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Novus 3, 3023, Day of Friar, 6:33 a.m.
Southwestern Front Infantry Barracks, La Spada Kingdom, Southern Continent.
A group of young Priests and Priestesses wearing white shirts, brown pants, and a pair of boots were gathered around while eating breakfast in the middle of a desert ground surrounded by white-colored single-person tents.
The Priests and Priestesses were sitting on down logs and other make-shift chairs. And as for their breakfast, it was 2 pieces of bread, a bowl of meat and vegetable soup, a single piece of cake (or what could pass off as cake in a location like this), and a mug of beer.
Among the Priests and Priestesses, if Vivian were here, she would recognize some of them: Uliah, Kara, Xander, Crew, Zean, Carr, Franz, etc.
"Not only did my father mention it to me in the letter, but I was also able to confirm it with some Brothers from the other Squads. It's really true, everything in the Second Stanza Western Barracks in the Great Plains of Stanza was completely wiped out by a powerful demon -- like no one survived, not even a single tent," Julien said.
Julien wasn't a first-time Crusader, in fact, this was already his second Holy Crusade. However, he was assigned to Uliah's Squad, who was a first-time Crusader but had 3 Magic Art Affinities, so she was given the title of Squad Leader.
"My father even told me that my mother has gone ill from worrying about me and said that she would disown me if I don't switch to another Division on my next Holy Crusade contract."
Xander looked at him with a suspicious eye.
"Are you sure you should be saying such things?"
Everyone looked at him.
A confused expression appeared on his face.
"Did I say anything wrong? He mentioned that his family is going to disown him. I think that's going too far."
"I added that to really hone in what really happened at the Second Stanza Western Barracks is really the truth," Julien said defensively.
Uliah turned to Carr.
"Brother High Sergeant, did you hear anything from the officers?"
Carr shook his head.
"No. I've only heard about the other Squads talking about it in hush tones."
Uliah looked at the sky.
"The Second Stanza Western Barracks is located at the Great Plains of Stanza, right? How many people are assigned there and what Ranks do they have?"
"My father used to be assigned at the Great Plains of Stanza," Franz said, causing everyone to turn to him. "They say that they have 5 Priests, 5 Knights and 15 Guards. I'm not sure about the Ranks of the Knights and Guards. But when it comes to the Priests, there's 1 Captain from the Infantry, 1 High High Lieutenant from the Infantry, another 1 High Lieutenant but from the Air Division, 1 Lieutenant from the Exploratory Division, and 1 Inquisitor."
Several people in the group widened their eyes and dropped their jaws.
"A Captain?"
"That powerful?!"
"That's quite a powerhouse line-up!"
Franz nodded.
"My father at that time was 28 or 29 years old and he was a High Lieutenant."
Crew knitted his brows as he turned to Franz and Julien.
"And despite havinghaving a powerful line-up like that, they weren't able to defeat a demon? How is that even possible? A Captain alone is just powerful. Or is it multiple powerful demons that attacked? "
Julien shrugged.
"I don't know."
Xander pushed up his glasses.
"It's impossible for multiple powerful demons to attack. First off, where would they come from? Although the ;and area of the Great Plains of Stanza is huge, all of the corners from sea, land and air are covered. It would be a miracle if the multiple powerful demons could arrive at the Great Plains of Stanza without even being seen."
"So you're saying it's just one very powerful demon?" Crew asked.
"Most likely."
"Even if that's the case, how did it even arrive there? Like you said, the sea, land and skies in the Great Plains of Stanza are covered."
Xander shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Was the demon at least identified?" Uliah asked.
No one answered.
Uliah scratched the side of her head and then let out a wry smile.
"So the demon is still out there."
"Is it really?" Zean, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly asked and everyone turned to him. "If there was really a very powerful demon still roaming around in the Great Plains of Stanza, then there should be news about the other bases also getting attacked, don't you think?"
Several people nodded in agreement.
A serious expression appeared on Zean's face.
"I think there's a conspiracy going on."
Everyone thought inside their head, 'Not this again,' but they didn't show it on their facial expressions.
Although Zean was only in his late teens and also a first-time Crusader, he was one of the few people in the base who had 3 Magic Art Affinities. Also, in the future, once he becomes a Gold Cloak and masters at least 2 Magic Art Affinities, he would be a Gray Cloak. After all, a Gray Cloak has to be someone with a Physical and Magic Force of at least Spirit Steel in order to be listed in the DG International Laws.
The same could be said about Uliah and Carr. They, too, have 3 Magic Art Affinities.
Before Zean could rant about his conspiracies, Uliah elbowed Kara.
