12 Hunting (2)

Hearing his answer, Robert who asked the question was stumped. Both of his answers answered his question but did not really.

'This kid is not thinking along the same lines as me. It would be hard to get on the same page with him and even then, he might have his own reasons that I can't dispute.'

When he looked at the boy who had the bag of food on his back, water nag on his waist, and hunting dagger on his other side, the child actually looked like a little child soldier.

He could not think of anything else to say and just looked at Phil but was surprised to see that Phil had calmed down. It actually looked like he was slightly proud of his son.

'The man who does nothing but complains about how uncute his child acts is actually smiling when they appear like a little soldier?'

Robert did not know whether to laugh or not. He had consulted Natalie about the strange relationship between the father and son before but she had told him 'not to worry about it' and that the 'stubborn pair would eventually get along'.

At first, he thought she was just saying empty words to comfort herself but it seemed like the man really did like his child and was just worried about how mature he was turning out to be.

'Must be because he wanted a daughter to spoil and who would act cute. This boy is not cute and also acts very mature instead would be like getting doused with cold water on a winter day.'

Nathan's eyes were on Robert so he did not notice the look his father was giving him. But when he saw Robert stare at Phil for more than a few seconds, he also turns his gaze over. But before he could see the bright eyes of Phil, they dulled and he looked very serious once more.

Robert almost could not help to laugh out loud at the pair but he did not dare to. He knew how temperamental Phil could get.

'This tsun of a father and kuu of a son. I wonder how Natalie deals with the pair?'

As he was thinking about the interesting personalities of the family, the father and son were staring each other down with neither saying a word. This continued for over a minute before Phil stood up and broke the line of sight.

"Send him to the 3rd recon squad. He is not to eat any of the military food. If he gets injured, use the smallest amount of medical supplies you can to get him stable."

After giving out his orders, he walked away and towards his horse before climbing atop of it and running off to give orders to the men and women about when they would be sent into the forest and in what order.

Nathan did not think about what his father was doing but simply agreed and looked toward Robert with expectant eyes. Robert on the other hand confirmed his suspicions about the father's feelings toward his son.

The 3rd recon squad may have been composed of all militia and no former soldiers but all of them were serious and dedicated. They were one of the two best squads in terms of combat ability as well as the best rat econ. Having Nathan go with them was pretty much like assigning a squad of magic knights to protect a noble while they went shopping.

Robert led Nathan over to where the 3rd Recon squad was gathered and he was not disappointed. The group was made up of 4 members who were each either exercising or checking their weapons.

The leader Rae, a young djinn woman with black hair who was in her early 20s. She was carving extra arrows with her short sword to use in case of emergency. She carried a bow on her back and was one of the few archers in the hunting force.

The next person was Alex. This young man was huge and stood over 2 meters tall making him larger than almost every soldier there, except for Robert.

Kate and Marco were twins. These pair had grown up hunting with their father so they were the best when it came to scouting among the already great group. Kate excelled at tracking animals and humanoids while Marco was better at finding rare herbs and plants.

And Nathan would be their 5th. Even though they did not know it, Nathan's skill with his dagger could match any of theirs even with his small and weak body.

Robert explained the situation and the rules that Phil had given for Nathan to accompany them on the trip. At first, they were all stunned and thought that the commander was crazy to bring along a child. But when they heard the circumstances of what happened, they thought his child was even crazier.

The group agreed to watch over the child since it was an order. It seemed like they came to a silent and tacit agreement that they would not do what the commander said and try their best to ensure that the child made it back in one piece.

Even if the commander did not seem worried about his own child, it did not mean that they would not be. After 30 minutes of waiting and preparing, Phil finally stood in front of the gathered groups and gave a speech.

Being only 25 and barely older than most of the people there, it was at first hard for Phil to get their respect. But once he had demonstrated how capable a leader and a fighter he was, almost everyone followed his orders.

As he stood on his horse, he looked like a typical knight in shining armor. It made some of the younger djinns to swoon over him.

"As you all know, we are entering the Carran forest today. Your task will be to hunt either 30 beasts or animals that weigh at least 2 kilograms. You could also hunt a single magical creature rank 2 or higher but I do not suggest this as you may lose your lives.

You all have 3 days to accomplish your goals or there will be consequences for those who are unable to. You may now begin!"

And with those words, the various squads of 4 rushed into the first to hunt down some creatures.