After discussing the secrets behind the extraordinary, Henwell hesitates before asking, âNewwood, have you always been a lone wolf? Havenât you ever built up your own faction?â
Newwood tosses a poisoned dart to Henwell. âIf youâve got something to say, spit it out.â
Henwell rubs his hands nervously. âYou know, Iâm about to get married. A lot of people wonât openly cause trouble, but behind my back, plenty want to see me humiliated. Iâm weak compared to those established powers, and I donât have enough security personnel, especially top-tier fighters.â
âBorrowing from others? Thatâs not only unreliable but also embarrassing for me. Since weâre colleagues, donât let me lose face with the boss! Just send me some expertsâno need for too manyâsay a hundred or so Grand Knights.â
Newwood spits. âPfft! Where am I supposed to find that many Grand Knights? Plus, my people arenât even on this continent; they canât get here anytime soon. Iâll stick around for two months as your bodyguard, but you better get me some explosives!â
Henwell laughs awkwardly. âCan you not be here? Iâm worried the Holy Spirit Church will misunderstand. After all, Iâm a righteous Paladin, but youâre a thug everyone wants to hunt down. Our styles are completely different. If people see us together, itâll look really weird!â
Newwood glares wide-eyed. âYou ungrateful jerk! You even look down on me! If I hadnât had your back, do you think Iâd be wanted across the continent?â
He waves his hand dismissively. âFine! Iâve trained some people in Ogiro, but theyâre not fully formed yet. I can lend you some for a while: thirty Battle Knights and a hundred or so regular knights. My guys are all on other continents, and getting them here is a pain. Guardian Cityâs teleport inspection is way too strict, and sneaking in is tough.â
Henwell is stunned. Itâs only been a short time!
Newwood arrived on this continent trailing Archbishop Atwood and the othersâat most two years ago.
Yet in just those two years, Newwood has already assembled an elite core team.
A hundred or so people might not mean much on the Abundant Continent, but here, theyâre a formidable fighting force.
Theyâre not far behind the Western Federationâs two top hunting squads.
If Newwood stays here a few more years, he could easily build a terrifyingly powerful armed force.
Henwell asks one more question, âWho exactly are these people? Should I arrange identities for them?â
Newwood shakes his head. âNo need. They all make a living by the sea. Theyâll come here posing as caravan guards. When the time comes, have your men get in touch with them. Iâll brief them to follow your orders.â
âPirates?â
âTch! Why do you have to put it so harshly? Theyâre all brave adventurers of the sea!â
Henwell looks worried. âWhether adventurers or bandits, these people live for profit. Can we trust them? If anyone finds out about your connection to me, itâll be trouble. Iâd become an enemy of the continent.â
Newwood scoffs. âHeh⊠Little Henwell, why do you still underestimate people? You think youâre the bad guy? Youâre nowhere near as bad as me. If Iâm willing to send them, I guarantee theyâre trustworthy. Maybe you donât understand our system. Weâre pretty lenient with our subordinates, except when it comes to betrayal. Everyone knows that for a traitor, death is just the beginning, not the end.â
Henwell decides to trust Newwood. If he canât trust this guy, then no one on this continent is worth trusting.
Then Newwoodâs expression turns serious. âHenwell, Iâve got another mission for you this time.â
Seeing Newwood so unusually solemn, Henwellâs heart skips a beat, and he straightens up immediately. âWhatâs going on? Is something wrong?â
Newwood stands up and says, âSelector4903, you have a new task assigned!â
Hearing that familiar code, Henwell freezes for a moment before suddenly leaping up from his seat. âWhat mission?â
Newwood pulls out a glowing badge from his pocket. The emblem shows two hands clasped together, not a simple handshake, but one hand above pulling the other upward.
âSelector4903, youâre ordered to support a fellow selector from your cohort!
World coordinates: (432,1011)!
Number 27!
Earth-Moon system, Eastern Continent, Tudor Dynasty.
Support target selector number 7027, self-named Lucy!
Mission type: armed support, high personal combat focus, jump target one!
You may bring your own weapons and gear but no living beings other than selectors!
Besides your personal armaments, you may carry items not exceeding your own body weight!
Mission starts upon receipt of order. Departure in thirty standard hours. Prepare for support!â
After finishing, Newwood looks at Henwellâs stunned face and grins. âHey, little Henwell! Youâre going on a business trip!â
Henwell scratches his head. âWhatâs going on? Why didnât they notify me directly and instead sent you to deliver the message?â
Newwood shrugs. âNo idea! They just told me to pass it on. Maybe youâre special, could be the chosen one, the protagonist of some novel!â
Henwell rolls his eyes. âWhat does this mission even mean?â
âWasnât it clear? Youâre going to support that Lucky. She might be in trouble, and sheâs valuable enough for the higher-ups to intervene personally.â
âItâs not Lucky! Itâs Lucy!â
Henwell corrects Newwoodâs pronunciation. He knows this Lucy. Sheâs a member of their chat group, the one who sent the earliest voice messages. This woman somehow always stays one step ahead and often flirts with the group members.
Henwell tries to check the chat group ,but finds it temporarily banned; he canât even ask whatâs going on. Still, the group confirms the mission, though without such detailed information.
Feeling nervous, Henwell asks Newwood, âThirty world hours, is that thirty hours?â
Newwood grins mischievously. âThirty days, actually!â
Henwellâs eyes widen. âThatâs three days before my wedding! All the important guests will be there. Am I supposed to go fight in another world as the groom?â
Newwood shrugs. âRelax! Iâm sure the higher-ups considered that. Maybe by the time youâre back and forth, only a second passes here!â
Henwell snaps, âWhat if it takes years there?â
Newwood points at himself. âThatâs why Iâm here! If you donât come back for a long time, Iâll play your role here.â
Henwellâs vein throbs in frustration. âDamn it! Iâm getting married! Youâre going to pretend to be me as the groom?â
Newwood scoffs. âOnly you could like that girl. You have such strange taste, really embarrassing us time-travelers and reincarnators! Donât worry, I wonât do anything. Besides, the time wonât be long. From what I know, these special missions lock the worldâs time flow. They wonât let you disappear for too long. Your task here in our world is just as important.â