Chapter 20

Chapter 20

A seemingly insignificant ring.

But it was precisely because of its location that no one had discovered it.

‘There’s no one here who would use magic in a training camp.’

It would be difficult to detect under normal circumstances.

The only thing that puzzled him was why Apel hadn’t taken it.

‘In his past life, Apel must have started at the 3rd Training Camp too.’

If nothing had changed, Apel would have come to the armory at the 3rd Training Camp.

‘Am I missing something?’

Something that would make Apel choose something else instead of this.

Damian glanced around the armory once more.

He was checking if there was a better artifact he might have overlooked.

“...I don’t sense any particular magic,” Damian muttered.

At that moment.

“Damian, hurry up and make your choice. Others are waiting.”

“Yes, I’ve made my choice.”

With Raymon urging him, Damian stepped out of the armory.

“Sorry, did I take too long?”

“It’s fine. Everyone will feel the same way when they go in.”

To them, even the 3rd Training Camp’s armory would feel like a treasure trove.

Apel was the second to enter.

And he came out quicker than expected.

As if he had already decided what he wanted.

Damian glanced at what Apel was holding.

It was a seal, about half the size of a palm...

“...Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Damian shook his head.

The seal that Apel had chosen.

‘I think that’s... the emblem of a certain kingdom.’

He didn’t know the name.

But he was sure it was the emblem of a kingdom that had been destroyed a long time ago.

Damian looked at Apel.

‘Could it be...’

He felt there might be some connection to why Apel was learning magic.

Soon, everyone had chosen their desired item from the armory.

“Oh, you picked a pretty decent spear. I hope you use it well.”

“This is a shield crafted by Walter, a famous craftsman from the old capital. It suits you well.”

Raymon explained the items each person had chosen, and then he turned to Apel.

Raymon looked at the seal in Apel’s hand with an intrigued expression.

“Oh, do you know what that is?”

“I just felt a divine power emanating from it, so I picked it.”

“Divine power, huh. That’s possible. It’s a seal believed to have the power to ward off misfortune. I hope it brings you nothing but good fortune.”

“Thank you!”

And finally, Damian.

But Raymon looked at the ring in Damian’s hand with a puzzled expression.

“This is... just a ring that slightly reduces body weight. Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Weight reduction...?”

“Did you not know? Try wearing it.”

At Raymon’s suggestion, Damian put on the ring.

At that moment, he felt a strange lightness in his body.

‘...Is my weight really being reduced?’

He hadn’t known it had this ability.

But it seemed like...

‘It’s reduced quite a bit.’

The lightness was like taking off armor, and Damian lightly jumped in place.

Raymon asked, “Does it feel alright?”

“Yes, it’s... better than I expected.”

And it didn’t weaken his strength.

His body had simply become lighter.

‘This will let me move even faster.’

“I’m glad you like it. Then it’s settled.”

Until now, it had been an item that no one chose because its only function was to reduce weight.

If it had found its rightful owner, that was enough.

But from Damian’s perspective, it was as if he’d gained an additional ability.

‘Invisibility and weight reduction. This is definitely an A-rank item.’

This wasn’t something that should be gathering dust in a training camp.

Satisfied, Damian nodded.

“Alright, everyone, let’s go. You still need to apply for your desired departments and finish up.”

Raymon still felt a sense of regret about Damian’s decision.

If he joined the Knights, he could truly soar to great heights.

But Damian followed his own convictions.

[Desired Department: 3rd Division, Neokalitz Unit.]

After signing at the bottom, Raymon looked at Damian with resignation.

“You’ll do well, but... that place is really dangerous. Please, be careful, very careful.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you for your concern.”

“Then you’ll receive your orders in a few days. You can proceed after that.”

Raymon stood up and extended his hand to Damian.

“You worked hard for the past month.”

“You worked hard too, Instructor.”

Damian shook Raymon’s hand.

Now, finally.

‘I’m going there.’

After coming back, it felt like a chapter of his journey had ended.

