*Continuing to gallop across the green plateaus, the closer they got to the vanguard, the more the forest became a dance. As they approached the vanguard, he noticed one of the new recruits 400 metres away from his squad, deep in the forest, who had ventured far away and was fighting giant bipedal draugr. Their bodies were as big as the forest itself, their eyes glowed with a violet light and their jaws were so large that they reached their necks. As he approached, Tamayo feared for his recruit and shouted:

‘Be careful! You fool!’ You don't have the ability to fight two draugrs. Recklessness has its limits." But at that moment, he saw his superhuman movements, his offensive awareness, his reflexes and his brute strength. He jumped on one of the draugrs and, with a simple sword, sprinted around like a whirlwind, cutting off the head of one of the draugrs. Then he enveloped his point of arcane energy produced by his own body. It was as if he were holding the sun in his hands. He was so fast that he disappeared in an instant behind the last remaining draugr and pulverised it with his fist, directly destroying the draugrs and their cores.

The entire squad remained silent in the face of this demonstration of prowess by the young recruit. The colonel approached him, and the recruit, proud of what he had just accomplished in the eyes of his superiors and expecting arrogant cheers, was slapped in the face by Colonel Tamayo, who began to scold him:

"Idiot! Since when did you start disobeying a superior and leaving on your own more than two hours from our former landmark? And without even bringing your STEN KLINGE, and look at how badly you used your Anima. You're still just a beginner. If you came to this army to kill yourself, you're off to a good start, because at this rate, in a few months, you'll look like an old man if you don't take it easy.

Ashamed of himself, he lowered his gaze and apologised:

"Sorry, boss, I sensed their presence and didn't want them to get away, and I felt that they were weaker than me. So I didn't see any risk in it.

"Hey boss, forgive the new guy, they all want to get noticed thinking they'll get promoted soon enough to take it easy afterwards, plus you have to admit he saved us from getting tired, boss. ‘ exclaimed his two sergeants, LIDE and NOZEL, feeling sympathy for the recruit and finding him interesting.

’All right, be quiet.

Thinking to himself, he said, "He's strong! Two draugr? But that could have caused trouble even for a sergeant. He took them out quickly. Well, he apologised, I can let it slide; with such strength, it's sad to know that he's doing all this just to end up with a high rank or in the capital? Just to take it easy? And not be on the battlefield? Maybe I'd better ask him.‘

’Hey kid, why did you join the military?"

The proud recruit replied:

- ‘Well, I just want to impose on these plants that no one, neither plants nor men, is above me and that everyone should be on the battlefield so they don't stay here crying in shame.’ The recruit replied to the proud colonel, proving to the colonel that he existed only to do this.

‘That's a lie. It's just so you can take it easy in the kingdom, enjoying your high salary and the women, while being safe from death. That's the goal of many recruits, and many end up infected and turned into bark with this cowardly desire.’

‘You misunderstood me. I am here to become the balance and the reference point for the world of Men and Gods.’

Drunk, Tamayo replied: ‘I'd rather listen to the greedy and the arse-kissers, your goal is to wipe your arse with it.’

Looking up at the sky, the colonel noticed that the clouds were closing in, which meant heavy rain was on the way. It was a shame for him, who loved good weather, to have the beginning of spring ruined by snow and then rain.

-" Zaruba, it looks like you were right, but circumstances have decided to prove you wrong by bringing about what you predicted much earlier than expected, with heavy rain this time,‘ announced the colonel.

’No, Colonel, I didn't predict anything. I just studied the signs of the weather,‘ corrected Zaruba.

’ ‘Oh, is that not the same thing? Then do me a favour and put on your raincoat, dear young master. We've seen enough tattooed exhibitionists, and at least I told you that the person who forgot their raincoat was an idiot. Maybe it's time you asked the person you lent your raincoat to for it back,’ said the colonel mockingly.

‘Oh, okay. Hey, Arima, I hope you heard what the colonel said?’ He asked his friend Arima for his raincoat, and unfortunately for Arima, who had just been scolded by his colonel, he had yet another opportunity to be called an idiot.

- " Wait, was that you? The idiot in question?" The colonel laughed so hard that all the other soldiers who were there at the time burst out laughing.

‘Haha, sorry, I thought he didn't need it for a while since he had to perform his traditional rituals during the celebration of Gillevardar's blessing,’ replied Arima, feeling a little ashamed of himself at that moment.

‘The irony is that you two are friends. You really surprise me.’

‘Well, Izumo introduced me to Izumo when we were at the academy, so we're a trio for now.’

‘Wait, seriously? Can you confirm that, Izumo?’ asked his colonel, looking at him with a mocking expression.

‘Yes, sir, Arima, Zaruba and I have been friends for a long time.’ Anyone else would have denied it, especially in the presence of their superior and subordinates, especially if they had just committed several offences and done something stupid, but Izumo showed that he was indeed proud of his friendship with Arima and Zaruba.

The rest of the soldiers burst out laughing.

‘SILENCE!’ The colonel silenced everyone.

"Well, he's crazy,

but I sense sincerity in him, and my gut tells me he's a cool guy, unlike the dwarf who came to sign up with me in a bar. Besides, I only accepted because he paid my bail after I lost a bet in a board game against Kamisuki. As they say, when the gods close a door, they open a window. And luckily, he has friends who are able to publicly accept him for who he is, like Izumo and that man from the royal family. I don't think I have anything to worry about. the sky is starting to close in more and more, and with the death of his two draugr, their toxin will dissipate even faster with this rain. Unfortunately, it's the rain we just had. ZARUBA was right in the end, even if it came much too soon for me, who thought I would reach the city before. Staying there would not be wise. but he is right. If he is well supervised, this boy will be the symbol of humanity's strength.

He turned to his soldiers and said:

- Hey, soldiers! We'd better retreat and return to camp. This rain will increasingly hinder our advance. LIDE, take care of this kid. He has exhausted the arcane magic of his Anima through his poor management.

‘Right, boss,’ replied LIDE, walking over to Arima (LIDE was a tall man with slicked-back brown hair and blue eyes, but he was often known for being cold and silent, except when joking).

‘And as for you, a heavy punishment awaits you when we return. That will teach you to be clever and disobey your superiors.’

‘Agreed, Colonel. Sergeant LIDE, please help me up.’

‘Agreed, kid, take my hand.’

Just as the colonel turned to climb onto his mount, he was suddenly pushed by Sergeant IZUMO, who realised at the same moment that he had just saved his life by narrowly avoiding a fast-moving red laser beam.

- What the hell was that?

- Are you all right, Colonel? asked Sergeant Izumo.

Having escaped the laser beam and fallen to the ground, Colonel Tamayo realised that it was Izumo who had saved his life, but Izumo himself had not escaped the laser beam, which had pierced his mouth on the left side of his cheek and destroyed his jaw. Immediately, Izumo fell to his knees on the ground, overcome with fear at what had just happened to him.

Tamayo, his eyes filled with anger, shouted in rage and searched for the culprit. Deep in the bush, he saw a draugr hidden in the thicket, only its orange eyes visible, shining in the darkness.

"It can't be! Since when do draugrs shoot lasers?‘ wondered Colonel

. ’Could it be the young recruit who alerted them with his previous fight? No, I doubt it. A draugr would never have been unpredictable; and even if this one was a JENGU, it was clear that it had been there for a long time and was watching us. Until I let my guard down. And his shot was aimed at me because he realised I was the leader of the group. I would have liked to capture him alive, but it won't be easy, judging by his laser cannon, his level exceeds that of an admiral and is equal to that of a colonel. The colonel wondered to himself.