Ch.193Chapter 193. Meeting with the Helper

“It was to survive.”

After leaving Tashian’s side for a private conversation, Flandor faced me with a reddened face, covering it with both hands as she hastily began to explain.

“I did it to survive! I had no idea what would happen if I didn’t please that monster!”

“Monster? Isn’t that too harsh? As I said before, Tashian has lost her power right now and…”

“Lost her power? Not at all. Even now, she feels more dangerous than any aberrant being I’ve ever encountered!”

“…That much?”

“Do you know how it felt when she repaired my body? Without exaggeration, it felt like being taken apart and fixed at the cellular level. She perfectly understood the structure of my body—which everyone thought was beyond repair due to lost arcane knowledge—just by looking at it briefly. That means all my weaknesses were exposed in an instant!!”

Weaknesses?

Isn’t that too harsh to say about someone who healed her for free?

“The fortunate thing is that she’s someone who can’t control her maternal instincts. So for the future, I need to target that aspect and somehow avoid upsetting her…”

“…Are you that afraid of Tashian?”

“You can speak so calmly because you don’t know anything, Master. Her capacity is immeasurable, and if that capacity ever gets filled again…!”

“Even though she’s my mother?”

At my words, Flandor’s body trembled.

She hesitated for a moment, then avoided my gaze and answered in a small voice.

“I-I know. Even if she’s a being beyond common sense, she’s someone precious to you…”

“And you also know that Tashian has no intention of harming you, right?”

“…I know. I do know.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

Even if she was overwhelmed by Tashian, that was merely instinctual.

If she understands it intellectually, it’s just a matter of getting used to it over time.

“It might be awkward and difficult to adapt in many ways, but please be patient and observe for now.”

With those feelings in mind, I patted Flandor’s head and quietly matched her eye level, giving her a kind smile.

“You’ll surely feel it soon. That she’s someone who can love everyone in this shelter, including you.”

“…You’re treating me like a child again.”

Flandor puffed her cheeks and grabbed my hand on her head with both of hers.

She seemed to want to shake it off in displeasure, but instead pressed it down more firmly, as if wanting to feel the touch more clearly.

Yes, this was the greatest reward for this child. As I smiled at that thought…

“This ring…”

Flandor’s gaze fell on the ring now on my finger, and she looked up at me.

“…Did you receive it from the lady?”

The lady.

I immediately knew who she was referring to.

I received this ring from Garam, and Flandor was the one who appointed Garam as her proxy.

“Is it okay to call your employer that?”

“I no longer intend to pretend to be the lord. Though things have gone awry in various ways, I originally planned to step down from the position of lord after this expedition.”

I had already suspected as much.

Her goal was to receive an official invitation to the imperial court and gain an opportunity to directly contact the leadership.

For that, acting as a maid serving a notable Hero would be more effective than being an illegitimate child and a noble who was consistently ignored.

“And you decided to use everything you had to build this shelter at the end?”

“Wealth and authority are meaningless to me anyway. I wanted people to receive help through what I built, even after I was gone.”

So for that purpose, she excavated knowledge gained from dealing with aberrant beings, and based on that, constructed a mobile fortress with self-sufficient capabilities.

Even though she had accumulated wealth while pretending to be a noble, she could have invested it in her mission. Just how kind-hearted is this child?

“…Do you want me to return to the position of lord?”

But even if it’s an unwanted role, sometimes one must reluctantly take it when circumstances demand.

Seeming to have guessed the situation from Garam giving me the ring, her face gradually filled with bitterness.

“Originally, I transferred the rights to the lady who supported me as a way of repaying her, but if that’s a burden, I suppose I must take it back. At least until I can enter the imperial court…”

No matter how unsuited she was to commanding others, if people wanted her to, she would have to bear it.

As she prepared to reluctantly accept this and tried to remove the ring from her finger, my hand withdrew first.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

“…Master?”

“Flandor, you created this shelter in preparation for when you would be gone, right?”

Even though this child wanted to help humans, until she met Tashian, she had been in such a damaged state that recovery was considered impossible.

Since such a situation could happen again, the people of this ark also need to prepare for when she might not be around.

“In a world like this, they need to learn how to protect themselves and rise up without someone’s protection.”

So the one who should temporarily take her place should not be her, the guardian, but me, a human.

Conveying this intention as I straightened the ring, Flandor looked at me with anxious eyes.

“Is that really okay?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t. In exchange, like when you led the expedition… That much would be fine, right?”

Yes, I came here not to hand this task over to Flandor, but simply to ask for her help.

As I extended my hand with the ring, Flandor looked down at it and, after a moment’s hesitation, took my hand.

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

A whisper filled with both apology and joy.

From that moment, I felt the weight of the ring lighten. I put my hand in my pocket and concluded our conversation.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already prepared myself for this.”

As I firmly gripped the note left by the person I love, which likely described this very situation.

****

[Open and read after entering the ark and obtaining the ring.]

Yes, now must be the right time to read this note.

Thinking the time had come, I returned to my room, unfolded the note, and took time to examine its contents.

