Shadow Slave

Sunny had never seen a few words crush a man's spirit so thoroughly.

...Except for maybe himself, when Nephis had spoken his True Name and commanded him to leave her for dead on the Forgotten Shore.

The soldier managed to remain standing, but he looked like a marionette with its strings cut. All light was extinguished from his eyes. He remained motionless for a while, and then turned slightly, throwing a forlorn glance at the small, battered fleet behind him.

Sunny could imagine how he felt. After surviving the cataclysmic destruction of the siege capital, these people weathered untold horrors to make it this far alive. What had kept them going was probably the hope that salvation was drawing closer and closer. And now, when they almost reached the destination, that hope was cruelly crushed.

He sighed.

"It just happened a few days ago. The news would not have reached you. My people and I are the only ones who survived."

The soldier looked down, silent.

Eventually, he asked:

"If I may ask. What are your plans now, sir?"

Sunny looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"My orders are to proceed to the Erebus Field siege capital to rendezvous with another cohort of the First Irregular Company."

Suddenly, a tentative spark appeared in the soldier's eyes.

"Master Sunless, sir. Will you consider..."

Sunny knew what he was going to say. It was not that hard to guess.

...He wanted to laugh.

he almost did. It took a lot of self-control to remain

had persevered for the last week without any Awakened to protect the handful of transports from

of the most deadly ones in the First Army, accompanied by

wouldn't leave

Surely...

was not an easy one. Heavily armored and exceedingly maneuverable Rhino could potentially make the thousand-kilometer journey to Mount Erebus. The flimsy and damaged civilian

would put its crew

agreeing to take charge of the convoy, Sunny would not only make his task several times harder, but also drastically increase the

why he wanted to

Verne, the stalwart Master had told him that it was impossible to get hundreds of civilians through the

he had to either leave these people to

words, and put

good one. This one is great! I

his lips as he watched Sunny's

what was he supposed to

cold logic and do what had

the

smile appeared on

do? Ah, a man of conviction would have probably stayed

stood for nothing and was as unmoored as he had been at the start of it. Some people might have had an unwavering moral compass, but he was not one

what was the

However...

well. Just a few days ago, he had sat

doing the same by leaving the refugees

a weird and perverted way of