Chapter 403: Morale improvement (2) |
It had been a while since I saw the guild members, but they seemed like they were doing fine. I had no idea about Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora’s exact conditions because they went into the misty forest, but I could see that they were adapting pretty well based on their latest messages. Naturally, Han Sora was stressed because she had to stay with Jung Ha-Yan. Unfortunately for her, she was needed there.
‘I do feel bad for her, but…’
Han Sora synergized well with Jung Ha-Yan, and she also became more efficient whenever she was with the latter, I was sure she felt really uncomfortable about the arrangement, but I couldn’t separate them as their commander because of their great chemistry. I gave Han Sora hope that I would send her as far away as possible from Jung Ha-Yan, but it honestly wasn’t easy to do that.
Yoo Ah-Young and Lee Chang-Ryeol, who were with Han Sora and Jung Ha-Yan, were also adapting really well. Yoo Ah-Young, who had high stamina stats and a legendary-ranked attribute, specialized in prolonged battles like this and even though Lee Chang-Ryeol didn’t really stand out, he always did his part.
I wasn’t on the battlefield with them, but they were impressive from what I could see from the magic hologram. Kim Ye-Ri and Jo Hye-Jin, who looked at Kim Hyun-Sung longingly, did well as expected. Sun Hee-Young was the same, and it wouldn’t be strange if those three became the guild master of a small or medium clan.
‘I’m not sure about him, but Ahn Ki-Mo is the same.’
If I had to rank them, the tier one members of the Blue Guild would be Kim Ye-Ri, Jo Hye-Jin, and Sun Hee-Young. Ahn Ki-Mo, who was originally part of the Red Mercenary Guild, and Park Deok-Gu’s girlfriend, Hwang Jung-Yeon, the magic scholar, were tier one and a half or two and the rookie members, including Han Sora, were either tier two or three. Of course, this wasn’t just limited to the Blue Guild. This was their tier if we divided the entire continent into seven tiers.
Obviously, I didn’t include the Eight Seats or the Five Tiger Generals. It was useless to gauge those superhumans with a ranking like this.
‘Park Deok-Gu…’
His weakness was that his attack power was weak, but as a meat shield, he was way above the average. Of course, if I were asked whether he was performing well in this war, I would shake my head because having a weak attack only worked as an excuse if he were on the same level as other ordinary people. The average people couldn’t block Park Deok-Gu’s attack.
Jo Hye-Jin and Kim Ye-Ri knew how to pretend that they were in pain whenever they get injured, but the pig didn’t blink an eye at any attacks, and if he wanted, I was sure he could act like a tyrant on the battlefield.
Despite that, it was absurd how he retreated, but I understood him. When I thought about his nature, it was only natural that he found it hard to withstand environments like this. I was kind of frustrated and annoyed at first, but…
‘I have no choice but to accept it.’
It didn’t matter what I would say, he would still have to make a decision on his own. If I had to push him to do something, then that would be nothing more than me forcefully pushing him to do things. The previous battle wasn’t that bad, but it was highly likely that there would be an accident in the battle tomorrow.
Honestly, I wanted to tell him…
‘I want to tell him to just go back to the command center.’
I was sure the day would come when I would have to force him, but it wasn’t today. The front lines wouldn’t fall just because we weren’t there, and if the command center got attacked, we would have a meat shield, so it was a reasonable decision.
“So…”
“That’s right, Deok-Gu. You don’t need to participate in the upcoming battle. We’re going to create a separate detachment that will be stationed at the rear. They will have to be prepared for an ambush. It’ll be the same for Miss Ah-Young and Mr. Chang-Ryeol,” I explained.
“Is it okay for you to do that?” Jo Hye-Jin asked.
It technically wasn’t allowed, but…
‘That’s the best part about having power.’
I could make the impossible—possible. I knew it wasn’t fair, but I had never been the type to think about fairness in the first place, so pulling out a few of our guild members away from the battlefield wouldn’t be difficult for me.
Yoo Ah-Young and Lee Chang-Ryeol had a higher chance of dying on the battlefield than the others, so I had to pull them out. Fortunately, Kim Ye-Ri and Jo Hye-Jin nodded as if they agreed with my decision.
Ahn Ki-Mo looked happy as well because he was secretly worried about the rookies.
“That’s great. I was actually worried about them, and I’ll feel relieved if Mr. Deok-Gu is there to take care of them. Yes, I think that’ll work since the upcoming battle will be kind of different from the previous one,” Ahn Ki-Mo saId.
“Yeah. That’s. Good. And Hyun-Sung oppa made this decision?” Kim Ye-Ri asked.
“No, it’s the command center’s decision. We were considering the possibility of the rear command center getting in danger, so this is a just-in-case thing,” I replied.
“Hm, I see.”
“That’s the plan. Ah! Ye-Ri and Miss Hye-Jin will move with Mr. Hyun-Sung when the battle starts, but the two of you will likely get separated from him eventually,” I added.
“Really?” Kim Ye-Ri asked.
“Yeah, and Miss Hee-Young…”
“I just need to stay with Miss Elena, right?” Sun Hee-Young asked.
“Yes. I’m sure you’ll be safe with her,” I answered.
The safety of Elena was the entire army’s responsibility, but I was sure that Sun Hee-Young wouldn’t be in any danger.
