novelraw Chapter 87 : Chapter 87
Chapter 87 : Chapter 87
Chapter 87
In truth, while telepathy is convenient, it requires considerable skill to use proficiently.
Even Reysia, who was a mass of talent, took about three days to master it completely.
I, too, only knew how to use it in theory, so I had not expected it to be this easy.
As a result, the members of Unit 917 could not get the hang of it, even after I taught them all the know-how I had.
"So, here, you lightly rotate the mana once and pull it up toward your head..."
"How does the mana move?"
"Concentrate... concentrate... concen...trate!"
"Ah! Field Commander! Can you hear my voice?"
"...Of course I can hear you when you say it out loud."
"...Ah."
A full 24 hours had passed since receiving the mana from Liaran.
From then until now.
The deck of Unit 917's airship had been in this state.
The soldiers, including Selina, tried desperately to use telepathy, but no proper results came out.
Actually, this was to be expected, but perhaps because I had shown them how to succeed so easily.
Many people blamed themselves for not being able to do it, so the overall atmosphere was not very good.
Selina, in particular, seemed to be in great shock.
After all, before benefiting from the fostering system, she was also a magician, so she must have been confident in handling mana.
She even skipped meals and sleep, clinging only to the Authority.
I wanted to help more, but I had already taught them everything I knew, and to make further progress, they had no choice but to figure out the method themselves.
Just as I was sitting on the railing, watching the unit members' efforts and passing the time idly, Selina made a decision with a hardened face.
"From now on, our Unit 917 will enter a special training period. The period is one week! During that time, all members of the unit will devote themselves to training so that they can use telepathy proficiently. Any member who fails to master telepathy within a week... will have their salary for this month cut as a penalty."
"...!"
Selina took a hard line.
All the unit members' eyes widened.
Unlike me, who thinks it is fine as long as I have enough money to live on, money is inevitably very important to people living on the battlefield.
Moreover, since they were refugees, they had lost all their accumulated wealth, and if they had a family to support, money was bound to be even more precious.
I could feel the look in some of the members' eyes change.
'...It won't be easy.'
I do not mean to be dismissive, but that is the reality.
Probably half of them will not be able to use telepathy fully even after a week.
As if they felt it themselves, there were soldiers who had a hint of resentment in their gazes toward Selina.
However, Selina was not a person who governed with only a whip.
Rather, Selina's specialty could be said to be waving a carrot.
"On the other hand, for those who succeed in mastering telepathy within a week, I will give you a small benefit. I will give you a special bonus and a vacation for the remaining period, and I will pay for all expenses used for leisure activities during that period from my own private funds."
The carrot she waved seemed to have quite an effect, as the look in some of their eyes changed completely.
Above all, Selina's determination was extraordinary.
She probably pushed the soldiers to whip herself even harder.
As I was applauding her ambition and determination in my heart, I realized one important fact.
"Selina."
"Yes, Rian. Please speak."
"So, am I on vacation from now on?"
At my question, Selina raised an eyebrow with an incredulous look and spat out a single, cold word that felt insincere.
"Why are you stating the obvious?"
* * *
"I'll be back."
"...I feel like I shouldn't have brought up the vacation."
Selina looked very dissatisfied.
To be precise, her eyes were filled with anxiety.
The way she looked at me was like watching a young child playing by the water.
"What are you so anxious about? Anyone would think you're my mother."
"As the commander of Unit 917, I always treat my members with the heart of a mother dealing with her child... I've never had a child, but it's probably similar, right?"
"Then be genuinely happy for your child's growth."
"If Rian was like the other members, always playing here and there, peeking around, I wouldn't have said anything. But the Rian I've seen has always been cooped up in his room or spent his entire vacation training. How can I not be anxious when that Rian voluntarily goes on a trip for a week?"
The reason I do not go out is, first, that there is not much entertainment unlike in my previous civilization; second, that the security of this world is so precarious it is a shame to even compare it to South Korea; and third, that I am not interested in eating out or sightseeing in the first place.
Selina, unaware of these facts, sighed for what felt like the nth time today.
To be honest, I did not want to bother going out either.
But I felt like I would not get a chance if not now.
The Leviathan's Spine I got this time.
It is a useless item that is nothing but poison to the body if used as is, but it is possible to create the best synergy by combining it well with other mana sources.
The problem is that it is not easy to obtain the item that creates that synergy.
Moreover, unlike Odin, where I can freely choose the next route, Unit 917 has to move according to the orders from above.
Since I cannot choose the route as I please, it could easily turn into an endless wait.
Therefore, now, when I am healthy and have no schedule for the next week, is the best opportunity given to me.
"Anyway, take care of yourself, and contact me if anything happens."
"The communicator won't work due to the distance anyway, right?"
"With telepathy. I plan to master how to use the Authority by tomorrow, so I'll be able to receive Rian's call without any problems."
