Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Kiaran looked at the documents in front of her with a serious expression.

A decision that couldn’t be made lightly.

“...What do you think?”

She turned to Edmund, who was standing beside her.

“I think his assessment is correct.”

“What? So you’re saying we should just do whatever he says?”

Kiaran’s tone was sharp in response to Edmund’s answer, but Edmund shook his head.

“No, what I mean is that this is a matter that only you, Commander, can decide.”

He was just a sergeant, yet the issue was so complex that he had to bypass all other officers and appeal directly to the Corps Commander.

No one else had the authority to make this decision.

Kiaran frowned at Edmund’s words.

“Ten years....”

Was it truly worth it?

Or rather, was it even possible?

“No additional troops, just the existing criminals to end the war in Makstri?”

Kiaran turned to Edmund.

“What do you think, Edmund?”

“It’s impossible.”

Edmund answered without hesitation, as if it didn’t even require thought.

Kiaran replied, “It sounds to me like he’s signing his own death sentence.”

“To me, it looks more like he’s willing to risk death to see it through.”

That’s the best way to put it.

But Kiaran still didn’t seem convinced as she stared at the documents.

“I just don’t get it. What does he stand to gain from this?”

The criminals in Makstri might benefit.

For them, whether they lived or died, their lives would end there anyway.

But Damian was different.

To be frank, retaking the base once was already enough to prove his worth.

He had passed Kiaran’s test.

The order to take control of the gold mine completely had been nothing more than a bluff.

Just a throwaway remark.

How could it be possible to retake the gold mine base with a bunch of criminals?

“If he’d just stayed put, I would’ve eventually transferred him back to the Caion unit.”

Had he done so, the position of the Caion unit captain would have been his.

She was merely observing him a bit longer because it seemed premature to bring him back after just a month.

But Damian had effectively shot himself in the foot.

And in a very serious way.

“Is it confidence... or recklessness...?”

There’s a fine line between genius and madness, and she couldn’t quite place Damian on either side.

With a sigh of resignation, Kiaran picked up a pen.

“...We’ll know when we open the lid.”

Her hand, already holding the pen, quickly scrawled a signature on the document.

* * *

The approval had been granted.

‘No way... I can’t believe she actually approved this.’

Kiaran was notorious in the military for being an oddball.

Of course, “oddball” was a term used only in times of peace.

‘Once the Empire started waging war, the assessment of her completely changed.’

She became nothing less than a hero of the kingdom.

War experts even speculated that without the 6th Corps Commander, the kingdom might have fallen in just five years.

The time she bought by halting the Empire’s advance was invaluable.

However, she couldn’t single-handedly turn the tide forever.

The Empire was a formidable opponent, too massive to fend off alone.

But...

“Well, at least this creates a possibility, doesn’t it?”

Damian hoped it would work.

He held the document signed by the Corps Commander and stepped out of the barracks.

“Everyone, gather at the training grounds. You’ve got five minutes.”

“F-Five minutes?!”

When Damian instructed Hemus, he dashed off as if an emergency had been declared, spreading the word.

Gathering over 150 people in five minutes was no small feat.

Yet, somehow, they managed.

Precisely five minutes.

“Huff... huff... huff...”

The formation was a bit messy, but the unit assembled in fourteen orderly lines.

Damian looked at them with a serious expression.

Finally, he spoke.

“It’s been two months since I arrived here.”

Whoosh.

A chilling wind swept through the silence.

Sensing that Damian was different from usual, the soldiers watched him with tense gazes.

“Yes, sir!”

“I won’t stop until you block it, so stay sharp. No slacking off.”

“Yes, sir!”

The three soldiers held their shields close, bracing themselves.

And then—

Swoosh!

Damian launched himself at them, aiming his spear at the gap between their shields.

Bang!

The soldiers twisted their shields to block the oncoming spear.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Although they couldn’t prevent themselves from being knocked back, they managed to withstand the blow.

“Again.”

Damian commanded.

He had slightly reduced the speed of his spear attack.

‘They’re now able to watch the spear and focus on defending against it.’

In truth, they were becoming accustomed to combat.

For the past three months, the soldiers had endured relentless, almost inhuman training.

A month ago, the intensity had been ramped up to near-combat levels.

It was impossible not to adapt under such circumstances.

‘They’ve now reached the level of average regular soldiers.’

But even that wasn’t enough to guarantee victory in this war.

‘One more month...’

He needed to push them to the next level. And also...

‘I need to push myself as well.’

Damian hadn’t neglected his own training since arriving at Makstri.

His physical capabilities, enhanced by Bard, had become even more solid, and his proficiency with the Delft Mana Cultivation Method was nearing the fifth level.

However, he still hadn’t broken through the final barrier to fully reach the fifth level.

‘I’m almost there...’

It wasn’t easy, especially while also managing the others.

But he had no intention of giving up.

Makstri was not the end for Damian.

It was just a stepping stone.

There was so much more he needed to accomplish in the future.

“...I wonder how he’s doing.”

Suddenly, he thought of the seed he had planted before coming here.

* * *

“You... bastard.”

Lying on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, Dianal cursed through gritted teeth.

Each day was filled with grueling training that defied belief.

Or rather, it wasn’t just training—it was a relentless series of battles that left him with constant injuries.

“If you want to quit, just say the word. We can stop anytime.”

“Not yet.”

Dianal raised his head.

Blood was dripping down from the two swords clenched in his hands, flowing from his palms down the hilts.

“.......”

Leonhark watched Dianal silently as he struggled to stand.

‘What a tenacious bastard.’

No ordinary mindset could withstand this level of training.

What on earth drove this guy to push himself this far?

He smirked.

But what did it matter?

What mattered was that he was enduring.

“Focus. In battle, even when you’re on the verge of death, you must be prepared to thrust your blade into the enemy’s throat.”

“Understood....”

Staggering, Dianal gripped his swords once more.

His once fierce eyes were now cold, filled with a murderous intent.

The knight facing Dianal forced himself to steady his nerves and raised his sword again.

Leonhark had brought this knight as a sparring partner for Dianal.

Although a member of the Monster Knight Order, he was far stronger than Jeff, the knight Damian had fought during his test.

“...Instructor, at this rate, I might actually kill him.”

“But he’s the one who insists on continuing.”

Leonhark replied indifferently, and the knight sighed quietly.

He couldn’t afford to hold back, as Dianal’s skill made it impossible to go easy on him. And on top of that...

Buzzing.

Faint mana now coated Dianal’s swords.

Leonhark’s lips curled up at the sight of the ominous energy radiating from the twin blades.

He wondered what kind of expression Damian would have when he saw Dianal after returning.

“Hehehe, who knows? Maybe the captain’s position might change hands.”

Leonhark muttered as he watched Dianal.

And at that moment—

Swoosh!

Dianal launched himself fiercely at the knight in front of him once more.