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Reports about the “Magi” discovered during the search of the Bronselian Forest had reached the royal palace.

A level 1 disaster.

The kingdom officially classified the Bronselian Forest, tainted by the Magi, as such.

And so, a subjugation squad began to form.

The Neokalitz unit felt a bit different from usual.

It was somewhat unsettled, to say the least.

“…The atmosphere feels strange.”

“It seems to have gotten quite noisy, doesn’t it?”

One squad member remarked.

“And compared to that… it feels like we’re even more relaxed.”

Someone else responded.

“It hasn’t been long since the forest was sealed off, and now there’s already a subjugation squad… They must have found something certain during the search.”

“They say the forest is infected with the Magi. We’ve been conducting operations in such a dangerous place all this time.”

“Damn. Doesn’t that mean we should get extra hazard pay or something?”

“Forget hazard pay. We should be thankful they didn’t throw us in prison instead.”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Laughter erupted.

Hazard pay in the Neokalitz unit, whose service was chosen over jail time, was a ridiculous notion.

But at that moment.

“There’s something a bit different with this batch of new recruits.”

“What is it?”

A senior member asked in response to Dianal’s comment.

Dianal glanced at the empty seat where Damian usually sat.

“Damian and Kyle volunteered to join our unit, didn’t they? If those guys asked for hazard pay, well… I guess it’s possible.”

“They volunteered?”

“For our unit?”

Many of the squad members didn’t know that Damian and Kyle had volunteered to join.

It wasn’t something one would usually consider, and it’s not like Damian or Kyle were the type to mention it intentionally.

“…They’re out of their minds.”

“What’s there to see here that made them volunteer?”

The squad members, now aware of this new information, looked at Damian’s seat and then at Kyle beside it.

They gave Kyle a thumbs up.

“What a cool guy.”

“Ah! He’s a true warrior. A tough choice.”

Kyle blinked in confusion as he looked at them.

“What’s going on?”

He had only followed Damian into the Neokalitz unit.

He had no idea what they were talking about.

* * *

Tarion looked at Damian and asked.

“What happened?”

“There was nothing special. We went into the inner part of the forest for the search and encountered a unit of Orks infected by the Magi.”

Damian briefly explained the situation in the forest.

He also mentioned that the Priestess confirmed the presence of the Magi, prompting their retreat.

After hearing the account, Tarion stared at Damian quietly.

“…?”

His gaze seemed like he had something to say.

Damian waited silently for him to speak.

“The Erkal guard captain asked me to give this to you.”

Tarion then handed over a small box from his desk.

Damian accepted it.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know. But that old man asked me to pass it on with his thanks.

For that strict man to offer a gift like this… you must have been of great help.”

“I only did what I had to do.”

Damian replied calmly.

He hadn’t done anything particularly special or exceptional.

Tarion nodded at Damian’s response.

“You may go.”

“Yes.”

Damian turned to leave, but then Tarion, as if remembering something, spoke again.

“Oh, and…”

“…?”

“I heard the guards are conducting a thorough audit of the herb dealers in Erkal. Apparently, they plan to cut the herb prices in half…”

Tarion asked Damian.

“Was this your doing?”

At that question, Damian couldn’t help but let his lips curl into a small smile.

He smirked.

But…

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“Is that so?”

Tarion gave a faint smile at Damian’s response.

“You may go.”

“Yes.”

As Damian walked away, Tarion recalled his conversation with Basil.

— He’s no ordinary guy, from start to finish.

— What do you mean by that?

— I don’t know. Just… I’m certain he’s not your average person. Also, did you know that he can use magic power?

‘…Magic power, huh.’

Tarion had suspected Damian might have some special abilities, but magic power?

Tarion glanced at the sack of herbs Damian had brought.

Even selling that at the market price in Erkal would yield a significant amount of money.

And yet, he had brought it without hesitation.

— Please use these for the injured soldiers.

The expression of the guy who said that, as if offering charity, was unforgettable.

Just as Basil had said.

‘He’s definitely no ordinary guy.’

Tarion agreed with Basil’s assessment.

* * *

After leaving Tarion’s office, Damian immediately opened the box that Basil had given him.

To be honest, he had barely restrained himself from opening it in front of Tarion.

‘What could it be…?’

The size of the box was just right for a ring.

‘Could it be an artifact in the form of a ring…?’

That guy.

Could he have given such a precious item because of the help he received?

Damian opened the box with some expectation.

“…Huh?”

Damian’s eyes wavered slightly.

The item inside was not an artifact.

“…A potion?”

A slightly pungent smell pricked his nose.

But it was immediately recognizable.

‘A magic-enhancing potion.’

Something more valuable than an artifact to Damian right now.

“Wow… I never thought he’d give me something like this.”

Beyond its price, it was not something easy to come by.

Moreover, this color.

The faint blue glow around the potion indicated it was of quite high quality.

He had no idea why the guard captain of a frontier town had such a fine potion.

‘I’ll make good use of this, haha.’

Damian chuckled softly as he headed back to the barracks.

But then.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?”

