Chapter 64 – Incident (8)

“Sob, sob…”

That flawless Natasha McGrain was completely disarmed upon facing Jeremy Scott.

As she shed tears with her shoulders heaving, Jeremy patted her back as if he had already forgotten the past.

‘Winning Jeremy over will have to wait for next time.’

My original plan was to let Jeremy know that I would become the leader of this Ember and seek his cooperation.

Because although he was now a mere tavern owner, just two years ago, he was a general who ruled the Third Ember.

The value of winning Jeremy over was sufficient just with that.

However.

‘The situation changed as mutants began to appear.’

Previously, we had to build up military power to prepare for raids by plunderers or invasions and looting by other Embers.

But now that mutants had begun to appear throughout the snowfields, we had to build up military power just to make a living.

Because according to Yan, the hunting squad that faced the mutants had suffered irreparable damage overnight.

What that incident meant was, on a small scale, the survival of the Ember due to food security issues, and on a large scale, the isolation between Embers.

It meant that a brake would also be put on the plan to head to the Forge Embers for golem production.

‘I recall they said Yan appointing Jeremy as the vice captain was also because of the mutants.’

It was said that the casualties stopping at a mere twenty was entirely due to Jeremy’s active performance.

Because of his overwhelming martial prowess shown against the mutants, Hunting Captain Archer Fordham recommended him as the vice captain, and it was said that none of the hunting squad members opposed it…

‘Anyway, it would be best to leave them alone for now.’

Placing the mana gun on the table along with the holster, I stealthily slipped outside.

No matter how urgent my circumstances were, there was a priority to the tasks that had to be solved.

Stepping outside, I looked up at the sky where snow was falling heavily.

Although the snowflakes falling toward the Ember were evaporated by the heat of the Eternal Embers, the areas outside the zone of influence had snow piling up waist-deep.

“Is it true that a snowstorm is coming…?”

There was a piece of bad news from the Meteorological Administration of the Immortal Embers that a snowstorm would rage within a month.

Saying that it would be a snowstorm that would last for at least a month because its power was weak but the area it affected was vast.

As if that talk was true, the sky gathered with massing clouds swollen arbitrarily like bread dough looked unusual even at a glance.

‘Mutants or whatever, I should set off as early as tomorrow.’

No matter how weak its power, a disaster was a disaster. Once the snowstorm began, all activities on the snowfields would be completely suspended.

Of course, once it became a late-stage city where magic engineering had developed to the extreme, one could roam the snowfields like their own living room regardless of what chaos raged outside.

But it was out of the question for our Ember, which did not possess a single decent piece of magic engineering equipment.

The reason we were even trying to cross to the Forge Embers at the risk of danger was also because we had the six-seater and eight-seater off-roaders that we rode from the Immortal Embers.

‘I should modify the off-roaders in advance.’

Modifying the off-roaders was a labor-intensive task, but there was no need for me to raise a hand on this.

Because if I just tossed it to Will Ford, Demian, and the Magic Engineering Department, they would gladly move on their own.

For all it was worth, the off-roader was the pinnacle of mechanical magic engineering at this point.

It was when I was searching for a way to lower the off-roader below the ice wall.

“Argh!”

Along with a tearing scream, a man appeared.

He was clutching one shoulder, and the wound was extremely rough, as if his arm had been torn off by something.

“A-Aylen! Save me, please save me!”

“What happened?”

“W-wolves. Those damned mutant bastards have come down all the way below the Ember!”

“……!”

‘They came down below the ice wall that is 100 meters high…?’

At the unimagined news, I gaped in shock.

The appearance and threat of the mutant snow wolves.

That was strictly a story in the Boundless Great Snow.

Mutants whose activity radius had been limited to the snowfields invading the Ember itself was a problem of a different dimension.

“Where is it?”

We had to find and kill it immediately.

Even the hunting squad members armed with bows and arrows had suffered so many casualties, so it was obvious that the unarmed citizens would literally be slaughtered.

Furthermore, citizens were no different from the foundation that made up the Ember.

I could by no means stand by and watch our already lacking headcount decrease.

However, at the wailing man’s words, I felt as if I had been hit on the head with a hammer.

“It’s not one, it’s they! Not a single beast, but several of them have swarmed in, fuck!”

“……!”

Not a single beast, but several of them.

Not one, but multiple beasts.

‘They’ve already started roaming in packs…?’

If those words were true, there was no longer any time to have a conversation.

“Jeremy, do you have more mana bullets? Pull out every single one you have!”

Rushing into the tavern, I snatched up the mana gun on the table.

Around that time, the man who had become one-armed took refuge inside the tavern, and at his miserable state, Natasha jumped to her feet.

Slam!

“I will evacuate the people, so pack as much as you can and head to the hunting squad headquarters. You must command them.”

Had he overheard the conversation outside?

Jeremy was already waiting for me with a box full of mana bullets placed on the counter.

Although I felt a sense of incongruity, the situation was urgent, so I packed as many mana bullets as possible and asked.

“What do you mean by heading to the hunting squad? And what do you mean by commanding?”

“Aylen Vale, I know you intend to become the leader. The steps you have taken since returning to the Ember show it. Isn’t that so?”

“…So you knew after all.”

As expected, he knew my true purpose.

Since there was nothing to hide anyway, I readily admitted it, and he pulled me by the collar and spoke.

“I like this Ember. Your father, Demian Vale, is a saint who gave up wealth and glory and chose to remain in the Ember, and the citizens are pure, not hesitating to sacrifice for the Ember.”

