“If it comes down to it, I’ll just have to hand over the reins to you while I go as the representative, Swivel,” Hyasin said with a long sigh.
“Don’t go asking for the impossible, Captain. Without you, this place would fall apart in a matter of days. Allow me to go in your stead.” Swivel stated.
Hyasin shook his head and replied, “Only the Commander or one of us Captains can officially represent the General Support Unit. There’s no way the Commander will show up for something so tedious. And, if we send a Lieutenant, they’ll only look down even more on the General Support Unit. Not to mention, I don’t want you to have to face those scornful gazes due to shortcomings that are no fault of your own. If only those other guys weren’t so wild and scattered all over the place, I could have had one of them make the trip.”
“Captain…” Swivel was touched by Hyasin’s concern. But, he was also frustrated that he could not be of any help. After all, if not for Hyasin’s hard work, the already scattered GSU would have been in a state of even greater disarray.
Hyasin released a heavy sigh as he looked down at his desk in defeat.
“It seems you have a problem, Captain Hyasin. Should I lend a hand?” Izroth said as he approached the two.
“Huh? Who-” Hyasin did not recognize the voice at first; however, when he popped his head up, a large happy grin found its way onto his face.
“Captain Izroth—you’re here!” Hyasin said as he quickly stood to his feet in excitement.
The moment Hyasin said that name, the other GSU members present abruptly halted their actions and turned their attention toward Izroth.
“Eh? Is that Captain Izroth?” One of the GSU members said softly.
“The same Captain Izroth who leveled Vostracane and helped take down one of the Antumbra Night Lords?”
“Shh..! Hey, you know we aren’t supposed to speak about that…!”
“What? It’s not like we’re outside. Everyone here knows how to keep their mouth shut.”
“He’s much younger than I imagined. Our General Support Unit is fortunate to have someone who can finally compete with the Rising Suns of the other War Branches.”
“Heh, I like that our General Support Unit is finally getting some recognition, but that might be a little too much. Those three are just too abnormal.”
The title of Rising Sun was only given to one person from each War Branch who was the most outstanding individual among the upcoming generation. And this generation of Rising Suns consisted of three individuals—one human, one trephasia, and one zensana.
Even though each of them was from different kingdoms and races, all three had something in common. When it came to the upcoming generation, they were considered the monsters of monsters. Even those from the older generation could not afford to look down on those given the title of Rising Sun.
Unfortunately for the GSU, this generation of Rising Suns did not include anyone from their War Branch. It was not that their War Branch did not have anyone talented; it was just that compared to those three young monsters, those from their upcoming generation would only be setting themselves up for ridicule if they accepted the title of Rising Sun.
In fact, if not for Commander Seraphina’s influence, it was likely that their War Branch would have been shut down altogether!
Therefore, when someone young like Izroth came along and achieved such breathtaking feats, naturally, the members of the GSU became excited.
Hyasin loudly cleared his throat and said, “I didn’t realize we could afford to take an early vacation today!”
The moment Hyasin spoke, the members of the GSU quickly went back to work. Nonetheless, the scattered whispers about Izroth could still be heard throughout the room.
“Excuse my men, Captain Izroth. They are a bit restless today. It’s not often we get exciting news that involves a person from our General Support Unit. As if we didn’t already have enough exciting news going around for a lifetime with this upcoming attack.” Hyasin stated calmly as a helpless smile formed on his face.
“It’s fine. At times like this, a minor distraction from the unknowns that lay ahead is not so bad.” Izroth responded with a carefree smile.
Izroth was reminded of his earlier days of walking down the path of cultivation. In those days, he did not know if he would live to see the next hour, let alone tomorrow. During those dark times, it was the small distractions from the endless battles, killing, and death that helped keep him grounded.
“Ah, you’ll have to forgive my directness, Captain. But did I hear you correctly just now? Are you really fine with acting as the General Support Unit’s official representative for the upcoming attack?” Hyasin asked.
