Even if ordinary citizens had forgotten the name Erhi Mergeng, the Defense Force was different.They couldn’t not know that name. No matter how much data was erased and covered up, you can’t shut people’s mouths.The legendary stories passed down by word of mouth had long turned into little more than urban legend within the Defense Force. Maybe that’s why Benjamin’s voice sounded even more excited.—The Ark Unit… is connected to that Erhi Mergeng…?“Benjamin.”—Yes.“Hold your pride. Whatever you say, we stand stronger than the Liberation League now.”Showing respect to a group that could become an ally is fine, but it mustn’t go too far. Respect born of intimidation eats away at the person it’s aimed at. If someone at the heart of the unit—like Benjamin—begins to shrink back, that attitude will spread like an epidemic.—I will remember.“I’d personally like our Ark to take the northwest and the Liberation League the southeast, but I don’t know how this will play out.”—I’ll pay closer attention as your staff officer.“Please do.”That meant there were no constraints on action right now.‘Let's take this chance to wipe out the Behemoth completely.’A thrill of combat rose from the depths of my chest; my fingertips tingled.Everything in the quarters had already been prepared.Everything Mother had stored, except Zero. While I inspected each item, a cautious voice came from beside me.“Um…”Eric Palmer. Because we hadn’t settled on how to address each other yet, whenever anyone called him they used “hey,” “um…,” and the like.“Kyle Han.”“Ah, yes! Mr. Kyle. You can call me Eric.”“What is it, Eric?”“It’s nothing—”He snapped his fingers behind his back and a crisp sound came: click!Three guards and two aides followed Eric in. Their bowing was clean and efficient; you could tell they were handpicked.“I’ll attach escort forces. If you need anything, just order them.”“Thanks.”But one question remained.“There were others I couldn’t see.”Eric halted mid-step.“What do you mean by that?”“Are they out on a separate assignment?”“…Seems you know more than I expected.”For a moment a crooked smile flickered at Eric’s mouth. That alone answered the question. I could only acknowledge the slip in a low voice.“My apologies.”“No problem. Then please rest.”‘So quite a few were lost, then.’ At least three of Mother’s children were unaccounted for. I’d wondered if there was a reason behind it, but it wasn’t a question worth pressing.“Hmm.”Eric left, and I continued surveying the quarters. It was a cozy space with an oddly antique furniture that didn’t suit the situation—probably to give it a more complete look.Xenon looked exhausted and sat there blankly without even making a sound.“You okay?”He curled up on my thigh as if it were natural when I sat on the sofa. I smoothed a feather across him once and let my mind wander for a moment.‘Rebuilding the East…’The devastation of Willow Root, which had become the Behemoth’s nest. Even at a glance there were many mutants and evolved entities occupying the area—the numbers were too great to count.‘Catching them with bullets is nearly impossible.’We’d run out of ammunition. Even if Mother had supplies meant for a single Defense Force, it would be far from enough to clear all the eastern mutants.‘Then…’We’d have to give up a large part of the East’s infrastructure. Avoid the Pommel android production zone and plant explosives where they won’t hit production—lure the creatures, then deliver a devastating blow right after. That would be the ideal attack plan.I measured the best actions I could take.‘The only ones who can reliably take down mutants and evolved forms are Mother, me, and the unit commanders.’ Small creatures like [Plague Wave] can be dealt with by explosions to some degree, but you can’t finish mutants and evolved forms with mere blasts.So me going in personally is ideal.That only left the Behemoth. Ideally we’d pursue and kill it before it fully recovered… but the Behemoth I know won’t give openings until it’s at least partly healed.That’s why the Liberation League hasn’t been able to commit large forces and has been forced into a rest period. But it won’t be long.‘At least two days.’Within that time it will certainly recover and return. That will be the biggest chance to slay it.Because it’s fitted with a tracker, if it leaves the stronghold and we can predict its route, we could set a decisive trap.***“Phew.”Maybe because I’d been thinking too much, time had passed and a light drowsiness crept in.‘Is it already so late?’I’d burned through too much mental strength, and the fatigue was piling up.My limbs felt heavy as my mind weighed down.‘I should sleep early.’I had to meet Mother early tomorrow, and we still hadn’t had a strategic discussion.Gaaak—? He carefully set Xenon on the floor.Thud—Thud—I planned to quickly fill my stomach and get ready for tomorrow. The rush of events had left most things in disarray, but it didn’t matter.Chewing through the roughly prepared food calmed my frayed nerves a little.Thud—Thud—“Phew.”Having patched my hunger… I removed a layer of my clothing and headed for the bathroom in the corner to wash up.But at that moment:—Wait!