Chapter 251
Hae Wolhwa truly appeared indifferent. There was not even a sliver of will to stop us in her demeanor.
Of course, such signals can't be blindly trusted. For someone of her caliber, faking such an attitude would be as easy as pie.
"What is your real intention..."
"Enough. Just follow me, will you?"
"...Weren't you planning to stop us?"
"Stop you? Why would I?"
However, my suspicion crumbled helplessly at the principal's irritated tone. Turning her head, she threw a dismissive glare at me.
"What can I do? If your wish is to go off and die, I can only oblige."
"..."
She was a completely different person from yesterday. We stood awkwardly, exchanging glances. In the end, we followed the principal, who was already far ahead.
The principal maintained a slight distance as she led us somewhere. Eventually, we arrived at her office, the same one that had been a chaotic mess yesterday.
The office was perfectly restored, as if nothing had happened. Just like the navy-blue dress she was wearing.
And there, sitting on the plush sofa, was a strange woman waving at me cheerfully.
"It's been a while, kid."
Her sharp features and flowing hair caught my eye. Contrary to her slender appearance, her well-toned body was clad in the latest particle suit.
Something about her looked familiar, so I searched my memory.
"It was just a few weeks ago. Surely you haven't forgotten already?"
I remembered. She was the woman from the National Guard I saw during the chaos of the Festival of the Falling Star. She had been dispatched to guard the Cradle.
After subduing a giant who was causing havoc, she appeared belatedly, demanding custody of the new recruit. At the time, I left immediately, prioritizing Yeon Minha's safety.
"...The one who boasted about being ranked first in the Guard Corps' popularity poll?"
"Hmm. This time, you remembered correctly."
Hearing my words, the woman nodded with satisfaction. Then she stood up and extended her hand to me.
"Let me reintroduce myself. Fourth Rank of the Guard Corps, Black Cat."
"...I'm Hyun."
Caught off guard, I accepted the handshake. A unique sensation crept up my arm and enveloped my body. It's been quite a while since I felt such discomfort.
I wondered if there would come a day when I wouldn't feel this sensation at all. But for now, the probability of dying before then seemed higher.
"I know a lot about you."
She gave me a sly smile that didn't match her appearance. Somehow, it reminded me of someone.
Back then, the situation was so urgent I overlooked it. But now, seeing her, her features looked strangely familiar.
She vaguely resembled someone I knew... Someone like that.
"Hmm, as expected..."
The woman glanced at me, Yeon Minha, and Yeon in turn, then spoke in a low voice.
"...So you're definitely Black Wolf's younger sibling. You might even be worse. Dragging around two women despite having that grotesque thing on your face. And those two just happen to be the next successors of Paechun and Jeokhwa... Huhuhu."
She was probably referring to the unit commander by "Black Wolf." It must have been his designation during his time in the Guard Corps. The commander had never mentioned it, but it wasn't particularly strange.
For a family like Heukryeon, serving in the Guard Corps after graduation would be quite natural.
"So? How about joining us after graduation?"
"...What?"
"Why are you so surprised? As the Second Son of Heukryeon, it's only natural for you to join the Guard Corps. You'll inherit Black Wolf's name."
"I..."
"With your abilities, I can appoint you directly under my jurisdiction. Should I make you my deputy? There wouldn't be much work. Just keep me company for drinks now and then, accompany me on patrols, and do some laundry..."
The woman leaned in closer, making me uncomfortable. A distinct fragrance wafted from her, which also felt familiar.
This sounded like she was planning to turn me into her servant. It's obvious she held a grudge against the commander and intended to take it out on me.
"Inspector Kwon Yuri, shouldn't you stop with the unfunny jokes?"
Just as I was about to reject her offer, I heard a sharp voice from behind. It was Yeon.
"Hyun is still a first-year student. Isn't what you're doing a violation of the contact regulations? A so-called inspector openly breaking the law?"
"Breaking the law... This is just a joke. You're as rigid as ever, huh? Huhu."
An icy chill was in the air, but the woman shrugged it off casually. For some reason, the sound of her name unsettled me.
Sensing my discomfort, the woman winked at me.
"You know my younger sibling, right? I heard you two are quite close."
Damn it. She was Kwon Yuri's older sister. No wonder she gave off such a bad impression from the start. Even the tear mole under her eye was in the same position. Their antics were eerily similar too.
Realizing this made my seat feel like a bed of thorns. I turned to the principal, demanding an explanation.
The reason this woman was here, and why the principal had brought us here.
"...As I said earlier, I have no intention of stopping you."
With a bored expression, the principal, resting her chin on her hand, finally spoke.
"It would be pointless. You wouldn't listen anyway. Right?"
