Black Badger - Chapter 318



Only Noblemtl

318. D-Day (2)

I walked towards Kyle with the changeling count.

As we walked across the white line marking the negotiating table, Kyle opened his mouth.

“stop.”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Hand the change over here.”

“It has to be at the same time.”

I smiled faintly as I looked into Kyle’s glaring eyes.

“Didn’t we both agree on this?”

It was my first time facing Kyle and his men since the war to reclaim the territory. At that time, I was in so much pain because my memories were not complete. Now that I remembered everything, I was not in as much pain as I was then, and instead, resentment filled my heart in place of the lessened pain.

Kyle didn’t have to start an all-out war.

Some humans may have tried to kill us, but if we had run away and rebelled instead of waging war, things would have been different.

Then we would have stayed together. Even if we were fugitives for the rest of our lives, we would never have pointed our swords at each other, and our friendship would have remained strong even if someone died.

It’s all over now though.

The senior officers, whose wrists and ankles were bound in chains, stared at me.

I wanted to turn my gaze towards them, but I couldn’t.

I wanted to bring up the story of Jin Silver, but I had to hold back on that too. Jin was not included in the negotiation terms, and bringing it up for no reason could ruin the negotiation.

I just said what I had prepared.

“The condition was that while the prisoner changed positions, the others had to remain motionless.”

Kyle narrowed his eyes.

He nodded after a brief silence.

“Let’s start at the same time in 3 seconds.”

Black hair fluttered in the wind.

“If you do anything stupid in the meantime, the hostage will be killed first.”

That’s very typical of you.

We were born in a rough time and grew up in that time. Even though I have been on Earth long enough, I sometimes realize that I have very different standards from the people living in this world. I am often criticized as being ‘too easygoing’ in the world I was born and raised in.

“good.”

He muttered softly.

“now.”

As Kyle nodded, people started moving.

The air was tense and tense.

The changeling Count took a step forward.

The nobleman slowly turned back to Kyle, the black cloth covering him fluttering in the wind.

It is said that he felt very sorry that he was about to change the mind of the stock price changer. However, strangely enough, I did not feel particularly sorry. Perhaps it was because I had done what I could.

I didn’t pay attention to the departing Count. Instead, I looked at the seniors who were approaching me cautiously, step by step. They were slowly approaching me, careful not to get their feet tangled.

Lee Ho stared at me intently.

I smiled bitterly.

“I’m sorry, senior.”

As I muttered, the other seniors also turned their gazes toward me.

The one who answered was Lee Ho.

“You’re so old.”

I burst out laughing.

I felt that he had tried hard to choose a harmless topic.

“Because age doesn’t matter in organizational life.”

“Hey.”

Lee Ho turned his head as if he was dumbfounded.

“My parents always told me to respect my elders.”

A bitter smile grew.

The seniors slowly passed me by.

I stopped looking at the Badgers walking towards the back row. Instead, I looked at Kyle.

Someone who hasn’t taken their eyes off me since I got off the helicopter.

The Count now passed Kyle and reached his people.

Judging from the sound coming from behind, it seems like the seniors have returned safely.

The prisoner exchange was completed safely.

The worst has been avoided.

Kyle said as I took a breath I hadn’t even realized I had stopped.

“Let me make a suggestion.”

It was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“If you hand Hildebert over to me, I will no longer intervene on the human side.”

For the first time, Kyle didn’t look at me.

Instead, he turned his gaze to the Commander-in-Chief and the Badgers lined up behind him.

Fluent English continued.

“We also take care to prevent creatures from entering the core.”

I smiled and didn’t move.

I had no authority to respond to this suggestion. It was a matter for the organization to decide.

The wind blowing past the grass that has grown to the ankles.

A husky voice answered.

“I refuse.”

When I turned my head, I saw Ye-Hyeon with an expressionless face.

“It is a proposal that lacks credibility, and even if it did, it would be unacceptable.”

The narrowing black eyes of the superior.

There is a coolness and determination that reminds me of Lee Seung-hyun.

