A tense standoff.
Perhaps deciding they could no longer just watch, Kalakin stepped forward.
"Enough, all of you."
Dmitri's eyes narrowed.
"Kalakin! Are you saying you trust them now?"
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying we should get out of here first."
"...And if we leave? Then we'll be stabbed in the back! This is our only chance. Kalakin! The opponent is alone!"
Dmitri remained resolute.
No, it wasn't just Dmitri—Hildegard and Iris, standing behind him, seemed to share the same sentiment.
"In that case, I won't cooperate. Do it without me."
"...Are you saying you're betraying us?"
"I'm saying I can't agree with such a foolish decision."
"Ha! Fine, do whatever you want!"
"Dmitri! But..."
Hildegard hastily tried to intervene, but the damage was already done.
"Kalakin and Carl Marcus have betrayed us. From now on, I take command."
"..."
Three members of the investigation team raised their weapons.
The situation had escalated beyond words.
"So what? You gonna come at me?"
Despite the guns pointed at her, Lania remained unfazed.
There was a reason for that.
Among the investigators, the only one capable of standing against Lania was Kalakin, and he had stepped back.
In other words, the team never had a chance to begin with.
"Fire!"
At Dmitri's command, the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifles roared.
At the same time, a fierce grin spread across Lania's lips.
Bang!
Tatata─!
Even for Lania, blocking bullets with ether-level physical power wasn't easy.
It was possible, but it was highly inefficient.
However, slightly diverting the bullets' trajectories? That required only minimal effort.
["Kik, kikikik, kik, kikikikik, kikikik, kikikikik───!!!!"]
It was laughter.
A manifestation of none other than Lania's mockery through ether.
Swaeek—
Swaeswaeseek!
The bullets aimed at Lania curved effortlessly.
As the investigators watched in shock, Lania's hand moved.
'Esther.'
["Ugh… What a bunch of troublemakers."]
If left alone, the investigators were doomed.
Recognizing this, Esther immediately intervened, constricting their throats.
"W-Wait!"
"Carefu—"
Hildegard and Iris sensed Esther's presence and tried to react, but they were nowhere near capable of opposing her.
"Urgh!"
"Guh!"
"Keuk!"
In an instant, Esther had subdued the team members.
Seeing this, even Lania, who had been brimming with bloodlust, halted.
She realized that I had taken control of the investigators.
"You seem to care for them quite a bit, dear Oraboni."
"I'm just preventing meaningless casualties. It's better for everyone that way."
"Are you thinking of me?"
Lania grinned brightly.
"...Let's just say I am."
"I'll let it slide this time. But next time, no mercy. Got it?"
"Got it."
It felt like I had gained a troublesome little sister.
"Alright then, let's get out of here. Holding this place together is getting exhausting."
["...Excuse me? I was the one doing all the work."]
"Okay, fine. I'll give you credit for half of it."
["I did most of the work!"]
"So petty."
Lania and Esther seemed oddly in sync.
Then again, given how few people could even perceive Esther's existence, maybe it only seemed that way.
"...If you're done talking, let's get moving."
Unable to hold back any longer, Kalakin spoke up.
Lania responded bluntly.
"We were already going. Don't rush me."
She shot me a glance.
"Can't we just leave them all behind?"
"No."
"Tch."
With that, Kalakin hoisted Dmitri and Iris, while I carried Hildegard on my shoulder as we escaped the Ant Nest.
The exit wasn't difficult to find.
Not only Lania, but I also knew every pathway inside the den.
'Though right now, there was no need to reveal that.'
So, I silently followed Lania out.
With everyone who could escape already gone, the passage was eerily quiet.
'No one would stay inside a collapsing tunnel without reason.'
At last, as we emerged, the den—held together by Lania and Esther—completely caved in.
Rumble───!!!
A thick cloud of dust swept past, slowly revealing the surroundings.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Is everyone okay?!"
"We have an injured person here!"
At the bottom of the canyon connected to the ant den, remnants of the Kronos faction who had barely escaped stood on guard—or groaned in pain.
The attack had been sudden.
And effective.
'This can't be all of the Kronos remnants… Were the rest buried inside?'
Indeed, only around a hundred of them were visible.
Compared to the size of the Kronos Union I knew, this number was far too small.
'Then again… this isn't the only entrance. I'll have to wait and see.'
There was something far more important.
The collapse of the ant den was never supposed to happen this soon.
'The nest should have lasted much longer. Something must have changed because of me.'
I didn't need to think too hard about what that was.
In Ark, my presence had already triggered an unexpected Kronos investigation team.
In other words, the very arrival of the investigation team might have set off the assault on the den.
'Maybe… this is an opportunity.'
The Kronos remnants were in danger.
Even if the cause was me and the Ark's team, they wouldn't necessarily realize that.
Depending on how I played this, I could steer the situation in an entirely different direction.
["What are you scheming?"]
'What?'
["You have that unmistakably devious look."]
'It's nothing.'
As I exchanged meaningless chatter with Esther, a group of snipers wearing camouflage ponchos approached Lania.
"You're safe."
"Did you really think I'd get hurt? Never mind that—what's the situation?"
Judging by Lania's demeanor and the way others treated her; she still held a significant position within the remnants of Kronos.
