Chapter 167

Sigh.
The raging flames have died down.
Asterike swept a lock of hair behind her ear, feverishly. Sparks crackled from her fingertips as she rolled the flint of her lighter.
The spring breeze blew ash from the rubble of the building. As I watched the ash scatter, my gaze was suddenly drawn to my cuffs, the fibers at the tips charred and blackened.
“You’re a little burnt.”
“What?”
“My sleeve burned.”
Asterike let go of the hilt. It clattered to the ground with a thud. Noctane looked down at the replica of the [Vibranium Composite Blade] and marveled at it.
‘That’s interesting, it’s really heavy.’
I nearly broke my back in the prison in Ishrad. Every time I made one and handed it over, I felt its weight, and I realized what an unwieldy weapon it was.
But Asterike’s true strength was in her spells, not her physical abilities.
“It’s ……, and it’s Sister Asterike! You’re only a little burnt, but those damned Parasites burned you to the bone, didn’t they? Oh, I’m all cool inside!”
Noctane flashed a grim smile.
“There’s a reason she’s such a good follower, and I want to be just like her!”
“How many times have I told you not to call me that, you’re older than me.”
“We’re a year apart. She’s twenty-six, I’m twenty-seven.”
“I get it. But why am I your sister?”
“You’re awesome, you deserve to be honored, ahem!”
It was so flattering that it almost sounded like a mockery.
“Ha, you’re so steady.”
“Hehe. Your sister is consistently gorgeous.”
“You can’t flatter me a hundred times.”
Noctane was almost always deployed with Asterique whenever she was called into action. Despite its lack of combat capabilities, it was almost considered an accessory, as it could replicate the Vibranium Composite Blade.
Kim and Asterike are the full power of Dustborn. Unless it’s a high-stakes operation, they’re just overkill in most situations.
So.
I couldn’t help but have some dark thoughts. For example, if Noctane were to be involved in an unfortunate accident, I wondered if he would be stuck with the strings like he used to be.
“…….”
Asterique squinted at Noctane, and the normally talkative creature shut up immediately. He must have sensed danger, some instinctive sense or something.
She clicked her tongue, unnecessarily quick to recognize it.
“Anyway, I don’t know the password. Tell Hyun.”
“Ehhh. I don’t think the boss would have told you how much he cares about you.”
“Huh? Oh, well. Strings tend to do that, don’t they…?”
I also did a good job of trick-or-treating.
It was a time when I shrugged my shoulders.
“Sister Ast, I’m back.”
Arya walked out of a nearby grocery store, a boy and a girl clinging to each of her legs, apparently the children of an adult man and woman who followed carefully behind.
The muscles in Asterike’s face loosened at the sight.
‘Arya is a real person, too.
Arya has an unexpected talent for saving lives. Five senses specialized for searching for survivors, muscular strength to lift heavy debris with ease. And the quickness to react to the unexpected.
She’d survived eating mysterious mushrooms in the forests of Shalem, so her tolerance for contamination was high. Perhaps Arya’s animal ears were evidence that she had already adapted to the mutation.
“Is that all four of you?”
“One, two, three, four, five. That’s four.”
He’s come a long way, even if his intellect is still a little off.
“Are there any other survivors around here?”
“Well, we don’t know, we’ve been lurking around….”
“Okay. Arya, you don’t see it?”
Arya flared her nostrils and ran a finger under her nose.
“It doesn’t smell like poop except where it came from.”
“Looks like this area is empty. Maybe we should go further in.”
Just as I was thinking about it, Asterike’s communicator started making noise.
– Asterike. Are you okay now?
Her face lit up at the sound of a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Hyun! Yeah, we just got out of an engagement. Where’s Hyun?”
– I’m back now, too. I reached out as soon as I got back.
“I see. Are you hurt?”
– I’m not one to go around getting beat up.
It was a casual conversation, but it made me giggle.
– Anyway, creep back. It’s time to leave.
“Really? I’m on my way!”
– Be careful when you come, just in case.
The long-awaited return order had arrived. As soon as the transmission ended, Asterike wiped the smile from her face and turned to Noctaine.
“Come on, let’s go. Get the survivors and follow me.”
Like Kim, she’s long since adjusted to the new era.
* * *
By returning safely to Asterique, he had wrapped up all his work. The requests still came in like a tide, but none were urgent, so he turned them all down.
As I was organizing my temporary home, I was contacted by Ekidna.
It was an invitation from Chandra Shear, a member of the Harenthal Parliament. Ostensibly a simple dinner at a mansion. It was mostly Ekidna’s responsibility, but this time, Kim was also in attendance.
Toward the end of the meal, we got down to business.
“-I hear you two are leaving Harrenhal soon.”
“I was planning to come in and tell you during the week, but you beat me to it.”
Kim accepted without question. Anyone paying attention to Dustborn’s activities was bound to notice.
“Hmm. Did something happen that upset you, or did some bastards….”
“No, not at all, there was a bit of noise at first, but it was quickly accepted and I was comfortable with it.”
It’s entrusting a small mercenary company with your country’s most important assets. Even with the glow of Celbrosys Labs, there was bound to be backlash. Not just in Haren, but everywhere.
A pattern we’ve seen countless times over the past two years.
Dustborne shut down the haters in two ways.
Proof of skill was first. The second was connections.
“It’s all thanks to the congressman’s generosity.”