“In the first place, the land you are stepping on is our land. We will get back all the land that was taken away.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed.

Yehyun rolled her eyes and looked at me.

“Hilde. Tell them what we have to say.”

“yes.”

I turned my head and looked at Kyle and his people.

Some people knew the name, and some didn’t. Those who didn’t know were probably young children.

Beings who were born and raised on Earth but do not know the common language.

Spoken in Imperial language.

“If you surrender, I will let you live among humans.”

The compatriots crumpled their faces.

He continued to speak without paying attention. This time, his tone was more firm than before. In the past, everything was uncertain, and there were no people who did not age like us.

But now there’s a group called the Black Badgers.

Oddly enough, the outbreak of war created the conditions for us to live in hiding.

“Now, there are humans within the core who don’t age. That means they can definitely blend in. If you surrender at this point, the past will be covered up. It’s something that was agreed upon with the human side.”

The elders contacted me the day before the negotiations.

They put their heads together the night before the negotiations and came up with a proposal based on the decision they had made.

“In fact, the majority of our kind have successfully integrated into human society.”

I debated with the leadership whether or not to reveal this fact.

In the end, we decided to reveal it because we wanted them to accept this offer.

It’s not that I don’t want revenge. Yvonne was killed by Kyle. Many other subordinates fell to Ray and Kyle’s swords.

But the desire for revenge cannot take precedence over the peace and well-being of the majority.

Never… .

“You are still the same.”

Kyle sneered.

“Believe in the ridiculous lies of humans.”

“Humans, including the elders, want the war to not get worse. It’s not a completely false suggestion. It also fits their goal of covering up the past.”

“Those who are pathologically afraid of Ray?”

Kyle scoffed sharply.

“Those who are so afraid of our eternal life that they don’t know what to do? As soon as we surrender, they’ll blow up my head, the potential bomb. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be safe either. You could go berserk like Ray. Who do you think you’ll aim your gun at after killing me?”

“That could be the case.”

I didn’t completely believe the claims of humans.

I knew there was some truth to Kyle’s argument, but this was the lesser of two evils.

“Still, it’s better than being defeated and annihilated.”

Then, won’t any opportunity fall into your hands?

“If we accept it, some of us will live in peace. Kyle, humanity has steadily increased its nuclear stockpile in preparation for the First War, and it has continued to increase, not decrease. Furthermore, humanity has now created the Core, and we, the creatures, and the Rogues are aware of it. The situation is overwhelmingly worse than the First War. Do you really think we have a chance of winning?”

“A brat without balls.”

Kyle growled.

“You want to offer us up as a whole to the humans? How long do you think they’ll tolerate us? It’d be better if they didn’t catch us one by one and put us on the experiment table!”

“This was a game that was impossible to win from the start. It was that way from the beginning, and that fact has never changed.”

I’ve thought about it a thousand times. What should I have done? Where did I go wrong?

Every time, I always come to the same conclusion: it was the location and timing that was wrong.

If you think about it, we never really had a choice since we arrived on Earth. When we first set foot on Earth, we revealed that we were immortal in order to avoid extinction. If we hadn’t given up even that, we would have been burned to death by the firepower of humanity at that time, when we didn’t even know about missiles or helicopters.

Would things have been different if it had been dropped into the middle of nowhere rather than in a powerful government agency?

Would things have been different if we had arrived at a place where there were friendly humans?

I always think ‘what if’.

But reality doesn’t change.

Our card called Fire melted away with Eve’s success.

So my argument was that we should join hands with friendly humans, sneak into various places, and eliminate our hostile ones one by one.

Because there are so many people on Earth, and they don’t all have the same opinions.

Because there is nothing more foolish than starting a war you can never win… .

“I think there are more of our kind who are growing old normally now.”

I muttered darkly.

There’s no use in rehashing the same old arguments from the past.

“But now, the children of the World Tree are just you and me. Kyle, the two of us will definitely be a thorn in the side. But the rest of our kind may be able to live a life without violence.”

