Chapter 74 – Sacrifice (4)

“……So such a thing happened.”

The story surrounding Katrina’s death was tragic beyond measure.

Just like her husband David, she was also someone who regarded the Ember like family.

However, my mourning ended there.

‘It is not just Katrina who died, and we do not know how many more will die in the future. We must prepare thoroughly.’

To carry the death of each and every person, , this world was too cruel.

During the upcoming snowstorm period, we did not know how many more people would die.

The casualties might be in the single digits, double digits, or perhaps even triple digits, so we could not fall into grief every single time, could we?

In order to survive, we must prepare for the future rather than indulge in useless sentimentality.

“Even so, you do not need to blame yourself. In fact, those people probably know that Mrs. Katrina’s death was not Lord Aylen’s fault.”

Natasha, who had been walking side by side and stopped, spoke as if comforting me.

It seemed she was misunderstanding my expression, which was designing countermeasures for the snowstorm, as guilt.

“It is fine. Time will resolve it.”

There was no need to clear up the misunderstanding.

Knowing her good nature, throwing away the image of a virtuous person by my own hand would be a foolish thing to do.

“What is the scale of the damage? Is it at a level that can be restored before the snowstorm arrives?”

Nodding silently, she said.

“Thirty people died, and seventy were injured, resulting in a total of a hundred casualties. Among them, eight members of the hunting squad died, and there are no injuries.”

“A hundred people……”

A total of a hundred casualties.

I had expected it after seeing the size of the expanded ward, but hearing the actual talk made my head spin.

In an Ember of barely a thousand people, a hundred people—which amounted to one-tenth—was a massive number.

To compare this to the Republic of Korea for easy understanding, it was as if Incheon Metropolitan City and Daegu Metropolitan City had vanished overnight.

‘But if we are arguing which is more serious, we cannot compare our Ember to Korea…….’

If we only went by simple numbers, it was no different.

But even if Incheon and Daegu were gone, Korea was still a country, and other cities were equipped with infrastructure to survive on their own.

It meant that even if two metropolitan cities disappeared, life would not collapse.

However, the meaning that casualties carried for our Ember, which was built by gathering the minimum required professions, was on a different dimension.

‘I hope they were not in professions essential for food, clothing, and shelter.’

It meant our Ember was so weak that its very foundation as a city would shake depending on who lived and died.

At that moment, Natasha’s words followed appropriately.

“As you may know, handling the aftermath was much more serious than the battle with the mutants. The wounded numbered in the dozens, but with Mia Silas as the only doctor, there was no war zone like it. More than ten wounded people died just because they could not receive treatment in time.”

Did her explanation not show it vividly?

The tragic medical crisis that was bound to happen because there was only one doctor.

It would not happen, but if we assumed that Mia died, the situation would become even more terrible.

The casualties of an Ember with a small population and scale could not help but be that critical.

Thus, intending to find out what was in the hollowed-out occupational groups, I asked.

“You said you participated in the meeting, but do you happen to have the casualty list? A document like that with occupations and personal profiles written down.”

The personnel dispatched from the Immortal Embers came to reside in our Ember for the time being due to the appearance of mutants.

Therefore, Natasha was able to participate in the meeting as a representative of the Immortal Embers and, at the same time, as a temporary immigrant.

“It is here. I pulled it out in advance, thinking you would need it.”

Natasha naturally pulled out a document from her breast pocket.

Even though I had not given separate instructions, she had grasped on her own what was necessary for me and what I would need, and acted.

“Thank you, Natasha. I am always in your debt.”

Receiving the document, a smile naturally bloomed at the thought that I had brought the right person.

However, her performance did not end there.

Looking around, Natasha pulled out two more documents from her pocket.

“Just in case, I also brought the emergency meeting minutes and the meeting minutes of the leadership alone that was conducted separately.”

“Pardon? Meeting minutes of the leadership alone?”

“You said you were going to become the leader. While you were asleep, you should at least know how your Ember is running. However, please know that this alone was classified, so I had a hard time smuggling it out.”

What Natasha had additionally brought was the meeting minutes of a kind of ‘social gathering’ where key figures of the leadership met.

In effect, it was a record of all plans on how they would pull the strings of the Ember from behind the scenes.

“How on earth did you smuggle this out? The security must have been tight if it was a place where such important documents were kept.”

It was hard for me to believe.

No matter what, it was material that Natasha, an outsider, should not have been able to access.

However, she only gave a chuckle and spoke.

“You have not forgotten that I am a spy, have you?”

“Ah……”

“Even a place that boasts ironclad security is bound to have loopholes. The First Ember, the Immortal Embers, is like that, so how much more so for a nameless Ember like this.”

The highest-ranking agent of Radiance, the espionage organization founded by Herman Melville—Natasha McGrain.

Since the time we had spent together from the Immortal Embers until now was long, I had forgotten, but that was her true identity.

“My apologies. Perhaps because your face has become familiar, I clean forgot that Lady Natasha was an agent of Radiance.”

I apologized immediately.

Because asking such a question to a high-level asset who must have carried out operations in leading metropolitan cities might itself be rude.

“You do not need to apologize. I will take it as meaning you have become that comfortable with me.”

