Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 342
## Chapter 342 – The Sword Waiting to be Drawn (7)
<Aaron’s Parallel Story Episode 13>
***
Bian began to explain the operational plan in detail, pointing here and there on the plan.
“First, the number of comrades. In total, there are twenty-four, of which the high-ranking gladiators are…”
The number of members in Kainil’s band is twenty-four.
The man frowned.
It is insufficient.
‘There is no other choice.’
If one of them betrays, it will be a massacre.
If someone can’t be trusted, they can’t be involved.
Not everyone can be told.
In this arena, there is a lot of trash that would crush others for their own benefit.
From that perspective, twenty-four is quite large.
The man recalled Kainil’s figure.
Is he someone charismatic?
He gathered that number of people for a task with a high risk of death.
“First, the day of the operation…” Bian continued with his explanation.
Before dawn on the day, they will raid the arsenal, arm themselves, and then escape from the arena.
Then, they will face the guards at the city gate and fight them.
Finally, they will guide the refugees to escape.
The plan is grand and meticulous.
When to start the rebellion. Where to meet and how to act. How to form for battle. What role each will play. Everything is detailed in the action guidelines.
‘To save the people?’
The plan doesn’t seem bad.
It is too detailed to be a deception.
The date and time of the uprising are at dawn, in two days.
The meeting place varies depending on the members’ accommodation location, and there are several manuals prepared for different situations.
‘Is he serious?’
But… the strength is insufficient.
The plan is grand, but the limit is clear with only twenty-four people.
That’s why they’re begging the man.
‘Even so.’
The man narrowed his eyes.
Even if he joins, there are insufficient aspects.
“That’s all.”
Bian finished his explanation.
The man looked the young man up and down.
A youthful appearance, not quite an adult.
“…”
Silence continued for a while.
Bian looked at the man anxiously.
“Well, are there any questions…?”
“Just one thing.”
Did Bian realize there was a sharp tone in the man’s voice?
Bian hesitated.
“Do you think the plan will succeed?”
“…Yes.”
“It will fail.”
“May I ask why?”
Bian lowered his head.
‘Why?’
There’s no problem in telling him.
The man spoke up.
The first reason the plan will fail.
For starters, twenty-four is too large a number.
No matter how select they are, there will always be a traitor.
Even if there isn’t one now, when the situation worsens, someone will think of nefarious ideas to survive.
Outwardly, they talk about humanity and honor, they fight to save others.
Words are easy to say.
In the face of the fear of death, any insignificant oath fades away.
Can Kainil persuade them to enter a dangerous battlefield?
Even if by a one in a hundred chance they succeed, there is a second reason the plan will fail.
With twenty-four people, they can’t defeat the army blocking the south gate.
The population of this city is in the tens of thousands.
To release the city block with less than twenty-five people?
“It might work for a moment. But that’s not enough. Reinforcements will keep coming. Can you evacuate the city populace in that time?”
Even if they open the way, it’s not easy for hundreds of people to escape immediately.
They must resist for at least a few hours.
But can they resist with twenty-four people against continuous reinforcements?
Even with him among them, it would be impossible.
“Even if the refugees manage to escape, there will be a problem. How far can those people flee? Surely, pursuers will come.”
For the plan to make sense, two conditions are needed.
First, they must release the block of the south gate until enough people escape.
Second, they must protect those refugees from pursuers.
Without protection from an armed group, the refugees would be quickly annihilated by the city’s pursuers.
So, the plan would lose its meaning.
Unlocking the block and protection.
Are those two tasks possible with twenty-four people?
“We need to increase the number of comrades…”
“It won’t work.”
If they attract any kind of people, there is a risk of the plan leaking and collapsing.
Twenty-four people is the limit.
“Then, tell me.”
“What?”
“You know something, right? You’re hiding it.”
“…”
“I won’t ask twice. If you hesitate to answer again, I won’t cooperate.”
Bian averted his gaze.
He seemed to be thinking seriously.
A moment later, the young man nodded.
“Understood. It’s incredible that you’ve come this far.”
Bian replied with a bitter smile.
“Have you heard of the liberation army?”
“Liberation army? You mean the human liberation army?”
“Yes.”
He had heard of it.
There was a time when it was quite popular.
It was said that there was an armed group whose goal was to liberate the people.
The leader was an outstanding hero.
However, as the stories of destruction spread throughout the city, rumors of the liberation army faded.
“We’re in contact with the liberation army.”
Bian said with a serious voice.
“It’s not exactly proof, but we have this.”
Bian rummaged in his chest and pulled out an assembled mast wrapped in cloth.
After assembling the metal rod and unfurling the cloth, a flag appeared.
“They said it’s the emblem of the liberation army.”
The white flag had an emblem of an eagle.
“Where did you get it?”
“We received it from the liberation army’s contact. As proof.”
“The old man is your contact, right?”
Bian nodded.
The old man who supplied books to the man.
