Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 64

Chapter 64   Explanation of the request

I had just finished one of the sweets given to me when Amido, the personnel director, returned to the room, slightly out of breath.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Oh, no problem at all.”

“I only meant to have a light chat, but to end up receiving such a unique weapon as a gift… At this point, I’m tempted to abuse my authority to the fullest and appoint you to a high-ranking position.”

“No, thank you… I must respectfully decline.”

“Haha, that’s just the kind of earnestness that makes me like you even more!”

Surprised by his bold statement, I firmly refused, causing him to laugh heartily. At this rate, it seemed like he might dive into another round of small talk.

“Um… If we continue like this, we’ll end up spending the whole day in idle chatter. Could we perhaps move on to the main topic?”

“Ah, yes, you’re right. I apologize for wasting the valuable time of someone as capable as you. Let’s get down to the details of your assignment.”

I cautiously suggested moving on, and Amido smoothly transitioned to the main topic.

“As I mentioned before, what we need from you is to provide tactical and technical instruction to our elite unit. Specifically, I’d like you to start with our main elite force, the ‘Zelgius Rangers.'”

As he began his explanation, he took out a document from his pocket and placed it in front of me.

“The primary tasks of the ‘Zelgius Rangers’ are ‘humanitarian aid to friendly small nations,’ ‘disaster relief,’ and ‘maintaining public order.’ As you know, the Kingdom of Zelgius is the second-largest country on this continent and is in a hostile relationship with the largest nation, the Corona Empire. However, direct conflict between Zelgius and Corona is rare. If diplomacy breaks down, skirmishes usually occur between friendly and hostile small nations that lie between them.”

“I see.”

“So, during wars, their main tasks involve delivering supplies and supporting on-site healers.”

“Understood.”

“But of course, the ‘Zelgius Rangers’ do engage in combat. They defend against enemy attacks during humanitarian missions in small nations and handle monster disasters during disaster relief operations, which means monster hunting as well.”

“That’s why you’ve asked me to teach new combat tactics.”

“Exactly. By the way… before you single-handedly took on the defense of the Ashgano construction site, the ‘Zelgius Rangers’ were one of the units scheduled to be dispatched there.”

“I didn’t know that.”

After hearing the full explanation, I felt like I had a grasp of the request.

“Do you have any questions so far?”

Hmm, let’s see. Although it might not be necessary to ask right now, I’ll voice my concerns and questions just in case.

“I have two questions. The first one is… you mentioned earlier that you wanted me to instruct the Zelgius Rangers first. Does that mean there are other elite units as well?”

I started with a straightforward question. Amido, the personnel director, lifted his gaze and, after a moment of thought, responded slowly.

“In a manner of speaking, yes and no.”

“What do you mean?”

Curious about his vague response, I asked for clarification.

“To be precise, there are indeed other elite units. However, they are unofficial and not publicly acknowledged. So… I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose the details unless we decide to involve you in training those units as well.”

It seemed his vague response was due to his hesitation about how much to reveal.

“I apologize for asking out of curiosity without understanding the circumstances. I’m fine with waiting until it’s necessary to know the details.”

Knowing military secrets would only increase the risk of being targeted by bad actors, and considering I might work in the private sector in the future, it’s better not to know too much. I decided not to probe further.

“No, no, you don’t need to apologize. It was my phrasing that made it sound like there were multiple elite units.”

Amido, clearly worried by my apology, hurriedly added those words while shaking his head.

“So, you mentioned you had another question?”

“Yes. There’s something I’m concerned about… This job requires a student like me to suddenly take on the role of instructing national defense professionals. I’m worried that some might not take kindly to this.”

“I see…”

Encouraged to ask my second question, I voiced my concern, and Amido responded with a light chuckle.

“You don’t need to worry about that. As I mentioned earlier, the Zelgius Rangers were initially scheduled to defend the construction site at Ashgano Cape. Almost all of them believed they wouldn’t be able to complete the mission on their own. You accomplished that mission single-handedly. Student or not, there’s no one in that unit who doesn’t respect you.”

“I see…”

Hearing his reasoning, I felt reassured.

“Ah.”

Just as I was beginning to feel reassured that my worries were unfounded, Amido, the personnel director, suddenly added something, as if he had just remembered it.

“But, there might be some who find your achievements too incredible to believe… unfortunately. Still, I’ve strictly instructed them not to show any disrespect, so you should be fine.”

Upon hearing this, a specific individual came to mind: Licht, an upperclassman who was originally a candidate for the captain position in the inter-school martial arts tournament.

There was a time when someone doubted my achievements, assuming they were exaggerated until I proved myself in a fight. It’s a bit troublesome to think there might be people among the clients who feel the same way.

Even though they’ve been told not to be openly disrespectful, that only guarantees they won’t show their displeasure outwardly. Teaching someone effectively requires a mutual understanding, which might be hard to achieve if there’s doubt.

Sensing my renewed anxiety, Amido made a suggestion.

“If you’d like, how about this? Before starting the instruction, you could participate in their existing training regimen. Shared hardships create a sense of camaraderie, and even if they doubt your achievements, they’ll respect someone who has endured the same training. What do you think?”

That’s a great idea. Building a relationship as peers first would make establishing trust much easier than starting as teacher and students right away.

“Yes, let’s do that!”

I answered immediately.

“Alright, I’ll inform the team. Come to this location at noon.”

Amido pointed to a spot on the map of the base hanging on the wall.

I would soon be meeting the elite unit of the knights. I felt nervous, but also a bit excited.