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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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Chapter 24 - First Mission! (1)
“Hmm, intriguing…”
The beginning of the empire was marked by the Queres Hendimion Destirona—who was then a prince of the Muras Kingdom and the First Emperor of Muras as well as with Lord Laxihyun Intron, the progenitor of the wise Intron clan who became the empire’s first chief minister and a capable military strategist.
Although Duke Laxihyun Intron’s origins are shrouded in mystery as an ordinary commoner with many hypotheses proposed but none universally accepted.
He revolutionized the military system that was then centered on the knightly order.
He established an organic structure composed of officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers (excluding the knights), he managed to secure repeated victories against the Judas Empire.
“Hey, aren’t you digging quickly? I can’t see you putting your hands to work!”
Clyden tore his eyes away from the book he was reading and glanced over at Kaysis.
He was busy digging in one corner of the garden.
“What’s with that look? Hey, Eres!”
“Did you call for me?”
Eres who had rushed over promptly received a frown from Clyden.
“How exactly do you educate these guys? What’s with that stare on the face of a Private? My goodness, it’s as if he’s trying to devour me whole.”
Kaysis who had been glaring at Clyden quickly averted his eyes when Eres happened to glance in his direction.
Eres fixed Kaysis with a look that said he’d been caught red-handed.
“Hey, does it really take you that long to grasp even one basic concept? Disappointing.”
“…I’ll be careful.”
Eres glared at Kaysis. The Private trembled, gazing at him in fear.
It was the fact that Kaysis had signed that pledge in a daze, rendering him incapable of even protesting that left him completely at their mercy.
“Eres, so…”
“Eres, huh? Am I your friend or what?”
“Ah…No!”
“Is this outside or inside?”
“No!”
“I'm asking! Can't get your head straight, can you? Should I give you a special tutoring session on the basics?"
“No! I’ll be careful.”
“Do you take me for a fool? Do you even think for yourself?”
“Are you even capable of thought at all? You think military life is easy? Are you just posing? If you were so filthy and pathetic, you should have enlisted sooner, then you wouldn’t have ended up like this! Shall I tear off your rank insignia?”
Clyden watched Eres whose almost predatory focus on Kaysis seemed almost beautiful in its intensity with a satisfied smile as he stretched languidly.
Clyden felt confident that Eres would be able to handle any future troublemakers just fine.
Eres was a textbook example of how military life could completely change a person’s personality.
He had already firmly established himself as the platoon’s disciplinarian, earning nicknames like ‘Second Clyden’ or ‘Little Clyden’ from his fellow soldiers.
If Clyden was ever displeased about something, all he had to do was chew out Eres.
Eres would take it out mercilessly on the rest of the troops, an efficient system at least from Clyden’s point of view.
Of course, to the lower-ranking soldiers life was pure hell.
“Well, I didn’t expect it, but I might’ve stumbled onto a clue…”
Clyden looked down at the antique-looking book titled The History of the Empire that he had been reading.
Since he was stuck in the military for the foreseeable future, he figured he might as well start looking into the reason he ended up here in the first place after discharge.
He had picked up the book simply out of boredom but he came across something that might be a lead.
“The wise Intron family, huh… That’s the reclusive ducal house holed up in the east, never showing their faces.”
“Hmm… Maybe I’ll go visit them after I get discharged. Tch, not like they’d meet with me anyway. Well, I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
Clyden was actually starting to enjoy his time in the special forces unit, which had turned out to be far more comfortable than he expected.
Civilian assistance service was essentially a kind of manpower lending program.
It existed to put the youthful, energetic labor force trapped in the military to better use to areas that needed workers, almost free of charge.
For the soldiers, it didn’t really matter if they were working hard inside the base or outside it—either way, they were exerting themselves.
At least, they got to breathe some fresh air and eat something other than the dreary military food.
For the employers, it was a jackpot almost free labor.
A textbook win-win strategy.
Of course, civilians who already had tight ties with nearby military units weren’t going to request work from a laughably unknown unit like the C.A.S.F.
With no real tasks to do, top-tier facilities, a beautiful commander, no meddlesome higher-ups since they were an independent unit this was basically paradise on earth.
The only thing to watch out for was the mad dog Clyden.
Aside from that, their unit was quickly becoming the number one most envied unit among the soldiers.
“But man, is it really okay to be getting paid for this? It’s nice and all, but I feel a bit guilty. No, considering how hard it is to manage these spoiled brats, I should be getting thanked.”
“Hell, shouldn’t someone be handing me an award or something?”
As Clyden enjoyed the slow and peaceful afternoon, Lydis suddenly burst into his room.
