Dandurg Castle, which served as the Mayard side’s exit of the Flame Emperor Dragon Corridor, could house tens of thousands of people during wartime. In times of peace like the present, it also functioned as a logistics hub where people and goods constantly came and went.

Within that ancient castle, the members of the light infantry company led by Friug received a day of rest. Their company commander, acting as their leader, granted them a brief moment of freedom, excluding the unlucky sentries left on watch duty. They had several options to choose from. Among the most common were maintaining their weapons and equipment, tending to personal belongings, preventing marching sickness, or making up for their lack of sleep. None of these were bad choices, but the place where their free time was granted was an ancient castle that also functioned as a town, containing shops and residences.

In here, they could vent their long-suppressed desires using the modest contents of their wallets. They likely believed it was their duty to do so, and the residents conducting business within the castle would not miss such an opportunity. Back in the city of Saria, Walm had also enjoyed such freedom as just another soldier. Though, having long forgotten what free time even felt like, he had been bewildered by it. In terms of humanity, the Three Fools were probably far superior and healthier than him.

The soldiers scattered throughout the castle, both inside and outside, spending their time however they wished until the gathering hour. The only exceptions were the soldiers on duty and their leader, company commander Friug. Even if they were in the territory of an allied nation, unforeseen circumstances could still occur. If something happened and the commander couldn’t be found because he was busy indulging himself somewhere, it wouldn’t even be a laughing matter. That’s why Friug had to inform the duty soldiers where he would be.

And the freedom he had finally obtained turned out to be nothing more than a meeting in a closed room with two grown men, hardly something worth envying. The host of that meeting, Fleck, finished his polite greetings and spoke.

“I used to think I’d never understand people who became soldiers, but look at me now.”

The man said this with self-mockery in his voice. Walm mostly agreed, though when it came to the former adventurer in front of him, he would readily stamp approval that the man was perfectly suited to being a soldier. After all, it had not been coincidence that their past light infantry company had struggled against defeated soldiers and adventurers in the border forests. Drafted as militia, they had proven their usefulness in the defense of Dandurg. Fleck was someone who could persistently slay monsters while encouraging those around him.

“Don’t belittle yourself. It suits you well.”

“Cut it out. Trying to seduce me?”

When Walm whispered gently like a noble flattering a lady at a ballroom, the former adventurer closed the eye he had lost in battle in clear annoyance.

“If you’d fall for it, I would keep whispering such words.”

Friug who sat with them offered the suggestion in a serious tone. Needless to say, it was a recruitment attempt into the Highserk’s army. But knowing the earnest company commander, it was hard to tell how much of it was actually a joke.

“If I were a young maiden, maybe. But there’s no man who’d waver from being cornered by two guys. Besides, the fact that we’re not enemies right now is good enough.”

The former adventurer’s words clearly defined the relationship between them.

“…When it comes to Fleck, that is.”

“That sounds loaded.”

“To be honest, it’s a difficult subject to bring up, but it’s not unrelated to past grudges.”

Walm spoke about the ambush carried out by the Libertoa Trade Federation in his hometown. Fleck had not been entirely unrelated to that incident either. After all, one of the attackers had been a former member of Fleck’s party.

Unlike before, Walm had learned what adventurers and parties actually were during his time in the Labyrinth City. Because of that, he believed he understood the motivations and pride of adventurers far better. If compared to the army, where soldiers formed large ranks and units of comrades-in-arms, adventurer parties were small groups of elites who shared far deeper personal bonds.

“So they escaped to Libertoa, huh…”

His voice revealed nothing of his emotions. Walm waited patiently for the next words. After a moment, Fleck muttered quietly.

“This is partly speculation. Soon after Highserk won the battle at Sarajevo Fortress, known adventurers received a proposal. In simple terms, they were asked to act as guides.”

“To lead forces through the occupied back territories or for guerrilla warfare?”

Adventurers had a past history of threatening the Highserk army’s rear supply lines during the early stages of the war. It wouldn’t have been strange for them to be called upon again, but Fleck’s answer differed from Walm’s expectation.

“No. The place they wanted guides for was the Great Demonic Territory.”

“The Great Demonic Territory… you don’t mean…”

Friug’s face twisted into a grim expression. Walm silently urged him to continue.

