wisps of essence slipped from the coffins, following behind the Messenger as the gate to Myeonggye closed. I observed the whole process, and at the very end, I cremated them with a pure flame, utterly free of any impurity.
Within the solemn atmosphere, the funeral concluded, and we tidied up. Under normal circumstances, we would observe a three-day mourning period, but the situation didn't easily allow us the time to grieve each and every death individually.
For the meal, we didn't lay out the usual vibrant spread but a simple, understated table.
"Jacob, anyway, what is this good news you mentioned?"
"Heh heh, it would spoil the fun if I told you in advance. Please, just wait a little longer."
The King of the United Kingdom was being playful. He'd actually asked me before to just call him by his name, since he found 'Your Majesty' too stiff. I'd spent my time on Titan calling kings by name, so I was comfortable with it, but it wasn't so easy for the others, and they kept addressing him by his title.
"At any rate, I've only been here twice, but I can see the progress you're making."
"Safety is secured now, so we have to improve things bit by bit."
"That's a fine resolve."
"Incidentally, haven't the U.S. or the U.K. had any separate contact from China?"
"Not only were there none of the Celestials you mentioned, Representative, but no contact at all."
"Hmm..."
"I hear you plan to go to China in person this time."
"Yes, that's right."
They were clearly curious about just how much sanction I intended to impose on the Celestials in China. And at the same time, they were expressing a little concern.
"Well, I'm only going to deal with the Celestials. I don't have any ill will toward the other people."
"If, by any chance, Chinese territory were to become no man's land..."
"We'd have to decide how to handle that when the time comes."
They looked a little disappointed. If a vast, resource-rich land were to lose its owner, any ruler of any nation would find their mouth watering.
Never mind the rare metals used in military, aviation, and medical devices—85% of the rare earth elements vital for high-tech industry are produced in China alone.
While I was talking with the U.S. President, the King joined the conversation.
"Are you planning to depart for China immediately?"
"No, I won't be leaving right away... Why do you ask?"
He seemed slightly relieved by my answer that I wouldn't leave right away, and he glanced sideways at the U.S. President standing beside him. The U.S. President also seemed clued in about something, his eyes briefly meeting the King's.
"I believe the good news coming for you, Representative, will arrive within today."
"Goodness, hearing that from the ruler of a nation only makes me more curious."
"Aren't gifts always best when you open them yourself? Come, come, let's all have a drink."
As dinnertime slowly approached, we started having drinks quite early. Jacob explained it was called an apéritif, or something like that—a drink before the meal...
"Anyway, I'm of the opinion that a good story is indispensable when you're having a drink."
"...?"
"You mentioned you used to run a mercenary company, Representative. If it's not impolite, could you tell us about it?"
"Well, I don't mind, but... why the mercenary company in particular...?"
This man, he was acting oddly today. He wasn't asking me to tell stories of my time on Titan, but specifically about the mercenary company.
"Aren't I, and the President for that matter, both people responsible for entire groups? That's why I'm curious to hear how you coordinated people and ran an organization."
As we talked, dusk was already settling in. While helping the others carry the food they were bringing, my mother-in-law spoke to me.
"Sihu, could you go back to the house and get some more liquor?"
"Huh? Isn't there plenty of alcohol here?"
"I'd like to have a drink myself since it's been a while, but the stuff here is too strong for me."
"Sure, I'll be right back."
I went off naturally to run the errand at my mother-in-law's request, but I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Just as I was wondering what it was, I arrived home and was checking the liquor cabinet.
'Right... The last time, she sent Chaeyeon and Jia on an errand like this.'
Finding the liquor she'd asked for took quite a while because I had no idea where it was. While I was debating whether I should check the storage room too, I got a call and headed back to the assembly hall.
"Sihu~ I'm sorry. I must be getting old—I completely forgot that I'd already brought it out."
"No, it's fine. But I think this is the first time I've seen you drink, ma'am."
"Even I indulge in a drink every now and then."
"Anyway, where did the President go?"
"I wonder? He'd had a drink, so isn't he out for a walk to cool his face?"
When I returned from my errand, the looks in the eyes of the people watching me had mysteriously changed. It felt like they'd sent me off somewhere and talked about something among themselves...
Even the King, in fact, had abandoned all royal dignity and was grinning at me with a delighted, tipsy expression.
"What, did you all talk about something?"
The people pretended not to know and looked the other way, but they had one hundred percent been talking about something without me.
It brought back PTSD from the bullying I'd suffered at school, over nine hundred years ago...
"We were saying how handsome you are. Hee-hee."
"Good grief, how bland..."
It wasn't like someone had achieved a breakthrough in their Realm of Mastery, or started a family and had a baby...
'Ah, fuck... What the hell is it?'
Inside the plane bound for Gimpo, the squad members were maintaining silence. But none of them could control their expressions. Normally, their breathing would have been utterly serene, but they were more restless than usual, buoyed by anticipation.
"Old man... what do I do!?"
"Vice-Commander, the plane is very fragile. It might break if you get too rowdy."
"What should I say first when I see the Commander!?"
"Since when did you worry about such things? Just act the way you always do."
"What if he's forgotten our faces!?"
The Advisor chuckled. He could swear on his Origin Essence that such a thing would never happen. The Commander remembered the face of every single squad member. Even the lowliest staff at the counter handling reception, cooking food, and cleaning.
The mercenary profession, by its nature, made it hard to form attachments. The colleague you laughed and drank with today could be a cold corpse tomorrow.
- Commander, why do you look after even the lowliest staff?
- Do I need a reason?
- If the Commander wills it, no reason is needed. It's merely that I'm curious.
- Because they're my people.
- ...Even if it means friction with the nobility who hold commercial power?
- Yeah.
'In the end, he shook every last speck of dirt off that noble and sent him to the central government along with the evidence, though.'
As he reminisced about the past, the Advisor felt through the window the plane's fuselage slowly beginning its descent. Soon, he felt the heavy sensation of the wheels meeting the ground, creating friction.
"Guh... We've arrived."
"Is the Commander waiting outside?"
"No! That King said he'd keep it a surprise from the Commander!"
He must always remain composed. Whatever the circumstances, he must not lose his equilibrium. Only then could he assist the Commander cool-headedly and objectively.
But.
"Hah... to think at my age, I can't even control my own emotions..."
The Advisor was simply better at hiding it; inside, he was failing to keep his composure more than anyone else.