Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Eat up!”

“Wow! Meat!”

The only day you can eat steak at the training camp is the day after the squad competition ends.

At this moment, everyone could set aside their regrets about the results and enjoy the meal.

“Oh... they really put some effort into this.”

“The quality of the meat is a bit disappointing, but it’s cooked well enough. I can’t believe we’re eating meat like this in the training camp. “Nom nom”, hehe.”

“...Are you really particular about how it’s cooked?”

Damian asked as Kyle stuffed a large piece of steak into his mouth.

Considering his appearance, you’d think he would just tear into raw meat, yet here he is talking about cooking.

Kyle frowned.

“So, you thought I’d just *nom nom nom* eat anything and everything?”

“That’s exactly what I thought.”

“What?!”

Damian chuckled at Kyle’s response and then casually glanced around.

‘...Is the Master really gone?’

It would have been nice to exchange a few more words.

He felt a sense of regret.

But it is precisely this regret that makes you look forward to the next meeting.

Damian enjoyed the atmosphere as he clinked his cup with his squad members.

At that moment.

“Mind if I join in?”

“Oh! Instructor!”

“Please, have a seat!”

The sudden appearance of the chief instructor, Raymon, caused the members of the 1st squad to quickly rise from their seats.

The trainee sitting next to Damian hurriedly got up and offered his seat.

“Thank you.”

As he sat down, Damian also took his seat and looked at him.

“It’s a shame it’s not alcohol, but I hope you all eat well and enjoy yourselves.”

“Yes!”

Raymon smiled slightly at their loud response and looked at Damian.

“Still no change in your decision?”

“...Yes.”

“That’s really a shame. It’s a great opportunity.”

“I don’t regret it.”

“Haha, is that so? But did you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

When Damian asked, Raymon turned his gaze somewhere else.

It was towards where the 3rd squad was.

“I’m talking about how Instructor Leonhark also offered Apel a place in the Knights.”

“...Is that so?”

He fully understood.

Especially after watching the squad competition yesterday, he would have quickly realized how capable Apel was.

“Aren’t you curious about what choice he made?”

“Whatever his choice is, I’ll respect it. Apel’s life is his own.”

“Hahaha, you’re a boring boy.”

Despite his young age, even the word “youngster” doesn’t quite fit him.

When talking to Damian, you often forget his age.

‘Thirteen years old... It’s hard to believe.’

It’s not just because of his outstanding skills.

His manner of speaking, what he says, and even his eyes.

There’s nothing about him that feels like a thirteen-year-old; he’s too mature and deep.

‘I can’t stop him, can I?’

It’s a shame, but there’s nothing that can be done.

All he could do was cheer him on.

Raymon stood up and raised his glass.

“Well, everyone, you’ve all worked hard these past two weeks!”

At his exclamation, the boisterous atmosphere briefly quieted down.

And all eyes focused on Raymon.

He glanced around at them and spoke.

“Starting tomorrow, we’re back to training. Prepare yourselves and work hard so that you can achieve what you want!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

As if rehearsed, all the trainees shouted in unison.

Raymon raised his glass high and shouted.

“For the glory of the kingdom!”

“For the glory of the kingdom!”

There was a slight regret about the lack of alcohol.

‘What a perfect night.’

The bustling laughter filled the middle of the training camp.

* * *

The third week of training began.

“Hup! Hah! Hup!”

“Shout louder as you thrust! Stronger, faster!”

After the memorable squad competition ended, the instructors’ enthusiasm burned even brighter.

An instructor approached a trainee and corrected his grip on the spear.

“You have to grip it tightly like this, so you don’t lose it when blocking the enemy’s attack. Dropping your weapon on the battlefield is as good as death!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

The trainees’ attitudes changed.

Everyone was training more seriously and diligently than before.

A lot of positive changes had taken place throughout the entire 3rd Training Camp.

But...

“Whew, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“About the 4th squad. I heard their atmosphere has completely fallen apart. Some of them even dropped out right away.”

“Dropped out?!”

“Wow, really? After all that effort to get in, they dropped out after just two weeks?”

The atmosphere in the 4th squad changed after the squad competition.

The trust between squad members broke down, and several small cliques formed.

Among them, the squad leader and a few others with slanted eyes ended up dropping out.

It felt like they were unlucky soldiers who had followed a bad commander.

It was a bit pitiful, but...

“Do you really have time to worry about others? Sure, we did pretty well in the competition, but everyone still needs to think about their individual scores.”

One of the 1st squad members glanced at Damian as he spoke.

“Thanks to Damian, we got high marks in the competition, but on the other hand, it means that aside from Damian and Kyle, there weren’t many others who stood out.”

“That’s... true.”

“So, we need to work even harder in the remaining time. Everyone wants to go to the royal palace, right?”

No one needed to say it out loud, but they all shared the same thought.

The royal palace.

Among the positions there, the Royal Administrative Officer was the best.

But only 30 out of 160 could apply for the palace.

And only 10 of those could be administrative officers.

On top of that, even within those positions, competition between departments was fierce.

You had to score well to get into a more comfortable position.

“Hehe, everyone’s pretty serious, huh.”

“That’s because we all have the same goal.”

“What? You’re aiming to become a Royal Administrative Officer too?”

Kyle widened his eyes as he looked at Damian.

Damian shook his head.

“I’m not going to the palace.”