"..."
"I've had enough of the horrifying experience of my office being destroyed. But since it's come to this... I might as well use you."
"Use me...?"
"Yes."
The principal nodded and continued.
"To get straight to the point, breaking through the Land of Witches on your own is utterly impossible right now. Oh, before you protest, take this first."
Waving her hand, she stopped me from voicing my objection. At the same time, the stack of documents on her desk floated into the air.
The fluttering papers soared towards us, with each of us receiving a sheet. We immediately began to read them.
As I confirmed the contents, I furrowed my brows.
"...Nest?"
"According to Witch Spica, it's a sanctuary containing the genetic essence of their species. Regulus, the Alpha, sacrificed her body to create this organic structure."
-You. Your body is collapsing, isn't it?
The voice of someone I faced on the Cradle's rooftop echoed in my mind again.
"...According to Spica, as long as the Nest containing the essence remains, the dead witches can endlessly restore their bodies there."
Of all the things I'd heard in recent days, this was the most horrifying. If this were true, it meant the commander and my sisters had merely been toyed with by them.
"...Even the witches you saw slaughtered have probably restored their bodies by now."
"..."
"Destroying the Nest is an essential prerequisite for winning the war. This invasion by the demonic army is ultimately driven by the will of the witches. Furthermore, this is the only way to prevent the collapse of the Republic. Unless their stronghold is completely destroyed, we'll be stuck in an endless war of attrition."
"But until now, there has been no way to locate the Nest. Witch Spica never once went to their gathering place, so she didn't know its location."
Black Cat, who had been playing with her hair, responded to the principal's words.
"It's supposedly somewhere in the ruins of the ancient civilization that hasn't been restored yet, but we currently lack the resources to search such a vast area. However..."
"...That's where he comes in."
"Correct."
Black Cat widened her eyes and clapped her hands as she looked at me.
"We intend to launch a decapitation operation to infiltrate and destroy the witches' stronghold, commonly referred to as the 'Nest.' Since it's an ark-like structure containing all their genetic information, if we destroy it..."
"...We can wipe out all the witches currently spread across the surface."
Finally, I began to understand what they were suggesting. Black Cat continued her explanation.
"Of course, we can't redirect all the forces on the frontlines to the Nest. We've already lost many resources suppressing Baek Ilyong's coup. Right now, even holding back the demonic army is a struggle."
"...They've even issued a general mobilization order for the Cradle's cadets."
Black Cat nodded at Yeon Minha's comment.
"That's right. If we pull forces from any one area and leave a gap, the consequences would be irreparable."
Unintentionally, her words triggered something in my memory. A sharp and metallic scent of death briefly grazed my nose.
"We plan to recruit the Guard Corps' elite, you, and cadets from each year who volunteered and ranked highest in the Cradle. The qualifications are sufficient. Top-tier grades in the Cradle are already equivalent to a junior rank in the Guard Corps."
"While the frontline troops act as shields, we'll infiltrate and subdue the witches in the Nest as quickly as possible. Before they can restore their bodies, we'll destroy the Nest."
"Exactly."
Hearing my murmur, the principal nodded. She looked at me, passing the decision onto me.
"So... What will you do?"
At that moment, all eyes in the office fell on me. It wasn't hard to realize that my decision would determine the course of events.
And the decision I would make... was the only one possible.
***
"You mentioned there was someone I needed to meet?"
"Yes."
I left the office, following the principal. She had told me there was something I needed to do during the brief moment before the teams and volunteers were organized.
"A person, yes. A person, indeed. For now."
"...?"
"Well, you'll know when you see. More importantly..."
At the principal's cryptic words, I tilted my head unconsciously. Seeing my puzzled expression, she appropriately changed the topic.
"...Thank you for accepting my request."
"...There was no need for thanks."
In the end, I accepted the principal's proposed operation. My personal grudge had suddenly turned into a grand mission bearing the Republic's fate, but I had no reason to refuse.
Her cold and rational words were sharp enough to make me feel ashamed of my own impulsiveness.
Anyway, after causing such an incident yesterday, being with the principal so casually today made me feel uneasy. Even though not a single wound remained...
I looked at the principal and cautiously opened my mouth.
"Um... Are you alright?"
"Do you think I look alright? Now that I see, you have quite a wicked taste. Crushing someone like that and then worrying about them later?"
And as if she had been waiting for it, Hae Wolhwa scolded me. Being severely reprimanded by someone with such a youthful appearance gave me an odd feeling.
"I've never been handled so roughly in my life. And hitting my stomach? What would you have done if it had suddenly stopped working?"
"..."
And I fell into a brief contemplation, trying to figure out what part of the principal's words was a joke.