Why Is Kalian at the Border?
He was explicitly told not to come.
I came here personally so that he wouldn’t have to.
So why is he here?
Kalian, who had locked eyes with me, subtly averted his gaze.
“Why are you here?”
“Well… hahaha, I heard the border defenses were incredibly busy, so I came to help out a little.”
“I also heard there’s a big reward for contributing to this demon subjugation. Maybe even a higher title…”
“…Sorry. The truth is, I was just too worried about Victoria. I couldn’t help myself.”
After trying to cover it up with excuses, he finally admitted the truth under the weight of my silence.
I had told him not to worry because I would handle it myself.
I never expected him to keep it a secret and pull something like this.
“Ahahaha~ Don’t be too hard on him, Wade.”
Hubert let out a victorious laugh.
He got up from the sofa and said that Kalian and I had somewhere to be.
Since both of us had just arrived, he offered to give us a brief introduction to the facilities and people here.
“I told you not to worry about Victoria. Why did you have to come all the way here?”
“Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it… Before I knew it, I was already here.”
“You’re really into her, huh?”
It had been a long time since Kalian last ignored my words to this extent.
Well, what’s done is done.
There’s no changing that.
But as long as we handle things properly from now on, we can prevent any major issues.
Hubert led us to the training grounds.
For a space inside the fortress walls, it was surprisingly vast.
Soldiers were training their techniques and honing their mana.
There were basic exercise equipment, practice dummies, and even real combat steel golems.
Thud!
Every time a steel golem stomped, the ground trembled.
The soldier facing it evaded its attacks with precise movements.
“You’re finally here.”
Victoria was there.
She waved lightly in our direction, and Kalian waved back at her.
She didn’t seem to be training.
Like us, she was likely just checking out the facilities.
“You’re early.”
“I arrived yesterday. The food here is terrible. I don’t like it.”
“Did you come here just to eat?”
We exchanged light conversation.
Hubert called out to the soldiers fighting the golem.
“Take a break. Oliver, Vincent.”
The golem suddenly stopped moving, and the two soldiers, wiping off their sweat, walked toward us.
From the way they carried themselves, it was clear that they were highly skilled—probably second only to Hubert.
“Let me introduce you. Oliver is my lieutenant, and Vincent is the commander of this unit. If you need anything, talk to them.”
Hubert explained their roles.
Oliver looked at both Kalian and me, but he only bowed his head to Kalian.
“Nice to meet you, Kalian. I’ve heard a lot about you from the commander. I’m sure you’ll make a great contribution to the defense of the wall.”
“I’m still just a student learning my way. But thank you for saying that.”
“Not only are you skilled, but you’re also humble. You’ll definitely be a great source of strength for us while you’re here.”
Oliver spoke highly of Kalian.
Hubert clapped a hand on Kalian’s shoulder and laughed heartily.
“Haha, Oliver is right. Kalian… you have no idea how reassuring it is to have you here. The soldiers’ morale is through the roof.”
“Brother…”
“Why are you so tense? Stand tall. Just because you’re in a new place doesn’t mean you have to shrink back. Hahaha!”
“Haha…”
Kalian let out an awkward laugh and glanced at me nervously.
He already knew—I wouldn’t let this slide.
He also knew that I was about to ruin the mood.
“I don’t think Kalian will be joining the demon subjugation.”
“What?”
“I said, Kalian won’t be joining the demon subjugation. He won’t even go on outer wall patrols.”
Hubert chuckled as if he hadn’t heard me, but I repeated myself loud and clear so everyone could hear.
The atmosphere plummeted in an instant.
Not just Hubert, but even Oliver and Vincent looked at me with hardened expressions.
“There you go again, Wade,” Hubert said, his tone calm but firm.
“This is the front line. Every little decision here is a matter of life and death. And I’m the one in charge. Now that Kalian is here, he has to follow my orders. That goes for you too.”
“And if Kalian refuses your orders, will you behead him under military law?”
“You know that kind of wordplay won’t work on me.”
Just like last time, I was stopping Kalian from participating.
There was no choice but to let him come here, but I would never let him kill demons.
Victoria was here.
Kalian massacring demons in front of her was absolutely out of the question.
As Hubert and I faced off, Oliver, who had been silently watching, scoffed.
“Hah, this is ridiculous. I let you be because you’re Kalian’s friend, but now you think you can act like the commander? Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
“That makes it even more absurd. What makes a brat like you think you can throw your weight around? You think being his friend means you can ignore military law and keep your head?”
“Watch your words.”
“You should watch yours. Ignoring the commander’s orders… Let’s see how long you last. Killing a whelp like you isn’t difficult.”
Hubert stopped Oliver.
“Enough. Wade is Kalian’s longtime friend. He’s just naïve about these matters because he grew up in a sheltered environment.”
