The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (81)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
26 A Fight of Force! (1)
Contrary to the Eastern Commander’s worries, nothing big happened immediately. Iron was even able to unpack and enjoy the scenery in the East. He watched as plenty of ships came and went. There were plenty of supplies moving around the port. It was an unimaginable sight when compared to the Northeast.
“They’re quite free, huh?”
Far from the freedom that he was witnessing, his current life, his previous life and his life in the modern world was not this free. He was tied to the Northeast in this life and he was tied to his family in his previous life. While he was in the state where he was currently staying in the hospital and waiting for his death after being hit in a car accident in his previous life.
“My life seems to be quite awful too.”
The only conclusion that Iron came after looking through his life in the modern world was that it was a terrible life. Still, he struggled to return to his original world because there was still someone who shined a bright light on his dull and busy life. He wanted to at least pay them and give back a bit for the help that they had given him. But those hopes had now faded. His goal had now changed. The only thing that he could hope for was to survive in this world until the end.
“Is it because I’ve been here for too long?”
Iron mumbled to himself as he stared at the sea. It seemed like not only the people but even the geese were travelling freely. He couldn’t help but burst into a laugh after realizing that he had become sentimental. His heart, that was overflowing with overwhelming feelings, started to calm down. If these feelings remained in his heart for a long time, it would be hard for him to remain cool-headed. So, he let those feelings go. What he needed was not emotion but reason.
“Lieutenant Colonel Iron?”
Mateo, who saw him from a distance, approached him with widened eyes.
“What’s going on?”
“Just… I was just looking around to see what the East is like.”
“Ah…”
Mateo nodded as he looked at the sea.
“The surroundings are quite lively.”
Mateo smiled bitterly when he saw Iron looking at him enviously.
Being lively meant that it looked good but it also meant that terrible crimes were most likely at the rise. Especially in the East, there were a lot of crime syndicates linked to the pirates.
“A lively scenery… That’s what everyone who did not come from here always says.”
Mateo spoke as he continued to stare at the sea. He looked quite lonely too.
Seeing his appearance, Iron quietly asked him.
“What do you think of the East, Captain Mateo?”
“What do I think about the East…”
Mateo pondered for a while before speaking quietly.
“A den of criminals… or something like that?”
Iron’s eyes widened when he heard a more radical and strange answer than what he had expected.
“It’s always hard in the Northeast because of the monsters but there are a few times that the hardships come from the internal fighting, right?”
Iron’s mouth went shut at Mateo’s question. Seeing Iron like that, Mateo just continued to talk. It seemed like he wasn’t expecting any answer from him at all.
“The East is different. There are already external problems with the pirates, but criminal syndicates and merchants from the merchant association have joined hands together to smuggle.”
“Hmm…”
“Many regard the East as a land of opportunity but only a few of them succeed. The rest of them become homeless or fall in the mire that is the criminal syndicates.”
Iron stared at Mateo as he explained. He looked like he had a lot of dissatisfaction with the current system in the East. He had already felt this back in the warp gate, but now he knew that Mateo was someone who wanted to change the current system in the East.
‘This person is dangerous…’
This thought flashed in Iron’s head as he quietly spoke to Mateo.
“I heard that the current Eastern Commander is a great man. Since he’s the commander now, there might be some changes in the East, even though it’s only a little bit.”
“Of course, that’s true but… there’s always a limit to his personal and individual power.”
Mateo looked bitter as he said this. He looked like he respected the Eastern Commander but he also had a clear grasp on the man’s limitations so he did not expect anything more.
Seeing his appearance, Iron remained silent and just stared at the sea.
For how long did they stare at the sea?
Mateo stood up and said that he needed to go as he bid Iron goodbye.
“I’m already behind my work but I stayed outside longer because I talked to someone not from here for a long time.”
“This… Is it my fault?”
Mateo smiled faintly when Iron asked him playfully.
“I’ll get going now. You will be busy in the future so I hope you can get a good rest today…”
Mateo said so and disappeared to go and busy himself with his work.
Iron looked around after sending Mateo off. He wanted to go to the Magic Tools Workshop right now but he couldn’t do something like that on the very first day. It wouldn’t be the best course of action if he went there right away so Iron willed his time away as he looked at the sea and the East’s architecture leisurely.
When he returned to his accommodations…
“I was looking for you but it seems like you’re on your way from the outside.”
Iron tilted his head when he heard the tone of Daniel. It was as if he was looking for him for quite some time.
“Did you come to find me?”
“Yes.”
Iron looked at Daniel Cevaior calmly when he heard him respond.
“Shall we go inside?”
Daniel shook his head lightly. It seemed like he did not want to have a long conversation. Iron nodded lightly and asked him straightforwardly.
“Why are you looking for me?”
“Please leave the team.”
“Hmmm…”
Iron tilted his head again upon hearing Daniel’s strange request.
“What’s your reason?”
“We don’t think Lieutenant Colonel Iron will be of any help to the team since your divine beast is sealed.”
Iron smirked when he heard Daniel openly telling him the reason.
“Did the commander make the same decision?”
Daniel shut his mouth upon hearing his question. Seeing him shut his mouth quickly, Iron looked at him with an expression that screamed ‘Of course, that’s right.’.
If the commander was a gentleman that used his head, he would know that they absolutely needed the help. Iron was someone who was confident on this matter since he was in the center of the storm created by the two dimensional cracks in the Northeast. And if the divine beast was involved as well, then they would definitely need his help more than anybody else.
That was the reason why the Eastern Commander valiantly went forward and asked the Northeast Commander to deploy him here right away.