What was he trying to say by laying out such a lengthy introduction?

Yet, since this was a story about his convictions, I listened in silence.

“Yan Casellos is a dangerous man. I cannot entrust the fate of this Ember to a fellow who treats power as an end rather than a means.”

“We don’t have time. What exactly are you trying to say?”

“What kind of Ember do you dream of? Answer me.”

What kind of Ember did I, Aylen Vale, dream of?

It meant he would decide whether to help me or not depending on that answer.

At that, I replied without hesitation.

“An Ember where people do not die. That is the Ember I dream of.”

In every playthrough of , I was an absolute dictator.

I was a self-righteous leader without mercy, compassion, or tolerance.

Yet, all of that was to preserve the Ember eternally and keep the citizens alive.

As I said before, citizens were the foundation of the Ember and a resource more valuable than anything else, and to see the ending of the game, every single one of them was indispensable.

Meaning, it was out of necessity.

“An Ember where people do not die…”

However, Jeremy seemed to have taken it in a completely different meaning.

And that was exactly what I aimed for.

“Yan is not an easy opponent, and he has many followers. On the other hand, even if you are the top scorer, you are still the notorious rascal of the Ember, so if you wish to become the leader, you must constantly show everyone in the Ember that you have changed.”

Words telling me to prove to the citizens that I possessed the qualities to be a leader.

The reason he was handing that task over to me, even though he, as the vice captain, could command the hunting squad, was for that very reason.

It meant he would help me become the leader, and that he trusted me that much.

“I understand well what you mean.”

“Archer is probably guzzling alcohol at the leadership headquarters by now. The only commander is you.”

“You are giving me an opportunity this time too. Thank you.”

Just like when I was stealing food from the warehouse, I had received a transfer of the opportunity to change the future once again.

When I bowed my head, he spoke.

“But do not misunderstand. Although this is a proof of your ability, it is also a matter where the lives of the citizens are at stake.”

“I will do my best.”

It was at the moment I walked away with the heavy pressure that the real beginning was from now.

“Do not make foolish choices. Because death cannot change anything.”

Directed at the back of my head as I headed to the hunting squad headquarters, Jeremy spoke.

It was a message telling me to prioritize my own life above all else if a moment of choice dividing life and death came.

However, I replied.

“Death cannot change anything, but sometimes only death can change what cannot be changed by anything else.”

“…….”

“But I will surely return alive. Just like when I left the Ember.”

Asking Natasha to escort Jeremy, I headed straight to the hunting squad headquarters.

The streets were already crowded to capacity with citizens frantically evacuating toward the Magic Engineering Department and the leadership headquarters.

Since those two buildings were the largest and multi-story, they were heading there.

Creak—

Deviating from the ranks, I opened the door of the hunting squad headquarters and stepped inside.

Fortunately, not a single hunter was missing, and they were all assembled.

Because in our Ember, which lacked proper military forces, the hunters also had the duty to protect the Ember and its citizens.

However.

“I’ve already seen three people die with my own eyes. Three people…”

“I, I can’t do it. I can’t!”

“Damn it, do you think anyone wants to do this? Grab your bow, grab your bow!”

On the faces of most of them, the fear of death was already deeply cast.

Because they had experienced the danger of the mutants in the snowfields, they were gripped by the fear that they would be the next victim.

In the first place, they were untrained people. They had learned hunting, not life-threatening combat, meaning they were hunters, not warriors.

They were only out here due to the despair that there was no one to protect the Ember if not for themselves as hunters, and the single sense of duty that they must protect their families nonetheless.

“W-where is the captain? Where is the captain!”

“Could it be… he’s already been killed?”

“No way, that can’t be…”

“Then why hasn’t he come yet!”

To make matters worse, neither Hunting Captain Archer Fordham nor Vice Captain Jeremy Scott, who should have been the focal points, showed their faces.

It was an all too natural result for the leaderless rabble to shake.

And from now on, I had to become their focal point, just as Jeremy intended.

Then, there was a shout that burst from within.

“Raise your weapons!”

A voice full of fighting spirit bounced off the walls of the headquarters and echoed in all directions.

At that moment, the headquarters quieted into silence, and everyone’s eyes and ears turned toward me.

“Aylen…?”

“Why are you here?”

The rascal Aylen.

At the fact that the person who appeared to resolve the situation was me, the light of hope that had risen in the hunters’ eyes died out.

I shouted, paying no mind.

“If not for you, there is no one to protect our families and homes! Everyone, pull yourselves together and raise your weapons!”

But even if I was the Chief Magic Engineer, who would listen to the words of a rascal like me?

“Crazy bastard, do you think the title of Chief Magic Engineer is all-powerful? Will the mutants somehow avoid you?”

“Yeah, what does a bookworm who has never even hunted know, blabbering and acting cool!”

Reality was not a drama or a movie. I could not expect morale to rise or a reversal of my perception with something like a heartfelt appeal.

But since all of this was within the expected range.

“The Ember does not accommodate the lazy, and those who do not do their part are no longer treated as citizens.”

“What are you suddenly—”

“Meaning that pests who abandon their duty and obligation are betrayers who suck the blood of the Ember! And…”

Pausing for a moment, I walked slowly and stood in front of the hunter who had insulted me as a bookworm.

Click—!

With an emotionless face, I aimed the mana gun at his head.

“Betrayers are executed on the spot.”

“……!”

Fear.

The only thing that conquered it was an even greater fear.