Vice-Commander Hollander, a proud and unmatched general of the empire, walked toward the commander's office with a grave expression.
The headquarters, built from the lumber of the Southern Great Forest and the dwarves' masterful stonework, stood sturdy and imposing. Its commander's office bore a stately wooden door.
Knock, knock.
"Commander, it's Vice-Commander Hollander. I've come to report an urgent matter," Hollander said.
From inside came a deep, powerful voice. "Come in."
Hollander carefully stepped into the office. There, an elderly knight stood by the window, sipping tea as he gazed outside. The sight made Hollander let out a quiet murmur of admiration.
This... This is what a true knight looks like, Hollander thought.
His formal suit was immaculate, without a single wrinkle. A splendid scabbard lay casually propped against his desk. And above all, the old man's eyes were infinitely deep, and an overwhelming aura radiated from him without effort.
If there was ever an image befitting a knight, this is it, Hollander thought. He remembered one of Halo's many epithets: The Knight King.
It suits him perfectly, Hollander thought, swallowing the words he wanted to speak aloud.
But he hadn't hurried here to admire Halo. Straightening his own uniform once more, Hollander said in a careful tone, "An unfortunate incident has occurred, and I've come to report it. I apologize for arriving without prior notice."
"Vice-Commander Hollander, you always have the right to enter here. In truth, aren't you practically the commander of this expedition?" Halo asked.
"That is not the case, sir. I am only the vice-commander—my duty is to assist the Duke in leading this expedition to success," Hollander replied.
His posture was firm, the very model of a soldier. He was a commander respected by his subordinates, and one in whom the higher-ups placed absolute trust.
Halo smiled faintly and rose from his seat. Gesturing toward a chair, he said, "Sit. Let us talk. What kind of tea do you prefer?"
"A glass of water will be more than enough for me, sir," Hollander answered.
At the plain reply, Halo nodded, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him. He said, "I am curious. What has brought my vice commander here in such haste?"
Taking a deep breath, Hollander began, "I say this purely in my capacity as vice commander, and I hope you will not take offense."
"My ears are always open. Do you think I am such a petty man?" Halo said with a smile.
Hollander lightly clenched and released his fist before speaking the words he had held inside, "Your youngest grandson, Caron, is gravely undermining the discipline of the expeditionary force. The situation is serious enough that we may need to hold a court-martial."
To suggest punishing the Duke's cherished grandson... The Ducal Family of Leston was, in truth, the real power behind this expedition. And the renown of Halo and Caron shook the entire continent. To demand discipline for a member of such an esteemed house was almost an insult in itself. Considering the pride typical of nobility, it would be natural for Halo to react with anger.
But Halo's reaction wasn't quite what Hollander expected.
Halo took a calm sip of tea, then said softly, "Explain in detail."
"...Caron has been assaulting members of the expedition without discrimination. Not only has he attacked them during rest, but there are also reports of him insulting those in the middle of training. If it were only a few isolated cases, we could overlook it—but the number of victims has already exceeded one hundred," Hollander explained.
"You're saying Caron's been going around acting like a brute?" Halo asked.
"Not quite... but if this continues, the dissatisfaction among the expedition will reach the heavens," Hollander said.
Despite the report of Caron's madness, Halo's expression remained steady.
I was told he'd been quiet, he thought. It had seemed that nothing major had happened lately. But Caron was Caron. He had inevitably caused trouble again.
Halo stroked his chin, then said, "No matter how much of a madman Caron is, he's not the sort to act without a reason. You know this well."
"Yes, I do," Hollander said.
Hollander had his own history with Caron. During the Malevolent Emperor's return, they'd fought side by side to protect the imperial palace from demonic hands. The young man's thinking was unconventional to say the least, but his skills were undeniable—and he always delivered results.
This time, however, the results seemed far too violent. He couldn't take in the kind of commander who assaulted his own expedition members indiscriminately. In Hollander's eyes, this was a grave breach of military order.