“I think it would be faster for you to get permission from the commander.”
Iron was about to pass by Daniel when he suddenly spoke up.
“Lieutenant Colonel Iron might not be aware but this team is very important! This will be a cornerstone to create a team that would specialize in stopping dimensional cracks with the new stars in the future!”
“And so?”
“I don’t want this opportunity to be missed. We don’t want to force someone in the team when they couldn’t be of help at all. Especially if they could bring about an adverse effect in the team’s evaluation. So please help us this time around.”
Iron looked back at Daniel as he stopped walking.
A formation of a team that was specialized in stopping dimensional cracks. Iron was a bit surprised that a team like that, which should have been formed only five years later, was already being formed. However, it seemed like things had progressed earlier because they were able to block the dimensional cracks in the Northeast.
“Adverse effect…”
Coldness began to permeate through Iron’s stare.
It seemed like Daniel, who did not have the power to force him out of the team, was afraid that he would force the commander to make him take the lead. He was afraid that their team would be stigmatized as a team that only lived by making connections in the future. At the very least, it seemed like he was not doing this because he was blinded by the merits.
“The commander will decide whether I’m helpful or not. And if he judged that I was not of any help then, we will only know by tomorrow. I suggest you wait a little bit.”
Daniel’s expression turned sharp when he heard Iron’s basic answer.
“Are you saying that you’ll continue to join the team and bring inconvenience to us?”
Iron sighed quietly when he heard Daniel’s words.
Iron thought that he was a smart man, but it seemed like he was still immature. He was still blinded by the achievements laid out in front of him. The arrogance of someone who had not experienced the horror of a dimensional crack was clearly visible on his face.
‘It makes me prefer Kim Jungtae more whenever I see something like this.’
At the very least, Kim Jungtae knew the fear of experiencing a dimensional crack. Even if he was arrogant, he still knew what to prioritize based on his countless hands-on experience. Iron couldn’t see him being blinded by merit just like a young and immature officer.
“If I were excluded from the team, I would be sent back to the Northeast just like this… But, can you handle the consequences of that?”
Daniel’s expressions hardened when Iron bluntly implied the crack that would appear between the Northeast and the East. If they let him go just like that, then it meant that they were insulting him. This meant that the East would antagonize not only the Northeast but even the North.
“I am just asking you to leave the team. Now that your divine beast is sealed, it would only be reasonable for the Lieutenant Colonel to remain in Command and help create operations based on your experiences and information on the dimensional crack.”
“Reasonable…”
Iron stared at Daniel. He felt speechless at hearing him say that they would openly suck the honey and get all the contributions with his help.
“First, why should I do that? Do I have to sacrifice myself for you when I can’t even join the team?”
Daniel’s mouth was forced to shut with Iron’s words.
“Second, what do you even know about me for you to decide that I wouldn’t be helpful in the Ghost Island? Do you have any other reason besides saying that my divine beast is sealed?”
“That…”
As soon as Daniel tried to answer, Iron raised his hand and stopped him from talking.
“Third, are you confident enough that you can bring about a great contribution if you go to the Ghost Island?”
Daniel’s eyes changed when he heard Iron’s question. The mask that he was wearing was now completely broken.
“Tch, tch~ What do you mean by persuading him through conversation… You should have pushed him down with strength.”
“This is so frustrating. It’s not that we won’t let you get any achievements but why are you so greedy when your divine beast is sealed?”
Allan Reishor and Peter Marvio, who had been hiding from behind, walked out.
“Why don’t you just stay quiet in the Northeast while your one and only trusted divine beast is sealed? Why do you have to come so hard like that?”
Allan looked at Iron arrogantly.
“One and only trusted divine beast…”
“Why? Are you good at swordsmanship? Ah, from what I heard, you were going for the steel sword? Isn’t that an old-fashioned relic that the others have used and discarded?”
Iron’s forehead wrinkled when he heard Allan’s words.
“Just because we’re on the same level doesn’t mean that we’re really the same, you know? Besides, we’re elites who use magic and have contracts with spirits. Do we need to let you in just because you have a compressed sword?”
Allan raised his head arrogantly as if he had now made him realize his worth and told him to just leave.
However, Iron stood still and did not answer him. Instead, he turned his head to the side.
“Kim Jungtae, do you also think the same?”
When Iron spoke with a heavy tone, Kim Jungtae appeared from the side. He was smiling as if he was watching something funny.
“Hmm… To be honest, I don’t know? I honestly don’t know the extent of your strength.”
Iron nodded lightly when he heard Kim Jungtae’s words.
It seemed like he knew about some of his strength, but he was saying that he wanted them to fight so he could see the full extent of Iron’s strength. He did not need to see him fight to know that Iron was strong. After all, he had seen the most interesting and fiery fights all over the world already.
“I think everyone thinks the same. But you’re slow-witted, huh? This is not the Northeast where everyone’s cold blooded.”
Allan’s lips curled up in a smirk as he said so. It was as if he was saying ‘You became a hero just because you’re in the Northeast, you know?’.
He did not usually care about trifling words like this, but he felt his blood boil. Perhaps it was because the Northeast was insulted?
‘Ah, I’m getting angry.’
Iron unknowingly felt anger rising in him. He cracked his neck to the side and tried to release it.
“I don’t intend to leave the team until the Commander orders me to do so.”
Allan’s expression hardened at Iron’s words.
But when Iron saw him trying to speak, he raised his mana and stared at him.
“Come at me if you can.”
***
TL’s corner!
One beating coming right up!
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