“Ah!”

“…Why are you so startled?”

“When did you get here?”

Damian asked as he looked at Kyle.

Kyle looked at the box in Damian’s hand and asked.

“What’s got you so focused?”

“Oh… It’s a potion the guard captain gave me. He said it’s good for internal injuries and insisted I take it.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, but the last battle was pretty intense. I think he gave it to me because of that.”

“Wow! So you actually took part in the battle?”

Kyle clenched his fist in admiration, his eyes sparkling.

“Ahh… I wish I could’ve been there.”

Kyle had a deep fascination with real combat.

He genuinely looked disappointed.

“Don’t worry; soon enough, you’ll have more battles than you can handle.”

Damian patted Kyle on the shoulder as they walked into the barracks together.

As Damian entered the barracks.

“Damian!”

“You remarkable guy!”

The senior members approached Damian and spoke to him.

“I heard you gathered a ton of herbs from the forest during the search mission?”

“Yeah, the whole unit’s talking about it. What a remarkable fellow! Where’d we get such a smart guy?”

Volunteering for the Neokalitz unit.

Gathering herbs during the search mission.

These two things combined had significantly boosted Damian’s image among the squad members.

“It couldn’t have been easy.”

“Ah… those guard bastards. They must’ve given our rookie a hard time while he was picking herbs. I can picture it clearly.”

“Damian, if any of those jerks gave you trouble, just tell us. We’ll go and break their legs.”

The atmosphere was lively.

Damian smiled broadly at the comments of the senior squad members.

“Erkal’s herbs are way too expensive, aren’t they? I just thought of the squad members and picked a few.”

“Yeah, thanks. The logistics team has been so grateful to you.”

The logistics team was in charge of supply distribution.

One of their biggest headaches was securing enough herbs for treating the wounded.

Although it wasn’t a large quantity, thanks to Damian, their situation had improved a bit.

Damian addressed the squad members.

“And this time, the guards are auditing the herb dealers in Erkal, so they’re reducing the herb prices. You should be able to buy them at half the previous price.”

“Is that true?”

“Half price?”

“Yes, I heard it from the captain.”

Even at half price, they were still expensive.

But compared to before, it was much better.

The squad members nodded at Damian’s words.

“Those idiot guards finally did something right for once.”

“Ha, well done.”

The seniors lightly patted Damian on the shoulder.

Amid the warm atmosphere, Squad Leader Aaron appeared and spoke to the squad members.

“The subjugation squad will definitely be formed and mobilized within this month. Until then, except for morning drills, you’ll have free time, so make good use of it.”

“Ooooh!”

“Good news keeps coming, haha.”

The squad members burst into laughter.

“Always keep your equipment well-maintained. We never know when we’ll have to go out!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Got it!”

Everyone responded loudly.

And during the free time.

Damian went outside the unit to buy the herbs needed to make a magic-enhancing potion.

Hearing that the audit had already started, it seemed like the herb dealers were keeping a low profile.

“How much is this?”

“The Green Raffle seeds? They’re 12 silv—no, 6 silv—no, just 5 silver!”

“What?”

“You’re from the Neokalitz unit, aren’t you?”

The herb dealer asked Damian.

When Damian nodded, the dealer continued.

“Then please put in a good word for us up there. Our shop never overcharges!”

“…Ah, sure.”

So the audit was already in progress.

The guards seemed to be acting faster than expected.

However,

‘Mister, Green Raffle seeds have always been 5 silver per pound.’

Yet he’d been selling them for 12 silver all this time.

Damian felt there was still a long way to go, but at least things were changing.

After buying the herbs he needed, Damian returned to the unit.

He spread the herbs out in a sunny spot to dry.

Once they were completely dry, he would grind them into powder and form them into pills.

‘Once I make these… I should be able to progress a bit faster.’

A pleased smile spread across his face.

Of course, the best option would be to use a magic stone to draw a magic circle that increases magic concentration.

‘But that would be too conspicuous… and drawing a magic circle isn’t easy.’

Though there were some regrets, for now…

‘This is the way to start.’

Damian took out the magic-enhancing potion that Basil had given him.

It was an item that could only be described as a stroke of luck.

Feeling grateful to Basil, Damian brought it to his lips.

Swoosh.

The potion flowed into his mouth, dissolving like liquid and sliding down his throat into his body.

“Wow…”

It was an experience he had only heard about but never encountered before.

Damian immediately sat down and began the Delft Magic Training Method.

Swoooosh.

The potion inside his body spread with a cooling sensation.

A chill washed over his entire body.

But soon, warmth began to gather in his lower abdomen, and Damian focused.

‘…This is more than I expected.’

The potion contained a large amount of condensed magic.

If he wasn’t careful, it could result in a loss of magic absorption or, in the worst case, injury.

‘Concentrate.’

Opportunities like this don’t come often.

The most important thing is never to miss an opportunity when it presents itself.

Damian closed his eyes and firmly grasped the magic flowing from the potion.

‘Not even a single ounce will be wasted.’

Magic surged and swirled inside Damian’s body like waves.

—