Chapter 78 – Early Snowstorm (3)

“……What do you think you can do? As you must have seen, that has already passed the stage where anything can be done.”

Demian spoke, blocking me as I was heading to the magic engineering department to check the management log.

Because even if I had taken first place in the exam, I was still only a novice, and it was a problem that even he, an intermediate, could not do anything about.

‘I cannot even tell the truth about this…….’

Suddenly, I was left speechless.

Because unlike what Demian knew, I possessed upper-intermediate knowledge, but I could not reveal my skills yet.

Since I did not have the strength to protect myself now, there was nothing good about catching the eyes of the other Ember power holders who possessed mighty power.

‘Though maybe it would be fine now.’

However, I pondered for a moment.

Because communication or intervention between Embers would be reduced due to the significant variable of the mutants’ appearance.

It meant the situation had changed drastically.

Above all, revealing my skills was much more convenient for my activities, and it was a way to get closer to the goal of becoming the leader faster.

However.

“But are you planning to sit idly by like this? Just waiting for the day to die?”

“…….”

“It does not matter even if nothing can be changed. I will try everything I can do.”

As expected, revealing my skills now was clearly a wrong judgment.

Because the threat of mutants only applied to small, nameless Embers like ours, and did not concern cities with sufficient power.

No, on the contrary, it might even be welcome news to the leading Embers, which were counted as the first and second.

Although mutants were dangerous, they were also a new source of supply for resources, possessing high-purity magic stones inside their bodies.

I was even convinced that a large-scale subjugation campaign would be launched by those Embers before long.

The reason was…

‘Because if it were me, I would have absolutely done so.’

The subjugation of mutants had clear justification and practical benefits.

The external justification of securing the safety of the pathways between Embers, and the practical benefit of securing high-purity magic stones along with secondary food.

It was something that absolutely had to be done if possible.

‘I should reconsider the magic engineering development tech tree.’

I felt bitter about the reality of our Ember, where military magic engineering had not developed at all.

Leaving justification aside, if only we could regularly secure a set amount of high-purity magic stones, the development speed of the Ember would double.

But envying what I did not have would only leave negative emotions.

I quickly shook off the lingering attachment and spoke.

“In any case, as you said, Department Head, this has now ceased to be a problem of magic engineering. Is that correct?”

“Yes, you are right…….”

Demian readily agreed.

Because he knew that the core’s defect had gone beyond his hands, the most outstanding magic engineer in our Ember, making it no longer possible to resolve it through magic engineering.

I rode the momentum and spoke.

“If you agree, please give me the authority of the Head of the Magic Engineering Department as of this moment. Of course, temporarily.”

At the request, or rather coercion, to give me full power to wield the magic engineering department, Demian tilted his head and spoke.

“…Why the authority? If it is impossible to resolve it with magic engineering as you said, what is the use of commanding the magic engineering department?”

Judging by his expression, he was not arguing but simply asking, so I answered honestly.

“I already told you, but it is not something that can be done alone, nor should it be. It is a problem we must resolve together. And I need the faction and power to persuade the leadership and the citizens.”

“Power…… Aylen, it is not that your words are wrong. But can they really be ‘together’ with you?”

A pessimistic answer returned from him.

Certainly, the members of the magic engineering department were practically my archenemies.

Because the prestige of the magic engineering department had dropped this much entirely due to my foolish antics as the department head’s son.

The gulf of their feelings toward me was endlessly deep, so it was not something that would recover just because I saved some lives during this mutant raid.

However.

“That is why I am asking to borrow your authority. Even if they cannot trust me, they will trust your choice to hand over the authority to me. Of course, since we are all going to die, they would have no choice but to cooperate in the end even without authority, but is it not better to give them a justification to follow me?”

This crisis was not a matter of prestige dropping or not.

The fate of the Ember was at stake, and it was a problem where even their lives were on the line.

Demian nodded but still asked.

“Yes, if you do that, you might make them follow you. But that does not mean they will become on your side. Their trusting you is one thing, but how will you trust them?”

Demian knew that I was trying to resolve this problem through a method other than magic engineering.

From my previous answers, he must also have guessed that it started with a political movement which absolutely required the faction of the magic engineering department.

Thus, his question was a very fundamental and important one.

Politics was ultimately a battle of taking sides, and in seeking to achieve things in that battlefield, trustworthy colleagues were the most basic and essential element.

Demian had pointed out exactly that.

However, I smirked as if he was stating the obvious and replied.

“I do not trust them. Just as they trust the Department Head who chose me, I simply trust that they are the magic engineers chosen by you.”

“……!”

The anecdotes that Demian Vale had left in this small Ember were now too numerous to even speak of.

And the current magic engineering department was the place where those gathered who, inspired by him, crossed the snowfield to find this place, selected by Demian himself.

If they were such people, resembling Demian, how self-sacrificing and righteous they would be.

