Chapter 22

Lirisa left for her visit with her younger brother.

Left alone, I sat on a park bench, blankly staring up at the sky and flipping a coin with my finger.

This coin, you ask, was an allowance I received from none other than Lirisa.

It wasn't a small amount of money, but after checking the prices in this city, it seemed it would be tight just for lodging and food.

The cause was likely the continuous rise in prices due to the ongoing war.

I had no leeway to spend money on leisure.

In other words, I had no choice but to spend the rest of my leave just staring blankly at the sky.

"Wow, this is driving me crazy."

"You look bored."

"......?"

Someone sat down in the empty seat next to me.

A small frame.

Along with the faint scent of perfume, the smell of medicine wafted over and stung my nose.

I checked the face of the woman who had taken the seat next to me.

A woman with a cast on her left arm, just like me, and half of her face covered with bandages.

She was probably wrapped in bandages under her clothes as well, though I couldn't see them.

I let out a deep sigh.

'That Adam.'

He had put on such a serious act and trailed off his words, making me worry.

But he was alive and well.

I'd have to kick him in the shin when I saw him later.

"What's with your appearance?"

"There isn't a single place that doesn't hurt."

"So why did you step in?"

"She's complaining even when I helped her. You know what? I should have just stayed quiet."

"......"

"......"

A brief silence fell.

As if the bandaged area was itchy, she, Selina, kept fiddling with the top of her cast.

"The medicine?"

"This is how I am after taking it."

The healing potion's performance was considerable.

Considering I, who was diagnosed with a four-week injury, was able to be discharged the very next day after drinking the healing potion, Selina must have been literally on the verge of death.

I checked my left arm, which I still couldn't move at will.

When I fought Viscount Lemming, I was prepared to give up an arm for victory.

It wasn't like I would die from losing an arm, and since this world had advanced magical technology, it was possible to get a decent prosthetic arm.

But thinking about it now, I wonder if it would have ended with just one arm.

Viscount Lemming, the airship otaku, must have tampered with the main cannon, as the time from loading to firing was too fast for a micro-airship.

According to the original plan, Lirisa was supposed to shut down the engine before the first shot and kill Viscount Lemming before it could be reignited, but that failed, and we ended up taking the first hit.

If that shot had been aimed at me instead of Selina, I, who was not a mage and was injured all over, would have been reduced to a pool of blood in a single blow.

Looking back, Selina had saved my life.

"...Thanks."

"You know how to say thank you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm clear about my debts and favors. I don't intend to end it with just a thank you. I plan to repay you fully, including for the healing potion you gave me last time."

"Hmm..."

Selina smiled slyly.

Ah, people usually make that kind of smile when they're plotting something.

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Then I'll get going first..."

"How about you repay that now instead of later?"

"......"

Sensing a crisis, I tried to leave quickly, but Selina wouldn't let me go.

My clothes, as I stood up awkwardly, were caught in Selina's hand, which was wrapped in bandages.

I couldn't bring myself to shake her off, so I had no choice but to sit back down.

"What is it? Let me say this in advance, I only have one silver coin on me right now."

"I'm not interested in such loose change."

"Loose change..."

I almost had to sleep on the streets because I didn't have that loose change.

Damn nobles.

"Then what is it?"

"As I said in Labias Valley, I'm an officer candidate scheduled for commission. In three days. I will be taking to the field as the commander of the newly established Unit 917."

"That's a shame."

"It's something to be celebrated. Anyway, according to regulations, I'll be receiving about 4-5 new recruits.... but I thought it would be better to have a few soldiers with combat experience who can lead them, rather than a unit composed entirely of clueless new recruits."

Selina rose from the bench.

And stood right in front of me.

The clothes she was wearing were a black military uniform.

However, compared to what ordinary soldiers wore, it was more stylish and ornate, with buttons and other decorations that didn't hinder movement.

"I am Selina Verdin, the provisional commander of the newly established Unit 917. Ryan Kaltz. I heard you haven't been assigned to a unit yet, so what do you think of Unit 917?"

"That's the front line."

