Chapter 104
It was complete chaos.
Everyone was running frantically towards the designated rendezvous point.
“Hey, are they following us?”
“There’s no one.”
Jerka slowed his pace and looked back at Kyle’s words.
Just as Kyle said, there were no pursuers.
“Phew... I’m going to die from exhaustion.”
Catching his breath, Jerka recalled the sight of Damian fighting the Rose Knight earlier.
‘What kind of movements were those...?’
He had thought it many times before when watching Damian fight, but there were so many things that seemed almost miraculous.
“You saw the captain fighting earlier, right?”
“Of course.”
“How can anyone fight like that? It’s hard to even try to move like that on purpose.”
The movements that narrowly dodged the enemy’s attacks, flowing through them with the least effort possible, and then the sharp, precise counterattacks that struck the openings.
But Kyle shook his head at Jerka’s words.
“He’s doing it on purpose.”
“...What?”
“Damian, that guy... no, the captain always fights like that.”
It had been the same for Kyle at first.
It felt like fighting a ghost.
It seemed like he could almost touch him, but he never did—it was an absurd feeling that could only be understood by those who had experienced it.
“Watch carefully next time. The captain watches the enemy’s attacks until the very last moment.”
Even when the sword is right in front of him, he keeps his eyes on it and dodges it precisely.
Then the enemy, thinking they only need to reach just a bit further, begins to get impatient, thinking it’s just bad luck.
That impatience breaks their composure and destroys their balance.
“Like that knight earlier.”
It was probably just a slight lapse in focus for that knight.
But that slight lapse snowballed into something uncontrollable, leading to the disaster at the end.
“That’s our captain.”
“Then... Do you think he could fight and win against an Aura Master?”
Jerka asked Kyle.
Kyle looked at him with an incredulous expression.
“Do you think we would have run if he could?”
“Well, yeah, that makes sense.”
Jerka nodded, then suddenly said,
“But damn it, why am I stuck with you anyway?”
“I’m not too thrilled about it either, you know?”
“Damn it, I’m going ahead, so don’t follow me.”
“We’re going to the same place, you idiot.”
“What did you say?!”
The fact that Kyle had called him an idiot made Jerka flare up, but Kyle just snorted and started running toward the rendezvous point.
* * *
A hundred men.
Every single one of them reached the designated location without losing a single soldier.
“Is the captain not here yet?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
Damian had stayed behind until the last moment to draw the enemy knights’ attention and divert them.
So there was a bit of worry, but Dianal remained calm, waiting for Damian.
Rustle.
Eventually, Damian emerged from the bushes to the left, and the expressions of the soldiers brightened.
Dianal approached Damian and spoke.
“You did well, sir.”
“Everyone’s safe?”
“All accounted for.”
Damian nodded.
Then he looked at the soldiers and spoke.
“It seems we managed to get their attention. They’re determined to chase us down.”
Which meant that this side was now in danger.
If Piaren, angered, decided to pursue them alone, it would put them in a very precarious situation.
Damian addressed the soldiers.
“We’re moving immediately. Our mission is to keep them from reaching the main force by any means necessary, striking and withdrawing repeatedly.”
Even just keeping Piaren occupied would be a significant gain.
The soldiers all nodded and started moving as Damian led the way.
At those words, Dianal’s expression stiffened.
Although he had the same thoughts as Damian, he wasn’t confident in fighting the Rose Knights.
“What do you think? Shouldn’t we give it a try?”
“Isn’t it too dangerous?”
Dianal asked with a tense expression.
Their opponents were the famous Rose Knight Order of the Empire.
They themselves had been formed less than a year ago...
But Damian turned his gaze to the soldiers and asked.
“Think about all the training we’ve done. Could you train harder than you already have?”
“That, well...”
“Ugh... Just thinking about the instructor’s face makes me shudder.”
“Argh, no way!”
The soldiers reacted as if they were having a seizure.
Damian spoke.
“There are no easy battles. And it’s rare for any of us to always be safe.”
Because that’s what the battlefield is like.
However—
“If we win this fight, all of you can rise to much higher positions. And...”
Damian’s eyes glinted sharply.
“I will rise even higher and destroy every single one of those Empire bastards.”
The Empire, baring its fangs at the continent.
Instead, his goal was to devour them and take control of the entire continent.
The soldiers gulped as they felt a surge of pressure from Damian’s sharp gaze.
One of the soldiers spoke.
“Well... When I joined this unit, I already gave up on thinking we’d have it easy. But I’d like to at least get a good share of wealth and honor.”
“Heh, me too. My goal right now is to make a name for myself and live like a king.”
“You too? Same here!”
The atmosphere in the Caion unit began to heat up.
Before the Empire started this war, being a soldier in the Baroque Kingdom was considered a comfortable job.
In reality, only a small number of soldiers were sent to dangerous areas for actual combat.
But many of those who became soldiers had their own dreams.
Dreams of going to the battlefield, defeating the enemy, rising through the ranks, becoming a noble, and getting rich.
The Caion unit had many members with such aspirations.
Some were itching to use their skills, having had no chance to show their full potential.
Others were coiled springs, having been unable to utilize their outstanding abilities.
Damian looked at Dianal.
“...I never said I was against it, did I?”
Dianal’s attitude was now completely different from before, as if wondering why Damian was looking at him that way.
Damian let out a chuckle at the quick change in stance.
“These guys... I don’t think they’ll live long.”
“Heh, coming from the captain who just went toe-to-toe with a knight, you’re one to talk.”
“There you go again, talking back to the captain. You looking for a beating?”
At Jerka’s words, Terka, standing beside him, scolded.
Seeing this, Damian grinned broadly and spoke.
“Alright, even if we die, let’s do it with a bang. I promise, if we take them all down...”
Damian’s eyes flashed.
“I’ll make sure everyone gets promoted and receives at least 50 gold each as a reward. If the kingdom doesn’t give it, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket.”
“W-Wha?!”
“Are you serious?”
“50 gold?”
Fifty gold was equivalent to two years’ living expenses for a commoner.
Hearing this, the soldiers’ eyes widened in astonishment.
“You have to keep your promise.”
Dianal, standing beside him, muttered quietly.
To this, Damian burst into laughter.
“You little bastards, heh. Fine, I promise. But I can’t guarantee the promotions, so don’t push me on that!”
Damian shouted.
Kyle grinned and said.
“Captain, just worry about the money, hehehe.”
The other soldiers, with mischievous grins, seemed to agree as they looked at Damian.
Damian turned around and began moving.
“Then let’s go, you bastards.”
Today would be...
“The day Caion unit writes its first legend.”