Once Michael accepted the call, a hologram projection of a woman appeared before him. Being 16 years old, she still had two more years to grow, yet she was already taller than Ava.
"Brother? Are you okay? I just watched the news. I heard that they have found thousands of portals on Triton! Please tell me that they haven't forced you to fight. You just joined the military after all. They won't send a cadet to fight the scary aliens, right?"
Michael didn't answer her immediately. He scanned Scarlett's facial features. Her pouting and, at the same time, worried expression, her emerald eyes, and her long black hair.
'Right, I came back in time… So it's only natural that she is alive. That my family is alive.'
Scarlett, unaware of her brother's thoughts, continued her ramble.
"I know you joined the military and were deployed next to a close combat zone in order to earn money to pay for our dad's medical bills, but that was reckless! You should have let me marry Samuel. He promised that if he took my hand in marriage, he would pay for Dad's bills!"
The name sent a jolt of old, familiar anger through Michael.
'Of course, since my father got severely sick, we needed money. That was when Samuel, having come from a well-off family, offered to pay for his bills as long as he married my sister. But I, being the proud 18-year-old at the time, refused to let my sister marry the fat snob, which she hated, and decided to join the military to raise money instead.'
Since he had been busy thinking about the alien invasion, he didn't have time to think about his personal life. The reason all of this started to begin with eluded him until now.
'It was hell… But even now I don't regret my decision.'
He smiled warmly before answering.
"I am your brother. Of course I am fine! Even if they send me to fight against an army of aliens alone, you can bet I am coming back alive!"
From the looks of it, his declaration didn't ease Scarlett's worry at all, her pout deepening. "Just please don't do anything stupid. Knowing you, you act first and think later."
Michael chuckled, waving his hand.
"I told you, don't worry about your brother."
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure you are alive." Scarlett sighed, about to cut off the call.
"By the way, Scarlett—" However, Michael's words caused her to stop.
"As it turned out, I earned more money than I suspected. So use the money I will be sending you soon to take Dad into the best hospital with the best treatment possible."
Once the call ended, he didn't immediately move, staring into empty space.
'It doesn't matter how much money it will cost. Dad will not die from the disease this time… neither will my family.' His heart was filled with a strong sense of purpose. This wasn't just for mankind. This was something concerning his family.
"Are you okay?" Victoria asked, sensing Michael's demeanor change abruptly after the call.
"Yes, we can continue on." He answered with a smile, yet his eyes lacked the usual warmness.
"..."
The two women sensed there was more to the issue but didn't press on further.
Ten minutes later.
"Finally, I see our transport!" Ava sighed in relief before sitting on the ground, massaging her feet.
"Daredevil! New guy!" Leo came out of the vehicle the moment it stopped. The second he heard that his teammates were alive, he volunteered to come and get them.
"L—Lady Victoria!" The next second he was startled to see the beautiful general casually walking with the two.
"Please excuse my rudeness." He spoke with a nervous voice before saluting.
"No need to be scared. Let's just return to the base." Victoria didn't seem to care.
"R—Right away!"
The ride back was thankfully peaceful. The soldiers scattered all around Triton were slowly but surely closing the portals one by one, reducing the number of enemies they could encounter.
It was so peaceful, in fact, that Michael's eyelids began to feel heavy. Despite the monstrous power he had demonstrated, his realm was still Middle Apprentice. Not to mention that in the past 24 hours he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.
Exhaustion proved to be too much for him. He had no choice but to try and sleep. Yet the uneven terrain caused the vehicle to jump. With the uncomfortable headrests, he was being awakened before he could properly sleep.
"You are tired? Let me help you."
Before he could protest, Ava pushed his body towards herself, putting his head to rest on her thighs.
The moment his head felt their softness, he was out cold.
"Hm!" Ava immediately flashed a smug smile towards Victoria, causing the latter to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Little junior."
When Michael began to sleep deeply, unable to be awakened, Victoria turned to Ava.
"Are you certain that he has just joined the army? The level of might, strategic thinking, and calmness he has displayed until now are monstrous. I find it hard to believe that he is a simple cadet."
Ava nodded eagerly. "Actually I was his examiner when he tested his spirit. I tell you the white sphere turned black and exploded! Then he chose the infamous Berserker technique that even I am too scared to touch and learned it in a flash! Not to mention I have yet to see him displaying any signs of going insane."
Both women pondered for a while. In their eyes, Michael was either secretly from an influential background, hence his many skills and abilities, or he was a type of genius humanity has never encountered before.
'When we get back I will study his background. If he really has powerful people backing him, then the reward I will give him would have to be bigger to impress him.' Victoria had made up her mind. Regardless of Michael's past, he was sure to become even more powerful. The military could only benefit from having a friendly relationship with him.
This wasn't a decision made lightly. She genuinely believed he would play a crucial role for humanity's war against the alien threat in the future.
An hour later they reached their destination. Ava gently stirred him awake, making sure to not startle him.
Once he was up, Victoria's words drifted into his ears.
"Cadet Michael, please follow me. I would like you to talk about the reward you will receive for your contribution. Little junior, I want you to also come."
Intrigued by the promise of reward, the two didn't argue and followed.