Ch.172Omen

# 172. Signs

I responded to the Vice Commander’s proposal by saying that since the matter was important, I would first gather my party members’ opinions and get back to him. He said he understood but added that he would appreciate a prompt response. Though there wasn’t much reason to refuse, I wanted to explain the situation to my party members and discuss it with them first.

‘I should be grateful that I don’t have to use my persuasion skills.’

After leaving the Vice Commander’s tent, we followed Lord Delton to another nearby tent. At a glance, I could see party members roughly cleaning themselves, maintaining their weapons, or checking consumables. I sent Subin in first.

“Despite coming from afar when they should be resting, your companions are… unlike adventurers, in a good way.”

“What exactly do you think adventurers are, my lord?”

“Generally, people with more greed than ability, lacking self-restraint, like lazy donkeys that need whipping to move?”

Good heavens.

“What will you do now, my lord?”

“What else? I need some rest too. When orders come down, I’ll follow them as usual.”

“My lord, may I ask you a question?”

“You’re free to ask. And I’m free to answer or not.”

“Thank you. From what the Vice Commander said earlier, it seems you don’t spend your entire life at the fortress. Didn’t you say you’ve been active for a very long time?”

“Are you asking why I don’t return to my country?”

Lord Delton shrugged.

“Let’s just say I have personal reasons for now. Perhaps there will be a time to talk about it someday.”

After leaving those words that sounded like a flag, Lord Delton walked away, casually waving his arms.

“Captain, how did it go?”

“Subin, could you explain?”

“Sure.”

After Lord Delton left and we entered the tent, all eyes turned to me. I asked Subin to explain while I organized my thoughts. As she explained, I sat in a corner comparing the Faelm Fortress story with our current situation.

‘The details have changed so much that comparing them is almost meaningless, but the main storyline seems to be maintained to some extent.’

The core of the Faelm Fortress story involves fighting against a demon that emerged from a broken seal for some reason.

The demon battle scene was described as a desperate fight where many people died or were injured, and even the seemingly impregnable fortress was largely destroyed. I remember that the combat part that players had to directly play was so difficult that countless people said they couldn’t beat it until guides came out, and even those who did beat it took several attempts, with each try taking hours, leaving them completely exhausted.

The important point is that the demon released from the seal was released ‘incompletely.’

The demon, which should have been released from the seal much later, was released earlier, which is why the damage was limited to this extent.

This information came after the battle ended, the battlefield was cleaned up, and analyzed, but skipping over that, the keyword is ‘incomplete.’

In the game, they simply explained that the seal was incompletely released, which is why the damage was limited, but here?

‘The “some reason” is almost certainly that the reconnaissance team’s mistake caused cracks in the seal. Then instead of restoring the seal… should we actually accelerate it further?’

Until we arrived at the fortress and talked with the Vice Commander, I had naturally assumed we would send a reconnaissance team to investigate and then completely restore the seal, but…

‘Can we intervene?’

As always, the problem was that while my party members and I knew this, the people here wouldn’t understand at all.

“Actually, what’s sealed is a Greater Demon, and the seal was destined to break eventually no matter what we do! The fortress’s unexpected accident happened because monsters were created and ran wild due to the seal partially breaking for some reason! Since we probably can’t restore the seal to its previous state, it would be better to break the seal faster to weaken the demon inside!”

‘…As if that would work.’

How could we, with zero influence in the fortress, make anyone believe this? Even if we had influence, who would believe such words? And even if they did believe us, who would be able to implement it?

Being called crazy would be getting off lightly; they might accuse us of being possessed by demons trying to lead everyone to their deaths.

Just as I finished my deliberation, Subin seemed to have finished her explanation. I immediately shared my concerns, and the party members sighed.

“It won’t be easy.”

“The moment we make that claim, wouldn’t the people here see us as demon worshippers dreaming of mass suicide?”

“Then all the more reason to join the reconnaissance team. That way we can intervene. If necessary, we can ‘accidentally’ make a mistake.”

