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All the unit members were gathered at the drill ground.

On the podium stood Vincent, the former commander of the Caion Unit, and Damian.

Vincent looked at the entire unit and made a declaration.

“As of this moment, Staff Sergeant Damian will take over as the commander of the Caion Unit. I hope you all cooperate well under Damian’s leadership and continue to perform admirably!”

“Yes, sir!”

As the unit members responded, Vincent glanced at Damian.

Damian nodded and then turned his gaze to the unit members.

“It’s been a while, everyone. Honestly, it hasn’t been that long, but with everything that happened in those seven months, it feels like a lot longer.”

Damian recalled his seven months at Makstri.

Each day felt so intense, like every hour was precious.

Damian addressed the unit members.

“There will be plenty of tough times ahead—enough to make you feel like you’re dying. But I’ll always be the first to face them. You just have to follow this great commander.”

Damian grinned as he finished speaking.

“That’s all.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

The unit members burst into applause.

Some cheered loudly.

Some looked at him with a smirk as if to challenge him.

Others had determined expressions.

With that, the inauguration ceremony ended, and Damian returned to the barracks, where he was immediately assigned an office.

Vincent handed over the office he had been using to Damian.

Damian asked Vincent.

“Where are you headed now?”

“I’ll return to headquarters. That’s where I was originally.”

“The headquarters of the 6th Corps?”

“Yes.”

Damian knew Vincent was affiliated with the 6th Corps headquarters.

He also knew that Vincent had earned significant trust from Kiaran, the commander of the 6th Corps.

Damian nodded at Vincent’s answer. But then, Vincent smiled slyly and said to Damian.

“I heard you made an interesting proposal to the corps commander.”

“Yes, I thought it would be helpful.”

“Who knows? But it seems like you didn’t ask for enough. The corps commander is someone who always keeps her promises. If it’s within her authority and not illegal, she would have granted it.”

“That’s why I made that request.”

“I can’t tell if you’re modest or if you’ve got something else up your sleeve.”

Vincent shook his head, but his face was full of smiles as he looked at Damian.

“I believe you’ll do well.”

Damian had already proven himself beyond expectations at the border defense.

‘And then even at Makstri…’

How far could this guy go?

Vincent lightly patted Damian on the shoulder.

He was genuinely confident that Damian would succeed.

Just then—

“Commander! You have a visitor.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

A scheduled guest had come to see Damian.

* * *

“How did this happen?”

“Are you surprised?”

From Erkal to Valphate, then to Makstri, and back to Valphate again.

It was like he was everywhere at once.

Diel, who had come to Valphate to meet Damian, couldn’t hide his shock.

“Suddenly, you’re in charge of military supplies? What is this about?”

“It’s not the entire kingdom’s military. For now, it’s just the 6th Corps.”

“Still…”

Diel found the situation hard to believe.

The 6th Corps had contacted him out of the blue, asking him to take charge of their military supplies.

The 6th Corps was massive, with over 20,000 personnel.

Handling supplies for so many people was no small task.

To put it bluntly, this was a huge stroke of luck for the Hamel Trading Company.

The steady income from military supplies was reliable and consistent.

Many merchants had tried to establish connections with the military, and there was a lot of under-the-table money involved in the process.

But now…

“…Is it really okay for me to take this?”

Diel’s eyes wavered.

Thanks to what Damian had already done, the Hamel Trading Company had grown tenfold compared to before.

It was now one of the top ten trading companies in the entire kingdom.

However, Damian shook his head at Diel’s words.

Diel looked startled, and Damian continued.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Diel.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I didn’t recommend the Hamel Trading Company just because of our personal connection.”

As Vincent had suggested, Damian could have asked for something different.

However, there were two main reasons why Damian entrusted the military supplies to the Hamel Trading Company.

“Of course, I can’t ignore the fact that I have a stake in the company and will profit from it.”

Diel nodded.

But the real reason was the second one.

“It’s to change the military.”

“What? What do you mean?”

It’s the same with any group.

The only difference is the degree.

But the Baroque Kingdom’s military was more corrupt than Damian had expected.

What had happened at Makstri alone revealed enough.

‘If a mere captain is embezzling supplies and pocketing that much money… imagine what’s going on higher up.’

How many thieves are there within the military?

They all needed to be thoroughly dealt with.

‘Get rid of those who are useless in the upcoming war quickly.’

While external wars were important, it was even more crucial to cut out the internal rot.

“Even if you sign the contract, you’ll need to show results as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the 6th Corps Commander will cancel it immediately.”

Damian had simply used his request to give Diel one chance.

If there were no results, they would have to return the supply contract to the previous handlers.

Diel nodded at Damian’s words.

“I understand what you mean.”

Her eyes shone with determination.

“I’ll make sure to succeed, so don’t worry. I’ll repay your trust.”

“I believe in you.”

Damian smiled slightly.

