The journey back to the barracks passed in silence. The heavy atmosphere of the funerary monument behind us seemed to cling to the hem of Serenity's cloak.
“You haven't had breakfast, have you?”
Serenity's voice broke the silence as we entered the military tent perimeter. She glanced at the sky, which was already climbing toward noon.
“It’s already midday. Go to the mess area and fill your stomach first.”
“Yes, Knight Serenity.”
I nodded slowly and answered.
We parted at a fork in the path. Serenity headed toward the command tent to continue her duties, while I swung my legs toward the dining area.
As it turned out, the mess area wasn't inside an enclosed tent. The tents were used only as kitchens where food was prepared and rations distributed. The dining area itself spread out in the open, filled with rows of simple, long wooden tables and benches shaded by the surrounding trees.
It was fairly quiet this afternoon. Only a few soldiers, armored knights, and military mages could be seen sitting and eating their meals. In the dining area.
I took my portion from the distribution table: a bowl of warm wheat porridge, a piece of hard bread, a small plate of boiled beans, and slices of salted ham. A very simple menu—the sort of military rations typical of this era.
As I pulled out a wooden chair and sat on the bench, my eyes swept across the surroundings.
It’s awfully quiet... Did I miss lunchtime?
Seeing how empty the dining area was, I guessed mealtime had already passed. Perhaps these few soldiers were the ones who hadn't gotten a chance to eat yet.
“Are you the child prodigy who cheated death?”
A voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. A man in his early twenties approached. He wasn't wearing full iron armor, but rather a practical cloak made of thick fabric—the typical attire of a military mage unit.
His face showed no curiosity or sympathy whatsoever. His gaze was cynical, decorated with a faint, condescending smile.
Faced with the bait, I chose to put on the mask of an innocent child. I smiled faintly and greeted him politely.
“Hi, Uncle.”
The man gave a contemptuous sniff and sat at the same wooden table without being invited.
“I heard you've awakened your Mana Pool. Don't get too full of yourself just because a village kid like you managed to awaken Mana at such an early age.”
What’s wrong with this guy? Did he really come all this way just to lecture and warn me?
Hearing his words, I furrowed my brow slightly, able to voice my reaction only in my thoughts.
“You're just a village kid. Your future is still uncertain.”
The man continued indifferently. Without waiting for my response, he began spooning up his own food, ignoring my presence as though the conversation had been nothing more than a momentary hysterical impulse.
Since he no longer cared about my answer and was focused on devouring his meal, I chose to remain silent and continue eating my wheat porridge.
*PRRRRIIT—!!
A piercing whistle rang loudly across the barracks, cutting through the dining area's low murmur.
*Clang!
The sound of plates clattering and chairs being shoved echoed all at once. Nearly every soldier in the dining area—including the young mage sitting across from me—immediately stood on reflex. The food they'd only half-swallowed was abandoned where it was.
Within seconds, they moved swiftly, forming unit groups with remarkable military discipline.
I stood as well, staring with a furrowed brow at the sudden emptiness around the wooden tables, ignoring my still-steaming bowl of porridge.
“Just keep eating. They're carrying out their duties.”
A hoarse voice came from the side. A middle-aged man wearing an oil-stained apron still hanging around his waist approached from the direction of the kitchen tent.
The man began gathering the plates of food the soldiers had left behind.
Seeing him struggle with the stack of plates, I took the initiative to get up and help. I gathered the leftover plates from the tables around me and volunteered.
“Let me help collect the plates, Uncle... I'll finish their leftovers. It'd be a shame to leave the food uneaten and throw it away...”
“Throw it away!?”
At my words, the man glared sharply, cutting me off with an explosive scolding.
“Who would throw food away here!? I'll reheat what's left and make them eat it when they come back! Just keep eating and finish yours!”
Startled by the sudden outburst, I immediately sat back down on the wooden bench and devoured my porridge like an obedient chick, too afraid to argue.
From my seat in the open area, I watched the movement across the central field of the barracks. The soldiers formed neat lines in their respective unit groups with impressive speed before finally marching away from the barracks in formation.
Among the front lines, my eyes caught sight of Serenity. The female knight was leading several groups of soldiers. But one thing caught my attention: walking right beside Serenity was a man who wasn't wearing a Serpentspire military uniform.
Who is that?
I was fairly suspicious of the man. But because my understanding of the Legion's internal military structure was limited, all I could do was keep chewing while watching them move in the distance.
The kitchen uncle, still busy collecting the soldiers' leftover plates, passed near my table.
“What’s actually going on, Uncle?”
I asked quietly, trying to find a clue.