“That’s right. I already have plans on joining the attack. Whether I do so as a representative or not doesn’t matter to me. That is, as long as my movements remain unrestricted.” Izroth responded.
The reason Izroth joined the GSU was so that his movement during the war would not be limited. If the GSU’s only benefit were suddenly taken away, then he would rather go ahead with his original plan.
A large smile found its way onto Hyasin face as he clapped his hands together.
“Really?! You’ll go?! You’ll be helping me out in a real pinch here!” Hyasin said as he released a sigh of relief.
He then continued, “Oh, and there’s no reason to worry about your movements being restricted. You may have to take part in a few official meetings before the attack takes place and after it concludes. Ah, you probably won’t have to speak or anything outside of a brief introduction. But, besides that, there should be no issue. After all, our General Support Unit prides itself on our free spirits!”
“Then, I see no problem. If the General Support Unit needs a representative, I’ll do it. Besides, we can’t have others looking down on us, right?”
“Well said!” Hyasin said with a strong nod of approval.
As Hyasin finished giving his explanation and Izroth confirmed his acceptance, a new set of system alerts sounded.
〈System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!〉
〈System Alert: Warning! An Emergency War Objective is now available!〉
«Operation Identifier: Representative of the General Support Unit»
Classification: Emergency
Contribution Points Bonus: +100%
Min. Requirement(s): Captain
Min. Level Recommended: N/A
Slots Remaining: 1/1
Objective: Act as the official representative for the General Support Unit and accompany the War Brigade and allied forces to the assault on the Night Lord’s Crypt. You must properly attend to the duties of a representative until the end of the assault to receive the reward. In addition, all forces under your command will receive a separate War Objective that cannot be declined.
Reward: [MAX: +500(+500) Contribution Points][x1 «Treasure Shard»][x1 «Merit Emblem»]
Failure: [MAX: -750 Contribution Points]
Special Note: Contribution Points are distributed in real-time for Emergency-type classifications. Contribution Points will be allocated or deducted based on how you complete your duties as a representative.
After accepting the War Objective, Izroth exchanged a few casual words with Hyasin before the Captain expressed his thanks once again.
“Again, I can’t thank you enough. Stay safe out there, Captain Izroth. Remember, the General Support Unit may not be as big as the other War Branches. But, if one of our people is in trouble, we’ll be there to support them. As long as you call for us, we won’t hesitate to come running to your aid. That is a matter that we will never be too busy or stretched thin for.” Hyasin said with confidence.
“I will be sure to keep your words in mind. I still have some preparations to make, so I’ll be taking my leave. I’ll meet up with the others later, as we’ve discussed. Try not to work yourself too hard, Captain.” Izroth said as he turned to walk away.
“Yeah, I’ll be sure to keep your words in mind,” Hyasin said to himself as he watched Izroth depart.
…
A few minutes later, Izroth, accompanied by Niflheim, stood before a small shop located near the back end of the city.
The shop had a small wooden sign hanging above the door with the words “Cedar’s Nest” carved onto its surface.
‘I’m a bit late, but this should be the place.’
Before Izroth left Xanaharpe, there was another task he had to complete that involved a promise he made with the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, Mariposa.
For helping him set up the hunt on the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth promised that as long as Mariposa sent him three high-quality ingredients, he would deliver something of great use to her. This was, of course, the Self Awakening Pill.
At the time, Mariposa mentioned that she would send someone to Xanaharpe in a few hours to meet up with Izroth. However, he never expected to enter the Secret Realm and then get caught up in the mess at the Thousand Blossoms Peak.
As a result, the person from Sleeping Gardenia who was supposed to be delivering the materials had to wait around in Xanaharpe for at least two days!
But, Izroth was not completely thoughtless. After his return from the Secret Realm, he tried to get in contact with Mariposa, but she had not returned any of his messages. This was highly unusual, considering that she typically responded instantly to his messages. However, given how chaotic things have been lately and everything on Mariposa’s plate, Izroth merely wrote it off as her being busy or in place with limited to no communication place in RML.