I looked to my side and saw an ashamed and gloomy Park Deok-Gu. He had always been quick to catch on, so he definitely thought that the rear detachments were created because of him, but he didn’t argue with me.
“Hm… I-Is there anything special I need to do?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
“Nothing special. The status of the battle won’t change just because you’re not there,” I answered.
“Well… I have no choice since it’s the order of the command center…” he mumbled.
‘I think he really doesn’t want to be on the battlefield.’
Park Deok-Gu simply bit his lips and nodded. I would have been kind of annoyed if he were scared, but his actions aligned with his character, so I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“Um…”
“It’s nothing, Deok-Gu. I just need you to carry out the task you’re given,” I told him.
“Don’t worry about that, and I-I’m sorry…” Park Deok-Gu apologized.
“No need to apologize because I feel more relieved having you by my side,” I said.
“Leave that part to me. I’ll make sure that they won’t be able to lay a finger on you, hyung-nim. I’ll make sure of that,” he said.
“Yeah, thanks.”
It was cute how Park Deok-Gu kept nodding, and I felt relieved as well. He thought I was going to scold him, but the result was the opposite. When I patted his shoulder as a way to encourage him, a faint smile appeared on his face.
It had been quite a while since I had the chance to talk to the other guild members, so I decided to postpone talking with Kim Hyun-Sung. I brought up a familiar topic, and everyone started talking. Sun Hee-Young sat next to me quietly, and Park Deok-Gu had to have gotten his energy back because he started joking around. The kid pretended like she wasn’t interested, but she was listening intently more than anyone else. If I had to exaggerate, it was like we were a family.
‘I do feel bad for Yul-Ha[1] who is probably suffering back home…’
Anyway, this was our current situation.
“Once the war is over… how about we go on a picnic?” Hwang Jung-Yeon suggested.
“I’m in, but where are we going?”
“I’m not sure. They say that the Mirror Lake at Senator Nabot’s territory is pretty famous, so I think it would be a good idea to go on a boat ride there. What do you think, Sub Guild Master?” she asked.
“I think it’s a good idea, Miss Jung-Yeon,” I replied.
“It has been a long time since we started living in the Sacred Democratic Country, but we still haven’t visited the Mirror Lake. It should be pretty, right? It sounds romantic,” she commented.
We talked about various topics, but the root of the conversation was the same.
‘Once the war is over, what should we do?’
It hadn’t been that long since the war started, but I was sure everyone here was already thinking about what they would do after the war. Of course, the ordinary soldiers had to be thinking the same as well because I could see them whispering to each other while marching. The dwarves seemed a bit excited as well, and even the elves were doing the same thing. Seeing them smile made me think that they missed having these types of conversations, and it helped me realize that we had been having serious conversations all this time.
‘It’s a good thing I came here to meet them.’
Comforting the guild members bore fruit to a result, but it was an unseen result. I thought this would be a waste of time, but I was glad I listened to Kim Hyun-Sung because it felt like my exhausted brain was becoming a bit refreshed. I was sure the guild members felt the same as well.
The sun started setting, and a certain nervousness filled the army.
‘We’re probably almost there.’
I was certain that we were close to our destination, and I was sure the command center had already informed the field commanders of each detachment that a fight was about to start. I heard the soldiers moving around busily. They were either regrouping or checking their supplies and equipment. I also saw soldiers praying, and it was the same for the guild members.
“I should get going. Be careful, everyone,” Sun Hee-Young said.
“You too, Miss Hee-Young.”
“I’m heading out as well, Sub Guild Master.”
“Okay.”
Sun Hee-Young and Hwang Jung-Yeon, who were part of the rear detachment, and Jo Hye-Jin, Kim Ye-Ri, and Ahn Ki-Mo, who were supposed to be at the front, started moving. They either hugged or shook hands, and it was a surprise, but Sun Hee-Young and Jo Hye-Jin seemed like they were best friends.
Naturally, I started moving as well, and as a heavy silence filled the army, I started hearing a loud noise far away from the other side.
Then, there was an explosion made with magic before the combined shouts of a large number of people pierced the air.
The terrain up ahead looked familiar. It looked slightly different from before, but I had definitely been here before.
We finally arrived at Castle Rock.
“Prepare for battle!”
“Prepare for battle! All detachments ready for battle!”
The commanders didn’t waste time by giving a speech. I would have to look at the situation to know exactly what was happening, but seeing that Lee Ji-Hye immediately gave the order to prepare for battle, the situation had to be urgent. I started walking in the opposite direction and saw the nervousness and determination on the soldiers’ faces.
Right now, I just had to pat their shoulders.
“Prepare for battle! Raise the banners! All units prepare to attack the enemy base!”
I hadn’t been paying much attention to it, but I finally realized how much pressure our soldiers were under.
The soldiers fixed their helmets and pointed their spears forward once the banners were raised. Buffs descended, and I could feel the mages mustering their mana. The troops were ready to march, and I could already deduce what order the command center was about to give.
My train of thought was interrupted by a loud roar.
“All troops, attack!”
There was a loud roar.
“All detachments! Attack!”
It was so loud it made my ears ring.
1. Lee Ki-Young’s sister mentioned on ch1 ☜
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