+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

  La Veridad City

  December 28, 1538 CE

  He was now speaking from the balcony of the Viceroy’s official residence.

  “And so, as a new year dawns on us, I will say that the 1st Anti-Demon Unit will not back down,” Hans vowed to the gathered crowd in front of him. “This war, not just for the Principality of Nomos, but for all of the continent itself, won’t end merely because mankind is on the back foot. As Captain Wittenstein, and indeed, Viceroy Viviani have declared earlier, we will chase them back. And we won’t let them reach La Veridad nor its surrounding cities unless we are dead.”

  Hans never had much experience with public speaking. But as one of the recognized leaders of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, which was rapidly becoming popular to the public, not just for their continuous kills against demons, but because of their consistent anti-monster operations, he had to speak. The demoralized people of La Veridad, who had watched Hans not only whip the troops of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit into good shape but constantly fight in solo expeditions exploded.

  He hadn’t expected it. But they were all cheering him on. It seemed that his reputation was truly growing. The cities he had saved. The merchants and refugees he protected from monsters. Their words were spreading far and wide. It wasn’t just Adelyn who was popular.

  No, it was also his iconic mech. They were practically two heroes fighting side-by-side for these people now. Hans didn’t exactly appreciate that kind of attention.

  But damn it. These people have to keep working. He waited for the cheers and applause to die down. Then, he cleared his throat.

  A penal soldier.

  To a penal officer.

  Now, it was almost as if his past was gone. Replaced by a new one. In this new world, he was only known as one thing. A knight that rode a steed made out of steel.

  “Hence why, right now, we are conducting the start of our next operations to cleanse the south of the demonic menace. In conjunction with the Viceroy, alongside the leaders of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit and the Army of Nomos, we shall conduct a grand offensive to the south. In the month of preparations that we took, three cities in Southern Nomos were eviscerated. Dozens of towns and villages as well. Tens of thousands have been further displaced.

  “These are our brothers and sisters. I may not be from this continent. I may be a foreigner. But I understand a nation in pain. We will do something about that pain. We’ll ride out, and with the weapons and skills that we have worked hard for, we will contain the situation. The Calamity of Recklessness. The Calamity of Injustice. Their names alone inspire disgust and fear.

  “We will end that fear. For that is our duty. So that you, and your children, will one day remember these names only in the way it deserves to be remembered. A joke from a bygone era. Mankind will not fall. Mankind will not be defeated. We will march, onwards, together, to victory. Thank you, La Veridad!”

  Hans stepped away from the attention of the masses below as they cheered. Fixing his uniform properly, he went back inside the Viceroy’s office. Inside were his gathered fellows from the 1st Anti-Demon Unit. Not just that, but others as well. IYC representatives. Members of the Army of Nomos’ officer corps. And various nobles and officials.

  Their goal today was to begin the work for the most ambitious mission mankind’s resistance forces had ever yet hatched: to kill two calamities.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Hans said as he placed his hands on the long table in front of him. “I believe our battle plans are already good enough. All we need now is to place it in action.”

  He turned to Adelyn.

  “Everything should be ready,” Adelyn said. “I’ve already delegated the tasks to the 1st Anti-Demon Unit’s officers. We also have the supplies necessary for this mission. And everything else in between.”

  “The Army of Nomos is still on the back foot,” General Caronte Ercole—a Virtus nobleman who led Nomos’ military forces declared as he crossed his arms. “But I already straightened up my command and reorganized my depleted units. We will be supporting you all greatly.”

  He was middle-aged, his voice deep and rough. He didn’t even have a single eye, hidden by an eyepatch. He was said to be a veteran of hell. The few commanders capable of holding back the demon’s tide.

  “I see then,” the Viceroy smiled, content at last. “Then it is decided then. Lieutenant Hans Hoffman’s plan, ‘Operation January Storm’ will commence tomorrow. Let’s win this, everyone.”

  “Long live the Imperium!” Everyone shouted in the room, except for Hans and Adelyn.

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  On the other hand, someone barged into the room. Everyone turned in the direction of the wide open doors. It was that Virtus woman, Emilia’s comrade who survived the two calamities. Her face seemed to be of steel resolve. Hans could see the glint in her eyes. She thirsted for vengeance.

  “I am not going to be left behind here, Emilia!” she audaciously declared. “I, Valeria Torre, will either die trying or kill them with my blade.”

  “Valeria…” the Viceroy simply sighed.

  “You know, you’ve been arguing with her for days already,” Hans crossed his arms as he frowned. “If she’s so dead set on getting in on this mission, then I say we let her. She’s powerful in her own right too, no?”

  “An extra mage from the Imperial Mage Corps would certainly be useful,” Captain Strobel declared. “Though, someone ought to put a leash on her. She doesn’t seem stable.”