"How are the expedition members responding?" Halo asked casually.
"With Caron's victims coming from all races and nations without exception, they have all united in demanding his punishment," Hollander replied with a grim face.
"I see. So those who were at each other's throats are now speaking with one voice?" Halo asked.
"...Could it be that Caron's true goal is—" Hollander began.
"That brat is very used to being cursed at. In fact, he grows restless if no one does," Halo interrupted.
Caron was a man who never hesitated to use any means to achieve his goals. He cared nothing for noble refinement or honor. He always pursued efficiency. A man like that would never cause such a large disturbance without a purpose.
After a moment's thought, Halo slowly nodded and said, "I think I understand his plan."
No doubt Caron intended to become a common enemy. After all, when faced with a powerful foe, anyone would set aside their differences and unite. It was a brutal method, but nothing worked more effectively.
"Is this the Leston way?" Hollander asked, clicking his tongue at the sheer recklessness of it.
Halo smiled faintly and corrected him. "More precisely, it is Caron Leston's way."
"Ah," Hollander sighed in realization.
"Caron... That brat is a child of Azureocean Castle no longer. He has left my hands," Halo added.
He smiled with an easy air, turning his gaze back to the window. Then, he said to Hollander, "For now, leave him be. Let us see what results he brings."
There would be time to punish him afterward if necessary. After all, nearly a year remained before the expedition's departure.
Hollander slowly nodded and answered, "Understood."
"If it comes to it, I'll throw the brat into the underground prison myself—so don't worry," Halo said.
"Yes, sir," Hollander replied.
Thus, the commander and vice commander decided to turn a blind eye, for the moment, to Caron's outrageous behavior.
...And that decision, for the expedition members, proved to be nothing short of a disaster.
***
Caron stood before the expedition members with a brighter expression than ever.
"Ha! Is it because this place is full of useless maggots? I'm not even nervous. Do you think you could even lay a hand on me like this? If it were me, I'd just bite my tongue and die right here! Southern trash, imperial dandies, sand moles, fanatics," Caron's tongue worked nonstop.
"And those beastkin who act like animals, orcs with muscles for brains, weak little pointy-ears, and dwarves barely the size of a fist. Just thinking about taking this ragtag bunch into the Demon Realm already gives me a headache. How about you all just go home? It'd be easier if I crossed over alone," Caron continued.
It was a flood of abuse, aimed at no one in particular, as if he was venting every ounce of stress he had stored up until now.
At Caron's outrageous provocation...
"Kill him!"
"It's only one man! Press him until he's exhausted!"
Be they humans or otherwise, they all charged in, eyes rolling with fury.
They were at the massive parade ground of the expedition's headquarters.
Caron watched the tide of soldiers rushing toward him and smiled in satisfaction. Drawing Guillotine from its sheath, he said, "You should've come at me like this from the start."
Whoosh.
He gave Guillotine a light swing.
Kwang!
Whirlpools burst from the ground, roaring toward the expedition members. They were enormous, yet the gathered forces here were all elite warriors carefully chosen from every nation. Not one of them flinched. They met Caron's attack head-on.
Clang!
Leading the charge were the knights of the empire.
"O Light! Grant us the courage to fight against injustice!"
The paladins of the Holy Kingdom—whose defenses were unmatched—charged forward with shields raised.
In the wake of their blinding rush...
Schick!
Elven archers' sharp arrows pierced through the gaps in the whirlpools, aimed straight for Caron's throat. They were all infused with mana.
That's a bit tough, Caron thought.
With a twisted smirk at the coordinated strike, he spun his body. Another violent whirlpool surged outward from him.
"Urraaah!"
"No matter how great a warrior you are, you cannot trample our honor!"
"Take Moktar's head!"
The orcs and giants from the Rahal Mountains moved as one, forcing their way through the whirlpools. Agile bearkin perched on their shoulders hurled daggers toward Caron, while assassins from the Pajar Sultanate slipped between the hulking bodies to throw poisoned needles.
