I stepped into the building with my posture carefully arranged to appear as humble as possible.
My chin remained lifted at a respectable angle while my chest pushed outward in what I hoped was a dignified display of confidence. The only problem was that I was not exactly built like a towering warrior. Maintaining the illusion of a broad and imposing chest required more effort than I would have liked to admit.
Still, I believed I managed to pull it off well enough.
If nothing else, I probably appeared charismatic enough to avoid being underestimated, and in my opinion that alone counted as a victory. A humble appearance combined with a respectable presence was the perfect balance to strike when dealing with the elders of the Keeper Council.
At least, that was the theory.
My auburn hair, trimmed short and styled in a slightly bubbling curly fashion, tended to attract attention whenever I entered a room. Combined with my youthful features and the rather unusual fact that someone my age held the title of Captain, I often found myself receiving curious glances from people who could not quite decide what to make of me.
Personally, I liked to imagine that if there were such a thing as a relationship hiring market, I would easily qualify as a platinum-ranked candidate.
Of course, everyone had their own strange preferences when it came to such matters.
Inside the building, the path to the council chamber proved just as inconvenient as ever. The structure had been designed with an endless series of corridors, turns, and branching hallways that seemed determined to confuse anyone unfamiliar with the layout.
I moved through several corners, shifting from one corridor to another until I finally reached the section where the Keeper Council held their meetings.
It would have been far more efficient if they had simply placed the chamber near the entrance instead of burying it deep inside the building.
But efficiency was rarely a priority for old men who enjoyed making others walk.
Eventually, I reached the final door.
Without hesitation, I pushed it open with one hand and stepped inside. I assumed my arrival had already been anticipated, so there was no need for any formal announcement before entering.
The chamber was quiet and dimly lit.
At the far end of the room stood the raised podium where the elders of the Keeper Council sat in judgment. Heavy curtains hung behind them, forming a veiled backdrop that made their silhouettes appear even more imposing than they already were.
They sat in a circular formation, each elder positioned like a magistrate presiding over some grand tribunal.
I stepped forward slowly until I stood before them.
Then I bowed my head.
"Tyberius, Captain of the Seventh Gate Keeper Division, presents himself before the Keeper Council."
A voice soon answered from the center of the circle.
"Welcome, Captain. The council has been expecting you."
Another elder spoke immediately afterward, his tone noticeably sharper.
"You are late, Captain. It is not in your interest to keep the council waiting after being summoned."
A third voice followed from the opposite side.
"Keep us waiting again and we will not treat the matter lightly."
Before the tension could thicken further, the elder seated in the center raised his hand slightly.
"Now, now, elders. We did not summon him here merely to reprimand him."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, they do speak with a point. Tyberius of the Seventh, do well not to keep the council waiting in the future."
I remained silent throughout their entire exchange.
Every word of their reprimand washed over me without resistance. I listened patiently and nodded respectfully where appropriate. There was no advantage in arguing with them now, especially when I considered the consequences that might follow.
If my division lost access to its budget again, the men would be forced to endure weeks without proper meals or their beloved evening drinks.
That alone was reason enough for me to keep my mouth shut.
The center elder finally shifted the conversation toward the true reason for my summons.
"We of the Keeper Council have reason to believe the Demi-Kin are plotting something."
The Demi-Kin. Creatures who lived within the forests north-west of the Conrad borders. They were not entirely human, nor entirely beast. Their culture had long stood in opposition to the Dynasty, and history had recorded countless conflicts between their kind and ours.
Plotting something was practically part of their identity.
They had always sought ways to undermine the stability of the Great Wall and weaken the Dynasty's defenses.
Still, if the council believed this particular plot required my attention, then the situation must have carried some unusual significance.
I carefully considered my response.
"Is that all you have to say to me, sir?"
My head lifted slightly as I spoke, my voice carefully adjusted to sound respectful and calm. The tone of a polite young officer who had no intention of causing trouble.
One elder leaned forward.