“But, Commander, we can’t just sit here and listen to this nonsense.”
It wasn’t just Oliver.
Every soldier around had stopped what they were doing and was now watching us.
Hubert turned back to me.
“You see, Wade? Everyone here understands—this is no child’s game. If you want your voice to be recognized, the only way is to prove it with blood.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“What?”
“How about I prove my skills? I came in Kalian’s place, so as long as I have similar abilities, that should be enough, right?”
The soldiers burst into laughter.
Hubert spoke to me slowly, as if explaining to someone dim-witted.
“Wade… Just because you’re Kalian’s friend doesn’t mean you’re as strong as him. My brother is a once-in-a-millennium genius. Don’t overestimate yourself.”
“I may not be as strong as Kalian, but I’m pretty sure I can beat that guy easily.”
“You mean Oliver? He’s one of the best soldiers here, with years of experience in demon subjugation. Even if you are a student of Arcana, a flower from the garden cannot break a rock.”
“We’ll see about that. Let’s find out if the flower wins… or if the rock does.”
Hubert still wasn’t taking me seriously.
Oliver himself chuckled, taking it lightly.
“Commander, this actually works out well. I’ll take this chance to correct that brat’s attitude.”
“Are you saying you want to duel Wade?”
“I wouldn’t even call it a duel. I’ll just smack him around a little. That should be enough to knock some sense into him and make him shut up.”
“Hearing you two talk like this… I suppose I have no choice.”
I was worried they might just ignore my provocation, but fortunately, Hubert played along, pretending to reluctantly approve the duel.
If I won, Kalian would be excluded from all operations.
I would take his place for the remainder of this mission.
On the other hand, if Oliver won, I would have to shut my mouth and leave the fortress walls.
Essentially, I’d be thrown out for being useless and getting in the way.
There was no real reason for Hubert, as the commanding officer, to entertain such a bet, but they all seemed confident that they would win no matter what.
And why wouldn’t they be? Hubert still thought I was the same pathetic, snot-nosed weakling from before.
“Are you ready?”
Hubert stood between me and Oliver.
The soldiers, Kalian, and Victoria all gathered to watch the duel.
Aside from a few, everyone assumed I would lose.
The only question was how badly I’d lose and how loudly I’d cry about it.
“Begin!”
And just like that, our fight started.
Or rather, it ended.
Crash!
At the signal, Oliver went flying across the arena, slamming into the wall.
Hubert and the soldiers gawked in shock, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
Kalian sighed, rubbing his forehead as he lowered his head.
The bet was mine.
****
As promised, Kalian remained inside the inner walls.
I joined Oliver, Victoria, and a platoon of soldiers on patrol along the outer walls.
The border fortress was divided into inner and outer walls.
Since the outer wall directly faced the demons, a certain level of tension was necessary.
“I’m starving. Got anything to eat?”
“I have a chocolate bar.”
“Oh.”
But for me and Victoria, tension was the least of our concerns.
We casually walked together, sharing a chocolate bar.
Now, how should I proceed?
If we run into demons, I’ll have no choice but to kill them.
After showing my strength to the soldiers, I can’t exactly feign weakness and step back.
But I also can’t start turning demons into minced meat in front of her.
Up ahead, Oliver spoke.
“I’ll check up top for a bit.”
“You’re speaking too informally. Do you need another beating?”
“…I’ll go check up top for a moment. I’ll inspect the watchtower and return shortly. Please continue patrolling the area.”
“Good. Go on, then.”
Properly disciplined, Oliver took some soldiers and climbed up to the watchtower.
For someone who got beaten in front of everyone, he was surprisingly compliant.
Then again, in this place, strength was law, so his change in attitude made sense.
With the nuisance gone, maybe I could have a real conversation with Victoria.
Kalian’s relationship with her was the key issue, but since I was his friend, I needed to maintain a decent image as well.
Sooner or later, I’d have to massacre demons, so I should start preparing a good excuse.
Something like, “Humans and demons aren’t inherently evil, but our conflicting circumstances force us into this cycle of killing each other…”
Or maybe, “I don’t want to kill demons either, but I have no choice if I want to survive…”
“Ah! Over here! Lord Wade!”
“What is it?”
One of the soldiers ahead suddenly started shouting as he rummaged through some bushes.
I walked over and saw a horrific sight—slaughtered soldiers, their bodies strewn about in a gruesome mess.
Judging by their armor and insignias, these were the watchmen we were supposed to rendezvous with.
They must have stepped outside briefly and been ambushed by demons.
Which meant… the defenses had been breached.
“Wade!”
Oliver, who had gone up to the watchtower, shouted urgently from atop the fortress wall.
“A demon army is approaching!”