Chapter 12- Self-Worth
"RAAAAA!!!"
Rein moved like a flash as he brandished his sword, slicing through an Undead as it tried to attack him. However, his speed was already way faster than these rather average humans. Even though their power and general physical prowess increase when they become Undead, it was still far from enough to keep up with him.
They became as easy to kill as flies or even easier.
After cutting its head, Rein looked around him. 'I have killed dozens of these things. But I didn't gain much from it. I need to keep fighting stronger and stronger monsters.' He mused.
"You can come out, Teo," Rein said as he signaled for the scared man to walk out.
"You are so cool, sir! You are killing them with so much ease! Where did you find that sword?" He asked as he approached Rein.
"Hm, it's just a tool I found on one of the Undead." He said.
"Huh? Why would anyone have a sword on them?" Teo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You don't need the details."
Rein said as he started walking. "We are almost there. We have been walking for almost 30 minutes now."
They have moved far north, making sure to stay out of the way of large hordes of Undead. It wasn't easy, and in several instances, the two were almost caught if it wasn't for Rein's quick thinking and his ability to find hiding spots and other paths.
Eventually, the two made it out of the more populated areas and found themselves on the outskirts of the city, where the buildings were more scarce, and the roads were more open with vast fields of greenery.
'The base should be anywhere around here.' Rein said as he put the earpiece in and contacted Violet. It took a few seconds to connect.
"Rein!"
"I'm almost here, Violet. Where is the base exactly?"
"Hold on, I will tell you the location." She said as she went silent for a few seconds and then came back. Giving Rein the exact location, his eyes shifted toward the direction of the base.
"Let's go. We are nearby."
"Hm? Are you with someone?" She asked.
"Yeah, your nice, useful subordinate, Teo."
"Teo is alive?" She asked.
"Yeah, alive and well," Rein said as he looked at the man next to him. The latter shyly adjusted his glasses.
'Miss Violet is so kind. She is even worried about me. Aaaah, I'm so touched.' He thought to himself.
"Please be safe, Rein. I'm waiting for you."
Then, the call ended as Rein looked at Teo. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing… Ehem…"
"Hmmm." Rein squinted his eyes at Teo before he smiled coldly. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"
"... W-W-What?!! No, no, no, I wouldn't dare!" Teo said with a panicked look on his face. He didn't expect Rein to catch him so easily.
"It's all over your face."
"..."
"Anyway, it's none of my business. Maybe she would accept you if you confess to her."
"No… How can she? Miss Violet is one of the prettiest women in the world. She is also so smart and capable, and she comes from a really good family. I'm just… a nobody…" Teo said as he looked down sadly.
He knew how truly important Violet was. It was said that the agency wanted to promote her to Mission Administrator, which is one of the highest ranks in the agency, but she refused to leave her team behind. Her abilities were second to none in the agency, and she was considered as important an asset as the High-Ranking agents.
The fact that she worked almost exclusively with Rein was a sign of how capable she was. Rein relied on her completely and knew that she would always do everything right.
"If you see yourself that way, then I've got nothing for you," Rein replied.
'Besides… She already has her eyes on someone, sir.' Teo thought to himself as he looked at Rein's back. Recalling all those instances where he would see Violet smiling after ending a call and then laughing to herself.
All the times he found her dazed, staring at her earpiece. He already knew that his boss was completely in love with someone, and he had a hunch who it was.
***
The two continued walking through the roads until they eventually reached a large, open, paved area nestled between four different buildings. There, they saw large barricades surrounding what seemed to be a military base.
Soldiers walked around the vicinity carrying guns as they looked for any possible monsters who would dare to attack the base.
'Hmm, it seems we made it. This place looks very well guarded for something they built in less than an hour.' Rein thought to himself.
"What should we do, sir?"
"Oh, don't worry. We are walking straight to them."
"What?! What if they shoot us?"
"They won't."
"How are you cer- Sir! Wait!"
Before Teo could even speak, Rein emerged from their hiding spot and walked toward the base's entrance casually. It didn't take long for the soldiers to notice him.
"You! Stop right there!!" One soldier yelled as he aimed his gun at him. Then, another aimed his gun as well, and the several snipers all located around the base aimed their lasers at his forehead.
"Don't move!"
"I'm not one of the monsters," Rein replied as he lifted his hands.
The soldiers didn't seem calm whatsoever as their fingers slowly pressed against the triggers. The panic and fear in their eyes were telling. 'Hmm, these idiots might actually do it. Tsk.'
However, even when he was faced with this extremely dangerous situation, Rein was completely calm.
He knew what was going to happen next. And as if to confirm his prediction, one of the soldiers suddenly put his hand against his ear as if listening to some orders before he frowned and looked at Rein.
"Got it, sir…" He said.
"Drop your guns! He is not a threat." He said.
"What?"
"He is not a threat. Open the gates." The soldier replied.
"What do you mean?"
"The boss said he is clear. He seems to know that he was arriving."
"Who the hell is he…?"
The soldiers stared at Rein silently, their eyes filled with confusion. How did their boss even know that this man was coming?
Even more than that, why was he not scared whatsoever from their guns being pointed at him?
Slowly, the gates began to open as soldiers walked out. Rein signaled for Teo to come out as he approached the soldiers.
"I haven't been bitten. I'm completely fine." Rein said as he signaled for his body.
"... We still need to inspect you."
"Go ahead. Be my guests."
The two soldiers stared at one another before one of them approached Rein and started tapping his body, searching for any injury.
"Hm? Why do you have blood under your shirt?"
"That is when a metal stick was lodged into my stomach," Rein replied. "Here, look."
Lifting his shirt, Rein showed them the injury, which made them frown. It didn't look like a bite, and its position certainly made it impossible for it to be the result of an Undead's attack.
"..."
"Well, are we done? I'm kind of tired from moving all the way here." He said.
"... Alright, let him in."
After giving Rein the green light, they let him pass through. He gave Teo the signal and continued walking inside.
The moment he stepped into the base, he heard a voice calling for him.
"Rein!"