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“Stepping outside, I found the situation had already descended into chaos.”

“Raid! It’s a raid! Monsters are coming!”

“Distribute ammunition and take your positions!”

Familiar imperial soldiers were running around in every direction.

An executive was shouting, guns and gear clattering, the sound of military boots stomping on the ground echoed everywhere.

Piecing together the snippets of imperial language I heard, it seemed that the creatures attacking the rift were, indeed, monsters.

“……”

The study of monsters has a history as deep as humanity itself.

In a world where magic, divinity, and the bizarre coexist, what’s the big deal about monsters?

Whether they harm humans or not, humans share the land with various races, and thus, the study of these non-human beings and monsters has continuously progressed.

Among scholars studying monsters, there’s a saying that’s as universally known as the Lord’s Prayer.

“Monsters do not attack people without reason.”

It’s not entirely wrong.

Even fierce beasts like tigers or lions won’t indiscriminately attack their keepers or owners.

Even notoriously fussy foxes can be just ordinary animals when handled by experts.

Monsters are the same.

If monsters truly craved human flesh and blood, it would be normal for scholars who research their ecology to be picking them off in the no man’s land as easily as if it were their home, or for those training monsters, quite simply, to have all been killed by now.

Setting aside ecosystem destruction from reckless development or instinctual defense of territory, there’s simply no case of a monster attacking a human without a special reason.

Therefore, unless there’s a unique reason, monsters don’t just go out of their way to kill humans.

Unless, of course, the countries of the Mauritania Continent provoke them first.

What that means is,

“Let’s get out of here right now.”

There is no monster in this world that would aggressively attack without being provoked.

—

**Episode 11 – Northern Front, All Clear**

—

Due to the fog surrounding the mountains, we were stuck, and suddenly the rift began to be attacked. Monsters were making their move.

This was clearly an unusual situation, and given the circumstances, the chatter was starting to escalate rapidly.

Senior Lyudmila could hardly hide her bewilderment as she began to explain.

“…It seems the rift is under attack. It looks like monsters are raiding it.”

“I see.”

Something was definitely off.

We would describe such a situation as being cornered.

When a carefully laid plan falls apart, when a trusted informant turns traitor, when your identity is blown and you’re pursued, etc.

There are plenty of situations that lead to being cornered. Like the day you meet with an informant who claimed to have obtained crucial information only for the safe house to be raided by armed investigators.

Usually, when pushed to extremes, a person’s abilities plummet to a fraction of their usual self.

In such moments, those who calmly navigate problems are the top-tier, and the abilities displayed in these situations are the true mark of one’s skill.

—

“…On a day choked with fog, the monsters suddenly attack the rift, and unfortunately, we’re trapped here.”

“……”

“What impeccable timing.”

I slowly walked out of the barracks to assess the surroundings.

The troops defending the rift were rushing to the defense line. A soldier, in a hurry, dropped the ammunition box he was holding as he dashed to a trench, while a soldier at the stronghold pulled out ammunition to load into his machine gun.

Soldiers retrieved rifles from the armory and were deployed across the defense line, while heavy machinery, shedding its waterproof covers, rumbled forward with powerful engine roars. All personnel and equipment moved in perfect unison under command.

It was evident they were well-trained troops. Considering their excellent gear and training, they were certainly disciplined.

Thus, the unit defending this place was the elite of the elite. No doubt about it.

Having assessed the situation, I immediately turned my head towards Camila and Francesca.

“As you can see, troops are being deployed to the defense line. It seems the unit hasn’t been attacked directly, but rather, it encountered monsters at a reconnaissance outpost.”

A reconnaissance outpost refers to a unit that detects enemy attacks in advance and protects friendly forces.

The defensive stationed forward of the main battle line falls under this definition, as do the scouting parties passing through the demilitarized zone and the sentries patrolling the barbed wire. In fact, GOP in Korean translates to ‘general outpost.’

So, the monsters aren’t assaulting the main force, but rather encountering a scouting team deep in the woods. At least from the military conversations echoing around us, that was what it sounded like.

A soldier would be able to gauge the situation just from what I’ve summarized.

The problem is,

“What’s a reconnaissance outpost?”

“What’s that? Are you a nerd?”

“……”

Camila and Francesca stared at me with puzzled expressions. Unfortunately, both were civilians with zero military experience, so even if I explained, they wouldn’t understand.

“Just think of it as the monsters meeting the scouting team.”

“Would’ve been better if you said that, Colonel.”

In any case, Camila and Francesca grasped the current situation. Thank goodness they didn’t freeze up, so I decided to let that slide for now.

What was urgent wasn’t this.

“If the reconnaissance team has detected them, that means the monsters haven’t reached us yet, right?”

