Chapter 47

I had initially dismissed the story as uninteresting, but that was from the perspective of a modern person accustomed to entertainment.

For the people of this world, with their limited leisure activities, the romantic affairs, family matters, controversies, and disputes of others would surely provide ample amusement.

That's why they were naturally looking at me.

I thought so, but...

Not only Sergel but the other members also gave me incredulous looks.

Lirisa swallowed the food she was chewing and let out a deep sigh.

"Ryan… Yes, I knew, but you’re surprisingly uninterested in others."

"…?"

"It seems you don't care at all what others think of you. Otherwise, with so many people whispering, how could you not even bother to listen once?"

"…"

Only after hearing Lirisa's words did I focus on the gazes and voices of the people around me.

Glancing looks.

Whispering voices.

They seemed to be trying not to be noticed, but they were too clumsy.

Even an ordinary person would have noticed, but now, with the benefits of the nurturing system, I could even overhear the content of their conversations if I concentrated a little.

"That person… the hero of the medal…"

"He doesn't look like it…"

"He defeated an Odin's named individual…"

Something.

Something was wrong.

There were so many people more interested in my story than in the twisted family affairs of high-ranking nobles?

No.

Was that the correct way?

After all, this was the middle of a battlefield, not a ballroom where noble ladies gathered in groups to laugh, chat, and dance.

And these were soldiers fighting on the front lines.

It might be natural for them to be more interested in the story of a soldier who distinguished himself on the battlefield than in the private affairs of some noble family.

The feat of defeating Odin's hero, the first ordinary soldier to take down a named individual, and the medal.

My name was far more famous among the Alliance soldiers, especially those belonging to the Mergan Kingdom, than I had imagined.

"Hmm… Ryan, shall I guess what you're thinking right now?"

"Oh, I think I know too."

Lirisa, whose face was full of mischief, watching my expression, spoke, and Latia clapped her hands in agreement.

"…What is it?"

"Ugh, this is so annoying."

"What are you looking at? I'll poke your eyes out!"

Once I gave permission, Lirisa and Latia immediately mimicked me, even doing impressions.

It was annoying how unlike me it was, but what angered me more was that they had guessed correctly without any error.

"…I didn't think that far."

That was the least resistance I could offer.

As the two of them said, the moment I became aware of the meaning behind their gazes, my stress levels soared.

I wasn't a monkey in a zoo.

Every single person who passed by would glance at me, making me want to line them up and slap each one of them in order.

It didn't bother me when I thought those gazes were directed at Sergel, but now that I knew they were directed at me, I felt a surge of irritation.

"Still, I'm envious."

Byan, who had finished all his meat and was poking at the plate with only the vegetables he disliked remaining, mumbled.

Please, I wished someone would take all these gazes away.

"You're all gathered here."

It was Selina.

Holding a plate of food, she naturally pulled out a chair and sat next to me, which was empty.

Then she picked up a small piece of meat with her fork and put it in her mouth.

"…She came."

"Yes?"

"There's something like that."

A wave of profound relief washed over me.

I felt the curious gazes that had been on me shift to Selina.

All commanders operating airships were mages, meaning nobles.

No matter how much they tried to be friendly with the soldiers, the values they had seen and learned since birth wouldn't easily change, and most commanders maintained a certain distance from the soldiers.

For example, the place we were currently in was a mess hall for soldiers.

There were separate elegant and dignified dining rooms for nobles.

Therefore, they must have felt interest and curiosity towards her, a noble, who ate among the soldiers in the mess hall.

Moreover, she was a bold individual who ignored even the etiquette deeply ingrained in nobles, and she was also the commander who had the soldier named Ryan Kaltz, whom they had been watching with interest.

So, naturally, the focus shifted to Selina.

"I have something to tell you all. More precisely, it's a briefing for the next operation."

Even with her cheeks full of food, chewing like a hamster, her pronunciation remained perfectly clear.

"First of all, as you all know, the biggest problem is the medium-sized airship. Count Dman requested support from headquarters, but it seems the Mergan Kingdom doesn't have the leeway to dispatch medium-sized airships. First… Oh, before that, this."

Selina placed a crumpled piece of paper on the table.

The members who had finished their meals thoughtfully cleared their plates to one side, so I, as the representative, unfolded the paper on the table.

The paper was a map of the area around the fortress.

Of course, it wasn't just a simple map.

The map was filled with something written in Selina's handwriting.

With my limited language skills, I could only understand a small part, but even without fully understanding, I could tell how much effort Selina was putting in for Unit 917.

"First, at this point, the difference in airships between our forces and the enemy is 23:18. Looking only at the numbers, our side seems advantageous, but the White Hero side has a few more small airships. In any case, as long as medium-sized airships exist, the numerical difference is meaningless. Additional troops are continuously being supplied to both sides in real time, but it's safe to say there's no chance of airships larger than medium-sized getting involved."