“We fought you people and were badly wounded, unable to move. Or actually, it’s more accurate to say we became cautious. Our homeland had suffered a painful defeat, and even the leader we looked up to, Felius, was in that miserable state. He… Leetia, must’ve been panicking. The two of them disappeared, and adventurers and soldiers from the Four-Nation Alliance entered the demonic territory. After that, the Great Rampage occurred. It wasn’t a coincidence. In that chaos, almost no adventurers returned alive. And even if some did, they’d keep their mouths shut after witnessing that catastrophe.”

Having touched on a fragment of the truth, Walm fell silent in deep thought. Friug likely did the same. That Great Rampage had decisively determined the fate of the empire.

Whether the target had been Sarajevo Fortress or the Highserk Empire Army ruling over Mayard and Felius was unknown. Regardless, the result was the destruction of Felius and the crippling of Highserk. It was not something that could be ignored.

As if searching through distant memories, Fleck took a breath before speaking again.

“Why Leetia and Lefty never came back… maybe they were too ashamed to face us. Maybe it was guilt for causing so many deaths, or maybe they resented Mayard for joining hands with their sworn enemies. I really don’t know.”

Fleck, who had been leaning forward as he spoke, relaxed his posture. As his weight pressed down on the chair he sat on, it creaked in protest.

“When I worked alone as an adventurer, life was easy. If I messed up, the only life I’d lose was my own. But once I formed a party, the weight of my party members’ lives became heavy. The more time you spend together sharing joy, anger, sorrow, and laughter, the more you start to feel that way. After the party separated, I felt lost. Then I became a soldier and gained subordinates. The busy days dulled the feeling somewhat, but in the end, the only thing that changed was what I worried about.”

Just as Walm had come to understand adventurers, Fleck had come to understand the army. Though their starting points differed, their circumstances were quite similar.

“At that time, I failed to fight when it mattered most. As a result, we lost two people. I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s been two years since, so I’ve sorted things out. Besides, we’re both to blame. I let Al be slaughtered by the Great Ogre, and I couldn’t save Amy either. If I had kept a closer eye on the two who crossed over to Libertoa, perhaps it could’ve been prevented… If Al and Amy saw past enemies like us sitting here getting sentimental, they’d probably laugh.”

Silence filled the room. The first to break it was Friug.

“Let’s save the rest of the old stories to our pillows tonight.”

“Don’t say it like a couple whispering sweet nothings. That’s just weird.”

Friug’s sudden remark froze the atmosphere. It was likely his way of trying to lighten the mood, but Walm could only smile wryly. A moment later, the former adventurer also showed a faint smile.

“Right. Following company commander Friug’s suggestion, let’s return to the main topic. After we receive supplies from headquarters, we’ve been ordered to enter the Selta Peninsula by water. One warship and two medium transport ships have been arranged.”

“A whole fleet? That’s quite the welcome.”

“Monsters appear in Lake Selta too. A hero from Crest killed the lake dragon that once ruled it, but lesser monsters still drift around in the water. Recently, even the corpse of a medium-sized lake dragon that had been eaten showed up.”

“A dragon kind? See, this is exactly why I hate water… I’m sick of aquatic monsters. This will be safe, right?”

The memory of the big incident aboard the Adelina was still fresh. To make matters worse, sahagin had swarmed them as well. Ships were flammable, and Demon Fire was a poor match for such surroundings. Burning the enemy was one thing but burning the ship itself would defeat the purpose.

“They say it was probably a territorial dispute between the same species, but I specialize in land combat, so I don’t know the details. Still, Selta’s sea mages are among the elite even among the northern nations. It’s not like Dandurg, where troops keep getting pulled away. Even if a lake dragon appeared, they’d safely deliver us to the peninsula.”

“The reason the Selta peninsula was only blocked and not conquered wasn’t only because of its natural defenses, but also because the sea mages of Selta were active. In fact, in some lakeshore regions there were even counterattacks carried out by units centered around Selta’s sea mages. They were troublesome enemies back then, but it’s a different story when they’re allies.”

The former adventurer tried to take back his careless remark, and the accompanying company commander joined in supporting him. Being talked into it by both of them at once, even Walm had no way out. He couldn’t exactly insist on traveling by land just because he was afraid of monsters. As usual, there was only one thing left to say.

“It can’t be helped then.”

Translator – Lyxxna