For some reason, he could enter and leave the arena.
That meant the old man had contacted the liberation army, and the plan had been formulated.
‘If there is external support…’
The probability of the plan’s success would increase significantly.
If Kainil’s band and the liberation army unite, they could achieve their goal of evacuating and protecting the refugees.
The fact that they had this flag meant that the liberation army was not simply a group of bandits.
‘Although they told them about the escape plan, they hid the existence of the liberation army…’
That also made sense.
Few in the group would know about the liberation army.
The importance of the information was different.
If the escape plan leaks, only the gladiators would be eliminated, but if the existence of the liberation army is discovered, the situation would become more complicated.
“Is there a possibility that it’s a White Demon trap?”
“It’s low. We’ve been preparing for months. The old man has carefully verified it and found no trace of the White Demons.”
“It’s true.”
It wasn’t incorrect.
The White Demons were powerful in combat, but they weren’t skilled in stratagems or intrigue.
They considered those things as the actions of the weak, culturally despising them.
“Alright. If we get the cooperation of the liberation army as you say, there is a possibility. It’s not a useless death.”
“Yes! The leader said the same thing. We must be prepared to die, but this is not a meaningless mass suicide. Our goal is to escape and survive.” Bian replied with a bright face.
He should be happy that the leader was recognized.
“There are some things that are not in the plan and that only we know. I’ll tell you now…”
Bian checked that no one was listening and began to explain in whispers to the man.
The man listened with his eyes closed.
After all, he was unoccupied.
Joining them might not be so bad.
The night grew deeper.
—
The candlelight flickered. Aside from that, there was no other source of light in the dark room.
The old man looked out the window. The stars were shining, but the moon was hidden behind the clouds. He thought he was lucky there was no moonlight tonight. If the moon was bright, he would have to show his pathetic appearance.
“…”
The old man looked at what he held in his hands. It was the emblem of the liberation army, which he had received from his contact in the army.
Also, on the table was a dagger with an engraved emblem, documents detailing the structure and size of the liberation army, and the liberation declaration written by the army’s leader. All of these items proved the existence of the liberation army.
In a distant past, the old man had been a knight of an order. In more recent times, he was an elite gladiator in the arena. And now, he had been given the position of managing the arena with the king’s permission to survive. Although he was only a lower-ranking administrator, he had to bow to the captain of the guard, a White Demon.
The only consolation was that he wasn’t trapped in the arena.
He could go out under various conditions, but there was no hope. Compared to his days as a knight riding a horse, his current life was like that of an insect. A life lived without being able to die. A life lived only to survive. There was no satisfaction or joy in that. The same applied to anyone in this city.
So…
He thought it was a miracle. Like in the days of chaos, he believed that heroes had appeared who would usher in a new era of light. The old man had fulfilled his wish.
The old man saw a man with incredible talent. He also saw another man who didn’t lose his humanity in an environment where he was expected to kill his comrades. And finally, he contacted the liberation army, which he thought was just a rumor.
The old man considered it a sign. He thought it was the beginning of a destiny that would end the era of the White Demons.
“It’s clear. If there must be a king to save humanity, there is no one else but him.”
The man who presented himself as a member of the liberation army evaluated the leader thus. It was a trivial coincidence to meet him. Walking drunk through the back alleys, he miraculously met him.
At first, he thought it was a White Demon trap. So he tested him several times, even did things he wouldn’t do if the White Demons were really behind it. Those tests alone took three months.
But it became clear. There was no one behind the man. He wasn’t a White Demon pawn. He was truly a member of the liberation army for humanity.
“I understand. He won’t trust me. I’ll wait the necessary time to earn his trust.”
The man passed all the old man’s tests with a smile. As a test of trust, he gave him several items from the liberation army. Those items were too detailed to be forged. The old man came to believe in the existence of the liberation army. The scale of the liberation army was much larger than the old man had imagined.
If the distraction operation inside the arena was successful, it wouldn’t be difficult to save most of the city’s people. The era of the White Demons, who inflicted endless suffering on humanity, he thought that the myth that would end that darkness began here.
The old man couldn’t contain his excitement. He convinced two gladiators he had previously identified based on this information. Although he failed with one, he succeeded with the other. Although his talent for battle was inferior to the man’s, he had a peculiar charisma that attracted people. It was too good a talent to remain as a simple gladiator.
At first, Kainil, a high-ranking gladiator, was suspicious, but after continuous persuasion, he finally agreed. The gladiator named Kainil and the old man joined forces. Behind them, the powerful liberation army and its leader, an extraordinary hero, were waiting for them. There was nothing to fear.
The plan was quickly made. Most of the gladiators only thought of themselves, but there are always bright exceptions. Kainil gathered those people as comrades. Meanwhile, the rumor of destruction was approaching. The old man saw the rumor as an opportunity. The White Demons were in conflict within the city due to the rumors of destruction. Their unity wasn’t as strong as before. The king wanted to stay in the city to protect his power, but it wasn’t the same for other White Demons. The struggle between the two factions began to stain the streets with blood.
