Chapter 291 ·Turning point (54)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point (54)

"Hyun-woo, attention."

"Attention!"

As I shouted and straightened my posture, Nadia stood before me, arms crossed, glaring up at me with fierce eyes.

Right now, I was in the middle of being scolded by Nadia, who was swinging her tail in the air in annoyance. To explain how I got into this situation, I'd have to rewind a little bit.

After I talked with Orca, I was overtaken by fatigue again and nodded off, only to wake up to a pair of clear green eyes filling my view. It took me a moment to recognize them as Nadia's.

At first, I thought I was still dreaming. The distance was just too close, and after all, right before I fell asleep, Nadia was supposed to be at the pureblood supremacist outpost. So when I opened my eyes and she was right in front of me, how could I not be surprised?

I thought maybe she had flown straight here after hearing from Orca that I had recklessly moved around at dawn, but surprisingly, that wasn't the main issue. Instead, she actually seemed relieved, asking if I'd recovered enough to get around.

The reason Nadia had returned to Albatross was to split personnel with the outpost and coordinate ship repairs.

Originally, the soldier team, including Celestia, was also supposed to return to Albatross with Nadia, but it seemed they were currently headed with Roxy to the robot production facility to retrieve the security robots. I'd heard they would return to Albatross once that work was done.

After briefly updating each other, we took some time to check on one another and shared some relief. It was nice. Really nice—up until that moment.

The problem came right after. I had a lot to do, and there was a time limit, so I assumed we wouldn't meet for a while. As I tried to say something to Nadia, feeling a mix of joy and relief, I felt something catch in my throat and spat it into a tissue nearby.

That was the issue. It turned out to be a clump of dead blood. For me, it was just part of my recovery process, so I thought nothing of it, but Nadia's face instantly froze. Her constantly swaying tail stood still, and the smile on her face turned to ice.

From that stark change, I immediately realized—the pleasant mood was over. There's a saying that making an issue out of an issue is, in itself, a problem. That was exactly the case here. In the end, I got thoroughly scolded.

"Carrot told you to get absolute rest, didn't he?"

"He did."

"Then is it right for you to wander around late at night just because you can't sleep?"

"It's not right."

"If you can't sleep, you should stay in bed, and if you're hungry, you should hit the call button to ask for help, not go yourself, right? Yes or no?"

"Right. I mean, technically, but calling someone for that feels a bit..."

"I'm not saying to call Carrot. I mean you should call the Beta Series that's on standby."

Nadia's eyes flashed as she pressed further.

"Was I right or not?"

"I di—"

"Was I or was I not?"

"... You were right."

At my admission, Nadia nearly cried as she stomped her foot. Her fluffy tail struck the air.

"If only the Beta Series had been waiting, I'd have just ignored it. It was only because it was Orca that I listened at all!"

"That's... true. Sorry."

Thinking about it, she was absolutely right. I'd lowered the kindness settings and had been planning to swing by the storage under the pretense of checking things out.

I tried my hardest to look remorseful. Nadia narrowed her eyes, but then her expression softened, and she quickly scampered over and hugged me. Due to our difference in size, it felt more like she was being hugged than hugging.

"... I was really worried, you know. I get that it was the best possible outcome under the circumstances, but seeing you like that... it just hurt too much."

"I'm fine now. That thing I spat up earlier came out as the wounds inside healed. After eating well and sleeping soundly, I'm a lot more stable, as you can see."

With my core stabilizing, I could even use a bit of telekinesis. I had five days left—by the next, or rather the last, operation, I'd be almost back to my pre-injury state. Even Carrot was amazed at my rate of recovery. If there was one thing I could be proud of, it was my physical robustness.

"I know Hyun-woo's body is tough, but don't just rely on it. Even if you look fine on the outside, the internal damage must be piling up. And when it erupts suddenly..."

"I know what you mean."

I patted Nadia's back as she trailed off. She leaned on me even more, her tail gently swaying.

There's that saying: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but there needs to be time to recover in between. If you keep hammering away before your body's rebuilt, you risk permanent damage.

"It's so nice seeing you again."

"Me too!"

