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“Damian, Dianal, Kyle.”

Tarion called out as he stared blankly at the documents on his desk.

‘Could it be…?’

Damian had sensed that the atmosphere was unusual recently, but already?

He watched Tarion in silence.

After a moment of contemplation, Tarion looked up at the three of them and spoke.

“First, what I’m about to say is not an order. It’s not mandatory.”

“Yes, sir.”

Damian answered on behalf of the group, and Tarion continued.

“It seems that new troops are being recruited near the northern border of the kingdom. And no, it’s not the Border Guard. They’re creating a new unit that will operate in that area.”

“A new unit?”

“Yes, the details are still unclear, but it seems this decision was made because of the recent unsettling movements of other kingdoms.”

Damian’s eyes narrowed at Tarion’s words.

Indeed, the kingdom’s recent actions had been rapid, to the point where the word “swift” barely captured it.

‘Things have accelerated since the surrender of the Spanian Kingdom.’

Normally, after the Spanian Kingdom’s surrender, the Empire would take a short breather.

Then, it would continue to provoke the smaller kingdoms nearby…

‘Are they saying they don’t need a break?’

Though the exact reason was unknown, the anticipated timeline seemed to be moving forward.

At this rate—

‘Three years? No… perhaps even sooner.’

It was inevitable that the Empire would wage war against the kingdoms on the continent.

Although Damian was gathering information about the Empire’s current situation through Diel, more and more convincing evidence was emerging as time went on.

“So, our unit plans to recommend the three of you for this new unit. Each unit has been asked to recommend their best soldiers.”

“Thank you for thinking highly of us.”

“But what kind of missions will they be carrying out there?”

Dianal asked.

Tarion shook his head.

“Nothing has been decided yet. Of course, if you go there and don’t like it, you’re free to return, so feel free to make your decision.”

“Yes, understood.”

Damian, Dianal, and Kyle left Tarion’s office together.

While Dianal seemed to be deep in thought, Kyle was more direct.

“Hey, what are you going to do?”

“Why? Are you going to do whatever I do?”

“I’ve followed you this far. Isn’t that obvious? Haha.”

Kyle chuckled at Damian.

Damian turned to look at Dianal.

She had a complicated expression, likely torn over the decision.

‘It makes sense, given Dianal’s situation.’

Unlike Damian and Kyle, Dianal had been assigned to the Neokalitz unit as a form of punishment.

She couldn’t transfer elsewhere by her own will.

But the idea of moving to the northern region was both unfamiliar and potentially exciting.

Dianal asked Damian.

“What’s your opinion?”

“There’s nothing to think about. We should go.”

“…Why?”

Dianal asked.

Damian had only been with the Neokalitz unit for a year.

And he wanted to leave without hesitation?

But Damian spoke firmly.

“It’s much more peaceful now. We can’t train in the Bronselian Forest anymore.”

“Training…?”

This guy…

From the beginning, he hadn’t seemed ordinary.

‘Is he really insane…?’

So if he was leaving, it meant—

“You think the northern unit is more dangerous?”

“Yes. I suspect the new unit being formed and deployed to the north is because scouts from other kingdoms are lurking near the border.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard it from Diel. Ever since the war between the Spanian Kingdom and the Empire ended, the Empire’s atmosphere has been strange. It’s possible… they’re looking for another opportunity to start a war.”

War is addictive.

Once one experiences the pleasure of taking, it becomes difficult to let go.

‘No matter how much they have.’

That’s the nature of desire.

“Hm…”

Dianal wore a serious expression.

But Kyle was more straightforward.

“Okay, then I’m going too.”

“Haha, if you keep following me around, you might end up dead.”

“But it’ll be fun, right? Haha.”

Kyle laughed along.

This guy wasn’t ordinary, either.

Dianal then spoke.

“…I’ll go as well.”

“Are you sure? Your rank might change there.”

“Well, doesn’t that mean I might end up with more people under me?”

“Haha, that’s possible.”

In a new unit, it was uncertain who would be in command. However, it was likely that everyone would start on equal footing.

‘That’s how most new units are.’

Damian turned his gaze toward the Bronselian Forest.

Everything was moving faster than anticipated.

He had thought they would have exclusive control for a year, but starting six months in, other nobles began intervening in the forest.

Baron Wilkis seemed to be trying to keep his promise, but it wouldn’t be easy.

“So when do we go once the decision is made?”

“It’ll probably take some time. They’ve only sent the official notice, and they aren’t fully prepared yet.”

But everything would likely proceed within three to four months.

In that time, he would have to prepare to wrap up his life here.

“I need to go somewhere for a moment.”

“To the Hamel Trading Company?”

“Yes.”

Damian nodded.

He also needed to discuss this matter with Diel.

And then…

“It seems I’ll be leaving Erkal soon.”

At Damian’s words, Diel nodded as if she had been expecting it.

