CHAPTER 113

"Today's quota is done."

It was the third day since the deployment.

The skirmish that started with a light provocation was the beginning.

Rem had been on the battlefield for three days straight, returning in the same condition each time.

He swung his axes, splattering blood on the ground.

Every time Rem went out, he killed exactly three people. His powerful axe strikes made those three look like chopped wood.

Living logs, split open and spilling brains and entrails.

At the start, when our forces and the enemy clashed, he would swiftly slash, chop, and crush heads before returning.

If seeing that didn't make a commander salivate, they weren't cut out for the job.

At the very least, anyone with an eye for talent wouldn't want to lose someone like him.

And Rem wasn't the only one like that.

"I can handle it alone, so why do they keep assigning soldiers to me?"

Ragna, a soldier dragging his feet as if bored, was the same.

At first, he didn't stand out at all.

He barely engaged in fighting, just holding his ground enough to come back alive. Unless someone attacked him, he didn't put his life on the line in battle.

'What a waste of skill.'

The Fairy Company Commander was one of the few who recognized Ragna's talent.

She was just observing until one day, during a move between battlefields, Ragna got lost.

'How do you get lost here?'

Had he tried to sneak through the mountains or cross the river to raid the enemy's base? All he did was push the enemy back.

Anyway, Ragna apparently wandered into enemy territory, which should have meant certain death.

But he returned unscathed.

Casually carrying the head of the enemy commander.

"Oh, I just felt like going left there."

That was all he said upon returning, the enemy commander's head dangling from his fingers.

"You got lost?"

Ragna nodded.

The Fairy Company Commander asked and got her answer. That was the end of it.

From the start, there had been no intention of forcing anything on them.

They had been brought in under those conditions.

"Fill in the vacant spot of your Platoon leader."

To them, the name Encrid was synonymous with magic.

"Why are they telling us to fill a vacancy when they sent us?"

"If you sit around doing nothing, it would be because Encrid told you to. Do you want to cause trouble for him?"

With just a few words, those who had scoffed at the idea of deployment started packing their things.

"I'll do exactly three a day, no more."

That was Rem.

"Alright, let's do it."

That was Ragna.

Jaxon quietly nodded.

"By the calling of the Gods."

Even the zealot Audin moved.

Andrew, Mac, and Enri were naturally expected to obey orders, so no more needed to be said.

Krais was on leave, having applied for a break.

Andrew, with a black eye, seemed to welcome the battlefield, as did Mac, who had a black eye on the other side.

"Battlefield, fighting, deployment!"

Upon hearing the Company Commander's orders, they showed their excitement.

"You're happy? You shouldn't be happy about this."

Seeing the two of them, Rem grinned. In that smile, the Fairy Company Commander briefly saw a demon, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

That's how these individuals had been brought together.

Jaxon and Audin's skills were similar to the others.

Jaxon put in just enough effort to appear serious, yet the enemy soldiers facing him couldn't even scratch him.

"Why can't I hit you? Damn it, just you wait."

The enemy soldier spat out such words, but Jaxon didn't respond, treating it as if a passing dog had barked.

He often returned from battle without killing the enemy or getting injured himself.

Audin had only been on the battlefield once, and upon appearing, he broke an opponent's forearm with his bare hands.

Even his allies, who witnessed it, felt a shiver down their spines.

Breaking an arm? What was so impressive about that?

However, the way he carefully grasped the opponent's wrist and snapped it like a thin twig was something else entirely.

It seemed almost inhuman.

"Shit, stay away, stay away!"

How must that have looked to the enemy soldiers?

Even allies found it unsettling.

Audin, as a soldier, drew attention just by existing. He was smaller than a giant but stood out among regular soldiers with his towering height and broad shoulders.

How could he not be noticed?

'Less than ten of them, but their combat strength...'

It felt as if his own abilities had multiplied tenfold.

Simply calling them exceptional wasn't enough to describe them.

Used correctly, they were a force that could harass the enemy beyond their numbers.

'This must be why.'

This was likely why they had survived despite various incidents and trouble.

The Fairy Company Commander, who had taken responsibility for bringing them, watched over them carefully.

Just this much.

This was the level of fighting they were permitted.

So, what happens if they want more than they're allowed?

"Backing off? Who said you could retreat first?"

The new Platoon leader didn't know anything. He was a recently joined commander.

He didn't know about these people. He didn't know about the Troublemaker Squad, or Rem, infamous for assaulting superiors, or Audin, who wouldn't hesitate to separate flesh and bone if it was God's will.

He didn't know about Jaxon, who exuded a silent menace.

Ragna, who rarely got involved in anything, was also unfamiliar to him.

