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A giant monster over 200 meters tall lay squashed on the ruins of a small town.

“What in the world is that? Is there a worm that big?”

“I have no idea.”

The charred monster looked like a worm that crawled up the summer asphalt. The only difference was that worms aren’t big enough to crush multiple buildings, nor do they feast on humans.

[A giant monster has been killed in Halarm, a city bordering the Tispon Republic. This monster, which has been rampaging through No Man’s Land, destroying villages and nomadic camps, has a record-breaking size of over 200 meters…]

“Oh man, seriously…”

Jake, as soon as he arrived at the office, cursed as he checked the TV. It was no surprise that the monster was dubbed the largest in the world.

“It’s crispy on the outside. I wonder if the inside is moist?”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

“Just kidding…”

I gave Jake a light smack on the back of his head. The blond tanned guy scratched his head and received comfort from his colleagues.

“Cut it out, Jake.”

“…Thanks a ton, Pippin.”

The subordinate employees gathered around the table were glued to the TV, watching a dazed Peacekeeping Force Executive being interviewed by a journalist against the backdrop of an old tactical vehicle.

In the background, civil servants were huddled together, staring at the monster, while the Magic Imaging Equipment focused on a magician standing awkwardly between uniforms and suits.

With sparkling blue eyes, the magician poked the dead monster with a pipe he had picked up God knows where, only to slip and fall after stepping on some flesh that had fallen off.

As the Peacekeeping Force soldiers gathered around the rolling magician, I couldn’t stand it any longer and turned off the TV.

“Sigh… He’s causing another ruckus.”

I tossed the remote aside while rubbing my tired neck.

“Someone contact that unit. Tell them to send Camila Rookie here as soon as she’s secured. Leaving her alone, she’s catching monsters and causing mayhem…”

“Yes, sir.”

I sat at the table, leaving Jake who was tapping the receiver behind.

“Let’s get to work.”

—

Episode 17 – The Tree that Drinks Blood

Unlike last week, when it felt like a large expeditionary force was about to cross the sea to bring peace, the armies of the superpowers didn’t budge at all.

There was no unlimited support as predicted by the media, and the actual reinforcements that arrived in Mauritania were less than a hundred.

Local governments could not hide their disappointment, and the residents were blaming the international community. They wondered where the promised large expeditionary forces had gone, which had given them hope.

However, nobody directly hurled accusations at the reinforcements, which was a show of respect to those who came to help, regardless of their size. It meant that there were still those who hadn’t given up hope.

Those who believe are blessed, they say.

That hope soon returned as a reward.

—

[With sharp beastly teeth and six arms, the infamous ‘Numerus,’ known for having a face on its back, has finally met its end! The beast, tormented by a storm of flames, tried to leap into the river, but could not escape the subsequent two explosions. The astonishing fact is that there was only one person who hunted this monster.]

[In the refugee camp located in Davarshi, Saint Lucia heals the patients. This place, where 70,000 refugees are gathered due to the civil war, has been suffering from an epidemic until recently. The Saint, accompanied by the cleric and doctor of the cult, has treated over 1500 patients in the past four days—]

[Over No Man’s Land, amidst carpets crossing the sky, yellow powder is pouring down from above. This is the scene where potions from the Magic Tower are being sprayed. According to Ms. Francesca, who was in charge of development, this powder is harmless to the human body….]

[The Union’s Peacekeeping Force has destroyed a Wendigo habitat. Thus, the residents of the three countries on the Mauritania continent, who have been living in fear for the past eight years, are finally liberated from their nightmares.]

Resolution No. 3774 of the World Union for International Peace. The result of an agreement among the governments of various countries to resolve the crisis on the Mauritania continent is starting to show effects.

“Wow… they really made a big move again.”

I crossed my arms while watching the breaking news on TV.

“How in the world did such a habitat survive? It’s amazing that it’s still alive.”

Camila responded.

“It was a habitat that the army couldn’t touch.”

She approached me while drying her body with a towel. Having returned just an hour ago, covered in soot from a victorious battle, Camila had transformed back from a black person to a white one.

I alternated my gaze between the quasi-black figure on the TV and the white girl with a towel around her neck. Camila was munching on candy she had taken from her rations after completely burning down the natural cave where the monster nested.

“Is the candy going down okay?”

“It’s dry in my throat. Oh, wait!”

While still chewing the candy, Camila leaned her upper body onto the desk and started to fret.

It was about her health.

“I picked my nose in the bathroom earlier, and a bunch of black stuff came out! Am I getting lung cancer?”

“In my opinion, Camila should be worrying about diabetes before lung cancer. How can you keep inhaling smoke?”

“I can drink while fighting, right?”

“Now you’re even eating smoke because you have nothing else to eat…”

“Shut up.”

As soon as the resolution passed, our group immediately flew to the Mauritania continent.

Borders, refugee camps, No Man’s Land.

The three of them quickly spread out and swiftly resolved the incidents and accidents on-site. In less than half a month, issues that even local governments and the international community found hard to handle vanished in an instant.

“Hmm. This is pretty nice. Things are going smoothly.”

The situation was progressing smoothly, at least from a social perspective.

The representative problems plaguing Mauritania included civil war, monsters, epidemics, and disasters. While the civil war stemmed from a complicated political situation, making it hard to tackle, the latter three were issues that we could easily handle.