* * *

A warm cup of tea.

Damian smiled as he sipped the steaming tea.

“It has a nice aroma.”

“Right? This is something I discovered in the Bronselian Forest. I’m planning to develop it into a specialty product of Erkal.”

Damian looked at Diel.

He had merely provided her the opportunity called the Bronselian Forest.

But Diel had achieved results far beyond what Damian could have imagined.

‘Is this the power of the Hamel Trading Company that once dominated the continent?’

Damian didn’t know why Diel’s father, the real leader of the Hamel Trading Company, had died.

But ever since she took over as the leader, the company’s moves had been nothing short of groundbreaking.

Who knows how things will unfold in the future?

‘Choosing Diel turned out to be a brilliant move.’

It was crucial to support her as much as possible.

“…Is there something on my face?”

“No, I’m just impressed. Thinking of developing this tea into a specialty product couldn’t have been easy.”

“It’s thanks to the help of others. It wasn’t just my idea.”

She took a sip of her tea with a faint smile. Then she asked,

“When do you plan to leave?”

“Probably in about three months.”

“You’ll be busy.”

Diel chuckled.

She didn’t need to be told.

Knowing Damian’s nature, he would try to do everything possible here before leaving.

Damian scratched his head at her remark.

“Speaking of which… the last time we talked…”

“Here it is.”

Diel placed a box on the table as if she had been expecting this.

Damian’s eyes sparkled.

“This is all… of it?”

“Yes, it took quite a bit of effort.”

Diel smiled slyly, showing she had become a bit like Damian after working with him for some time.

Damian opened the box Diel had given him.

“…Wow.”

Inside were 15 pills, slightly smaller than walnuts.

Damian was amazed at the elixirs.

However, Diel seemed displeased.

“For the amount of ingredients used, we only managed to make 15 of them. We’ve been gathering materials for six months.”

“I did make a rather excessive request.”

Damian knew how difficult this was.

But Diel’s expression turned serious.

“I don’t know what you plan to use these for, but be very careful. If you consume them as is… you’ll die 100% of the time.”

Damian was well aware.

The key ingredient that Damian had emphasized was essential for creating these elixirs:

‘It’s the Madman’s Blood Herb.’

The Madman’s Blood Herb got its name from its blood-red leaves that often shook like mad.

It emitted a fragrant smell as it shook, luring insects and animals to eat its leaves, only to trap and consume them.

This bizarre plant’s survival method involved sticking its roots into the bodies of dead insects and animals to suck out their blood.

It was an aberrant variant completely different from ordinary plants, so herb gatherers usually uprooted and destroyed it on sight.

That’s why it wasn’t well known.

For most gatherers, the Madman’s Blood Herb was a despised existence.

Damian asked, “Have you set aside the ones for sale?”

“Yes, I only added about 10% of the Madman’s Blood Herb to the elixirs meant for you.”

Even at 10%, the elixirs were maximized for efficacy.

Diel commented, “It’s amazing. Making medicine from such a poisonous plant… Where did you learn this?”

“My late father was a hunter and taught me a lot about herbs that grow in the mountains.”

Sorry, Dad.

But it was the perfect excuse.

Diel nodded.

“He must have been an incredible person. The herb gatherers in Erkal seem only eager to throw it away.”

“Keep the Madman’s Blood Herb a secret for now. There’s no such thing as an eternal secret, but let’s monopolize it for as long as possible.”

“Don’t worry. Only one person knows the formula, and it’s someone I trust completely.”

That was enough.

Damian took the box Diel handed him.

Diel repeated, “Once again, please be careful. These aren’t elixirs but more like pure poison.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Damian returned to the unit with the 15 elixirs made from the Madman’s Blood Herb.

This was the final puzzle he needed to complete in Erkal.

‘…I can do this.’

As Diel said, consuming these elixirs without preparation would result in instant death.

The toxicity of the Madman’s Blood Herb was extremely potent.

However, the human body, much like steel, grows stronger when hammered and pushed to its limits.

The key was to create an environment where the body could endure and overcome.

‘The Delft Mana Technique reached the 4th rank because of the dark energy.’

The minimum requirement for this attempt was the 3rd rank, but now that he had reached the 4th rank—

“Sigh…”

Damian moved to the place where he always trained his mana technique.

He closed his eyes and recalled everything that had happened in Erkal.

Destroying the crystal corrupted by dark energy had granted him 4th-rank mana.

His fortuitous encounter with Bard was another stroke of luck.

Thanks to that, his body had been reconstructed, and the impurities had been purged.

Even these two alone were more than enough luck for a lifetime.

However,

‘Now for the final…’

If he consumed the herb elixir, the poison would spread through his body, causing it to stiffen.

But if he neutralized the poison with mana and allowed his body to adapt and digest it—

‘One step… no, more than two steps forward.’

Damian opened the box and took out one of the elixirs (?).

And then…

Gulp.