"You don't look so good."
Yinbing asked with concern.
It was breakfast time. Today was Standby Day, meaning everyone had the day off. Aside from training, they were free to do whatever they wanted as long as they stayed inside Central Headquarters.
"I didn't sleep well."
Yesterday, Ethel and Captain Oenone had been discussing battle plans until well past midnight. By the time he returned to his room, it was nearly one in the morning.
But that wasn't the real reason.
Ethel had another nightmare.
In the dream, the hateful voice in his head manifested once again, becoming a living nightmare.
He wanted to resist it.
But the beliefs that had been engraved into him over countless years refused to let him.
He had jolted awake several times throughout the night.
"I see..."
"Then why don't you go back and get some more sleep?"
"If anything happens, I'll let you know."
"I'd appreciate that."
Grateful for Yinbing's suggestion, Ethel returned to his room.
However, shortly after lying down and closing his eyes—
He heard the voice again.
"Why..."
"Gah...!"
Ethel shot upright in bed.
He glanced at the clock.
Only three minutes had passed.
Being constantly haunted by that voice gave him a splitting headache.
It became especially active before and after important battles.
Giving up on sleep entirely, Ethel headed to the lounge to make himself a cup of coffee.
The lounge was crowded.
There were at least two squads' worth of people gathered there.
"Huh?"
"Ethel, weren't you supposed to be taking a nap?"
Yinbing called out as Ethel walked past with a mug of coffee.
She was sitting together with Abby and Lyle.
"I couldn't sleep."
Taking a sip of his coffee, Ethel sat down with them.
"Then could you help calm Abby down?"
"He's so nervous he's about to explode."
Lyle pointed toward Abby beside him.
His face had turned pale.
He kept rocking back and forth while muttering to himself, unconsciously chewing on his fingernails.
"Hey, Abby."
"Hm?"
Abby turned toward him, still biting his nails.
"I'll be watching you the whole time."
"Trust me."
"But..."
"You don't have to worry about anything."
"Just focus on fighting."
"I'll handle the rest."
"And so will Captain Oenone."
"That's right."
"I'll be looking after you too."
"I'm your Vice Captain, after all."
"If necessary, I'll help as well."
Yinbing and Lyle both added their own promises alongside Ethel's.
Abby looked at the three of them for a long moment.
Gradually, the anxiety faded from his face.
"Thank you."
"I trust all of you."
"That's more like it!"
"That's my brother!"
Lyle laughed as he gave Abby a heavy slap on the back.
Though Abby's smile was still a little stiff, it was far better than before.
"Alright."
"Enough gloomy thoughts."
"Who wants to play cards?"
Yinbing pulled a deck of playing cards from her pocket, hoping to help everyone pass the morning.
Time slowly drifted by.
By noon, the alarm had yet to sound.
For most members of the Third Squad, the entire morning felt unbearably long.
An oppressive atmosphere lingered among them.
Even those who had been excited yesterday at finally getting the chance to fight were now weighed down by invisible pressure.
"This..."
"is the true nature of war."
Yinbing casually shuffled the deck before putting it away.
Along with Ethel, she was one of the few people in the room who remained unaffected by the atmosphere.
Having nearly died on the battlefield countless times, Yinbing had long since learned to accept such things.
"You walk the path you've chosen."
"If a demon really appears today, there'll probably be another wave of retirements afterward."
"...Actually, even if nothing shows up, there still might be."
"It's always been like that."
"Wouldn't that cause problems?"
"If so many people leave at once?"
"Our numbers are pretty large to begin with."
"So it's manageable."
"And besides..."
"We still have the Second Squad."
"We'll be fine."
She tucked the playing cards away before standing up and shouting across the room.
"Hey!"
"Everyone!"
"Time for lunch!"
It was already well past noon.
Normally, most people would have already finished eating.
Only after Yinbing called out did everyone seem to snap back to reality.
Groups of twos and threes slowly made their way downstairs.
By the time they reached the cafeteria, members of the Second Squad were already halfway through their meals.
Seeing them seemed to remind Abby of something.
"Why are we on standby instead of the Second Squad?"
"Oh."
"That makes sense."
"You've only been here a few months."
"It's normal that you wouldn't know."
"The Second Squad mainly deals with demons that appear the day after the First Squad has already gone out."
"Fighting two consecutive days is practically suicide."
"Though situations like that are fairly rare."
"They're also responsible for nearly half of the urban demons."
"The Third Squad mostly fills in the gaps."
"When demon activity becomes unusually frequent, we can't expect only the First and Second Squads to handle everything."
"That's when the Third Squad steps in."
"...Well."
"That's how it was supposed to work."
Yinbing's voice gradually trailed off.
Everyone understood what she meant.
Ethel himself had once asked Captain Oenone the exact same question.
