Setting Things Straight(6)

There is a figure in Greek mythology named Atlas.

During the war between Zeus and the Titans, Atlas fought against him and ended up on the losing side, after which he was punished by being forced to hold up the sky for eternity.

‘He was a simple man in many ways.’

Anyway, that’s not important right now.

The reason I suddenly thought of someone from ancient Greek mythology rather than Raphdonia or Korea was simple. I was in the same position as him.

I lowered my knees and bent my hips.

With both arms stretched out to the sides, I was supporting the massive debris of a collapsed building on my back.

It was a truly miserable situation, but it wasn’t like I had been in this position from the start.

Damn it.

After testing the performance of Thunder, which I had received from the marquis, time passed quickly.

Being trapped in a narrow pit with several other adults was suffocating enough to drive me mad, but thanks to the exploration gear Amelia usually carried, breathing itself wasn’t a problem.

Still, those were consumables, so they had their limits.

The real problem was the rubble.

The fifth through second basement floors of a building that could easily be called large had all collapsed on top of me.

On the bright side, however, the debris helped reduce the damage we took from Thunder.

But seriously, how heavy is this thing…?’

Even after using Gigantification and chaining various skills to maximise my strength, it wasn’t easy.

If I really pushed, I could lift it slightly, but that was about it.

If there had been space to gradually remove the debris piece by piece, it might have been possible. But in this deep pit, there was no room to do that.

On the bright side, the debris helped reduce the damage we took from Thunder.

Still, I couldn’t just sit still.

I attempted to lift the debris and was able to remove a few smaller fragments from the heap. And because of that…

‘…I should’ve just stayed still.’

The debris collapsed further, leading to my current situation.

If I so much as relaxed or shifted even a little, everything would come crashing down, and there’d be no coming back from that.

“…Bjorn! Are you alright? Y-your complexion looks terrible… I’ll help too!!”

I tried to appear strong in front of my allies, but honestly, I felt like I was dying.

It was so heavy that I worried my spine might snap again. More than anything, I just wanted to rest, even if only for a moment….

“Aynar, come scratch here. It’s itching.”

Since I couldn’t use my arms, I had to rely on my allies for even something as simple as scratching an itch.

“No, higher… a bit more…”

“Ugh… the armpit? No! It’s going to smell!”

Why, you little…!

“If you can’t, then I guess I’ll have to?” I said dryly. Aynar quickly backtracked, noticing my mood.

“…Forget it. I’ll do it. Move aside, Aynar Pheneline.”

Sigh… I wish she wouldn’t make that kind of expression.

Also, I had asked Aynar to scratch me, so why was Amelia the one doing it instead?

…Well, it did feel good.

‘Sigh… how did I end up like this…?’

Looking back, the biggest problem was my carelessness.

Thunder would detonate, we’d take shelter underground, and once everything was over, I’d clear away the debris and head for the imperial palace.

At the time, I assumed that would be perfectly possible.

After all, I had never once felt lacking in strength. Even if a building collapsed on me, it never occurred to me that it might be too heavy to push aside.

“We can’t take it lightly. Even Jandel’s stamina isn’t infinite.”

“If we don’t want to be crushed to death here, we need to think of something before it’s too late.”

“Harin Savy, do you have any ideas?”

“No, not really………………..”

While I held up the debris, my allies continued to brainstorm solutions, though the effort ultimately proved unnecessary.

It wasn’t that they failed to find an answer; rather, the answer came to us suddenly from an unexpected outside source.

“Wait. Everyone, be quiet.” I said, cutting off their discussion. As I focused my hearing—no, all my senses—I picked up on something faint. At first, I thought it might be hallucination from being pushed to my limits, but…

“…No. I am sure of it. It’s getting lighter.”

Small tremors shook the rubble above me, and each time they did, the weight I was holding seemed to grow lighter.

“Wow! Is it a rescue team…?”

“It could be the opposite. District 4 is occupied by Noark.”

As Hyeon-byeol and Amelia said, there were two possibilities.

Personally, I thought Amelia’s scenario was more likely, but either way, it was better than doing nothing.

Honestly, fighting Noark bastards would be a hundred times better than just staying like this.

Still, that didn’t mean I was at ease. I was quite tense.

I didn’t know what had happened to the allies I’d been separated from. I had only confirmed one death: Rotmiller.

If what was written on the Records Stone was to come true, there were still two more people left to die.

I couldn’t help but worry that someone here might die while trying to get out of this situation.

“…This should be enough. I can lift it now.”

I waited for the right moment to push upward, and when it came, I shoved the debris with all my strength.

BOOOOOOM!

Little by little, the weight on my arms eased until the debris suddenly burst upward, as if a dam had broken.

Shhhhhhh—!

The sunlight, which I hadn’t seen in so long, made me squint, but the warmth felt too good to ignore. Still, I didn’t have time to enjoy it.

“Now—!”

I scrambled up to the surface, and my allies followed, taking up their battle positions beside me. But it quickly became clear that our worries were unfounded.

The soldiers who had been clearing the debris shouted at me favorably.

“Baron Jandel! It’s Baron Jandel…!”

…The Royal Army?

***

We were traveling in a large military carriage with enough space for more than twelve people if used efficiently.

Since it was a military carriage, the ride wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I wasn’t in a position to complain about that.

I was simply grateful that I could return to the palace without having to fight my way there.

“Allow me to say this once more: I have always admired and respected you greatly, Baron. It is an honour to escort you like this.”

Beside me sat a tall knight whom I had never seen before.

His name was Danez Achel Zaire.

He repeated it so often it felt like he was trying to engrave it into my brain, so I had no choice but to remember it.