Attacks rained in from every direction. For once, those who had done nothing but bicker and undermine each other were united in fighting Caron. It was a surprisingly well-coordinated assault.
"I guess the training wasn't a total waste after all?" Caron remarked.
He knew it was impossible to block every attack alone. But that was the point. He didn't have to fight alone.
Whoosh.
A vast wave of mana surged, and five duplicates of Caron rose at his side.
Boom!
Instead of being pushed back, they slammed into the oncoming expedition forces.
Bang!
Crash!
Swordplay, arrows, spells—it all turned the once peaceful parade ground into a full-scale battlefield. In the center of the chaos, Caron laughed loudly as he turned the place into a mess.
While that madman was having the time of his life, Leo and Seria watched from a safe distance.
"Leo, shouldn't you lend a hand?" Seria asked.
"To whom? Caron?" Leo asked back.
"No, to the expedition members. This is our chance to stick a blade in Caron's ribs," Seria said.
Leo turned pale as chalk and stared at her. He said, "Please don't say things like that, even as a joke, Saintess. How about you charge in? I saw you throwing punches last time."
"Do you think I'm insane? That's your kind of crazy, not mine," Seria replied. Her personality had completely flipped now.
Leo, listening to her rough tone, thought to himself, ...This might be her real self.
Seria's status as a saintess had to have forced her to hide it until now. And honestly, this violent side suited her alarmingly well.
Seria had been training diligently in martial arts for the coming battles in the Demon Realm. Her mastery of the sacred combat arts—normally taught to battle priests—was impressive.
Sacred power specialized in defense and regeneration, and watching her get back up again and again like some zombie saintess was downright unsettling at times.
Leo ignored her words and turned his gaze back to Caron.
Against hundreds of warriors, Caron hadn't been pushed back even a single step. And as time went on...
"There he is!"
"The Vice Commander said we could go all out! If we attack now, it's not insubordination!"
Fresh troops poured into the parade ground. Caron's past misdeeds were coming back to him in full force.
Still won't be enough, though, Caron thought.
Having reached the brink of 8-Star, Caron wielded an immeasurable amount of mana. Unless there were other 8-Star level warriors among the attackers, he could withstand them indefinitely.
Cunning bastard, Leo thought.
Even so, seeing the expedition members—who usually did nothing but bicker—working together against Caron meant his plan was working.
Leo watched Caron with a deadpan expression, thinking, And he's enjoying himself in the middle of it.
That lunatic couldn't sleep at night without beating someone half to death. Now that he was doing it legally, his face was practically glowing.
Look at him, grinning like that. He's full of life, Leo thought.
"Sigh... I almost feel sorry for the expedition members—" Leo began.
The life in Caron's face froze in an instant because three figures emerged from the expedition's ranks. They were three 8-Star level warriors.
"Joined the expedition and something this fun's already happening?" Beatrice remarked with a smirk.
"I'm stabbing him in the gut first, Kerra," Ugo said.
"Then I'll take his back," Kerra replied.
The expedition members quickly backed away, shouting in unison.
"Show him the majesty of military law!"
"Yaaaaaaah!"
Amid the cheers, the trio stepped forward.
Caron gave them a stiff smile and asked, "...How about we catch up another time? I was just... enforcing discipline."
The paladin in the lead, Beatrice, raised her middle finger and said, "Shut it, Commander."
Beatrice, Ugo, and Kerra—the former Imperial Guard trio—smiled darkly at him.
Caron grinned, shrugging as he remarked, "I guess I dug my own grave."
Kerra nodded sweetly and added, "Go die, Commander."
At their unwavering hostility, Caron scratched his head and sighed deeply. He said, "No wonder my luck's been suspiciously good lately."
Caron Leston, the expedition's resident villain, crooked a finger and smiled wide before continuing, "Come. I'll show you exactly why I was Commander."
"Crush him!"
"Kill him!"
Three more rabid dogs charged at Caron.
...It was utter chaos, seconds away from exploding.