episode_0631
by admin
“Oh my gosh!”
“I’m alive…! I’m alive!”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
As soon as our reserve men realized that they had arrived at the planet Novaris, they burst into tears and snot as if a faucet had been turned on.
Kai Delshard and the bartender frowned at the sight, but the corners of their lips were twitching toward the sky, as if they were glad that they had managed to escape safely.
I watched him for a while, and then got up when it seemed like he had shed all the tears he wanted to shed. I had to stop him a bit because I thought he would pass out if I left him alone.
That kid over there is already drooling.
“Okay, I understand you’re glad you made it out safely. But things aren’t over yet.”
“, huh…? It’s not completely over?”
“Didn’t Jamad get left behind?”
“I wonder if there’s any problem… ”
“Food shortage or…?”
“Eek… !”
They listened to me with bewildered faces and began to imagine ominous things among themselves.
Then, when the topic of food came up, his face turned pale and he looked around.
Certainly, this exploration ship doesn’t seem that big for a crew of over twenty to sail for a long time. So, you would guess that the cargo space wouldn’t have much to store.
Only Kai Delshard, who was quick-witted, seemed to have guessed what I was going to say. However, his face was calm, as if he had already made up his mind.
I waved my hand and calmed down the panicking guys.
“I’m not talking about Zamad. Those guys are the ones we won’t see again unless we take revenge. And there’s plenty of food, so don’t tremble like you’re facing a cannibal. Who do you think is a savage? ”
“So that means the work isn’t completely over… ”
“What I’m saying is that you need to clarify your whereabouts.”
I brought them here, calling them reserve subordinates for convenience, but strictly speaking, we are strangers. They came with me because I saved them from being arrested by Jamad.
Rather, those with a sound mind will know that we are the ones responsible for the arrest.
It’s just that we can’t show it because we seem so strong.
So here we had to distinguish between those who would follow us and those who would not.
It is an unrealistic plan to fill all of my forces that will operate on a space scale with androids, so it is an inevitable choice, but humans are not as trustworthy as androids. If they lack loyalty, it will be difficult in many ways.
It is true that we need a lot of manpower, but we cannot force them to work like slaves. Especially from my perspective, where I have to work in the vast space of space, I need to prevent things like betrayal in advance.
“If you want to go somewhere else, I will let you do so. I have work to do here, so it is difficult to go right now, but if you wait a moment, I will send you to any place you want within the warp navigation coordinates that can be obtained.”
But, unexpectedly, they didn’t say anything after hearing my story. They didn’t show any sign of relief, and instead, they just exchanged glances with trembling faces.
‘What? It seems like a very generous offer. I’m not asking for a reward for saving you, and I’m saying I’ll send you wherever you want to go. Why aren’t you saying anything?’
Are you so full that you can’t satisfy these conditions?
If that’s the case, then I’ll be offended and won’t be able to just let you go…
The moment I had such a grim thought, a man stepped forward awkwardly from among the guys.
I am the man whose leg I fixed.
“I… We thought the saint had already taken us in.”
“What? I’m a saint… No, more than that, you thought I had already taken you?”
“Yes, that’s right, but… ”
“I never said anything like that.”
When I looked at him with a puzzled expression at his difficult-to-understand reaction, Kai Delshad opened his mouth.
“They are like that, you… ”
“Lee Min-ho, call me Min-ho.”
Come to think of it, I did introduce ourselves to Kai Delshard as a group called Awaken, but we hadn’t even officially announced ourselves yet. I just unilaterally sought him out.
He continued speaking with a slightly bright face when he heard my name.
“They are already following Minho. That includes me and this guy next to me.”
Kai Delshad then tapped the shoulder of the bartender standing next to him. The bartender nodded obediently, indicating that he agreed with his opinion.
No, not just the bartender, but everyone else in our group, including those two, were nodding.
‘You’re just going to follow me without any resentment?’
If I were involved in something like this, I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. Am I the only trash?
“Can I ask why?”
“The reason is… It’s because of the power that Minho possesses.”
“Strength?”
“It’s not just about being strong. No matter how strong the guns and weapons are, it’s impossible for the people here to oppose a large group like Jamad. However, the power that Minho possesses is something special. Tools that make you question whether they’re possible with existing technology, and even supernatural abilities that he’s shown without using tools. The person next to him, Maria, is not only skilled at hacking, but also has special abilities that allowed her to deal with fighter jets. The combined power of all of those things is what captivated them.”
Kai Delshad listed my and my party’s abilities as if he were praising them.
Others also looked at me with bright eyes, as if they had gained new confidence after hearing his explanation.
‘It certainly doesn’t seem like you’re just going to blindly follow.’
Even though they are people who live by doing mercenary work, they are still residents of the world of science fiction. I think I underestimated the intelligence of the people here.
They had already done their math and decided that it was best to stick to me. While I was ignoring them, they were watching me intently and probably racking their brains to figure out how to act.
While thinking about that, Kai Delshad cautiously added.
“And most of all… Minho and his party seem to be related to the constellation of Luminaris. That’s probably why the man called them saints.”
‘That religious story again.’
I turned my gaze to the man who had called me a saint and asked.
“Is Kai Delshad right?”
“Yes…? Oh, yes! That’s right.”
He answered stammeringly, looking embarrassed at the sudden attention being drawn to him.
“The fire that the saint showed us… The fire that instantly melted the shutter made of a special material, and the ability to heal us were clearly the power of the god Novaris. And the one who predicted the attack of the defense satellite was the god Astra, and the two people next to us are also people who remind us of the goddess Lunara. How could we not call them saints?”
‘What are Astra and Luna?’
-Both are gods belonging to the constellation of Luminaris, like Novalis. Astra is the god of constellations, and is the goddess of destiny and prophecy, while Lunara is the goddess of the moon, or satellite, and presides over night and dreams.
He said that seeing Jeong Su-jin write a poem about the future reminded him of Astra, and seeing Sera and Moon Ji-yu handle barriers and shadows reminded him of Lunara.
It is certainly a sight that would make any devout believer turn their eyes.
It was really amazing how these old men were so sincere about religion.
Perhaps, because it is a rough life where one risks one’s life, one may believe in religion more.
In the old days, sailors who sailed the seas relying only on wooden boats and the wind were said to have been fascinated by religion and superstition. It may have been natural for those who worked as mercenaries or smugglers in space to show such aspects.
‘What should I do…’
I was in trouble.
I asked because I thought I would be a little happier if I thought that I chose to stay, but all I got back was a response asking why I was asking such an obvious question.
Since you said you would follow us voluntarily, I have no intention of letting you go. I can’t kick your butt and force you to leave when you need someone.
My only concern is that religion plays a bigger role in why they follow me than I thought.
I was planning to respond to questions about religion by not answering them, but if this is the case, I have no choice but to use this.
If you deny it now, it will only lead to discontent and your subordinates will likely scatter.
‘There is no better way to inspire loyalty than through religion…’
If you gain people’s loyalty in exchange for profit, they will betray you when there is no gain. However, those who are united by religion tend to stick together even when it means loss rather than gain.
Regardless of my personal qualms about it, as a leader it is an advantage I absolutely cannot ignore.
‘Are we going to take the pseudo route in the end…?’
I should tell Maria to gather information about the religion called the Luminaris Constellation.
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