Chapter 103

After wiping out the Cryptid swarm, we headed toward the Forward Base, where a familiar face greeted us at the landing site.

Bathed in the glow of the sunset, her fiery red hair shone vividly.

Her fully matured figure exuded charm even through the crisp military uniform.

It was Freya Agria.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Reclamation Unit and the only female among the four marshals.

“Ed! Nisia! Is everyone okay?!”

She approached us quickly, her voice tinged with urgency.

“Ah, Ms. Freya, you’ve come to meet us.”

“This isn’t the time for idle chatter! Are you really all right? Any casualties?”

Her rapid-fire questioning conveyed her concern.

At that moment, a hand came to rest on Freya’s shoulder.

Messy green hair framed her face, with dark circles under her eyes hinting at sleepless nights. Despite her overall ominous demeanor, the white lab coat she wore was immaculately pristine.

“Come now, Commander, calm down a bit.”

“Ah, Ms. Banetta.”

“Ed. Long time no see.”

Banetta.

A skilled technician and researcher, and a reliable ally to us all.

“Ms. Banetta, you came too?”

“Yeah, with all the data we’ve gathered, it’s time to check the status of the ship.”

As she spoke, she gestured behind her, where individuals in white lab coats, with weary expressions, stood at a distance.

They were unmistakably the people present when Ms. Banetta had demonstrated the jammer intended for use on Aliens.

Noticing my gaze, they gave a slight bow, which I reciprocated.

“That… Everyone looks exhausted, are you sure you’re all right?”

“Totally fine. PhD students always look like that. Plus, they’re tougher than they seem; as long as they’re still breathing, we can restore them soon.”

“…?”

What? Restore what?

Before I could ask, Banetta turned her head to look at the PhD students, causing them to flinch like herbivores encountering a predator.

“Still… wouldn’t it be better to take a bit of rest?”

“You don’t understand. Everything has its timing.”

With that firm response, she continued.

“Yes, but remember, last time you and Ed promised to take things slowly. We’ll just check the cannons’ statuses for anomalies and then rest.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Promises are promises. Once that’s done, we’ll talk—huh?”

Just as Banetta was about to retreat with the PhD students, she halted, her gaze shifting toward my back.

“Wait a second, what’s that? And why is Ed being carried by someone other than Nisia?”

Indeed, as she noted, I was on Clarissa’s back instead of Nisia’s.

The reason was the Cryptid infant.

As usual, I had tried to climb onto Nisia’s back, but the Cryptid baby, handed to another person, started to cry.

“Hweeeng…”

Its cries, expressing distress against anyone other than us, reached out, its tiny hands grabbing at the air.

“Mama, mama!!”

Moved by such heart-wrenching actions, Nisia gathered the baby in her arms while I was left to climb onto Clarissa’s back.

“Hmm? Now that I think about it—”

Freya’s attention, drawn by Banetta’s observation, shifted from me to Nisia behind.

“Huh? That?”

She frowned slightly.

“Ed, is that child—”

Yes, sensing something, her cautious query lingered.

Friends and bystanders alike showed obvious curiosity, ears perking up.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t explained this child to the others yet.

“Yes, it’s a Cryptid infant.”

“!!!”

Freya’s eyes widened in shock.

A loud exclamation rang out behind.

“Cryptid infant—what?! A Cryptid baby!?”

Edward, shaking as if he’d seen something terrifying, scrambled away from Nisia.

Though the others, including Baldur, looked startled, none reacted as dramatically as Edward.

“Cryptid’s child…?”

“Yes.”

“…”

A brief silence from Freya.

“…sigh… I kind of figured something weird had happened when you said you encountered a Cryptid swarm, Ed. You always exceed expectations.”

She sighed deeply, reaching out with both hands to lightly pinch my cheeks.

With a squishy sound, her smile broadened as my cheeks stretched.

“Can you tell me more?”

“Mhehe—”

I narrated everything that happened in the sealed city, sparing no detail.

People reacted with a mix of surprise, anxiety, and diverse expressions.

After my story concluded, Banetta was the first to respond.

She slammed her hands onto my shoulders.

“Ed! You just mentioned a Red Dragon, right?! That… thing, no, that 1000mm railgun created by Chinese labor without regard for efficiency!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Great! Freya, can you spare an engineering battalion right now?”

She swiftly turned to Freya with her proposition.

Hearing this, Freya tilted her head slightly.

“One engineering battalion, for what?”

“The Red Dragon! We need to dismantle it!”

With absolute certainty, Banetta raised her voice.

“1000mm railgun, you say? Despite efficiency decreasing beyond a certain caliber, it’s still a monstrous waste of effort constructed with the blood and sweat of the… Chinese!”

She rambled on in her excitement.

“Of course, we must thoroughly examine this… not perverted endeavor, but their passion and challenge, by bringing it here!”

“Hmm…”

Freya, pondering Banetta’s fiery speech.

“Uh… wouldn’t it be hard to move it?”

I voiced my doubt.

A railgun with a 1000mm caliber and a 50-meter barrel, the Dragon Red. Its power was tangible earlier, and if we could relocate it, it would surely bolster our forces. Yet, could such a massive object be transported?

Responding with a smile, Banetta wiggled her index finger side to side.

“For Ed, there’s no such word as ‘impossible’ in the vocabulary of engineers and PhD students.”

“Oooh…”

She grinned mischievously while looking at the PhD students.

Their faces darkened but no one rebelled.

“Understood, I’ll allocate the troops. Alongside that, I’ll supply maintenance personnel for assistance and security forces to guard them.”

“We did it! Thank you so much!”

After thanking Freya, Banetta turned to the PhD students.

“Alright, we’ll be setting off in a bit, so make preparations for your field trip.”

