“The Steel Mountains are getting on my nerves. Let’s just get out of here already.”
The day after we arrived at the Giants’ territory, my brother called me first thing in the morning and dropped that unexpected line. I tried my best to look utterly confused as I stared at him.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I mean, what are you talking about? You want to leave right now?”
He chuckled lightly and shook his head slowly.
“No, not that. If we wanted to leave immediately, we wouldn’t have built this fortress in the first place.”
“Then what?”
“Isn’t it almost over anyway? You said it yourself—once we conquer the Giants’ territory, the Steel Mountains campaign is basically done.”
“Hmm.”
That was true. If we pushed forward for just three more days, we’d be out of the Steel Mountains. From there, Atlanta was about four days away. In other words, we could reach Atlanta in roughly a week.
“I get what you mean, but… how?”
I understood what he was saying, but the question was still, “How?” Even if he knew because I told him, the other users didn’t realize the Steel Mountains campaign was nearly finished. And we couldn’t exactly send scouting parties three days ahead either.
“Don’t worry. I already have a plan.”
He smiled confidently. I tilted my head in curiosity, but when he tapped my shoulder, I suddenly realized something.
‘Wait, where’s Jjorongi?’
The little guy who usually chirped and ran up to me was unusually quiet today.
“So you’re planning to use Jjorongi?”
“Use? I just told him to get some fresh air for a couple of days.”
‘He’s already sent him out.’
That guy’s cleverness never ceases to amaze me. But even if my brother’s plan worked, there was still a problem. The eastern, southern, and northern squads had each taken their turns in the campaign, so now it was the east’s turn again. Judging by how things had gone so far, there was no way the east would move without a fight… Wait a minute.
‘The Steel Mountains campaign is over now, isn’t it?’
That’s when I finally understood what my brother was thinking.
“Bro… you’re not seriously—”
“Heh. Just watch and wait. I’ll handle the rest.”
He must have read my expression because he said it with a meaningful tone, even thumping his chest as if to say, “Trust me.” Strictly speaking, I was part of the southern expedition, so this wasn’t really my business. Besides, after hearing him say that, I figured it was best to step back.
“Alright, fine.”
“Good, good. Oh, by the way, Suhyun.”
Just as I was about to turn away, he called me back like he’d forgotten something.
“What?”
“Did you get any messages from Istanbul Low Road?”
Huh? A message from Han So-young?
‘Did I get one?’
I thought hard, but I couldn’t recall receiving anything since leaving the southern fortress.
“No, nothing.”
“Really? That’s strange…”
“…?”
“There were a couple of messages yesterday. I asked the Shadow Queen to pass them on, but you didn’t get them?”
Two messages, and Go Yeon-ju intercepted them? That smelled fishy.
“Check it out.”
That was the last thing he said before I left his tent. I wanted to confront Go Yeon-ju immediately, but I had somewhere else to go first.
Both my brother and Baek Han-gyeol had recovered quickly, but Ansol was still unconscious. Since I felt partly responsible for what happened, I made sure to visit twice a day to check on his progress.
Having been there several times, finding the infirmary wasn’t difficult. But just as I was about to enter, I stopped. Someone had arrived before me.
Peeking inside, I saw Ansol lying motionless on a cot, flanked by two worried faces—Im Hanna and An Hyun. An Hyun’s head was bowed slightly, his eyes full of tender concern as he looked at Ansol. Somehow, it didn’t feel like the right moment to barge in.
“Sigh…”
“He’s sighing like he’s chasing away bad luck.”
“Just… feeling trapped, I guess.”
“…He’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much, okay?”
Im Hanna tried to reassure him, but An Hyun shook his head.
“I still can’t believe it. He’s been in a coma this whole time…”
“Hyun.”
“I feel like he could wake up any moment…”
“…He will. I’m sure of it. You should go get some rest. I’ll stay with Sol.”
An Hyun stared at Ansol without moving for a long while, then finally nodded and slowly got up. Watching him leave, I stepped inside.
“You’re here?”
Im Hanna bent slightly, smoothing the cot as she spoke. She must have known I was coming. I moved to the spot where An Hyun had been standing.
“You could have just come in. It’s fine.”
“The mood felt a bit off. Anyway, how’s Ansol?”
She smiled gently and shrugged. No improvement yet, I guessed.
Looking with a third eye, I confirmed that was true.
“Is he dreaming? His face looks so peaceful.”
Im Hanna stroked Ansol’s hair softly, her expression warm and motherly.
‘Come to think of it, Shin Jae-ryong and Im Hanna have been helping out at the infirmary all along.’
I felt grateful. I hadn’t been able to pay much attention lately, but the clan members were handling things on their own. From what I’d heard, they were keeping up with the infirmary duties and even the security patrols without fail.
They didn’t have to do it, but they took it upon themselves. Because of that, the other users now saw the mercenaries not as a nuisance but as reliable allies. No wonder the northwest users greeted me so warmly—it was because of them.