However, far from being offended, she showed a bright smile.

“Then, begging your pardon, I will look over the documents for a moment.”

“Take your time. I did not have anything to do anyway.”

Reciprocating that unpretentious smile, I spread open the documents with a relaxed mind.

Fortunately, there was nothing that caught my attention much in the first casualty list I received.

Because the majority were occupations that were certainly necessary but not essential, such as tailors, butchers, warehouse managers…… and so on.

‘I will have to handle minor issues that arise through improvisation.’

Though it felt a bit like passing over it roughly after calling it a big problem, this could not be helped.

Because I had no luxury to consider even the trivial problems that popped up unexpectedly.

Therefore, I immediately moved on to the meeting minutes.

First, the emergency meeting minutes were naturally dominated by countermeasures against mutants…… which could be summarized as follows.

1. Erect a defensive wall.

2. Develop and manufacture mana guns.

It was an intuitive and simple plan without even needing to think about it.

A defensive wall was an essential structure to prepare for external raids, and developing mana guns had established itself as an essential task for all Embers at the point when mutants began to appear.

Furthermore, was there not a saying that the best defense was a good offense?

If one wished to live, there was no choice but to kill and eliminate the enemy.

‘Everything looks reasonable. All the groups participating in the meeting passed the agenda unanimously as well.’

The Grand Assembly of the Ember originally involved three groups: the leadership department, the Magic Engineering Department, and the civic groups.

However, due to the nature of the incident, the meeting was conducted with the hunting squad included as well, and all agendas passed smoothly.

Even the leadership department and the Magic Engineering Department, who used to fight so much, agreed on this occasion.

This meant that the justification and purpose of the agenda lay in the citizens’ safety and securing the Ember’s military power.

‘Yes, looking at the agenda alone, it is a pure justification and purpose. If we only look at the agenda, that is…….’

However, was the leadership’s intention truly as pure as it appeared?

They, who had been loudly clamoring for the research of military magic engineering and the arming of the hunting squad with mana guns since the past, would never do that.

Sure enough, their intentions were written vividly in the meeting minutes of the leadership alone, which could be summarized as follows.

1. Erect a defensive wall to maximize anxiety and confusion among the citizens.

2. Force the Magic Engineering Department to research military magic engineering and develop mana guns.

3. Once mana guns were secured, convert the hunting squad into an army and incorporate them under the leadership.

4. Under the pretext of the mutant threat, the leadership would seize political power.

The defensive wall would actually be used not to reassure the citizens, but as a symbol of ill omen to remind them of this disaster.

And they planned to make it impossible for the Magic Engineering Department to refuse developing mana guns due to the heightened anxiety and confusion, thereby gaining military power to rule as dictators.

‘What a filthy trick.’

The true intention of the leadership hidden behind the justification of working for the citizens and the Ember was filthy.

However, what could not be ended with just the word ‘filthy’ was that this was a plan hastily put together using the sudden appearance of mutants as a source.

‘Tying the appearance of mutants to seizing political power and rapidly accelerating the plan…….’

I did not know who it was, but there was someone brilliant driving the overall plan of the leadership.

And I felt like I knew who that person was.

‘It must be Nikolai’s scheme.’

I was certain that it was Nikolai.

Having conversed with Yan Casellos, although he might have the charm to attract people, he was not the type whose head worked well in this direction.

And among his numerous aides, Nikolai was the only one capable of drawing up such political schemes.

“My father must have many worries. The Magic Engineering Department must be the same.”

I said, tucking the documents into my breast pocket.

There was no way that clever Demian Vale was unaware of the hidden intentions behind the development of mana guns.

Right now, he was probably developing mana guns like a cow that had no choice but to walk forward even while knowing it was being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

However, Natasha’s answer was unexpected.

“No. Lord Demian and the Magic Engineering Department are devoting their hearts and souls to developing mana guns. With a truly resolute heart.”

“Pardon? What does that……”

“Of course they know the leadership’s scheme, but… between the friction with the leadership and the citizens’ safety, it seems they have finally made a choice. Even if it means bowing his head to the leadership, he decided he must save the citizens first.”

“……!”

In effect, it meant Demian Vale had raised a white flag in the long fight with the leadership.

‘This cannot happen…….’

My mind grew urgent.

I did not know the Magic Engineering Department would declare surrender this quickly, at such an early stage.

The reason this became a problem was that the group to oppose the leadership would disappear.

‘I do not know about later, but not now. At the very least, until I return from the Forge Embers, the Magic Engineering Department must remain intact……!’

To me, who had to swallow this Ember, that fact was no different from a death sentence.

However, since there was no way to persuade Demian Vale, to whom that damn duty of a magic engineer was more important than family, more important than his only son.

“Natasha, I have a favor to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Please spread the news that I have woken up to the entire Ember right now. I beg of you.”

I had to create a new group to oppose the leadership.

“I have somewhere to go in a hurry, so excuse me……!”

Leaving behind a cry that was like a gasp, I visited the ward, changed back into the blood-stained patient clothes, and.

*Patter, patter!*

Began running toward somewhere.

The place where Aylen Vale, who had woken up in the ward, had to head first to become the opponent of the leadership had to be there.