“…Understood.”

Shoulders drooping, the PhD students trudged away.

Though unintentionally, it seemed the burden had increased, but I hoped Banetta would honor her promise with me.

“Good, let’s all go together?”

“Huh? Where to?”

“To investigate what this baby truly is, right? Follow me!”

Banetta marched forward while saying this.

Freya nodded at us and followed after her. We trailed behind as well.

…

A clearing, quite a distance from the landing site.

There, Banetta’s research armored car, modified from an old MC-45 armored vehicle, stood stationary.

With a rustle, Banetta entered the car, equipped herself with a few tools, and emerged.

Approaching Nisia, she carefully placed several items around her and picked up a tool.

“Eh?”

The Cryptid baby, seeing the colorful tools for the first time, lit up.

With a cautious expression, Banetta checked the tool, nodding her head.

“Good, it works. Nisia, can you hold it steady?”

“Yes, yes!”

Banetta approached the baby with the tool.

She wrapped bandage-like material around the baby’s wrist and directed a scanner-like device at it.

“Kyaah! Heheehee!”

Fortunately, the baby merely cooed as it obediently endured her actions.

After examining the baby with every tool, Banetta tilted her head slightly.

“Hmm?”

“Why is that?”

“No, the results are kind of unusual.”

“What do you mean?”

After clearing her throat, Banetta answered Freya’s question.

“The Cryptid is correct to some extent, but the genes are extremely similar to a human’s. Actually, to be honest, it feels more human than Cryptid.”

“Hmm…?”

Freya took a moment to reflect as she heard the response.

Meanwhile, our mysterious subject continued squirming and making sounds in Nisia’s arms.

“So… is it dangerous then?”

“No, it’s a baby, after all. If you’re still concerned, we can check again with more sophisticated equipment later.”

“Hmm…”

After much thought, Freya turned her gaze to me and Nisia.

“Ed, Nisia, you two were the first to discover and see this child, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

With a nod, Freya continued,

“Then what do you two think?”

“What do we think?”

“Do you think this child is dangerous?”

Recalling the past, memories surfaced.

When we were in mortal danger from Ram’s charge, lifting its hands stopped it like it was shackled. Furthermore, the baby warned us about Centipede’s incoming cannon fire.

“That… I don’t think so.”

“Right? How about you, Nisia?”

“I agree with Ed.”

“I see…”

Taking our answers into consideration, Freya paused.

Raising her head, she spoke again.

“Then Ed, Nisia, would the two of you be willing to care for this child?”

“The two of us?”

“Right, since the child rejects anyone other than the two of you, right?”

“Yes.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Then, the two of you need to take care of this child. I’ll inform the Dean about this child and seek necessary support, so it shouldn’t be too burdensome for both of you, are you okay with that?”

“Hmm…”

While I contemplated, I could feel everyone’s eyes, notably Nisia’s, on me.

Ah? It seems the decision rests with me.

As I briefly organized the situation,

The baby, still full of uncertainty, had already helped us.

Anxiety from the unknown remained, but truthfully, we are the only ones capable of taking care of this child. Additionally, another factor stirred my heart.

“New route available!”

Though I’ve played numerous AOE games, this was something I’ve never experienced before.

The gamer’s instinct, intrigued and excited by the novelty, spurred new content, leaving my heart pounding.

“All right, I’ll give it a try.”

“Great decision, Ed. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, I’ll help as much as I can. And do let me know if any changes or problems arise.”

“Understood.”

Freya nodded in approval upon hearing my response, clapping her hands.

“Alright, then the two of you decide?”

“Huh? Decide what?”

“Doesn’t this child need a name?”

“A-”

That’s right. Calling ‘Cryptid child’ all the time would be inconvenient.

Suddenly, a good name came to mind.

Since it’s associated with the White Queen, wouldn’t this fit perfectly?

“Hmm, Nisia, how about ‘Heungdoong’ for the baby’s name?”

“Ed, just to clarify, you’re not suggesting giving the name ‘Heungdoong’ typically given to a puppy, are you?”

“….Isn’t it strange! Yeah! I thought so too!”

…How did she know!?

Nisia, you’re terrifying…!

“Then, what about ‘Hayang’?”

“That’s not suitable either.”

“….I agree with you, yes.”

The same tone as usual.

Yet, a subtle pressure was transmitted through her words.

Still, aren’t ‘Heungdoong’ and ‘Hayang’ really cute?

This thought, I only voiced within.

Speaking it recklessly would definitely get me in trouble with Nisia.

Then…. Ah! How about this?

“What about Sara?”

“Sara?”

“Yeah, remember the game Star◆Craft I used to play a lot? It’s the name of the queen who leads the ◆g creatures—”

“Ed, you’re suggesting the name of a monstrous queen for a baby?”

At the slightly lowered tone of Nisia’s voice, I quickly changed my tune.

“No, just kidding. Kidding!”

Uhh, what to do?

As I spent a while in deep thought, a single word surfaced unexpectedly.

Oh?

“Seol…”

“Ed?”

Nisia reacted to my murmuring.

I promptly looked up and suggested to her.

“How about Seol?”

“Seol?”

“Yeah. Taken from ‘White Queen,’ it means ‘snow-like child.’ What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

Nisia paused briefly to think.

Eventually, she nodded.

“Yeah, that seems fine.”

“Phew…”

“Ed?”

“Ah, never mind.”

Clearing this hurdle, I patted the Cryptid child’s head and announced,

“Seol, from now on, your name is Seol.”

“Ah?”

Not entirely understanding my words, Seol tilted her head slightly, her large round eyes gazing at me with curiosity.

The baby who had been sucking her tiny fingers smiled brightly again, extending her hands toward me.

“Mama!”