As Damian walked out of the training camp, he felt a mix of relief and nostalgia.

But then.

“Damian!”

As he turned to look back at the entrance, Apel was approaching him.

Still shining as brightly as ever.

Apel came up to Damian and asked.

“Why aren’t you joining the Knights?”

“Because that’s not where I belong.”

“....”

Apel fell silent.

A guy who sometimes says things that are hard to understand.

Even though they were the same age, his skills were far beyond what one would expect for their age.

Apel spoke.

“I’m joining the Knights with Instructor Leonhart’s recommendation.”

“That’s a wise choice.”

“Hahaha, you really are an unpredictable guy.”

He turned down the offer but still called it a wise choice.

Apel didn’t know what to make of it.

But...

“I’ve heard the Neokalitz Unit is a dangerous place. Please be careful.”

“Thank you.”

Damian shook hands with Apel.

Does he know?

That one day he would become the Grand General of the Baroque Kingdom.

‘Maybe... he’ll become even more of a monster.’

Just imagining what Apel might turn into later on was amusing.

Damian watched Apel walk away.

‘Well then... I should...’

At that moment.

“Damian!”

With a booming voice, Kyle came running up to him with heavy footsteps.

He must have rushed over, as he was catching his breath when he spoke to Damian.

“Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?”

“We can do that when we meet again.”

“Hahaha, true. Alright, take care. See you again.”

“Yeah, I wish you success.”

Damian waved back as Kyle said his goodbyes and then continued walking.

And at that moment,

“Is it my turn now?”

“...Huh?”

Diel from the Hamel Trading Company had come to see Damian.

* * *

“I’m thinking of 3% of the gross sales.”

Damian, who had moved to a different location, looked at the document Diel handed him.

It detailed how the investment Damian had provided would be used.

It also included a breakdown of how the people receiving help would be categorized and the synergy effects that could arise from the charity work.

Damian couldn’t help but be impressed by how well-organized it was.

‘...This is impressive.’

As Damian flipped through the documents, he glanced at Diel.

Her expression was slightly tense.

But when their eyes met, she smiled.

“If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

She was prepared.

The confidence in her expression was unmistakable, and Damian asked,

“I don’t have any questions about the charity work. If I had questions after reading all this, it would mean I didn’t read the content properly.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment. And besides...”

There was another reason to think highly of her.

If they had thought of him as just a thirteen-year-old investor, they wouldn’t have prepared such detailed documents.

It was proof of how they perceived Damian.

Damian asked, “So, regarding my terms, you’re suggesting 3% of the gross sales?”

“Yes. As soon as the investment is made, Hamel Trading will provide you with financial statements whenever you wish.”

Transparent management.

No matter how much an investor demands it, it’s rare for a trading company to offer full disclosure of their financial statements.

Damian nodded.

“Let’s do that. As for the money... you can accompany me to the Imperial Bank tomorrow to receive it.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll prepare a detailed contract to present to you tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

With the conversation over, Damian stood up.

All of this was just formalities.

What Damian was truly investing in was Diel herself and the future Hamel Trading, which would become the Yurck Trading Company.

And the next day.

As promised, Damian went to the Imperial Bank with Diel and handed over the investment funds.

But instead of the agreed 300 gold, he gave 500 gold.

“This... what is this?”

“It’s in recognition of the effort you showed me. Please use it well.”

“I’ll need to amend the contract. Would you mind waiting a moment?”

“No need. As long as our trust remains intact, the contract isn’t really necessary.”

That’s how contracts work.

You don’t really need them unless something goes wrong between the parties.

“It’s hard to believe how unique you are.”

Diel decided to forget about his age.

He wasn’t just someone who behaved unusually for a thirteen-year-old—his actions would be hard to understand even if he were a hundred.

With a faint smile, Diel asked Damian,

“Now that you’ve graduated from the training camp, you’ll be heading to the main unit... where are you going?”

“I’m heading west.”