There was no better opportunity to wave the human flag than now. Also, the arena’s security would weaken due to the various circumstances. Kainil’s uprising plan, based on the cooperation of the liberation army, was thus created.
‘He’s an excellent man,’ the old man thought, smiling bitterly. He had received reports about him, including the impossibility of recruiting the unnamed high-ranking gladiator. Although only temporarily, the man named Kainil had achieved it.
The big action will begin this early morning. With Kainil and the unnamed gladiator at the head, they will leave the arena. Then they will join the liberation army at the south gate, evacuate the weak, and escape the city. So, in about three hours, the uprising will begin. The great legend of the liberation army will begin.
Gulp.
The old man emptied the glass on the table in one gulp. The strong liquor burned his throat.
“Today’s the day,” the old man murmured. “Hehe. Today’s the day. Today’s the day. The era of humanity… will begin again…”
The candlelight flickered slightly. The old man laughed madly.
“Hehehe! Hahaha! It’s liberation! We will be liberated!”
A tear ran down the old man’s wrinkled cheek.
“Hehehe. Hehehehehe!”
The old man regretted it. He regretted it to death. If he hadn’t followed the man who claimed to be the contact. If he hadn’t hesitated. He could have kept hope until the end.
It was a trivial curiosity. He was simply curious. What would the secret hideout of the liberation army look like? He didn’t need to enter. He just wanted to know its location.
Normally, he would never have done anything like that. That man had also emphasized it several times. If the old man knew the location of the hideout and things went wrong, the entire liberation army could be in danger. The old man agreed with that.
However, one day before the big action…
While Kainil was persuading the unnamed gladiator and discussing the plan, the old man secretly followed the contact. He had no bad intentions. Anyway, in half a day, everything would come to light. There was no way to go back now. So, why not?
He was good at hiding. Although he was old, he had received a lot of training in the past. The man who claimed to be the liberation army’s contact didn’t notice the old man. The place he finally reached was a narrow door leading to a basement. He closed the door, but due to the strong wind and the deterioration of the facility, the door opened slightly.
It would have been good if he had stopped there. The old man, driven by curiosity, approached the door. Through the slightly open door, voices leaked out.
“So, how about it?”
“They said they’re ready.”
“Alright. Then prepare yourselves. We’re going to wave the flag of liberation.”
“Yes, boss.”
The old man felt something strange. Clearly, it was a conversation between two people. However, it sounded like it was just one voice. Finally, the old man looked inside through the crack in the door.
“Tell the army in the north to start marching when the operation begins.”
“Yes, boss!”
“We’re going to show them. We’re going to take revenge on those damn White Demons. Let’s kill them all!”
“Yes, boss! I trust you!”
It was… an incredibly strange scene.
“We are… the great liberation army!”
Clearly, there was only one person in the basement.
“We will show our power! We will raze everything!”
“Alright!”
“Ufufufu, I’m excited!”
The man who presented himself as the contact. The man’s face contorted with a spasm. Then, his tone changed.
“Let’s review the plan again.”
The man’s face contorted again. The tone changed.
“Yes, I’ll review it.”
“I won’t tolerate any mistakes in the plan.”
“Yes, boss!”
Every time the man’s facial muscles contracted, his tone and manner of speaking changed. As if his personality changed. As if he turned into another person.
But the old man could tell. Although the tone changed, the voice didn’t. All the conversations so far had been monologues by the man. Delirium and multiple personalities.
“…”
The inside of the basement was filled with objects related to the liberation army. Those objects and various plans and documents were incredibly detailed. Even the old man had been completely fooled. Looking at it now, it made sense. They were created with an obsession mixed with madness.
Afterwards, the old man silently returned to his room. And then he realized one very simple thing: the liberation army never existed from the beginning. The truth of the rumors was the illusion of humans who longed for hope.
The old man… Believed the words of a madman… Pushed his comrades into a plan that would never succeed…
“Kuhahahaha!”
The old man laughed madly. Was it just the man who was crazy? No. The old man was also crazy. There were no White Demons behind the man. But there was no liberation army either. Thinking about it, there were several strange things. The old man had ignored those things on purpose because he wanted to believe. He didn’t want to deny the existence of the liberation army. He ignored several suspicious circumstances and lived in his own world. That was the result.
“Is it the end? Is it really the end?!”
If he had realized a week earlier, he could have prevented it. But the big action was this early morning. It was too late. In a maximum of three hours, the rebellion would begin.
“Hehehehehe. Jajajajaja!”
The old man laughed. Crying, he laughed. Then, he accepted reality. In this world, there was no king or hero. Their desires were just vain illusions.
Chiiir.
As the old man put his weight on it, the chair creaked.
“…”
The old man kicked the chair that held his weight.
Clack.
Moments later, in the dim candlelight, an aged body hung swaying.
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