"This was what I needed."

"Touch all you want! I'm yours, Hyun-woo!"

Nadia's tail tickled the back of my hand, brushing close but not quite within my grasp. I could have grabbed it, but I didn't.

Up till just a little earlier, she'd been working hard, and her fur wasn't as glossy as usual, and hidden in her eyes was unmistakable fatigue.

She was trying to hide it, but I could see it all. Didn't she say that she'd nearly collapsed from overwork? I didn't want to hurt her just to satisfy my own urge.

"Aah... If I keep leaning on you like this, I'll fall asleep without realizing it."

"You can't move tomorrow anyway, so get some sleep."

As I said that, I looked at Carry, who was on standby nearby. It hovered nearby as if waiting for its turn after Nadia.

Carry had also had a strong reaction earlier, so I didn't see any reason not to offer it a hug too. Actually, I could hug Carry as many times as it wanted. Its presence alone was reassuring—and it always helped a lot.

「✧(*,,ÒㅅÓ,,)✧」

Our eyes met, and Carry's eyes sparkled with excitement. Looking at its scratched-up module, I resolved that once we reached Earth, I'd finally upgrade it to a true next-gen module, not just in name. I'd built up a lot of credits without even realizing it. Even after the upgrades, I'd still have plenty left over. I was rich now.

"Then—... huh?"

Nadia, who had been yawning with a hand over her mouth, stopped as she wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye. Puzzled, I was about to ask why when she beat me to it, reaching her hand out swiftly.

"... What's this?"

Nadia was fiddling with the spot just below my ear, at an awkward position right before the back of my neck. Curious, I touched the spot myself, but there was nothing strange—just my usual skin.

"What is it? Is there something there?"

"It's nothing, but the skin here is unusually red. Why here, of all places?"

"I don't know. Did I scratch it somewhere? Maybe I scratched it in my sleep?"

The more mutants I killed, the stronger my body became—as if there was no end to my growth. If I wasn't conscious of it, even getting an injection was tough, because I'd instinctively reject external intrusion.

Even when injured, it wouldn't just turn red from bumping into things, and the location wasn't a spot where that might happen. It was most likely that I scratched it without realizing.

Nadia furrowed her brow, making a discontented sound.

"That's not what it feels like..."

"It doesn't hurt or anything, but I'll ask Carrot when he gets here if you're that worried."

Just as we were talking, Licorice, who had been reading a complex chart, suddenly intervened.

"... Can you two get off each other now? I was curious to see how long you'd go, but honestly, you'd keep it up all day if I didn't interrupt. And try not to bother Carrot too much. He's already swamped. Asking about every little thing just slows down the workflow, which I already warned about, didn't I?"

Licorice fired off her words like a machine gun. Was it just my imagination, or did the tips of her ears look a little red? She seemed flustered. Nadia, who was famously sensitive to emotions, must have noticed it more than me.

Nadia's eyes sparkled with suspicion. As she glanced back and forth between me and Licorice, her face hardened with certainty. Her eyes widened in shock, and so did her clenched fists. Her tail puffed out with a pop.

"Licorice, don't tell me—"

"No."

"I mean, just now—"

"No."

"How could you not know about that mark—"

"Nadia. I said no."

It was the second time Licorice had called Nadia by name. This time, I was the one shocked—how serious must the situation have been for her to go that far?

"Do I look like that kind of person to you?"

"Yes. Definitely. 100%."

At Nadia's cold reaction, Licorice gave a forced laugh and tried to lighten the mood by waving her hands.

"You look exhausted, so just take Hyun-woo's advice and get a little rest. This is your only chance. Once Albatross's repairs begin, it'll be noisy. Unlike Hyun-woo, who's impossible to wake, you're a light sleeper, aren't you?"

"..."

Nadia stared at me for a long while with her mouth clamped shut. When I looked puzzled, she let out a long sigh and muttered as if she'd been caught.

"Hyun-woo, I'm going to get some sleep. The repair work can't fully start until I fix up the drones, so you rest too. Absolute rest. Got it?"

"Y-yeah, okay."

