On the Ark, I Became Griseo

"..."

At that moment, a little girl sitting atop a tree stared blankly at the distant forest, where smoke rose and ashes drifted through the air, lost in thought...

If Griseo's senses were correct, such a huge commotion had probably been Uncle Tyrant's doing.

It was not that she was shocked by the strength Tyrant had displayed. Mister Knight could have accomplished something like this just as easily.

Griseo simply had not expected Tyrant to be so high-profile—or rather, so reckless...

Mister Knight was always by her side, taking care of her daily needs, and the two of them always kept an extremely low profile... As a result, she had not seen a spectacle like this in a long time.

But after thinking about it for a moment, Griseo understood. After all, Tyrant's name was right there. It was not impossible to understand why he acted so flamboyantly.

After this incident, the little girl silently bestowed the title Peerless Infiltration upon Tyrant. She also decided that she would only send him on missions involving direct confrontation from now on.

And that undisguised, high-profile action had not only caught Griseo's attention.

Almost everyone in this forest had noticed it, especially those at the mine, which had suddenly lost so many guards...

Whoosh—

"It sounds like a terrifying battle broke out over there. That area should be where Lois and the others were assigned. Big Sis, should we go check?"

After nimbly jumping down from the tree she had climbed to observe the situation, the Yeti Squad member looked seriously at her eldest sister and asked softly.

"The situation over there is unusual. Continue with the mission; I'll go take a look. It's almost time anyway. Don't wait for me—go rendezvous directly when the time comes." Yelena gently shook her head and gave the order.

"But, Big Sis, you..."

"No buts. Follow orders and meet up with the others as soon as possible. Don't worry, I'll get there as quickly as I can..." Yelena first cut off her teammate sternly, then softened her voice to reassure her.

After speaking, Yelena tightened her grip on her weapon and turned to leave without hesitation.

Though she had not seen the detailed situation over there, even Yelena found the heat erupting from that direction troublesome. If she was not mistaken, the temperature throughout the forest had probably risen considerably.

So, before knowing whether the person responsible for this upheaval was friend or foe, Yelena did not want to bring the others along.

Because if they truly encountered a powerful enemy, she might not be able to protect her teammates... The Yeti Squad were not merely teammates to her; they were family.

Wait for me, Lois, Leos...

"Um..."

Just as the two Yeti Squad members facing Tyrant head-on nervously tried to say something, the crimson warrior suddenly moved, charging straight at them with unstoppable momentum.

"!"

Watching Tyrant suddenly rush toward them, their pupils shrank... Supporting each other, they instinctively took half a step back, bitter smiles appearing on their faces.

P.S.: I'll try to write faster from here on, but I'm honestly not very good at writing this kind of thing. I'd wanted to make up for the chapter I owed these past few days, but I just couldn't squeeze out the time... So don't worry. I'll make it up as soon as I have time.

?

Also, there are really too few people in the group. Come join, 686963942.

Decision and Eye Contact

Carrying a slightly scorching aura, Tyrant rushed in front of the two Yeti Squad members, giving them no chance to resist.

He grabbed one in each hand and moved unimpeded through the forest, heading toward where Griseo was.

"...?"

The two had originally been waiting for death with bitter smiles, but after suddenly being scooped up and carried away, they could not recover their senses for quite a while.

Watching the shadows of trees rapidly fly backward before their eyes, both Yeti Squad members looked somewhat bewildered. They still remembered how Tyrant had charged at them with murderous intent just moments ago...

So... was this old man's way of rescuing people always this terrifying?

After realizing that Tyrant would not harm them or their teammates for the time being, the two quietly sighed in relief, easing nerves that had nearly snapped, before complaining inwardly.

They really could not be blamed. No one could remain indifferent when faced with a crimson warrior who had just annihilated a large group of enemies before suddenly charging at them.

After carrying them for quite some distance, Tyrant seemed to notice something and suddenly stopped. Then, without the slightest tenderness, he threw the two of them onto the soft snow.

From the very beginning, Tyrant had not intended to take them back. He knew very well that his little princess did not want to expose herself for now, and bringing them back would only increase the risk of exposure.

Glancing at the two Yeti Squad members on the ground, Tyrant arrogantly lifted his head. Then, after punching down a nearby tree, he vanished from sight at an unhurried pace.

"He... he disappeared!"

"Did we run into a ghost? Hurry, pinch me and let me see if this is real."

Watching their lifesaver vanish into thin air, the two Yeti Squad members sitting on the ground could not help widening their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

If one of them had not still been injured, they would have suspected that everything they had just experienced was a dream.

"But... why did he knock down a tree before leaving?"

"Could he have been expressing his dissatisfaction with us?"

"Probably not, right? He did save us, after all."

With their lives no longer in danger, the atmosphere between the two Yeti Squad members was no longer oppressive, becoming cheerful and peaceful again.

Creak...

But before they could be happy for long, a faint sound arose nearby. Their expressions changed again as they cautiously lowered their bodies, tightly gripping their weapons and becoming vigilant once more.

"Lois?"

However, when a familiar voice entered their ears...

"Big Sis!"

