Chapter 144. Mercenary Corps Reunion.
After stepping off the plane, I glanced back and saw the other planes carrying our unit members landing one after another. Then I looked ahead—several people were waiting for us.
'Hm... So that person also uses mana.'
I was quite surprised that the first people I met could all handle mana, but after hearing the full story from the king, I understood.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Min Seok-woo, formerly the President of this country."
The man who stepped out in front of me extended his hand. I had roughly heard about Korea's background on the flight over, so I knew what a president meant.
'He said the people directly vote to choose their own king...'
"Pleasure to meet you. I am 'Cassius,' serving as the Advisor for the Yongbyeongdan."
While exchanging greetings, someone caught the President's eye.
"And who is that...?"
There was a girl looking around here and there with open curiosity. She appeared to be around high school age, or barely an adult.
"She is our Yongbyeongdan's Vice-Commander. That's simply how she is, so you needn't pay her any mind."
The President wore a look that seemed to ask, 'If she's the Vice-Commander, isn't that a rather high position?' but after hearing my words, he let it go.
"You must have much you still don't know after crossing over to Earth, so please feel free to ask anything you're curious about."
Just as the President said, the knowledge I possessed amounted to little more than Korea's background and the bits of information the Commander had shared when he was bored.
"But..."
"You may speak comfortably."
"Is the Commander staying at that place?"
The President's political career was no short matter, and he could tell that my emotions—though I didn't seem like I'd bleed a drop even if stabbed—were stirring. He smiled warmly, with a hint of envy.
"Looking at the Advisor, I can grasp what kind of person the Representative is."
"...?"
"Running a nation, it's truly difficult to make people genuinely take your side. Because most people move according to their own self-interest."
'When running a country, there are always packs of jackals who move not out of loyalty but only for profit...' And what's more, this place wasn't even a monarchy.
"I suspect the Representative will also be happy to see all of you."
After exchanging pleasantries with the people who had spent quite some time moving us, everyone split up and boarded the helicopters. Now, it was truly time to see the Commander.
Maybe because this wasn't the kind of party where you force drinks on people, nobody had left. At the request of the King of England, the side dishes for our drinks were stories from Titan.
"Anyway, where did the President go? He's still not back."
"That... he must have gone for a really long walk!"
"Huh?"
Chaeyeon answered with an unnatural gesture. The others instantly shot Chaeyeon a sharp glare.
"I really wasn't going to say this, but it seems everyone here is terrible at lying..."
"Oh, then how did the Yongbyeongdan ever get so big?"
'Starting with this one right now...'
Since they clearly weren't up to anything harmful, I kept telling them stories, figuring I'd just play along and let them think they were fooling me.
"Sihu, don't you miss them?"
"Of course I do. I didn't spend all 900 years living with them on Titan, but we were together for quite a long time."
"Don't worry. You'll get to meet them."
Maybe it was because I spoke with such obvious longing that Chaeyeon comforted me so affectionately. Even I didn't think they were dead. I just had a vague sense that we'd meet again someday.
"Well, we'll meet someday."
"What if you meet them within a few days?"
"...?"
"You can think of it as a woman's intuition."
'Even so, does that even make sense...'
"Sihu, you just thought that was ridiculous, didn't you?"
"I guess intuition really is a thing..."
Chaeyeon kept talking with a playful expression.
"Want to make a bet with me?"
"Hmm?"
"If you do meet them, grant me one wish."
"I'll meet them eventually someday anyway, won't I?"
"What if you meet them within a week?"
I didn't even know if they'd come to Earth yet, and even if they had, Earth was immense. I decided to accept Chaeyeon's cute challenge.
"Fine. I'll grant you one wish."
Jia, who was right next to Chaeyeon, also joined the bet. On Chaeyeon's side, naturally, not mine.
"Meeting them within a week is practically impossible..."
While I was sipping my drink, I got a call from the President, who still hadn't come inside.
"Where are you right now?"
"I stepped outside briefly. Do you recall the good news His Majesty mentioned?"
"Of course. I'm so curious I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Right now, I'm on my way together with that good news."
The odd statement that he wasn't bringing the good news but walking with it left me blanking for a moment.
"What do you mean..."
Just as I was about to ask again, the sound of helicopter propellers echoed from outside. Not just one—several.
'Was the good news that British people were moving here?'
More people are good for the group, but the king wouldn't have made this much fuss over just that.
While I was mulling it over, the girls beside me spoke up with mischievous smiles.
"Sihu, you remember the bet, right?"
"You know, hehe... right?"
"The bet...?"
This was absurd. Were they on those helicopters right now? Had everyone known about this?