It was Andrew who stood in front of the ignorant Platoon leader.

Rem already seemed to be in a very foul mood.

'If this continues, there will be bloodshed.'

If it ended with just bloodshed, that would be fortunate. Rem might split heads with his axe, one after another.

"We are part of an independent platoon. Therefore, the operational command lies with our direct superior."

Andrew, who had now seen a bit of military life, responded according to protocol.

"What? So, you're just going to stand back and watch?"

The newly appointed Platoon leader couldn't accept this.

Fighting half-heartedly and then retreating to loaf around in the barracks? Some are risking their lives, and others are slacking off?

He couldn't tolerate such behavior, regardless of the independent platoon's status. As a superior officer, he couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.

Andrew saw in the Platoon leader's demeanor a reflection of his own earlier disregard for Encrid.

Back then, he had been utterly clueless.

With a sigh, Andrew looked up at the sky, then lowered his head. There stood a man, resigned, having given up on something.

"My name is Andrew Gardner, eldest son of the Gardner family. This unit is composed of nobility. Just get lost."

It wasn't something he believed. His expression was calm and resigned. It was hard to describe it as the look of an arrogant noble.

Andrew couldn't be bothered to manage his expression.

Mac approached silently and patted his back as if offering support.

"Do you think being a noble means everything?"

The Platoon leader, lips twitching in the strange atmosphere, finally spoke up.

"Well, I guess I'll have to see some guts then."

As Rem reacted to this, Andrew challenged the Platoon leader to a duel. Andrew's quick move to knock the Platoon leader down prevented Rem from swinging his axe.

Instead, only Andrew ended up being beaten.

"Nobility or not, this is the military."

The Fairy Company Commander approached, reprimanding Andrew.

"I will reflect on my actions."

He spoke, and the Fairy Company Commander patted his shoulder, indicating she understood and that it was okay. The words were critical, but the gesture was reassuring.

Andrew was often the one to calm Rem's murderous urges by becoming his sparring partner.

Sometimes, he had to deal with those who knew nothing and challenged them.

As a result, the unit's morale was in shambles.

Part of the reason was the so-called 'Mad Squadron'.

Of course, there were plenty of other reasons as well.

The current position of the 1st Infantry Battalion was to the northeast of the Border Guard.

They were stationed on a gravel field, with the Pen-Hanil River on their left and a few hills to the right that could be crossed within a day.

Here and there, patches of grass were poking through the gravel, and near the riverbank, weeds grew as high as an adult's waist.

On the Green Pearl Plains, part of the knight order and the main army were engaged in a standoff with the enemy's main force.

The role of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the Border Guard was to block enemy forces here.

Their mission was to serve as a barrier, preventing any flanking maneuvers or independent detachments from the enemy.

In a sense, their fate depended on the outcome of the main battle.

If the allies made the first move, they might deploy some of the knights to sweep away the enemy here.

Conversely, if the enemy gained the upper hand, they might face the enemy's knight forces without any knights of their own.

Initially, this was the expectation.

However, as both sides hesitated, this battlefront became a preliminary and vanguard battle.

The infantry battalion and an independent company were evenly matched in terms of strength and conditions.

Both main forces were stationed on the Green Pearl Plains, keeping an eye on this battlefield.

So far, the Naurillia forces had repeatedly been pushed back.

There were rumors of giant soldiers among the enemy ranks.

Some enemy soldiers had stood out, provocatively challenging any better fighters to come at them.

All of this shook the morale of the allied forces.

In such a situation, what was needed was a variable—a game-changer to seize the upper hand.

This variable was evident even to the Battalion Commander.

The so-called 'Mad Squadron', undoubtedly the most conspicuous group.

"If they just fight properly, it'll be enough. Do they have any demands? If we force them, they might just rebel."

The Battalion Commander was wise. He could see the state of the 'Mad Squadron' at a glance.

Although the Fairy Company Commander had somehow brought them here, they were an uncontrollable force.

If necessary, they could be crushed by force, but that was not the time for that.

'The battle has only just begun.'

Battalion Commander Marcus was a battle enthusiast, but he was no fool.

Persuading them in a reasonable way would boost morale many times over compared to using force.

"They need their Platoon leader."

The Fairy Company Commander answered, and the Battalion Commander gave his permission.

"Bring him."

That was it.

The Platoon leader saluted and turned away.

That morning, Rem had declared,

"Bring back our Platoon leader. I don't feel right fighting without knowing if he's alive or dead."

It sounded almost like a threat to stop killing three enemies a day if they didn't.

A swift scout messenger was immediately dispatched.