"That's true. But Ryan. All soldiers under the system are sent to the front lines anyway."

"...I really hate this kingdom."

"Still, Ryan. If you come to Unit 917, I can promise you that what you experienced in Unit 707 will never happen again. Ryan, have you ever heard of Unit 223? It was a legendary unit from the Mergan Kingdom."

"......?"

It was a unit number I had never heard of.

If it were a named unit that even the White Hero had to be wary of, it would have definitely remained in my memory.

As if she had grasped the meaning behind my expression, Selina smiled awkwardly and continued.

"It was a unit that was active about 10 years ago."

"Ah..."

I understood at once why I didn't remember it.

D&K was released a year ago, and the game's time flowed the same as reality.

It was only natural that the war between the White Hero and the Alliance from 10 years ago wouldn't be included in the information I had.

"You really don't know, do you? It was a unit that never experienced a single defeat on the battlefield, and in the 32 operations it carried out, not a single soldier died.... Not just adults, but even the children of the kingdom know about it."

"That's quite impressive."

"Right?"

Was it because they were from the same kingdom?

Even though it wasn't her own, Selina was proud of it.

Just like how a vague sense of patriotism wells up whenever people around the world get excited about the names of athletes who perform well on the world stage.

I felt it was a similar emotion.

"Just as Odin is the White Hero's living legend. The Alliance also had such a unit."

"......"

I never expected Odin's name to come up here, so I flinched for a moment.

Fortunately, Selina was too engrossed in her story to notice my reaction too closely.

"I want to be the commander of a unit like that too. So, Ryan. I really want you to join my unit. I promise to provide the best support I can, if not the absolute best."

"Haa..."

I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky.

Looking at the blue sky seemed to clear my thoughts a bit.

Listening to Selina, it seemed that the fact was that a low-ranking soldier from a refugee background with no connections would be rolled around on the front lines for three years.

I would be worked like a dog in another unit.

I would be lucky to meet a competent commander, or a kind commander who cared about his soldiers.

But if I met a damn commander like Viscount Lemming, it would be another road of hardship.

In that sense, Selina could be seen as a commander with a certain degree of safety guaranteed.

On the condition that the she had shown me so far were not lies.

"Let me ask you one thing."

"Anything."

"Why me? The authority I possess wouldn't be very attractive for creating an undefeated unit."

The only time Selina and I had operated together was in Stage 1-2.

I didn't think I had done anything particularly noteworthy there, so I couldn't understand why she was going to such lengths to recruit me.

Selina is a mage.

Therefore, she should have been able to check my stats.

Even though she would have known that the authority I possessed was nothing special from a mage's perspective, why did she extend her hand?

If it was simply because of the flimsy bond formed in Stage 1-2.

I would have no choice but to doubt her abilities as a commander.

"That's..."

Selina smiled slightly.

After glancing around once, Selina, who seemed to have determined that there were quite a few listening ears in the park, bent down and whispered in my ear.

"Ryan's eyes. They can see more than what mages see, can't they?"

"......"

Goosebumps ran all over my body.

When I looked up, Selina's eyes were glowing.

Not the blue light that ordinary mages show when they use magic, but a mystical golden light, as if it were seeing through the things I was hiding.

It suddenly occurred to me that Selina, despite being a mage, was receiving the benefits of the Nurturing System.

The magical power given to her by Viscount Lemming was 1.

Considering Viscount Lemming's personality of injecting up to 4 magical power until an authority is awakened, Selina, who was only injected with 1, had definitely awakened an authority.

Then what authority did Selina possess?

As if linked to my emotions, Dragon's Eye activated naturally.

Eye that Seeks Truth

Can distinguish lies intended to deceive oneself, and can reveal intentionally hidden truths.

It contained such terrifying content that I doubted my eyes for a moment.

An authority to discern lies.

It would be one thing if it belonged to an enemy I had to defeat.

But it was an authority that was even more frightening for an ally to possess.

"...Selina."

"Yes."

"The authority you have is a bit burdensome."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of ever, under any circumstances, using my authority on a squad member, except when assessing their abilities as a commander. And this is also a secret I'm only telling Ryan. I trust that Ryan's lips are sealed."

