"Let us begin."
As Ralyks spoke for all to listen to, a massive portal opened right behind him, the likes of which no one present had ever seen before.
Space distorted all around him, and like a massive tear in reality, the spatial rift manifested right behind him.
Every single soldier who watched was in awe.
Some had heard stories of the Dark Adventurer, but no one had ever truly seen this side of him.
Perhaps a few guards were fortunate to see Ralyks executing the Dragon back when the Capital was attacked, but their numbers were too small compared to the few thousands that gathered in the open fields.
"What are you waiting for?" Conrad raised his voice at the soldiers who were spacing out.
Their blank and utterly stunned faces soon began to change as soon as they heard their Royal Councilor's—now turned Commander's—voice echo out.
"Match in!"
The grown men obeyed and rushed in, utilizing their formation in due diligence.
Before long, they were all able to venture into the massive portal that greeted them. Not a single one was left behind.
"Shall we?" Ralyks turned to the only man who was yet to enter.
Grandmaster Conrad himself.
"Yes, Sir Ralyks."
The two men then walked into the shrinking portal, feeling the ripple of space as they entered.
From the open field of Royal Estate, their vision instantly changed into the view of a massive military clearing in the outskirts of the Merchant City.
It was a large camp, with tall walls surrounding its vicinity—hence preventing the prying of outside forces.
The overhead was an open sky, but a certain Magical Barrier formed a barrier that prevented any sort of spying from above.
As a result, the three thousand soldiers—as well as the occupying seven thousand—were fully protected from the observation and interference of the outside world.
The total size was about fifteen hectares of land, most of it a barren field dedicated to training or the assembly of all the soldiers.
There was not a single grass to be seen on the ground, and several wooden buildings and temporary tent-like structures filled the residential areas for the soldiers.
It was clear that this place wasn't meant to be stayed at for too long. It was a station meant for transition: nothing more, nothing less.
"Every major city's outskirts has a post like this. It was designed this way because of the Dragons." Conrad murmured, slightly looking at Ralyks.
The Dark Adventurer responded with a subtle nod, before uttering a few lines.
"Are all of them as large as this?"
To that, Conrad made a sad smile and shook his head.
"The Merchant City is an exception due to its huge size and incredible relevance. Most posts are about as large as a hectare. Sometimes less."
"I see…"
Conrad and Ralyks once again looked at the surrounding area and noticed the seven thousand, five hundred soldiers already converging with the three thousand.
As their numbers slowly merged, someone rushed to Conrad.
It was a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties, pretty, but also having a certain fierceness about her.
Her dark brown hair was cut short, but it still had a feminine flair to it. She wore full plated armor, and one of her eyes was blocked with an eyepatch.
Her color theme seemed to be black, but the blade of choice that was hung on the strap around her hip had a silvery glow to it.
The moment she reached Conrad, she fell to her one knee, raising the other as she bowed her head in reverence.
"Greetings, Councilor Conrad. General Lucy pays her respect to you."
Her voice was stern and deep, almost masculine. Whether this was natural, or an accent that she had formed over time, was unknown.
At least, to one of the two who watched her greeting.
"Ah, Lucy! It's been a while."
Conrad smiled broadly at the younger lady, his face quickly moving towards the man beside him.
"Sir Ralyks, this is Lucy. She's a General, and she'll serve as the Vice Commander of this entire operation."
Upon hearing this, Ralyks took a few steps forward and stretched his hand towards the woman who still had her knee planted to the ground.
"I hear it's difficult for women to become soldiers, talkless of rising up the ranks to the position of General." He began, his voice containing a rare emotion for a man such as Ralyks.
—Respect!
"You have quite the achievement; becoming a General at such a young age. That in itself is deserving of respect."
Lucy kept her head bowed, but she accepted the outstretched hand offered by the Dark Adventurer—someone she had already been briefed about.
As soon as she shook his hand, she found herself standing upright.
An expression of surprise filled her face, but she did her best to drown all of it and simply respond to the kind words of the Alliance's benefactor.
"I deeply appreciate your words, Sir Ralyks. However, I am still far from adequate."
A certain glint of ambition glowed in her eyes, and Ralyks seemed to like it.
"I see. Then, I look forward to seeing how far you go."
General Lucy nodded, her lips curling up to form a resolute smile.
"I will do my utmost not to fall short of your expectations."
**********
"I like her enthusiasm."
Once Lucy finished giving Conrad her report and returned to attend to the soldiers, Ralyks said this to the Councilor.
Everyone in the United Human Alliance knew of the stereotype that pervaded its inner workings.
Women were seen to be more talented in Magic and males were considered to be more primed to be Warriors and Martial Artists.
As a result, positions of soldiers were occupied almost exclusively by men, and women were a very small minority—
usually taking up lesser or administrative roles.
They could also be medics or cooks.
In such a world, Lucy had managed to bypass the rank of Lieutenant, Colonel, Major, Captain, and Marshal, obtaining the position of General.
Only the Admiral and Supreme General positions were left for her.
In response to Ralyks' statement, Conrad nodded, staring at the woman's fierce address to the soldiers.
"Yes. I like it as well."