Why was it the Third Squad, rather than the Second Squad, that was expected to help shoulder Tia's burden?
"Basically..."
"Vice Captain Soth doesn't really care."
"And he has no interest in increasing his own workload."
"Those were his exact words."
"That's—"
Before Ethel could finish, Oenone interrupted him.
"Don't rush to judge him."
"I've only told you the facts."
"As for the truth behind them..."
"You'll have to discover that yourself."
"For now, just remember one thing."
"If Tia ever falls..."
"He'll become the next Captain."
Even now, Ethel still didn't know what truth Oenone had been referring to.
He only felt there was a huge contradiction between Soth's actions and what he truly wanted.
Returning to the present, the four of them collected their meals and sat together.
Although everyone had managed to calm Abby down somewhat, it was obvious he was still anxious.
He had taken barely half as much food as he normally did.
Just as they were about to begin eating, Captain Oenone entered the cafeteria.
After spotting them, she plopped herself down beside Yinbing.
"How's everyone doing?"
She greeted them as casually as ever while reaching over and stealing a piece of bread from Yinbing's tray.
Her question was mainly directed toward Abby and Lyle.
Of the two, only Lyle had participated in a single wild demon expedition before.
Both were still woefully inexperienced.
"I'm alright."
"I'm not."
Abby's answer came immediately.
"Then stay close to me the whole time."
"I'll protect you."
Instead of looking relieved, Abby bit his lip, visibly struggling with himself.
"...No, Captain."
"Just treat me like everyone else."
"Train me the way you always have."
"It was my own choice to join the Combat Division."
"I don't want to become a coward the moment I finally step onto the battlefield."
"Oh my, Abby."
"You're very brave."
"But protecting rookies on their first deployment is part of my job too."
"I won't let any of you get hurt."
"So basically..."
"If someone has to die..."
"...it'll be me."
Yinbing suddenly chimed in.
Judging by the grin on her face, it was obviously a joke.
"Yinbing!"
"That's not what I meant at all!"
Laughter immediately broke out around the table. Oenone denied it with exaggerated earnestness, but Lyle and Abby were already laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
Thanks to that, Abby looked noticeably more relaxed after lunch.
Once the waiting resumed, everyone's spirits gradually sank again.
This time, however, Oenone joined them.
She sat on one of the sofas chatting casually with Yinbing, occasionally getting up to check on her squad members.
One o'clock.
Two o'clock.
Three o'clock.
Still, nothing happened.
Now Oenone was sitting on the floor, telling stories about amusing moments from past battles, doing her best to ease everyone's anxiety about the upcoming expedition.
Lyle and Abby sat back-to-back against each other. The endless waiting had left them completely zoned out. Their mouths hung slightly open as they stared blankly into space.
Yinbing, meanwhile, had simply fallen asleep on the couch. To her, today felt more like a vacation than a standby shift.
Ethel sat alone in a corner, flipping through the documents Oenone had given him the night before. Even if they turned out to be unnecessary today, he knew they would be useful eventually. He quietly organized strategies in his mind while pretending the irritating voice inside his head didn't exist.
Before long, the hour hand reached four.
Their standby duty would only last until six o'clock.
Normally, standby shifts continued until midnight, but today's cutoff was earlier because nighttime was considered unsuitable for inexperienced soldiers.
If they could just wait another two hours, they would return to their normal routine.
Perhaps because the end was finally in sight, everyone visibly relaxed.
Conversations resumed. Laughter gradually returned.
The minute hand crept toward the 2.
Less than two hours remained.
Then—
Without the slightest warning—
The alarm blared.
A red alert.
"Move out! First squad, with me! Second squad, remain on standby. If the situation escalates, I'll call you in. Lost Ones, assemble!"
Oenone immediately began issuing orders.
Before most of them had even fully processed what was happening, the members of the first squad had already been rushed downstairs to the equipment room to gear up.
Yinbing and Ethel finished suiting up first.
Together, they helped the other two Lost Ones put on their equipment.
Among the rest of the squad, Oak was also ready early and was already helping everyone perform final equipment checks.
Once everyone had confirmed their weapons and protective gear were in order, they assembled in front of the transport vehicle.
Standing at the front, Oenone gave a brief speech before departure.
"I know many of you are heading into your first demon subjugation."
"Trust the training you've gone through."
"Believe in the person you've worked so hard to become, and you'll be fine."
"As for what lies ahead... I can't promise the future."
"But I can promise you one thing."
"This time..."
"I'm bringing every single one of you home alive."
"For Sunblaze City!"
"For Sunblaze City!"
The squad answered in perfect unison.
Only now did they truly look like members of the Combat Division.
And just like that—
After disappearing from the battlefield for so long—
The Third Squad's demon subjugation operation officially began.
ns216.73.217.139da2
and then Add to home screen.