Chapter 54: Unit Mission

  “Unit 3, Colonel Lalanta requests to see you guys.” The familiar field unit officer poked his head into Unit 3’s office. He tagged hands with Napha before announcing.

  Leader Mei raised an eyebrow in suspicion. She hadn’t received any intelligence about any major incident that would warrant a full unit meeting.

  Nitaan looked up from Kiita’s belly, holding a fine grooming brush. Kiita lay comfortably on his back on his lap while Nitaan carefully brushed his fur.

  Nitaan’s eye twitched slightly. He has a feeling that Colonel Lalanta is brewing something troublesome for him again. This was the first time Colonel Lalanta had summoned the entire unit together.

  It had been over a week since he had enjoyed peaceful rest after the banquet. Although he still came to work as usual and there were daily incidents that required them to respond, they were mostly minor incidents that didn’t cause them significant hardship. This week had been relatively relaxed for Nitaan.

  Even the assassination attempts he had been anticipating hadn’t occurred. While still struggling to maintain ‘Domain’, his daily improvements were something Nitaan was happy about.

  Nitaan occasionally encountered Princess Pailin while walking in the city. Of course, someone who dislikes trouble and crowds like Nitaan wouldn't go and greet her, who is always surrounded by happy faces. He simply glanced at her and then went about his business as usual.

  Even though Nitaan's attitude towards Princess Pailin had improved significantly after the "Beloved Princess of the People" incident at the Bharata restaurant and his firsthand observation at the market, he still chose to avoid getting involved as much as possible. After all, she was a princess, one of the rightful heirs to the title of Throne Holder. Being near her meant inviting trouble.

  The only problem was that Kiita kept pestering him to approach Princess Pailin whenever he saw her. It seemed Kiita was quite taken with the sweets Princess Pailin gave him that time.

  "Then let's cancel our morning practice. Let's go see Colonel first," Leader Mei said, wiping the sweat from her face.

  "Is something wrong? Is it a Unit mission? We haven't had a Unit mission in a while," Napha said.

  "That's true, but usually even for unit missions, Colonel Lalanta doesn't call the whole unit in to assign tasks personally." Gion scratched his head.

  "Nitaan, did you cause trouble for us again?" Kasa laughed, poking Nitaan in the waist. "I've submitted all the documents, and what do you mean ‘again’?" Nitaan replied, flinching from being poked in the waist.

  "I think it's probably another Unit mission, just maybe a special one," Tawan chuckled.

  They chatted on their way to Colonel Lalanta's office. Only Nitaan remained uneasy, not in the sense of sensing danger, but a premonition that he was about to encounter another troublesome and tiring situation.

  When Leader Mei opened the door to Colonel's office, Colonel Lalanta was still sitting on her large desk, leaving her chair unattended as usual. She didn't seem angry or create any tense atmosphere. She simply smiled faintly, holding the documents in her hand as always.

  Nitaan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it wasn't anything serious.

  "Good, you guys are here. Sit down. The details we need to discuss this time will be quite lengthy." Colonel Lalanta gestured towards the chairs and sofas in the room.

  "Good morning, Colonel!" Unit 3 bowed respectfully.

  "Hmm, good morning. Come on, sit down," Colonel Lalanta gestured.

  Kiita knowingly walked over and sat beside Colonel. Seeing this, Colonel Lalanta chuckled softly, then picked up Kiita and placed him beside her, sitting him on the expensive wooden table next to her.

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  “Colonel, is there a Unit mission?” Leader Mei asked after everyone had settled down. She looked at the documents in Colonel Lalanta’s hand.

  “Yes, it’s an escort mission. I think it will last about a week. We’ll be on constant escort, and we’ll have to stay overnight somewhere. So, be prepared with your equipment. It might last longer than a week, so prepare your personal belongings as well.” Colonel Lalanta said, stroking Kiita’s head with one hand.

  “An out-of-city escort mission?” Leader Mei frowned. While she had been on similar missions before, City Guard unit was usually only tasked with escorting individuals within the Ratana City. Protecting VIPs was typically the responsibility of the military.

  Colonel Lalanta looked up at Leader Mei without speaking, a sharp intensity contrasting with the cheerful atmosphere of a moment ago flashing in her eyes. Seeing this, Leader Mei fell silent. She sensed the strictness within her gaze. Since Colonel Lalanta wouldn’t explain anything, it meant she didn’t need to know now.

  The members of Unit 3 exchanged glances. They also saw the intensity and sternness in Colonel's eyes. They didn't dare ask too many questions, even though it seemed suspicious. They all trusted Colonel Lalanta. She wouldn't send them on anything beyond their capabilities.

  Only Nitaan felt a premonition, a twitch of his eyelid warning him once again.