“Are you slacking off during duty hours?!”
“Oh come on, it’s not like working has ever gotten me any praise.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be managing the unit?!”
“Eres’ll handle that.”
“What about personnel and admin management?!”
“Eres’ll handle that.”
“Have you finished preparing the training and education schedule?!”
“Eres’ll handle that.”
“What about the supply requests and the repair plan for broken equipment?!”
“Eres’ll handle that.”
“You! What on earth are you doing, then?! You’re dumping everything on Eres!”
Lydis finally snapped and shouted at him.
Clyden just gave her a sly grin and replied in an irritatingly smug tone.
“Tsk, tsk. Guess they don’t teach this stuff in the officer academy. If I’m doing all that myself, what’s the point of having a company clerk? All I do is check for any issues and sign the paperwork.”
“Gah!”
Every time Clyden brought up the fact that she didn’t graduate from the academy, Lydis was left speechless.
She looked around the room trying to find something, anything to use against him.
Suddenly, her expression turned to one of admiration.
Clyden had been given a cramped, poorly designed room deliberately assigned to inconvenience him due to an architectural oversight.
Instead of complaining, he completely renovated it.
He knocked down one of the walls so the garden was fully visible from inside.
A change even Lydis couldn’t help but feel a little envious of.
Now, Clyden was lounging in a nearly reclining position on a sleek, unfamiliar-style chair behind a sturdy-looking desk.
The chair looked so comfortable that even Lydis found herself wanting one.
But then, something familiar caught her eye.
“Wait a second! Isn’t that cushion from the sofa in my room?!”
She pointed at the slightly visible cushion propped behind his back, clearly recognizing it.
Her tone turned triumphant.
“How dare you take something from my room without permission! That’s theft!”
Clyden let out a sigh and gave her a weary look, clearly annoyed by the outburst.
“Let’s be real for a moment. You’re not from the Iron family, are you? You’re totally a Deviron.”
“How dare you say that! That’s the worst insult you could throw at me!”
“Then why are you acting so petty?”
“What…?!”
“I mean, your room has cushions all over the place. You’re freaking out over just one? Honestly, I’d think you were related to the Devirons with how stingy you’re being.”
“I am not! I am not a petty person!”
“Oh? Then why are you flipping out over one measly cushion?”
“I didn’t flip out! I was just—!”
“Ah-ah! As a member of the Iron family, respected across the Empire for their generosity, you should lead by example! If a subordinate’s got back pain and borrows a cushion.”
“You shouldn’t go full Deviron on them, you should be asking if they need more! That’s the kind of noble generosity you should show!”
“I was just about to say that! Hmph! If you need it, you’re free to use as many cushions as you’d like!”
“Ah, thank you very much. I’ll make sure to take you up on that often.”
“Then I’ll be off. I have other business…”
Clyden watched her beat a hasty retreat and chuckled to himself.
“Man… how’s someone that innocent supposed to survive in this cruel world? Tsk tsk.”
Clyden felt a tiny speck of concern for Lydis’s future but he quickly leaned back again to continue his book.
Just then, Lydis came barging back in.
“Hm? Forget something?”
“I completely forgot to say why I came here in the first place.”
“Make it quick.”
Lydis pulled out a document from inside her coat and thrust it toward Clyden.
“This is it! The glorious first mission of our unit! Prepare for deployment!”
“…Huh?”
Clyden snatched the document out of her hand and examined it carefully.
Order No. 3279
Issue Date: Imperial Year 752, August 27
Implementation date: Imperial Year 752, August 27
Assigned Personnel – Civilian Assistance Special forces:
-Second Lieutenant Lydis Hugh Iron
-Sergeant Clyden von Rondel
-Corporal Eres Hugh Iron
-Private Kaysis Hugh Deviron
“The above personnel are to carry out the mission immediately upon receipt of this order.”
“The assigned individuals must deliver the enclosed documents to the village chief of Aizu,
located in the Eastern Ziras Mountains. The delivery has no set deadline.”
“…No deadline?”
Clyden furrowed his brow as the words on the page made him do a double-take.
His expression twisted in disbelief.
In the military where punctuality is practically sacred ‘no deadline.’
It means take your sweet time and don’t rush back.
It was as if the order was saying, go hang out in the mountains and chill.
He stared at the document for a moment longer, then looked up at Lydis, who stood with her chin high and a smug look of pride on her face.
He couldn’t resist.
“Okay, I get that you’re going… but why the hell do I have to go?”
“Hmph! Are you refusing a formal order from Command?”
She shot back, puffing up with righteous indignation.
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[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
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