Numa had a lot on his mind. The battlefield, the Bear, his conversation with the Paladin, Captain Elric's words, but the one thing that occupied his head at the moment was a big question. Why the hell did the powerful Magick Knight unleash a punch that could break his arms if he had activated Avara just a moment too late, after saying that he wanted to recruit Numa into his fold? Was he out of his mind?
"What did you say?" asked Jules. "Did you just refuse an official recruitment from the Magick Knight Corps?" There was a hint of anger in his voice, mixed with a dose of bewilderment.
Elric extended his right hand over Jules' chest, both to stop the temperamental Spellblade and to signal to him that it was the Captain's time to talk.
"Numa, why did you join the military?" Elric looked at Numa like a big brother who was concerned about his little brother's decision. "Surely it wasn't due to your overwhelming love for the Empire, wasn't it? Or maybe you have a grudge towards the Beastmen?"
Numa couldn't reply to Elric right away. He tried to figure out what the right answer was. But he eventually decided that he should just say what's on his mind. "To be perfectly honest with you, sir, I joined the military because the Emperor promised that the Empire would take care of the families of those who volunteered to join the military." Numa paused a little bit and then continued his explanation. "You see, I don't have any particular attachment to the Arkhain Empire, nor do I have any hatred towards the Beastmen. To me, the military is simply the best option that I have at the moment in order to put food on the table for my mother and my little sister."
"Is that the reason why you don't want to join the Magick Knight Corps? You don't want to have to work harder than you need to?"
"No, sir. I'm a farmer. I'm used to working as hard as I can from the moment I wake up to the moment I close my eyes at night."
"So why did you refuse my request?" asked Jules before Elric could say another word.
Elric was staring daggers at Jules. There was nothing more that he wanted in this world, at that moment, than to shut Jules up. His open disregard for hierarchy and his utter lack of respect towards others started to get on Elric's nerves. However, the Spellblade also happened to ask the one thing that Elric wanted to know the most. So he decided to let it slide.
"I don't think I'm good enough to be a Magick Knight, sir. I barely survived today's battle, and would've certainly died if it wasn't for Sir Jules." He let out a big sigh and continued. "I'm truly flattered that you think so highly of me, but I don't want to be a burden for the other Magick Knights."
The room stayed silent for a while. Even the usually loud Jules couldn't seem to find the right words to say at the time. Elric was the first one to speak.
"I understand where you're coming from, Numa. But I think you got it all wrong." Elric walked back to his seat and picked up a piece of paper on the table, the one that he said contained Numa's personal information. "As you said, the Emperor promised to take care of the family of the volunteers, but they also give a generous bonus to those who achieve remarkable results on the battlefield." Elric handed that piece of paper to Numa. "As you can see, I've already mentioned your achievement in assisting with the subjugation of two powerful Beastmen. Thanks to you, your family will receive more meat and wheat this month."
Numa was bewildered. He was unaware of this type of system. No wonder every soldier tried their best to achieve glory on the battlefield, even going as far as risking their own life.
"And one more thing. The amount of goods that your family received is proportional to your rank. And though I hate to admit it," said Elric as he stared at Jules, "Magick Knight is considered a higher rank than a regular Iron Legion's soldiers like us. This means if you accepted Jules's request, your family will be better off than they are today."
Numa's eyes widened. This was such important information that he wondered why nobody ever explained it to him before. He looked at the paper with his name on it, looked at Elric's stern eyes, and then turned away to see Jules, who appeared to be bored with such a long and winding conversation.
"I see. I understand now. Thank you for patiently explaining those things to me, Captain." Numa turned away from the captain, looked at Jules straight in the eyes, and firmly said, "Sir Jules. I'm sorry for refusing your offer earlier. If you haven't changed your mind, then it would be my honor to join the Magick Knight Corps."
Elric and Jules looked at each other, and for the first time in a while, they both smiled.
"Good man," said Jules to Numa, as if he had just found a new toy to play with. "Alright then, now that the official stuff is over, let's get out of here and go to the Magick Knight HQ right away. There are lots of things you need to do there." Jules turned to Elric and said, "Captain Elric, thank you very much for accepting my request. I will immediately leave with this young man, but do not worry. Myre and Fitz will remain here. They are both Spellwarden, so they should be able to help you deal with those pesky Beastmen."
Jules grabbed Myre's shoulders and said, "Listen, you are under Captain Elric's command until I return or until a new order comes for you and Fitz. So listen to what he said. Understood?"
"....I understand, sir," said Myre, begrudgingly. "I'll relay your command to Fitz later."
Looking at Jules' way of talking, Elric couldn't help but say, "What's with the sudden change of tone?" Elric put his arms on his hips and looked at Jules like a parent who had just found out that his child could speak properly for the first time. "Why did you suddenly speak formally to me?"
"Bahahahaha. Even I knew that this kind of thing requires a bit of formality. Anyway, thanks for everything, Elric. You too, Numa, said thank you to your Captain. I'll be waiting outside."
"Yes, sir. Thank you." Numa then turned to face Elric, straightened his back, and put his right hand on top of his left chest. "Captain Elric, thank you very much for everything. We hadn't known each other for long, but I really look up to you, Sir, and I strive to be as good as you in the future."
"Eh, don't worry about it, Kid." Elric shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not in the position of refusing that order in the first place. There aren't many people who could use magic in this Empire, so both the Magick Knight Corps and the Arcane Corps always put in a transfer request as soon as they found a soldier who could use magic. I merely nudged you to reach a decision that I believe would benefit you and the Empire."
"Regardless, thank you for everything, sir."
Elric put his arms on Numa's shoulders and said, "May Valecar, the God of Justice, and Thalos, the God of War, bless you in your new journey." He let out a little smile.
"Thank you, Sir. May the Gods bless and protect you as well." Numa walked toward the entrance, but then stopped short right before he stepped outside. "By the way, Sir, do you know where I could find Tarin? I want to see his face when I tell him that I'll be a Magick Knight from now on."
Elric suddenly had a stern look on his face. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Kid. Tarin died on the battlefield. He tried to save a fellow soldier from a beast's attack, but ended up getting slain instead."
"..."
Numa couldn't believe what he just heard. His head was spinning and his stomach churning. He quickly ran outside, and vomited.
"Ugghhhhh..."
"What happened to you, Numa?" asked Jules. "Did Elric do something to you?"
"I just told him that one of his friends died on the battlefield today," said Elric, who followed Numa outside and was now standing right at the entrance of his tent.
"Ah, I see. This was your first battle, wasn't it?" Jules patted Numa on his back. "Your friend is with Thalos now, kid. Soldiers like us will eventually die on the battlefield and meet the God of War. It's only a matter of when. That's why we should cherish every waking moment and live our lives to the fullest. And that is also why we should strive to be as strong as possible."
"Y-yes, Sir."
"Alright then. Let us go to the Magick Knight HQ. I already sent words about you, so they should be ready to accept you when we arrive. Now, to the dragon."
"Dragon, sir?"