"Cadet Gin Vence!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Why do you look like you would die any minute!? Your body is so frail, slender, and weak! Do you think you would survive in this place!?"
Huh, what is this— wait, right! It was my first day in this army!
Waking up to my reverie, I answered.
"I was just forced to come here, sir! I mean, insisted! But well, since it is a requirement for everyone to attend and I have the qualifications, who would miss such an opportunity!"
"Oh?"
The army officer formed a light smile.
"Naïve but commendable! Will you say that after being trained by here?"
Eh, what does that mean—
Then, the view in my front changed.
The next thing I found revealed me clutching the brink of the mountain ridge after slipping to its floor. It was an outdoor training session where every first year was involved.
"Huh!?"
My hands are visibly shaken.
"Help!"
I cried out for assistance while preserving this immobility, realizing that any misstep could prove fatal. A demise on this mountain promised to be agonizingly painful.
A few minutes passed and I barely felt my arms.
"Help!"
And I was screaming still.
Yet there was no hope no rescue coming.
Doubts lingered in my mind as uneasiness crept inside me.
In that instance, I came to the stark realization that self-reliance was the key. Depending on luck, relying on peers, or even counting on loved ones proved insufficient at such times, like this one.
Indeed, even if they seem dependable, there are occasions when they might exploit you, leading to potential harm for either you or them.
Gritting my teeth, I forced my numb arms to push me up.
Persisting with determination, I struggled to rise, a task that consumed a good half-minute.
"Hahh…"
This proved to be one of the most grueling training exercises and endeavors, pushing me to the brink of near death.
On all fours, I crawled along the ground, turning around to gaze at the dark skies infiltrating the sunlit day.
My lips were dry, my throat was parched, my breathing ragged and soon, exhaustion washed over my body.
I closed my eyes.
Then opened them once more, revealing a different scene.
"Huh…?"
Inside a wooden cabin where frame without pictures are plastered along the walls, my eyes wandered around only to see Ariana sitting on the side with an unfocused gaze.
'I was dreaming…'
Upon detecting faint movements from me, her lifeless eyes began to gleam, and she adorned an exhausted yet relieved smile.
"How are you feeling?"
Standing up, Ariana walked to help and I was sitting still on the bed I was in.
Thinking for a reply, I answered, "I'm fine, ma'am. Where are we?"
Ariana watched me from head to toe before answering, "We're finally going back now. You, Oliver, and Trex were carried through a stretcher."
Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the side where Trex emitted brief groans from his mouth, prompting only a chuckle from her.
I could only smile at his situation.
"You know, I thought he was a brat at first, but he is reliable and kind. Maybe because he's born into the subsidiary family, he looked serious and arrogant all the time."
"He's still arrogant."
"Right…"
My eyes wandered some more, seeing a missing body in this room.
"Commander?"
At that moment, Ariana began to explain the entire situation that happened once Captain Dune found us.
By the looks of it, Dune and the reinforcements were met with Lupire's familiars on the way. They suffered a few casualties on their part that slowed down their way here.
Once he met us, they built a makeshift camp for us and the others who were injured. Since we were in the worst condition, we have held priority especially Oliver whom they found after half an hour of searching.
It was five hours since then.
And half-hour before now Dune started venturing away from the second area once Oliver's health stabilized. They also brought a lot of Horrors with them for them to study as what found here was irregularity.
Ariana was the initial one to awaken within our group. Surprisingly, the next to stir was none other than Oliver, now undergoing treatment for his worsened-conditioned soul.
I was next.
"We pushed ourselves to the limit huh?" Ariana remarked.
Nodding once, I chuckled, "You don't need to mention it. Every muscle inside my skin is still squirming still."
"Your strategy on covering up ourselves in robes also helped very little thing. Are you expecting that Horror is a dumb one?"
"Oh, right… Well, I think he was wary of your power than him being dumb. He's far from that word, you see. And I thought we'll give you an opening and you know…"
Upon uttering the word 'we,' Ariana's laughter gradually dwindled, becoming forced as she attempted to uplift the mood. However, it all soon subsided as the harsh reality set in.
Her eyes started to redden.
"I couldn't protect them until the end."
Her words struck me harder than these all injuries combined.
"It was my responsibility as your captain but… I should've thought about you guys first rather than some stupid rescue missions…"
Tears started to fall down on her cheek.
"I was incapable, not worthy but it's not like I have the ability to turn back time and redo all my past actions. I regret everything but now I have to move on."
Soon, those tears have dried up and looked at me.
"I'm going to quit, Gin."
"…"
Silence filled the room for a split moment.
"My accomplishments are enough. I've helped clear three uncleared regions already. It wasn't supposed to be enough but with these reports of an irregular Horror where it has intelligence on its own, unimaginable power? Our higher-ups should be glad."