“You have spent over ten years together, yet do you know them so little? They are also magic engineers. No one would do such a foolish thing as to ruin a task on which the fate of the Ember rests just because they dislike me.”

I trusted Demian’s judgment.

Because this terribly cold man was a person who had even abandoned his son for the sake of the citizens.

Above all, at least this time, the goal I intended to pursue did not conflict with their justice and beliefs.

And they also shared a common enemy, the leadership.

The reason I deliberately dragged in the magic engineering department was that their influence was strong, but also because they could become the most certain allies.

“Then, assuming you have permitted it, I will go ahead.”

It was just as I passed Demian, who had frozen standing in that spot.

“Wait. Take this.”

Stopping me with his words, Demian fidgeted with his hands and handed something over.

“This is……?”

“It is the golden badge that only the Head of the Magic Engineering Department can wear. If you want to make them follow you, you will need this for now. Likewise, when you go to the leadership to browse necessary data, if you present this, they will hand it over without any special procedures. Take it.”

“…….”

This time, I was left speechless in a different sense.

The golden badge that Demian offered had a different meaning and status from my golden badge that signified the top scorer of the qualification exam.

While my badge was merely a sign of commendation, that one was a badge imbued with the symbol of authority and responsibility for being in charge of a city’s magic engineering.

Since it was a small Ember that did not have anything worthy of being called a system yet, delegating authority either verbally or through documents would have been sufficient, so I did not expect him to hand over an item that was practically his lifetime pride.

“Is it alright to hand over something so precious this easily?”

As I asked, not even thinking of receiving the badge, he replied with an unwavering expression.

“Because I trust you that much.”

“……Is it because of what happened during this mutant raid? But you must know that I am not a person worthy of being called a hero, Department Head.”

I deliberately called Demian to account.

Because right now, I had to utilize his guilt toward me rather than improving my relationship with him.

However, I was forced to shut my mouth with guilt instead at his subsequent words.

“Because you are my son.”

“……!”

“Simply trusting, that is why one is a parent…… I was foolish. I am sorry, Aylen.”

I prided myself on being able to see through everyone’s psychology.

Having played hundreds of times, I had engaged in such psychological warfare over thousands and tens of thousands of times.

But I was wrong.

A parent’s heart was not something I could dare to read.

“……May I pin it on?”

Demian, hesitating, took a cautious step closer to me.

As I remained silent, he personally pinned the golden badge he held in his hand onto my chest and hurriedly stepped back.

“Then go on. I also have somewhere to go……”

With that, Demian waddled away into the distance.

The direction he was heading was Section 1, and he seemed to be going to check on the patients lying in the ward.

In a way, he was a very simple and consistent person.

‘Three weeks…… I must return the Eternal Embers to normal before the snowstorm comes.’

Step, step.

After confirming that he had disappeared from sight, I moved my steps immediately.

Just as it had always been since the moment I possessed a body in this world, I had no time.

Although it was a problem that could only be known after opening the outer hull of the Eternal Embers to perform a detailed diagnosis, it was obvious that the core’s defect would be an issue far too difficult to resolve within the given time.

‘The snowstorm hasn’t even arrived yet, but everything is full of hard and difficult tasks…….’

Heading toward the magic engineering department, I let out a long sigh.

Because if the core’s defect could not be repaired, to my knowledge, there was only one way.

And that would be a task more difficult than anything I had done so far.

“I should pray that it does not turn out that way. Since I have not accurately diagnosed it yet.”

Hoping so, I entered the magic engineering department, and…

“Aylen, why do you have that badge……?”

“I have temporarily been delegated the command by Department Head Demian. From now on, I lead the magic engineering department.”

I made a declaration to them as they looked at me with blank expressions.

Naturally, they protested greatly, but…

“A problem has arisen with the Eternal Embers. It is assumed that a critical defect has occurred in the core, and if this continues, our Ember will soon fade away.”

“……There is no way we would not have known about such an important problem.”

“The person dedicated to managing the Eternal Embers was Department Head Demian. He said he deliberately did not inform you out of concern that you would be agitated. Since it was a problem he could not resolve himself anyway.”

“……!”

Hearing the reason why things had turned out this way, they had no choice but to readily accept me, who held the command.

Because after exchanging counterplans for a very short moment, they had now realized that no matter what method they mobilized, they could not resolve the task.

In short.

“So what is it that we need to do?”

It meant they had no choice but to lean on me, who had stepped forward as the solver of this answerless problem.

I spoke toward the eighteen pairs of eyes staring only at me like baby birds.

“Move all magic engineering equipment to the Eternal Embers right now. And……”

“……And?”

“Stop the operation of the Eternal Embers.”

“……!”

Stopping the operation of the Eternal Embers.

It was practically a suicidal act of extinguishing the Ember with one’s own hands, and at my thunderbolt-like declaration, lightning was striking in their eyes.