Chapter 68 – Choice (2)

“You must return alive, Aylen!”

“Take care of yourself. If you think it’s even a little dangerous, just give up!”

“Yeah, there is no one who will blame you! Just keep yourself safe!”

As I headed outside the Ember where the fierce snow was raging, the people shouted at me.

Don’t die, return alive, sorry for scolding you as a rascal… Most of them were words of encouragement or apology to me.

It was an attitude as if they were dealing with someone who would die soon.

‘Is this much a success in image improvement?’

Even without turning back, I could feel the gazes of the people stabbing the back of my head.

It was to the extent that I could feel on my skin that at least the people at this spot did not view me as a rascal anymore.

‘In truth, it was an extremely calculated action… but whatever.’

From the moment I made up my mind to become the leader of this Ember, I was destined to face such a choice inevitably.

Because to shed the image of a rascal that had been solidified for ten years, I had to pay that much of a price.

In that sense, this decision was cheap even for a risk of my life.

Keep in mind that there was a high probability that there were no wolves in the outskirts due to the howling that started from the center.

Even a risk of life was not the same price.

‘Anyway, I remained as a true magic engineer, a righteous man.’

But after all, regardless of the inner thoughts, what was shown was what mattered.

Click—!

Grasping the mana gun, I expanded my mana sense.

Although it couldn’t be helped if they were already dead, if they were alive, I had to bring them back alive.

Because they were valuable workers who sustained the Ember.

Above all, a crisis was an opportunity, so if I returned with them whom everyone thought were dead, I would be upgraded from a righteous man to a hero.

In that process, the surge in the Ember’s morale was a secondary matter.

“Phew…”

A sigh unconsciously escaped at the rushing fatigue.

I had excessively raised my mana sense to search Section 12, and trying to use it again before long brought an overload.

Crackle…!

“Argh!”

Sure enough, the moment I intuitively felt that fact, veins stood on my forehead and a headache assailed me.

At the same time, I also knew by instinct that my eyes would have been bloodshot as my vision was dyed red.

‘To think the penalty for merely using mana sense would be this big… under these conditions, how am I supposed to use real magic?’

Suppressing the extreme pain with my will, I continued to maintain my mana sense.

Not only human presence, but I also had to detect the presence of the mutants.

Encountering them up close in a flat area where there was no place to hide would mean immediate death.

It was at that time, as I continued the search in the gradually blurring vision.

“They’re alive…?”

Something was felt ahead.

Figures that were alive and wriggling, yet trembling in cold and fear.

Those whom everyone, including me, thought were dead had survived without dying for some reason.

Patter!

Deactivating my mana sense, I gathered strength in my legs, which wanted to collapse at any moment, and headed toward the place where the presence was felt.

When I reached there, I could tell why they had been able to survive.

“You may come out now.”

As I spoke toward my feet, the ground soon flinched.

Crunch—

“Ugh, ugh… A-Ayle…?”

The heads of six people, resembling snowmen, peeked out from inside the snow.

Although I did not know how they knew, they had noticed the mutant wolves’ attack and succeeded in surviving by covering themselves with snow.

“…Warm yourselves up first.”

“Th-thanks.”

Seeing that their mouths were frozen and their pronunciation was slurred, they seemed to have been hiding in the snow for a long time.

The moment the mutants headed for the center, the fight entered the final countdown, so we had to move immediately, but their condition was not good enough for that.

Click, click!

I took out the flint I had kept in my chest and lit a fire temporarily.

Since there was no way I brought firewood or anything, the fuel was my coat.

Whoosh!

Perhaps because it was a coat treated with oil for windproofing and waterproofing, the fire caught in an instant and flared up.

At that, an elderly man who seemed to be the leader of the group opened his eyes wide and spoke.

“N-no, that…”

His expression was as if asking why I was using such a precious coat as mere kindling.

“It is an item made to be warm. Whatever the method, isn’t it fine as long as you’re warm?”

“…….”

At the firm reply, the six looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.

Of course, it was true that I also felt it was a waste to use this precious leather coat as mere kindling.

But since it was used to save lives, it fully served its value, so I had no regrets.

Soon, as the flames rose sufficiently, the five middle-aged men and one boy huddled closely in front of it and began to warm their bodies.

How many minutes passed like that?

“Thank you. If not for you, Aylen, we would have all frozen to death.”

The man who stealthily stood up for the other five said while bowing his head.

“How did you know the mutants were coming?”

Looking over him, who was still thickly covered in snow, I asked.

It was something I hadn’t understood from before, but his explanation was simple and clear.

“How did we know? We knew because we saw them.”

“You saw them? Please explain in detail.”

“I saw them coming down the ice wall. Did you not know?”

“They came down… the ice wall?”

“True. It was visible here because it’s close to the ice wall, but it might not have been visible from the Ember. Literally, those beasts ran down the ice wall. Driving their claws into the wall.”

“……!”

I was already in the middle of not understanding how they came down the 100-meter ice wall, and for them to run down that dizzying height.

‘They are completely monsters…’

I thought there would be some variable I hadn’t thought of, but I was utterly dejected that simple physical ability was the method.

“But why didn’t you report that they were coming down?”

