Chapter 83. A Person Unneeded by the Group.
Chapter 83. A Person Unneeded by the Group.
We'd exchanged only a handful of words at most, yet he was acting like we were old friends. Every move the man made was calculated. Those who had never actually seen him before naturally assumed we were close and treated me with caution.
He walked up to me while I was standing still, grabbed my hand on his own, and shook it.
I answered him in an icy tone.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You didn't have to go out of your way to come to us—we came here ourselves. Unfortunately, there were many casualties along the way, but..."
He was subtly shirking responsibility, as if to say, 'Because of you, we suffered casualties on the way here.' Glancing over the rest of his group, it looked like he had sacrificed the young men. How could I tell? The survivors left were mostly women and stubborn-looking middle-aged men. Of course, there were some young men, but their numbers had shriveled compared to the last time I saw them. Even those still alive were already exhausted and injured.
"But still, aren't we lucky that even this many survived?"
"Get to the point."
My rude tone made the man's eyebrows twitch for a moment. But he smoothed his expression and went on as if nothing had happened.
"Seeing the armament of your group, it seems to be quite a sizable organization... Wouldn't it benefit you as well if we joined?"
He glanced at the women behind him, smirked, and continued.
"In any group, the leader's role is crucial, of course, but..."
"So you're planning to snatch the leadership of our group, is that it?"
He waved his hands hurriedly in denial.
"No, no. Of course, the leader should be you. What I mean is that to govern a large number of people, you'll need some middle managers as well."
In other words, he didn't want to stand out front, but wanted to use me as a shield and wield power behind the scenes.
'He's exactly the kind of person you can never let into the group.'
"Our group already has people who coordinate in the middle. We have no need to accept you."
"I'll be direct, then. With the world the way it is now, no matter how many women you have, you can never have too many, right? And if your group grows, its strength grows as well."
'Hmm... It'd be good to take everyone except those greedy old men...'
Suddenly, a good idea occurred to me.
"All right. But in return, there will be no such thing as middle managers. You'll live equally, just like any other survivors."
A flicker of discontent crossed his face at the implication that there would be no privileges, but he said he understood and followed along.
On the other hand, my companions, who knew my personality well, looked at me a bit puzzled, but I gave them a subtle wink that only they could see.
Seeing that, they figured I had some plan in mind and let it slide without another thought.
When we returned, there were more people than expected, so we squeezed into the helicopter and headed for Gimpo. After about an hour's flight, we landed. Since it had been quite a while, many people were there to welcome us. The President was the first to offer a handshake, saying we'd worked hard.
"Representative, you've worked hard traveling to a distant country. But..."
He looked past us at the group behind and asked who they were. Just as I was about to explain roughly that we'd picked them up in Busan, the middle-aged man pushed his way forward and shook hands.
"Ho ho, aren't you the President I've only seen on TV? Pleased to meet you. I'm Jang Won-man. I've been living with a group in Busan."
"Ah, yes... pleased to meet you."
"By the way, it's a bit surprising that it's not you, Mr. President, but this young man who's the Representative."
He started laughing and making small talk. Meanwhile, we unloaded the nuclear material, the most crucial item—Ziz's egg—and the supplies we'd acquired from the department store, and gave orders for their transport.
"We need to go to the Assembly Hall for a discussion, so Mr. Jang Won-man, please follow the guidance of others for a while."
Hearing that the leadership would be gathering separately for a meeting, he subtly tried to insert himself, making sly overtures from the side.
"I have some experience leading people myself. Wouldn't it be helpful if I joined you?"
'This guy really keeps getting on my nerves...'
Sensing my irritation, the Chief Secretary behind the President stepped forward a little and deflected the offer.
"Thank you for the offer, but there are many other excellent people within the group, so we'll request your involvement when another opportunity arises."
The Chief Secretary's tactful wording seemed to displease him slightly, but he backed off as if he had no choice.
All of us together explained the situation briefly at the Assembly Hall and enjoyed some refreshments. When the President felt the mood had relaxed enough, he spoke up.
"By the way, how did the newcomers come to join us?"
I explained everything—from before we went to Japan, after we returned, and even the things I found distasteful.
"A person like that is absolutely the type to form factions within the group and cause rifts."
