I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

99 – 5# The Eve of the Storm (2)

He hesitated. He had been optimistic.

If it was Master, he would always wait by his side forever. If it was a man like Master, he would stay with him until he was ready. But that fantasy had been shattered.

In the end, it wasn’t a wrong statement. But when Master disappeared for a month, Zic realized that Master was, after all, just a human being.

Humans are complex yet simple. They constantly doubt others and can’t be certain. Just like how Zic couldn’t be certain of himself. But now, he wanted to stop.

From the day Master disappeared until now…

Zic couldn’t erase the thought of “what if.” What if Master really did disappear? What if he never came back? Then, what had he been doing until now?

At first, he just wanted to follow Master’s path. But as time passed, that desire grew. The girl who was behind him had eventually taken her place beside him.

But it was impossible to be satisfied with just that. I wanted to become the only family member of Master, who was like a family to everyone. I wanted to hold their trustworthy hand, and match my lips with theirs.

Thanks to that, Zic realized something new.

I really loved Master.

Jini said that if I kept hesitating, I would eventually lose my chance. At first, I thought it was just nonsense, but I realized it wasn’t wrong.

Zic’s straightforward words had a tremendous impact on Isaac. It wasn’t easy to push away someone who approached with kindness. Moreover, if it was someone very close, it was even more so.

And if I didn’t have any feelings, I could say it coldly, but after hearing Zic’s words, I couldn’t do that.

“Master, what do you think?”

“That’s…”

“Is it unpleasant for you?”

“That’s absolutely not.”

Isaac felt his tongue getting tangled. He couldn’t say anything right. Was it unpleasant? Did I not have any feelings? If I asked that, it was still not right.

No, it was rather the opposite. Zic had an incredibly beautiful appearance, even when they dressed as a man, to the point where people mistook them for a woman. And they had intentionally made themselves even more beautiful.

How beautiful would they look? Moreover, Isaac was one of the fans who had strongly supported Zic’s TS image before. Of course, it was different from the TS image, but…

Thanks to that, Isaac’s worries deepened, unrelated to the restaurant’s atmosphere. It was difficult to accept Zic’s heart, and it was also frustrating. I wasn’t prepared.

“Just a moment. Did the guild members know everything about you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“These guys.”

Did they know everything and not give me a single hint? I didn’t think I was oblivious, and I suspected my family members first.

However, Isaac soon realized that was wrong and withdrew his suspicions. Who could I blame in this situation? It was my own fault for not noticing until the end.

The evening meal ended like that. And on the way back, Isaac and Zic walked together in the darkening street. Isaac, who had been quiet for a while, opened his mouth.

“Why did you decide to reveal everything?”

“I didn’t want to regret it anymore.”

“Was it because of me?”

“Yes.”

Zic told him everything without hesitation. The feelings they had when Master went missing, and their regret. Isaac listened silently to the story.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Can’t we just end it with words?”

“I feel it deeply.”

I understood the sadness and anger that the family members felt. I had felt it too. But I had promised not to make my family feel that way again.

It seemed I had forgotten that promise. Isaac let out a deep sigh. It was wrong to worry my family, and I acknowledged that. I shouldn’t do it again.

“Zic, let’s be honest. I still don’t know much about you.”

“Is that so?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m talking as a rational person.”

There was a reason. Isaac had thought of Zic as the same s*x until now. And then, suddenly, they confessed that they liked me.

“So, wouldn’t it be good to get to know each other slowly from now on?”

Zic nodded at Isaac’s words.

It was enough to be satisfied, even if it wasn’t a complete acceptance.

Although I didn’t know how long that satisfaction would last.

* * *

One night passed.

Isaac and Zieg had already returned to the guild, but inside the Iron Shield, they were gossiping about Zieg and Isaac’s date. Isaac clicked his tongue.

He didn’t mean to say anything, but seeing them chat among themselves like that made him unintentionally burst out laughing. However, Isaac soon calmed himself down.

Well, it’s only natural for guild members to be interested in each other and think of each other as family. That’s a good trend, isn’t it? Then, he thought he could tolerate this much.

“Then, did Master and Zieg go on a night out last night?”

“That’s not it.”

“Is Master being suspicious?”

“…….”

Perhaps even loving family members need to be disciplined sometimes. Isaac briefly thought deeply about it, but he couldn’t hold onto that thought for long.

“Master, I’m really grateful. I was really indebted to you back then.”

“Rocky and the kids, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

As Rocky and the kids came down to the dining room, Isaac greeted them. Surprisingly, Rocky and the kids didn’t do anything extraordinary. They just locked themselves in a room and chatted among themselves.

“Is that enough? If it’s okay, I can support you with other things too.”

“My heart is fine, but for now, conversation is enough.”

“We’ll have better freedom after this is all over.”

Rocky and Fenrir’s determination burned brightly. They vowed to enjoy their freedom after all this was over. Isaac, who understood their determination, nodded his head. This is something I’ve experienced before.

“Alright, then let’s gather everyone. I’ll explain the plan from now on.”

Isaac, who had learned his lesson earlier, decided not to act impulsively anymore. Therefore, he wanted to gather everyone’s opinions, including the guild members and allies, to proceed with the plan.

Thanks to that, all the Iron Shield family members, including Asterios and Tiphalt, as well as Rocky’s kids, were gathered in one place. It was like an all-star gathering of the Odin Raid.

“Let’s hear the information Rocky knows first.”

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

In the past, it would have been unthinkable. The current Rocky wouldn’t have a favorable impression of Odin, who had taken away their family. However, that didn’t mean they were underestimating Odin.

Rather, it was because they acknowledged Odin’s abilities. They had been preparing secretly and thoroughly until now. And Rocky’s plan had been perfectly executed on Odin.

“I’ve been collecting information while avoiding Odin’s eyes and disrupting their plans.”

“What’s Odin’s plan, anyway? Is it not just the end of the world?”

“I think you all know, but Odin sees humans as tools. Even though we’re supposed to work together to prevent the end of the world.”

Isaac nodded. In the original story, Odin was ironically the most diligent god in trying to prevent the end of the world, but all their actions led to the end of the world.

“Although Odin is arrogant, they have the capability to back it up.”

Odin had mobilized everything to prevent the end of the world. And the chosen tools were humans. Therefore, they used humans to establish the Law Kingdom and raise heroes.

Of course, looking at what Rocky’s kids had done, it wasn’t perfect, but it seemed like a clear and distinct god. That was until they heard their true plan.

“Odin is carefully selecting brave warriors or heroes to make them their own soldiers. They’re called the Einherjar.”

“Wait, aren’t they different from the White Knights?”

“Yes, the White Knights are gods who have descended upon the world. On the other hand, the Einherjar are humans. And they’re the soldiers Odin has gathered over the past few hundred years.”

“Where are they now?”

Although Isaac already knew everything, he deliberately asked Rocky a key question to facilitate the conversation. Rocky let out a sigh and opened his mouth.

“They’re currently lying in the coffins prepared in Valhalla.”

“Wait, you’ve collected such powerful soldiers, and you’re just going to leave them in coffins?”

“That’s right. What Odin needs is their bodies, not their will.”

“What…?”

Some guild members with quick wit had already understood the meaning behind Loki’s words. That’s right. Odin views humans as tools, and tools don’t need free will.

“Golems created by copying the bodies of collected warriors. That’s the true identity of Einherjar.”