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“Haah.”

The members of the Caion unit returned to their barracks and let out quiet sighs as they each sat down in their respective spots.

It was because they still couldn’t shake off the feeling of their first battlefield experience.

“……”

Some of the unit members looked at their own hands.

The sensation of trembling that wouldn’t stop was a strange experience for them.

It was understandable.

There was no doubt that they were an elite force, but excelling in battle wasn’t necessarily guaranteed by that alone.

The actual battlefield was a place where the overwhelming eeriness and despair coexisted, enough to crush a person with its mere atmosphere.

To be able to perform at one’s usual level in the first real battle was something that might apply to one person in a thousand… no, one in ten thousand.

In that sense, the Caion unit had made a remarkable start.

Even though they hadn’t yet shaken off the battlefield tremors, they had still managed to showcase a significant portion of their abilities in battle.

“Why does everyone look so down?”

In the gloomy atmosphere, Damian asked.

In response, Dianal spoke up.

“I think everyone was quite shocked since it was their first real battle.”

“……”

Damian silently looked at them.

He understood.

Because he had been there, too.

No, in fact, Damian’s first battle had been nothing short of utter chaos.

He’d been tossed around and running for his life, and before he knew it, the first battle was over.

Some had even said that it was a miracle he survived.

But still…

“Everyone, listen up.”

Damian walked to the front of where the unit members were seated and spoke in a low voice.

“Recall this last battle.”

Damian brought the battlefield they were trying to forget back into the barracks.

“The enemy glaring at you as if they would kill you. And the swords and spears flying toward you, threatening your life.”

This wasn’t training; it was real combat.

“And the sensation of cutting off the enemy’s neck, piercing vital points, and taking lives.”

Everything was still vivid.

Damian saw the expressions of the unit members harden as they recalled the battlefield.

But Damian continued speaking without hesitation.

“From now on, there will be more situations like this.”

War is cold. And it’s terrifying.

Even Damian, who had been through countless battles, still had to steel his heart before stepping onto the battlefield.

However,

“War is nothing more than a despairing, insane act that takes everything you hold dear.”

That’s why they had to fight.

To protect what was precious to them.

“Don’t have compassion for your enemies on the battlefield. Don’t think everyone has their own story. Don’t grow weak looking into the eyes of dying enemies.”

Damian spoke to the unit members as if reciting a spell.

“Fight only to protect what is yours. Trust only in the comrades beside you and continue moving forward. That is what we must do, and it is the only thing we can do.”

If you can’t protect it, all your actions are meaningless and empty.

Damian had already experienced losing everything because he couldn’t protect it.

A despair darker than the pitch-black darkness of dawn.

The emptiness and the overwhelming grief.

‘That day…’

All the people Damian cherished and loved died.

Under the swords and spears of the Empire.

They were trampled underfoot and crushed brutally.

Damian looked at the unit members and spoke.

“If you felt lacking in this battle, then train even harder. Strive to become stronger. That is your duty.”

At those words, all the unit members nodded with determined expressions.

The trembling in their hands had stopped at some point.

Now, in the barracks, there were no longer those trembling from the aftereffects of the battlefield, but rather victors who had protected what was dear to them.

The members of the Caion unit had a somewhat refreshed look on their faces.

Then, Damian looked at them and asked.

“Is there anyone who’s too injured to train? Ah, didn’t Jerka say he was hurt?”

“No! It’s just a scratch!”

Jerka jumped up from his seat and shouted.

Damian looked at the others and spoke.

“What about the rest?”

“No one!”

A shout so loud it echoed through the barracks.

Damian nodded at that.

“Good, then we’ll start training right away. Everyone, gather at the training ground.”

When your mind is troubled, the best thing is to move your body.

At Damian’s words, all the unit members rushed out to the training ground as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Once again, the Caion unit took a step forward.

* * *

The atmosphere had significantly changed since the first battle involving the entire Caion unit.

They had always been focused on training, but now their immersion was even deeper.

“It seems something has changed.”

“They must have learned a lot.”

“The first real battle is always like that.”

Leonhark said as he watched the unit members undergoing personal training.

Even just the official training must have been exhausting, but they were still doing personal training afterward.

That’s how significant their experience in the last battle must have been.

At Leonhark’s words, Damian nodded. But then,

“Commander, could we have a moment of your time?”

“Hmm?”

Jerka and Kyle approached Damian.

They were usually the most energetic ones. But today, they approached Damian with rather serious expressions.

Damian asked.

“What’s up?”

“Could we request a sparring match? And also, could you give us some feedback on what we’re lacking?”

“……Hah?”

Damian looked at them with an expression of surprise.

He never expected these two, not Dianal or Terka, to come asking for feedback on what they lacked.

Damian looked at Dianal, who was standing a little distance away.

He was earnestly swinging two swords, practicing what he had learned from Leonhark.

Swoosh.

Their eyes met.

Dianal nodded.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed that these two had already gone to Dianal as well.

‘That guy…’

It seemed Dianal had sent these two to Damian, knowing that he was the only one who could give them a clear answer.

Damian then looked at Jerka and Kyle.

“I can do it, but are you sure? I won’t be holding back.”