This confidence was probably not a show of confidence, but of determination.
However, with this much determination, I wondered if Selina would not contact me first through telepathy before my trip ended.
That thought occurred to me.
"Selina, while I'm gone, please keep a close eye on Lirisa."
"Lirisa?"
My and Selina's gazes naturally turned to Lirisa.
Selina was mixed in with the other members, concentrating on telepathy training.
At least from the outside, there was nothing different about her, so Selina looked at me with a face that said she did not know why I was saying this.
"Lirisa's brother died in action."
"..."
It must have been quite a shock, as Selina's eyes widened and her mouth, covered by her hand, gaped open.
As if she had heard a secret she should not have, she fidgeted and looked back and forth between me and Selina, then hung her head low.
"I'm sorry to Lirisa. I have nothing to say to Rian either."
"About what?"
"As a commander, I should have figured that out beforehand... It's my role as a commander to manage not only the physical health of my subordinates but also their mental health. I've ended up pushing that onto Rian."
"There's nothing to be sorry about."
Right.
Where in the world is anything a given?
The fact that Selina treats me so kindly, and that she cherishes and respects the members of Unit 917, are all special, not a given.
I should not get used to it and forget my gratitude toward her.
In this world, there are overwhelmingly more commanders who do not act like Selina.
"Then I'll be off."
"Yes. Take care. And please contact me regularly starting tomorrow."
"...What will you do if I contact you and you can't receive it, after boasting like that?"
"Then it's a shame."
Seeing Selina smile brazenly as she pushed back her fallen hair, I finally burst out laughing.
Thus, I left Unit 917's airship, and Selina waved until I was out of sight, seeing me off.
* * *
I readjusted the slipping backpack and took out the map of the Mergan Kingdom that I had prepared in advance.
The map was much less accurate compared to the one I saw in the game.
I suspected it was due to technical shortcomings.
However, since the general terrain, city names, and locations were written in detail, I had no difficulty plotting a course to my destination.
Leaving the military pier, I headed for the civilian pier in the distance.
At the entrance was an old man wearing a worn-out hat.
The old man glanced once at the clothes I was wearing and the sword at my waist, then opened his mouth.
"...You're a soldier. What brings you here?"
"I'd like to use the ship."
"If you tell me your destination, I'll give you the pier number, time, and cost. However... a soldier needs a permit to board a civilian airship."
It was a natural request.
A significant portion of the soldiers that make up the Alliance's army are refugees.
The military is a difficult place even for those who walk in of their own will, so how much more so for those who are dragged in?
As a result, the desertion rate among the Alliance's soldiers is considerable, and to reduce that high rate even a little, the soldiers' means of transportation were restricted.
Selena, knowing this, had issued me a pass before I went on vacation.
When I showed him the pass, the old man seemed somewhat relieved and stroked his chest.
"My destination is Haram."
"Haram... A place where everything was burned down in the war 10 years ago and only ruins remain..."
"I have personal business."
"Hmm... First, there are no ships that go to Haram. My recommendation is to take an airship to Monora City, then a carriage to Sursa Village... and after that, you'll have to go on foot."
"Understood."
I had not expected to be able to reach my destination comfortably in the first place.
Haram.
It was a place that had been burned down in the great war 10 years ago, leaving nothing behind, so not only players, but even the Alliance's airships, the owners of the land, did not visit.
Nevertheless, the reason I was going there was because I had information that others did not.
"You can go to pier 30. It departs in 30 minutes, so it would be best to board right away. The cost is written here."
The old man said, pointing to a sign next to him.
I paid the amount written on the sign and headed straight for the pier.
Unlike military airships, civilian airships, which had all the functions necessary for combat removed, were relatively small and looked no different from sailboats.
There did not seem to be many crew members either... and it was likely that there was no magical processing other than what was essential for flight.
The captain of the airship was as old as the old man who had given me directions.
"If you sit there, we'll depart soon."
The captain also glanced at my clothes, so it seemed it was not very common for a soldier to travel freely to such a distant place.
As I waited, passengers began to board the ship one by one, and when the appointed time came, the engine ignited and the airship rose into the sky.
It would be a long journey to Haram.
I closed my eyes to get some rest.
Perhaps because I had not slept well the night before while preparing for the trip, drowsiness washed over me as soon as I closed my eyes.
* * *
"Sir. We've arrived at our destination."
A low, thick voice wakes me from my sleep.
When I open my eyes, I see a night sky studded with stars.
I had slept for too long in a crouched position, so my whole body was stiff.
When I got up, I could see the scenery of a strange city over the low railing, which did not seem to consider the safety of the passengers.
Most of the buildings were low-rise and old, so it was a rural level that could not even be compared to the capital.
The city walls surrounding the city were also shoddy.
And what stretched out beyond those city walls was a dead land where no sign of life could be felt.