Chapter 128: The additional personnel

Chapter 128: The additional personnel

“Hey, what’s going on? I can hear voices all the way outside.”

“Oh, it’s the Chie... No, it’s Tigar and Zald. Good to see you.”

“Yeah. But more importantly, can you fill us in on what the commotion is about?” I asked.

Our tents were set up around a small central square. This space was used as a cooking area for preparing the provided rations, and essentially, it was where we gathered to share our meals. It was also one of the few spots we used for casual conversations and resting.

The square had taken on an odd atmosphere. To put it plainly, children were quarreling, and as I observed this, my confusion escalated. The reason being that the ones in the midst of the argument were Leo and Lappy, but what raised my puzzlement even more was the presence of two unfamiliar boys and a girl slouched behind Leo.

One of the boys clutched his stomach while crouched down, and the other seemed flustered. Meanwhile, the girl sat on the ground, trembling visibly.

On the opposite side of Leo and Lappy, Kelf, who was gently smiling, comforted the crying Lawqum. However, Lawqum’s cries were inaudible to us. Kelf was probably using spiritual magic to muffle or shield the sound. Quite skillful.

“Leo, step aside. I’ll kill him.” Lappy said.

“Ugh! W-Wait, no!”

Just as usual, Lappy had a monotone voice but uttered cruel things while emitting a thick murderous intent, as she targeted a young boy who cowered behind Leo. Despite not transforming into her demon form, Lappy was moving at full speed. However, Leo matched that speed, effectively responding and stepping in between them, taking the blow meant for the boy.

Hmmm... Judging from the situation, it seemed the fallen child had somehow provoked Lappy’s anger. And the scenario unfolded with Leo desperately holding back Lappy, who aimed to deliver the finishing blow.

Lappy wasn’t the type of girl to resort to violence without reason. There had to be some kind of reason behind her actions. However, I couldn’t afford to let Lappy indulge in impulsive acts like murder within the fortress. I quickly crossed my arms, extended my tail, hooked my stinger onto Lappy’s collar, and lifted her up.

“Hey, big brother. Put me down.”

“Oh, big brother! You saved me!”

As she was suspended in the air, Lappy fluttered her arms and legs in protest, while Leo sat down on the spot, clearly exhausted. Leo possessed considerable fighting power, particularly excelling in swordsmanship. But when it came to unarmed combat, Lappy ranked among the top three in the special operations unit. Even I would have a hard time fighting her without my tail. It must have been quite a challenge for Leo to just shield against her attacks. Well done, Leo.

I lifted the still-fluttering Lappy onto my shoulder. Gradually, her struggling ceased, though her cheeks remained puffed out. Finally, she had settled down. Phew, things were finally calming down.

“So, what happened?”

“Sorry about this mess, we didn’t even realize how it escalated...”

“It was right when the adults were looking away.”

Gora, absentmindedly scratching his bald head, and Farl, cradling her bow as she attended to it, shared their account. I wanted to hear from those who weren’t directly involved, but... was it really true that nobody other than the children had seen what happened?

“Huh? What’s the difference?”

“In other words, those three are the only ones who’ve been brought in as replenishment. Isn’t that right?” Zald asked.

Zald received a firm nod from Asumi, affirming his question. These three were the entirety of the additional personnel sent from the royal capital. I had initially expected a larger group, but considering that “practice” wouldn’t be churned out in the dozens or twenties, this number made sense.

And out of the two anticipated scenarios, luck appeared to favor the outcome I preferred regarding their arrival. In other words, they had come here for the reason I hoped for: they were judged to have a limited potential contribution to the combat force. Even as demons synthesized with other creatures, regular children wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the armored soldiers.

While we discussed such matters, the boy named Julius, who had been crouched down, rose to his feet. His eyes were faintly moist with tears. He was clutching his abdomen and appeared to be coughing painfully. It seemed Lappy had struck the pit of his stomach. How ruthless.

With Lappy still perched on my shoulder, I approached the three children. The boy who had been fidgeting and the girl who had been sitting both froze up and Julius, though trembling, stared at me and Lappy with a defiant look. To display resistance rather than fear, even though he was almost killed... He was a boy with a lot of guts. I think he could become strong with the right training.

“So, you three are the additional personnel, right? What are your names?”

“Cough, cough... If you’re asking someone’s name, you should introduce yourself first, old man.”

“... Should I kill him after all?”

Julius retorted with those words while glaring at us, putting on a show of bravado. Lappy stopped swaying her legs and squinted her round eyes. The other boy and girl who witnessed this seemed to tremble, perhaps due to fear.

Julius’ face was also contorted in fear. However, he wouldn’t avert his gaze from us. While Lappy appeared to be displeased, Tigar and Zald behind us seemed impressed. I shared the same sentiment.

“Settle down, Lappy. I’m the leader of this Special Operations unit. I don’t have a name. You can call me ‘Commander’, ‘Boss’, or ‘Chief’. Now, I’ve answered your question. It’s your turn.”

“Huh! No name? That’s a lie!”

“Wait, Julius!”

The absence of a name is true. Maybe I could have just come up with a random name and gone by that, but I didn’t feel it was necessary. Because it didn’t cause any inconvenience to anyone, I didn’t see the need.

In my role as the leader of the Special Operations unit, being addressed as such is enough to signify that it’s me. Plus, I couldn’t bring myself to have my teammates or myself create a name for that purpose, so I remain nameless.

“S, sorry! Mr. Commander! Um, I-I’m Ariel!”

“I-I’m Bolts...”

“And this one’s Julius! Come on, introduce yourself properly!”

“Hmph!”

Ariel, the girl who lowered her head meekly and introduced herself with a barely audible voice; Bolts, the shy boy who timidly stated his name; and Julius, the bold and defiant boy. These three seemed to be our new companions. Welcome, all three of you. Welcome to hell.