Of course, I was thankful to Ansol too. If he hadn’t taken the hit back then, the one lying on the cot now would have been my brother.
“Suhyun.”
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard Im Hanna’s voice.
“Hm?”
“Look at Sol sleeping. Isn’t he just beautiful? Like an angel.”
She looked at Ansol with a face full of affection, almost overwhelmed by how cute he was. (Honestly, I first noticed how her upper body leaned forward, making her chest more prominent, but I let it slide.)
I quietly watched Ansol. Now that I looked closely, Im Hanna was right. When he was asleep, Ansol’s face was calm, without a trace of worry. His lips were small and gently closed, and his nose twitched slightly…
‘…Huh?’
I rubbed my eyes reflexively. But when I looked again, his nose was definitely twitching—flaring and contracting, like he was sniffing something.
Then—
“Uhh…”
Ansol let out a faint groan and suddenly moved. Lying flat on his back staring at the ceiling, he slowly turned his head toward me, like a laser detector locking on. Then he wriggled his head until he buried his nose in my right thigh. He let out a soft, “Mmm…”
‘What? I was sure he was still unconscious earlier.’
“Sol? Sol! Are you awake?”
Im Hanna called out anxiously, but Ansol didn’t respond.
Then, as I took a small step back—
“Whine…”
Ansol scrunched his face and acted spoiled. But when I rested my thigh against his nose again, he quickly relaxed.
“…Is he really in a coma?”
I asked, half in disbelief, but Im Hanna just gave a helpless smile.
‘What a strange kid.’
After clearing the Giants’ territory, the real fortress construction began. At the same time, the northwest expedition got a brief rest since the fortress building was the residents’ job, leaving the users with little to do.
But my brother couldn’t rest. As the overall commander, he was busiest even after the campaign ended.
He didn’t waste time and immediately reported the campaign’s completion. Naturally, it was the east’s turn next.
But, as expected, the east refused to move their expedition. They nitpicked about the short time frame and doubted the marching distance. It seemed they were annoyed by the northwest’s unexpected success. Anyone involved in the campaign would have thought the east’s attitude was over the line. Even I seriously considered smashing the east just out of frustration.
But my brother didn’t. Despite the angry outcries from countless users, he waited silently. Then, two days later, when Jjorongi returned, he suddenly made an additional announcement.
“According to Jjorongi’s report, there’s a point where the Steel Mountains end within three or four days’ march.”
“If the east insists, we’ll push forward a few more days.”
Just like that.
Honestly, my brother’s announcement was a bit unreasonable. Crossing the Steel Mountains or discovering a new continent would be a 100% achievement, and achievements come with rewards. All expeditions should get the same credit, but he was basically saying he’d claim it all alone.
But no one ever spoke ill of my brother. Everyone tacitly understood what he was aiming for with his remarks.
In other words, given how things had turned out, the Eastern Expedition had no choice but to change their stance and say, “We’ll go.” They couldn’t just give up the glory out of some stubborn pride.
There’s an old saying: if you stay quiet, you at least come out in the middle. After three days of back-and-forth arguments, my brother emerged the clear winner. The Easterners not only revealed their pettiness but also became the laughingstock of everyone. If only they had stayed quiet like the Southerners, they might have at least come out somewhere in the middle.
In the end, the East set out first to join the South, and then the Southeast followed, wrapping things up.
Of course, that didn’t mean there were no problems. Or rather, it was a problem for the entire East, West, and South.
It was one thing to come for the glory, but now that the fortress was built, the reality was that at least some guards had to be left behind.
But in a situation on the brink of success, who would want to stay behind? Inevitably, they were caught in a dilemma…
“Well, it’s not my problem.”
Just as I thought, I had absolutely no reason to worry about who would stay behind. The mercenaries had already left the Southern fortress, and knowing Han So-young’s personality, there was no way she’d call us back over this issue. The Northwest Expedition was a different group altogether, so it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
So, as the conquest neared success and a subtle game of nerves unfolded, only our mercenary group could wait with peace of mind.
“But… I feel like I’m forgetting something important…”
---------------------------= Author’s Afterword =---------------------------
Ah, dear readers, I’m honestly losing my mind. This is a disaster.
To get straight to the point, it seems my mother read chapter 634.
Here’s what happened: I wrote that chapter while I was away in the countryside. I should have closed Word and shut down my ultrabook after finishing, but I left it open. The computer went into sleep mode, and I mistakenly thought I had shut it down. I haven’t turned it on since.
Today, my mother needed to borrow the laptop, so I lent it to her. A few hours later, she told me Word was still open. I nearly had a heart attack. She says she didn’t actually read it, just minimized the window—but then why tell me hours later? There’s a scene with the Flame Devotees in there… Ah, I’m so worried I could die. ㅜ.ㅠ