"You've been awfully quiet, sister. What do you think?"
Kara slowly shook her head.
"I don't know… I'm not powerful and my family isn't well-connected enough to know such things…"
An awkward silence fell on the group.
Everyone in the group wanted to curse at Uliah, but no one dared to, let alone show it on their faces. In the case of Uliah, aside from the fact that she also has 3 Magic Art Affinities, she was also a woman and an attractive one.
Meanwhile, for Kara, although she only had 2 Magic Art Affinities and she wasn't a Noble, no one would also dare to bully her because she was a woman and a beautiful woman. Just with the men alone, there was Carr and Zean, her fellow Chapter Temple Brothers, who had 3 Magic Art Affinities that they would be facing.
But most importantly, there were also the laws imposed by the Orion Kingdom to protect women that even male officers, such as Chapter Masters, must bend down to them or at least compromise to some degree.
Crew quickly turned to Zean to change the subject.
"H-hey, how about some sparring today?"
Zean quickly nodded.
"Yes, I'd be up for some sparring today!" he said and then turned to Carr. "How about you, Brother High Sergeant?"
"Sure," Carr said and smiled before turning to Uliah and Kara. "How about you guys?"
Uliah scratched the side of her head.
"Like right now? We can't. Sister Platoon Leader Lieutenant Xena ordered us this morning to clean the halls of the Main Office Building after breakfast."
Xander dropped his head and let out a sigh.
"Right, I almost forgot about that…"
Aside from doing their scheduled daily patrols or whatever tasks assigned to them in the base and also needing to complete at least 6 Field Missions during their contract, the high-ranking Crusaders would also have the no-rank and low-ranking Crusaders to do some surprise additional tasks.
Julien bit off his remaining bread and then looked at him.
"You sound like you haven't gotten used to that."
Xander raised his head and fixed his glasses.
"I can understand that ordering us to do stuff like cleaning can help us in being more obedient in following orders. But wouldn't it make more sense for us to just constantly train and then be sent on Field Missions whenever needed?
"If we spent most of your free time training, we'd be stronger.
"And if it's about following orders, engaging in battles would be the environment. Not only are we going to be experienced fighters, but we'll also build camaraderie."
Julien picked up his almost warm beer.
"So you want us to be constantly in danger?"
"Hence why I said we should spend most of our free time training."
"Like you said, doing stuff like cleaning can help us in being more obedient in following orders," he said and then took a sip.
Xander massaged his forehead.
"I swear to the God of Light I won't fail the Inquisitory Division's Training Course in my next contract and the legend of Brother Inquisitor Sandmaster would finally be realized…!"
Julien looked at him with a suspicious expression.
"What are you trying to say? You don't like the Infantry Division and our company?"
When Xander pulled his hand away from his forehead to look at Julien, he noticed that everyone was looking at him.
"You guys already know my story. My entire family has been in the Inquisitory Division for generations, and my father, my mother, my older brother and older sister are Inquisitors, and my father is a Gold Cloak, yet I failed to become one. I wouldn't be surprised if they disowned me or didn't want anything to do with me once I get back."
"Then we'll both be Priests who have been disowned by our families!" Julien said with a grin.
Everyone looked at him with a deadpan expression.
Xander turned his head away.
"No, thank you."
Julien's jaw dropped in a very dramatic fashion, causing everyone to laugh.
And then, a serious expression flashed across his face.
"But jokes aside, the Infantry Division is the best Division. All of the strong Brothers and Sisters are here," he said and then looked at everyone. "Am I right? Or am I really right?"
Uliah nodded.
"That's right! That's why I joined the Infantry Division! My parents wanted me to be part of the Exploratory or the Sea Division, but I knew in my heart that it's the Infantry Division where I wanted to be because all of the strong people are here!"
As everyone was nodding in agreement, there was one person who disagreed.
"Not all strong people are here. Sister Vivian isn't here," Kara said.
"Right, there's her…" the others said.
Julien, who has never met Vivian but heard about her from Uliah and the others, simply stared at Kara.
Franz focused back on his plate. But after realizing it was already empty, he placed it down and picked up his half-empty mug of warm beer.
Uliah scratched the side of her head and let out a wry smile.
"That's true, but Sister Vivian is different. She's smart."
"But she's still also strong," Kara said.
Xander suddenly pulled his hair apart.
"Aaaah…! I'm not strong and I'm not smart…! I have failed from all sides…!"
The rest looked at him and then laughed.
***
8:49 a.m.
Uliah, Kara, Julien and Xander were on the first floor hall of the Main Office Building and cleaning.
Uliah was mainly in charge of the sweeping.
Kara was mainly in charge of the mopping.
