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Damian was selected as the vice-commander, followed by the announcement of the ten squad leaders.

Interestingly, among the ten were Dianal, Kyle, Jerka, and Terka.

The twin brothers, Jerka and Terka, had both been Damian’s subordinates in the past.

Vincent continued speaking.

“There will be intense training ahead. And from now on, all training for the Caion Unit will be led by…”

Vincent glanced at Leonhark, standing beside him, and said,

“Instructor Leonhark here. He is renowned as the best instructor within the kingdom. Let me make it clear that disobeying orders will result in severe punishment under military law, so be mindful.”

“Yes, sir!”

The loud response from the soldiers made Vincent nod in satisfaction.

Though there had been a few hiccups at the start, everything seemed to be running smoothly after that.

Vincent continued.

“Our main mission will be operations at the border. Recently, there have been signs of scouts from other kingdoms crossing the border. Our first mission is to capture them, and further, we will engage with enemy soldiers who have infiltrated the kingdom.”

At Vincent’s words, Damian’s expression hardened.

He understood why the Caion Unit was designated as an independent unit.

‘So it’s a kind of special forces unit.’

It made sense why they emphasized combat power.

‘And the border…’

There had been reports for months that suspected imperial scouts were crossing the border.

Given that they had established an independent unit to counter this.

‘The issue still hasn’t been resolved…’

From what Damian knew, the northern border defense was not easy to deal with.

Even in times of peace, borders with other kingdoms always had elite forces stationed.

“There’s not much time, so I’ll speak quickly.”

Vincent continued.

“The first operation will involve only a small number of personnel. Only the vice-commander, the squad leaders, and I will be deployed, while the rest of the soldiers will undergo training at the headquarters.”

The plan was to identify special talents through training and reassign them within the unit.

“And as mentioned initially, our unit must be backed by strong military power. Therefore, if you wish to become a squad leader or vice-commander, you will have the opportunity to challenge for the position on designated dates.”

“Hm?”

“Can we challenge ourselves?”

“Oh?!”

The soldiers’ eyes sparkled at the opportunity.

They now knew they could rise in ranks at any time.

Vincent seemed to ponder for a moment under their gazes.

“Hm, let’s call it a promotion battle. It will be held on the last day of each month, so anyone who wishes to challenge can do so. Those who want to keep their position should work hard to defend it.”

“Yes, sir!”

“As we are just starting out, there may be some rough patches. Let’s try to resolve issues through communication as much as possible…”

Vincent paused for a moment.

Then, he looked at the soldiers and spoke firmly.

“Remember the chain of command.”

“Yes, sir!”

And thus, the official launch of the Caion Unit began.

The soldiers started to unpack their belongings in their assigned quarters.

From now on, this place would be.

“Our home.”

“At least the barracks seem decent.”

“Better than when we were with the Neokalitz Unit… much better.”

It seemed the support was solid, given that they had established an independent unit for such challenging missions.

And then…

“Vice-commander and squad leaders report to the conference room in 30 minutes. We will conduct a strategy meeting.”

Following Vincent’s command.

“The rest of you, gather at the training grounds in 30 minutes. Training will begin.”

At Leonhark’s words, the soldiers started to feel tense.

Leonhark was notorious for his grueling training that even made the knights tremble.

The start of the Caion Unit.

It was already off to an unusual beginning.

* * *

Whap!

“Damn it!”

They had chased with all their might, but the target slipped away right in front of them.

One of the border guards grimaced and cursed.

“Those bastards! Where the hell did they run off to?!”

The figures who had been sneaking around, stirring suspicion, had recently started to infiltrate the border.

It had been quite some time since they had first spotted these scouts moving stealthily, as if surveying the area.

However,

“…Did we lose them?”

The commander of the pursuit team let out a small sigh.

They were convinced the intruders were imperial scouts, but there was no concrete evidence.

Although the kingdom would send a protest letter to the empire, it would have little effect without evidence.

If anything, pressing the issue too hard could provoke the empire to counter-attack diplomatically.

To properly confront them, they needed to capture the scouts and secure proof.

“Damn… We should have caught them.”

They were incredibly fast.

But more concerning…

‘They know this terrain too well.’

That statement carried multiple implications.

Either there was a spy among the kingdom’s soldiers, or.

‘Is there an information route we’re unaware of?’

Either scenario put them in a very unfavorable position.

It meant their adversary’s intelligence capabilities were far superior.

With an uneasy heart, the pursuit commander sighed as he looked at his men.

“Let’s head back.”

Although they had no results, they couldn’t afford to waste more time here.

As they trudged back, each step felt as if their boots were weighed down with iron.

Despite their heavy hearts, they returned with stoic expressions.

* * *

Damian and the squad leaders gathered in the conference room.

Vincent looked at the kingdom map displayed on the wall and spoke.

“The northern border is the area adjacent to the Spanian Kingdom, and our designated area of responsibility is this part here, located to the east.”

Vincent circled a part of the map with his stick as he spoke. Damian asked him.

