"Know what... We will be dealing with? Not you?"

Drake shrugged uncomfortably. He had already expected this awkward situation from the moment he spoke. It wasn't that he was a coward - quite the contrary, otherwise he wouldn't have gone against an army major for a bunch of Barbarians. However, he wanted to become a ranger, and joining the military would only make that more difficult.

"Yep. Can I be honest with you, major?"

"Uhmm... Fire away."

"I want to become a ranger, sir. Before you say anything, this is not a foolish dream. If you have time to waste, you can ask around, and you will discover I'm already on the right path."

"You have to join the Menoraz Army! When the kingdom is threatened, it's every citizen's duty to defend it and His Majesty!"

The one who spoke wasn't Major Alcamond, but the captain. Drake assumed that since she was there, the major trusted her. And, although he wasn't happy with her tone, he knew there was no easy way out for him. No matter what he said, the soldiers would look at him and think he was a coward. Ultimately, however, they couldn't force him to sign up - well, they could, but he didn't believe they would.

"One man more or less won't make a difference to the war. It would only hinder my future, and end up doing more bad than good. Once I become a ranger, I will have the means to stop a war before it even starts. However, the prerequisite to that is to become one, and I want to maximize my chances."

"Coward. You admit this is only for your selfish purposes!"

He stared at the woman, starting to get pissed off. The more she talked, the more Drake felt like just turning around and walking away. The only reason he didn't was because the major had yet to say anything. The older man was just staring at him intently.

"We all do things for our own purposes. Call me a coward if you must, but I already gave my reasons."

"You..."

"Captain, that's enough. I would like you to rethink that, mister..."

"Drake. Drake Stronter."

It was only now that Drake remembered he hadn't introduced himself. Well, he wasn't exactly in condition to do so before.

"Mister Drake, you already showed you are far more capable than most recruits, and certainly more experienced than any. By signing up, you could most probably receive an officer post from the start. A sergeant, or maybe even assistant lieutenant."

"Tempting, Major Alcamond, but no thanks. I think I already made myself pretty clear. Besides, I don't think I would make much progress in a military career. I have a history of shooting a*shole officers."

"Err... What's that supposed to mean?"

"Doesn't matter. So, if that's all, I'm leaving."

"Actually, that's not all."

He was already turning around to leave when Major Alcamond called him. Frowning, Drake looked at the major, who passed him a telephone. Curious, Drake picked it, and placed it next to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mister Stronter. I am General Isabella Lilac. I wanted to thank you for bringing back that intel. Without you, Carl's sacrifice would have been in vain."

"T-That General Lilac?"

Drake's eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn't stop a small stutter. If rangers like Ben Higler were legends known to all twelve kingdoms, than General Lilac was a legend in Menoraz. She came from a family deep-rooted into the military, and quickly ascended through ranks. She fought countless battles, and won most of them.

However, the reason she was so famous was because she fought alongside her soldiers. Unlike other officers, she didn't stay at the back, watching the battle from a safe distance. She was always in the middle of it, risking her life at every second, while at the same time somehow managing to control an entire battlefield. She was so respected and loved by her soldiers that it was rumored that if she tried to turn against Menoraz and the king, they would still follow her.

"The one and only. Now, listen here, kid. I did my research on you, and I have to admit your track record is impressive. So, you will join the army. Question is whether you will do it willingly or not."

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Drake wasn't surprised General Lilac knew who he was, and what he had done. She had probably been listening in to their conversation, and someone in her position could easily find information on a commoner like him. She probably wouldn't have said anything if Drake had kept his mouth shut about not joining the war. Unfortunately for her, Drake was never someone to change his mind after it was set, not even if the other person was one of the most influential in the whole kingdom.

"Sorry, ma'am, but I already said what I had to. This is a war I won't take part in. I'm not cut out to be a soldier."

"Hahaha... You are bold, I like it. But don't you feel the least indebted to your homeland? If Lapidum were to win this war, all the people you love and know will suffer."

Drake frowned when he heard that. The general was right. If Lapidum Kingdom took over Menoraz, the civilians would certainly suffer for a long while. Of course, the chances of Lapidum annexing Menoraz entirety were close to zero, otherwise the same twelve kingdoms wouldn't be standing after millions of years. However, while his grandfather would be safe, since Blue Coral City was quite far from the borders, the same couldn't be said to others. He still had many friends and kin in other cities, ones that were much more likely to be attacked.

"I know that. However, one person won't make a difference. If you really looked into what I did this past month, general, I think you will agree that I can do more to help if I'm free from rules and discipline."

"Yeah, you got a quite impressive history here. In fact, if you are interested in knowing, Erinster will be spending the next five years in prison. He got a sentence reduction due to his connections, but you won't have to worry about him anymore."

The general talked calmly, almost as if she was praising him. Only, that couldn't be true, right? If Major Alcamond and the captain could hear General Lilac's end of the call, they would probably be freaking out.

"However, I have to insist that you sign up. You say a person makes no difference, but if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't know that we have four hundred thousand Lapidum troops already inside our territory until it was too late. Our spies... Haven't been having much luck. Carl was just the last one in a long list of casualties."