  “I am extremely stable, sir,” the woman spat back. Then, she turned back to Emilia. “Let me in.”

  “Fine, I’ll let you in,” the Viceroy replied. “Is that good now?”

  “Nope,” she shook her head. “Not until those two bastards are dead. I just want them killed. I want to kill them the way they killed our buddies. I want to slice that guy so well and so slow and so—”

  “Yeah, no need to go into details!” Hans said, stopping her. “You’re in now. But you better fall in line with the rest of the unit. That’s all. Now…let’s do the final preparations.”

  +++

  “So,” Adelyn placed a cup of water on the top rail in front of Hans. The two were now watching the workers packaging crates after crates on the convoy of wagons parked from their inn’s balcony. “What do you think about all of this?”

  “What do you mean?” Hans took the cup and drank from it. “About the expedition? I think we’re ready.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. Well. I don’t know. We trained. We resupplied. We improved our equipment. Figured out new tactics. Drilled ourselves to those tactics. What else could we do at this point, summon god?” Hans laughed. “Well…now’s the time to let our labor show its effect.”

  “...Yeah, I guess.”

  “I’m sure you’ll perform great too,” Hans placed his cup back on a table behind them as he laughed. “You did very well with the maneuver exercises yesterday.”

  “Well? You defeated me positionally three-to-one last night,” Adelyn pouted. “Your mech is just too fast and too nimble. I can’t even get a good lead on your movements.”

  “Well, that’s because I’m a madman. Otherwise, you’re already learning well how to get your mech into a close-quarters engagement. That’s…progress. Beautiful progress,” Hans nodded as he sat on the chair beside the table. He then looked to his side. She seemed to have placed the chocolate chips she bought from a nearby bakery.

  “Hey, leave some for Alizée,” Adelyn warned. “I bought that for her.”

  “There’s dozens in this box,” Hans took one for him. He smelled it for a bit. “Damn good stuff, Captain.”

  “Yeah, they make the best ones in the city, I heard. Even the Viceroy orders from them. And I’ve been buying that for days now.”

  Hans took a bite.

  “Yeah. I’m surprised they have enough cocoa and sugar for this. Guess the plantations up north aren’t that badly affected anyone,” Hans smiled. “And the prices outside…”

  “Yeah, it’s been dropping,” Adelyn looked back at the sky with a growing smile. “The IYC sure is producing a lot more. And they’re shipping a lot more food with the surplus. I heard that Ygeian farmers are now getting a boom in production with the demand outside of their Principality.”

  “And since their territories are more secure, they can safely meet that demand,” Hans nodded eagerly as he consumed the whole cookie. “That’ll go a long way to stop the endless famines across this continent. Though, I imagine most of the effects will only become true next harvest season.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Makes you feel bad about the folks down south though. They’re not getting a lot of the grains and produce. No merchants are incoming. I wonder if they are even planting anymore. It seems like everyone down there is squeezed…”

  “It’s an apocalyptic scenario for them,” Adelyn seemed guilty. “And we hadn’t done much action for an entire month. Of course, they’re squeezed. I talked to General Erconte. They had to fight three battles last week down south. Four regiments were lost.”

  “And what were the results?”

  “He said that two out of the three demons who attacked his forces were critically injured. They’re using largely the same tactics we had back in Ygeia. Using battlemages. Baiting the enemy into the open. Using cannons at them. But…without mechs, they can only delay things.”

  “Well, as we’ve seen with the Calamity of Recklessness though, when you sufficiently damage them, they can be delayed for long periods of time,” Hans said. “While during combat, they seem extremely capable at healing and reconstructing their bodies, the amount of magic it takes must be gigantic.”

  “Obviously…”

  “Hence why they take weeks or even months to recover from hiding,” Hans placed his hand on his chin. “This must be how the rest of the Imperial Army fight. They delay things, but they are unable to kill them. But…, with each report we send out about our kills, they learn more. Soon, they’ll be able to hold on to areas by simply injuring demons constantly.”

  “Hmm…”

  “Yeah, and maybe even kill them,” Hans then shrugged. “Though, yeah, I suppose it’s a hard thing to count on. We’re going to have to be the main liquidator force. At least, against the calamities…”

  “About that,” Adelyn grinned. “The Ygeian Army just killed three demons recently. It seems that without a calamity directing them, they’re weaker.”

  “Of course, they’ll be weaker. They’re the main organizing force. We’ve seen that with the last battle. They can drag demons with them. I doubt it’s a direct chain of command all the time though, but they must be collaborating and sharing power. That must be why, without a calamity, they are weaker.”

  Hans stood up again and looked down at the preparations below.

  “You know, it all comes down to that. Victory will only come if we can kill all the calamities. It’s why they’re our targets. Kill those two…and just like in Ygeia, Nomos will be saved.”

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