Considering she would later rise to become the second-in-command of the massive Kronos Union; this wasn't all that surprising.
"It's not looking good. More than three hundred people are currently unaccounted for. Some of them are likely buried in the cave-in, so we need to begin rescue operations as soon as possible."
"Three hundred…"
For the first time, a chilling aura radiated from Lania's expression.
She was angry.
Just like that time long ago, when my memories held the moment Ark was driven to ruin.
"What about them?"
"They retreated immediately after launching their attack."
"Of course they did. Bastards."
Lania quickly began organizing the survivors, separating those who were still in fighting condition from those who weren't.
"Move the critically injured and the wounded first!"
"Hurry up!"
The remnants of Kronos had lost their home.
And with a Wave fast approaching, they needed to regroup as quickly as possible.
If they failed to do so, they could be completely wiped out by the Wave.
Crack, crack…
Well, maybe that was why Lania; despite looking like she was ready to charge off at any moment, was managing to stay put for now.
"Lania."
"…Ah, Oraboni. Sorry. I've been too busy to pay attention."
"Do you know who's responsible?"
"There's only one group that would do this to us. Church of Morte. It has to be them."
As expected, the ones who had attacked the Kronos remnants were from Church of Morte.
In this world, Church of Morte was a universal enemy, akin to demonic beasts and monsters.
They were also one of the primary foes of the Kronos Alliance.
And of course, they were enemies of Ark as well.
"What are you planning to do now?"
"We have to move first. And then… we will get revenge on those damned Church of Morte scum."
Exactly the response I anticipated.
If she was attacked, she would strike back.
That was the Lania I knew, and that was exactly how she was reacting now.
'This is perfect.'
Ark had sent a reconnaissance team to determine whether the Kronos remnants would become a threat in the future.
Originally, I had no intention of going beyond that mission.
But Church of Morte's involvement had changed the situation.
'I can definitely use this.'
Church of Morte was an enemy not only to the Kronos Alliance but also to Ark.
The existence of a common enemy often served as a catalyst for alliances between existing factions.
With everything falling into place so perfectly, how could I not take advantage of it?
"Do you need my help?"
"…I don't want to trouble you, Oraboni, but honestly… I'd really appreciate it. At this point, I'd even take a cat's paw for help."
"Understood."
Lania's eyes widened.
"…You're really going to help?"
"We're family, aren't we?"
"Oraboni…"
To be honest, I had my own motives.
But for now, it was better to keep things simple.
Of course, Lania had no way of knowing my real thoughts.
She just looked at me with an unreadable expression—eyes glistening slightly, as if she was touched.
"…Thank you. I have to stay here to lead everyone, so I won't be able to leave."
"That's fine. I'll handle it alone."
"Are you sure?"
"That's enough."
"Well… It is you, after all. Alright."
Just like Kurilta, Lania seemed to have immense trust in Carl Marcus.
Well, it was something I could handle.
"What do you need me to do?"
"While we recover the buried and evacuate, make sure Church of Morte doesn't try anything."
"That's all?"
"Yes. That should be enough."
"Got it."
I added, "Ah, before I go, can you provide me with a heavy weapon?"
"Of course. What do you need?"
"An Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher should be sufficient."
"Understood."
While the equipment I currently carried was enough to keep Church of Morte at bay, there was no way I'd pass up such a golden opportunity.
At Lania's gesture, a sniper—seemingly one of her subordinates—approached, carrying a large wooden crate.
"Here."
Click.
The wooden crate finally opened, revealing a rocket launcher with a familiar shape.
'This is…'
──────────────
[CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher] [★★★★★★★ (7-Star)]
— A specialized Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher developed using Kronos' cutting-edge technology.
— A weapon of extremely limited production, it is one of the rare Kronos-made weapons that can rival those of Ark.
— Incredibly powerful.
"View Details"
──────────────
CRN-842 Hemp Rocket Launcher.
Its rating was three tiers higher than the TITAN-17 Anti-Behemoth Rocket Launcher I had previously used.
At the same tier, Ark weapons would easily surpass Kronos-made ones.
But when there was such a significant tier difference, Kronos' weaponry was nothing to scoff at.
'I can't believe she's giving me this…'
Honestly, I had expected something around the same tier as the TITAN-17. That alone would have been a great deal.
But I never thought Lania would hand over this.
Given the current state of the Kronos remnants, this might very well be their only CRN-842 Behemoth Rocket Launcher.
'That just goes to show how seriously Lania and the Kronos remnants are taking this situation.'
Lania spoke.
"Oraboni, I'm sorry. I'd like to give you more, but our equipment situation isn't great right now…"
"No, this is more than enough."
If anything, it was almost too much.
"I'll head out now."
"…Be careful, Oraboni."
"I will."
With that, Lania returned to her work.
Considering the gravity of the situation, taking this much time to speak with me must have been a significant burden.
'Family, huh…'
As the chaotic situation continued, I prepared to leave, slinging the CRN-842 Behemoth Rocket Launcher over my shoulder.
That was when Kalakin, who had been tending to the unconscious reconnaissance team members, quietly approached me.
"Carl Marcus."
"What is it?"
"I will go with you."