"And when do you plan on telling everyone that Menoraz is about to be invaded?"

Changing the subject to one more comfortable to him, Drake asked the question that had been bugging him all this while. He had never fought in a war before, and the last one Menoraz faced was over ten years ago, but by all he knew, the general populace should have been warned before enemy troops stepped into their kingdom. By the pictures he had seen in Carl's camera, not only that hadn't happened, but Lapidum had also confronted and killed at least thirty blue-coats.

"This... We were caught by surprise too. An announcement will be made the day after tomorrow. We wanted to have more intel before doing so, and your actions proved crucial."

"Uff... If, and that is a big 'if', I were to sign up, may I make a request?"

How could Drake not identify the subtle hints that the general was dropping? The simple fact that some as high and lofty as her was willing to talk so calmly to him already made Drake feel guilty for rejecting her. He still was, after all, a citizen of Menoraz. Future ranger or not, it was difficult to ignore the kingdom where he was born and raised when it was facing a terrible plight.

"Oh? You are making a request to me? Haven't seen anyone do that in a long time. You really are cut out to be a ranger."

"I will take that as a compliment. You said... Carl was just the last of a long list of lost scouts and spies, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Let me take his place, then. I don't need an officer's rank or anything like that, only liberty to come and go as I please. I can bring back intel, and, at the same time, help anyone I meet along the way without having to worry about regulations."

There was a long pause on the other side of the call. Most likely, General Lilac was considering his words. It wasn't everyone who dared to raise a request to her even after she had already given them an order. However, Drake had carefully chosen what he was going to say, and he knew she couldn't say no to him when he made so much sense. They really needed good scouts, and he was the best choice she had at the moment.

"All right, I will agree to it, on one condition. You report to me, and to me only, got it?"

"Roger that, ma'am. Any orders for me, then?"

Well, there he was. In the span of a few minutes, everything he had said about not joining the military went down the drain, but at least he managed to retain his liberty. He wouldn't have to use a uniform, march, and stuff like that. Still, he was somewhat embarrassed that he had changed his mind so quickly, even after vehemently affirming to the major that he wouldn't join the army.

"You said you encountered Lapidum's scout group, right? Did their Iferes look like huge spike balls?"

"Uhmm... Yeah. How did you know?"

"They are one of their top squads, an Advanced Special Recon and Assassination Unit. Name is a mouthful, but the soldiers usually call them Cleaners. They make other kingdom's spies disappear. Clean them. Menoraz has... Something similar."

Drake nodded slowly, even though General Lilac couldn't see him. He wasn't a gullible kid, to think that only Lapidum had a group of killers. He had seen an army major trying to start a war with Barbarians, criminals, a*shole Secret Sevice agents, righteous and corrupt cops, and much more. There were good and bad people everywhere, and while he was biased towards Menoraz, he wasn't naive enough to believe everyone there were heroes and saints.

"Anyway, the Iferes they use called Andasites. I was informed you got wounded by one, so I certainly don't need to tell you how dangerous they are. It would be useless to have you follow their tracks, they are too good to leave any. Stand by until the announcement is made, okay? After that, I will have some orders for you."

"You got it... Boss. I need some time to heal anyway."

"Uhum."

General Lilac hang up, and Drake put down the phone with a frown. There had to be a reason as to why Lapidum was attacking now of all times, and he was pretty sure the general knew it. However, he didn't dare to ask. He decided he would try to discover said reason by himself. He was, after all, a scout of the Menoraz Army now. The more he knew about the war, the better.

Turning to Major Alcamond and the captain, he saw that both had expectant expressions. For them, it didn't seem weird that Drake went back on his words, not when the one asking was General Lilac. One didn't simply refuse her.

"Well then, major, it seems like I'm on your team now. You got anything that I can show to others in case they stop me?"

There was still no sign of respect for a superior in his voice. He was politely neutral on his tone, but that still made the captain furrow her eyebrows. Unfortunately for her, Drake didn't give a damn about what she thought. If they tried to punish him for being insolent or anything like that, he could just leave the military. Worse came to worse, he would just leave Menoraz.

"Here. The tag is proof you are a Menoraz soldier. Only a corporal, though, so don't get cocky."

"Yes, sir."

Grabbing the small metal plaque that was thrown to him, Drake nodded to Major Alcamond, and left the office. After that, he made his way back to the infirmary. He had an inkling that the first mission his new boss would assign him wouldn't be easy.

-----------------------------

"Ingenum, Exesa, was this your doing?"

"The sapling needs adversity to grow strong. You all know what is coming. If he doesn't face war now, he won't be prepared for what happens later."

"We agreed not to interfere!"

"I'm not interfering too much. If Exesa's children didn't attack mine now, they would have done so in a few months. We just gave the final push."

"Grr... Listen to my words! We are going to end up sending him down the wrong path! When our brother finally escapes, the first thing he will do is look for him. If his heart becomes tainted by hatred and anger... He could very well turn against us."