Meanwhile, Julien and Xander were mainly in charge cleaning the unreachable areas with a feather duster.
It wasn't that only Uliah's Squad was ordered to clean the entire building. The rest of the Squads under Platoon Leader Sister Lieutenant Xena were also cleaning at another area within the Main Office Building.
Wssh, wssh, wssh…!
Beads of sweat formed on Uliah's forehead and she wore a serious expression as she carefully swept the dust and sand on a dustpan.
Uliah, who was born in a High-Tier Noble Family. Her father was a Knight Major who came from a long line of Noble Knights, while her mother was a Priestess from a Low-Tier Noble Priest Family. Thank to that, she never once had to do any cleaning or household chores in her life. It was only during this Holy Crusade, starting at the Basic Training, where she started experiencing cleaning after herself.
Woop, woop, woop…!
Kara, who was busy wiping the floor with a rug to remove a tough stain, also had the same expression.
Although she wasn't a Noble or from a Priest family, she was from a High-Tier Commoner Priest Family, where both of her parents were Merchants. And as the eldest sister between the 2 daughters, she also never once cleaned or did any type of household chores in her life, and has only started doing that sort of stuff in the Holy Crusade.
"There, over there," Julien said and pointed.
"I know, wait," Xander said as he was wiping off a cobweb with a feather duster.
Julien was holding a 6-foot-tall movable wooden ladder without any wheels, while Xander was on top of it.
In regard to their family backgrounds, both Julien and Xander were from Mid-Tier Noble Priest Families. They also have zero experience doing any household chores. But in the case of Julien, since this was already his second Holy Crusade Contract in the Infantry Division, he had some experience in cleaning. But still, outside of the Holy Crusade, he doesn't do any household chores.
Two hours later…
Some of the Squads ordered to clean the Main Office Building were already gathered in front of the building, waiting for their Platoon Leader, Sister Lieutenant Xena, to come and check their work.
Kara, who was carrying a dirty white rug and a bucket, approached Uliah.
"Sister Squad Leader, I'm done wiping the entire floor on the first floor. I'll return these to the Tools Room and then come back."
Uliah nodded.
"Sure. Great job," she said with a smile.
Kara simply nodded before turning away and leaving.
Once Kara was already out of sight, Julien approached Uliah.
"Sister Squad Leader, may I have a word?"
Uliah turned to him.
"Sure, what is it?" she said with a smile.
Julien looked at the people around them for a moment before returning his gaze to her.
"If you don't mind, I would like to speak with you in private?"
A grin appeared on Uliah's face.
"Wait, are you going to confess your feelings to me? You haven't even beaten me in a sparring match to get that privilege."
Julien let out an awkward smile.
"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
"What, you don't find me attractive?" Uliah said and then her eyes widened. "Oh, you want me to ask me about Sister Kara?"
"Yes, but it's not what you think."
Pah.
Uliah threw a light jab at Julien's chest.
"You're a man, so be a man!"
A serious expression appeared on Julien's face.
"Sister Squad Leader, I want to talk to you about what's going to happen to our Squad in the future and it concerns Sister Kara."
Seeing the expression on Julien's face, Uliah mirrored it and then gestured with her chin.
"Let's talk over there."
They stopped at a spot about 10 meters from the gathered Squads.
"So what is it?" Uliah asked.
"Sister Squad Leader, you already know that this is my second Holy Crusade Contract, right?"
Uliah nodded.
"Yes."
"Before I continue, please understand that I don't mean any disrespect and I can also really tell that you care about Sister Kara. What I'm about to say is simply based on my experience at my previous Contract.
"At my previous Contract, I was in a Squad with 4 Brothers and 1 Sister. And out of everyone there, only 1 Brother, our Squad Leader, already had experience, while the rest of us were fresh Crusaders.
"In the beginning, everything went how fresh Crusaders would usually react -- shock, from the brutal reality of being in the Holy Crusade.
"Our Squad Leader told us that our reaction was natural and we would eventually learn to adapt after a few Field Missions. I and another Brother were able to adapt after 2-3 Field Missions, while the other remaining Brother and the Sister were still struggling to adapt. But despite all that, our Squad Leader said that they would eventually also adapt.
"Nothing happened on our 4th Field Mission. But on the 5th, that's when the problem finally came.
"The Brother and Sister, who still failed to adapt, panicked in the middle of a battle, which cost 2 entire Squads to die, including myself. Luckily, we still had enough body parts to be resurrected.
"My point here, Sister Squad Leader, Sister Kara is showing similar signs that my previous Squad members who failed to adapt were showing. Please report her to the Guidance Counselor for counseling before it's too late."
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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