  "The FlameFrost Village is the destination. It's located north of the Firegan Kingdom, near the mountain area. It's a cold region, and although within the Firegan Kingdom's territory, Devil beast management isn't as effective as it should be. Due to the terrain, our forces in that area are not very large."

  "Therefore, there are still quite a few Devil beasts in that area. You must accompany the target to the FlameFrost Village, help them deal with the specified Devil beast, and once the mission is complete, bring the target back safely." Colonel Lalanta explained at length.

  "Who is the target?" Nitaan asked, raising his hand.

  Colonel Lalanta merely glanced at him briefly, giving him a knowing smile. Just seeing that smile sent shivers down Nitaan's spine. His eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

  "You'll find out the rest of the details tomorrow."

  “What about the transportation? If it requires a special vehicle, some of us might have to prepare accordingly.” Leader Mei asked.

  “Just regular horse-drawn carriages. Prepare as usual. Pack enough personal belongings for over a week. I’m not sure about the time, but it should take about a day to reach the FlameFrost Village. If the mission is completed quickly, you might be able to return before a week,” Colonel Lalanta said.

  “As for the target Devil beast, it’s a First word Engraver with only one Word of Power. You should be able to handle it without much difficulty. You are permitted to use weapons freely. Don’t forget about the safety of the villagers.”

  After that, there was a detailed explanation of the terrain, the equipment they should bring in addition to personal belongings, and the supplies they could request from the army.

  What caught Nitaan’s attention was that they could request Enchanted artifacts and Engraved artifacts. Nitaan had been in Ratana City for over a month. Although he saw many Enchanted artifacts in his daily life, Engraved artifacts were still rare, and he didn’t encounter them often. In his possession was only Kiita’s Verdant Punisher, for which he had to buy fresh fish to slaughter every day.

  The meeting lasted over an hour, summarizing numerous minor details, including all the treasures provided.

  “Beyond that, ask the target. A carriage will pick you up early tomorrow morning. Be prepared,” Colonel Lalanta said concisely, signaling the end of the meeting.

  The members of Unit 3 exchanged puzzled glances as they left Colonel Lalanta's office.

  “It must be a very important person. That’s why they’re keeping it so quiet. They’re probably afraid of information leaking,” Leader Mei said.

  “It wasn’t this bad last time. Back then, they just instructed us not to reveal anything,” Napha said, looking puzzled.

  “Anyway, a work is a work. Just be prepared. As for requisitioning supplies from the army, I’ll go get them this evening. Write down what kind of treasures you think you need and send it to me before the end of the workday,” Leader Mei concluded.

  Nitaan couldn't shake off his anxiety all day, only focusing on preparing himself. He didn't need any special treasure, but since the opportunity for free gifts presented itself, he requested three protective talismans. A one-time-used Enchanted artifacts that specialize in defense.

  The protective talismans were Enchanted artifacts capable of blocking a First word Engraver’s attack once. He allocated two for Kiita and one for himself.

  Upon returning home, he prepared a change of clothes, his favorite cloak, leather shoes, a comb and brush, and snacks for Kiita. Worried, he even prepared five high-quality spears to use as projectiles for the Falling Vajra.

  Kiita also prepared himself. Numerous daggers were placed in his own small crossbody bag, which is a mini Palace Hold bag that Nitaan had bought for him. The carefully guarded Verdant Punishment was also ready.

  Nitaan only hoped that all this tingling was because he was too anxious.

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  A luxurious carriage pulled up in front of City Guard unit headquarters early in the morning. Unit 3 assembled members whispered amongst themselves about the identity of the person they were tasked with protecting. When the carriage came to a stop, the door slowly opened, revealing the figure of a woman inside.

  When Unit 3 saw the woman's face, their eyes lit up, and smiles spread across their faces.

  Kiita wagged his tail happily as he leaped into the woman's arms. She laughed sweetly, happily offering him treats.

  "I have heard a lot about Unit 3 of City Guard unit and Leader Mei, the Flash Spear, for a long time. I hope we can get along well." Her pink eyes smile sweetly as she looks at every member.

  "When Colonel Lalanta entrusted us with this mission, we wondered why it had to be kept a secret. So this is why," Leader Mei chuckled softly.

  "Napha, Gion, Kasa, and Tawan, how are you? I believe the last time we talked was at the central market?"

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Pailin," everyone said in unison with beaming smiles. Except for one.

  "Told you we would meet again, and quite often at that." Princess Pailin smiled at Nitaan from the carriage, her gaze fixed on him.

  Nitaan could only offer a forced smile. Now he understood why he felt like he was in for a headache.

  Because this source of trouble had just appeared right in front of him, and they had to spend over a week together.