"And the infantry?"

In this world's combat, the biggest factor influencing victory or defeat was airships.

However, the outcome of a war couldn't be determined solely by aerial combat.

Although the advent of air forces changed the paradigm of war, the foundation was ultimately infantry, and it was infantry who planted flags on captured territories.

No matter how powerful airships were, if ground forces occupied high ground and fired anti-aircraft guns, how could they possibly hold out?

If a decisive advantage could be secured in ground combat, then some missing chances of victory could be made up in aerial combat.

However.

"It's overwhelmingly disadvantageous."

Selina's subsequent words were despairing.

"First, we're short on numbers. More precisely, we're short on heroes."

"…Short?"

"Yes. For now, it's estimated that about 100 heroes are participating in the White Hero's faction alone."

Unconsciously, I found myself looking around at the soldiers gathered in the mess hall.

Most of them were focused on me and Selina, so I naturally met their gaze.

Their number was very large.

And all the people currently filling their stomachs in the mess hall were external personnel who had come to support the fortress.

"…Weren't all of them heroes?"

Words that should have remained in my thoughts unconsciously blurted out.

No, even if not all of them, I thought the majority had benefited from the nurturing system and were heroes, but from Selina's words, it seemed that wasn't the case.

It was a shock.

"Not all air force personnel are heroes. In fact, there aren't that many units where all members are under the nurturing system. As I mentioned before, the Alliance's nurturing system is still in the testing phase."

Selina unreservedly disclosed the data obtained from the meeting.

According to the data, the number of identified heroes belonging to the White Hero's faction was about 100, and regular soldiers numbered over 600.

It seemed the numbers were continuously increasing in real time.

On the other hand, the Alliance had about 60 heroes and just under 1,000 regular soldiers.

Although personnel were continuously being supplemented, the disparity in the number of heroes, who played a crucial role on the battlefield, would continue to grow.

From the Alliance's perspective, they had to defend the fortress, but a strange structure was created where it became more disadvantageous over time.

"…I'll be gone for a bit."

I felt the need to use my Eye that Seeks Truth to observe the enemy's movements.

To do that, I needed a space where I could be alone.

I tried to go to a deserted corridor to use my Eye that Seeks Truth, but.

"…What is it?"

People were following me.

The members of Unit 917 seemed busy concentrating on the briefing, but the soldiers from other units were the problem.

They followed behind, keeping a suitable distance, and subtly cast glances at me.

I thought I had seen this before.

Wasn't it like fans and citizens following a celebrity filming outdoors for an entertainment show and taking pictures?

"This is driving me crazy."

Both my body and mind were uncomfortable.

I had to avoid people's gazes to use the Eye that Seeks Truth with black magic, which I didn't even know what was good for, but with attention constantly focused on me, finding a private place unnecessarily consumed time and effort.

Moreover, psychologically, their expectations were burdensome.

Why else would they be doing this?

It was because they placed so much hope in me, a soldier who had defeated Odin's Level 3 hero.

had absolutely no intention of living up to their expectations, but as a human, I couldn't help but feel the pressure.

Finally, after wandering around for a long time, I ended up at the landing strip where Unit 917's airship was docked.

"I left something behind. Is it okay if I go inside?"

I asked a busy repairman, as it seemed the repairs weren't finished yet.

Fortunately, the repairman nodded.

"The damaged part is on the outside anyway, so you can go inside without a problem."

"You're working hard."

Only after reaching my room, located deep within the airship, could I finally be alone.

A considerable amount of time had passed, so I immediately used my Eye that Seeks Truth to check the players' chat.

I'll be there soon! I have one Level 2 and four Level 1s!

When you arrive, go to the east of the camp and you'll be assigned a role by Player 31.

Anyone with leftover supplies! Can you share some repair kits?

Guys, how do we do this?

I have leftover supply kits! Come to the rear of the camp!

Looking for a party! Anyone want to fight together in the next battle!

Don't look for parties separately. Focusing on central orders will make the fortress

easier.

It was like a marketplace.

Since it was a large-scale event rarely seen in the beginner zone, almost everyone active in Stage 1 gathered, and the chat window was activated accordingly.

The chat scrolling speed seemed to be 5-6 times faster than usual.

"It's chaotic."

Extracting useful information from dozens of chats appearing every second was no easy task.

No, was it even right to call this information?

In fact, 90 percent of the content was trivial and mostly unhelpful.

Perhaps genuinely important information, related to operations, was more likely being exchanged through private messengers.

Despite this, the reason I kept my eyes on the chat window was that if such a large number of people were spontaneously gathered, there would inevitably be a loose cannon.

To not miss that one moment, I waited and waited.

And at the end of the wait, a single line of chat appeared that I couldn't afford to miss.

"…Oh, damn it!"