Camila, Lucia, and Francesca attended to urgent matters as soon as they arrived on site. Monsters attacking the borders, cholera spreading in the refugee camps, No Man’s Land…

A colony running rampant and threatening the transport network and so on.

Although we dispersed without even exchanging greetings, it was fine. Dealing with monsters, healing patients, and rebuilding the ruined infrastructure were the specialties of the three of us.

“Everyone did really well; it seems like the skills you honed in the North haven’t gone anywhere. Thanks to that, the government conveyed their gratitude and said they can finally relax a bit.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Lucia and Francesca received thanks too. Of course, you did as well, Camila.”

“Wow!”

Camila’s large eyes began to sparkle as she held the letter of appreciation sent by the government.

I opened my mouth towards Camila, who was inspecting the letter with curiosity.

“Oh, and two people are coming here.”

“Right now?”

“With the urgent fire put out, we should start gathering. There are stories to share.”

Standing from my seat, I cleared away the candy wrapper she had left behind. With a vigorous wipe with a towel, Camila shook her hair, using magic to dry off the leftovers.

Shaking her shimmering hair as she looked around, she suddenly stood up. With an eager expression, she started to tug my hand.

“Let’s go meet them quickly! Quickly!”

“Ah, let’s take it slow. My wrist is going to break.”

*

The base where the Peacekeeping Force flag fluttered. The military facility set up in the desolate desert radiated a fortress-like atmosphere.

The sound of military boots crunching on the sand and the smoke billowing from military trucks filled the air. As we waited for a truck to pass, we hurriedly dashed out to the road and sprinted towards the guard post.

The entrance of the base was blocked with barricades and concrete blocks. Soldiers at the checkpoint were inspecting the passing vehicles. We arrived at the heavily guarded checkpoint and were greeted by familiar faces there.

“Lucia! Francesca!”

A radiant blonde woman and a woman with flowing purplish hair turned their heads.

Hearing the call, both of them smiled warmly and replied.

“Camila! It’s been a while.”

“We finally meet again!”

Lucia nodded with a smile towards Camila. As I watched those two, Francesca frowned, crossing her arms.

“So, the Colonel is here as well.”

“Yes, well, that’s my job. You all must have gone through a lot traveling such a long distance.”

“Not enough to call it hardship.”

Camila, overjoyed at seeing familiar faces again, couldn’t contain her excitement. People passing by occasionally turned their heads to glance at the exuberant magician hopping about.

After exchanging greetings with Camila, Francesca approached my side. Lucia also smiled kindly and bowed her head in welcome.

“I can’t believe it’s been a few months since we were all together. Was it around six months ago?”

“About that. The last time we met was after the canonization ceremony. Have you all been safe?”

“Very comfortable. It seems like the Saint has had no major troubles for the past few months.”

“Yes.”

Lucia nodded with a pleasant smile.

Her smile was so bright that even onlookers couldn’t help but smile in return. Unable to hold back her curiosity about Lucia’s beaming expression, Camila spoke up.

“Is there something good that happened?”

“Oh.”

As if snapping back to reality from her words, Lucia gasped softly and nodded earnestly.

“It seems it’s because I’m seeing all of you again after half a year.”

“Aha!”

As Lucia spoke, her gaze flicked this way and that. Glancing around, the saint subtly waved her hand so as not to draw attention. I also waved back at her.

Having finished her shy greeting, Lucia turned her gaze back toward Camila. In the meantime, Francesca, still with her arms crossed, hummed a strange tune.

“You two look like you’re getting along closely. Are you particularly special to each other?”

“It’s just that we’re so happy to see each other. Just happy.”

“Hmph….”

Francesca’s crossed arms tilted slightly. It was an unspoken signal indicating she was listening critically to the words shared. Her mouth still wore a smile, but the moment I realized her gaze had turned cold, I thought to myself, oh no.

Sweating profusely from Francesca’s dubious look, I attempted to defend myself.

“Why are you suddenly so suspicious, Francesca? It’s not like it’s the kind of relationship you’re thinking.”

“What kind of relationship am I thinking about, Colonel?”

“Ahaha….”

Francesca pouted slightly as she listened, and even if I claimed it was a misunderstanding, there was no sign her mood would improve.

As I continued to sweat and spoke, Camila, who was chatting with Lucia, started glancing at me with a look of confusion.

“Frederick. Is something going on with Francesca?”

“No, it’s just….”

“Nothing’s going on, Camila.”

Francesca left me behind and approached Camila. It was clear that she was in no mood to listen to any explanations. Perhaps she didn’t even need an explanation at all.

“……”

As I stood there looking gloomy, Lucia, this time with a concerned expression, approached me.

With worry in her eyes, she asked whether something was wrong.

“…It’s nothing.”

We gathered at the entrance of the base and shared some warm conversations. Starting from casual updates to recent events that had occurred on-site, the spectrum of our discussions was wide and varied.

Looking around at the long line of vehicles entering the Peacekeeping Force base, I checked my watch and realized time had passed significantly. I quickly climbed the steps of the building and spoke up.

“Everyone, let’s all head inside now.”

“What for?”

“What for, you ask?”

I tapped my wristwatch lightly.

“Time to get to work.”

 

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