Ekidna, with her graceful smile, chimed in. It wasn’t an empty gesture; in fact, Chandra was eager to help Dustborn run free.

Chandra Shear, a young politician in his early 40s.
A beneficiary of the generational shift that is common in the Age of Destruction.
He led the citizens against the councillor who ran away as soon as the Parasite appeared. By then, with the help of Dustborn, the situation had calmed down, and the fleeing councillor had been forced to resign.
And that’s how the vacancy was filled. He was young, competent, and well-liked. There was no reason for the government not to back him.
Naturally, Chandra became Dustborne’s backup.
In a way, it was a community of destiny.
‘Then why did you leave so suddenly?’
‘It’s not that I have any regrets about Harenhal.’
Kim said, wringing his hands.
‘We’ve been working pretty hard, and our efforts have paid off. In 54 missions, we’ve never failed, and our records show that we’ve saved over a thousand people.’
The tone was anything but self-praising. Chandra was impressed. The fact that less than a dozen people could do this was nothing short of amazing.
All the more reason to hold onto Dustborn.
But his next words curbed his greed.
‘I think our work here is done for now.’
‘…With so many people still suffering.’
‘It’s a good country, Harenhalle.’
After a somewhat off-handed response.
‘The world is in turmoil, as you know, and we could use all the help we can get, but I’m sure Harenhal is strong enough to handle it.’
‘Ah…….’
Chandra couldn’t help herself.
‘You’re putting me to shame. You’d go to a more dangerous place, for the sake of the weaker.’
He didn’t answer.
The Dustborn leader, who had fought before anyone else, merely smiled weakly, a look that made my heart ache with the knowledge that he’d made his mark.
‘I see, it would be impolite to catch you any further, and I will do my part to emulate you, and cheer you on from afar.’
Chandra bowed deeply to her much younger benefactor.
‘I will repay you one day, and if you ever need anything, you can always come to me.’
Kim and Ekidna exchanged glances. It was obvious what they were thinking, and the smiles on their faces deepened and became more natural.
‘Ah, thank you for your kind words.’
He was a man with a heart as big as his bountiful head.
* * *
‘I got good insurance.’
Kim muttered as they drove out of the country. Through the car window, Harenthal’s figure grew smaller. The three months in Harenthal had been fulfilling in more ways than one.
‘Chandra Shear is going to go from strength to strength.’
‘That’s my prediction too. He’s cautious for someone who rose so quickly. I’m sure he’ll be assassinated in a day, but he’s a good secretary and bodyguard.’
‘You’ve done a great job, thank you.’
Ekidna only snorted at the sudden praise, and soon she jerked her jaw defiantly and turned her head toward the window, her face in the reflection, the corners of her mouth twitching.
‘Isn’t it about time you told me, anyway?’
‘Tell me what?’
‘What you’re going to do with all these connections.’
The purpose of everything Dustborn had been doing since the Cataclysm.
Ekidna didn’t believe for a moment that Kim was acting purely to save the weak. There had to be something more pragmatic at play.
Surprisingly, she was half wrong.
From the beginning, Kim’s ultimate goal was to restore normalcy to the continent, to end the catastrophe. It’s the same as saving lives. It’s just that the scale is so large that there are so many obstacles to overcome.
He needed connections to make sure he didn’t trip over any stones.
‘It’s what I just said, insurance.’
‘So, insurance against what?’
‘A lot of things. If something happens in Kilikia and we have to relocate, or if a remnant of the Legion pops up somewhere and we need help from someone-’
Kim interrupted.
‘It’s easier to turn a blind eye when you’ve done something terribly wrong.’
Sighs erupted from the front and back of the car.
‘Ah. I see my boss is thinking out of the box again.’
‘Hey, boss. Just tell me before you do anything.’
‘What’s all the fuss about when Hyun can take care of himself?’
‘She’s right, you don’t know what you’re talking about.’
The mixed reactions made him cringe.
‘Just like old times.
He remembered when it was just the three of them, Asterique and Roscoe. Now there were nine, including trainee Leone. If it wasn’t for the multi-seater car, they would have had to split up.
It was noisy, but not bad.
‘It won’t be that busy in Kilikia anyway. Think of it as a holiday…….’
* * *
Kilikia, Dustborn Corporation.
He had just finished catching up with his former Whitefang crewmates after a long absence.
‘Hyun, there’s been a woman lurking around the company for the past few days.’
‘What the hell is that, a spy?’
I frowned at Bryce’s information.
It was possible she was a Legion remnant. The organisation itself must have collapsed, as the upper echelons were hollowed out. But they hadn’t rooted out the members, so they couldn’t let their guard down.
‘I approached the Prime Minister, but he spoke gibberish.’
‘Gibberish?’
‘As I recall, um.’
His brow wrinkled as if he were trying to remember.
‘Polaris. Polaris, I think.’
At the word, Kim’s expression turned cold. It was a short-lived change, and in the blink of an eye, he regained his usual nonchalance.
‘What’s the name of the company? I don’t remember it.’
‘Neither do I. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it’s a little old.’
He meant the No Face case. It had nothing to do with them, but I liked Bryce’s caution. He had the presence of mind of a grown man.
Kim spoke up, still holding her tongue.
‘If you have a picture, send it to me. I’ll take a look.’
I had to look up to see what he looked like.