I nodded in response to Camila’s question.

Her fiery red hair, like a burning flame, fluttering in the breeze, she spoke up again.

“What should we do now?”

“First, we should find a safe place.”

The decision was clear, making it easy to decide.

“Senior Lyudmila.”

“Yes!”

I called out to Senior Lyudmila. She quickly approached after grabbing a passing officer for information.

“Please guide these two to a safe location.”

“What about the vehicle you arrived in…?”

“Let’s leave it. It’s not worth losing more than one vehicle just to write a report.”

The elite unit defending the Rift will surely not be easily overwhelmed by mere monsters. As long as we wait in a safe place, the situation will resolve itself, and there’s no issue in moving slowly when the time comes.

Of course, the opposite is also true.

If, by some chance, the defense line falters and the monsters reach the Rift, we must flee to the mountains below by any means necessary. To find an escape route will require time.

Regardless of the outcome, I judged that we needed to plan while the defense line holds. The unit commander wouldn’t just leave Camila and Francesca to die here if they had any sense.

But what I didn’t expect was—

“…I have a different opinion.”

It was the colossal idiot beside me.

*

“Why do we have to run away?”

“What do you mean, Camila?”

“No!”

Camila suddenly shouted in frustration.

With a face that seemed both exasperated and angry, she raised her voice and pointed at the defense line.

“It’s not like it’s been breached, and the monsters haven’t even reached us yet. Does it make sense to retreat now?”

“Then what? Are you going to fight? You’re not even a soldier.”

“Still, running away isn’t right! When danger approaches, instead of helping, running off to a safe place is not something we should do!”

“Camila.”

“And above all.”

Her finger moved again, pointing to a certain building. The barrack we had just exited.

“There are kids in there too.”

“……”

“I don’t know who they are. I don’t know their names or faces. I saw them for the first time today, so of course I don’t know. But they’re kids. In a situation where we should be protecting them, if we bail out for our own safety, who will protect them?”

Before I could respond, I stepped closer to Camila. It may have ended up looking somewhat threatening, and it seemed like I was turning my back on the barrack as if ignoring reality, but I didn’t care much about that.

What mattered now wasn’t any of those concerns.

“The soldiers will take care of it. The Imperial Army will protect them safely.”

“And what about us?”

“……”

“Isn’t it the soldier’s job to protect people?”

To be honest, I had a lot to say.

As a Colonel, participating in combat on imperial territory would lead to political and diplomatic controversies.

Depending on the interpretation, Abas’s army could be seen as signaling active involvement in the conflict between the Kien Empire and the magical realm.

So, I couldn’t fight here. I must not fight.

Why do you think the imperial military placed me at the rear headquarters instead of the front lines?

I am an Abas soldier, not a Kien soldier.

The people I am supposed to protect are the citizens of Abas as stated in the Constitution, not the citizens of the Kien Empire.

What would happen if I fought here and you or Francesca were to die?

Though I had a lot to say, none of it came out. Camila spoke faster than I could open my mouth.

Camila spoke in an impassioned voice filled with emotion.

“Of course, foreigners might not be considered among those to protect. Soldiers have their own countries. But even if a person has a nationality, life knows no borders.”

“……”

I didn’t open my mouth.

Considering her childish aspirations to be like James Bond, Camila was someone who upheld her words more than anyone else.

She left her affluent and comfortable home to care for people in Africa and the Middle East, showing the ability and courage to do so.

And having observed people like Camila while traveling across various continents, I thought that was something ordinary people could hardly attempt.

Camila shouted.

“I want to stay here for those kids!”

“……”

Her tone was indeed resolute.

The alarms and sirens announcing the impending assault.

Shouting and commands.

Amidst the cacophony that filled the space, Camila’s words rang clearly in my ears. For that moment, it felt as if only she and I stood there.

What brought me out of that illusion was neither the determined voice of Camila nor the urgent updates from Senior Lyudmila.

“…It seems we have a conflict of opinions.”

Francesca, with a gentle tone, stepped right between Camila and me.

With a sly smile, she looked at me and asked.

“What will you do?”

“Well, I don’t really care… I’m a magician of the Magic Tower and a citizen of Patalia, and I do have the duty to assist in guarding the Rift, but I’m not obliged to bleed and fight on imperial soil….”

“……”

“But….”

Her violet eyes shifted. Her gaze moved to my back.

Towards the direction of the barrack.

“The kids over there are mages, and as a fellow magician, I cannot ignore them.”

“Why is that?”

“Well….”

Francesca trailed off.

There was a brief silence.

Only after the lengthy silence, did Francesca finally open her mouth.

“Because I am a magician.”

“……”

“It is a magician’s duty to inherit from the predecessors and protect the successors, Colonel.”

 

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