Chapter 197: Chapter 193: Meeting The Helper

“It was to survive.”

Now alone, away from Tashian.

Facing me, Flang hid her reddened face with both hands and hurriedly began to explain.

“I did it to survive! I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t appease that monster!”

“Monster? Isn’t that a bit harsh? I told you before, Tashian has lost her power now…”

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

“…That much?”

“Do you know how it felt when she fixed my body? It was like being torn apart at the cellular level. She perfectly understood the structure of my body just by glancing at it, which means she instantly grasped all my weaknesses!!”

Weaknesses?

Isn’t that too harsh to say about someone who treated you for free?

“The only saving grace is that she can’t control her maternal instincts. So, for the future, I have to exploit that and make sure I don’t upset her…”

“Is Tashian really that scary?”

“You can only speak so calmly because you don’t know anything. Her capacity is beyond measure, and if that vessel ever refills…!”

“Even if she’s my mother?”

Flang’s body trembled at my words.

She hesitated, her speech faltering, then finally looked away and answered in a small voice.

“Yes, I know. Even if she’s beyond reason, she’s important to you…”

“And you know Tashian doesn’t intend to harm you, right?”

“…I know. I know.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Even if she would get overwhelmed by Tashian, it would just be her instincts reacting.

If she understood it logically, she’d get used to it over time.

“It might be awkward and hard to adjust, but for now, try to endure and see how it goes.”

I conveyed this sentiment by patting Flang’s head, matching her gaze, and offering a gentle smile.

“In a little while, you’ll realize that she’s someone who can love everyone here, including you.”

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

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

It seemed like she was trying to push it away in annoyance, but instead, she pressed my hand deeper, as if wanting to feel it more clearly.

Yeah, for this child, this was the greatest reward. I smiled, but only for a moment.

“This ring…”

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

“…Did you get it from the young lady?”

Young lady.

I immediately knew who she meant.

I received this ring from Ga-ram, and it was Flang who entrusted the deputy role to her.

“You’re her employer. Is it okay to call her that?”

“I don’t plan on acting as the lord anymore. Things got messed up in various ways, but I originally planned to step down after this expedition.”

It was something I had already suspected.

Her goal was to get an official invitation from the Imperial family and seize the opportunity to interact directly with the leadership.

Then, it would be more stable for her to act as a maid supporting a notable hero rather than as a neglected noble’s illegitimate child.

“So, you decided to spend everything you had left to establish the refuge?”

“Property and authority are meaningless to me anyway. I just wanted to make sure that even after I’m gone, what I’ve built could help as many people as possible.”

So she used her knowledge from dealing with foreign beings to excavate resources and build a self-sufficient mobile fortress.

Even if she had gathered those resources while pretending to be a noble, she could have used them for her own mission. How kind-hearted could this girl possibly be?

“…Do you want me to take up the lord’s position again?”

But no matter how much you dislike a role, sometimes you have to take it up when circumstances demand it.

Judging from the fact that Ga-ram had passed the ring to me, Flang seemed to grasp the situation, and a bitter expression began to spread across her face.

“Originally, I handed over the rights to the young lady who supported me, hoping she’d be rewarded. But if it’s too much of a burden, I’ll have to take it back. At least until I can get into the Imperial family…”

Even if leading people wasn’t a role she was suited for, she would take it on if that was what people wanted.

Flang prepared to reluctantly accept it and started to remove the ring from my finger, but my hand was faster.

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

“…Master?”

“Flang, you built this refuge to prepare for a time when you wouldn’t be here, didn’t you?”

No matter how much she wanted to protect humans, before meeting Tashian, she was so broken that she was considered beyond recovery.

Since something like that could happen again, the people of this ark also need to prepare for when she might not be around.

“In a world like this, people need to learn how to protect themselves and stand on their own without relying on someone else.”

So, temporarily, at least, I should be the one to take her place, not a guardian like her.

As I conveyed my resolve and put the ring on, Flang began to look at me with anxious eyes.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“It’s fine; that’s why I said it. But like when you led the expedition… That much is okay, right?”

Yes, I came here not to force this role on Flang but to ask for help, nothing more.

After extending my hand with the ring, Flang looked at it for a moment before hesitantly taking it.

“…Thank you for being considerate.”

A whisper filled with both guilt and gratitude.

Feeling the weight of the ring lighten, I placed my hand back in my pocket, signaling the end of our conversation.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already made up my mind.”

As I firmly held the note left by someone I love, likely describing a situation just like this.

[Enter the ark and obtain the ring before reading this.]

Yes, now was the right time to read this note.

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

[If you’re reading this, Hyo-sung, it means the future I foresaw is unfolding as expected. From escaping the sanctuary to finding refuge in the Ark of Meter and taking on the role of leader through an old connection…]

The beginning recapped everything that had happened so far.