“Seyeon’s right. This might actually be fortunate. Since the Vice Commander asked directly, we won’t be ignored.”

Despite the deep sighs, our stance was quickly decided.

“But oppa, be honest.”

“Huh?”

“If the boss is weakened, do you think we can beat it?”

“If it’s just us participating… I think it would be very difficult. If the people here show the same effort as in the game, it would be easier than in the game.”

If it were just one boss monster, it might be different, but Faelm Fortress’s boss was surrounded by many minions and elite mobs. Honestly, it would be impossible for just us to handle, but I refrained from using such definitive words.

Besides, even though I said this, the party members already knew from our experience on the 5th floor.

The insurance underlying my assumptions of “if it’s the same as the game” or “if it’s similar to the game” had greatly increased.

In short, I was telling them to be prepared to suffer terribly again.

**

After sharing information, we immediately visited the Vice Commander’s tent. Since there was no leadership meeting, sentries were standing in front of the tent again. They glanced at Subin and me, then reported inside on their own. Thanks to this small courtesy, we were able to meet the Vice Commander right away.

“Thank you for coming back so quickly as I said. Since the number of visitors has increased, can I expect a positive answer?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm!”

“However, there’s a condition.”

“Tell me.”

“Please guarantee us the right to act independently.”

It was something we had to do anyway, but this was non-negotiable. It was truly regrettable to the soldiers who had been fighting at the risk of their lives, but we knew best.

I had no desire to follow the command of someone who knew less than us, less than me, in a life-threatening situation.

“…Independent action? Do you mean you want to conduct the seal reconnaissance with just your party?”

“No. I have no intention of overstepping. We’ll be part of the reconnaissance team and move together, but we want some discretion.”

“I don’t quite understand. It’s nonsensical for you, a newcomer, to command the reconnaissance team, yet you’re not saying you’ll perform the mission alone either.”

*It’s because having more people is safer when going to the seal site, and we need discretion to make a “mistake”.*

I swallowed the words that were on the tip of my tongue.

“Our party has been following my orders for quite some time. Although each member is a very capable adventurer, we can only exert our full demon-slaying power when moving together under my orders.”

“…In other words, you’ll go together to learn about the unfamiliar reconnaissance, but you won’t follow the reconnaissance team’s command in combat.”

“That’s right. Conversely, if there’s a sound strategy or tactic, we have no reason not to follow it.”

“Huh. Adventurers, indeed.”

I calmly received the Vice Commander’s heavy gaze. Having seen it several times already, it was much less burdensome than the first time.

“To be honest, I’m already having a headache over selecting personnel for the reconnaissance team. The people I need are trying to avoid it, while unnecessary personnel are strongly insisting on going.”

“I see.”

“Guaranteeing independent action isn’t difficult for me. You’ve proven your skill, courage, action, and character unlike typical adventurers. However, my guarantee alone won’t ensure you complete freedom. I’m sorry to say this, but you’re just adventurers who rolled in here.”

The perception of adventurers here is quite poor.

The Vice Commander added that as he finished speaking.

“Isn’t life similar everywhere? I’ve experienced similar things in my life as an adventurer and before becoming one.”

Territorial disputes, old-fashioned attitudes, office politics, gossip, hysteria, and so on… Despite differences in age, location, gender, and occupation, these were experiences most people shared. Even in games, all sorts of issues arose because of human relationships.

Having faced death several times, and potentially facing it again here, I wasn’t afraid of the territorial behavior of these noble people. In fact, I preferred their wariness.

“I don’t mind. Compared to what we’re facing, such things are trivial problems.”

“…Hahahahaha! Trivial problems, you say! Yes, you’re right. In the face of a major crisis, such things are indeed trivial.”

The Vice Commander laughed heartily, scribbled something on a paper, stamped it firmly at the bottom, and handed it to me.

“This is the Commander’s seal. If anyone interferes with your party’s independent action, just show them this.”

He then grabbed my shoulder and continued.

“By the way, have you considered staying at the fortress longer?”

Wait, is this old man…?