[The fact that Hyoseong is reading this note means that the future I foresaw is proceeding smoothly. From escaping the sanctuary to reaching the refuge ‘Meter’s Ark’ and taking on the position of leader through old connections…]

It began by summarizing what had happened so far.

Feeling that everything was unfolding exactly as Irie had predicted, I focused on reading the main content written below.

[I believe that the moment you unfold this note will be the turning point where you truly become a savior. What you need next, Hyoseong, who has already completed the strength and experience required as an individual, is a ‘foundation’ that will help you carry out your mission stably.]

[Meter’s Ark will be the most ideal starting point as that foundation, but you shouldn’t be satisfied with just this if you’re preparing for the future. There’s a shortage of both manpower and technicians who can fully utilize the ark’s potential.]

Manpower.

Come to think of it, Jaseong was also struggling with labor shortages and asked me to select people who could work from among the refugees.

As long as we don’t know how long the empire’s riots will continue and how many refugees we’ll need to accommodate, we should reinforce everything we can.

[So for the time being, leave the chaotic imperial territory and focus on gathering refugees around the lakeside where you’re currently staying. And in that process, if you head to the location I’ve marked, you’ll meet several helpers who will assist in reinforcing the ark.]

[And always remember that the mission you should pursue must be limited to what you can handle. Learn not only to embrace everything but also to boldly cut away when necessary to protect what you’ve already embraced.]

The contents of the unfolded note ended there.

The next note would be opened after the reinforcement of refugees and the ark had progressed to some extent, as indicated in the note.

That would take place over a not-so-short period of time.

“…Irie.”

Realizing that I wouldn’t see her during that period, I put away the note and quietly asked the lingering image before my eyes.

“Is our child alright?”

Feeling regret at not being able to witness the birth of what might already be the fruit of our union.

****

But in times like these, I couldn’t let such regrets hinder my actions.

Taking comfort in the fact that Irie was guaranteed safety in the imperial court, I decided to focus on reinforcing the ark and rescuing refugees as prophesied in the note she gave me.

“Hero, someone is making a fire near the lake. They might be refugees—should we approach?”

“For now, keep a cautious distance and observe. There’s no harm in being careful unless the situation is too urgent.”

Most people on the ship agreed with my opinion.

I hoped the rescue operation would proceed smoothly with our consensus, but even that couldn’t continue smoothly.

“Hahaha! Look, boss! There’s a huge building coming this way!”

“Must be some pleasure boat the nobles built with tax money. Boys, it’s time to plunder!”

“Oh no, bandits! Quickly, move the ark away!”

Not every trace of human activity led to refugees.

Rather, looters who targeted people fleeing from riots were also rampant.

I wanted to avoid direct confrontation with them as much as possible, but considering potential refugees, we inevitably clashed with them.

“The fortress was quite damaged during the escape.”

“Even though it’s mobile, it’s not particularly fast. We’ll have no choice but to take hits one-sidedly until we can submerge.”

“Why are there so many rotten humans doing such terrible things…”

In terms of malice and strategic capability, they were more dangerous than monsters or the Demon Tribe.

As we avoided direct confrontation to minimize damage, the ark gradually accumulated damage, and the unsuccessful rescue operations increased the crew’s fatigue.

“Hero, I think it would be better to establish a base in one location and rescue people nearby…”

“…The problem is that would reduce the number of people we can rescue.”

If we stationed in one place as Samson suggested, it would be easier to reinforce our position, but that would diminish the advantage of having a mobile fortress.

Additionally, to reinforce the ark as Irie mentioned, we needed to keep moving. Despite the hardships, we couldn’t afford to stop for the sake of reinforcement.

“For now, it’s better to do repairs on land, so please dock at the location I’ve designated and proceed with fortress repairs from there.”

After convincing the crew and continuing to move, we finally arrived at our first destination.

After bringing the fortress onto land, I told my companions I would scout ahead and left the fortress to enter the forest.

I was supposed to go in this direction and wait by the rocks.

“…Will it be okay?”

Though I trust Irie, I couldn’t help feeling anxious after encountering many bandits on our way here.

So I decided to stay alert and drew my weapon when I heard the sound of leaves rustling from the bushes to the side.

A forest animal? Or perhaps bandits in ambush?

-Rustle.

No, maybe it’s a refugee who could be the helper Irie mentioned.

Keeping all possibilities in mind and staying alert, I turned my gaze toward the source of the sound.

What I saw was a very small girl in her childhood years…

“…Huh?”

No, not an ordinary girl.

I thought this not just because of the extraordinary aura I felt.

Dark inverted eyes, white skin covered with leaves, pointed ears, and long white hair…

All these elements combined created a being that exuded an alien yet mysterious atmosphere.

“…An elf?”

Yes, this was exactly how Flandor had described elves.

And elves, though they once fought against humans, are now considered legendary beings to current humanity.

“Uh…”

The girl, presumed to be such a mysterious being, stared at me, tilted her head, and muttered.

“Uhyo?”

Why are you saying that?