Chapter 127: Reason for Being Called Back
“Phew…… phew…… report on the mission results first.”
We followed that man’s orders and accurately reported the results of our sabotage operations in the Republic’s occupied territory. The man sat back in his chair, listening intently.
Though he tried to appear disinterested, his mouth curled upward, and his nostrils twitched with excitement. Even if he hadn’t been present at the scene, our achievements reflected his leadership, and he would take credit for our successful mission. The more successful we make the operation, the more credit he gets. I bet he can’t stop laughing inside.
Furthermore, even in the unlikely event of our complete annihilation, it would be convenient for Kalervo, so he wouldn’t be punished; it worked out well for him. No matter how much we fought, our treatment wouldn’t improve. However, it was a stark contrast for us—if we slacked off, we would end up exposed as corpses on the battlefield or deemed useless and disposed of.
“Hmph, not bad, I suppose. Now, as for the reason I called you back… rejoice. Replenishment has arrived from the homeland.”
“Replenishment … you say?”
With a sinister grin, the man in front of us spoke. Normally, additional personnel coming to the Special Operations unit, which was always understaffed, would be a cause for celebration. Increasing the numbers would make covert operations more challenging, but it would also broaden the tactical possibilities.
However, in the four years since the Spec Ops unit was formed, there has never been any replenishment of personnel. Essentially, we were considered a unit of failures, according to Kalervo. Sending us reinforcements would mean admitting his own failure, given the current situation of him creating demons. I couldn’t imagine the prideful Kalervo acknowledging such a thing, but…?
“Yes, replenishment. Do you know about the Khan man, whom the guest spiritualist is favoring? I heard you met him at Calnera Port.”
“…I remember; he’s the one the regimental commander brought.” (Marcellus is the regimental commander)
The Khan man at Calnera Port? Oh, right… I distinctly remember there being an individual who was called Haddin by Marcellus. Shortly after that, we were bombarded by the fleet. I couldn’t easily forget the disdainful gaze he cast upon us.
“So, even with your limited intellect, you remembered. That individual had become the honorary spiritualist’s assistant, and it seems he has finally been entrusted with producing demons. The demons created as a result of his practice will serve as additional personnel for your unit.”
“Practice, you say. Understood.”
The term “practice” made me feel nauseous, but I understood why those demons ended up being replenishment for our unit. The demons Haddin created as practice must have had some issues, and now they were dumping them on us.
I didn’t know what kind of individuals were being sent as replenishment, but I hope they would have friendly personalities so we could get along. Our position was far from secure, which made unity and cohesion crucial. No matter how much training we underwent to become stronger, it would be pointless if we self-destructed due to internal conflicts.
“The additional personnel have already arrived. We’ve merged them with the remaining members of the Special Operations unit, so keep that in mind. Now, hurry up and leave.”
“Understood. Excuse us then.”
It seemed the commander had said all he wanted to say, as he waved us off as if shooing away insects. We didn’t really enjoy spending time in the same room with him either, so we promptly followed his orders and left.
After retrieving our weapons from the guards, we stepped outside the barracks. Assuming our tents were still in the same place, we headed in that direction. Along the way, Tigar let out an exasperated sigh.
“That bastard… someday I’ll kill him,” Tigar said.
“Keep it in check. You never know who might overhear.” Zald said
[He’s right. If you want to curse him, do it through telepathy.]
Zald tried to calm Tigar, who openly displayed his frustration while keeping his voice down. I also disliked that man, but as Zald pointed out, we had to be cautious about voicing our opinions openly. If anyone heard and reported us, we couldn’t predict the consequences. I could handle most situations, but if, by any chance, the children became targets, it would be disastrous. We should refrain from speaking recklessly.
But using telepathy should be fine. In fact, over the past four years, many of us, including myself, had learned telepathy. It was a struggle for me due to my limited aptitude, but I managed to become somewhat proficient. Telepathy allowed us to execute coordinated operations even from distant locations.
By the way, we were supplied with a message orb for our missions, but there was only one, and it was a defective product that could only receive. We had given up on being treated fairly, but I had heard rumors that message orbs were being produced in larger quantities. It would be nice if they shared a few more with us.
[Hey, hey I get it. So, what do you think about that topic?]
[The topic of replenishment? Well, we don’t really have the right to refuse. We have no choice but to accept.]
[No, I get that. What I’m wondering is what kind of people they’ll be.]
[Ah, I see. Indeed, that’s something I’m curious about too.]
Hmm, both of them seemed curious about the additional personnel assigned to our unit. I was no exception. The primary concern was that these individuals should not cause any disturbances within the unit, but regardless, we couldn’t help but wonder about the kind of people they were.
Indeed, let’s consider why they were chosen as subjects for “practice”. Two reasons come to mind. Firstly, they must have had such vicious and unmanageable personalities that no commander could handle them. The other reason could be that they might not have been deemed potent enough even after undergoing the synthesis process.
Personally, I hoped for the latter. If it were the former, they might turn out to be worse than the belligerent demons in other units. If it were the latter, we could simply train them to become more useful. Of course, that’s assuming they had the will to be trained.
[What do you think, Boss? What kind of people do you think will be coming?]
[I can’t say for sure. Either way, the fact that they are being assigned to us indicates they are different from the other demons created by Karelvo. I can only hope that this difference will be beneficial to us.]
[Seems like only problem children would be thrown into the snowdrifts of troublemakers. It’s disgusting.]
Tigar snorted and vented his frustration through telepathy. It was clear that both Zald and I felt the same way. However, we had repeatedly reminded ourselves not to let those emotions show on the surface. Though I hadn’t conveyed it through telepathy, Tigar seemed to sense what I wanted to say and shrugged with a sullen expression.
[That man said that Karelvo’s assistant created them, but do you believe that? It’s hard to imagine Karelvo, who seems so full of pride, sharing his techniques with others.]
“I can’t be sure unless I ask Mika, but… he’s a man who murdered his own brother to steal his technology and make a name for himself. I don’t know if it’s power or wealth, but if the empire dangles some kind of bait and orders him to create demons, he might just comply.]
I replied, expressing my personal theory. I said that to Zald, and deep down, I was almost certain it was the case. Though as a researcher he was inferior to Orvo, Karelvo excelled in navigating the world. If presented with enough benefits, there was a good chance he would willingly reveal his techniques.
While he might desire to monopolize the technology…. it still originated from Orvo’s research. There might be a slight reluctance to let it go, but if it served him to the maximum extent, he might gladly relinquish it.
[In the end, it’s nothing new for us to be tossed around by the empire and Karelvo’s scheming. No matter what we ponder, there’s little we can do. For now, we should focus on meeting and assessing those replenishment personnel… Hmm?]
As I attempted to sum up the conversation so far, I noticed that our tent area was bustling with noise. The tents were set up just inside the outer walls of the fortress, in an open space originally designated for that purpose. However, we were allocated a spot near the stables, one of the most disliked locations. Yet, we had grown accustomed to such treatment, and it no longer bothered us.
By the way, the demons owned by the coalition army on the central front were assigned near the garbage dump. It was an even more undesirable location than the one near the stables, and it served as a clear example of how demons were regarded similarly in all countries.
Putting that aside, the voices coming from the tent were high-pitched and belonged to young children. While it was normal for there to be children around, these voices were unfamiliar to us. Half-guessing their identity, we exchanged glances and then rushed toward the tents.
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