“So, does the border defense handle the opposite side?”

“No, our mission is to support the border defense.”

“Ah… I see.”

Although the Caion Unit was an independent unit, it seemed they weren’t going to let a newly formed unit carry out such dangerous missions alone.

Vincent then looked at the Spanian Kingdom and said.

“Recently, there have been continuous reports of individuals suspected to be imperial soldiers crossing the border, but there’s no solid evidence yet, making the situation quite tricky.”

“But how are those imperial bastards even reaching the northern border? What is the Spanian Kingdom doing?”

For the empire to reach the northern part of the kingdom, they would have to pass through the Spanian Kingdom.

Between the Empire and the Kingdom of Baroque, there were also three small kingdoms, including the Spanian Kingdom.

Kyle’s question seemed to echo everyone’s doubts as they looked at Vincent.

“It’s just speculation, but it’s likely due to the recent war between the Spanian Kingdom and the Empire. The soldiers who entered Spanian territory during the war might be eyeing their next target.”

“When you say the next target…”

Dianal’s expression hardened.

Damian spoke up.

“It means the Empire might be planning to expand its reach, not just over the small kingdoms in the center, but also to our kingdom.”

“…I think so too. The current imperial leadership has long harbored ambitions of territorial expansion.”

Vincent agreed.

What was surprising, though, was how sharp Damian’s insight was, especially for a common soldier.

‘He’s only fourteen…’

But Vincent quickly dismissed his age from his mind.

Leonhark had given him sound advice.

—What does age have to do with skill?

Vincent decided not to judge him by his age.

Vincent continued.

“For now, we must operate under the assumption that the Empire has ulterior motives.”

“But Commander,”

“Go ahead.”

Vincent prompted, and Dianal continued.

“What if they aren’t imperial scouts? I think we might be jumping to conclusions by assuming they are imperial soldiers.”

“Whether they’re from the Empire or not doesn’t matter much. It’s just that their scouting methods are very similar to those used by the Empire. Regardless of their origin, our job is to capture them.”

Damian nodded at Vincent’s response.

“In that case, clashes could occur.”

“Indeed, they’ll do everything they can not to get caught.”

Besides, even if they were scouts, these were the ones who had repeatedly evaded the kingdom’s border defense.

This indicated they were no ordinary foes.

“But remember, our role is ‘support,’ not direct engagement. Our mission is to assist the border defense by blocking the enemies’ retreat or slowing their movements.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers responded.

Vincent looked at the map and continued.

“First, we will…”

Tap.

“Move to this location.”

The soldiers nodded in agreement.

* * *

Late at night, under the cover of darkness.

While everyone was asleep, Damian lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

‘…A mission.’

This was qualitatively different from merely hunting monsters.

He realized that many people were working tirelessly to maintain this era of peace, more than he had initially thought.

‘I thought everyone would be comfortably enjoying themselves during this peaceful time.’

The Neokalitz Unit was like that, and so was the newly formed Caion Unit.

He wasn’t sure how dangerous this mission would be.

‘It’s a mission where there could be fatalities.’

Although it was a support mission, encountering enemy scouts from an opposing nation still carried significant risks.

And as he later found out, most of the soldiers gathered here had at least 4-5 years of military experience.

The three from the Neokalitz Unit, including himself, had the least experience.

‘Well, that doesn’t really matter.’

What concerned him more was how quickly everyone could react when facing an enemy in real combat.

Especially.

‘The feeling of having to kill an opponent… it’s going to be completely different.’

Dianal and Kyle had experience hunting monsters.

But that was just monsters.

Facing a human opponent was an entirely different matter.

Even when dealing with intruders from across the border, the hesitation that arises when you have to kill a human is unavoidable.

Humans naturally hesitate when it comes to killing another human.

This is why real combat experience is crucial.

Being able to subdue the opponent without hesitation is a critical aspect of warfare.

Damian closed his eyes.

Whenever he closed his eyes, scenes from past battlefields would come to mind.

The first battlefield Damian had faced.

When he had to fight his first battle with a hastily assembled punishment unit.

‘…Many died back then.’

Some died due to a lack of skill, but many others perished because they hesitated at the decisive moment.

In a way, it felt like the same situation could repeat itself.

Swoosh.

Damian opened his eyes again.

‘Perhaps…’

This mission.

Such factors could play a significant role as variables.

He didn’t know what kind of experiences the others had brought with them.

‘It’s never a bad thing to be prepared.’

That way, at least one more person might survive and return.

And if there was one fortunate thing.

‘Meeting Jerka and Terka here… that’s unexpected.’

Although they had wild and animalistic instincts, their talent for warfare was outstanding.

They were out of place in a time of peace, but in an era of conflict, they possessed the most essential qualities.

For now…

‘This mission will be the perfect opportunity to awaken their potential.’

There would undoubtedly come a time when their skills would be needed during the mission.

Damian visualized the upcoming operation in his mind and closed his eyes once more.