“West?”

“The Neokalitz Unit, near the Bronselian Forest in the west.”

“The Neokalitz Unit?!”

Diel exclaimed in surprise.

Judging by her reaction, she had clearly heard of Neokalitz before.

Damian chuckled.

In contrast, Diel’s face had turned pale.

“Why... why on earth... You didn’t volunteer, did you?”

“I volunteered. As the top trainee, do you think I’d be forced to go there?”

“Oh my goodness.”

Diel looked at Damian as if the sky had just fallen.

Damian, with a mischievous grin, said,

“Who knows? If I die, the investment funds will just become Hamel Trading’s property.”

It was meant as a joke.

But Diel’s expression turned stone-cold.

“I don’t like that kind of joke.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Seeing how serious she was, Damian quickly apologized.

Back on the battlefield, such jokes were as common as eating meals.

Diel spoke to Damian,

“When do you leave?”

“Three days after graduation... so, in two days.”

“Two days... understood.”

With that, Diel bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

But then she stopped and looked back at Damian.

“I will make good use of the investment funds you’ve entrusted to me.”

With those words, Diel hurriedly left.

Damian, left alone, thought about the stern look on Diel’s face earlier.

“She’s scarier than I thought.”

Stretching with a big yawn, Damian looked towards the bustling streets.

In just two days, he would be living among monsters in that dreadful forest.

“I should eat all the food I want before I leave.”

With thoughts of departure in mind, Damian began wandering around the city, narrowing down his list of must-visit eateries.

* * *

Two days passed.

Damian, having received his orders, was now truly ready to depart.

“...Why are you here?”

Just as he was about to leave for Erkal, where the Neokalitz Unit was located, an unexpected figure appeared before him.

At Damian’s question, the person burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, didn’t I say we’d meet again?”

“...No way, you...”

“Yep, I volunteered for the Neokalitz Unit too.”

The figure was a head taller than Damian.

With muscles like solid rocks and a hearty laugh that was infectious.

It was Kyle.

But to think he had volunteered for the Neokalitz Unit as well.

“You’re insane.”

“Hahaha, maybe not as much as you?”

It was definitely a crazy decision.

Even with Kyle’s skills, the Neokalitz Unit wouldn’t be easy.

But for some reason,

He didn’t feel bad about it.

A smirk formed on Damian’s lips.

“Don’t die too quickly. I don’t want to have to deal with your corpse.”

“Hah! Don’t worry about that. Just don’t start whining about how hard it is.”

Kyle let out a big laugh.

Unexpectedly, he had found a companion.

It wasn’t something he had anticipated, but it didn’t feel bad.

In fact...

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

The times he had spent with his comrades suddenly came to mind.

“Shall we get going?”

“Let’s.”

The two nodded and were about to head out when,

“Wait a moment!”

“...?”

“What now?”

Hearing a woman’s voice from behind, Kyle frowned.

But then, the woman approached and spoke directly to Damian.

“Good thing I’m not too late.”

“...What’s going on?”

Damian asked as he looked at the suddenly appeared Diel. Moreover...

“What’s with this carriage?”

“I couldn’t prepare much in a rush, but the Neokalitz Unit is incredibly far from here. Please take this carriage for your journey. I’ve also placed some snacks and items you might need in there.”

Hearing this, Kyle opened the carriage door.

“Wow.”

Just as she said, the carriage was filled with enough food to last for quite some time, along with various items whose purposes were unclear.

Damian couldn’t hide his surprise.

“When did you prepare all this...?”

“I worked hard to gather everything over the past two days. Please be careful. You said you’d be making more investments later, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

Diel smiled gently at Damian as she spoke.

Damian was momentarily at a loss.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

And then burst into laughter.

Had he ever seen such an obvious lie?

She was truly an amusing and sincere woman.

Damian spoke to Diel,

“See you again.”

“Yes.”

With that brief farewell, Damian and Kyle boarded the carriage.

Now, it was time to truly depart.