Realizing that everything had unfolded as Airi had predicted, I focused on reading the detailed content that followed.

[I believe the moment you open this note is the turning point where you truly become a savior. Now that you, Hyo-sung, have acquired the strength and experience you need as an individual, the next thing you need is a ‘foundation’ that will help you carry out your mission stably.]

[The Ark of Meter will be the ideal starting point as that foundation, but if you’re preparing for the future, you can’t be satisfied with just this. There’s a lack of manpower and skilled technicians to fully bring out the ark’s potential.]

Manpower.

Now that I think about it, Nam Ja-seong also struggled with a manpower shortage and asked me to select workers from among the refugees.

With the ongoing rebellion in the empire and the unknown number of refugees we’d have to accommodate, we needed to address all the gaps we could.

[So, for now, step away from the chaotic empire and focus on gathering refugees around the lakeshore where you’re currently staying. Along the way, head to the locations I’ve marked, and you’ll meet several allies who can help reinforce the ark.]

[And always remember that your mission should only be pursued within your means. Instead of trying to embrace everything, learn to protect what you’ve already embraced by boldly cutting away the excess.]

With that, the contents of the unfolded note ended.

The next note would be opened once the refugees had gathered and the ark’s reinforcements were underway, as described.

That would take a considerable amount of time.

“…Airi.”

Realizing that I wouldn’t see her during that time, I put the note away and quietly asked the lingering image before me,

“Is our child okay?”

Perhaps it has already happened.

I was regretful for not being there when the child we conceived together was born.

But in times like these, I couldn’t let regret lead me to make mistakes.

For now, I took comfort in knowing that Airi was safe in the Imperial family and decided to focus on strengthening the ark and rescuing refugees as per her prophecy.

“Sir, someone has lit a fire near the lake. It might be refugees. Should we approach?”

“For now, keep a cautious distance and observe. If it’s not an urgent situation, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

Most of the people on board agreed with my opinion.

I hoped the rescue operation would go smoothly with everyone on the same page, but it wasn’t turning out that way.

“Hahaha! Look over there, boss! A huge structure is coming our way!”

“Looks like the nobles built a cruise ship with all their taxes. Boys, it’s pillaging time!”

“Damn, bandits! Get the ark moving!”

Wherever there were signs of human presence, there weren’t always refugees.

In fact, there were also bandits preying on refugees fleeing from the rebellion.

I wanted to avoid direct confrontation with them as much as possible, but keeping potential refugees in mind, I had no choice but to engage with them.

“The fortress took quite a bit of damage during the escape.”

“No matter how mobile it is, it’s not exactly fast. We’re sitting ducks until we can submerge.”

“They’re human like us, but why are there so many rotten ones…?”

They were more dangerous than monsters or demons because they could strategize with malice.

By avoiding direct combat to minimize damage, the ark gradually accumulated damage, and the fruitless rescue efforts only increased the crew’s fatigue.

“Hero, given the situation, I think it might be better to establish a base and focus on rescuing people in the vicinity…”

“…The problem is that we’d be able to rescue fewer people that way.”

If we followed Sanson’s suggestion and set up camp, it would be easier to fortify the base, but it would undermine the main advantage of having a mobile fortress.

Moreover, to reinforce the ark, as Airi mentioned, we need to keep moving. For many reasons, we couldn’t afford to stop now, even if it meant more hardship.

“For now, it’s better to move the repairs to land. Anchor at the location I’ve designated, and start the repairs there.”

After convincing the crew and making repeated movements, we finally arrived at our first destination.

After pulling the fortress onto land, I told the group I was going to scout, then left the fortress and entered the forest.

I was told to go in this direction and wait near the rocks.

“…Will it be alright?”

I trusted Airi, but given the number of bandits we’d encountered so far, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

So I decided to stay alert and drew my weapon, listening as the leaves rustled in the brush beside me.

Is it a forest animal? Or an ambushing bandit?

-Rustle.

Or maybe it’s the refugee Airi mentioned, who’s supposed to help us.

Considering all possibilities, I tightened my grip and turned my gaze towards the source of the sound.

And what I saw was a very small, young girl…

“…Huh?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

No, she wasn’t an ordinary girl.

It wasn’t just because of the unusual aura she exuded.

Her eyes, dark and inverted in color, her pale skin covered in leaves, and her pointed ears and long white hair…

All of these combined to create a being that exuded an aura both foreign and mysterious.

“…Elf?”

Yeah, this was exactly how Flang described Elves.

And Elves, although they once fought among themselves, were now considered beings of legend to modern humans.

“Woo…”

The girl, who I assumed to be this mysterious being, looked at me and tilted her head, murmuring softly.

“Hyo?”

Wait, what’s with that now?