“…?”A voice came from outside the door.“Who is it?”—M-may I come in?A somewhat youthful voice. The exchange soon grew into a small commotion.—The guest is resting right now.—It’ll only be a moment!—Please go back.I couldn’t stand by and let the commotion drag on.“Let them in.”Curious, I agreed, and the door swung open. It was someone I had believed dead, whose loss I had quietly mourned—and yet someone I recognized.“Ah, hello.”A very familiar-looking young man. A young man of Korean descent, appearing around twenty, looked at me with desperate eyes.“My name is [Yung]!”Title: [Pawn]A hidden piece from the Liberation League had come to see me.Yung. His family name was unknown.He’s a survivor you might encounter if you join the Liberation League: an extreme late-bloomer survivor.He’s one of Mother’s children, though he hasn’t distinguished himself in anything yet. By sheer chance, he became part of the family, earning him the chess piece title: [Pawn].I’m probably the only person in this world who truly knows Yung’s real nature.‘A born fighter.’He’s still immature and hasn’t shown his potential, but at the right moment, he could become the Liberation League’s most formidable hidden card.Why had he come to me?Yung bowed as if he might kneel.“Please teach me.”“Teach you…?”A slightly odd request. From context I could guess what he wanted to learn—swordsmanship.But even if he came directly asking for instruction, I couldn’t offer anything right away.“I saw you fight that monster from afar. I want to fight like you.”“Wanting to learn is good, but—”“I’ll do anything you tell me!”“Did you get Mother’s permission?”“That’s…”Yung hesitated. It wasn’t an easy situation. Coming late at night to plead for training was one thing, but he was Mother’s child.Teaching him wasn’t simply something you could do, and if I agreed impulsively it might look like I was trying to court her children.Right now, we needed smooth sailing. This was the moment to steer the delicate tension between Ark and the Liberation League in our favor, and any mishap would be disastrous.However—“…I’ll be leaving here anyway.”A short silence. I watched Yung’s miserable face and anticipated what he would say next.Yung is more loyal to Mother than «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» anyone. For him to say he’d leave the Liberation League meant he must have a reason.He swallowed his feelings and continued calmly.“I made a mistake.”A puzzle piece slid into place. The two missing children—[Queen] and [Rook]— Yung might be connected to their absence. I couldn’t ask for details.“Your name is Yung?”“Yes.”“I don’t know what mistake you made, but if you’re still here it seems Mother is tolerating it.”“…But—”“Your problem won’t be solved by throwing a tantrum. Go back. If you come back with Mother’s permission, then we’ll consider it.”A firm refusal. Yung’s shoulders sagged; his face crumpled more and more.“Really… is it impossible?”He could have left, broken-hearted—but his feet didn’t move.His spirit was precarious, barely clinging to the edge like a hand on a cliff.I felt torn, but that was just emotion. Personal feelings couldn’t interfere with my duties. Letting emotion dictate action was the mark of an incapable leader.I shook my head and Yung eventually turned to leave. He didn’t get far before collapsing. I thought his legs had given out, but—“Haah…”His closed eyes explained his state.“I’ll at least try to speak to Mother.”Frankly, Yung was a tempting recruit. But since he said he’d leave the Liberation League, accepting him would be even harder. My thoughts only deepened.***“Yung, you say?”“Yes, Mother.”“Kyle must be in a difficult position too.”Mother looked at the table with an indifferent gaze. There was little emotion in her eyes. She began pouring liquor into a cup.“Human emotion is like a cup.”“…”Rudolf Hoffman, who stood beside her, listened closely and straightened his posture.“If you keep adding without emptying, you reach this precarious state.”“Hmm.”“If pushed to such a state, all it takes to break is one drop of water.”A bitter expression flashed across her otherwise emotionless eyes.“Even the child who seemed unshakable, when reduced to this precarious state, will overflow from the smallest drop.”“The fault is mine.”“How can that be your fault?”Mother tossed back the cup’s contents and continued.“It’s nobody’s fault.”“Mother…”“Rudolf.”“Yes.”“You can’t sleep, can you?”“…”“You cannot sleep peacefully even when you close your eyes.”Rudolf Hoffman’s eyes sank deeply. Mother’s intensity alone was suffocating.“Until I tear that beast’s limbs apart—the one that killed my children—I will not be able to sleep.”Before long, the murderous look in her eyes had somehow taken on a crimson tint.

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