Supreme Magus novel Chapter 354

Sergeant Tepper hid his surprise behind his usual strict expression while the rest of the unit sneered at Lith’s words. They were all of commoner origin and with no access to information regarding what happened in the rest of the Kingdom.

They had never heard about Balkor or about Nalear’s assault on the White Griffon, hence they took Lith’s claim as an attempt to impress their commanding officer.

"You and what army?" Vipli’s snarky remark made the whole unit laugh.

Tepper inwardly sighed at their ignorance, but at the same time found no reason to correct them. Lith didn’t seem to mind their mistrust, while the atmosphere had become more relaxed.

’Their mutual spite has only one downside: until they find a common ground, I have to think as I’m commanding two different units at once. Lith can’t coordinate with the rest of the cadets because he is the one they hate. The common enemy that binds them together.’ Tepper thought.

"One last question. Who among you thinks to be able to lead the unit?" For once, Lith’s hand remained down. Only Vipli and Nhilo raised their arms.

"Very good. Nhilo, you’ll be my second in command. You are promoted to the rank of Corporal until the end of the mission." Vipli was disappointed whereas Nhilo was brimming with joy, but neither of them let it show on their faces.

They simply replied with a: "Sir, yes sir!"

"Why do you think I chose you, cadet Nhilo?" Tepper asked.

"Because Vipli is our second best scout. His skill set is more suited for the frontlines while I have no particular strong suit aside from my tactical knowledge." Tepper nodded at her reply.

’Good girl. Smart enough to recognize her limits as well as those of her comrades. She didn’t even attempt to berate Lith, acknowledging him as the best scout instead.’ He thought.

The Sergeant then assigned to each member of the unit their role. To no one’s surprise, Lith received once again the role of the rear guard. Aside from Nhilo, everyone else sniggered.

They thought he was being punished for his lie since the rear guard was considered the most boring and useless job.

"There’s nothing to laugh about!" She scolded them. "The rear guard is one of the most vital roles. His duty is to cover our backs and make sure that if something goes wrong, we have a clear retreat path."

Liwell was about to reply, but Tepper’s cold glare stopped him in his tracks. Only then he realized she was now his commanding officer too. They were no longer peers and his words could have been taken as insubordination.

Tepper briefed them about the orcs’ strong and weak points before taking out from his dimensional amulet a whole rack full of weapons of every kind.

"Take whatever you think you might need."

Lith took for himself a few throwing daggers, a short sword, and a bastard sword.

After everyone completed their equipment, the Sergeant led them out of the boot camp and inside the woods. They marched for a few hours before he made them stop for a brief rest.

"We are very close now. Our scouts inspected the place a couple of days ago and reported that the tribe should consist of no more than twenty orcs, children included. Our duty is to kill them all, no matter the age or gender. Am I clear?"

After everyone nodded, Tepper continued.