CHAPTER 36

A Lieutenant General of the Regular Army.
In a world supposedly full of This-worlders, why was a modern-sounding rank being used?
The reason was simple.
The Regular Army originated from a private organization of Transferees.
During the Great War.
Not all Transferees had sided with the ones who started the war.
Among them were those who wanted to stop the war itself.
The 1st World, Astrape, was no longer a world inhabited only by This-worlders.
Once transferred, there was no returning to Earth.
Therefore, Astrape was a world where Transferees had to live alongside everyone else.
A war like this would only lead to the worst possible outcome, no matter which side lost. So they began operating a military organization to stop the war itself.
Initially, the newly founded military organization consisted only of Transferees.
But as time passed, the number of This-worlders who followed their cause and joined them grew.
As a result, the military organization gave birth to the world's first alliance between This-worlders and Transferees. They fought, crying out for peace, and finally brought the war to an end.
And so, each kingdom recognized their achievements and gave them the name of the Regular Army.
This was the long history of the Regular Army.
The conflict between This-worlders and Transferees was still ongoing.
To quell their discontent, military force was an essential requirement.
So, what kind of people were the Lieutenant Generals, the rank directly below the Commander-in-Chief in such an army?
There was a popular topic of debate among the public.
Who was stronger, a Lord or a Lieutenant General of the Regular Army?
Once someone joined the Regular Army, positions like Lord were treated as separate.
They were individuals who used their power for the world, not for a private title like Lord.
So people would stay up all night, debating the topic over drinks.
I, too, had once chatted about it with some adventurers to kill time.
The conclusion we came to back then was that the Lords were probably stronger.
After all, there were only eleven Lords, whereas there were quite a few Lieutenant Generals throughout the world.
But today, that thought changed.
KWAAAAANG!
A fleeing criminal before my eyes was engulfed in an explosion and sent flying high into the air.
The moment Inferno appeared, the criminal had swung a sword he’d stolen from a soldier, but the sword was shattered along with him.
A sword made of steel was easily crushed by overwhelming firepower.
Seeing the explosions erupting from Inferno's hands, I could say with confidence:
That was firepower on par with the Red Flame Lord.
Why were there so many monsters in this world?
At the very least, Lieutenant General Inferno was a figure comparable to the Red Flame Lord.
Like master, like student, I guess.
They’re all screwed.
"Hmm, looks like the women's prison has completely collapsed."
Inferno looked at the collapsed building, black smoke rising from his hands.
"That young lady of yours must be more skilled than I thought. Even for a temporary prison, it should have been suppressing her magic use."
She might seem like an idiot, but she was still a disciple of the Red Flame Lord.
Still, I never imagined she could bring down an entire building.
Maybe I had underestimated Babiyen too much.
“Well, it looks more like she went berserk. Her mana is overflowing.”
“You can see mana?”
“You’re still in the sprouting stage, right? That’s not enough to see mana with your eyes.”
In other words, my level was too low.
“Still, it’ll be pretty interesting when you can see it later. You’ll understand why mages use magic in such complicated ways.”
Inferno, belying his rank, said whatever was on his mind.
This was that.
A veteran player who just has to give a piece of advice whenever they see a newbie.
Looks like he took a liking to me, more or less.
Since he likes me, I hope he lets me go without any trouble.
“We’re here.”
In that short time, Inferno had obliterated a few more fleeing criminals and arrived in front of the building.
There, I could see Regular Army soldiers working hard to extinguish the fire.
"Ah, Lieutenant General Inferno."
"Sir!"
“Yeah, good work.”
Inferno let out a huge yawn and casually accepted their salutes.
I wondered if it was okay for a Lieutenant General to act like this, but his subordinates looked at him with respect.
“Situation report.”
“A woman named Babiyen Asteria is in a state of mana overflow inside.”
“The reason?”
“Well, according to the interrogation of a criminal, someone from the Regular Army made contact with her.”
Hearing that, Inferno’s expression changed in an instant.
And so did mine.
A moment ago, the criminals had been blabbering about a Black Dawn sympathizer within the Regular Army.
If that was true, there was a high probability that the one who contacted Babiyen was that person.
“Did you find out who it was?”
“We are still searching, sir.”
Inferno didn’t reprimand the soldier reporting.
Instead, he straightened the uniform jacket he had casually slung over his shoulders on the way out.
“All of you, lock down the entire surrounding area immediately. If anyone asks who gave the order, tell them my name. And tell them if they don't cooperate, I will personally intervene.”
“Yes, sir.”
The subordinate didn’t ask any more questions and moved immediately.
With Inferno himself issuing the arrest warrant, they couldn’t afford to be slow.
“You guys, move.”
Inferno walked to the front of the soldiers who were still struggling to put out the fire.
Currently, the elite forces of the Regular Army were deployed to suppress the criminals in the 2nd World.
Especially since this was a temporary prison, no key personnel had been stationed here.
And now I thought I knew why key personnel hadn't been stationed here.
As Inferno stood before the burning building, a powerful red mana, visible to the naked eye, condensed above both his hands.
The Regular Army soldiers immediately covered their ears and dropped to the ground.
I quickly followed their actions.
This posture felt familiar.
It was the duck-and-cover for a nuclear explosion.
In a tense situation where I didn't know what was about to happen, Inferno finally clapped his hands together.
JJWAAAAAK!
In that moment, a sound so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst was accompanied by a powerful gust of wind.
The pressure wave from a simple clap swept through the flames.
The fire was extinguished, powerless against it.
The building collapsed a bit more, but it was better than letting it burn down completely.
My eyes widened at the sight.
I had realized what Inferno had just done.
He had smothered Babiyen’s mana with his own.