Apparently, he was a royal knight from the Zaire baronial family.

“I truly admire you, sir! The soldiers say the debris you lifted during your escape must have weighed several tons!”

Seeing how he stuck close to me and kept flattering me, he seemed less like a knight and more like a politician.

Of course, I didn’t see that as a bad thing.

In any organization, once you rise high enough, it inevitably becomes political.

If you want to climb higher, you have to do things you may not want to.

Also, the skinny guy turned out to be a fairly good conversation partner when he wasn’t trying to flatter me. As an army commander, he was well informed about the latest developments around the city.

“So, the current situation is that the Royal Army has reclaimed more than half of District 4?”

“Yes. A defensive line has been established with the Square as its boundary. Upon receiving reports of your last known position, I, Danez Achel Zaire, came in person to oversee the search. I had no doubt that even in such conditions, you would endure and—”

“So you personally suggested it to the commander, got approval, and led your direct unit to clear the debris?”

“Yes, that is correct, Baron.”

Was he related to a parrot or something? How does he keep repeating the same thing every chance he gets?

Well, I get it it’s the age of self-promotion.

“Ah, we’ve reached the capital. There will likely be inspections, but please don’t worry—I will handle everything.”

Before long, the military carriage arrived at the capital.

Once inside, we transferred to another carriage.

“Regrettably, my duty was only to escort you to the capital, Baron. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you further.”

The lanky knight, who had been trying to make a good impression until the very end, looked back at us several times with a regretful expression before heading back towards District 4.

We headed toward the palace in our new carriage. As I gazed out the window at the imperial road beneath us, an odd sensation stirred within me.

No, more like dazed.

‘Is it really… over? Just like this?’

It didn’t feel real.

We had been trapped under rubble, escaped, and I had even prepared myself for a final battle against the Noark bastards—

And yet it ended like this, without anything happening?

‘…Don’t let your guard down. It’s not over until it’s truly over.’

With that in mind, I resumed gathering information after a brief pause.

But the knight accompanying us in this carriage was the complete opposite of the previous one.

He barely spoke at all.

“Which unit are you from?”

“…I serve His Majesty.”

Ah, a member of the Royal Guard.

No wonder he was so quiet. He had no need to curry favor with me. I tried asking him a few questions as we traveled, but all I got in return was this:

“We’re currently on our way to meet Commander Berun. Please save your questions for when you see him.”

The carriage continued and entered the Royal Palace.

And finally…

“Please step out.”

We finally arrived at the Palace of the New World after a long drive. But unfortunately, the Order of the Guardians split our group apart as soon as we entered.

“The Commander has requested only Baron Jandel. The rest of you will be escorted to the reception room.”

Since I had expected it, I simply signaled to Amelia with my eyes that it was fine, and we parted ways.

And after walking for a while—

“…It’s been a while, Bjorn Jandel.”

After a short while, I opened the door and entered the room, where Astarota welcomed me. As he had mentioned, it had indeed been a long time since we’d seen each other.

As soon as the knight who guided me closed the door and left, I opened my subspace and took out the Marquis’s corpse.

“There are only three left now.”

At my words, Astarotta tilted his head.

“Three? Ah, are you talking about that deal you made with the King?”

“What else would it be?”

“But that doesn’t quite add up. The first condition was to stay together for seven days, but you left before then —under the condition that you killed the prime minister.”

Tsk, so that’s how the count goes. I tried pushing my luck just in case.

“So now there are four left, Jandel. Understood?”

“Alright, I get it. No need to be so stiff about it,” I muttered. I grumbled

Astarotta smirked and changed the subject.

“So… what exactly happened there?”

“So there are things even you don’t know?”

“Most of what I know comes from the Intelligence Bureau. And just because it’s the Intelligence Bureau doesn’t mean they know everything. Especially in times like these.”

Right. If you want to take down the royal family, the first thing you do is blind their intelligence division.

The Marquis did the same at the start of this war.

“Go on. Tell me what happened.”

I summarized the key points in response to Astarotta’s request.

Rescuing Aynar, forming an alliance with the Marquis’s traitorous son, fighting Demon Eye, discovering the Marquis’s secret garden, encountering Glasses…

And ultimately deceiving him to reach the Marquis.

I told him everything I could, honestly.

After all, the best place to hide a lie is within the truth.

“During the conversation, the Marquis, who had lost everything, fired Thunder, and we hid underground.”

The deal with the Marquis is the one thing I must hide.

It was already too late to hide Ragna; she had been exposed during our escape.

“Oh? And then?”

“That’s it. You already know what happened afterward, don’t you?”

“Hm… I see.”

Astarotta stroked his chin, organizing his thoughts, before speaking again.

“Then fortunately, Thunder didn’t fall into Noark’s hands—if what you’re saying is true.”

He added that to gauge my true intentions. Knowing that, I simply nodded and moved on to the next topic.

“More importantly, I have something to ask now.”

“Go ahead.”

The moment I got permission, my heart tightened.

Before killing the marquis, I was hit directly by Thunder, and my allies were scattered throughout the city. A few landed in safe zones under palace control, but more than a few ended up in dangerous areas, like Ainar, who fell into the center of District 4.

“…Have you confirmed the status of everyone who was caught in the teleport with me?” I asked cautiously.

Astarotta nodded calmly.

“Ah, that? It was settled some time ago.”

At those words, an indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

Alright, so we know what happened to everyone…

So far, the only death I had confirmed around me was Rotmiller.

And because of that, I didn’t want to hear what he was about to say next.

But ignoring it wouldn’t change reality.

“…Hoo.”

I took a deep breath, then asked him:

“Are you ready to listen?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Exactly who lived, and who died.

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