Mtwara. The Tanzanian Regular Army's encampment.

"Captain Anderson, did you hear? They found General Augustine's body in his office!"

"Damn. What a grim thing to happen at a time like this."

"They say he died just like Sir Julian," one of the regular army officers said, wiping down his rifle. "Probably White Wing's doing. Everyone's keeping their mouths shut."

"So, is this payback for us crushing the rebellion? What a mess," the other remarked.

Nearby, Karim was moving a crate of ammunition.

"You be careful too, Hunter Karim! Sounds like White Wing is still active."

"Oh, I will! Thank you for the warning!" Karim flashed the officers a brilliant smile before setting down the ammo crate.

She was the heart and soul of the Tanzanian army. Her energy was infectious, she never lorded her hunter status over anyone, and she treated everyone with an unfailingly polite and meticulous nature. The entire Tanzanian Front had once been captivated by the overwhelming presence of their red-haired commander, but with her return to Korea, the stage belonged to Karim once more. The number of officers and soldiers who admired her was staggering.

"Calling it a day?"

"Yes! That crate was my last one," she answered.

"With Princess Samia gone, your role has become even more important, Hunter Karim."

"Absolutely. Hunter Karim is the next Black Wing, no doubt."

At the mention of Black Wing, Karim blushed and waved her hands dismissively. "No, no! I couldn't even hold a candle to Lady Samia!"

"Hahaha! Humble as ever."

"There's such a thing as being too humble, you know! I heard you're up for a certified rank-4 promotion after all this. Keep up the great work!"

"Th-thank you!"

The officer let out a hearty laugh at her bashful display, then his eyes fell on the flowers in her hand. "White flowers. Heading to the cemetery?"

"Yes. I was planning on visiting Sir Julian's grave."

"…Right. He was a great man."

"He treated me like a granddaughter. I just wanted to pay my respects."

"Of course. Take care."

"You two have a good evening." After bidding the officers a warm farewell with a wave, Karim turned away. Instantly, her expression turned to ice.

Her duties done, she ascended the mountain path in Mtwara. With every step, she added to the bouquet in her hand, gathering a colorful variety of wildflowers along the way.

'The war is finally over.'

She closed her eyes, replaying the Tanzanian campaign in her mind. Not long ago, the situation had been utterly hopeless. Karim knew that even as a hunter, she wasn't strong enough to turn the tide on her own.

So she had waited.

For everyone in Tanzania, it had been a battle of endurance. All they could do was hold on.

Then, one day, her chance came. News arrived that two certified rank-3 hunters from Korea had liberated Kisowa. This was an opportunity she could not afford to miss.

To get close to them, she'd arranged to be assigned as their guide in Mtwara, creating a natural pretense. After their first command post meeting, the two seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. Kim Yusin had laid out his plan to make Hong Yeon the new commander, but…

It was pathetic. A fool's dream. He thought he could just rack up some incredible achievements, win everyone over, and have Julian formally hand over command? That old rat would never do such a thing. Everyone was inspired by the legends of his past, but Julian Caballero was the malignant tumor slowly killing Tanzania.

The opportunity to act came sooner than she'd expected. That night, rebels launched a surprise attack on Mtwara. Karim ran straight for the command post where the old rat was holed up. When he asked for water, she handed him a drugged cup, killed him, and made it look like White Wing's work.

It would have been disappointing if Kim Yusin had failed to capitalize on the opening she'd served him, but he had seized it brilliantly. He placed Hong Yeon as commander, took control of the Tanzanian forces, and even managed to crush the rebellion.

She had studied Kim Yusin exhaustively, digging into every story and accomplishment from his career in Korea. He was a capable man, no doubt, but he lacked experience and, more importantly, a capacity for cruelty. It fell to her to fill that void.

When she noticed Wayne Jones making suspicious moves toward Dar es Salaam, she was the one who casually dropped a hint about Giant to Yusin. She used Samia, in whom Yusin seemed interested, as a mouthpiece to feed him information about PHC and the "Africa Abandonment" faction.

Karim's influence was a subtle thread woven through countless key moments. She was the one who persuaded the hardliner Scorpion. She was the one who permanently silenced the military officers who resented the two young, foreign commanders.

If White Wing had been pulling the strings behind Tanzania's downfall, Karim had been working in the shadows to protect it in her own way. On the stage of Tanzania, with the taves on one side and Kim Yusin and Hong Yeon on the other, she and White Wing had traded moves.

She didn't consider it anything remarkable. She had simply done what she could. She lacked the power and influence of the two rank-3 hunters, but she could silence her emotions and become endlessly cruel. She could willingly take on the gruesome, filthy work the powerful shied away from.

It was the way of a weed—to do whatever it took to grasp the miracle that had fallen from the heavens.

She reached the summit and stood before the grave.

'Here Lies Julian Caballero, Commander of Tanzania.'

The Argentine government had demanded the legendary hunter's body, but Julian's last will had been discovered, expressing his wish to be buried in Tanzania. Until his death, he had resented the homeland that cast him aside.

Karim knelt and placed the wildflowers on his tombstone.

"Is it comfortable there, Julian?"

She drew the dagger from its sheath at her waist. The blade was caked with dried, dark-red blood—the same blade that had killed General Augustine.

"Care for a taste? It's the blood of that rival you despised so much."

She plunged the dagger into the earth before the tombstone, then poured a bottle of Argentine wine over it. The red liquid trickled down the bloodstained blade, soaking the grass and stone until it was impossible to tell which was blood and which was wine.