“Why? With your current scores, you could easily get into the palace and even become an administrative officer.”

“Hehe, do you really want to become a Royal Administrative Officer?”

Damian chuckled quietly as he asked Kyle.

Kyle stroked his chin as he pondered.

“Well... it might feel a bit suffocating, but since it’s supposed to be the best place, I guess I should go there, right?”

“Don’t even think about it. A guy like you would run out of there in a month.”

“Why?”

“You’d feel like you were suffocating.”

“Hahaha, yeah, that sounds about right.”

Kyle burst into laughter but soon turned serious as he asked Damian.

“So, where are you planning to go?”

“I’m going to the Neokalitz Unit.”

“...?!”

Kyle looked even more shocked than before.

“The Neokalitz Unit?”

It was a unit that even Kyle had heard of.

No, among the recruits, very few wouldn’t know about the Neokalitz Unit.

That’s how famous it was.

For its notoriety.

“Do you even know where that place is?”

“Of course.”

A response without hesitation.

Kyle couldn’t hide his disbelief.

“I knew it, I was right.”

“Right about what?”

“You’re crazy.”

Kyle suddenly stood up and shouted to the squad members.

“You guys can be happy now! One of the Royal Administrative Officer positions just opened up!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Kyle, what do you mean?”

“Damian just said he’s not going to the palace but to the Neokalitz Unit!”

“...!?”

“...?!”

As Kyle shouted, the squad members’ faces were filled with confusion.

“Why?”

“Neokalitz?”

“Is he out of his mind?”

That was the normal reaction.

Because that’s what the name Neokalitz represented.

But at that moment.

“Oh, shut up!”

Thud!

“Gah!”

Still seated, Damian kicked the back of Kyle’s knee.

He added a little bit of magic to it.

“Aaaaah! Hitting your comrade...!”

It wasn’t an exaggeration; it really hurt.

As Kyle rolled on the ground, screaming, Damian chuckled.

And so, the short break came to an end.

“Resume training!”

“Yes, sir!”

With the instructor’s arrival, everyone stood up.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

It felt like they had just entered the training camp the other day, but now the day of discharge was approaching.

The training camp, where everyone had their own stories, was coming to an end.

One month.

For some, it might be considered ‘just’ a month.

But in that time, the more than 150 trainees had changed significantly from when they first arrived.

Not only the squad leaders but even the instructors who had completed the training looked at them with satisfied expressions.

Although a few had dropped out along the way, this batch was very different from others.

‘There were quite a few exceptional ones.’

The most notable ones were Damian, Apel, and Kyle.

In addition to them, Gerard, who was the squad leader of the 3rd squad, and a few other soldiers were also quite remarkable.

If it weren’t for the geniuses in front of them, they would have been contenders for top scores in a typical batch.

Raymon looked at them with a satisfied expression.

Soon, Captain Barus, the company commander of the 3rd Training Camp, walked onto the podium and looked at the trainees standing in formation.

“I’m Captain Barus, the company commander of the 3rd Training Camp. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Barus began his graduation speech.

Although it might have been boring, everyone felt a sense of excitement, knowing this was the last time.

“...You’ve all worked hard, and I wish you success in your future endeavors. With that, the discharge ceremony is concluded.”

“Everyone, attention!”

Snap!

At the command of the 1st squad leader, who had come forward as a representative, everyone stood at attention.

“Salute the company commander!”

“For the glory of the kingdom!”

With a final salute, the discharge ceremony ended.

And as Barus walked inside, Raymon took the podium and spoke.

“You’ve all worked really hard. Soon, your scores will be announced. Remember, these scores only reflect your current position, not where you’ll be in the future.”

Continue to improve and contribute to the kingdom.

After Raymon finished speaking, the names of the top five trainees were called.

“Damian.”

“Yes!”

Damian was the first to be called.

“Apel.”

“Yes!”

Apel was called second.

Third was Kyle, fourth was Gerard, and fifth was the squad leader of the 2nd squad.

“The five of you who were just called have the opportunity to select one item from the armory of the 3rd Training Camp. Follow me.”

‘...Finally.’

It was the moment Damian had been waiting for.

Damian followed Raymon into the armory inside the 3rd Training Camp.

Though the artifacts weren’t of the highest grade, the armory was equipped with magical devices that controlled humidity and temperature, true to its name.

“You can take anything you like from here. But you can only choose one item.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then... Damian, you go first.”

The top scorer goes first.

Damian nodded and walked into the armory.

“...Wow.”

Unlike outside, the temperature was quite cool, with moderate humidity.

But more impressive was the organized state of the stored items.

Weapons, armor, and accessories were all neatly arranged, making it easy to see everything at a glance.

“...Wow, they even have these?”

There was even a section for potions and elixirs, neatly categorized in one corner.

For a mere training camp armory, it had a surprisingly diverse array of items.

Damian raised his magical senses and scanned the entire armory.

To see if there were any hidden treasures he didn’t know about.

‘Nothing.’

As expected, but still a bit disappointing. Damian quickly turned his attention to the area where the accessories were stored.

At the end of the display, filled with colorful accessories.

Damian’s eyes fell on a ring.

It was just as he had heard described.

A plain, unadorned, dark ring.

It was so shabby that it made you wonder why it was even here.

Swipe.

Damian picked up the ring.

“...I found it.”