The uncle stopped for a moment. His eyes examined me from head to toe, as if assessing who I was. After apparently realizing that I was merely the village child who had survived yesterday's tragedy, he sighed softly.
“Nothing's happening. They're just carrying out their routine duties.”
“In such a hurry? Enough to leave their food behind?”
I replied immediately, asking him in turn.
“A village kid will always be a village kid...”
The uncle shook his head and let out a long sigh after hearing my next question.
“Listen, kid. After a major disaster claims a great many lives, the monsters around the forest will be drawn by the scent of negative energy and blood. To prevent a new lair from forming, the soldiers will remain here temporarily until things are completely under control. Enough questions. Keep eating and finish your food!”
After delivering that scolding, the kitchen uncle turned around and carried the stack of plates back into the kitchen tent.
I fell silent, staring at the piece of bread in my hand.
Is this the real reason the soldiers are staying here and setting up these makeshift barracks?
I weighed what might actually be happening.
Wait... If their goal is merely routine cleanup after a disaster, as this uncle said, then why did Serenity call it a top-level secret? Why was I forbidden from knowing about it? Something doesn't add up here...
At the same time, silence crept over the barracks' main field. The cold border wind blew gently, carrying the scent of wet earth and, faintly, the metallic smell of the knights' armor.
As the Legion's Deputy Commander, Serenity stood straight before hundreds of soldiers lined up in neat formation. Around her, the unit captains and field commanders prepared to hear their instructions. The female knight's gaze was razor-sharp, completely stripping away the gentleness she'd shown only moments earlier when facing Efren.
“Report on the surrounding movements!”
Serenity issued the order firmly to the intelligence officer beside her.
A soldier-mage in a special uniform immediately stepped forward and unfurled a magic map that glowed faintly in the center of the formation.
“Reporting, Deputy Commander!”
The intelligence officer called out crisply.
“Several packs of Plague Rats and Dire Locusts have been detected approaching rapidly from the west. From the north, movement from Crypt Vultures, Mist Wolves, and Marrow-Weaver Spiders has been detected. From the east, packs of Gloom-Spur, Lurker Rot Vipers, and Blight Pythons have begun crawling upward!”
Hearing the litany of carrion-eating and venomous monsters, Serenity's expression didn't change in the slightest. Everything was proceeding according to the tactical estimates for securing the perimeter after the disaster.
“Asfer, you’ll lead the forces on the western line!”
Serenity cut in after hearing the report, issuing instructions without pause.
“Derten, take command of the eastern line!”
The two summoned unit captains immediately straightened and gave a military salute.
“Deploy 60% of our fire mages to the western sector, supported by several earth-element mages to hold back the Plague Rats!”
Serenity spoke firmly, then continued issuing orders—
“The remaining 20% of the fire mages will be deployed to the eastern sector as suppression support. Ice and wind mages, along with the archers and crossbowmen, you’ll be the primary damage dealers in the east, taking down the reptiles and venomous creatures!”
Serenity swept her gaze across all the soldiers on the barracks field.
“The remaining mages will move with me to the northern sector. The frontline defenders—the vanguard—will be allocated as follows: 30% to the western sector, 20% to the eastern sector, and the rest will move in my formation toward the north. For the support teams, increase the allocation of priests in the west, and station the poison doctors in the eastern sector! Arrange and deploy these formations now!”
“Yes, Deputy Commander!”
The officers' voices rang out together after Serenity issued her orders.
Within seconds, the instructions spread rapidly. Hundreds of soldiers moved with precision, forming combat sub-units according to their elemental divisions and individual roles. The march of iron-clad boots and the murmured recitation of magic filled the air over the barracks field.
Seeing that all her forces had been divided and were ready to eradicate the negative Mana anomaly, Serenity drew a deep breath. She unsheathed her sword, thrust the blade toward the bright sky, and shouted loudly enough to shatter the din of the barracks:
“Soldiers and Knights of Serpentspire! Return in one piece!”
“HA!!”
The thunderous answering roar of hundreds of soldiers reverberated, shaking the ground of the barracks before they moved as one and left the defensive complex for the outer perimeter.
Unable to look away from that incredible sight, I watched it all unfold. It was something you’d never see in the modern world.
After the soldiers and knights departed, I finished the last of my wheat porridge and bread, then stood and strolled across the barracks perimeter. I stretched my arms and waist for a moment to loosen my stiff muscles and help settle the food in my stomach.
Once I felt satisfied, I headed back toward the recovery tent.
The tent was fairly quiet and nearly empty. I lay down on the folding wooden bed, closed my eyes, and regulated my breathing rhythmically as though I were about to take an afternoon nap.
In truth, rather than drifting into dreamland, my consciousness shifted away from the physical dimension and entered the silence of Sanctuary of Players.