"Honestly, I hold no grudge against you. You were a good man, and you loved this land of your exile more than anyone." She set the empty bottle down. "But you were sick and old, in body and soul. Countless soldiers died because of your pathological indecisiveness. As a commander, you were an absolute failure."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"I'm sorry, but don't the living deserve a chance to survive?"

The same went for General Augustine. His power would have grown too great after the Alliance forces withdrew. He was dogmatic, greedy, and had all the makings of a tyrant. It was better to deal with him now, before his restraints were gone and his true nature emerged.

"Am I a monster? Yes, I won't deny it. But what can you do? That's just life."

"Karim!"

A voice called from behind her. She spun around, her black hair whipping through the air. A young officer in an Alliance uniform was rushing toward her, panting. He was out of breath, but his face was lit with a broad smile.

"Oh, Colonel Greg! What are you doing here?"

"Captain Anderson told me you were visiting Sir Julian's grave."

"You should have waited. I would have been back soon."

"That's just cruel." Greg strode toward her. "Every second with you is precious. I couldn't bear to wait a moment longer."

He leaned in and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, returning the embrace. The Alliance officer, who was in charge of supplies for the dispatched forces, was utterly infatuated with her.

'You're right, Julian. I am a monster.'

Colonel Greg was a high-ranking officer from the Alliance headquarters. More importantly, his father was a key executive, giving him direct influence within the organization. The dispatched forces would withdraw, but material support and additional troops for Tanzania would continue. The Alliance would maintain its power, eliminating the risk of Tanzania collapsing from internal strife and power grabs.

She would make sure of it.

"Colonel Greg, we shouldn't… not here." Pushing lightly against his chest, she blushed and glanced toward Julian's grave.

Startled, Greg cleared his throat. "Ah, ahem! My apologies. How rude of me."

"Let's go back, Greg," she said, her smile radiant. "Back to our home."

His face flushed crimson as he nodded eagerly. To him, she was the loveliest person in existence. Before he knew it, his body and soul were under her control. He was fully aware of this, and he would gladly remain her slave for the rest of his life.

"I swear on my life, I will protect you forever. I promise."

"That makes me so happy, Greg."

They held hands and started down the mountain. She paused for a moment, looking back at Julian's grave, that same unreadable smile on her face.

And so, today, the weed survived.

* * *

I was finally back in Korea.

Just as Hong Yeon had warned me on the plane, a massive horde of reporters was waiting at the airport. I'd already seen a few articles on the flight over, so I had a sense of the public's reaction.

[He's Done It Again! The Archmage, Kim Yusin!]

[The Future of Korea Writes a Miraculous New Chapter!]

[How Two Koreans Saved a Continent.]

The feverish energy at the airport was palpable. I had no choice but to send Samia on ahead—she'd teleported out before the press mob could spot her—and field a few questions. They asked what the African front was like, what the hardest part had been, what kind of disaster the taves were, and if Africa was truly safe now. They wanted my thoughts on the future of mages and my personal opinion on overseas dispatches. They were all easy enough to answer.

I felt a little bad for Hong Yeon, who was being interviewed beside me. While some questions were about the dungeon, she was also bombarded with trashy inquiries like, "What's your relationship with Kim Yusin?" "Did you two share a room?" and "Any comment on the dating rumors?"

But she handled it all with the ease of a seasoned pro. Hong Yeon was one of those cases where her stunning looks and star power actually overshadowed her overwhelming skill. Watching her go through that, I almost thought it wouldn't be so bad if she just went wild like her older sister, Hong Yul.

After the interviews, we finally made our way out of the airport.

"You did great, sunbae."

"Please, you did all the hard work."

It seemed we'd grown genuinely close while relying on each other during the dispatch, and it felt a little strange to part ways. But we both worked in the Korean hunter community, so I knew we'd see each other again.

She placed a hand over her heart and sighed softly. "This dispatch was one of the best experiences of my life. I'll never forget it."

"Maybe if it weren't for the cockroaches." I teased.

"D-don't say that! I want to hold on to the good memories!"

I laughed. "Don't forget our plans with Samia at Hangang Park next week."

"I won't."

"Thank you for everything." Hong Yeon gave a polite bow and climbed into a waiting van. I stood there for a moment, watching her go.

"Did you say your goodbyes?" Samia had teleported next to me in her wheelchair.

"I did. Don't you need to say goodbye to her, Hunter Samia?"

"I can do that over the phone later." She looked up at me with a knowing smile. "I have eyes, you know. You two looked pretty cozy."

"…Haha."

A car from Garam Management was waiting for us. I'd already received dozens of messages from Shin Nara, all apologizing profusely for not being able to pick me up herself due to urgent business.

Samia glanced at my phone and her eyes widened. "Are all of these apologies?"

"Yeah. A bit much, right?"

"It shows her sincerity. I feel reassured knowing the CEO of my new company is someone like that."

"She's a great person. I'm sure you'll like her when you meet her, Princess."

"Enough with that!"

It was amusing how she flushed and got worked up every time I called her that.

"My apologies, Hunter Samia."

"Ahem. You can drop that title, too. I'd prefer if you just called me Samia."

"Really? But you're my senior in the hunter world by a long shot."

"That doesn't matter anymore. I'm under your command now, so it feels more natural."

"…Ah, I understand. Samia."

At that, she broke into a bright, refreshing smile. "Much better."

* * *

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