"And as for you... ugh, we'll talk later. I don't have the energy to waste on this right now."

With an even more tired expression, Nadia shot Licorice a glare. Licorice maintained her confidence. After one more glare—as if marking me—Nadia rubbed her cheek against my chest.

After that, Nadia staggered over to my bed and collapsed. She promptly fell asleep. Her breathing steadied, and her exploded tail quickly calmed down.

Curled up, Nadia fast asleep. I pulled the blanket—kicked to the foot of the bed—up over her shoulders. After a bit of tossing and turning, her tail fell limp, followed by her ears.

With Nadia now asleep, Carry started hovering, claiming it was next in line. After reassuring Carry, I quietly nodded toward the exit of the medical bay. Licorice nodded back.

As soon as the medical bay door closed, I turned to Licorice and asked,

"So, what was that all about just now?"

"What do you mean?"

Just as I was about to open my mouth again, Licorice reached out and covered it with her hand.

"Never mind. If you're bored, come with me to the storage bay. Just so you know, I'm not asking you to do any heavy lifting—the Beta Series will handle everything. I just need your help sorting things."

"... Hmm."

"You weren't planning on just sitting around quietly anyway. If I leave you alone, you'll get restless and do something reckless. It's easier for me to keep you in sight and give you a set task. So just follow along quietly, okay?"

She'd hit the nail on the head, since that had been my plan. Carry made to argue in my defense, then stopped, and instead supported Licorice.

It made me wonder if I was that untrustworthy. I gave Carry a hurt look, but Carry got genuinely annoyed.

「(ꐦ ´͈ ᗨ `͈ )」

Carrying showed with its face that it was not amused at all. Faced with such strong resistance, I had no choice but to nod, my mouth still covered.

The party of two people and one robot made its way to the storage bay. Even now, the area was filled with the sound of shuttles taking off and landing through the storage bay gates. It was proof that the supply operations at the outpost were going smoothly.

I took in the automated shuttles moving back and forth, dropping off supplies from the outpost and leaving in relay. There were quite a few models—old, but not so outdated as to be scrapped.

"Old as they are, I'm surprised you still had shuttles left. I thought you'd brought them all."

"That's just how complacent the enemy was. They thought their current forces were more than enough."

Personally, I thought the same. The fleet, assembled from every ship scraped together at Titan's military base and bristling with weaponry, was something you hardly ever see.

"If it weren't for the Archive's energy field, we would have been crushed by sheer numbers."

"That's the result of arrogance. They pushed straight in, trusting only their own might, even though it was obvious we'd prepared traps. If Cystus hadn't been set on capturing and killing us himself, what do you think would have happened?"

"We'd have dried up and died."

"Exactly. That's what I mean by arrogance. They took it for granted we'd die, focused only on how to kill us, never questioning if it was actually possible. Well, now that I think of it, maybe they were offering sacrifices to awaken the Invasion Tree."

"... On purpose?"

"Just a guess."

"When Licorice says 'just a guess,' it never is."

I shot her a look urging her to go on, and she instructed the Beta Series before speaking.

"A seal that strong wouldn't be broken just like that. It'd take repeated attempts from inside and out to even cause a crack. When the pureblood supremacists died, it felt as if the vile force on them returned to their core. Well, not that I actually felt it, but that's what I think."

Licorice tapped her temple. She was referring to Lobelia's knowledge. Apparently, that knowledge explained why things happened this way, and why they set the scenario up.

Seeing my worried expression, Licorice waved her hand dismissively, as if not to worry.

"Anyway, it's all in the past now, so no point dwelling on it. Right now, ship repairs are the top priority. The Invasion Tree is dormant for now, but it might start acting up again any moment."

That wasn't what I was worried about, but I couldn't argue. The last shuttle had just left the storage bay, carrying a load that was more junk than usable resources—seemed like they'd stripped the base down to scrap.

"You see the terminal over there? Use it to send instructions to the bots. They'd do it on their own eventually, but if you leave them, it takes longer to get results. You did a good job in mining, so you can tell what's useful and what isn't, right?"

"Of course. You can count on me."

"Great. I always do, so let's get to work."

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