Military Exercise Begins

East gate of the camp, before the finish line

"General, look! They're here!"

Hearing the staff officer's shout, Sordil looked up towards the camp gate. In the torchlight lining the road, Sordil could only see a few dark dots rushing towards the camp, but he couldn't determine which group they were. Shortly after these dots appeared, another group appeared to their side. As the distance between the two groups closed, the two groups of dots slowly drew closer, eventually becoming a single, larger group.

"Anna, I didn't realize! You've secretly learned how to do bad things from the boss and come up with such a ruthless trick as digging up the road!"

Anna looked at the Guard Brigade marching alongside her team in astonishment. She smiled slightly at Heradi and said playfully, "Heradi, you're truly amazing! To be able to turn things around from last place to first place in such a short time, you're incredible!"

"Haha! We were able to turn the tables thanks to you for cutting off the road and holding off the Communications Brigade, giving us enough time to overtake them!"

"But that doesn't make sense! If the Communications Brigade was held up, how did you manage to catch up with us, Heradi?"

"Haha! This is a secret, I can't tell! I can't tell! Haha!"

"In that case... open it! Gate of Libra, Leo!"

As soon as Anna finished speaking, a dazzling golden light shone in the sky. Immediately afterward, a woman dressed in a green dress and green shoes, wearing a veil, and carrying two scales stepped out of the light.

"Leo, adjust the gravity to slow down Heradi and the others!"

Leo nodded, and then a green aura shone from her two fists. In an instant, Heradi felt as if he were weighed down by lead, unable to move even a finger. In fact, it wasn't just him; the entire Guard Brigade was in this state, many of them even forced to the ground by the weight of gravity.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Medical Brigade team quickly distanced themselves from them, leaving them far behind.

Goodbye, Heradi!

Anna waved triumphantly at Heradi, then led the Medical Brigade straight toward the finish line.

"Teacher, I'm back!"

Before even reaching the camp gate, Anna waved her arms at Sordil, announcing her victory. Sordil descended from the sky, giving Anna a gentle pat on the head as a reward, then had her stand behind him to wait for the other participating teams to return.

Just as the soldiers of the Medical Brigade had been arranged to rest, the Guard Brigade, which had been blocked by Leo, reached the finish line, becoming the second-place finisher. Immediately after, the Reconnaissance Brigade was the third to arrive, followed by the Communications Brigade, which had fallen into the ditch. Shortly after the vanguard arrived, the main force in the center also returned to the finish line one by one. Only the three rearguard teams remained, vying for the last place title. After a fierce competition, the Second Brigade of the First Division won the title.

Once everyone had arrived, the staff announced the race results, and then Sordil personally presented Anna with the banner symbolizing the outstanding brigade and a prize of 10 million J. At the same time, Sordil announced the penalty for the last-place team. Thus, the fifteen-hour cross-country training exercise officially came to a close.

Looking at his soldiers lying on the ground, panting heavily but still with fighting spirit burning in their eyes, Sordil wanted to shout, "Comrades, you've worked hard!" But considering the world he lived in, Sordil abandoned that impromptu gesture and opted for a more measured way of encouragement. He stepped down from the platform and patted each soldier firmly on the shoulder, or gave them a light punch to the chest. Every soldier who touched Sordil immediately straightened up, looking at him with reverence.

Seeing the soldiers' performance, Sordil breathed a sigh of relief. They were no longer Langu's Western Border Army, but his, Sordil's, elite soldiers. Even if he and Langu were to fall out in the future, they would still fight for him and support him. This meant that his plan to poach her had officially succeeded; Langu had permanently lost the opportunity to marry Irene, and the tragedy would not repeat itself.

Thinking of this, Sordil's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that if the tragedy didn't happen... then did that also mean Erza would disappear?

Sordil's right hand, which had been reaching for the soldier's shoulder, suddenly froze in mid-air, refusing to fall. For a moment, Sordil was torn, unsure whether to continue with his plan. Suddenly, he met the soldier's eyes, seeing the soldier's excited gaze and ramrod straight back, and Sordil decided to proceed with the martial arts exercise. As for Erza's problem, he could deal with it when the time came.

After greeting each soldier, Sordil quickly returned to the high ground and ordered the staff and Logistics Brigade to bring out all the drinks and food they had prepared to reward the soldiers and officers who had worked hard all day. Thus, another joyful and lively night began in the camp.

"Oh!"

Sordil rubbed his still somewhat dizzy and aching head with his right hand. Looking around at the unfamiliar yet familiar surroundings, he tried hard to recall what he had experienced yesterday and where he was now. Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid flow through his chest, followed by a sharp pain that traveled up his left arm to his brain.

"Ah!"

A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, echoed through the tent. Stimulated by the pain, Sordil sat up abruptly.

"Thump!"

The object that had been pressing on Sordil's chest rolled to the ground as he stood up, making a loud thud. Sordil finally realized his situation. He forcefully pried Elkley off his left arm, then used all his strength to pull his legs out of Kurelle's arms. But what truly broke Sordil's nerves was this idiot Heradi! As someone with Germaphobe who had lived two lives, Sordil simply couldn't accept being overwhelmed by Horadric's saliva. To vent his anger, Sordil decided to put on a grand 'Heradi Percussion' performance.

In the center of the camp, on the high platform for martial arts practice

"Holy crap! Brothers, look! There are three moving meat buns on the platform!"

"Really? Holy crap, there really are three meat buns!"

"Shh! You guys have a death wish! How dare you flirt with those three big shots!"

Upon hearing that there was more to the story, the two men who had shouted earlier immediately covered their mouths, fearing that they would be discovered as the ones who had been shouting. Then, they quietly asked their superior, who knew the inside story, about the identities of the three men.

"Squad leader, who are those three people?"

"Who is it? I'm afraid I'll scare you to death if I tell you!"

Hearing their captain's words, the two, their curiosity piqued, were about to ask who the three "meat buns" were when one of the "meat buns" standing on the platform loudly announced to the audience, "The martial arts tournament, the final event, the live-fire exercise, is now beginning!"