Lucas (3)

Before the attack on Marine Village, my day started just like any other—immersed in an overwhelming mountain of paperwork. Annette sat beside me, diligently sorting through the papers, when suddenly a small purple mission bird appeared in front of me, fluttering its wings frantically. Its bright feathers were a glaring contrast to the otherwise dreary paperwork that surrounded me.

I had no time for distractions, but the bird carried an urgent message. It squawked and pecked at the paper tied to its leg, and I quickly read the distress message. Multiple villages near the border had been attacked by bandits. My first instinct was to think of the Division Knights already out in the field. I knew they would take care of the ones closest to them.

I left my office, striding down the stairs, determined to find Truth's team, ready to dispatch them to the areas in distress. Annette should have already informed them of the mission details, and I wasn't in the mood for further delays.

It didn't take long to neutralize the bandits causing trouble near the border. Three hours, and the task was handled. As I made my way back to the base with Annette, I felt a rare sense of accomplishment, albeit temporary. Back in my office, the mountain of paperwork awaited me. I sat at my desk again, forcing myself to power through the work. Between the reports and updates to Headquarters, I couldn't help but feel irritated by the never-ending nature of the job.

But then, Annette entered, her face clouded with a mixture of emotions. I could already sense that something had gone wrong, even before she spoke.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice flat, already dreading what was about to come.

"Sir Takahiro, Sir Yushiro, and Sir Kenji are not in the Base." She reported, her words hanging in the air.

A deep scowl formed on my face as my annoyance simmered beneath the surface. Did they follow us? Do they think they're heroes now? The thought made my teeth grind. They were nothing more than reckless brats, and I was growing tired of their antics.

Without wasting a moment, I reached for a scroll to summon a mission bird, giving it the order to reach out to the other Division 4 Knights. I needed to find out where they'd gone and why. The bird vanished into the air, and I had no choice but to wait.

An hour later, a raven appeared through the window. It swooped down, its wings cutting through the air, and perched itself on the desk. Attached to its small leg was a rolled-up piece of parchment. I took it and unrolled it, reading the single line of text that was scrawled inside:

"We will handle it."

I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my temples. What now? As the night stretched on, I got back to the ever-growing pile of work. Annette, though still working, was clearly agitated, her eyes darting across the papers with impatience.

Then, just before the sun rose, another raven arrived. This time, I nearly shouted in frustration. The report was almost ridiculous. Even though we had handled the border villages, the bandits had attacked Marine Village, far from the border. Their numbers? A staggering 56. The Village chief, in a panic, sent out a distress call. But instead of our team handling it, the brats at the base had taken it upon themselves to act.

I read on, my disbelief growing as I took in the details. The brats, acting without any proper orders, had rushed to the village immediately. They didn't even wait for our team to return. When they arrived, only 29 villagers remained of the 48 initially there. But despite their recklessness, they managed to take down 19 of the bandits, incapacitating 25 more. The rest retreated, their leader taken down by the crimson-haired brat, Kenji.

Truth's team, upon spotting the retreating bandits, quickly dealt with them, finishing the job with ease.

I stared at the report for a long moment, trying to process what had just happened. Where in the world did Yama find these brats? I thought bitterly. They're making more work for me than they're worth.

But despite my annoyance, a small part of me knew that I couldn't deny their progress. They were showing potential—dangerous, reckless, but undeniable potential. It's just that right now, they were causing me nothing but headaches. I could only hope they would stop being such a nuisance, or at the very least, start following orders.