"Are you bloody kidding me?"
I stared incredulously at Iris. "They want to join the Lunatics?"
Iris shrugged. "Well, we are arguably the best unit in the Shield, and these guys are like the super rookies. Makes sense for them to aim for the top squad."
We were gathered in one of the larger, less-used corridors of Necropolis.
Overhead light panels cast a stark brightness on the newbies standing before us.
You know who I'm talking about.
Carlo Devereux, Ava Baskerville, Krystal Macleod, and the Fray twins stood expectantly, their eyes shifting between Iris and me.
It had been two weeks since they became Deathwalkers and completed their seven battles, all passing with flying colors.
The Deathwalkers before us were markedly different from the green recruits of two weeks ago.
Ava Baskerville avoided my gaze, a tremor evident in her brown eyes.
Krystal's crazy demeanor had mellowed, and Carlo seemed perpetually on edge.
But Ava looked the most affected.
Word had it she watched a childhood friend die brutally at the hands of a daemon. She even had to kill another close friend who turned into a wraith.
Such experiences in their first few battles could break a newbie. Yet Ava, despite the trauma, didn't crumble.
Instead, she pressed forward with a steely resolve, a testament to the unyielding fortitude instilled in her by the Baskerville Family.
The Baskerville Family sure is something.
Then there were Artemis and Apollo, the Fray twins.
Despite enduring the same horrors as the others, they exuded an unusual calm, as if they'd faced similar challenges before.
Just what the heck happened to the Frays?
Despite extensive research, the fall of House Fray remained an intriguing enigma yet to be unraveled.
Weird. I'll have to dig deeper. But that's for another time.
My attention shifted to a conspicuous absence. "Where is Sean Blackwood?"
I almost forgot about the guy whose face I turned into a bloody pulp with tarmac.
While the three from the Axial Families subtly averted their gazes, the twins appeared genuinely baffled by his absence.
"I have no idea, Vice Captain," Artemis responded.
"Same," Apollo nodded.
"He got the split banana treatment," Iris chimed in.
I blinked. "Really?"
She nodded. "Saw it myself."
I arched an eyebrow. "How on Asteris did that happen?"
"He was caught off guard by a formidable A rank," Iris explained. "And you need an A ranker to overcome another A ranker."
Ah, yes. That's the way the power hierarchy works.
Let me enlighten you, dear readers.
There's a significant surge in power when one reaches the A rank and beyond.
To defeat an A ranker, you must possess the same rank. And this holds true when confronting an S ranker as well.
While a group of formidable A rankers may hold their own against a single S rank opponent, they would still find themselves outmatched against the S ranker.
Only an S ranker possesses the capability to overcome another S ranker.
Such is the substantial gap between B rankers and A rankers, and A rankers and S rankers.
It appears that young master Blackwood was unfortunate enough to face an A-ranked daemon.
It's a pity. I was beginning to develop a fondness for him.
I sighed. "Oh well, let him rest in pieces."
"Your Highness!" Carlo looked aghast at my reaction.
"Calm down, Carlo. Such deaths are commonplace in the Shield." I frowned. "Have you guys really completed your seven battles?"
The five newbies nodded simultaneously.
"In just two weeks?" I asked, surprised.
"Actually, I finished in one week. I was recovering the other week," Carlo interjected.
"What the heck, man?" I shook my head. "It took me a bloody month to finish my seven battles!"
"Well, you were F-rank when you first started," Iris pointed out, giving me a knowing look.
I rolled my eyes and grumbled under my breath.
"So you guys want to join the Lunatics?" I inquired.
They all nodded again.
Ava spoke up. "We heard that Unit 21 is the best in the Shield despite its collection of mentally ill individuals."
"Jeez. Still sharp with words despite what you experienced," I remarked.
She avoided my gaze and responded, "A Baskerville moves forward even when everyone they love is dead."
"I noticed." A smile formed on my lips. "Maintain that mindset. There will be more deaths in the future."
I looked at Iris. "Well? You are the captain."
She shrugged. "I guess we take them in. Besides, we are having a personnel shortage."
"Um," Krystal raised her hand, "Where are the rest of Unit 21, or is it just you two?"
Iris smiled. "Nah. We aren't flying solo. The Commander dispatched the rest of the Unit on a lengthy expedition led by our previous captain."
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "The previous captain isn't dead?"
I chuckled. "Nope. He passed the Unit Captaincy to Iris when he achieved the title of Reaper."
"Reaper?"
"A title granted to a Deathwalker who accomplishes mind-blowing and legendary feats, making them the most elite in the Shield," I explained.
Iris nodded. "Our former Captain, Jack Raven, earned the title of Reaper after delivering a devastating blow against Asphodel, an immensely powerful abnormal that notoriously single-handedly massacred multiple Deathwalker Units."
Yep. You heard her. Asphodel wiped out whole Units of experienced and powerful Deathwalkers on one fine day.
That's how insanely powerful that rooty son of a bitch is.
Anyway.
I looked at Iris again. "There are five of them. You want to devise some sort of test?"
She pondered. "Like what?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Something like hunting Pookie Bears? Hopefully, we won't get swept away by an avalanche."
Iris's eye twitched. "You really are not going to let it go, are you?"
"Never," I grinned.
"Jerk," she called.
"Bitch," I responded.
Iris huffed and turned to face the newbies.
"Since there are five of you, we would like to see how you will act as a team with us. Think of this as a test."
She tapped her bracelet, and a holographic map of Les Anciennes popped up. I recognized the Shield, and a red dot marked something a good distance away from it.
Iris began her briefing.
"Earlier this week, a group of lower-ranked Deathwalkers explored Les Anciennes and stumbled across what seems to be a broken pathway leading to an ancient ruin."
"After following the path, they discovered an ancient entrance carefully concealed beneath rocks and snow."
"Unfortunately, they faced a halt in their progress due to the area being teeming with high-ranked wild ardimals, and they encountered a formidable barrier," she explained.
"So, they returned to the Shield and shared their findings. Minerva wants us to eliminate the troublesome ardimals and explore further," she finished the briefing.
Iris grinned. "The initial explorers are fine with us prancing around and discovering the ruin that they discovered first."
"So." The holographic map disappeared, and Iris stood between me and the newbies, her eyes eager for adventure.
"Shall we go and explore some ruins?"
"Yes, Captain!" the five newbies voiced together.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm and watched her hurry off to get ready.
"Where are you off to?" I asked, a playful smile on my lips.
"To our room? To get the necessary stuff?" she responded.
"Ah." I closed my eyes and nodded. "It's the other way."
Iris quickly turned around and walked swiftly past me. "Right! I knew that! I was testing you!"
I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Yeah. You were."
After she left, I looked at the assembled newbies. "You guys got your rooms?"
They nodded.
I smiled. "Good. Get ready and pack some bags. We're going on a small expedition."