Three days after the messenger left, Platoon Leader Encrid stood before the Company Commander.

The Mad Squadron had been brought to the rear to meet Encrid.

Thanks to that, they met after only three days.

"If you returned, shouldn't you have come back right away? Didn't you want to see me?"

The Company Commander joked in a typical Fairy manner towards Encrid.

Seeing Encrid's expression twist, she felt pleased.

Seeing that scowling face eased the frustration she had felt dealing with Encrid's Troublemaker Platoon members, who rarely listened.

'Stubborn lot.'

The Company Commander's gaze fell on Encrid's right wrist.

"Injured?"

"I got into a scuffle with some ruffians in the city."

"Was that ruffian a Frog?"

At this comment, the gazes of Krais and Esther, who had come along, fixed on the Platoon leader.

Encrid remained indifferent. It must have been a joke.

"It's not a serious injury."

The wrist wasn't broken. While there was some bone damage, it wasn't severe enough to prevent him from wielding a sword.

It needed treatment, but it wasn't a serious wound. The time spent strengthening his wrist using the Isolation Technique had paid off.

"In any case, welcome back."

The green-eyed Company Commander spoke.

Encrid saluted, and the Company Commander nodded in response.

"Then, go ahead."

Encrid immediately headed to where his platoon members were gathered.

He had wanted to go as soon as possible.

Even though they caused trouble when he was around, the scale of the trouble they caused when he wasn't there was entirely different.

* * *

'Should I quit?'

At first, there were Platoon leaders who would pick fights, but now even those were gone.

Playing around with Andrew had become tiresome.

'There's no real need for me to be here.'

So he thought it was time to consider leaving.

Rem wasn't thinking of an honorable discharge like others might.

He could just disappear without a trace.

The more time passed without Encrid, the more this thought took hold.

'If he doesn't come back today, I'm leaving.'

Even so, Rem continued his routine. It was a repetitive, meaningless day.

Even going out to battle had lost its appeal.

"Die!"

Boring. So boring.

If you're going to kill, just quickly stab with your spear. Why bother shouting?

It caused them to lose their breath and make their spear tips waver.

Rem swung his axe vertically.

The axe blade struck the spearhead.

Clang!

"Urgh!"

With that single blow, the enemy soldier's grip was torn, causing him to drop his spear. To lose one's weapon in the middle of a battle?

This guy wasn't even a fraction of their Platoon leader. Comparing them was an insult, a crime.

Crack.

The axe split the enemy's head. It was still a tedious task.

He killed three men and returned. Days passed in a blend of boredom and weariness, and the thought of quitting emerged strongly in Rem's mind. This place was losing its meaning for him.

With their move to the rear, there were no more battles. There was nothing left to do.

Ragna was in a similar state.

He was listless above all else.

'Is he dead?'

Or why else was there no news?

Without the Platoon leader, everything seemed to revert to the way it was.

He couldn't muster any motivation. Even feeling troubled was too much effort.

Ragna spent his time idly, doing everything half-heartedly.

Except for the time he got lost and slaughtered about a dozen enemy soldiers, he did nothing.

Audin prayed to his God, asking,

'Is it time for me to return?'

As always, his deity responded with silence, respecting his free will.

With no answer, it was clear that the important thing was Audin's own decision.

'Should I go back, or should I stay?'

Audin questioned himself but still had not found an answer.

Jaxon had chosen to join the military with a purpose.

Now that purpose was mostly fulfilled.

Leaving would be easy. There was no need to waste time here.

Thinking logically, it was unnecessary and meaningless.

A series of such days.

It was the epitome of inefficiency, something unthinkable under normal circumstances.

So why was he still here?

'Tonight.'

Jaxon decided he would leave.

Of course, he had made the same decision for the past three days.

On another day, as each squad member spent their time separately.

As the sun set and darkness began to cast its shadow.

Someone entered the tent, now known as the Mad Squadron's tent.

"I'm back."

A simple statement.

It was always the same.

Encrid had returned.

Everyone inside the tent fell silent. Only their gazes quietly exchanged.

An unexpected person was the first to move.

"Ahhh! Why, why, why are you so lateeee?!"

Andrew, bursting into tears, ran to greet him.

His bruised eyes were a testament to the hardships he'd endured.

His crying fully conveyed his feelings.

Encrid looked at Andrew's face and couldn't help but smile.

"Why is he faster than me? Anyway, you're back?"

Behind Andrew, Rem's voice was heard. Behind him were Ragna, Audin, and Jaxon.

In a corner, Mac and Enri were also present.

All eyes were on Encrid.

"Yes, I'm back."

It was his report of return.

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