The man who kissed the emperor’s red ring.

“You made the same decision back then. Can’t you make the same choice you did back then?”

“I’m saying this because I’ve made that choice.”

Kyle answered without a trace of hesitation.

“Because I know what kind of future awaits those who kneel. I would rather fight to the end and fall than kneel before a traitor to my own people and humans. You will never understand, though.”

Yeah, I don’t understand.

I envied you for being able to say that, but I couldn’t understand it.

What about my compatriots who still have a long life left? What about the newborn children? What about the blood of my compatriots that will flow meaninglessly?

You are their leader.

I couldn’t let out my feelings.

Kyle will think until the end. If I hadn’t turned my back, we would have won. Even the hardliners would have changed their minds in the end. They would have been too scared to press the mutual destruction button.

And then we would stand above humanity, like the present elders, looking down on humanity and ruling from behind the scenes with reason…

I wanted to do that too.

More than anyone else.

“Humanity was the first to point guns at us.”

Kyle’s voice cut through my thoughts coldly.

“I’ll make you pay the price.”

Those standing behind me also looked at me with the same eyes.

In that society, this would be normal. Those who fight bravely against humanity and die will be heroes.

But if there is even a slight possibility of changing one’s mind… .

“What if I die by your sword?”

I saw Kyle.

“But is the choice still the same?”

For the first time, Kyle’s expression wavered.

I added desperately.

“You can mix in and then counterattack. You know that an attack from within can be more effective. If the criticism pours in, I can take it. If the elders change their attitude and point their swords, I can step forward and dance the sword dance. If you want to take revenge on Ray, you can… .”

“shut up.”

Kyle growled.

The opponent had an expression on his face, barely holding back the urge to draw his sword at any moment.

“I’m going to kill you with my own hands anyway.”

The anger rising from my danjeon hit me hard.

“Do you think that could be a negotiating condition?”

please.

please….

“Kyle. I bet my life on this. Look at reality.”

But Kyle was unwavering.

He looked at me with eyes burning with hatred.

“Negotiations have broken down.”

“This time again you only leave me with one choice.”

I laughed sharply.

“You are blinded by your hatred for humanity.”

“You are blinded by your faith in them.”

Kyle replied with a seething voice.

The veins stood out on his white neck.

“A cowardly traitor….”

Woof!

The earth shone.

A golden light emanated from beneath the ground I was walking on.

Dozens of magic circles wrapped around my body at the same time.

It’s binding magic.

“Hilde!”

I turned my body and saw my seniors running towards me.

Ricardo, Yoon, and Jonathan were the fastest.

As the adrenaline kicked in, reality slowed down. Those with their fingers on the barrel of a gun, those running towards me all appeared in slow motion.

I tried to grab the hand they extended.

But the body below the chest did not move.

The magic held me tightly. My body wouldn’t move, so I just stretched out my hands.

Clank, clank!

Seniors raising their guns and spitting out curses.

Dozens of monsters landed between them and me.

Kuung!

“I know how to detonate the creature on the hostage’s neck the moment I fire!”

A compatriot behind Kyle shouted sharply.

“If you don’t want to go back and collect the pieces of your shattered comrades, keep your fingers quiet!”

“Get out of the way!”

Those who ran in didn’t even pretend to hear.

The three men pushed away the rock creatures that were forming the wall, their voices filled with annoyance.

Those aren’t the ones being pushed.

I thought so, even as I felt the force pulling my feet.

How did you push it?

“ah.”

My body sank.

I started falling from my feet into another space. At that moment, three men jumped out at me, shoving the creatures away.

If the activation of the teleportation had been delayed by just one second, he would have grabbed my hand.

It was exactly one second too soon and our hands didn’t touch.

Seniors swearing in their own native languages.

The seniors quickly disappeared from sight.

The hands they had stretched out in a hurry also disappeared from sight in an instant.

Darkness covering the vision.

So this is what happened in the end.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

He fell down and muttered.

“Please come and save me.”

And we must take this opportunity to wipe out the wizards once and for all.