“If you hold back, we’ll refuse.”

“…Fine. Let’s go.”

Nodding, Damian began walking toward the training ground.

Many unit members were already gathered there, sparring with one another.

Each of them possessed remarkable skills, so just by sparring together, they were learning a lot.

“Let’s do it here.”

Damian stepped into an empty area. Then, looking at Jerka and Kyle, he asked.

“Who’s going first?”

“I’ll go first.”

Jerka stood before Damian.

Kyle made a regretful face, but since Jerka had already stepped forward, there was no turning back.

Damian picked up a training staff.

It didn’t have a sharp blade, but in Damian’s hands, it felt incredibly threatening.

Jerka grabbed a wooden sword.

Exhaling softly, Jerka raised his tension.

Damian looked at him and spoke.

“Come at me first.”

“Then I’ll go first without hesitation!”

Swish!

Jerka rushed toward Damian with swift movements.

Jerka’s strength lay in his excellent balance of power and speed.

Moreover, his aggressive swordsmanship could overwhelm his opponent.

As Damian watched Jerka charging, he lightly stepped back and thrust his staff forward.

Swish!

Jerka quickly ducked to avoid the staff that stretched straight toward him.

He pushed forward without losing speed. At the same time, Damian drew back his staff and extended it toward Jerka’s legs.

“Ugh!”

A quick switch from an overhead attack to a low strike.

Jerka swiftly swung his sword and deflected Damian’s staff.

If he could continue deflecting like this, he could immediately close the distance.

However,

Swoosh.

“……!”

The staff, which had been deflected, drew a circle as if sliding and struck Jerka’s thigh forcefully.

Thwack!

“Gah!”

It was just a light wrist snap, but the impact delivered through the staff was considerable.

As Jerka flinched for a moment, Damian spoke to him.

“Rushing in boldly is fine, but you should at least gauge your opponent’s level. If this had been a real spear, your thigh would be bleeding profusely right now.”

“……”

Jerka’s expression hardened.

Biting his lip, he stood his ground and raised his sword.

His movements were certainly more cautious than before.

He focused on the staff in Damian’s hand and his overall stance.

A chilling sense of pressure weighed down on his chest.

‘Was he always this intimidating…?’

Clearly, Jerka was the larger one in terms of physique.

But somehow, Damian, holding the staff, seemed to grow larger and more imposing.

He felt as if there was no opening to be found. But at that moment,

“Are you just going to keep staring?”

“No way!”

Jerka shouted as he charged at Damian again.

If his previous movements had been too straightforward,

Swish!

This time, he went with an unpredictable approach.

Jerka moved to the left, then twisted his body to the opposite side with a quick step, as if sliding.

His exaggerated movements were meant to prevent Damian from finding an opening to attack.

Swoosh!

As Damian’s staff reached out, Jerka tilted his body to the side.

Just as Damian’s staff cut through the air.

Thud!

Jerka stepped forward with large strides and swung his sword at Damian.

His bold movement allowed him to significantly close the distance between himself and Damian.

“Haaah!”

With a loud shout, Jerka’s sword aimed straight for Damian’s shoulder.

But that wasn’t the end of his plan.

If Damian dodged, he intended to relentlessly follow up with an attack on his legs.

However…

“Do you still not know what the problem is?”

“……What?”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Like a snake, Damian’s staff curved and struck the back of Jerka’s thigh.

It was the same spot that had been hit earlier.

As Jerka’s body staggered, Damian reached out with his left hand and grabbed him by the collar.

Grab.

“Wha—?!”

Jerka’s body was lifted off the ground in an instant.

Damian had thrown Jerka to the ground with just one hand.

Crash!

“Gah!”

Jerka couldn’t even manage a proper scream.

Slammed into the ground, he felt the wind knocked out of him.

“Ugh…!”

As Jerka writhed and twisted on the ground in pain, Damian straightened up.

He looked at Jerka and spoke.

“Your strength lies in your excellent balance of power and speed. That’s why your movements are quite stable.”

Jerka’s balance allowed him to move smoothly while maintaining offensive capability.

“And that’s precisely why you’re overly focused on offense.”

“…Pardon?”

Barely able to sit up, Jerka winced in pain as he frowned.

Damian continued.

“If you’re going to attack while getting inside the opponent’s range, you need to think about defending afterward as well. But you’re only thinking about chaining your attacks, so you end up leaving yourself wide open to the enemy.”

Damian lightly tapped Jerka’s left arm, which was wrapped in bandages.

“Argh!”

“That’s why you get these kinds of injuries even from unremarkable opponents. Always keep both attack and defense in mind while you fight.”

He had the typical style suited for overpowering weaker opponents.

This allowed him to be exceptionally strong against those weaker than himself, but against opponents of similar skill, he was prone to receiving serious injuries.

Upon hearing Damian’s words, Jerka seemed to ponder something deeply.

“…Thank you, Commander.”

He took Damian’s hand and stood up.

Damian patted him lightly on the shoulder.

“It was a good fight.”

“Thank you.”

As Jerka bowed and left the sparring ground, Damian turned to Kyle, who was standing beside them, and spoke.

“Next.”