Free Web NovelChapter 295: Against the Expedition
"It seems obvious why I became the squad leader, huh?"
The man froze in his position as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He was also trembling, feeling agitated as Lucas, even after he stopped the streaming killing intent, was still staring intently at the man’s eyes. This made him question his purpose and also his worth.
’Where did this man come from?’
Lucas smirked, then slowly tapped the man’s shoulder. He felt successful and satisfied with what happened. Then, he reached his mouth to the man’s ears and whispered.
"Now, tell me, do you think you still deserve the position of squad leader?"
The man looked up as if seeing Lucas’s predator’s eyes. He was almost drowning in it, but half of him wanted to be free from this humiliation. He could see the people’s eyes, and he knew their views of him. Furthermore, he was pathetic in their eyes, and the years of effort honing each skill should never be wasted. He must brace himself.
The man went into the darkness of his thoughts.
’Do I really deserve this? I worked so hard to have a name and eventually be under the 11 Elder’s supervision, but what am I doing? How could an unnamed man, with just his bloody killing intent, push me into corners and waste the reputation I had made? I did my best, and I won’t waste it.’
He clenched his fist and returned to reality. Slowly, the cause of his trembling changed into a rage. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared with a deadly glare at Lucas, who was currently, in his eyes, being smug.
’There is no way I would let him humiliate me...’
Pakh!
Lucas just received a blow from the man’s sword. Fortunately for him, he was able to block it on time. If not, the shame that he caused the man would bounce back at him.
He couldn’t believe it. The man had just almost slipped through his senses. He was fast, which Lucas couldn’t believe. And then a funny idea came into his mind, which he immediately ignored.
’There is no way I would take this man under my supervision. He could be with me on this expedition, but not on my legacy. I already have plenty of people under my wing, and I support them directly. I should not create any burden for myself.’
Although it was a shame and a waste, Lucas forgot about it and went back to the event he created.
The man was indeed talented. The confidence he had had some roots, and it caused him to be arrogant as well. However, Lucas knew that sometimes people could be arrogant, thinking that what they deserved slipped through them, and someone undeserving accepted it.
Lucas could sympathize with him, but this was for him, and he couldn’t let it go.
"There is no way I would let this opportunity pass. You just have some killing intent. That doesn’t mean that you will be a good leader!"
Then, suddenly, flames started covering the man’s body. It was his driving force that surfaced due to an uncontrollable stream of emotions. He was enraged, ashamed, and also sad that he had experienced this. He knew he did his best.
Lucas sighed and fought for what he wanted. However, this should result in a safe way to go. Thus, before the man could even launch an attack on him, he slunk behind the man and raised his elbow to hit his nape. With enough and the right amount of force, he was able to put the man to sleep. freewebnoveℓ.com
"That should be enough for him not to bother me," Lucas mumbled, then looked at his squad members. "Are you okay with me being the squad leader?"
All of them nodded. What they just witnessed was something petrifying, and they could not let that happen to them before the expedition. They knew their limits, and this wasn’t the time to overstep them.
From afar, Perpas just snickered and eventually turned to laughter. It was hilarious to him as he watched how Lucas protected his title. Even though he did not know his motivation, at least he became an asset to the expedition team.
It wasn’t the only time they had to attend meetings to learn about their mission, and it wasn’t the only purpose they had to have those meetings. They must also learn from each other and have some teamwork, which was where the purpose of squads comes in. Every squad leader was tasked with getting to know their members well as well as having some coordination for better mission results.
Furthermore, they must be in shape before the expedition, which starts in three days.
***
Lucas was just walking away from the coliseum. It was the second day of the meeting, and they only had a day before the expedition began. And as he was walking to where his inn was, he saw a bunch of people, walking in groups, with placards with the words "Stop the Expedition. Don’t cause more deaths!"
Lucas reread it, and he didn’t misread it. They were indeed against the expedition and surprised by what he discovered, Lucas approached them.
’All I thought was that the people of the Southern Continent were supportive of their government. However, as it seems, there were some that were against them. But, the good side of this is that they were allowed to protest against it.... Amusing. Then, the 11 Elders must be advocates of free speech.’
He watched them continue their protest until he arrived at the inn. He rested, and the next day he was stunned by what he saw. The protest was still there, and there were more. Because of this, some local guards were dispatched. They guarded the establishments and the buildings, which were the property of the government.
He simply walked past them, ignoring them for the second time. Even though he was curious about their goal, he had nothing to do with them as it would delay his mission more. He had already wasted time, and he couldn’t waste it anymore.
He arrived at the coliseum, and people had already arrived, preparing for their last training and meeting. Lucas just went to his squad, and they practiced their coordination.
Lucas was born with a talent for leading, which he used in every situation he was in. This time, he was leading his squad, which had been going smoothly since the first day. Furthermore, the man who was against him being the squad leader was obediently following his commands. He also got to see how to properly use his weapons at the same time.
"Transition is what you needed, David. You don’t need to overdo yourself."
When Lucas first noticed David’s talent, he decided to leave him and ignore it as he had already taken plenty of people under his wing. He could not add more since it would burden him more. However, as coordination was needed in the expedition, and David was lacking at some point because of the versatility of his weapon choice, Lucas decided to teach him some.
Transitions are really important and crucial for all-rounders, especially when they bring all of their weapons into action. Speed was also there, but the knowledge of every weapon was a must. This was what Lucas noticed that David was lacking. Thus, in those three days of small training, he put David on the back burner.
After the day, Lucas returned to his inn and still noticed the people protesting. He couldn’t handle it anymore, so he approached one person who was part of the protest, then asked about their objection.
"What is this all about? Why are you against the expedition? Isn’t it good that we would know the source of the red sky?"
"The red sky is not harmful. It is a normal phenomenon, and the 11 Elders couldn’t see it. However, this expedition must be stopped since it is useless and would just put people’s lives in danger. There are things that people must not touch, and one of them was the source of the red sky."
But Lucas couldn’t help but pause.
’It seemed like they knew more about the red sky. But, instead of protesting, won’t it help if they try to approach the 11 Elders?’
"Have you already approached the 11 Elders about this matter? I am sure they would gladly listen to you."
"They are not listening to us. They were persistent about the expedition, which led us to protest. And as there were more people that believed in us, we are confident that the expedition will be canceled."
Lucas sighed. It was a disappointment to him since there was nothing useful to learn. They were just against the government, nothing more. They couldn’t even have a strong argument on why the expedition should stop.
’Before they protest and complain about the expedition, won’t it be good if they cancel the purpose of the expedition? I mean, they should have some counterargument to the goal and purpose of the 11 Elders. They wanted to do the expedition before a calamity happens if there is one. And this red sky has been alarming them since the first day it appeared. A person couldn’t say that it was harmful within the first few days. There is a thing called "process" and it is not instant.’