When I asked, letting out a hollow laugh, he answered in embarrassment.

“They were coming down at a formidable speed, so how could we think of reporting it? If we moved rashly, we would have all been caught and killed. I guarantee it on my name!”

The man beating his chest as if aggrieved.

Waving my hand to mean I wasn’t doubting him, I spoke.

“If you can move to some degree, get up now. We must return to the Ember quickly and fight together.”

Looking toward the other side of the Ember that would be turning urgent, I turned back and spoke.

Although they were still shivering, there was no time to dawdle.

“Right. Let’s go quickly.”

“Let’s stop by my house briefly on the way. I have bows and arrows produced in advance for the hunting squad reinforcement.”

“Alright, Aylen, that much is fine, right?”

Fortunately, since they were people who came out to work voluntarily for the Ember, cooperation was fast.

Even planning to arm themselves while burning with fighting spirit, their affection for the Ember certainly seemed extraordinary.

And the place where that affection and loyalty were directed.

“The time to repay the grace received from Lord Demian has finally come. Since all we stupid people can do is pay with our bodies, let’s move quickly!”

It was not Yan Casellos, but my father, Demian Vale.

I thought that perhaps saving them might be of great help in the future.

“Let’s set off. Follow behind me.”

Taking the lead, I lined them up in a single file with the boy in the middle.

“Huuuph…!”

Taking a deep breath, I unfolded my mana sense again.

“……!”

A sense of exhaustion as if I would collapse at any moment rushed in like a tidal wave, but I barely held it back.

Because falling down for a few days due to overload was better than losing my life without using my mana sense.

“H-here! Here is my house…!”

Whether I should say my efforts were in vain, or say it was fortunate.

On the way to the blacksmith’s house, we did not encounter a single wolf.

It was not something to be glad about.

Because the absence of the beasts nearby meant they would have gathered in the center where the Magic Engineering Department and the leadership were located.

Meaning that the closer we got to the Eternal Embers, the harder the joining would be.

“From now on, do not even make a sound of breathing. The moment we are detected, all of us will not escape death.”

Leading them, who nodded while clumsily armed, I headed toward the center.

At a distance not far left, I deactivated the active mana sense.

Because as we got closer, a low growling noise was heard to the point where mana sense was unnecessary.

‘Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… twenty.’

It was the number of mutants loitering near the buildings of the leadership and the Magic Engineering Department.

Just by looking, there were as many as twenty beasts.

‘This… cannot be breached.’

No way to breach that siege and join could be seen.

Because the speed of the mutants was so fast, we could not force a breakthrough, and if we just waited, we might be detected by beasts that hadn’t joined.

It was a dilemma in every way.

“What should we do?”

When I could not do this or that, the blacksmith named David whispered.

At that, the people whispered back.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay hidden?”

“Stay hidden? I have absolutely no intention of turning away from my family and the Ember.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m saying it because at this rate, we’ll only be a burden to them.”

The people did not seem to have any intention of running away.

They only burned with the fighting spirit that their families and the Ember were at stake in this battle.

“Then how about moving like a detached force?”

“A detached force… Yes. If we can disperse their attention even that way, that would be good.”

Those who had an excessively thorough spirit of sacrifice were already setting up plans to throw their lives away among themselves.

But the plan of mere laborers who had never experienced a proper battle was nothing but groundless confidence.

“You’re going to perform the role of a detached force with that body? Cut that nonsense out. I will decide the plan, and you just have to follow.”

Reality was not something that could be overcome by will alone.

There had to be sufficient ability and basis.

Even then, an elaborate plan collapsed at a single minor variable.

How else could there be a saying that one unexpected variable was scarier than ten expected variables?

Burning with enthusiasm in a situation like this would only lead to recklessness.

I spoke.

“I will open the way.”

“Open the way? What does that mean?”

“I will become a decoy and lure them to the opposite side, so join them once the path opens.”

“……!”

Playing a running race with mutant beasts was madness.

But this was the only way to overcome the crisis.

Because only I in this place possessed sufficient ability and basis.

The accompanying danger would have to be overcome somehow by improvisation using transcendent five senses, mana sense, and the mana gun.

“We go on three. Prepare yourselves.”

Disregarding the group’s opposition, I prepared to run.

Although their restraint was stronger than expected, once the running began, they would run toward the leadership and the Magic Engineering Department even if only because they would feel my sacrifice was a waste.

“One, two, three…!”

Patter!

Bang—!

Rushing out like that, I threw myself toward the opposite side of the Eternal Embers, starting by sniping a wolf.

Roar!

The crying sound of the ferocious wolves was heard from behind.

The roar was so chilling that it sent shivers down my spine.

‘You’re crazy, Aylen. You didn’t need to go this far.’

A chuckle escaped.

Because my appearance, desperate to save people contrary to my true thoughts, was contradictory.

Because I had already disobeyed Jeremy Scott’s order not to make foolish choices twice.

However.

“Let’s see who wins…!”

A foolish choice—I knew that this was the real correct answer.

A leader was not made ordinarily.

Roar—!

Countless threats.

Bang, bang!

Bold decisions.

“Argh…!”

It was made only when there was splashing fresh blood.

This very moment was the moment when my history began to be written on the history of this Nameless Ember.