I Obtained the Final Boss' Power-Chapter 15 : Big Bro Is the Major? (3)

Big Bro Is the Major? (3)
Luis's neck was severed in a single stroke. Pedro's face turned pale at the sight of his friend's head rolling on the floor.
It all happened in an instant. The motion of cutting off the arm and neck was invisible.
Only after seeing the pool of blood forming on the floor did they realize that Kelian had swung his sword.
"Why...?"
He couldn't accept that Luis had died.
Kelian tossed Luis's arm at Pedro and spoke.
"Every soldier who enters the 7th Legion is always ed in the records.
It might not apply to the random soldiers who are dragged in, but for knights or officers like you, the record-keeping is thorough."
As a major, Kelian needed to review the records of the knights assigned to the fortress.
Naturally, he had already reviewed the records about Luis and Pedro.
"They say you two are full of admiration, right? Looks like you've done just about everything to catch the attention of those you look up to."
If it's slander, it's slander. If it's extortion, it's extortion. And if it's incitement, it's incitement.
They had only ever chosen the worst things to do.
"As someone you hold in such high esteem, I have one duty."
Kelian grabbed Pedro by the hair and pinned him against the wall as he spoke.
"That is to engrave into you what kind of place this is."
Magic power began to flow from Kelian's hand, which gripped Pedro's hair.
For ordinary knights, magic power is usually released as aura only when holding a sword.
However, a knight who has become used to it and skilled enough can emit magic power even barehanded.
Kelian's skillfully released magic power heated up like hot air, scorching Pedro's head.
Pedro, with tears in his eyes and screaming, trembled like a rabbit before a beast.
"If your job is to manage the soldiers, mine is to manage you officers. Especially, tightening the screws on your scattered minds is the most important thing."
Pedro's head was half covered with burns from Kelian's magic power.
Even though he was a major, in any other unit, this would've deserved disciplinary action, but here, it was not a problem at all.
This was a region where a monster attack could happen at any time.
They were always in a state of war, so casualties were nothing unusual.
A mentally unstable soldier could be executed immediately and it would not matter.
From the start, no one cared when or who died here.
"So remember. Here, even an officer can end up like that for saying one wrong thing."
"Yes...!"
Pedro, with red-rimmed eyes like a terrified child, tried to run outside.
"Ah, if you're leaving, take that corpse with you. He was your friend, wasn't he?"
"...."
In the end, Pedro silently lifted Luis's corpse.
It was sad enough to see his one-time friend turned cold, but it was even sadder that he had to carry him out with his own hands.
Once the two who had lied had left the office, Kelian sat back down in his chair and spoke.
"Well, shall we get to the main topic now?"
****
A little later, after the interview, Louis left the office.
Then, the vice-major Silia entered.
"The smell of blood is strong. Did someone else die again?"
"There was someone who lied right to my face."
"Was it... that soldier you interviewed earlier?"
At Silia's question, Kelian shook his head.
When he explained what had happened during the interview, Silia, reassured, nodded.
"I see. So, they tampered with the supplies without fear and tried to frame someone else for it?"
"I spared one in case we need extra manpower later."
Being assigned to the 7th Legion meant severe punishment.
Any knight who finished their post here or was discharged left with broken limbs or a shattered mind.
There was that officer, Kelton, who had committed suicide in the past—he seemed to have developed mental problems as well.
"Were you worried that I had cut down that young one?"
"There's no way I'd think that."
That's what Silia said, but she let out a sigh of relief.
It was only natural.
Anyone would frown at the idea of harming a child who hadn't even reached adulthood.
Kelian noticed her reaction exactly.
"You don't look fine, though, for all your words."
"This is my second year living here. Do you take me for a pushover?"
Even as an officer, surviving in the 7th Legion was no easy feat.
Monsters appeared frequently—so often that even the officers struggled.
And yet, the fact that she'd survived for years meant she was extremely skilled.
It was thanks to that ability that she'd risen to vice-major.
"You really are a rare talent. Less than two years after your transfer, you became vice-major—the first in 7th Legion history. But don't get the wrong idea: your promotion wasn't just because you're good with a sword."
Skill alone isn't enough for a high position.
You also need judgment fitting the role and a strong place within the organization.
In the 7th Legion, necessary judgement was closely tied to ruthlessness.
What would citizens think of the infamous major of the 7th Legion?
Naturally, they'd imagine a despot who works soldiers like slaves.
The perception of the vice-major wasn't much better.
Anyone in that seat was seen as nearly as vicious as the major.
"Looking at the reason you were assigned here, you can't call your situation honorable, can you? You beat a noble so badly he was pulp—the moment you lay a finger on a noble, you could be executed."
One could be executed instantly for touching a noble.
But Silia didn't just touch; she left them in a coma.
"I understand, of course. The noble brats started it. But once you'd become brutal enough to reach vice-major, it was a bit late to show the human side."
"But have I ever let you down?"
"Well... No, not really."
Kelian nodded after a moment's thought.
Indeed, Silia had been quite wild when she was first transferred here.
You can't survive here otherwise.
Feeling hesitant now would just be a contradiction.
"Anyway, aren't you curious about what I discussed with that soldier, Louis, just now?"
"Why are you suddenly asking that?"