'Quit, huh.'
Ariana served the army for ten years, adding her training in the academy, it's exactly thirteen years.
Her accomplishments are spread throughout and the only way to quit an army is to gain a considerable amount of feat. There are a lot of processes, papers needed to be done, and amount of days to do this.
Yet if one wanted to quit, it's possible. War heroes had done it too.
She's retiring from her duties as a vice commander. She's retiring from her duties in the army.
Her rationale was evident. The anguish she endured was overwhelming, and beyond this dreadful experience, she must have faced similar ordeals before.
That made her decision quite resolute.
Hence, my question in my head changed and a soft smile replaced my expressionless lips.
"What are you going to do once you retire?"
Ariana, visibly shocked, perhaps from not inquiring about her reasons, soon composed herself and fell into contemplation.
"When I retire huh…"
There was a pause before she brimmed with a smile.
"I'm going to rest of course."
Knock—!
Abruptly, a knock came from the cabin door and a voice came from outside.
"Vice Commander Ariana, Captain Dune is asking you and Private Gin to meet him. Commander Oliver is already there."
Ariana answered, "We'll be right there."
She faced me and continued.
"Let's continue our talk later."
We rose from our beds, but as I was still adjusting, Ariana extended a helping hand. I placed one hand on her shoulder as we started walking towards the cabin door.
'He could've come here.'
But it seems we're in no position to negotiate and complain about some things when we broke the initial rule.
Once we exited the cabin, my eyes wandered to the side where we transversed through the swamp, particularly to the Pale River which we've passed through already.
It was quiet and the mid-size ship moved gently.
We trailed the woman, relying on her guidance until she departed just as the meeting room came into view, directly in front of us.
Bowing her head at us, we entered together and saw a table of six, mugs on the table prepared beforehand, and a map of the whole swamp on a much larger front.
Oliver occupied a spot beside Dune, who perched on the edge of the table. Ariana settled in beside Dune after arranging a seat for me.
Essentially, the chair arrangement had Dune positioned in the middle between Ariana and Oliver, with me seated right beside Ariana.
When it was supposed to be Oliver in the middle or edge since that's usually where the commander or the vice commander usually sits.
Kind of disrespectful to him but that's how it became since there are consequences on our actions.
"Hello, vice commander."
Ariana nodded once and Dune got straight to the point, after carefully observing the three present in the room.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. What you've four done broke a simple order. And because of these, sixteen people that ventured into the second area only returned four people, and for what? Sorry for being disrespectful but you all will be reprimanded."
Duke shook his head, "The higher-ups will execute more orders so in the meantime, I would like you three to have a leisure time."
His gaze then turned firm, "But do you think I deserve some explanation? What the hell happened in that area? I don't see the three power supply anymore, there is blood scattered around, and hundreds of corpses of Horror are seen."
Ariana was about to speak but Oliver raised his hand and started telling him the truth, this time, no lies in his words.
Due to his lies which he will start to shoulder from now on, lives were damned.
From start to finish, he explained what transpired. Starting from his expedition a few years back, from the battle against the King of Familiars, Lupire, and the grimoire Crux of the Unseen Wonder.
Dune's expression fluctuates intermittently, and when Oliver divulges all of his secrets, a heavy silence descends upon the room.
"This book… May I see it?"
There's a dangerous glint from Dune's voice.
"I think it would be better to let the officials have it. This is too dangerous to give."
"Are you underestimating me, Oliver? I'll hold it for you since you are being reprimanded. You might use it as your weapon. For safety precaution."
Oliver was hesitant before asking us for answers.
Ariana agreed but to me, Oliver should handle it since he was the one who had a clear understanding of how the book works.
But he believed Ariana.
"Hahh…"
Releasing a sigh of defeat, Oliver extended his hand into the air, and it passed through a fabric of reality. His hand, seemingly cut from the outside, gradually extended, revealing a book emerging into view.
Oliver handed the grimoire to Dune, whose expression remained unchanged until he grasped it in his hand.
"Kekekeke."
There was a voice coming from the book which Dune dismissed.
Screech—!
"Are we done here?" Oliver asked as he stood up.
He was only met with silence.
But it didn't take long before Dune answered with a smile on his lips.
"Yes, we're done."
Then, It happened very suddenly.
Dune swiftly retrieved a standard handgun from his holster, taking aim at Oliver's head before pulling the trigger.
Bang—!
Unable to comprehend what had transpired, I attempted to shift my attention to Dune, only to be met with another gunshot from him, this time directed at the person beside me.
Ariana attempted to make a move, but before she could react, Dune shot her squarely in the forehead, propelling her backward into the wall.
Thud—!
"Hahh…" Dune slicked his hair backward as he licked his lips, "Take took veryyy long time."