"...Thanks for trusting me."

"Oh. What about the offer I made?"

Selina knows my secret.

And she revealed her secret to me.

This also means that she has no intention of letting me go.

What could I do?

"I'm in your hands. Commander. No, please take care of me."

Selina smiled.

And she takes the hand I held out.

"I'm counting on you. Ryan."

"By the way, what's the unit name?"

"Hmm.... Ryan's formal speech is a bit awkward. Please just speak comfortably."

"Alright then."

"...You don't hesitate for even a second. It doesn't matter, though. More importantly, you asked about the unit name, right? Ryan. Do you know about Odin?"

"...Yeah. I know."

I really agonized over it for a moment.

I thought about lying and saying I didn't know, but considering Selina's authority, it would be better to practice minimizing lies to her from now on.

Her eyes were currently their usual beautiful and clear red.

"So I thought about it. How about Fenrir?"

"Fenrir?"

"Yes. Odin, the strongest combat unit of the White Hero that currently exists. I named it with the determination to grow into a unit that will devour them."

"That's quite..."

How should I express this feeling?

I am a soldier of the Alliance.

But I was also the commander who led Odin.

I also have the sinister thought of returning to Odin if I ever get the chance.

That's why I was contemplating what kind of expression to make as I watched Selina clench her fist and proudly declare that she would crush Odin.

"That's a cool name."

* * *

Unlike Unit 707's airship, which Viscount Lemming had modified to his own taste, Unit 917's airship was crude.

Should I say it was pure stock?

It looked as if it had just been produced in a factory, given a rough paint job, and placed there as it was.

The scale was micro.

Looking up at the deck, I could see the crew members busily moving around, carrying luggage as big as themselves.

"Ryan!"

Hearing my name called, I turned my head to see Lirisa leaning against the airship's railing, waving her hand with her body extended.

I had a feeling this would happen, but it seemed Lirisa had also been persuaded by Selina.

Well, it made sense.

For a new recruit, Lirisa's abilities and mentality weren't bad, so for Selina, who had grand ambitions, she would have been a rather coveted talent.

When I went up to the deck, she approached me with a bright smile.

"Did something good happen?"

"No? Why?"

"You look happy."

If it wasn't my imagination, her voice was also one or two tones brighter than usual.

After pondering for a moment with a serious expression, her chin in her hand, Lirisa, as if she couldn't hold it in any longer, burst into a wide smile.

"Is it because I met my brother after a long time? Or maybe because I had such a good leave. How about you, Ryan?"

"I was bored."

Coming here, I could keenly feel how precious modern civilization was.

Never mind video media, music, or games, I couldn't even do the common activity of reading because I didn't know the letters of this world.

I didn't have a teacher to train with the sword, and I didn't have a suitable place to train my stamina, so for three days, all I could do was count the stains on the ceiling or borrow a children's book from Selina and study letters, which was not in my destiny.

I wondered if Lirisa knew how I felt.

"What about your family? I mean..."

Lirisa, knowing that Ryan's father had died, rolled her eyes and her head.

"Other family. Like your mother, or a younger sibling... an older brother or sister... or is it just parents and children that are family? There are relatives too. Didn't you meet them?"

"I don't have any."

To be precise, I didn't know.

It would have been different if there was a convenient setting where, after possessing a character, I became assimilated with that character and their memories naturally flowed into me...

But since there wasn't, the only family relationship of Ryan that I knew of was his father, who was a hunter.

"......"

"...What are you doing?"

"Just because."

Suddenly, Lirisa hugged me.

I wondered what she was doing, but since it wasn't harmful, I left her be for now.

"This is from my experience. When you're sad or having a hard time, it's comforting when someone hugs you like this."

"I'm fine."

"Hey, there you go again."

No, I'm serious.

In the first place, my parents are alive and well in that other world, and it's not like I feel any familial love for Ryan's father.

Still, the reason I found Lirisa's warmth welcoming might have been because I was unconsciously feeling that I was all alone in this world.