Second Life as a Soldier

The rest of the week went by as the squad got into a routine of training and resting. That was intentional by the army; after around 3 months in the wild, even Death Squad needed some time to rest. The only reason my squad was so motivated to train was that half of them were close to tiering up.

In this time, Oren also got the [Shield Barrier] class, the same as Brakk. This allowed both of them to test each other’s skills, but it was not just them. Rokan and Daren were happy to test and train their hammer skills against the newly minted Tier-2 Shield Barriers, while Barry and Silas looked at Brakk and Oren as perfect test targets to develop their new knife skill. Honestly, I was happy with this approach; it made sure that they could not just take frontal assaults, but also learn how to handle sneak attacks and long-range attacks.

By the end of the week, Silas was also ready for his class trial, but he postponed it until his knife skill was ready. I was also planning to assign him more scout-related roles on our next mission so that he could utilize his skills in the wild, especially his sensing skill, to make sure he got a scout class and cleared the trial on the first try.

Even I enjoyed this rest week. I got to do the things I liked to do, which were experimenting with runes and learning about them. Moreover, the rest of the members of my squad accepted my proposal of a permanent unit on the spot without even a raised eyebrow. The only things that put a little dent in my good mood were the fact that it took more than three days for Garran and Kael to accept my proposal, and Varric was even worse; he had yet to reply, and he did not even show up for training exercises.

Today was the day Lieutenant Cicero and I were meeting Captain Darrow. This was also the first time I had met Lieutenant Cicero after his outburst. When we met, there was still some anger in the lieutenant’s eyes, so we just exchanged formal greetings, did a formal status report, and made our way to the captain’s office.

Once again, I was surprised by the amount of wind mana there was in his office. Now that I think about it, Captain Dunvale also had a lot of fire mana in his office. The only reason I did not notice it at the time was that I was afraid of getting punished. I once again cursed Blake for playing a prank on me.

The captain’s office was small and far more modest than the meeting hall. The only thing that stood out was a handcrafted table and chair with intricate designs. The rest of it looked almost like Lieutenant Cicero’s office. Half of the wall at the back was filled with books; the other half displayed a sword and shield.

“Sergeant Edward, you look far better than the last time I saw you,” Captain Darrow said, observing me carefully.

“Captain, you remember?” I said in surprise.

The last time we met was when he gave me the Iron Medal, but the whole event is a blur to me. I do not remember how I looked at that time, but I do remember that my hand was still injured.

“I make it a practice to know all my soldiers, and it is hard to forget such a young and promising soldier.” Taking a pause, the captain smiled at me. “Even Captain Dunvale had high praise for you. You have made the battalion proud. Keep up the good work,” the captain praised.

“Thank you, Captain. It was thanks to the support that the army provided and the time Lieutenant Cicero and Private Walter invested in training me,” I replied, being politically correct and honest at the same time.

The captain nodded and looked at Lieutenant Cicero for a second. I saw a hint of something—either irritation or anger—in both their eyes, but it passed before even I could figure out what.

“I hear you’re requesting a permanent squad. Isn’t it too soon? And why would you pick those? With your record, you could get far more talented and disciplined soldiers,” the captain asked.

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When he mentioned the members of my squad, it felt like calling them members of the army would dirty his mouth. But listening to his tone, I was not sure how to reply. My usual response of talking about their capabilities and the growth they had shown could misfire here.

Thankfully, Lieutenant Cicero came to support me.

“Captain, this is an experimental unit Sergeant Edward has worked on, and if the last 3 months have been anything to go by, it has been a successful experiment. Allowing this to continue could establish a new method of leading Death Squads,” Lieutenant Cicero said.

The relief I felt at the lieutenant’s support disappeared as soon as he started speaking. Even if I ignored the fact that the lieutenant was calling my squad ’test subjects,’ the captain’s expression made one thing clear: he did not like the lieutenant answering in my place.

His next statement confirmed it.

“Lieutenant, can you please leave the room? I would like to discuss something with Sergeant Edward in private,” the captain said with authority while increasing his mana pressure on the lieutenant.

The lieutenant looked almost unaffected by that, looked at the captain with a deadpan expression, and then walked out, leaving me behind.

As the captain looked at me, I became more nervous. My hands were sweating.

“I will allow you a permanent squad for now, but confirmation will take time. This is the first time criminals are getting such a high position. I will send the paperwork to Stonegate, but let me warn you—the army considers lieutenant positions and permanent units with high importance. Because of your unit’s background, all scrutiny will fall on you and your record. Merit-wise, you should not have a problem, but if there is any problem in your background, I would suggest abandoning any thoughts of making these types of people your permanent unit right now.”

Thinking for a second, I replied, “There should not be any problem with my background. I was a trainee scribe who hardly went out.”

The only thing that could be a problem in my background was the debt my father took, but the lenders had already taken our house and beaten me half to death over it. I believed that account should be settled.

“Ah, it is hard to think of a scribe becoming a soldier,” the captain said, then changed the topic and asked, “So tell me, Sergeant, what has it been like working with Lieutenant Cicero?”

“It has been great, Captain. The lieutenant has helped me a lot. Before getting my class, working with him even allowed me to gain skills, which are among the main reasons I can lead my squad effectively,” I said, pointing out the ways the lieutenant had helped me.

“Hmm, is he also helping with mana cultivation?” the captain asked with a thoughtful expression.

“No, Captain. He did suggest the Royal Army Meditation Technique Number 12 to me, but other than that, we only focus on skills and leadership.”

“Any other experiments you are participating in with the lieutenant?”

So far, this conversation felt like a normal conversation between a captain and a sergeant, but now it started to feel like the captain had some angle and was more interested in the lieutenant’s activities than mine.

Lieutenant had already told me that he and the captain do not have the best relationship, and the only reason the captain had assigned me Death Squad members was for my protection.

“No, Captain. I sometimes ask for advice on the rune and healing experiments I work on in my personal time, but it is limited to me asking for advice and nothing else,” I replied honestly.

The captain nodded. “Okay, Sergeant, you may leave now. Here are the next mission details,” he said, passing me a slip of paper.

I nodded and saluted him before leaving his office.

Coming out of the command building, the lieutenant and I parted ways, and I made my way straight to the area where Varric had been hiding. I’d had enough of him sulking like a teenager. If he did not want to join my unit, I was fine with it, but I could no longer tolerate him slacking off. With a mission coming next week, I could not afford to have one member who could not even train with the squad. I was afraid his attitude would affect his performance in the field.

I approached the isolated area behind one of the longhalls. I saw Varric lying on the ground in the shade of a tree. While the atmosphere looked peaceful, Varric’s expression was the complete opposite. He was staring at the sky with a constant frown on his face, as if he were arguing with someone up there.

“Varric,” I said, with authority in my voice.

Varric sat up, surprised by my presence.

Ignoring his look, I continued. “If you don’t want to be part of the permanent unit, that’s fine. But if you don’t show up with the team tomorrow, I will request your reassignment. I will not go into the wild with someone I cannot rely on.”

After saying my piece, I turned and started making my way back to the training ground. I had nothing else to say to him.

If he showed up, good.

If not, he would be out of my squad.

“Edward.”

After taking only a few steps, Varric’s voice stopped me.

“I’ll join your unit… but do not mistake it for loyalty”