"Big Sis, we're over here!"

Not only did the vigilance they had just developed instantly vanish, they happily poked their heads out as well.

"Are you two all right?"

Hearing the familiar forms of address and voices, Yelena, who was walking over, relaxed some of her vigilance. The heart she had been holding tight finally settled completely.

Yelena had originally been walking through the dark forest, anxiously heading toward where the conflict had occurred, and had not intended to come this way.

But just moments ago, the sudden explosive sound and the sound of a tree collapsing had drawn her attention and put her on guard.

Then, before she had been wary for long, she heard familiar low voices speaking. Only then had she come over with a trace of hope.

"Big Sis, Leos is injured."

"It's nothing... just a minor injury. Big Sis, you'll never believe what we just encountered."

Looking at the two lively troublemakers, Yelena's eyes flashed with helplessness. Then she instructed, "We can talk about it later. Bandage the wound first."

"Mm."

"All right, tell me. What did you encounter earlier?"

"!"

Griseo, who had been sitting in the tree spacing out, was startled when Crimson Tyrant suddenly appeared beside her out of thin air. Fortunately, she had good psychological resilience and did not cry out.

Otherwise, that sound would have drawn the attention of the two Yeti Squad members beneath the nearby tree...

"..."

Griseo looked Tyrant in the eyes with her large eyes for a moment. After conveying some information to each other in their minds, she gently nodded her little head.

After understanding what his little princess meant, Crimson Tyrant did not waste any time. He reached out his large hand, wrapped it around the little girl's waist, and silently took her away.

Only after putting a great distance between them and that tree did Tyrant stop moving, though he did not set Griseo down directly.

The reason was simple. He did not want his princess's little feet to touch the filth on the ground, much less let half her body sink into the snow.

"Mm..."

Sitting on Tyrant's arm, Griseo lowered her head and began thinking about what to do next.

There were currently three options before her. The first was to return the way she had come. The second was to meet up with the Yeti Squad and protect them on their way back. The third was to charge in, wipe out this mine, and wait for the Yeti Squad to come take it over.

Of those three choices, Griseo ruled out the first one right away, because sneaking back had already lost its meaning for her...

It was already so late. There was no way to cover it up... Whether she returned a little earlier or a little later no longer made any difference.

As for the remaining two, if possible, Griseo wanted both.

She had no more concerns now. She was definitely getting scolded anyway, and since Tyrant had already eliminated quite a few of the mine's guards, acting now would almost certainly not affect the Yeti Squad.

So given the current situation, anyone would be tempted...

But just as Griseo was hesitating over whether to meet up with the Yeti Squad first or destroy the mine first, sounds and light suddenly came from the distance.

This time, the little girl did not choose to hide... Instead, she and Tyrant remained where they were, waiting for the source of the sounds to arrive.

After all, anyone appearing in this area would either be one of their own or an enemy. But regardless of which it was, Griseo had nothing to fear.

However, listening to the faint curses drifting over from afar, she felt that the people coming this time were most likely enemies.

"Huh...?"

Yet the first thing to enter Griseo's large eyes was neither the imagined enemy nor the Yeti Squad.

It was a child wearing tattered clothes and covered in injuries...

When the child saw the shadow blocking the path ahead, she instinctively raised her head. Then, in the darkness, she met Griseo's large violet eyes directly.

"..."

P.S.: It's such a vicious cycle. Staying up late means the writing quality suffers, but I'm busy during the day too. I wonder if you all think there are any problems with this chapter... If there are, remember to mention them. I'm going to sleep. Good night, and send some votes.

Clothes and the Girl

"..."

This sudden eye contact made both children's minds go blank for a moment, leaving them somewhat dazed.

And during that brief delay, the firelight and shouts from the distance rapidly drew closer.

"They're coming... Run!"

Hearing the sounds behind her, the girl quickly came to her senses. After hoarsely shouting at Griseo, she went around her and continued running forward.

"...Don't be afraid."

Watching the girl flee in panic, Griseo tilted her head.

But clearly, such a lighthearted sentence from an unfamiliar little girl was not enough to make the young girl stop running.

"Uncle Tyrant... I'll have to trouble you. Please be gentler this time." Griseo withdrew her gaze from the little girl's retreating figure, gently raised her little head, and softly spoke to Tyrant.

After speaking, she took the initiative to jump down from Tyrant's arms, landing in the fluffy snow.

"..."

Tyrant looked at his little princess with some helplessness, but he still gently nodded and approached the distant location where the firelight was coming from.

After seeing Tyrant make his move, Griseo withdrew her gaze, turned, and walked toward the fleeing little girl. There were some things she wanted to ask her.

If Griseo was not mistaken, this child should have escaped from this mine.

She had been worrying over not knowing the mine's exact situation, and now she could ask this person who had practically run into her on her own.

Of course, in exchange for the information, Griseo would protect the little girl—the super-safe kind of protection.

"Don't be so afraid... Uncle Tyrant has already gone to deal with the bad people." After catching up with the fleeing little girl, Griseo stopped and stood some distance away, looking at her while calmly stating the facts in her cute voice.