Magic burns using mana as its fuel.
So, in theory, if you could cover that mana with another source of mana, the spell's activation would be canceled.
However, to achieve that prerequisite, you had to smother it with mana on a completely different scale.
I already knew that Lieutenant Generals were monsters.
But this was a truly different level of strength.
“Done.”
Inferno casually walked into the building that was on the verge of collapse.
It was obvious that even if the building fell, it wouldn't do him any harm.
I quickly got up and followed him.
Since I was following Inferno, none of the soldiers tried to stop me.
Inside the burnt-out building.
I stepped inside, my feet treading on the ash-covered floor.
I saw a few charred corpses.
By the looks of it, they were criminals, not Regular Army soldiers.
But this was a temporary prison.
There must have been innocent people among them.
I didn't let my gaze linger on them for long.
I had been in this world for too long to get hung up on every little thing like this.
But the thought of Horizon, who must have been detained in the temporary prison with us, made me anxious.
I hope she's safe.
I hoped she had managed to get out somewhere.
Thud—
Meanwhile, Inferno kicked down the door to the underground prison.
The fire had started in the prison, so the entrance was in the worst condition, making it impossible to enter otherwise.
Fortunately, the stone stairs were scorched but intact.
I followed Inferno into the prison, and as expected, the inside was a mess.
Furthermore, there was another corpse lying in front of the entrance.
A corpse in a Regular Army uniform.
Seeing this, Inferno’s eyebrows twitched as he crouched down.
The corpse's face was completely burnt, making identification impossible.
Was this the one who did something to Babiyen?
It felt somewhat staged.
There was no way to know the truth.
Inferno stopped his inspection and headed inside.
Following him, I saw a woman inside an open cell.
She had her knees drawn up, her face buried in her arms, trembling.
It was Babiyen Asteria.
The moment I saw her, a sigh escaped me.
I don't know what she went through, but the kid was a mess.
“That young lady will be startled if I call her.”
Inferno stepped aside.
He was telling me to talk to her, since I was a familiar face.
With no other choice, I approached the cell.
The air was still hot, but it was bearable.
"Babiyen."
As I called her name, Babiyen flinched and lifted her head.
Then, as our eyes met, tears welled up in hers and she leaped into my arms.
I ended up catching Babiyen as she jumped into my embrace.
Her body trembled violently as she tried her best not to let go of me.
"Babiyen?"
“Ugh, uh, uuuuhh.”
Did her brain really melt?
"She was hit with a mental attack. The aftereffects are lingering."
Surprisingly, it was true.
Symptoms of going berserk due to a mental attack.
As proof, Babiyen had used so much mana that her nose was raw from bleeding.
Inferno stroked his beard as he observed Babiyen’s condition.
“Looking at the young lady’s mana state, it seems like she’ll return to normal with some rest.”
Inferno scratched his head and looked around.
“She’s not going to get better by staying here.”
"Could it be…"
“Take the young lady with you.”
My eyes went wide.
I never thought he would let us go so easily.
Both Babiyen and I were still under suspicion.
There was a reason we had been locked up in a temporary prison.
“I heard how things went down from the criminals, and none of them seemed to know anything about you two.”
So he’d already looked into it while I was in the cell.
“And you’re Rapiel-nunim’s student, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yes?”
A stupid sound escaped my lips.
I had never expected him to be acquainted with Rapiel.
“Don’t play dumb. I was the Lieutenant General who responded to the incident at the Star Cluster Society that day.”
My mouth went dry.
So this guy knew everything from the beginning and brought me out.
It was clear he had been in the prison to keep an eye on me from the start.
“I’ve heard all the testimonies from the disciples at the Star Cluster Society. I heard what you did, too. Including this young lady.”
That day, I had died.
And Babiyen had died, too.
So I thought the matter of being Rapiel’s student would never come up again.
But the man before me knew all about my death and Babiyen’s death.
Furthermore, he knew that Babiyen and I had come back to life.
I could lie.
Babiyen and I had deceived the eyes of the disciples, including the Red Flame Lord, and somehow survived.
Or I could lie and say I had such an Ability.
But if he asked me to use my Ability and deception again right in front of him to find out the truth, the lie wouldn't hold up.
Was this the price for overusing my resurrection magic?
I had tried my best to hide it, but the traces I had unknowingly left behind were starting to catch up to me.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Even if my resurrection magic was exposed here, I didn't think Inferno would harm me.
But you never know with people.
I had no idea what kind of trouble this incident could lead to, just like today.
“Of course, since it was revealed that the young lady was alive, it was dismissed as a story born from confusion. Catching the Red Flame Lord and the Black Dawn group was more important, after all.”
Fortunately, it seemed the matter of me and Babiyen hadn't become a major topic.
However, Inferno was different.
He had taken note of Rapiel’s student who had made a name for himself in this incident and then died.
And today, Rapiel’s student had appeared once again.
With Babiyen, the disciple of the Red Flame Lord, no less.
“Student, I owe Rapiel-nunim a debt from a long time ago. So I’ve tidied things up appropriately so as not to cause her any trouble.”
In the tense atmosphere, Inferno patted my shoulder.
It was a hand that held the power to blow me up at any moment.
“If you’re going to live in hiding, live without drawing attention. But if the world won’t leave you alone…”
He removed his hand from my shoulder, slung the Regular Army corpse over his back, and left the prison.
“...then get strong enough that a situation like this can never happen again.”
That was his own way of giving advice.
Inferno didn't seem deeply interested in the Ability I possessed.
Whether that was a good thing or not, I couldn't know for now.
I just felt the trembling of Babiyen in my arms and the dampness spreading on my trouser leg.
I don't know about anything else, but it looks like I'll have to find some women's diapers first.