The problem has gotten bigger than expected.
Andrew, the commander of the security force in the refugee camp, let out a sigh. The representative of the refugees complained that he was being too accommodating to the guards. In fact, he couldn’t argue against that.
For example, they distributed the best supplies to the soldiers who needed them first. Food rations were given to soldiers first, excluding the sick. It was somewhat reasonable.
Because soldiers always had to risk their lives. For immediate supply receipt, hunting, or search tasks, the soldiers had their lives on the line daily.
But if he didn’t accommodate them like this, it was only natural that the soldiers’ dissatisfaction would rampage. Therefore, he had been lenient to a certain extent.
At the same time, he always emphasized that if they acted excessively with their misdeeds, everything they enjoyed would disappear. But he never expected them to cause a scene like this out in the open.
“Was I being too complacent?”
He certainly didn’t pick just anyone for the soldiers. While resources were limited, he picked people with good character — meaning those who could be controlled.
However, the soldier causing the problem this time, Lowell, turned out to be more cunning than expected. He always put on his best effort with a smile before stronger individuals.
Conversely, he showed his true colors in front of weaker ones. The victims were often the powerless sick or children. Consequently, it took a while to notice the damage.
“What happened to Lowell?”
“As you said, he has been imprisoned for now.”
“Good, after discussing with the refugee representative, we will hold a trial immediately.”
“Yes! Understood.”
“The problem is who to fill the vacancy…”
Maintaining troop strength was the highest priority. Even one missing person would overburden the remaining soldiers. However, given this situation, he had to pick someone with the utmost caution.
He had already lost the trust of the people due to this incident. If the same issue arose again, he really didn’t know what would happen. They could very well end up in true division.
In a situation where monsters were imminent, if the people broke apart, it was as good as death. He knew that well, so his choice was heavy.
“I can’t help it. The answer is practically decided.”
“Shall I call him?”
“No need to go far. He should be at the training ground right now.”
“Understood.”
A short while later, the soldier who had been sent out returned with the man. He had gained quite a bit of weight, and his hair was unkempt. He looked nothing like a likable type, even as a compliment.
But Andrew didn’t care about appearances. What’s important for a soldier isn’t looks, but ability and trust. He had actually been keeping an eye on this man since two weeks ago.
Ugly Hans, pitiful Hans.
That was the nickname the others in the refugee camp called him. And they weren’t wrong. Putting aside looks, his actions were nothing short of pathetic.
While everyone was working hard, he just loafed around and got fatter, making him the target of mockery. Honestly, there was a question lingering.
Since Hans hadn’t done any work, he could only receive a very minimal food ration. How in the world did he maintain that plump body? Andrew clicked his tongue.
‘What’s important right now isn’t that.’
It felt suspicious, but the investigation found no evidence of theft. And perhaps due to some change of heart, he had started training at the training ground two weeks ago.
At first, Andrew didn’t care. He thought he wouldn’t last long. But surprisingly, he showed up to train every single day. Because of that, he had lost some weight.
Moreover, he was the one who stopped Lowell’s rampage a week ago. If it weren’t for Hans, they wouldn’t have known that Lowell distributed rotten food to the weak.
“Looks like he has more guts than expected.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind. More importantly, I want to propose something.”
“Wh-what is it?”
He actively stood up to a powerful guard for the sake of a child. Upon investigation, it turned out he even shared his food with the kids. His actions had certainly changed.
Additionally, what stood out was his skill. Although Lowell may have lacked character, he was the best in terms of talent and skill among the guards. Yet, Hans had easily blocked Lowell’s attack.
Even back then, Hans had only been training for about a week. That’s when Andrew realized that Hans also had exceptional talent. He still had quite a bit of weight on him.
But compared to how he looked at first, it was a complete transformation. More importantly, he had the guts to confront someone stronger than himself for the sake of a child. That meant the answer was already clear.
“How would you feel about working in the security force?”
*
He was taken aback.
While training at the training ground as usual, a guard suddenly called him? He was nervously afraid of being arrested again but was astonished to receive such a proposal.
In fact, it wasn’t a bad suggestion.
Normally, it would be barely a delivery boy level service, but in a war situation, security guards held significant authority and received substantial benefits. However, it wasn’t all roses.
Going out to gather food was also a duty of the guards. Many monsters lurked just outside the stockade, aiming for people’s lives.
“I have one request.”
“What is it? Speak up.”
“I want to learn the sword directly from the commander.”
“Learning from me directly? That’s an interesting request.”
So, he put forth a proposal. The idea was to train under Commander Andrew himself. After all, Andrew was a former knight. He was on a whole other level compared to regular soldiers.
If he could receive training from someone like Andrew, he could get stronger than now. Andrew accepted the suggestion readily, and thus he became a part of the security force.
“I’ll teach you twice a week. How does that sound?”
“That’s great.”
“Wonderful. Then I’ll assign a senior to you tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
The security force operates in pairs. Naturally, he would be the junior, and the senior coming tomorrow would be his mentor. That meant he could relax until today, but it wasn’t so bad.
Though it was cheap, he would receive armor and weapons. He could also go out and fight monsters directly. More than anything, if he worked hard, people’s opinions would change quite a bit.
And he could directly train under Andrew. It was nothing but advantages. After finishing the private meeting with Andrew, he stepped outside the training ground. Just as expected, the kid was waiting.
“You’re quite late today! Uncle!”
“I was called by the commander.”
“The commander?”
“Yeah, I’ll be working as a guard starting tomorrow.”
“Wow! Just like the Royal Knights!”
“…Not quite.”
The kid gleamed as he spoke, and Andrew managed a bitter smile. The Royal Knights were akin to heroes among the people. With the invasion of monsters, the continent realized its limitations.
They understood that no single nation could win against the monsters. So the greatest heroes from each race gathered, forming the Royal Knights.
Naturally, it was like a fantasy version of the Avengers. After the Royal Knights were formed, humanity continued to prevail, but for some reason, the majority of the Royal Knights perished.
The story of a fallen Royal Knight’s new commander gathering talented individuals to rebuild the Royal Knights is the premise of this game. Of course, it’s just a game, after all.
“Why did the Royal Knights perish anyway?”
“What?”
“Nothing, how about we play hide and seek today?”
“Sounds great! You’re it, Uncle!”
The actual reasons behind the previous Royal Knights’ annihilation were never revealed. Andrew was curious, but there was no need to worry about it right now. He couldn’t stop it anyway.
After playing with the kid for a while, he began his proper training. The thud of his index finger and thumb meeting causes the scenery around him to turn gray. Soon everything froze.
“Shall we start right away?”
He immediately began doing push-ups. It had already been a week since he started training with the Time Stop. Though it was only a week, the effects were far greater than he had imagined.
First, the extreme stamina consumption accompanied every session, making it much more effective than just exercising. It felt like working out with sandbags all over his body.
Of course, on the first day, he’d fainted from exhaustion. But now, a week later, he could hold his ground reasonably well. It seemed that training through Time Stop resulted in quicker growth.
As proof, he had noticeably lost weight in just one week of training. Sure, he still had an ugly face. But right now, what mattered wasn’t his face, but how much stronger he would become.
“That bastard. Just wait, I’ll definitely come back alive.”
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