Some might think differently. How could you know that from just appearances and a brief meeting? But I haven't lived all these years for nothing. To put it bluntly, this is my group—if I don't want them, I don't have to take them.
"Representative, it seems you have something in mind."
"Yes. We've finished making an example of the traitors. People like that will cause problems one hundred percent of the time, so we need to show what happens in that case."
"Then that man..."
"Will serve as a very good teaching aid."
After listening to reports on the exchange of nuclear material, the people's condition, livestock, farming, and so on, I finally brought up the most important topic.
"The enormous egg you brought, Representative..."
"Do you remember the story about the giant bird I mentioned before?"
"Yes, I remember."
"It's the egg of the giant bird Ziz. I intend to hatch it. I've been asked to, after all."
Everyone around seemed deep in thought. They were figuring out how to use it—militarily, for transport, each focused on its utilization.
"Heh... It's written all over your faces. Unfortunately, you should forget about using it."
"?"
"Just think of it as a pet. You don't put your dog or cat to work, do you?"
"But I have a slightly worrying question—will it not harm people...?"
"Don't worry about that. Bird or not, it possesses intelligence and wisdom surpassing humans."
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief, as if the idea of a bird having intelligence greater than a human's simply wouldn't compute.
"To put it simply... think of it as a divine creature similar to the Blue Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and such in Korean mythology."
"You mean the Four Symbols."
'To be precise, shouldn't I say the beasts of the Demon Realm are "vicious beasts"...?'
"So, I have one important announcement to make."
When I steeled my expression and looked around, saying I had an announcement, tension settled on everyone's faces.
"I plan to be away for about a week for the hatching."
A variety of reactions followed—some looked lost, some asked why, and some tried to dissuade me. To them, my existence was the group's focal point.
"Then at least regular contact..."
"That will probably be impossible."
I will seal off the space and gradually infuse mana over the week until it hatches. In the process of my mana mixing with Ziz's, people will be affected, however slightly. Naturally, communication via radio won't work because of the mana. Once I explained these reasons, everyone seemed to accept it.
"Sigh... Still, don't leave right away. Stay with us for a little while before you go. People get anxious when the Representative isn't here..."
"I don't plan to go immediately. Besides, I'll leave Terion behind, so don't worry too much."
Even on Titan, a fighter of Terion's caliber is someone no one can mess with. Let alone on Earth, where people haven't even adapted to mana—Terion would be a monster almost on the level of the Calamity.
"Anyway, since you've finished the important business, how about grilling some meat and having a drink for the first time in a while?"
"Sounds good."
Since we'd come straight to the Assembly Hall after returning, everyone decided to unpack, wash up, rest, and then have dinner. When I went home, people had piled up grass and straw and placed the egg on top. I carefully approached and placed my hand on it, and as expected, it began to absorb my mana delicately.
"It's fascinating..."
"Huh? Sihu, what do you mean?"
"Do you two want to put your hands on it for a moment?"
At the suggestion, they both tilted their heads and placed their hands on the egg.
"Kyaa!"
"Eek!"
"Heh heh."
"That surprised me...!"
"Sihu, what is this?"
"It's absorbing mana. Once it passes a threshold, it'll hatch."
"Sihu, so that's why you said you'd be away for a week..."
"That's right. It's my first time doing this too, so I don't know what might happen—that's why."
As they gazed at the egg in wonder, I gave them light pats on the butt and told them to wash up and get ready for dinner. And so, we watched a movie at home, chatted, and cuddled affectionately, then received a message to come eat and headed to the Assembly Hall.
Whenever we had meals, we always used the rooftop of the Assembly Hall building. The old men had quickly put together a rooftop garden concept, just in case something like this would happen. Everyone enjoyed the meal and drinks heartily.
'It's a bit inconvenient that I can't get drunk when I want to...'
Others could use mana to dispel the intoxication, but my body was made so that from the start, no poison—let alone alcohol—works on me.
So, except for me, all the companions got happily drunk, we tidied up the meal area roughly, and each went back to their own homes.
Chaeyeon and Jia said they'd spend a little time in the yard to sober up, so I was lounging on the bed resting.
— Knock, knock...
'No one should be knocking...?'
The door opened a crack, and Chaeyeon's face, flushed from drinking, peeked in.
"Sihu, are you asleep...?"