As nighttime approached, Neuman returned to the camp to rest from hunting and attend the important speech that everyone was required to be present for.
After he returned, he noticed a large crowd gathered in the central area. He looked at the crowd with hesitation. As the whispers gradually faded, he entered the crowd.
Looking ahead, he saw a burly man walking forward, his hands clasped behind his back and a group of armored soldiers following him closely. As they came near the soldiers, the camp fell silent, every gaze fixed on him.
The burly man had a stern look on his face. The moment he stopped in front of the hundreds of soldiers, everyone bowed in unison and shouted, "Greetings, Commander!"
His eyes flickered as he looked at the soldiers. The stern expression softened slightly and with a nod, he said, "Good. You all look prepared. You all must be ready for the raid on the rat's lair tomorrow. If not, make sure you are."
He paused for a brief moment and his tone sharpened.
"Your formations and entry points will be assigned to you in the morning. Be ready to strike the lair and don't let any rat escape."
"We'll gain absolute victory over these beasts and make this city habitable again."
"I have already told you this, but all those participating in this raid will be rewarded accordingly."
He then raised his right hand and shouted, "God bless all of those participating in the war against the beasts!"
Hearing this, all of the soldiers also raised their hands and shouted, "God bless all!"
The commander then waved his hands, dismissing everyone. As he looked at everyone leaving, his eyes suddenly stopped on one person who was watching everyone leave.
When most of the troops had gone, the person finally turned away and started to walk away.
The commander's eyes widened and he shouted, "Neuman!"
Neuman was thinking about how the squad would attack and didn't hear the commander's shout; he continued to walk back to the tent. Suddenly, he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder and he stopped.
"Huh!" He blinked in surprise.
Looking back, he saw the commander who was previously giving a speech and asked, "Commander? Now I remember you gave me the potion that healed my head injury!"
He then bowed his head and said, "Thank you, commander for giving me the potion."
Hearing this, the man was shocked and he said, "Neuman, why are you talking like this?"
Neuman was confused. "Why am I talking like this?"
The man then said, "Let's go back and talk about it in my tent."
Saying this, the commander turned and walked back in another direction. Neuman was confused, but after a brief hesitation, he followed him.
After some time, they arrived at a large white tent. As it was different from other tents, it looked much bigger and more significant.
Stepping inside, Neuman's gaze swept over the interior. Weapons lined one side, crates of food were stacked neatly in order, and various chests were at the corner of the tent. Even suits of armor stood on racks, shining in the dim torchlight.
The commander settled into a chair near a table and gestured for Neuman to sit beside him. Without hesitation, Neuman sat on the chair opposite him.
The commander looked at him and said with concern, "You look well enough. But why didn't you come to see me when you returned to the camp?"
"I just asked around and found out about the unit so I stayed in the unit's area," Neuman said.
The commander just shook his head and sighed, "You didn't have to do this. Follow me tomorrow for the raid." After that, the man continued to talk and Neuman just listened and nodded in between.
As they were conversing, the man looked at Neuman and said with concern, "You are acting strange. Is something wrong?"
Neuman simply shook his head. Seeing this, the commander sighed once more and said, "Go back to your tent and rest. It's a big day tomorrow."
Hearing this, Neuman just nodded and got up; the man, too, got up and went to the entrance with Neuman. As Neuman started to walk back to his unit's area, the man shouted from behind, "Neuman, where are you going?"
Neuman looked back and saw the man looking at him strangely and pointed to a tent some distance away. "That's your tent. Why are you going that way?"
Neuman looked at the tent the commander was pointing at; without saying anything, he just went to the tent.
He watched Neuman walk away, with growing unease in his mind. Something was definitely wrong.
Even if he didn't know Neuman properly, he came to this ruined city with him and has been with him for a month. Neuman was a quiet and diligent fellow. But now it felt like... someone else.
He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off this feeling. Maybe this change was due to the head injury he received. The potion may have healed his injury, but some lingering effects must have been left, clouding his memory and personality.
He couldn't figure out Neuman's blank stare or the way he spoke. It felt like Neuman didn't recognize him at all.
Still, there was nothing he could do. Tomorrow is the day of raid and after that, they will return to the kingdom. He can then report this to the kingdom officials.
This was the reason he told Neuman to follow him during the raid so that he could observe him more carefully.