The helicopters entered the village, and a familiar mana aura reached me. I left the drinking party as it was and dashed to where the helicopters were landing. They were still in the process of touching down.
Unfortunately, from this angle, I couldn't see into the helicopter windows. If the unit members were on board, I had no idea what the hell I was going to say.
By the time all the helicopters had landed, the rest of my companions had finished tidying up the drinking party and gathered beside me. I thought I'd let go of my lingering attachments, but seeing myself tremble slightly, it seemed I still had some left.
— Bang!
The helicopter door burst open, and a figure leaped toward me at incredible speed, mana flaring. At the sudden mana storm, my companions tensed for a moment. But I felt not a trace of killing intent or malice.
The girl who had thrown herself at me didn't slow down—she simply crashed into my arms as if colliding with me. Having lived together for so many years, she knew better than anyone that this wouldn't hurt me.
"Have you been well?"
The girl in my arms didn't answer. She just buried her face in my chest and stayed there. I looked down at her with warm eyes and stroked her hair. Maybe because she was holding back tears, her hands clutching my collar tightened and trembled.
Soon after, as if she'd gathered herself, I heard her swallow a sniffle, and she stepped a few paces away.
"Commander, I'm glad to see you look healthy!"
She gave a bright smile as she greeted me. And behind her, another person approached.
"Old man, you were alive."
"Have I not told you time and again? I absolutely will not die until the Commander has an heir."
"You say that every time."
It was a reunion that showed no outward joy, yet they were happier to see each other than anyone could know. They just didn't show it. When Cassius called the unit members over, all of them disembarked and stood at attention.
"All members of the Yongbyeongdan have arrived safely, without a single deserter."
"Well done."
I answered in the same tone I always used when we completed missions back on Titan. But everyone knew. The Commander's mood was noticeably brighter than usual.
After that, things moved at lightning speed. With all the unit members and even their families arriving, the container houses became insufficient. We quickly manufactured more with whatever spare manpower we had and started assigning quarters.
The Vice-Commander and Advisor followed me, chatting about this and that.
"It's fortunate that it happened to be England."
"Yes, thanks to what you told me before, Commander, I had discerned that this place was Europe at the time."
I explained the situation with England. And the reason my companions had deceived me was absurdly simple: they wanted to surprise me.
"Be that as it may..."
The Advisor casually glanced back at the girls.
"You have finally developed a mind to get married..."
"I always had the mind for it, but back there, I was someone who had to leave at any moment."
"That is no longer the case, is it?"
"That's true..."
"I, too, wish to see a young miss or a young master as soon as possible."
The girls who were walking with us carefully asked Cassius.
"How should we address you...?"
"You may simply call me Cassius as you feel comfortable."
"But you're older than us..."
"Heh heh, you are the Commander's wives, so please do not mind that and do as you find convenient."
"Okay..."
Cassius looked at them with the same warmth he always showed the Vice-Commander. It was the gaze of a grandfather looking at his granddaughters.
"Was there anything unusual after I left?"
"Ahem..."
As if it were a sensitive subject to speak of, Cassius hesitated.
"In truth... Her Majesty's country was gradually coming under pressure from the other human nations."
"..."
I could guess roughly what had happened. With my presence absent for so long, they must have begun to gradually reveal their ambitions toward the other races.
"Was Adela... doing well?"
"Do not worry. That personality of hers—once she fixates on something, she pushes through—remained exactly the same, but she was healthy."
Cassius glanced once more at the girls and continued speaking.
"Heh heh, it seems the number of ladies I must serve will increase by three."
"..."
Cassius looked at Jia and made an odd expression.
"Be that as it may, this lady here gives off the feeling of an elf."
"I gave her the Sky Bow and taught her Luneskar Archery."
We walked, alternating between stories of Earth and stories of Titan, and didn't notice how time flew. Then a thought suddenly came to me, and I asked Cassius.
"Anyway, do you know that guy from Earth like me? He used the exact same martial arts style as you."
At my question, Cassius quietly swallowed a bit of rage.
"Why, did something happen?"
He told me that, spitting on the grace of having been raised, the man had abandoned his mission, stolen a portion of the Yongbyeongdan's assets, and fled.
"Don't worry. I've already dealt with him."
"...?"
I explained everything—how they had invaded our village and laid hands on the girls. At that, Cassius could no longer hold back; his rage began to seep out slowly.
"It is truly regrettable that I could not witness that scene..."
"And I don't know if you heard, but I'm going to found a nation."
At the mention of founding a nation, Cassius wasn't surprised; rather, he looked like he'd expected it.
In fact, Cassius had often suggested I found a nation back on Titan.