After retreating from the Wasteland, the Sixth Company immediately moved toward the City of Inaka.

Of course, Captain Valentino didn’t forget to report to the Central Government on his way to the city.

Using his terminal, he contacted his superiors from the military.

An angry voice resounded inside the truck.

“Valentino! What do you mean you’ve abandoned the mission!”

Lieutenant Kram trembled when he realized who the voice belonged to.

It was the voice of Defense Secretary Theodoro Karvaal. He was the man who held the second highest authority in the entire military, second only to the President of the Republic.

And unlike the President, the Defense Secretary was known for his iron fist. The number of officials he’d sent to the gallows during his term could no longer be counted in one hand.

Lieutenant Kram understood that they needed a man like the Defense Secretary during such turbulent times, but being subjected to his rage was still a terrifying experience.

“Forget the central part of the Wasteland,” said Captain Valentino. “We won’t even reach the middle part if we proceeded with the mission.”

“Valentino! Monster horde or not, you should have proceeded with the mission! Do you even realize how grave of an offense this is! If that massive ship – or whatever that thing is – turns out to be more dangerous than the Lightning Dragon Uurgamak, how do you plan to handle the consequences of not investigating it beforehand!”

Captain Valentino firmly held his ground.

“Defense Secretary, Sir. I’ve seen the monster horde with my own eyes. I can feel it – those monsters were running away from something.”

“Can feel it? Is this how a Captain of a company should act? The military officers move based on feelings now, huh?”

“It’s the intuition of a soldier who’d been to the battlefield for more than twenty years, Sir.”

The voice of the Defense Secretary turned even colder.

“Captain, I’ve been a soldier even before those damned portals opened in this world, thirty-five years ago, at a time when you were still a toddler. Intuition? Everyone has that! And just because the damn thing tells you to retreat doesn’t mean you should order your men to do so!”

Captain Valentino knew the Defense Secretary had a point.

Not all intuitions were correct, and it was actually foolish of him to retreat because of it.

But alas, he couldn’t ignore that nagging feeling he got back then. Also, he’d promised his men that he would take full responsibility for this, and he planned on seeing this promise to the end.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Inaudible murmurs were heard through the terminal. It seemed that the Defense Secretary wasn’t alone. He was currently discussing everything with the people around him.

After some time, the Defense Secretary spoke again.

“Hah… Valentino, consider this your lucky day. It’s decided that we’ll be sending out the Eight Company instead. They’ll be departing from the City of Kraus, so it should be far from the monster horde you’ve encountered.”

The Defense Secretary continued, “In return, you and your men are to go to Inaka City as planned. Coordinate with the mayor and come up with a way to defend against the monster horde in the event it starts attacking the city.”

“Understood. I’ve received the orders clearly, Sir.”

The Defense Secretary clicked his tongue.

“You will still be punished according to military law once everything is over. You understand this, don’t you, Captain?”

“Yes, Sir.”

The Defense Secretary sighed.

“What a waste of talent. Given a few more years, with your skills, you could have risen to the rank of a Brigadier General. But because of this incident, even if you manage to avoid capital punishment, you’ll be demoted two ranks at the very least.”

There was a long pause.

The Defense Secretary asked, “Valentino, do you regret your decision?”

Without hesitation, Captain Valentino replied, “Not at all, Sir. It was the best decision I could make at that time.”

It seemed to be the correct answer. The voice of the Defense Secretary turned somewhat warmer.

“At least you still have your convictions with you. Proceed as ordered. Coordinate with the city mayor and help the city defend against the monsters – Valentino.”

“—Defense Secretary, Sir.”

“Being demoted to a mere Sergeant is far better than becoming a corpse. So. Don’t You. Dare die.”

Captain Valentino smiled. “I won’t, Defense Secretary, Sir.”

***

Knowing that they would be kicked out of the Fifth Dismantling Center the moment Manager Craug became the new director, Rocky and Jack immediately searched for a new job in the city.

They’d talked to almost all of the store owners in the central market by now, but every employer they’d met shut their doors the moment they saw Rocky’s dark skin.

Even those who had large ‘We Are Hiring’ signs on the window blatantly lied to their faces, saying that the position had already been taken.

“Jack, at this rate, you won’t find a job as long as you’re together with me,” said Rocky.

Jack’s massive build would easily land him a job in Inaka. The only reason he’d failed to find a new job was probably due to the fact that he’d been tagging along with a Carvian.

“It’s fine. I’m living alone, and I have a bit of savings left,” said Jack.

“—But.”

“—People won’t even talk to you if I’m not around. Those bitches. What do they think about Carvians? It’s not like you’re walking around with a deadly virus in your hands. Stupid assholes.”

Hearing those words, Rocky realized the real reason why Jack insisted they hunt for jobs together.

He’d been tagging along so that the store owners would give Rocky even a chance to introduce himself.

If Rocky were alone, he probably wouldn’t even be able to talk with half of those people.

“I owe you one again,” said Rocky with a self-deprecating smile.

Jack patted Rocky’s shoulders. He grinned.

“Just treat me to an expensive hotel once you make it big, yeah? Or better yet, buy me one of those new mana-powered rifles the military had been developing recently.”

They were wishful thinking, but Rocky thought there wouldn’t be any harm in dreaming big.

Besides, wasn’t he aiming to obtain the Elixir?

Compared to the price of that medicine, a mana-powered rifle basically cost nothing.

“Just rifles? Once I make it big, I’ll give you a personal army, Jack,” laughed Rocky.

“Hahaha! I look forward to it!”

As the two continued walking the streets, they noticed a commotion nearby.

“Hm? What’s that?” muttered Jack.

The two of them moved closer, toward the gathered crowd.

“Make way! Move! The Sixth Company is passing through!”

Rocky and Jack were momentarily mesmerized upon seeing the people that had just arrived in the city.

Soldiers, armed to the teeth, marched in formations. Behind them were military trucks, ATVs, and supply vehicles capable of traversing the Wasteland.

Based on the emblems painted on the trucks’ bodies, it was the Sixth Company under the Archon Battalion of the Second Brigade.

Compared to the city guards, those soldiers were the real deal.

Even the aura they were emitting as they marched felt suffocating.

Those soldiers were weapons of carnage trained to kill not just humans, but also monsters.

Rocky and Jack heard numerous murmurs as the Sixth Company passed through the main street.

“Wow, it’s the Sixth Company.”

“Isn’t that the unit under Captain Valentino?”

“Holy shit, look at those rifles. Aren’t they those so-called mana-powered weapons the military has been developing recently?”

“Yeah, I heard they’re capable of piercing the hides of monsters, unlike ordinary bullets.”

“But why did they come to this city?”

Jack and Rocky had the same question in their minds, too. They felt that it was too much of a coincidence that the army came here days after the ship that landed in the Wasteland was spotted.

They felt that these soldiers’ arrival and that unidentified ship were correlated.

Until the soldiers disappeared from sight, the two stared at the Sixth Company as it made its way toward the Municipal Hall. They were probably on their way to meet the mayor.