My Glasses Will Be Able to Conquer the Whole World, I Suppose

246 – Zombie Legion Extermination Operation 1

“—With that, the confirmation is complete.”

This was now a routine; the third operation briefing had concluded.

When Geodine is the leader, he does frequent checks.

That’s because he knows that even a small mistake could lead to complete failure.

It may seem repetitive, but if this reduces the chances of failure, it’s worth doing as many times as needed.

Cautious Geodine thinks this way.

Well, part of it is also because being put in charge has him a bit nervous.

No matter how many times he does it, he still hasn’t gotten used to it.

“Alright, everyone to your positions.”

The vice-leader, Eil, who could see that the leader was a little nervous, gave instructions to everyone in his usual manner. He wasn’t nervous at all.

Due to time constraints, this would be the last check.

The sun was starting to set.

It was almost time to execute the plan.

After three rounds of confirmation, everyone fully understood what they had to do.

Regardless of the actual usefulness of the briefing itself, for some reason, this team tends to get more motivated the more confirmations they do.

Maybe it’s due to their personalities, or perhaps they’re driven by the desire to do their best for the leader and their comrades. Or maybe it’s because they are aware of the collective responsibility and the role each one of them has to play.

Whatever the reason, each one of them had a determined look on their face and immediately followed Eil’s orders.

“—Hey, Eil.”

Among the group that was scattering, Lisse, who had stayed behind, caught Eil’s attention.

“Are you sure Chace and I don’t need to switch?”

“…”

Casually, Chace, whose name had been mentioned, was also still standing there. He looked pale. His face was as white as a sheet.

Eil looked between the two of them and opened his mouth to speak.

“Personally, I’d prefer to keep things as they are, but what’s the reality here?”

—A problem had arisen.

Eil, Lisse, and Chace had been running around all day setting up traps and preparing, but now a problem with Chace had become apparent.

He couldn’t handle zombies.

Even though part of the plan was to get him used to it, and that’s why they had him accompany them since the afternoon, the moment Chace saw a zombie up close, he had an intense reaction of rejection.

Apparently, it’s not uncommon for people to have a hard time dealing with undead creatures—

“You’re clearly not fine. Anyone can see you look terrible.”

As Lisse pointed out, Chace’s complexion was indeed poor. On top of that, his expression was grim.

“—I’ll say it again, even among veteran adventurers, there are plenty who can’t handle the undead. I used to make fun of those old guys, honestly…

I was wrong. I can’t do it either. No matter what, I’m scared.”

The guy, who always acted tough and put on a front, surprisingly broke down.

And this was the second time he’d made this excuse.

Once right after he saw the zombies, and now again.

Even though they had given him some time to calm down, by now, it was clear that he still wasn’t in the right frame of mind.

Come to think of it, Eil recalled something from before.

It was right before they had arrived at the Tower of Bryne.

When Chace heard about the Tower of Bryne at the orphanage, he had fainted after seeing the undead that emerged from Florentine.

It was the moment when Florentine exclaimed, “It’s, it’s dead!”

After that incident, there hadn’t been any updates, but Eil had a hunch that Chace had completely forgotten about what happened that day.

He didn’t even know why he had fainted and had come to believe that he had simply fallen asleep and woke up in his own room.

His brain must have refused to remember it.

—Personally, since Eil had experienced something akin to “losing consciousness and waking up in an unfamiliar place,” he didn’t feel any inclination to blame Chace. On the contrary, he felt a strong sense of empathy.

It seemed that Chace wasn’t inherently afraid or uncomfortable with the undead; rather, this fear had only surfaced now.

Moreover, if he reflected on the past events, the fact that he had fainted stood out.

Since he had fainted, this wasn’t simply a matter of dislike or discomfort; it could mean he had a low resistance to undead creatures.

“It might be dangerous as it is.”

He said.

If Chace were overwhelmed by fear or fainted during the operation, it could endanger his life.

If they were caught by a zombie, it could be the end.

Eil believed he had chosen people who definitely wouldn’t get caught, but whether Chace could keep up with a proper chase in his current state was questionable.

“Chace, I have something for you.”

Eil pulled out a small bottle.

“This is holy water. If you sprinkle this, it should temporarily boost your resistance. In your case, it might help you feel a bit more at ease.

With this in mind, I’ll ask you one more time: Do you want to switch with Lisse? Or are you going to tough it out?”

Chace, still looking pale and with a grim expression, took the bottle in his hand.

“…I want to try this first. If it seems impossible, then Lisse, you take over.”

“I’m fine with that, but…”

This time, Lisse wasn’t the leader, so she didn’t have the authority to change roles.

The two of them naturally directed their gaze toward Eil.

“It’s fine. I’ll let Geodine know.”

He replied.

Geodine had already moved towards the swamp.

So, as the vice-leader, Eil made that decision in place of the leader.

As it stood, the risk of failure was too significant.

This operation had been planned with Chace in mind, integrating him into the plan.

However, Lisse could probably take his place if necessary.

In an emergency, she also had Shadow Hunter Sword, which might be more effective than Chace in his current state.

If they wanted to avoid risks, this change was unavoidable.

“Anyway, we’re already on the move. I need to get to my designated position, so if you’re going to make a change, please decide between the two of you.”

Unexpectedly, he found himself with additional work.

Eil had to inform Geodine that there might be a change in Chace and Lisse’s roles, and then he needed to head to the designated location.

From this point on, he wouldn’t have any means of knowing whether changes would be made or not.

Once the operation began, it wouldn’t stop until it was completed.

After informing Geodine of the potential role change between Chace and Lisse, Eil headed to his designated spot.

Where he was going was deep into the forest, where zombies roamed freely.