Elara entered the inn and rented several rooms. She handed the keys to me and said, "Let the young man rest in this room, Gunnar."

I carried Kaelan to the room and laid him on the bed. Then I returned to the living area where Elara and Draven were conversing.

"Hey, you two," I said. "I'm going to register our party to participate in the assault."

Draven commented, "Didn't you say you were tired?"

"This is for the survival of our party," I said. "And for the gold."

I couldn't pass up this golden opportunity; I would seize that gold!

Runa, who was sitting nearby, said, "I'm sleepy."

Elara said, "In that case, I'll let Runa rest in my room. Afterward, I'll go shopping."

"I'm going to sleep," said Draven.

We separated to carry out our respective plans. I headed to the recruitment post, which wasn't far from the inn. When I arrived at the post, there was a long line. It seemed I would have to wait in line as well.

A recruiter called each person in line to enter the building. When it was my turn, the recruiter asked, "Are you registering as an individual or as part of a party?"

"I'm representing a party of three," I replied. "I was told our party has been invited."

Being invited as a party signified recognition of the party's strength, so we wouldn't need the usual screening.

"What's your party's name?" the recruiter asked.

"We are the Deathblade Party," I answered. I was the one who came up with the name. It sounded cool, didn't it?

The recruiter struggled to hold back a laugh. It was evident that he was scoffing at our party's name.

I couldn't contain my annoyance. "Hey, you bastard! Just so you know, 'Deathblade' is a cool name!" I said angrily.

The recruiter then let out a small laugh. "Sorry about that, haha," he said while checking his list.

"Yeah, I see the name 'Deathblade' registered here," he said as he handed me two contract papers.

"Please sign both of these contracts."

After I signed them, the recruiter handed me one of the contract papers.

"Next instructions, gather in that area to find out which unit you're in," he said, pointing to a crowded place.

I didn't want to spend any more time waiting in line!

So, I promptly went to the place the recruiter had pointed to. There, I saw many people also waiting to learn which unit they'd be in. After waiting for a few moments, my name was called.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Representative of the Deathblade Party, please proceed to the main hall," a sergeant said.

We then hurried to the main hall. There, we saw a general standing in front of a table.

"Welcome, Deathblade Party," the general said. "You've been invited to join the raid operation against the marauders. You'll be placed on the front lines."

The general then handed me a piece of paper. "Give this to Captain Dariel, and you'll join his unit."

From the stories I'd heard, Dariel was quite well-known as a unit leader.

The next day, we prepared to leave. I went to wake up Draven, who was still asleep in his room. "Hey, Draven! Let's go!" I knocked on the door several times until he finally woke up. He got ready and then joined us.

"Elara, what did you buy yesterday?" I asked.

"A lot of food," Elara replied. "I'm sure you'll starve if you rely on what they provide."

"Good thinking, Elara, you're very smart!" I praised.

Now we were ready to go.

Suddenly, Elara remembered something. "Wait, Gunnar, what about Kaelan and Runa?"

"Oh, I completely forgot about the two of them," I said. Gold really made me forget everything.

Draven remained silent, not caring.

"What if we ask Runa to look after Kaelan?" I suggested.

"I'm worried about that," Elara said.

"In that case, I'll pay the inn receptionist to watch over them," I said.

Elara looked relieved. "That's better."

I spoke with the inn receptionist, and he agreed to keep an eye on the kids after seeing the coins I had. I handed him a pouch of coins.

"Please take good care of them," I said. "I'll give you extra if they're well-behaved."

The receptionist smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'll look after them," he said.

Then we left.

We headed to the spacious castle courtyard, where the soldiers were gathering.

Several neat formations had already been formed by the city's private soldiers under the royal banner. They wore uniform and clean armor, their weapons gleaming.

Next to them, mercenaries stood in formation. Their armor varied, as did the weapons they wielded, from swords, maces, flails, spears, axes, daggers, war hammers, to bows and arrows.

Some of them chatted with each other.

I walked among the people, looking for someone named Dariel. Many eyes were on Elara, known as the "Red Sorceress" because of her beautiful red hair.

Haha, they'd be surprised to know we had a powerful Sorceress in our party!

I eventually found Dariel, who was standing and watching the soldiers. I approached him and asked, "Are you Dariel?"

He turned to me. "Yes, I'm Dariel. And you?"

I handed him a piece of paper. "I'm Gunnar," I said. "I was sent to join your unit."

Dariel took the paper and read it. "Oh, yes, I've heard about you," he said. "You're referred to as the 'Sturdy Tank.' You do look strong."

"Nice to meet you, Captain," I said.

Haha, it seemed I was famous too. Well, I should be, because I'm handsome and strong!

He then handed us some armor for our party. "Wear this armor." The armor had the Edoria flag emblem and the symbol of the ruling family of the city of Artelo in the center and on the back.

We put on the armor.

"This armor is quite heavy," Elara remarked. "I don't like it."

"You're not used to it? I'm surprised," I replied.

"Form up when you're ready; I'll confirm it with the officer," Dariel ordered.

Then we formed up, waiting for the next command.

Not long after.

"Form up!" a sergeant shouted.

Our formation adjusted according to the predetermined unit.

One by one, the formations began to move, and eventually, it was our turn to march.

I estimated that there were about 300 soldiers participating in this assault.

There was something that puzzled me. If they were attacking villages around the city, why were we heading south?

In the midst of the formation, I whispered to Elara, "Why are we going south as if the officer already knows their location?"

"Do you remember they're Northerners?" Elara replied.

"So?" What did Northerners have to do with heading south?

Elara sighed as if disappointed with me.

Come on, I'm not that smart.

"They docked around the southern coast," she explained.

Elara continued her explanation. "If the Northerners docked at the northern tip of the continent, they'd have to deal with the Brettier Empire. That's why they sailed from one end to the other just to raid the supposedly safe and vulnerable southern regions of the Edoria Kingdom."

Indeed, the military strength of the Edoria Kingdom was currently weakened due to the Empire's attacks.

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