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.

almost did. It took a lot of self-control to remain outwardly calm. A bitter, familiar, unhinged

to protect the handful of transports from

not just any Master, but one of the most deadly ones in the First Army, accompanied by a cohort

they wouldn't leave defenseless

Surely...

Rhino could potentially make the thousand-kilometer journey to Mount Erebus. The flimsy and damaged civilian transports, however... their ability to traverse the mountains was doubtful. At the very least,

put its crew

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

he wanted to

get hundreds of civilians through the mountains alive. Back then, Sunny had responded by saying that people could not know what was impossible

either leave these people to

words, and put his

one. This one is great! I see you,

soldier's words died on his lips as he watched Sunny's unmoving face. Sunny

he

logic and do what had to be done, abandoning them to fate? No, but there was no need to hide behind words.

was the right

strange smile appeared on his

Ah, a man of conviction would have probably

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 of them. Sunny mostly acted on a whim and pursued his own narrow interests. In fact, simply hearing someone speak about

have a straightforward answer to what was

However...

such a thing - but he knew what he despised very well. Just a few days ago, he had sat on the roof of the Rhino, full

that logic... wouldn't he be doing the same by leaving the refugees to die in order to serve

perverted way of