Why be curious about a mere soldier's affairs?
To her question, Kelian responded.
"This time, the Imperial Court granted rewards to the surviving officers and soldiers. The egg to be offered to the Magic Tower seemed to be in better shape than expected."
Of course, the only real survivor was Louis.
In the end, the only one who would enjoy the benefits was Louis.
"While I was out for a moment, he'd already used one of his rewards—ordering whole boxes of bread and cookies, no less."
"To think he squandered such a bounty on snacks—definitely a childish idea."
"And yet he still has rewards left over. He's the first I've seen at his age to receive that much."
Originally, rewards were to be shared among the expedition, but Louis received them all himself.
He really was a lucky one.
"During the interview, I brought up the subject. Do you know what he asked for with the rest of his reward?"
Even rewards from high places set limitations on what a soldier can choose.
But as the only survivor, he had many benefits. One of those was being allowed to go outside temporarily.
Louis only asked for two things.
"First was a pass to go out. He wants to visit a city called Zodiac."
"That shrine for scholars?"
"You know it well yourself."
It wasn't as if he'd suddenly become interested in his studies, so what did he hope to gain there?
It wasn't a place where a short-lived soldier would find much benefit.
"To be precise, he wants to visit the Zodiac Grand Library and see what he can access. I don't know what he wants to check, but the more information he has, the better."
"I still doubt he'll just stick to that place."
Any soldier going on leave is, of course, assigned an officer or knight as escort.
But most soldiers insist on going to strange places, even defying their escorts. Naturally, they were executed immediately.
"And the second was that he wanted to choose his own squad members."
Until a few days ago, Louis was a trainee. He hadn't been formally assigned to any squad.
"Would it make any difference if he picked them himself?"
A throwaway soldier is only waiting for death, no matter which squad he joins.
Picking "decent" soldiers would be even dumber, since only criminals gather here.
"At first, I wondered about it too. But after witnessing something, I've kept thinking about it."
"What was it?"
"I drew my sword to kill a knight earlier. I wasn't even swinging it seriously, but my speed wasn't slow."
Even if Kelian wasn't swinging in earnest, a sword wielded at his level was invisible to most people in the fortress.
There were only two here who could follow his sword—Silia was one of them.
"The knight's arm and neck were both cut in an instant. Anyone who can't see swordspeed would only be shocked by the inexplicable situation."
Indeed, Pedro wasn't aware of what happened until Louis's arm was cut, and then screamed.
Louis should have reacted the same way.
"But that Louis kid didn't flinch."
"What?"
His pupils didn't even tremble.
He simply showed zero reaction.
"Couldn't he just be crazy? There are plenty of people among the soldiers who feel nothing even after killing."
"Of course, it could appear that way. But as I drew my sword, I could see it: in that very moment, the look in his eyes tracked my blade."
No matter how psychotic, if a sword suddenly swings that fast, anyone would startle.
Yet Louis not only didn't, but something even more shocking happened.
Louis's pupils moved, following the path of Kelian's sword.
At that, Silia was stunned.
"A mere soldier saw the major's sword?"
"Hard to believe, but my eyes don't lie."
"How could someone so young...?"
"Maybe surviving the last expedition wasn't just luck."
Kelian became interested in the soldier called Louis.
"That's why I plan to grant his requests. A budding talent like this is worth investing in."
"You sure you weren't just seeing things?"
Still suspicious, Silia earned a snort from Kelian.
"If you really doubt it, you can check as you go along with him."
"Go along with him?"
"You've often said you had business in Zodiac, haven't you?"
Understanding instantly, Silia frowned.
"You're making someone my rank supervise a soldier on leave?"
"He's someone who survived hellish expeditions both physically and mentally intact. Does that sound ordinary to you?"
Because he was no ordinary person, he needed an officer with real skills to tag along.
"Since it's come to this, I'd like you to assess his abilities."
"...."
Normally, this was the kind of job lowly people do.
Silia, now tasked with it, looked resigned.
****
Just as Louis requested from Kelian, his squad was chosen as he wanted.
He formed a group with the friends he'd trained with.
"Young master. When will you be back?"
Dimo, a squad member, asked with concern.
It was because Louis, instead of his usual gear, wore civilian clothes.
"It'll take about a week. I'll be back within that for sure."
"Can't you take us with you?"
"Yeah, it's too scary here."
Pram and Simon said, trembling with fear, and Louis let out a deep sigh.
"There's something I want to say to you while I have the chance. If you think my help is endless, you should let go of that thought right now. I certainly protected you all this time, but I never once thought you'd leave here alive with your breath intact."
He wasn't wrong. Unlike Louis, the others were still under the effects of a certain spell.
Just because Louis was there didn't guarantee their survival.
Faced with that grim truth, everyone fell silent.
"And don't be afraid just because I'm gone. You all endured that brutal training."
"But that was only thanks to you, young master...."
"Of course I helped, but you endured on your own as well. So listen carefully now."
Louis spoke so all his squad could hear him distinctly.
"You all have 'talent'. Talent to survive in this hell."
His squad looked somewhat confused, but each knew deep down that the day would come when 'young master' was no longer with them.
"So, everyone. You must stay alive, no matter what."
Leaving them with those words, Louis left the fortress for a few days.