After their conversation, Diel immediately took action.

She would likely be very busy for a while.

‘It might be hard to ask her for anything in the future.’

But if this endeavor went well, the Hamel Trading Company would rank among the top five in the kingdom.

‘And then…’

They would need to start preparing for the war against the Empire.

As Damian watched Diel walk away, he began contemplating his future plans.

The current state of affairs.

The future he had altered.

Those changes could become variables, but—

‘There’s currently no way to stop the Empire’s movements.’

To prepare for war, they needed to halt the Empire’s advance…

Damian thought of someone who had turned away.

‘By now… is he also making his move?’

Damian sighed softly as he thought of him.

* * *

“I believe he should be sentenced to death!”

The conference room of the royal palace of the Iren Kingdom.

Unlike usual, the room filled with ministers was ablaze with heated discussions.

There was only one agenda item.

How to deal with Captain Acar, who had returned after losing the Makstri gold mine.

Leading the discussion was Count Irkeron of the Eren Kingdom.

He was a powerful figure within the royal palace, with his own faction.

It was also Irkeron who had sent Acar to Makstri.

Irkeron stood and looked at the seated ministers.

“Does this make sense? The gold mine, which had been running smoothly for years, was handed over to the Baroque Kingdom! This is not something that can be brushed aside with a simple punishment!”

“But to sentence Captain Acar to death? That doesn’t make sense.”

“How is it not? Should we punish all the soldiers who were at Makstri too?”

Irkeron didn’t truly believe Acar would be executed.

However, by pushing for a severe punishment, he could ensure that Acar would remain imprisoned for a long time.

But then—

“Are you suggesting the death penalty for Captain Acar after considering the current state of the continent?”

A man with sharp eyes glared at Count Irkeron.

It was Alomerta, the deputy of the Cavalry Minister.

Being next to the highest authority in the military gave Alomerta significant influence in matters concerning the military.

Irkeron furrowed his brow and addressed him.

“Do you not understand how important the Makstri gold mine is to the kingdom? Don’t think the military can simply cover this up.”

“I have no intention of covering it up. If he’s done wrong, he must face the consequences. But who will defend the front lines if we execute Captain Acar?”

Alomerta had opposed sending Acar to Makstri from the beginning.

And now they wanted to kill him?

Alomerta stood up.

“The Empire has been making extremely threatening moves since its war with the Spanian Kingdom. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Spanian Kingdom is now a vassal of the Empire. And the Kingdom of Tirkan, located east of the Spanian Kingdom, is nearly being devoured by the Empire as well!”

The Empire was rapidly extending its influence over the surrounding kingdoms.

At this rate, it was likely that within the next one to two years, the Empire would turn its sights on the Iren Kingdom as well.

“Our kingdom is bordered to the west by the Baroque Kingdom, and to the north by the Spanian and Seilonian Kingdoms. But if the Tirkan Kingdom falls to the Empire and the Seilonian Kingdom is also threatened…”

Swish.

Alomerta glanced around the conference room at the ministers.

Everyone wore serious expressions, aware of the current dire situation.

Alomerta continued.

“Next, our kingdom could also be at risk from the Empire.”

But then—

“That’s only because they’ve failed to maintain diplomatic relations with the Empire.”

Count Irkeron interjected.

“We are not like the Tirkan Kingdom. We’ve maintained a good relationship with the Empire through close diplomacy. Even if the Tirkan Kingdom falls to the Empire…”

“Diplomacy!”

Alomerta cut off Irkeron’s words.

Irkeron scowled at him, but Alomerta continued without hesitation.

“Diplomacy can only maintain balance when there’s strength. If the power disparity grows, we’ll have no choice but to surrender everything to maintain that relationship.”

“So are you saying we should just let Captain Acar go?”

“Let’s all calm down.”

A soft voice cut through the rising tension.

The speaker was an elderly man seated at the table.

Alomerta and Irkeron both fell silent, glaring at each other.

The old man sighed lightly.

“This issue isn’t something we should decide right now. Let’s discuss it again later.”

“…Understood.”

“Very well.”

Irkeron glared defiantly at Alomerta, unwilling to back down.

As the ministers exited the conference room—

“Colonel Alomerta.”

“Yes.”

Alomerta approached the old man who had ended the meeting and bowed.

It was Duke Farell, the chancellor of the Iren Kingdom.

Duke Farell looked at Alomerta.

“It seems… we’ve confirmed everything we need to.”

“I believe so as well.”

“If that’s the case, we must act quickly, before it’s too late.”

If they delayed any longer, the situation could become irreversible.

Alomerta nodded at Farell’s words.

“Yes, understood.”

As Alomerta turned to leave, Farell watched him.

“Will another storm of bloodshed come?”

But it was something they had to do for the kingdom.

Duke Farell, too, quickly hurried off somewhere after leaving the conference room.