"Our sources indicate that the Demi-Kin currently possess a weapon of mass destruction."
Another elder continued immediately afterward.
"Based on preliminary assessment, we estimate it to be at least Calamity-ranked."
A third elder spoke next.
"If such a weapon crosses our borders, the number of casualties could reach unimaginable levels."
"Hundreds of thousands," one of them concluded grimly. "Perhaps even more."
I turned my head from one side of the room to the other as each elder took his turn speaking.
It was honestly exhausting.
They seemed to enjoy interrupting one another mid-sentence, forcing me to constantly shift my attention from one voice to the next. If I had been born with three heads, perhaps it would have been easier to keep track of them all.
Unfortunately, I had not been born privileged in any sense of the word.
People often referred to me as a sewer baby.
The term described exactly what it sounded like. Still, regardless of my origins, one detail of their story troubled me deeply.
A Calamity-ranked weapon was not something that appeared casually in the hands of forest tribes.
"Do we have any specific information about the weapon?" I asked.
One elder shook his head. "Our source has been unable to identify it clearly."
I frowned before the words escaped my mouth.
"That does not sound like a very reliable source."
The moment I said it, I remembered Sarah's warning. Caution.
Quickly, I corrected myself with an awkward laugh.
"I mean… it would certainly help if the source could gather additional details. Hahaha."
The elders stared down at me in silence.
For a moment, it felt as though they were evaluating whether to pass judgment on my life choices.
Thankfully, my correction seemed to satisfy them enough to move forward.
As I listened to their explanation, a troubling possibility formed in my mind.
If a Calamity-ranked weapon truly existed, then there was a strong chance that it had ties to the world of the Mystics. Those individuals were notorious for wielding knowledge and power far beyond conventional understanding.
They were also among the few people capable of creating weapons powerful enough to devastate entire regions.
The thought alone was unsettling. I sighed quietly.
"My reason for being summoned?" I asked, even though the answer had already become painfully obvious.
The elders exchanged glances with one another.
After a brief moment of silence, the center elder spoke.
"Your orders are precise, Captain Tyberius. Intercept the group transporting the weapon and destroy it by any means necessary."
Exactly as I expected.
Demi-Kin and Trolls were threats my division could handle without hesitation.
But Mystics? That was an entirely different matter.
"With respect," I began carefully, "we are discussing a Calamity-ranked threat. If Mystics are potentially involved, would it not be more appropriate to assign the mission to the captains of the Third Division or higher?"
The Gate Keeper Order contained seven divisions in total.
My division, the Seventh, handled threats that were dangerous but still within the boundaries of reason. Situations that ordinary soldiers could not handle but that did not yet descend into outright madness.
The Sixth through Fourth divisions operated under similar expectations.
But the Third Division and above existed in an entirely different realm.
They dealt with the impossible. Mystics, forbidden magic, and catastrophic anomalies were their specialty. Which made it difficult to understand why this mission had landed on my desk.
"It has not been confirmed that the threat is Mystic-related," one elder replied.
"Sure," I interrupted without much restraint. "But the real question is whether a Calamity-ranked weapon is involved."
The room fell silent. Not one of them answered. Their silence said more than any explanation ever could.
"You are here to execute orders, Captain," one elder finally said. "Not to question them."
A vein pulsed slightly on my forehead. I inhaled slowly and exhaled just as carefully. Losing my temper now would only make matters worse.
Sarah's warning echoed in my mind. No more complaints.
"You are the bosses," I said with a forced smile. "All of you."
Then my voice hardened slightly.
"I understand that it is not my place to question orders when I am being asked to send my men to their deaths."
A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"On that note, I have just one question before I leave."
I looked directly toward the council. "How many times does this make now? How many times have you old fogeys sent me on a death sentence?"
Before they could respond, I turned my back on them and began walking toward the exit.
One of the elders called out as I reached the door.
I ignored him completely.
At that moment, I felt far too disgusted to turn around and face them again.